Experimental Film and Cross-disciplinary Collaboration
- Giovanni Peresson
- Nov 24, 2023
- 4 min read
By Giovanni Peresson 24 /11/2023
In all areas of film, cross-disciplinary collaboration and teamwork are key to creating quality films and video. This contradicts the general independent nature of experimental film. As discussed in a previous blog I went over independent filmmaking and how experimental film is frequently self funded and filmed but there are exceptions where people have collaborated to create films. I will be discussing this through research I have done on my own as well as further research into certain topics and films that where shown and discussed in class.
There can be both positives and negatives from
collaboration in this median of film. Experimental film, created as an art piece rather than a narrative is considerably more personal to the film creator and how we explore their imagination which they have laid out to us on their canvas which in this case is our screens. With collaboration there can be a sort of creative conflict where ideas clash and might not be fully understood across the team which may result in challenges during the production.
The Diversity of expertise and creativity with collaboration is a very power tool in the industry. Filmmakers can play by their strengths and focus on what their skills equate to, whilst leaving other roles in which they may not be comfortable to others to maximise the final result. In experimental film we see different collaboration that have taken place in the past with sound artists, writers, artists of all backgrounds and even scientists for example filmmaker Len Lye collaborated with a biologist Sir Julian Huxley to create the film "Trade Tattoo" (1937) which surprisingly was commissioned by the Royal Mail GPO where they explore the human body and society through a combination of animation and film.
Another example which was a film we watched in class was Ballet Mécanique, (1924) which was co-directed by French Dadaist artist Fernand leger and American filmmaker Dudley Murphy. They worked together and through their different disciplines they explored unconventional ideas, styles and technologies. A technique that stood out and was used quite frequently was the use of the kaleidoscopic lens as well as using a serious of reflections and mirrors throughout. The work is often accredited as being a from of post- cubism.
The film took inspiration from Leger's previous experience filming a Swedish ballet "la creation du monde" in 1922-23 where he was using similar techniques but witch Murphy they chose to use machinery and mechanisms in place of the dancers. Leger and Dudley worked together combining various aspects of each others work for example leger was able to use his background to influence the visuals and come up with ideas to create and explore unconventional, almost magical shots.
Technology plays a strong role in cross-disciplinary collaboration. In a rapidly evolving landscape of innovation and new technologies dominating markets every few years we have new opportunities for experimental films opening constantly. The issue with this of course being saturation as I have previously discussed. A possible heaven for experimental film in the future is collaboration between filmmakers and software developers both on the web or as a real possibility being in virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
Although this section isn't necessarily reach driven it is still an important topic that hasn't been discussed in great detail although it is very clear AI is rapidly intertwining itself in almost any discipline you could possibly imagine.
In film and video although it I would still classify it as rudimentary it is possible to create stories and even images through the use of ai tools. As time goes the ai learns from its previous work and uses that to get better and better and eventually it's possible we could be watching ai generated films in theatres in place of the high budget blockbuster films we are use to. Yet, we are not there and it's very possible we may never see this become mainstream for this purpose as ai as out of this world is still doesn't have the capabilities of creating its own unique images it has to use source material.
The collaboration between filmmakers and ai on the other hand is and should be a tool used much more frequently. Personally I do and have used it for research proposes when creating non-fiction content for creating preproduction material such as wording for scripts, statistics and other information that may be of use. It does have its purposes and as a tool available to use and a lot of the for free we may as well use it. It can ease workloads and allows for more time for the creative process and especially in the case of independent or small teams where workloads are increased.
The blur between static art and dynamic storytelling is opened and explores the visual language of cinema to new depths. Partnerships with artists, scientists, engineers, visual artist, musicians and many other disciplines can create richness in a film weather it's experimental or not. Including new technologies can be risky although if implementing and pulled off successfully the rewards could be something completely unique.
The Filmmakers above have taken this challenge in a world of independent work and they have created a pieces of art in their in their own respect. They have successfully managed to work which must've come with its own challenges being the conflict of ideas but they have managed to overcome this challenge. It is my opinion that we shouldn't shy away from collaboration even in this genre of filmmaking as if there are certain aspects you are weaker with having someone else take on that role could be of immense help.
Bibliography
Trade Tattoo, (1937), Len Lye, GPO
Roger Horrocks, "Trade Tattoo (1939), Screen online, available at: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/531172/index.html accessed 22/11/23
Ballet Mécanique, (1924), Dudley Murphy, Fernand Leger
Peter Decahenry, (2008), "Dudley Murphy: Hollywood Wild Card (review)", Project Muse, available at: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/254147/pdf accessed 22/11/23
Ballet Mecanique: An an analysis, (2018), Elder, B, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, available at:
"Cubism and the mechanical balet", Moderna museet, available at:
https://www.modernamuseet.se/malmo/en/exhibitions/collection-presentation-1900-1950/cubism-and-the-mechanical-ballet/ accessed 23/11/23
10oclocckdot, "On ballet mecanique (Fernand Leger, 1924), Tumblr, available at:
accessed 24/11/23
This Blog has been written for educational purposes as part of CIN506 Experimental Film Week 8 Blog.
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