What is Experimental Film?
Currently the term "Experimental Film" often refers to a film that cannot be categorized within rigid genre expectations. Experimental film plays with various types of storytelling, as well as the means of storytelling. In a nutshell, Form and Content are central to experimental film, or film art. How can you make the best use of each to get your story across?Experimental films are often personal, emotional, political, and run counter to mainstream expectations. They can also be abstract, image and sound based pieces that work to evoke an emotional or intuitive response from the viewer.
Most importantly, making an experimental film entails trying new techniques and processes (new to you!), as well as finding a way to express subject matter that is personal, that pushes boundaries, or is simply well suited to non-traditional types of filmmaking.
- We will be referring to articles from the following texts:
- Braudy and Cohen Film Theory and Criticism
- Sergei Eisenstein, excerpts from The Film Sense, principles of montage.
- Excerpts from Katherine Monk’s “Weird Sex and Snowshoes: Canadian Film Phenomena”
- Excerpts from Mike Hoolboom’s “Inside the Pleasure Dome: Fringe Film in Canada”
Who is your least favorite Experimental Filmmaker of all time?
Gallery
- Some of the filmmakers the program will be discussing:
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Lev Kuleshov, and importance of montage and editing.
- Maya Deren
- Stan Brakhage
- Michael Snow
- Joyce Wieland
- Arthur Lipsett
- Norman McLaren
- Sadie Benning
- Chantal Ackerman
- Guy Maddin
- Atom Egoyan
- Izabella Pruska-Oldenhof
- Barbara Sternburg
- John Greyson
- Phil Hoffman
- Lisa Steele
- Mike Hoolboom