From: Ken Bawcom (email suppressed)
Date: Mon Apr 24 2006 - 23:43:33 PDT
Certainly, experimental can be an adjective, but it is definitely a
genre as well. The most inarguably purely experimental films are the
totally abstract ones, as they have no narrative content whatsoever,
and aren't documentaries. Some films use experimental techniques, and
are telling a story (fiction, narrative, drama) or imparting facts
(documentary.) Some will do BOTH, and maybe have some animation too!
Some use recognizable images, but don't seem to have any narrative
content. I consider those to be experimental, as a genre.
And, what are "experimental techniques?" Many have been around since
the beginning of film, and truly new ones are rare. Lots have been co
opted by mainstream film makers, and advertisers. There are no hard and
fast boundaries, just general terms, to help us discuss the films in
their proper context. Comparing "Dogstar Man" to "Titanic" would be
pointless!
Quoting john porter <email suppressed>:
> I think "experimental" is an adjective, not a genre.
> So there can be experimental fiction, experimental
> narrative, experimental drama, experimental
> documentary, experimental animation, etc.
> But what is "experimental film"? Any serious artist is
> always experimenting to some degree. A dichotomy
> arises when a medium is popular and consequently
> dominated by "commercial", "industry" or "mainstream"
> artists who DON'T experiment.
> Let's act as if WE are dominant (which we ARE,
> creatively) and refer to ourselves as simply
> "filmmakers", "videomakers" or "artists" as opposed to
> "commercial artists".
> John.
>
> --- Freya <email suppressed> wrote:
>
>> I've noticed a few places lately people making a
>> distinction between experimental film and narrative
>> film.
>>
>> However surely many experimental films are quite
>> narrative too. Maya Deren and Kenneth Anger spring
>> to
>> mind. Possibly even Stan Brakhage!
>>
>> Strangely this very subject came up at the Rose
>> Lowder
>> screening yesterday too which I was glad to see. "So
>> it isn't just me who is finding this odd!" I
>> thought.
>>
>> I've noticed it happening more and more tho.
>>
>> Rose even went as far as to suggest it would be
>> possible to have experimental fiction films. I
>> hadn't
>> thought of it in quite that way before, just that
>> some
>> films were very narrative.
>>
>> But do any of you really think there is a clear
>> seperation between the two or is it just something
>> people say.
>>
>> love
>>
>> Freya
>>
>>
>>
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> __________________________________________________________________
>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at
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>>
>
> John Porter, Toronto, Canada
> http://www.super8porter.ca/
> email suppressed
>
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__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.