THE SPIRAL JETTY film 

by Robert Smithson 1970. 

FILM FLOW NOTES

italic is Robert Smithson quotes

1.  Driving along gravel road front on, noise of gravel stones chipping on car.
2.  Sound of Metronome ticking, pages of an ripped up atlas thrown over dried mud cracking.
3.  Driving along gravel road rear shot.
4.  Geographic Map of Salt Lake 
	RS " Connected to the Pacific Ocean"
	RS " Whirlpool bedtween Antelope and Freemont Islands"
5.  Driving along gravel road front on.
6.  "The Lost World" stack of books.
7.  Driving along gravel road rear shot.
8.  Inside a museum looking at dinosaur bones in glass boxes. Shot with red filter.
	RS "Nothing has ever changed since I've been here"
9. Driving along gravel road, front on shot.
10. Map of the Jurassic period.
11. Topographical description of un-surveyed map of the location of the Spiral Jetty.
	RS " To the point of beginning. Containing 10 acres more or less"
12. Red water while wallking through it. Red or pink due to the Alage in the brine.
13. Smithson walking in fishing waders marking out the lake with stakes.
	RS " A string was used from the center of the spiral"
14. Dump truck reversing out onto the Spiral Jetty.
15. Shot of Red/Pink water.
16. Bulldozer collecting rocks from the hillside. Noise of bulldozer working.
17. Dinosuar still.
18. Dozer excavating light grey, tan and limestone boulders.
	RS " Part bedded part massive"
19. Cut to lake shot of small waves.
20. Dumpster tipping rocks into lake.
21. Red lake.
22. Dumpster tipping rocks along the jetty. Footage slowed down.
23. Red lake.
24. Bulldozer pushing rocks along the jetty. Footage slowed down.
25. Red/pink lake, detail close up
26. Dumpster reversing along lake.
	License No of truck 163648
27. Dumpster tipping more rocks'
28. Dumpster tipping more rocks @ a 30% load angle.
29. Red/pink lake.
30. Track vehicle with bucket driving out of lake ripping the surface.
31. Tracked vehicle smoothes out rocks.
32. Dumpster tipping.
33. Red/pink lake.
34.Tracked vehicle ripping jetty.
	RS "Ripping The Spiral Jetty"
35. Tracked vehicle ripping the jetty.
36. Helicopter out over the jetty following Robert Smithson into the center of the jetty. Increasing speed wider lense.
	RS "Mud/Salt Crystals/Rocks/Water"
37. Helicopter spiral shot continues.
38. Altitude getting higher until jetty appears to be around 50ft below.
39. Continues. Shadow of helicopter below.
40. Cut to detail of salt crystals forming on the edge of the lake.
	RS "The chrystal step will actually wind itself into a spiral during growth"
41. Salt lake chrystal stills.
42. Helicopter overhead shot of following Smithson running into the centre of the jetty.
43. Smithson stops running.
44. Helicopter keeps flying overhead.
45. White shirt / blue or black jeans or cord trousers.
46. Smithson continues jumping and running over rocks towards the centre of the jetty.
47. Smithson arrives @ the centre, stops, breaths camera zooms in.
48. Not once do you see Smithsons face.
49. Helicopter climbs vertically to altitude, Smithson starts to walk out of the Spiral Jetty.
50. Various angles shot of The Spiral Jetty from the helicopter.
51. Cuts to direct line of flight of helicopter coming over the hill in line with the entrance to the jetty.
52. Again various angles of the Spiral Jetty.
	RS "A Spiral Nebula Of Vast Numerous Suns"
	RS "Spirals Coming Your Way"
	RS "Sun Stroke"
53. Continue with various wide overhead shots of the Spiral Jetty @ sunset
54. Yes Sunset.
55. Last shot is of the 16mm editing suite with a black and white photograph of the Spiral Jetty in the bakground.