Obsolete Pictures creates silent films with original music, inspired by the style and aesthetics of vintage cinema.

Bree and Allen recently appeared on the Drawing From Experience podcast, artist Shane Izykowski’s show in which he interviews artists and examines the creative process. In our wide-ranging conversation, we discussed the art of collaboration, and went into the history of Obsolete Pictures and the genesis of the Capitol Theater museum exhibit. Click the image to listen to it online, or download it from any of your regular podcast sources!
THE PICNIC
KOKOLORES
The film’s German title, Kokolores, means “nonsense” or “balderdash,” and reflects its whimsical approach to the film’s dances, costumes, and set design. There is, of course, method to its madness, as each character has a geometric theme that corresponds to their movements, and along with the score, the film seeks to creates an experience based in tone, shape, and space.
ARTEMUS BIDDLE’S BEYOND BELIEF
SIAMESE TWINS, ETTA & EMMA
THE BEAST FROM THE DEEP
THE FLOATING GIRL
Siamese Twins, Etta & Emma is in part inspired by the fact that our Obsolete Pictures Producer, Bree Hylkema, who also stars as Emma, is an actual descendant of the original “Siamese Twins,” Chang and Eng Bunker. This film in particular is an homage to her unique and celebrated ancestor.
The Beast from the Deep posits that the San Francisco Bay has its own version of the Loch Ness Monster. Although it would have been fun to have our creature swim beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, that structure didn’t exist until 1937.
The Floating Girl is purest whimsy, and although it looks simple, it took quite a bit of effort to pull off. Like much of our work, a combination of practical and digital effects delivered the result we sought. But rest assured our “girl” was actually up in the air!
WELCOME TO THE MOVING PICTURES
This type of short film run before the feature, when not a trailer for coming attractions, was called a “snipe” in the lingo of the theater biz. Certain snipes have achieved a kind of cult status, perhaps in part due to their endless repetition and long life, or in some cases simply because they’re fantastic, like the unbeatable singing snacks in the pop-culture earworm Let’s All Go to the Lobby.