A Reflection

While I cannot on behalf of the class, I can say that all that I have learned from this Avant Garde cinema class has radically changed the way I see and perceive film. It is amazing to me to look back and see how far I have come from the beginnings of the class. I never thought that I would be making my own film. Viewing all of my fellow peer's film essays was quit enjoyable to say the least. Each avant garde film we have seen during our screenings has had some kind of effect on me. I also never thought that I would be seeing so many films this semester. Needless to say, I have left this class knowing more about analyzing Avant Garde films, but more importantly, I learned about how to learn.

-Michael

Reflection

Overall I was really happy with the outcome of my video essay. There were definitely some aspects I would have improved, however, if given an extended amount of time to do so. I think the main thing I would have done differently would have been to interview more people about the most ordinary object in their room and their room and their idea of ordinary. Though the input from my suitemates was insightful, I could have probably gathered a more in depth view by interviewing a greater range of different kinds of people. I also might have cut down some of my shots a little bit more. I intentionally focused on the ordinary objects for long enough for them to appear mundane and make the viewer bored with them, but I think this could have been achieved without showing the objects for quite as long. I struggled a lot with the idea or the toothbrush and would have liked to spend more time on that, as I believe I showed a clearer distinction between ordinary and extraordinary with the other two objects. There were also some clips that I found that I would have worked into my film had the time constraints been different.

I feel that my film has some very strong points as well. I was very happy with how my film was structured because I felt that I was able to structure it like a true essay. I stated my question at the beginning (What is Ordinary). I then proceeded to interview and collect data as I explored ordinary objects and how they could become extraordinary. Finally, the questions about what ordinary in served as almost a conclusion to my essay. I was also happy with the flow of my essay. I felt that it flowed logically and coherently, very easy to follow. I, personally, felt that the idea was presented clearly and concisely. My use of editing techniques were strong as well. The transitions utilized between shots helped the movie move along smoothly. My reverse motion with the tissue contributed a lot in making the tissue appear extraordinary as did the fast motion with the origami tissue paper crane. I have learned a lot about how much time and effort goes into making movies. We often take for granted the crazy camera shots and special effects we see in movies today and do not realize how much time and meticulous planning goes into the filming and editing process of every film, but this process showed me how much it takes.

multiple thoughts...

Last Mondays Screening

I liked the disorientation and static-ness of this film….however what the heck was with the random lady and her boob…”squeezing the breast of her nipple” to quote professor Langston …I found that scene extremely unusual…now that I’ve gotten that of my chest..[;) haha, it’s a boob joke]..anyway….I felt this film merged different patterns and objects that generally do not go together…I loved how all these “patterns” came from things that weren’t man made…it was a nice collaboration between mans work and Gods work…the “kid rock” baby confused me too but I guess it went along with the idea of wanting to see what someone else sees, since what we see as children we interpret as something different when we grow up…idk..this film was pretty neat minus the random use of a body parts and naked child[s]…I actually liked the psychedelic aspect of the film with its “macy gray-ish” track, and its shroom trip colors…but let me get serious…even though this was “avant-garde” I didn’t feel as if it was a positive depiction of the film category…I expected us to end the year with a bang, however I was greatly disappointed…it’s really interesting thinking about how far we’ve come since “das kabinett des doctor caligari” but somehow even the advancement of avant-garde film makes me want to revert to the classics once again…but I guess that’s the great thing about life…the disappointments make me want to work even harder to create a more thrilling future…and these films [since the first screening] served as an expression of that…once again I’m rambling but I’m glad the last screening didn’t feel like the end…




Reflection

To start of my reflection, I guess I found my film successful. As I watched other people’s films on Thursday, I found myself admiring how a lot of them incorporated footage that they filmed. Although my original idea was to use only found footage, I kind of wish I filmed a few things myself. I believe things we choose to capture incorporate even more of ourselves into what we do because they express our point of view to others. I also feel as if my film was overly definitive, but I understand that this result came from my belief that obscurity would disrupt the understanding of my essay’s purpose.
Although, there is room for improvement in my film essay, I feel as if I communicated what I set out to convey. I would hope I gave people a new understanding of the concept of humanitarianism especially since it’s an idea that is based on helping others. Just as some of the essays made me want to put away my cell phone and read, appreciate freedom, define music and sound[s], determine individuality, appreciate home, etc. I hope I inspired others to continue helping those who may be unable to help themselves.
One of the most important quotes I’ve ever heard in my life is “Humanitarianism is the expression of stupidity and cowardice” verbalized by Adolf Hitler whom I’d consider foolish and cowardice because he choose to gear his intelligence in the direction of hate, rather than help those he choose to annihilate. I’m always inclined to help others because of such statements that harbor ignorance, and lack empathy/respect for mankind.
What I learned from this process is that filmmaking can be challenging when attempting to portray an idea, but it’s really fun going through the creation process, frustrations of editing, and overall success of burning your finished product onto a disc.

Student films

I just want to say, Thursday night's student film session was amazing. I felt so touched by everyone's creative expression, and amazed at how talented and thought-provoking the films were. From religion, love, dreams, and tension, to music, individuality, and dance, the films encompassed so many aspects of life. Yet the best part is they each portrayed these aspects in different ways, approaching them using varying methods. I am so proud of everyone in this class, and I will miss meeting with you all to view and discuss films. Thank you, Dr. Langston, for putting together such a great class, and for being an amazing professor.

Sincerely,
Jade Palmer

Reflection: To Be a Transcendentalist Today

Nora Alter says that the film essay can present “reflections that are not necessarily bound to reality, but can also be contradictory, irrational, and fantastic.” In my film, “To Be a Transcendentalist Today”, I was most concerned with explaining and exploring the complexities of bringing the ideals of 19th century Romanticism and Transcendentalism and applying them to today’s world in both a modern historical context and a philosophical evaluation of what that can mean on an individual level. My film’s pace is slow, languid, meditative, which I find fitting for this subject, although, looking back now, I wish it provided more excitement. My film is also heavy on audio from one individual, Richard Harris. The choice to dominate the film so heavily with spoken words may seem strange, but Transcendentalism is deeply intertwined on a fundamental level with the importance of language as a means of creating literature, poetry, and a forum for the debate and exchange of ideas. The decision to only use Harris as a source may seem flawed, but I believed it was most important to receive an expert opinion and explain his interpretation. A key component of Transcendentalism is individualism/self-reliance, and it is important to recognize this film as simply one individual’s understanding of the modern meaning of Transcendentalism. It is an understanding that I agree with and that has influenced me, but Transcendentalism seeks to motivate people to explore and decide their ideas for themselves. Richard Harris is therefore not telling the audience what to think; he is merely seeking to discuss it, to pose ideas and questions for further reflection. As a hardcore Transcendentalist, I was obviously intrigued by the subject of my film. While I sought to make the ideas relatable and intriguing to non-Transcendentalists, I am uncertain whether I was successful. If I could do anything about this film differently, it would be to condense the content and create a more visual flair through stronger cinematography. But, what’s done is done, and I was pleased with my film in most respects.

the past two weeks screenings have been bizarre, but interesting. What seemed to separate Minh-ha's "Reassemblage" from a commonplace National Geographic-esque documentary was her unique editing style. She infused her personal viewpoints and commentary on the role of women in these cultures through her disjunctive editing.

I can't believe that was our last screening! Viola's films were really interesting to me, as was the interview of his that we read. Something about the ambiguity and symbolic nature of these two were reminiscent of Maya Deren's trance films we saw earlier. With the reflecting pool, I felt as if the reflection of the man in the water symbolized his soul, or inner self. It had a separate existence, yet it was still related to his physical form. His films were quiet and meditative, which I really liked.

Farocki and Rist

Eye/Machine was a pretty interesting movie to me. I admired the amount of patience this movie took to make. There are so many different mediums that he uses to provide an empirical idea of what progressive technology means. I think the ideas that he provides causes the audience to think further and deeper, fueled by the questions he asks in the film. It provides a fantastic background for moral, ethical theoretical and political discussion. What happens in the absence of organic direction? At what point in the development of robotics do they develop a conscience? By advancing robotic intelligence do we reach a point in the development of the robot where we've programmed it with individual choices and the ability to make choices with an informed background wherein we've made them a moral object? Why do we put humans in danger when we can just send in a robot to do what we would otherwise risk lives to do?

I Want to See How You See by Pipilotti Rist was very interesting. Very interesting. I don't quite know how I can analyze it. At all. But! My only suggestion is that her Life is a massive overlapping of many different feels, ideas, experiences, and color, as that is all I could see in the video. It was a weird movie.