Analysing experimental film (TBC)

Analysing experimental film

As part of the research for this project we have been told analyze two experimental films, I have chosen to cover two of my favorites from the collection we watched during class.

Fisticuffs by Miranda Pennell – 2004 – 11 minutes

http://www.mirandapennell.com/films.html

An unusual piece revolving around a man walking in to a pub and getting in to a fight, which then escalates to a fully fledged bar brawl, described as being in the style of a western.
True to films of old the actors involved all seem impervious to pain despite amount of punishment they dish out on one another, the only difference in the piece is that its transported from that of an old, dusty tavern to a modern, British social club, OAP’s and all.

I found this piece massively entertaining! Up to this point my brief encounters with experimental film were yet to make me laugh, giving me the impression the majority of films labeled experimental were all very stern faced, serious sometimes confusingly artistic.
It was refreshing to view a piece that didn’t take its self to seriously, but was still artistic.

The editing of the piece is impressive, beginning with similar situations playing out briefly at the beginning and building up in length until escalated to the point the actors fighting often appear on screen in multiple places at once, all the while each shot harmoniously focus’s not only on the action but on that of the elderly in the foreground and background, oblivious to the carnage around them, they knit, chat and peacefully sit enjoying a drink.
For me this pokes fun at the British culture and how we are desensitized to drunken violence, accepting it as part of our every day routine and something we are far too comfortable with in our day-to-day lives.
This also goes hand in hand with the emergence of shots showing line dancing classes going on next door, keeping to the western theme, despite the smashing of glasses going on around the vicinity.
I also found the ending of the film particularly humorous with the bell at bar being rung, signaling not only last orders but also being used as a boxing style K.O bell as one actor receives a nasty, finishing blow.


Telling Lies by Simon Ellis – 2000 – 4 minutes

Another humorous piece, this time being told through the use of animated captions.
The piece tells the tale of a number of characters the morning after an eventful night out, with each character telling lies of some sort to cover up what they truly did or how they feel.
Each caption depicts what is being said over the phone by various characters, displaying what they are saying out aloud and what is truly being thought in their heads.
Each character is given personality through the color of their specific text.

It’s a simple piece but I find it to be effective, Like ‘Fisticuffs’ it is a socially realistic piece and I find it highly relatable, which again is something I found to be rare with in this genre of film making so far.

The use of sound and voice actors is spectacular, nothing special or obvious but you can really feel the emotions and deceit in their tones of voice, the shrill ringing of the phone also impressed me, piercing the ears, whilst expressing the sounds of oncoming and inevitable doom in a the hung over, fragile state of our protagonist.

Experimental film projet - Research - TBC

For my first section of research on the project im going to post some music video's i feel relate to what we plan on creating as
many contain techniques and content similar

Becoming real feat. Trim - Like me

I found this piece influential in how dark it is, its incredibly unsettling despite being simple.
The locations filmed invoke a sense of fear, this combined with use of lights and layering give the video a very disturbing feeling.
The low quality and handheld nature of the footage also add to the realism of the piece, enhancing the feeling of despair.




6V6 - Meute Alienatique

Another simple video which manages to cause the viewer to feel at unease, also seemingly low budget making use of props and lighting to create a creepy ambience.
The combination of religious and satanic icon's and gestures in conjunction with the dark, red lighting give the feeling of a ritual of some sort.
The quick editing, unusual shots and handheld techniques also add to the feeling of confusion and give the video an evil and shocking feeling, pairing perfectly with the style of music.




Salem - Redlights

In some ways similar to the 6V6 video, although a lot less menacing.
What i enjoyed about this video is its use of lights and layering, its another simple piece but manages to hold the viewers attention and is for lack of a better word, quite 'trippy'.
We will most certainly be using lights in a way similar to this, zooming in, adjusting focus and using the camera handheld to give the feeling of the lights being alive and bouncing around.
I have recently walked around the city centre with my handycam capturing such footage to practice on final cut with and plan on using it for a music video outside of this project.



Dub Phizix - Marka

A higher quality video then those previous, again capturing what feels to me to be a ritual or some sort.
The effects used on the footage combined with the editing style create an eerie atmosphere, this works really well with the use of fire and costumes of the actors.



Dr. Octagon - blue flowers (automator remix)



HEALTH - we are water

Experimental film projet

Experimental film research

For this experimental film we have been asked to create a 5-minute long piece based on a single object, single word or a single poem.

Experimental film is a faction of filmmaking that is hard to categorize, another title these films are often placed under is Avant-Garde, a French term that when applied to art translates loosely as ‘forward thinking’ or ‘innovative’.

There isn’t much that can be listed that’s genre specific about these films as the themes are too broad, artistic, eccentric or personal to each individual filmmaker.
Due to the individuality expressed in many of these films, its common for the filmmaker to incorporate the anti-conformist nature of avant-garde, working alone.

These films often push the known boundaries of film making and try to conceive something completely original, often artistic in direction there are several unusual traits that emerge with in the genre, some of these being -

Non linear structure – A film that does not take an expected approach to linear narrative

Personal view – these works are often made solely by one person and their subjective view

Pure abstraction – Film focusing on sound, shape, colour, tone, light rather then filmed reality

Structural – making films via a system or set of rules and focusing on the formal properties of film, rather then representation

For this project not only am I going to research the use of various techniques and pieces by experimental filmmakers but shall also give examples of other short films, music videos and other art forms that have inspired and influenced me.

Initial idea’s

We have decided to create a dark and surreal piece based on words such as -

Rituals

Black magic

Witch craft

Cults

We plan on using montage sequences of lighting, candles, darkness, desolate and mysterious locations, a collection of iconic imagery and a twisted and warped antagonist combined with a non-linear structure, erratic editing style, color correction and sound design to create a brooding and disturbing piece with the aim of shocking and confusing the viewer and placing them in an uneasy state.