Super 8 films, mostly silent, black & white, made for projecting with the band on stage. Using white bed sheets for a screen, the image could be small and beside or above the band, or large and projected onto the band, depending on the situation.
Each film was made for, and titled after, a specific song, but the filmmaking couldn't keep up with the songwriting so some songs never used a film, and some new songs used a retired song's existing film.
Made collaboratively, each film was directed by a different band member or John Porter, and assisted by band member Caroline Azar.

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Song Titles and Their Film Production Dates

Where Are They Now? (made by John Porter as Dream Factory, 1980, before Fifth Column)

Just Jenny's Luck / Bad Madeline (January 11, 1983)

Hit the Dirt / Right Hook (January 15, 1983)

Boy, Girl / She Said Boom / Yo Yo (January 27, 1983)

Modern Diseases (January 31, 1983)

Those Still Left (February 2, 1983)

Incident Prone (September 10, 1983)

Monsieur Beauchamps / Margaret Bourk White (October 26, 1983)

Killer Riddle / Ghost of a Buffalo (November 6, 1983)

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Yesterday's Heroes (October 11, 1984, sound on film)

Late Last Night (May 4, 1985)

The Fairview Mall Story (May 7, 1985)

Kangaroo Court (February 13, 1986)

Mug Bug (March 8 & 22, 1987)

Secret Storm (March 8 & 23, 1987)

Weather Town (May 22, 1988)

Through the River (June 25, 1988)

Bad Madeline (August-October, 1990)

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FIFTH COLUMN SUPER 8 SCREENINGS

When Fifth Column was formed in Toronto in 1981, some of its members were attending The Ontario College of Art (OCA) including film production classes with Ross McLaren. McLaren's classes steered many young super 8 and 16mm film artists to The Funnel Experimental Film Theatre which he had co-founded in 1977.

During their songs, Fifth Column had been showing some films - their own, their friends', and borrowed from the library. At The Funnel they saw John Porter's many super 8 films which they described as "short and punchy like Ramones songs", so they asked John to show a "set" of his films during their song set. This was done at a Funnel Benefit concert and gallery exhibit Fifth Column organized at The Funnel on May Day, 1982, attended by 100 (a full house). John's films were Drive-In Movies, Amusement Park, Circus, Tartan Tattoo, Stock Exchange, Toy Catalogue, Exams, Warriors Parade, Ice Follies, Fashion Show 3, and Rock Jam. John also shot a super 8 sound film of the concert
- Fifth Column at The Funnel (7 minutes).

But John felt that his existing films weren't perfectly suited to each song and proposed making films specifically for this purpose. Together they made 18 super 8 "wallpaper films", totalling 50 minutes, from 1983 to 1990, and John projected them at most Fifth Column performances, 1983 to 1992, including on tour. The first films were for the songs Just Jenny's Luck, Boy/Girl, Hit the Dirt, Those Still Left, and Modern Diseases, and they were first shown with Fifth Column in a film performance series organized by John Porter at the Poor Alex Theatre in Toronto in February, 1983.

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SCREENINGS CHRONOLOGY

Funnel Benefit, The Funnel, Toronto (May 1, 1982, att: 100)

Films with Performance series, Poor Alex Theatre, Toronto (February 20, 1983, att: 50)

Larry's Hideaway, Toronto (October 28, 1983, att: 200)

A Space's Women's Bands series, The Rivoli, Toronto (November 10, 1983, att: 100)

Sadlier House, Peter Robinson College, Peterborough, Ontario (Dec. 3, 1983, att: 100)

UC 103, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (February 24, 1984, att: 50)

George Ignatieff Theatre, University of Toronto (March 16, 1984, att: 100)

Powerhouse Benefit, The Spectrum, Montreal, Quebec (March 28, 1984, att: 200)

les foufounes electriques, Montreal, Quebec (March 29, 1984, att: 50)

Emily Stowe Women's Shelter Benefit, The Rivoli, Toronto (November 28, 1984, att: 100)

Banana Obskouri, Hull, Quebec (December 22, 1984, att: 50)

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Forest City Gallery, London, Ontario (February 2, 1985, att: 75)

DMZ (formerly the Paramount), Toronto (February 22, 1985, att: 100)

Larry's Hideaway, Toronto (April 11, 1985, att: 100)

CBGB, New York City, New York (June 11, 1985, att: 20)

The Electric Banana, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (June 15, 1985, att: 30

The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, Michigan (June 24, 1985, att: 50)

Lee's Palace, Toronto (October 1, 1985, att: 200)

The Beverly Tavern, Toronto (November 23, 1985, att: 100)

Together, Toronto, January 23, 1986 (att: 50)

Call the Office, London, Ontario, February 20, 1986 (att: 100)

The Concert Hall (Masonic Temple), Toronto, March 19, 1986 (att: 300)

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The Subway Room, Spadina Hotel, Toronto, January 22 & 23, 1987 (att: 50)

Lee's Palace, Toronto, February 12, 1987 (att: 150)

The Subway Room, Spadina Hotel, Toronto, February 27, 1987 (att: 50)

The Rivoli, Toronto, April 2, 1987 (att: 100)

The Rivoli, Toronto, May 16, 1987 (att: 100)

The Cabana Room, Spadina Hotel, Toronto, June 5, 1987 (att: 50)

The Rivoli, Toronto, July 17, 1987 (att: 100)

The Silver Dollar, Toronto, August 8, 1987 (att: 100)

Key West, London, Ontario, September 5, 1987 (att: 100)

Sneaky Dee's, Toronto, September 12, 1987 (att: 30)

Ontario College of Art, Toronto, September 18, 1987 (att: 100)

The Rivoli, Toronto, October 29, 1987 (att: 75)

Sneaky Dee's, Toronto, November 28, 1987 (att: 40)

Grad Lounge, York University, Toronto, December 14, 1987 (att: 50)

Club Rhythm, Toronto, December 16, 1987 (att: 40)

The Silver Dollar, Toronto, December 18, 1987 (att: 50)

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Sneaky Dee's, Toronto, January 9, 1988 (att: 50)

L'Ombre Jaun, Quebec City, April 7, 1988 (att: 100)

Les Foufounes Electriques, Montreal, April 9, 1988 (att: 100)

The Rivoli, Toronto, May 6, 1988

The Rivoli, Toronto, September 3, 1988

University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, January 27, 1989

The Cameron House, Toronto, March 18, 1989

The Slither Club, Toronto, April 7, 1989

The Rivoli, Toronto, May 11, 1989

The Rivoli, Toronto, July 28, 1989

Lee's Palace, Toronto, September 6, 1989

Les Foufounes Electriques, Montreal, September 9, 1989

The Cameron House, Toronto, November 24, 1989 (att: 50)

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The Cameron House, Toronto, January 4, 11, 18, 25, 1990

Hall Walls, Buffalo, New York, January 27, 1990 (att: 40)

University of Toronto, Toronto, March 9, 1990 (att: 40)

The Siboney, Toronto, April 13, 1990 (att: 100)

Les Foufounes Electriques, Montreal, April 28, 1990

The Purple Institution, Toronto, May 4, 1990

The Rivoli, Toronto, October 11, 1990

Lee's Palace, Toronto, October 31, 1990

The Rivoli, Toronto, January 19, 1991

The Rivoli, Toronto, September 26, 1991

Lee's Palace, Toronto, July 8, 1992

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John Porter projecting films for Fifth Column, Toronto, 1986

John Porter projecting films for Fifth Column, Toronto, 1986
(photo by Tim Howe, at Together, January 23, 1986)

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view John's Biography - Filmography