Cinématon

A Cinématon is a series of very short, silent film portraits, typically lasting around 3.5 minutes each, created by French filmmaker Gérard Courant since 1978. The concept is simple: the subject, often a personality from the arts or cinema, is filmed from the shoulders up and instructed to do whatever they wish during the allotted time, with the stipulation that they cannot leave the frame. Courant refrains from directing or interacting with the subjects beyond the initial instruction. The resulting films are unedited and presented as a continuous, single shot.

The Cinématon project is notable for its scale, with Courant having filmed over 3,000 individuals. The collection constitutes a vast, idiosyncratic archive of artists, filmmakers, writers, actors, and others associated with the avant-garde and independent film scenes. The films are often screened together as a multi-hour marathon, providing a unique meditation on portraiture, performance, and the passage of time.

The Cinématon's minimalist aesthetic and lack of artifice place emphasis on the subject's natural behavior and self-presentation. The limitations imposed by the format encourage spontaneity and reveal subtle aspects of personality. The project can be seen as a study of human behavior under observation, and a catalog of diverse expressions and reactions. It challenges conventional notions of filmmaking by prioritizing observation and minimal intervention over elaborate narrative or technical complexity.