Experimental Cinema and our project

Going back to experimental cinema, I figured that this would be a good time to bring it up. Film is divided up into two categories - narrative (telling a story), and non-narrative (no story). When telling people this, I usually tell them to think of it like a painting. When people paint they usually follow one of two main formats - content based and visual based - content telling something politically, or dear to the artist's beliefs (narrative), and visual being made up of no subject matter, just shapes and colors (non-narrative). Film started out as mainly being non-narrative and over time developed into the traditional narrative. Once you take away the luggage of having to tell a story, new possibility open up. You are able to test the limits of film, and new ways in which it can be used. For example: you could take sand paper and paint and use these tools on each frame, and then project it to see something entirely different than how it is viewed when holding out the strip of film. I have found that by treating and viewing film and video in this sense, I am able to open up and display feelings, poetry, and images that have no other way of being shared, and that have no words able to describe them otherwise.

Wassily Kandinsky would often attend the orchestra, and then paint his representation of the music played. You may say that my video would be a representation of the music being preformed while it is played. I often thought of someone who is deaf watching the video while the music is being played. They would not be able to hear the music, but feel the vibrations from the speakers and bass - would they be able to picture the music in their head (or possibly hear it) while watching the video?

(Kandinsky painting)


Below is a video done by the famous Dada and surrealist, Man Ray. This was made in the mid 20's - a prime time for experimental video. While watching this video, you will notice that it is not very poetic by itself, but once put to music, a spark is made and it seems to dance to it in parts.



This last clip is by Maya Dern - pay attention to the poetic images, editing,and cinematography to the music.