What I derived from the reading and from the experimental films is creators of experimental films are non-conformist. They believe in expressing their personal experiences or viewpoints in ways that seem eccentric in mainstream context; which is why at times experimental films can seem spontaneous and left field. The aim of a experimental film director at times is actually not to tell a story but instead create a visual collage like ‘The Dante Quartet’ which was an eight-minute silent film containing painted images directly onto the film to create an astonishing collage of colour. The Avant-Garde cinema is recognisable for its efforts at self-expression or experimentation outside the mainstream cinema; it has the ability to base an entire film around colours, shapes, sizes and movements and manipulations in the images. One film that particularly caught my attention was the Ballet Mecanique, which I think perfectly, represents an abstract film. A Ballet is usually free flowing and gracious but instead the audience is confronted by mechanical manoeuvre and ultimately a paradox in the title. However, the machines don’t dominate as the director uses faces, hats, utensils and even snippets of a seductive woman using her eyes and mouth in almost a mechanical way. The film is great because it uses obscure camera angles and isolated objects of different tones, shapes and textures. Overall the film is experimental but very creative showcasing the relationship between shots comparing humans to machines and objects to purposeful utensils. It certainly is an interesting way to view a materialistic world, and with no clear story being told; the way the shots are interconnected is vital to the overall composition of the Ballet Mecanique.

Michael Serpell