Rob Fantinatto

Robert Fantinatto - Director: “I Dream of Wires”

Rob is a member of Charles Street Video and former staff.  After studying astrophysics at the University of Toronto, Robert Fantinatto made a drastic change in career paths, receiving a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Film Production from York University. But his early interest in science has influenced the projects he’s been involved with throughout the rest of his professional career. For a number of years he was a freelance film editor. Then in the mid-2000s he made Echoes of Forgotten Places, a documentary film exploring the urban exploration subculture. Distributed by Microcinema International, it was broadcast in both the U.S and Canada and released on DVD.

In early 2011 he began to notice an explosion of interest in the world of modular synthesizers. Having been involved in electronic music during the 1980s, he was intrigued by how computers and digital keyboards were in the process of being replaced by equipment long thought to be obsolete. He bought his own modular system and was drawn into the ever-expanding group of musicians who have shunned modern technology for these reborn instruments. I Dream of Wires is the natural combination of his musical and film background and talents.

He lives in Toronto with his three children. 


I Dream of Wires Description

I Dream Of Wires is an independent documentary about the history, demise and resurgence of the modular synthesizer, featuring interviews with over 100 modular musicians, inventors and enthusiasts, including Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Gary Numan, Vince Clarke (Erasure), Morton Subotnick, Chris Carter (Throbbing Gristle), Daniel Miller, Carl Craig, Flood, Cevin Key (Skinny Puppy), James Holden, Factory Floor, Legowelt, Clark, John Foxx and Bernie Krause, as well as manufacturers and modular industry leaders Doepfer, Modcan, and Make Noise.

Although April 26 will be the world premiere of I Dream Of Wires' 90 minute theatrical cut (at Moogfest), a 4-hour Special Edition cut of the film, I Dream Of Wires: Hardcore Edition, was released on DVD and BluRay in late-2013, and has already become an underground, grassroots sensation amongst electronic musicians and fans, with high profile reviews and coverage from the likes of NPR, Arte/Tracks, Pitchfork, The Wire, and FACTmag. Despite it's imposing 4-hour length and ultra-niche target market, the Hardcore Edition ("for the hardcore modular synth and electronic music fanatics") has proven an independent hit. Now, stripped of the Hardcore Edition's techy excesses, I Dream Of Wires' theatrical cut is set to bring the fascinating story of the modular synthesizer, a story driven by passionate and innovative people, to the masses. Additional screenings are confirmed in Sweden, Slovakia, Poland, Australia and the UK, plus festival bookings including Chicago's CIMMfest, Boston’s Together Festival, Washington's Forward Festival, Calgary's Sled Island, and Montreal's MUTEK.

I Dream of Wires begins with an historical primer, exploring the early development of modular synthesizers from pioneering companies Moog Music Inc. and Buchla and Associates, right through to the near-extinction of these instruments, brought on by the introduction of portable, digital synthesizers in the ’80s. From there, the rebirth of the modular synthesizer is retraced, leading into the phenomenal resurgence of the modular synthesizer. Along the way is some in-depth exploration of the passions, obsessions and dreams of people who have dedicated part of their lives to this esoteric electronic music machine. What started out as a “vintage-revival scene” in the ’90s has grown into an underground phenomena with a growing market of modular obsessives craving ever more wild and innovative sounds and interfaces. Today, the modular synthesizer is no longer an esoteric curiosity or even a mere music instrument — it is an essential tool for radical new sounds and a bona fide subculture.

I Dream Of Wires
http://idreamofwires.org/
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires
http://twitter.com/IDOWdocumentary

 18 September 2015