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Viva Lost Elvis

I like movies about Las Vegas. But I don't like Elvis Presley. Viva Lost Elvis is an experiment in formal re-structuring, followed by traditional sound design, to create a parody of 1960s musicals.

The film began as a formal exercise. Every frame of Viva Las Vegas containing Elvis Presley or Ann Margaret was removed. This created a challenge: Could this mechanically-shortened version feel less arbitrary when accompanied by a carefully curated sound edit?

Music was adjusted, dialog was moved, and effects were smoothed to make this film what it should have been all along: a short romp in Las Vegas with no Elvis.

  • Craig Smith
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Experimental
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 31, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    12 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    35mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • San Diego Underground Film Festival 2020
    San Diego
    United States
    December 6, 2020
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Craig Smith

Craig Smith has been recording, editing, & mixing sound since 1964, and teaching sound design and technology at California Institute of the Arts since 1986. In his spare time, he experiments with implied narrative and accidental sound design -- putting together sounds & images that have nothing to do with each other to create unexpected stories.

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