[00:00 - 00:04]
[Intermittent metallic clanking sounds]
The National Film Board of Canada logo appears in the centre of a black background. It is a green stick figure with an oval overlaid on the circular head.
[00:05 - 00:08]
The logo shrinks and moves down to the bottom left corner of the screen. Green text in French and English appears across the bottom of the screen OFFICE NATIONAL DU FILM DU CANADA NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA
[00:09 - 00:35]
[Experimental atonal music plays]
The turn to black. Light orange French text scrolls from the bottom to the top of the screen LE SYSTÈME << TELIDON >> EST UN PROCÉDÉ DE COMMUNICATION INFORMATISÉE PERMETTANT L'ÉCHANGE D'INFORMATIONS VISUELLES TRANSMISES À DES TÉLÉVISEURS PAR LIGNES TÉLÉPHONIQUES. LES EXERCICES QUI SUIVENT DÉMONTRENT CERTAINES DES POSSIBILITÉS GRAPHIQUES ET DYNAMIQUES DU SYSTÈME.
The same text appears in English THE “TELIDON” SYSTEM IS A COMPUTERIZED COMMUNICATION PROCESS ALLOWING THE EXCHANGE OF VISUAL INFORMATION TRANSMITTED TO TELEVISION RECEIVERS VIA TELEPHONE LINES. THE FOLLOWING EXERCISES DEMONSTRATE SOME OF THE GRAPHIC AND DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES OF THE SYSTEM.
[00:36 - 00:57]
Abstract Telidon graphics proceed. The first image resembles a landscape with a red sun-like orb in the top left and wavy blue lines below, on a black background.
[00:58 - 01:02]
Yellow text appears on top of the Telidon graphics BY PIERRE MORETTI GRAPHIC VARIATIONS ON TELIDON
[01:03 - 01:05]
The same text appears in French PAR PIERRE MORETTI VARIATIONS GRAPHIQUES SUR TELIDON.
[01:06 - 01:23]
A circumflex symbol appears from the left of the screen. It travels across the screen towards the right erasing the text as it passes by. The image progressively gets wiped away. The screen returns to black.
[01:24 - 01:55]
The word TELIDON appears in cursive writing. The text is repeated from left to write in various colours. A second line appears beneath the first. A third line appears.
[01:56 - 02:05]
The text begins to disappear.
[02:06 - 02:23]
One instance of the word TELIDON remains on screen. It is then repeated on top of itself in various colours.
[02:24 - 02:27]
The text disappears from bottom to top leaving a black screen.
[02:28 - 02:35]
An enlarged version of the cursive writing appears in violet on the black background. A smaller TELIDON in red appears on top. A slightly larger TELIDON appears below that in teal.
[02:36 - 02:48]
The word TELIDON on the bottom of the screen begins to wipe away. A large red rectangle appears at the top of the screen. The shape splits in two. The rest of the text on screen disappears. The screen returns to black.
[02:49 - 02:58]
A blue spiral appears in the centre of the screen. A dark blue spiral appears on top of it. Both shapes disappear.
[02:59 - 03:12]
A red series of lines appears in the centre of the screen. They are layered on top of one another, in a spiral shape. It begins to disappear from the centre, following the circular path.
[03:13 - 03:23]
A series of blue lines in a similar style appear on the left side of the screen. The lines are repeated left to right creating a large wavy pattern. The shape is wiped away.
[03:24 - 03:35]
[music intensifies]
Three intersecting red lines appear on screen. A blue star shape appears on top of the lines. Pink circles are added. The image is wiped away.
[03:36 - 03:50]
[music calms down]
A series of lines creating abstract shapes in various colours appears. A flashing pink bar moving from left to right wipes away the shapes.
[03:51 - 04:19]
A heptagon composed of red lines appears. A blue square is added to the centre of the red shape. It is replaced by a pink square. Blue, teal, and light pink abstract shapes appear over top. A black lined heptagon is added.
[04:20 - 04:25]
A series of thin, vertical black lines are added to the scene. The screen turns to black.
[04:26 - 04:42]
Five rectangles appear at the top of screen. A thick blue line is laid over top. A yellow rectangle moves from left to right on top of the existing shapes. A black rectangle moves from left to right on top of the existing shapes. The black band grows and the screen returns to black.
[04:43 - 04:53]
Various bands of colour appear on screen. They are layer on and under each other creating a woven effect. Thick black lines take over the image.
[04:54 - 05:05]
Flashing rectangles appear on screen in pink, red, and blue. A pink series of concentric circles appears at the top of the page. The page turns to black.
[05:06 - 05:20]
[music intensifies]
A series of blue triangles appears. The triangles change to red, pink, blue, and purple.
[05:21 - 06:00]
The screen fades to black. A star shape composed of pink and red triangles appears. A second star shape replaces the first. The triangles change colour. A black hatched pattern stars to speckle the image. The screen fades to black.
[06:01 - 06:10]
A light blue hatched pattern fills the screen. Blue triangles of various sizes are added. Green, black, and grey triangles appear. The screen fades to black.
[06:11 - 06:18]
Long, vertical rectangles appear in red, fuchsia, light pink, and teal. Shorter, thin blue lines are added. The screen returns to black.
[06:19 - 06:25]
Five squares of various sizes appear. An angular line appears from the left to right of the screen. A flashing pink line wipes away the scene from bottom to top.
[06:26 - 06:36]
A vertical pink line bisects the screen. A series of large rectangles layered on top of each other. The screen returns to black save for the vertical pink line. Rectangles composed of lines are added. The scene disappears from top to bottom.
[06:37 - 06:49]
Oblong blue rectangles appear on a black background. Teal and red rectangles of various shapes are layered over top. The image fades to black.
[06:50 - 07:22]
Abstract shapes layered on one another appear. They are composed of scratchy lines. The screen fades to black.
[07:23 - 07:39]
[music calm down]
A yellow square appears at the bottom of the screen. Ochre text appears above it PRODUCTION NATIONAL FILM BOARD CANADA. The text disappears and is replaced by a French version PRODUCTION OFFICE NATIONAL DU FILM DU CANADA.
[music builds]
[07:40 - 07:46]
A blue square is added to the top of the page. Ochre text appears overtop of the existing text FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS IN COOPERATION WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH CENTRE.
[07:47 - 07:51]
[music calms then abruptly ends]
This text is replaced with a French translation POUR LE MINISTÉRE DES COMMUNICATIONS EN COLLABORATION AVEC LE CENTRE DE RECHERCHES SUR LES COMMUNICATIONS. The screen fades to black.
[07:52 - 07:57]
Ochre text appears MUSIQUE MUSIC ALAIN CLAVIER PRODUCTION PRODUCTION GASTON SARAULT OFFICE NATIONAL DU FILM DU CANADA 1980.
Video description by Shauna Jean Doherty.
