Opinions do not necessarily represent CUIndependent.com or any of its sponsors.
Recently, mainstream movies have become lackluster, predictable and constrained. Everyone knows how a movie is going to end based simply off of the genre and a two-minute trailer. While genres make watching movies easier — we go into them with expectations film makers don’t challenge — they also make them less interesting. However, experimental and avant-garde filmmakers are trying to change how we think about film.
According to Timothy Corrigan and Patricia White, authors of The Film Experience, “experimental film focuses on the very properties that make film what it is — images in motion.”
Experimental film is rooted in the principle of expansion. This cinematic form is a tool for discovery — in terms of cinematic potential, and for the creator and audience. The principles of experimental film juxtapose the principles of the traditional film styles we have all become so accustomed too.
This alternative film method offers a novelty that you can’t get from going to the movie theater. It essentially challenges the conventions of cinematography, since experimental film directors often alter the traditional movie structure that our society has become accustomed too. It is about pushing boundaries for how we engage with film, and the abstract nature of the films play off the viewer’s free association in order to create something new and personal.
Furthermore, experimental films are anything but predictable. The meaning of experimental films comes from connecting what you see on the screen with all your previous experiences, in order to create a personal interpretation of the work. It is therefore impossible for the director to know how you will interpret their film without knowing your entire background.
This form of cinema allows for the viewer’s interpretation to be the primary meaning of the film. No one is going to share the exact same experience, unlike mainstream movies that spoon feed the viewer a narrow understanding of the work.
At one point, all film was experimental. Our old forms of experimentation led us to the movies we know and love, so shouldn’t we allow this cycle — experimentation, adaptation, more experimentation — to continue?
I’m not recommending that we abandon the modern-day movie, but everyone should explore the possibilities of experimental film. They offer an alternative movie practice that can take you to a state of surrealism.
Our society rarely supports aimless experimentation; however, it’s what we need — especially as college students. We’re all struggling to balance the stress of school, money, jobs and social lives; experimental film gives our minds a break to think freely about the ideas being presented to us.
What used to be surprising about film has become expected. The best part about experimental film is sitting back and thinking, “I have no idea what’s going on,” or “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Your mind wanders aimlessly and ideas for inventions, papers, advertising strategies and more can result. This spark could potentially lead people to endless discoveries.
Unsure of where to begin? Experimental film is more accessible than one would expect. The Internet provides a broad collection of experimental films that you can begin watching here.
Some of these films may be the most abstract and bizarre things you have ever seen, but everyone should give experimental film a shot.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Carlisle Olsen at caol0448@colorado.edu.
