Experimental Films
This week we had the chance to look into experimental films which are also known as avant-garde cinema. Experimental films are films that do not follow the conventional modes of cinema and employ non-narrative ways and traditional methods of working. Over the years, these types of films have been used by directors to convey different challenges that society faces. Experimental films played a role in highlighting some of the problems that face society, such as an increase in gender inequality as well as racial segregation in America during the post-war period. Therefore, this week we have been able to explore how experimental films have evolved over the years as well as their importance.
Chapter 8, Challenging Form: Experimental and New Media, focuses on experimental films and how experimental films have evolved over the years and how it has influenced the media industry. The article follows how experimental films have had an impact on different aspects of the film, such as sound, visuals, and even social and political matters affecting the world. The article shows how experimental films incorporate various elements of literature, such as poetry and art. One of the main features of this type of film that enables it to fit different elements of literature is an abstraction. One thing that I have understood from the article is experimental films explore the use of light, motion, and the juxtaposition of sound and image to create an abstract movie capable of conveying its message without the normal narrative format of narrative films.
Yvonne Rainer’s, Feelings are Facts, is an autobiography that describes the author’s transition from being a dancer into experimental films. From her autobiography, I gathered that Rainer was trying to use her ability to produce short experimental films to convey the message of women’s place in the society as well as highlight some social issues that faced the American society during the post-war period. In addition to this, I understood that Rainer uses her creativity to narrate her life through the use of dance, which conforms to concepts I have learned about experimental films. Essentially, experimental films do not conform to the traditional methods of a film narrative but use motion, light, and camera movements to narrate the life of Rainer.