Thoughts and Reflections on Lesson 5

Alternative Approaches to Filmic Representation - 12th October 

Set Readings: 

Bordwell, D., Thompson, K. (2013). Film art. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, pp. 369 - 379.

E-flux.com. (2017). In Defense of the Poor Image (Steyerl) - Journal #10 November 2009 - e-flux. [E-kino.si. (2017). 

Incomplete Notes on the Character of the New Cinema | Kino! Revija za film in filmsko. INCITE Journal of Experimental Media. (2010). 

Jawa Manifesto. Issue Number Two.

Thoughts on readings: I found that reading the JAWA Manifesto and 'In Defense of the Poor Image'  surprised me as I didn't think of taking already made pieces of film, music etc. and then re-working them and using them in a different way was new, but really it is like creating a completely new piece of art and how through re-uploading, ripping and sharing files has made it easier to access films that you may never have been able to see, this creates connections through new experiences. The Experimental Film text was actually really inspiring and intriguing to read as I haven't really had any experience in watching or creating experimental pieces but I like the idea of challenging 'normal notions of what a movie can show and how it can show it' (Bordwell, D et al .2013) and even though my  final project may seem like it has a narrative or sort of timeline/storyling, I want to try and have a mixture of themes and techniques and want to experiment with shots I take. The text also discusses using 'colours, shapes, sizes and movements' which on reflection and after reading, it is something that I want to use in my film as it is a unique way of representing something.

Lecture: In the lectures discussion of the texts took place which I thought was extremely helpful because when reading the texts sometimes I didn't quite understand what was being said, especially when it's topics and terms I've never really talked about or heard of but talking about the texts made understanding much clearer.

In the lecture, we also looked at some different films that came under the 'Alternative Approaches to Filmic Representations' and how we are presenting a series of views to an audience (representation) something that we can identify with and try to construct meaning. 

Looked at:

• Man with a Movie Camera - Dziga Vertov 
• Kaleidoscope+A Colour Box+Colour Flight - Len Lye
•  Portrait of Ga - Margaret Tait 
• Jonas Mekas -  As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

I really enjoyed watching these pieces and experiencing new forms of film. What really stood out to me was the 'Man with a Movie Camera' with how the director through short shots was able to show representations of the city and the people, each shot told a story. I liked the way that in Len Lye's piece he experimented with colour and shape using individual frames creating something so unique. Jonas Mekas in particular really inspired me as his films are almost a visual diary, documenting all the things he sees with different segments and chapters and this is something I hope to achieve in my final film project. 

I am really enjoying learning about this style of film and how this can be just as interesting as a modern narrative film. It was also really interesting and helpful to see lecturers work in the session and being able to take inspiration from it. In the lecture, we were also set the task of creating a collage film, I was initially quite worried about this as I don't have any experience in creating such pieces but know that it will help me to develop my skills in editing. I decided to find clips that were based around 80's Culture as this was something I was interested in. 

Independent research: In class, 'Cut Up' technique was mentioned so as part of independent research I decided to look further into this. 

William Burroughs Cut up technique: Used as visual art, taking one piece of writing and then rearranging it to create something new. Performers and artists such as David Bowie and Kurt Cobain used to do this in order to create new lyrics. I like the idea that the technique is universal and can be used in different forms of art. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxIIgnC6bg0

I was really interested in looking at some more short experimental film pieces and through searching around I stumbled upon a piece called 'FilmStudie' by Hans Richter. The film involved still images placed underneath moving objects mostly geometrical shapes. The piece had engaging visual and a very haunting atmosphere.

As I had found inspiration from Jonas Mekas during the lecture I decided to look at some more of his work. On YoutTube I found 'A Walk' by Mekas and I thought it was engaging how he would discuss everything he saw, even the most mundane things because it was part of the environment and creating a visual image and it was similar to his other films where he was creating a diary and logging everything he saw but also talking about past memories, it was almost like he was vlogging. 

Ideas and development for project: When having this lecture I was definitely inspired by both Dziga Vertov's 'Man With a Movie Camera' and Jonas Mekas' 'As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty', more so Mekas' films and knew that this was something I wanted to convey in my piece. 

Mekas' piece is almost like a personal movie diary where he focuses a lot on his family, and in my film I want the focus not just to be on me and my experiences but my friends as it is a wider aspect of my life than just my experiences in a new place. My film has a sort of narrative in the sense it will be split in to segments and chapters similar to Mekas' work but still doesn't conform to the traditional storytelling methods, techniques and themes and I want to try and challenge that, just as it mentions in the 'Film Art' text. 

Bibliography:

Bordwell, D., Thompson, K. (2013). Film art. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, pp. 369

Secabol. (2013). Filmstudie [1925] by Hans Richter [Online Video]. 27 November 2013

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