Rescued From the Remainder Bin

Ever wondered what happened to that old family video of you and your siblings acting like clowns? What about that instructional VHS of the must-have gadget you used for two days before tossing it away in frustration?Thanks to the efforts of three self-described preservationists of Americana, those videos might reappear in the Found Footage Festival, a 90-minute comedy montage of 15 video clips, presented by curators Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett. The next installment will be screened outdoors Friday in Williamsburg.As Mr. Prueher explained, “Any idiot could put out a VHS tape in the ’80s and ’90s, and thankfully for us, many of them did.”The offbeat clips include a promotional video for a Japanese bidet accompanied by soothing Enya-esque music and an exercise video hosted by a scantily clad Angela Lansbury. In “Grill Skill,” a training video for Wendy’s restaurants, an employee is watching television when, in a flash of smoke and red-and-green lights, he is sucked through the television into an alternate universe where a trainer performs a rap song about the proper techniques for grilling meat patties.Messrs. Prueher and Pickett, both 29, describe themselves as amateur historians, rescuing footage that represents a certain place and time in American life.“A lot of the clips are emblematic of America and its obsession with the media: that nothing should be left untaped,” Mr. Prueher said. “If someone based their view of America solely on the clips, it’s not a pretty picture.”In a home video titled “Memorial Day 2000,” which was found at a garage sale in Michigan, a group of 20-somethings goes on a vacation that descends into a “Lord of the Flies”-type bacchanalia. “Mud fights, drinking till they throw up, a lot of vomiting, nudity, chanting,” Mr. Pickett said. “You think, ‘Wow, we’ve come to this.'”The Wisconsin natives and their fellow curator Geoff Haas have spent countless hours combing trash bins and yard sales in search of bits of discarded video.Their foray into the “so bad they’re good” genre began in high school, when Mr. Prueher was working at a McDonald’s in Wisconsin. A friend handed him a training video called “Inside and Outside Custodial Duties.”“It was so terrible that it fostered a cult following. Joe and some friends would come over and we would watch it over and over in my parents’ living room,” Mr. Prueher said. He still has the tape.Upon graduation from the University of Wisconsin, Mr. Pickett worked as a freelance production and camera assistant. Mr. Prueher held jobs at “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” the old Comedy Central television show that poked fun at bad movies, and at “Late Night With David Letterman,” where he was in charge of researching embarrassing footage of celebrity guests.The stars were aligned. The pair debuted the Found Footage Festival in April of 2004 to a sold-out crowd.“I was amazed how it struck a nerve with people,” Mr. Prueher said. “Part of it is nostalgia for the ’80s and ’90s production values; part of it is the voyeuristic pleasure of watching videos that weren’t meant to be seen.”Today, the friends work out of a two-bedroom apartment in Long Island City.“We wade through hundreds of tapes that are boring, and it can drive you nuts,” said Mr. Prueher. “But it’s the glimmer of hope that you’ll find a gem somewhere: That’s what keeps me going.”Mr. Pickett added, “Just knowing that Federated Mutual Insurance comes out with a new instructional video each year is enough.”.

Rescued From the Remainder Bin

Rescued From the Remainder Bin

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