My thoughts on Avant Garde Film
- Giovanni Peresson
- Oct 7, 2023
- 4 min read
By Giovanni Peresson 07/10/2023
What is Avent Garde Film?:
Avand Garde film can truly be something special and unique. It throws away the rules of traditional narrative filmmaking like you would watch at the cinema or on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hbo, Disney+, etc, etc. It pushes the boundaries of what you can create using sometimes rather unorthodox filmmaking techniques. Avant Garde film can be described as more similar to a form of art in comparison to traditional film. In my personal experience building up the courage to sit down and watch an Avant Garde can be quite the struggle all though be it I have never been disappointed.
The real beginning of Avant Garde film began in the
1910's and 1920's with the beginning of the surrealist movement in Europe "Surrealism originated in the late 1910s and early ’20s as a literary movement that experimented with a new mode of expression called automatic writing, or automatism, which sought to release the unbridled imagination of the subconscious" Voorhies J.(2004), Surrealism, Met Museum. Through this artistic style based on the concept of dreams and things not being as they should rose some of greatest modern artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol. Not long there after began Avant Garde Film where filmmakers stretched their bounds experimenting with new film techniques in narrative structure, camera, sound and editing techniques such as double exposure, non-diegetic sound, matting and scratching film to create visual effects.
Is Avant Garde Film Art?:
As I stated before It is my belief that Avant Garde film is an artform much like painting, sculpturing, photography especially when put in direct comparison with conventional film where the focus is generally the narrative and immersion much like you would find in literature such as novels and poetry.
Filmmakers make Avant Garde film to prove a point. They use the medium to create an audio visual piece to make the audience feel or act in a certain way or for the purpose of seeing an audiences reaction. A great example of this I would like to discuss is Empire, Warhol A. (1965) where he created an 8 hour film that was to put it plainly a black and white still of the Empire State Building in New York. Warhol stated after the production that the purpose of the film was to "see time go by" which makes me question myself; how long would I have sat in the theatre before deciding enough enough.
An important aspect of Avant Garde film that makes it so similar to contemporary Art is that there is always a purpose and meaning. An example is Vincent Van Gogh where throughout his life in his self portraits you not only see him aging but you also see his depression getting worse and worse as his paintings begin to separate from reality which is not a direct comparison with Avant Garde Film but they serve the same purpose; expressing thoughts and ideas through an artform.
The Holy Mountain, Jodorowsky A.(1973) Is one of the greatest examples of Avant Garde film having artistic values embedded throughout. The film to many can be a struggle to watch as its contents to this day can be viewed as taboo although after watching it you will feel a catharsis when everything ravels together and you think to yourself "oh so that's what its about". The film goes into a deep dive on socio-political issues of the time in an dystopian universe where technology has taken huge leaps and bounds, yet the average person lives in an almost tribal way of life. It is this fundamental ideology alongside its disturbing and nail-biting gruesome scenes. Throughout the film Jodorowsky creates some of the most unusual scenes I have ever seen in cinema with incredibly gruesome bloody violence and highly specifically fetishized sexual scenes.
My Conclusion:
Experimental Film is a whole realm I have not yet explored but in recent years I have developed and interest in it ever since my first year Film art module where I was tasked with creating a presentation on the Experimental film director Maya Deren. The genre resonates to me as I do have an interest in art and certain Avant Garde artists such as Salvador Dalí and this mode of film has the same intentions. I have never put too much thought into making my own Avant Garde films but this module having to make a 1-4 minute short film will test my skills that I have been learning over my time in this course. Writing about Avant Garde and going into depth on certain aspects and films I have watched in the past is something I would like to do. I have been planning out what my research and studies will include as regards to my development in this mode and this weblog serves as the perfect place for me to work on and hone in my skills and acknowledge my work.
References:
"Surrealism originated in the late 1910s and early ’20s as a literary movement that experimented with a new mode of expression called automatic writing, or automatism, which sought to release the unbridled imagination of the subconscious" Voorhies J.(2004), Surrealism, Met Museum available here.
Empire, Warhol A. (1965)
The Holy Mountain, Jodorowsky A.(1973)
This Blog has been written for educational purposes as part of CIN506 Experimental Film Week 1 Blog.
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