This week’s Cinema studies screening focused on experimental film form. These style basically moves away from the narrative focus of a movie and more towards themes and variations. It may also just literally be an experiment with chemicals or techniques and quite often experimental films can be unsettling and uncomfortable due to their unusual focus.

We watched…

Ballet Mecanique (Leger & Murphy, 1924, 19m) – is a visual movement that breaks things down and reassembles them in a new way. This focuses mainly on showcasing recognisable objects and making them unfamiliar to the audience, this was achieved by using different lenses, perspectives and camera movements. For me this piece was very unsettling, the music by far was the most uncomfortable part it was a constant ringing and circus like sound effects. This played constantly on my mind and almost felt like torture. Despite the music though i thought the concept was really interesting by taking an object and making it unrepresentable made me think about things in a different light.
The Dante Quartet (Stan Brakhage, 1987, 6m) – This was my favourite experimental film, it was a series of individual frames that had been painted, scratched and it gave such a crazy and colourful experience. The piece moved fast then slow and when each these individual frames moved as ones they created the most beautifully interesting and quirky images, some of which conjured imagery and visual representations which allowed my mind to wander, at some points I felt like it was a million universes exploding. The silent nature of the film also helped me in finding my own meaning from it as opposed to the music hinting what audiences should feel.
La Jetee (Chris Marker, 1962, 28m) –  this was a sic fi time travel piece that dipped into narrative more than the other pieces. This was composed entirely of still images and each one allowed to you take in the detail and link ideas together. I really liked how during the end of this movie their was in increasing heartbeat that allowed us as viewers to feel slight anticipation along with the heartbeat.
The Illustrated Auschwitz (Jackie Farkas, 1992, 13m) – This was an experimental documentary that tries to understand and grasp this time in history without offending of misrepresenting it.
We Have Decided Not To Die (Daniel Askill, 2004, 12m)- This piece I really liked i thought it was very unusual but very clever as well. It was visually oriented and showed the human form along with everyday objects, shapes and building. It created a really engaging pattern where each piece linked together.