Full Circle (1978)

“The image plane is divided into three sections. In the lower half, a close-up of two hands form a circle out of a metal rod. The upper half of the screen is vertically divided into two parts. On the right, a concurrent view of bending the rod with the entire body is visible in high contrast black and white. On the left is the green trace of an oscilloscope. A sine wave tone is first heard corresponding with the static green trace, a horizontal line. I drone a ‘similar’ tone that together with the sine wave changes the trace into a wavering circle. The steadier the sound I make, the steadier the circle. As I expend more energy bending the rod to ‘copy’ the electronically generated circle, my voice struggles to maintain pitch. Consequently the circle vibrates, collapses and morphs into multiple forms, mirroring the strain of my voice."

Director: Gary Hill
Runtime: 3 min
Release Date:
Original Language: en
More Films by Director: Gary Hill

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Full Circle about?
“The image plane is divided into three sections. In the lower half, a close-up of two hands form a circle out of a metal rod. The upper half of the screen is vertically divided into two parts. On the right, a concurrent view of bending the rod with the entire body is visible in high contrast black and white. On the left is the green trace of an oscilloscope. A sine wave tone is first heard corresponding with the static green trace, a horizontal line. I drone a ‘similar’ tone that together with the sine wave changes the trace into a wavering circle. The steadier the sound I make, the steadier the circle. As I expend more energy bending the rod to ‘copy’ the electronically generated circle, my voice struggles to maintain pitch. Consequently the circle vibrates, collapses and morphs into multiple forms, mirroring the strain of my voice."
Who directed Full Circle?
Full Circle was directed by Gary Hill.
How long is Full Circle?
Full Circle has a runtime of 3m (3 minutes).