Streaming media is expensive to the climate. It is calculated to contribute a surprising 1% of global greenhouse gases, because most regions of the world obtain electricity from fossil fuels to power their data centers, networks, and devices. By streaming larger files, higher volumes and higher definition, we consume more electricity .

In effort of making a change against mainstream 4K streaming services, some artists are making small-file film.

Small-file cinema does not trade in the economy of representation. At a maximum size of 5 MB and recommended bitrate of 1 MB per minute, the films are short in length. Compressed for size, they are often blurry and hard to see. Very few small-file movies contain dialogue, so sometimes, they are hard to follow. These are some of the traits of the movies’ smallness, where compression, data moshing, glitch art, experimental and out-of-place audio, and shortened duration become processes that erode the clichés of narrative cinema. To decrease their carbon footprints, the tiny movies are pared down so that what is left is entirely aesthetic. In the absence of representation, they become sensation.

In this session, we will introduce the aesthetics of small file cinema, and possibly get onto some pratice of media compression techniques with ffmpeg (so have your laptop ready!)