We’ve all been there before, over at a friends house waiting our turn on the new playbox 2000 console, only to be killed off a split second later by somebody who is apparently on some sort of online headset in Russia. Sounds fun. Or not. When you’re not playing you are most definitely waiting. The echoing sound of tapping and the (useless) upper torso movement from left to right can conjure up childhood memories of Christmas for some while leaving others with a sense of frustration.
Hit Me with Your Best Shot (2008) by London based artist, and Kithkin collaborator, James Ford manages to encapsulate the never-ending feeling of watching somebody tap away at big plastic buttons perfectly. At almost three hours long, the film steers away from previous shock tactics such as cock door handles and feecal the chocolate starfish to lay bare the mind numbing bore fest that is playing guitar hero.
Game sounds are muted and the screen lacks any sort of context leaving the viewer to ‘guess’ what song Ford plays. An episode of South Park (guitar queero) similarly reduced the phenomenon that is Guitar Hero to a film of incessant tapping, more reminiscent of a small child relentlessly banging a rattle.
DVD film: total length 2:46
Director: James R Ford
Cast: James R Ford
Hit Me With Your Best Shot will be shown as part of KKTV at the Working Title open studio.