For the second screening in the 2025 Fall Film Series, “Stop Making Sense” took over Watt Auditorium on the evening of Sept. 24. The film series is organized by students in WCIN 3990, who aim to set up a professional film series each semester with screenings that are open to all who wish to attend.
This screening of “Stop Making Sense” was a collaboration between Clemson World Cinema and Clemson’s student-run radio station WSBF-FM, and many students involved in both attended the event.
The 1984 documentary film “Stop Making Sense” depicts the band Talking Heads on tour in 1983 for their album “Speaking in Tongues.” An entire performance unfolds in front of your eyes in its 88 minutes of runtime.
To elaborate on this concept, Thomas Merzlak, a junior world cinema major in the WCIN 3990 class, gave a short introduction to the film before the screening. Merzlak explained that although many concert films exist, “Stop Making Sense” aimed at simulating attending the concert as opposed to purely documenting it, which is illustrated through the visual and aural aspects in the film that make it markedly unique.
Cheers and applause echoed through Watt Auditorium at the conclusion of each song, with the audience reactions starting small for the first few tracks until many attendees got up out of their seats to match the potent energy of the band and eccentric dance moves of Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. This eventually resulted in a spontaneous conga line around the theater as the onscreen band performed their final song, “Crosseyed and Painless.”
Merzlak even wore a comically large suit akin to the one that Byrne wears in the movie throughout the entire event, making the screening all the more personal and engaging.
Additionally, the venue, Watt Auditorium, did the documentary justice with crisp video and audio quality, minimizing the gap between the audience and the film and making the experience all the more immersive. These elements contributed to an easygoing, communal and enchanting environment and a screening event that was truly once in a lifetime.
Clemson World Cinema’s Fall Film Series is now two for two on screening events, following the immersive experience of “Jurassic Park” in 3D on Sept. 5 and the engaging “Stop Making Sense” last week.
If you’re looking for an event that celebrates the medium of cinema, provides a personalized feeling like nowhere else and has free admission, then be sure to catch one of the many Wednesday screenings for the 2025 Fall Film Series. This semester’s film series schedule can be found on Instagram @clemsonworldcinema.
