Film as An Original Art Form and Introduction to Avant-Garde Film

Both these readings were interesting and I have to say I agree with the ideas they are expressing about Experimental film and Avant-Garde film in relation to mass entertainment Films.
In Experimental film in America by Jones Mekas, he talks about how film has become an art form because it has divided itself naturally into three different themes of films of Fictional Entertainment Film, Documentary, and Experimental. I liked how he went into detail about how these types of films embrace different ideas expressed in their different styles. For example, he said that Fictional entertainment film is like the reinvention of plays, actors, and novels, and that the close up of the actor is what helped launch the movie star craze that made it more commercially marketable. Also he talked about how Documentary expresses the fundamental use of film as a free use of nature, man, and raw materials. That it thrives off its own originality and reality but also is limited that reality. That is were Experimental film steps in and embraces the irrational, and imaginary side of this art. He talks about how it was started by the Avant-guard movement that inspired artist, and filmmakers who exclusively focus on cinematography. The art styles of cubism, abstract art, and surrealism infused with the power of light and rhythm transcends as a poetic state of a dream creating a new and inspiring visual style to film. At the end of his article he expresses how he believes that the more the mass general audiences see these experimental films that they will adapt themselves to a screen style instead of a theater style, and then film entertainment and film art could become identical.

In the introduction to Avant-Garde Film, the author expresses how Avant-Garde film in naturally rejected as movies because they are an extreme alternative to the mainstream film that people have been exposed to their whole lives. He says that commercial cinema has failed to minister to the spiritual needs in the way music does and abstract paintings attempt to do. Avant-Garde filmmakers focus on shape, motion, rhythm, and color to touch the spirit more directly than commercial filmmakers did. Then surrealist filmmakers embraced theses alternative concepts and used expected elements like plot, character, and location in different ways to undercut the norms to set themselves apart. Later, in the 1960’s when experimental style of film became popular again, many filmmakers embarrassed a more primitive style of filming by just doing one take long shots. They did this in an effort to reinvigorate respect of the visual world around us and develop our patience to experience it fully.

I liked both of these articles because they made me think about what makes Experimental/ Avant-Garde so different from other film styles.