For the past 20 years, Steve and Mary have focused their artistic efforts using experimental film techniques and on deep research into the science and nature of the creatures and situations they film, almost exclusively in the narrow strip of coastal environments and habitats where the land and ocean interact.
Their filmmaking is personal, factually specific, and concentrated on communicating the transformative aspect that scientific knowledge can produce in our personal experience of the natural world. Their commitment to factual rigor means that their films’ credits include peer-reviewed academic references.
No studio, stock, drone or AI footage is ever used. Their films include only what Steve and Mary have filmed in situ, in nature, over many years.
Mary and Steve have been making art films since they first met in 1982 in Berkeley, California. Shot and edited on 8mm film, their first efforts were experimental in nature and nod to San Francisco experimental genres “trance movies,” “drawing directly on film” and “associational form.” In all, they made about 20 short films during this period, culminating in a screening at the San Francisco Experimental Film Festival, where they showed “Running for Glory” and other works.
Eventually, they purchased a 16 mm Bolex camera and began making dramatic shorts which included visual effects, and continued editing using traditional splicers and glue and always with experimental techniques. These were screened at the London East End Independent Experimental Film Festival, including “Chess Game” and “An Illusion of a Line.”
They were still using film-based equipment when they started to focus on the natural world – specifically California’s Central Coast. They have had great fun making their natural history films and installations for over 16 years.
Currently, they produce Experimental Film Art focused on the rocky coast.