Experimental films vol.4

On a further exploration of experimental films and how they break the conventions and why, we can mention semiotics and  the 'grammar' of cinema. We can say that there are four main things which determine viewers response to films,and they are perception,cognition,narrative understanding  and emotion. Narrative understanding is guided by camera movement and placement, dialogue, sound effects and editing. This factor is the one which experimental films distort, and what this distortion provides is a completely different visual experience and perception of what is seen. Manipulating cinematic techniques ,using non-linear narrative structure,open ends makes the viewer unable to construct and maintain internal visual representation. Without the temporal continuity and with the change of the visual system, the viewers find it impossible to filter out the discontinuities. But what is  the intention behind this,and why do the experimental filmmakers break conventions like this is an important question to be answered . These filmmakers strive to create a fim which doesn't manipulate the viewer,instead it is supposed to keep them constantly aware of the fact that they are watching a film.Experimental filmmakers want to make it impossible for the viewers to immerse themselves, so they can have less control over their brain activities,which is a complete opposite of what Hollywood films do. Experimental filmmakers want to make the viewer aware of every single frame and semiotics with which it is presented. By creating a visual dispersion and illustration of the absurd, these filmmakers want to point out how much more they value the representation of inner content and                The subconscious. Making irrational visual content is the perfect way to point out just how much irrational our reality is, and how much the emotional responses value more over intellectual. Annother reason for using such approach to film is that there is a mutual connection between a completely individualistic visual representation  and the viewers individualistic response to it. By creating a distorted image of reality, experimental filmmakers want to give the viewer an opportunity to analyze the film they saw in a way that requires them to first re-evaluate everything they think is rational and even their own psychology. 

Key words : Semiotics, viewer manipulation, visual representation

Drawing conclusions from the previous post,we can observe that the visual content of experimental films is very simmilar to the the one we experience during dreams.This fact is the thing mentioned in the previous post,when we said that experimental films present a superior reality. Presenting a story with no clear beggining,middle and end with a visual language which breaks the regular conventions,is the same process with which our subconscious communicates with the sleeper during dreaming.We can relate this observation with Freud's dream analysis technique,where it is said that the material and symbols in out dreams are meant to confuse us and distract us from the real meaning,just as experimental films do by using a distorted visual language,abstract stories and unexpected story twists. Experimental films often present a story in a way that it is a digression upon digression,and although the images that appear may innitialy appear bizzare  and nonsensical, their analysis can reveal an underlying meaning.It seems that experimental films have found a way to tap into the language of the subconscious, which is exactly why viewers have a hard time making clear sense out of them.Analyzing an experimental film would therefore be the same as analyzing dreams,which means focusing on symbols which appear and relating them to one's individual psyche.This means that experimental films should be analyzed from each viewer'a perspective,because the do not carry a generalized idea,but relate to every individual in different way,according to their psychology.



Key words: Visual language, dream analysis, symbols,subconscious

Experimental films vol.3

As we continue to delve more into the subject of experimental films,we see that they go beyond mere illogical visual experience, although it may not seem so to the common viewers,who can hardly make sense of what they see. In order to produce such a visual experience, the experimental filmmaker must first master the rules and conventions,in order to break them and pursue innovation.
İn order to answer the question why are experimental films made in the first place,we can look back on the previous post, and make some connections with the historical context in which experimental films shaped themselves. Film was a new and emerging art of the 20th century,but it went through many structural changes and redefinition  as the other arts did,which brings us back to the point of how experimental films came in the first place. Experimental film making came as a response to many political,social and cultural aspects, and it had its most prolific periods after World War I and World War II, as these filmmakers were trying to portray a new state of the world and its consciousness through the visual medium.The idea and the intention of these filmmakers was to ridicule norms and conventions of a normal human experience, as much as these wars did.The imagery of these films, subjects, characters were abstract and did not make much common sense, as it was the general idea to create meaning out of non- meaning, to create sense through nonsense. So we can say, that experimental films are actually anti- films, because they completely reject  reason and logic, and are a representation of intuition ad irrationality more than anything, which is the product of embracing the  chaos and the irrationality of the time. Another very important aspect of experimental film making was the breakthrough in psychology and dream analysis,which provided the filmmakers better insight and a broader range of imagination, that resulted with illogical and startling visual experiences.The imagery resolves the condition between dreams and reality,which is unnerving, strange and surprising for the viewer.So in  a way, by playing with abstract visual representation of reality, experimental films create an image of superior reality.This kind of imagery requires a much more of  intellectual stimulation from the viewer, as it never allows them to fully immerse themselves into the medium,making them question the meaning of every single frame and its meaning as oppose to having a generalized idea of the entire work. During the course of time, these films have evolved,and maybe today we can speak more in an aspect of video art rather than experimental films. But why these films are still relevant and being made more than ever is an important thing we have to look at. Every innovation becomes a norm during the course of time,but what these films keep on doing is constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of visual expression,standing up against intellectual and cultural conformity,creating false rationality and presenting a reality which is detached from the normal human experience.