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.