Scott MacDonald’s Introduction to "Avant-Garde Film" is both highly insightful and relevant to today’s television immersed and commercially conditioned culture. I found the research and analysis of the history and adaptation of Avant-Garde cinema interesting and applicable to my own experiences with cinema. I’m further compelled by the ways in which Avant Garde cinema aims to explore the possibilities of film and open my eyes to new ideas and ways at looking at the medium.
In the article MacDonald writes about how Avant Garde cinema is underappreciated and misunderstood today. He proclaims that most people are consumed by commercial media and the traditional forms of Hollywood cinema. Thus, most people aren’t readily willing to accept this more critical cinema. He explores the history of Avant Garde and defines it as challenging the norms of cinema and as commenting on society, cinema, etc. He states that Avant Garde is an alternative to traditional cinema; being that it is more concerned with the viewers' attention to shape, motion, rhythm, color, and form. Furthermore, it has been used as a means of exploration of the possibilities of film through manipulation. “Ingenious critical films can function as a backdrop against which viewers can measure their journeys across the boundaries that separate them from unfamiliar cinematic terrains, toward a larger awareness of Cinema.” Essentially, these films want the viewer to become open to different forms of filmmaking and cinema in general. He also realizes that although Avant Garde appeared during early cinema, it has become popular recently due to its cheap and effective nature of production. Thus, Avant Garde has opened the powerful realm of filmmaking to more people.
The ideas in this article are relevant to me as I study film because they force me to explore the endless possibilities of the medium. By studying Avant Garde I can become more open minded and critical of the filmmaking process. Also, as I begin producing films, it is important for me to consider the styles and ideas behind Avant Garde. By doing so, I can break away from the traditional and experiment with new forms, styles, and techniques to comment on everything from society to traditional media itself. In creating videos compiled from field video and sound recordings it is important to use the more abstract Avant Garde cinema techniques to present an idea or create discussion. I believe that the study of Avant Garde will help me create these videos the way that studying sound walking and the Derive assisted me in gathering field recordings.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Psychogeography and You
The interview with Will Self “On ‘Psychogeography’ and the Places That Choose You” is about his experiences with exploring landscapes and interacting with them on a very personal level. I found this article interesting because it builds upon my previous reading response about the concept of the Derive. While this article is based upon the fundamentals of the Derive, It engages Will Self’s personal experiences with the practice. In doing this, the interview allows me to gain insight onto how another person came across the concept, how they practice it, and how it affects them. I can then compare and contrast my similar feelings and experiences.
The interview is based upon the acclaimed British novelist and journalist Will Self and his experiences with long distance walking and the practice of Psychogeography. The term Psychogeography, was coined by Guy Debord and people who practice it today “take the view that by walking you can decouple yourself from the human geography that so defines contemporary urbanity.” In this way many hope to gain a new appreciation for the places they inhabit and truly discover/rediscover their environment instead of being “thrust hither and thither by commercial imperatives—work, consume, die—and so unable to experience the reality of their environment.” Self first became interested in this practice when he realized that he had never seen the mouth of the Thames River that flows through London, even though he had been born in the city and lived there his whole life. He argues that “People don’t know where they are anymore” and until that day neither did he. He began walking as a way to fully understand and experience the world he lives in. Since then, he has explored countless other places and has had utterly bizarre, dislocatory and quite beautiful experiences from doing so.
As a media Artist I feel that in creating art it is my goal to uncover and capture new, strange, and beautiful sights in order to intrigue and enthrall viewers/listeners. I believe that the best way of doing so is to take full advantage of the practice of Psychogeography. Many people don’t know the true beauty of the places in which they live and by walking through and closely observing the places surrounding where I live (the forgotten, overlooked, ignored, or sometimes avoided places), I can capture those sights and sounds of forgotten intrigue.
Based upon the article "Will Self: On ‘Psychogeography’ and the Places That Choose You." on WorldHum.com
The interview is based upon the acclaimed British novelist and journalist Will Self and his experiences with long distance walking and the practice of Psychogeography. The term Psychogeography, was coined by Guy Debord and people who practice it today “take the view that by walking you can decouple yourself from the human geography that so defines contemporary urbanity.” In this way many hope to gain a new appreciation for the places they inhabit and truly discover/rediscover their environment instead of being “thrust hither and thither by commercial imperatives—work, consume, die—and so unable to experience the reality of their environment.” Self first became interested in this practice when he realized that he had never seen the mouth of the Thames River that flows through London, even though he had been born in the city and lived there his whole life. He argues that “People don’t know where they are anymore” and until that day neither did he. He began walking as a way to fully understand and experience the world he lives in. Since then, he has explored countless other places and has had utterly bizarre, dislocatory and quite beautiful experiences from doing so.
As a media Artist I feel that in creating art it is my goal to uncover and capture new, strange, and beautiful sights in order to intrigue and enthrall viewers/listeners. I believe that the best way of doing so is to take full advantage of the practice of Psychogeography. Many people don’t know the true beauty of the places in which they live and by walking through and closely observing the places surrounding where I live (the forgotten, overlooked, ignored, or sometimes avoided places), I can capture those sights and sounds of forgotten intrigue.
Based upon the article "Will Self: On ‘Psychogeography’ and the Places That Choose You." on WorldHum.com
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