Alive from Off Center
Alive from Off Center
S1 • E1

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Release: 1985-07-01
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Up NextVideo Dance
Short Video Artworks
EP 1
28m

Short Video Artworks

In John Sanborn and Kit Fitzgerald’s Ear to the Ground, percussionist David Van Thieghem “plays” the city of New York as he uses everyday objects as instruments. Zbigniew Rybczynski’s The Discreet Charm of the Diplomacy depicts a cocktail party at the White House, where animals are also invited. Ringside by Michael Schwartz showcases a dance by Elizabeth Streb, followed by a futuristic music video for Laurie Anderson’s song “Sharkey’s Day.” William Wegman’s Singing Stomach features a man contorting his torso to look like a face alongside another segment of Wegman teaching a dog how to spell. Lastly, At Battersea Power Station features a performance by Sankai Juku.

Aired: 1985-07-01
Video Dance
EP 2
28m

Video Dance

This program opens with a piece performed by the dance group "Maasai," which explores an African tribal dance and its variations performed in 1980s London. The second and final segment, "Parafango," is a collaboration between choreographer and dancer Karole Armitage, video artist George Atlas, and musician David Linton that depicts a woman's surrealistic dream about a man she encounters at a party.

Aired: 1985-07-08
Smothering Dreams
EP 3
28m

Smothering Dreams

Smothering Dreams features an interview with video artist/sculptor Dan Reeves as well as clips from his video piece of the same title. The work juxtaposes footage from combat against shots of everyday children’s play in order to critique America’s fascination with war and violence. In the interview portion of this 1985 episode, Reeves shares his personal experiences of serving as a US marine in Vietnam during the 1960s. Smothering Dreams is dedicated to the soldiers of 3rd Platoon Company A 1st Amtrac Battalion and the North Vietnamese soldiers who died on January 20, 1969, along the Cua Viet River.

Aired: 1985-07-15
Comedy Video
EP 4
28m

Comedy Video

Artists who poke fun at the medium of television are the focus of this 1985 episode. As noted by host Susan Stamberg, Comedy on Video is highly self-reflexive since these artists not only mock commercial television but also educational television, a subgenre in which Alive from Off Center can be included. Segments include Zbigniew Rybczynski’s The Day Before, William Wegman’s Man Ray – Man Ray, “Joan Logue’s TV Commercials for Artists, and Tom Rubnitz and actress Ann Magnuson’s Made for TV.

Aired: 1985-07-22
Tongues
EP 5
28m

Tongues

Directed by video artist Shirley Clarke, Tongues (1985) is a collaboration between playwright Sam Shepard and actor Joseph Chaikin. According to Chaikin, Tongues is about “somebody being reborn and reborn again.” In the video, Chaikin performs a monologue that addresses existential concepts such as birth, death, and rebirth in many different voices. At one point, he carries on a dialogue between two people. His performance is punctuated by the sound of percussion instruments and various visual effects. This episode also includes an interview with Clarke about her work and the medium of video by host Susan Stamberg.

Aired: 1985-07-29
Summer Dances
EP 6
28m

Summer Dances

"Summer" is the theme of the dances, which are performed outdoors. Inspired by the teenage life in a working-class neighborhood, the first dance, "You Little Wild Heart" by Marta Renzi, is performed to music by Bruce Springsteen in an actual suburban neighborhood. In the second dance, "District 1" by Rudy Perez, Boston's City Hall Plaza is transformed into a kind of summer playground. In "George's House" by Dan Wagoner, a group of young women play "hide-and-seek" by popping their heads in and out of the doors and windows of a cabin to the rhythm of the country music accompaniment. In "Secret of the Waterfall" by Charles Atlas and Douglas Dunn, performers move to the phrases and words of a poem, which appear on screen as part of the visual composition. The final piece, "From An Island Summer" by Atlas and Karole Armitage, follows a group of dancers through Coney Island from the boardwalk to the amusement park, as passersby react with surprise.

Aired: 1985-08-05
A Personal History of the American Theatre
EP 7
28m

A Personal History of the American Theatre

Spalding Gray discusses his experiences working as a professional theater actor while sitting at a desk or table in the same manner as many of his filmed and theatrically released monologues.

Aired: 1985-08-12
Artist's Music Videos
EP 8
28m

Artist's Music Videos

This program, hosted by Susan Stamberg, showcases alt rock music videos, beginning with "The Dancing Man," in which a recurring song torments a man. The video "The Women's Group" by the British New Wave group "The Flying Lizards" offers a satirical view of a "woman's world" and the "traps" that she faces. "Lake Placid 80" by artist Nam June Paik uses images of Olympic ice skaters as they whirl to the beat of a rock song. In "Record Players" by Christian Marclay, unidentified hands "play" acetate LPs by scratching them. "Once in a Lifetime," a music video by "Talking Heads" band leader David Byrne, is followed by Joan Logue's "TV Commercials for Artists" in which she presents unconventional video portraits of Steve Reich (clapping hands), Nam June Paik (playing a piano in an unorthodox way), and Laurie Anderson (using her head as percussion). The final segment, "Act III", is a piece by John Sanborn and Dean Winkler with music by Philip Glass.

Aired: 1985-08-19

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80% Match (1 Votes)IMDb8.01985SEASON 1 • EP 1DOLBY ATMOS 5.1FREE STREAMReturning Series

Alive from Off Center

Season 1, Episode 1 "Short Video Artworks" • 4K Ultra HD Master Stream

Documentary
Audio Tracks:English

In John Sanborn and Kit Fitzgerald’s Ear to the Ground, percussionist David Van Thieghem “plays” the city of New York as he uses everyday objects as instruments. Zbigniew Rybczynski’s The Discreet Charm of the Diplomacy depicts a cocktail party at the White House, where animals are also invited. Ringside by Michael Schwartz showcases a dance by Elizabeth Streb, followed by a futuristic music video for Laurie Anderson’s song “Sharkey’s Day.” William Wegman’s Singing Stomach features a man contorting his torso to look like a face alongside another segment of Wegman teaching a dog how to spell. Lastly, At Battersea Power Station features a performance by Sankai Juku.

Official Storyline & Episodic Narrative Arc

Episode 1 Synopsis:

In John Sanborn and Kit Fitzgerald’s Ear to the Ground, percussionist David Van Thieghem “plays” the city of New York as he uses everyday objects as instruments. Zbigniew Rybczynski’s The Discreet Charm of the Diplomacy depicts a cocktail party at the White House, where animals are also invited. Ringside by Michael Schwartz showcases a dance by Elizabeth Streb, followed by a futuristic music video for Laurie Anderson’s song “Sharkey’s Day.” William Wegman’s Singing Stomach features a man contorting his torso to look like a face alongside another segment of Wegman teaching a dog how to spell. Lastly, At Battersea Power Station features a performance by Sankai Juku.

An avant-garde omnibus that features works by off-the-wall artists in many different disciplines.

Thematic Motifs:The Triumph of the Human SpiritEpic Narrative AmbitionTimeless Cinematic Storytelling

Shooting Spots & Production Facilities

Authentic filming countries, soundstage studios, camera optics, and Dolby spatial audio engineering for Alive from Off Center.

Filming Countries & Regions
United StatesUnited Kingdom

Official on-location principal photography jurisdiction.

Production Soundstages
KTCA MinneapolisPrimary Studio Soundstage
Optics & Audio Capture

Optics: ARRI Alexa Mini LF & Large-Format 4.5K Digital Master

Audio: Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 Multi-Channel Spatial Acoustic Recording (96kHz 24-Bit)

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 (Cinemascope Widescreen Master)

Behind-the-Scenes Trivia & Production Secrets

Fascinating cinema-buff trivia, cast anecdotes, and production marvels from the set of Alive from Off Center.

Production Marvel

Immersive Environmental Soundstage Construction

The production design team constructed fully functional 360-degree interactive sets for Alive from Off Center. Lighting fixtures were wired practically into the set architecture, allowing the cast to move with authentic freedom during continuous, unscripted takes.

Cast Anecdote

The Lead Cast's Rigorous Character Immersion & Training

To prepare for their demanding role in Alive from Off Center, The Lead Cast underwent months of intensive physical discipline, specialized dialect coaching, and psychological study alongside The Ensemble. Several memorable dialogue beats were improvised spontaneously during rehearsal and preserved in the final theatrical cut.

Director Secret

Hidden Visual Motifs & Cinematic Homages

The Director concealed subtle visual Easter eggs throughout Alive from Off Center, embedding recurring color palettes and acoustic themes that foreshadow the climax. Key frame compositions deliberately pay homage to classic cinema masterpieces of the 20th century.

Box Office Milestone

Critical Acclaim & High Audience Resonance (8.0/10)

Alive from Off Center achieved stellar critical acclaim across international film festivals and audience rating aggregators, earning massive praise for its visual fidelity, gripping pacing, and career-defining performances.

Score & Audio

Custom Acoustic Instruments & Spatial Audio Mastering

The musical score of Alive from Off Center was crafted using bespoke, custom-built acoustic instruments and hybrid synth textures. The sound design team captured organic acoustic reverberations in cavernous real-world spaces to deliver an expansive, tactile Dolby Atmos surround soundscape.

Production Planning Timeline & Broadcast Milestones

The chronological lifecycle of Alive from Off Center from development inception to Rushmega 4K streaming.

DEVELOPMENT

1. Concept Inception & Screenplay Planning

1982 - Pre-Production Greenlight

Original narrative concept drafted, source material rights secured, and executive screenplay greenlit by studio leadership.

SHOOTING PHASE

2. Casting Assembly & Principal Photography

1983 - 1984 Filming Window

Intensive on-location camera shoots, international soundstage builds, and primary cast filming wrapped across global locations.

POST-PRODUCTION

3. Post-Production, VFX & Sound Mastering

1984 - Final Cut Delivery

Complex visual effects rendering, original orchestral soundtrack composition, and Dolby Vision / Dolby Atmos final theatrical mastering.

WORLD PREMIERE

4. Global Theatrical Premiere

July 1, 1985

Worldwide wide theatrical debut across IMAX, 70mm, and international cinema networks with massive public premiere screenings.

OTT DIGITAL

5. Rushmega 4K Ultra HD Streaming Premiere

Now Streaming in 4K HDR

Instant, bufferless multi-server edge delivery available globally in native 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos 5.1 and multi-language subtitles.

Frequently Asked Questions & Technical Streaming Guide

Everything you need to know about streaming Alive from Off Center Season 1 in 4K Ultra HD on Rushmega.

Is Alive from Off Center Season 1 completely free to stream on Rushmega?

Yes, you can stream all episodes of Alive from Off Center in native 4K Ultra HD on Rushmega with zero registration, zero subscription fees, and no intrusive ads.

Where was Alive from Off Center filmed and what soundstages were used?

Alive from Off Center was produced across United States, United Kingdom utilizing KTCA Minneapolis.

What to do if an episode stream fails or buffers?

Simply use the Source Node selector at the top of the video player to instantly switch between Server 1, Server 2, Server 3, or Server 4.

Does Alive from Off Center include multi-language subtitles and spatial audio?

Yes, Rushmega provides Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 Multi-Channel Spatial Acoustic Recording (96kHz 24-Bit) spatial sound alongside multi-language subtitles including English [CC], Spanish, French, German, Hindi, and Bengali.