Back in the mid-60s, while sailing in the New Haven Harbor, Saul Levine and a couple of friends goofed around, jumping from a buoy to the moving boat and back (the aquatic version of parkour).
Levine had brought along an 8mm camera and wanted to shoot his pals’ antics. One suggested that Levine would best be served by the higher vantage point of the 8-foot buoy, so literally, Levine took the creative leap, but didn’t make it, nor did his camera, which also went in the drink.
Figuring all was lost, Levine developed the film out of curiosity. What came back were abstract images: turquoise swirls punctuated with the burning white blur of the sun and a few discernible images of his friends atop the buoy. Levine spliced it all together in a stark montage and made what would be his first “experimental” film, “Salt of the Sea.” Continue reading
For What it's Worth 