O’Neill’s imagery magic provides an alternate look at the ordinary

“I begin films not really knowing how I am going to finish them,” said the soft-spoken filmmaker as he introduced himself to the audience.
Monday night, Pat O’Neill showed his films Water and Power, and Horizontal Boundaries as part of the University of Colorado’s International Film Series. After each piece, O’Neill fielded questions from members of the audience and described the processes and motivations behind his film production.
“When I run across things around me that I think have a different meaning, I like to use them again,” said O’Neill. “I like to work on many projects at once and allow them to influence each other.”
Water and Power, which presents an abstract portrayal of Los Angeles and its energy exchange, and has been added to the National Film Registry, proved to be the crowd favorite.
Once the applause subsided, O’Neill explained that he did not craft the film as a geo-political statement, but wanted to record what he observed and felt about a situation as an artist.
Pat O’Neill, a specialist in visual and special effects, even helping George Lucas in the making of The Empire Strikes Back, said his next project will be on paper as it makes more economic sense. He plans to take listing photos that people have posted on ebay, arrange them in multi-image photographs and release them as a book.