Experimental Film Making
This studio course liberates students from the constraints of narrative logic and continuity. Focusing on the avant-garde, students will explore film as a visual art form, experimenting with texture, rhythm, and abstraction. The curriculum covers analog techniques (scratching, painting on film) alongside digital manipulation (glitch, datamoshing) to create visceral, sensory cinematic experiences.
§ 01 By the end you can
- Analyze the history of Avant-Garde cinema (Dadaism, Surrealism, Structuralism)
- Master "Camera-less" filmmaking: Painting and scratching directly on celluloid/digital frames
- Explore non-linear editing and rhythmic montage theories
- Create abstract soundscapes using Musique Concrète techniques
- Produce a video art installation for a gallery setting
§ 02 Sixteen sessions
The whole semester.
- 01What is Experimental Film? (Brakhage to Deren)
- 02Dadaism & Surrealism: The Logic of Dreams
- 03Structural Film: Focus on Form and Duration
- 04Camera-less Film: Painting on the Frame
- 05The Abstract Camera: Light & Focus
- 06Editing as Sculpture: Rhythm & Juxtaposition
- 07Sound Art: Noise & Abstraction
- 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
- 09Digital Glitch Art & Datamoshing
- 10Video Art & Installation: Beyond the Screen
- 11Found Footage & Collage Cinema
- 12Visual Music & Synesthesia
- 13Loop-Based Filmmaking
- 14Projection Mapping Basics
- 15The Artist Statement & Curation
- 16Final Project: The Experimental Short
Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.
§ 03 Final project
Final Project: The Experimental Short
Recommended reading
- Visionary Film: The American Avant-Garde by P. Adams Sitney
- Experimental Animation: Origins of a New Art by Robert Russett
- A Critical Cinema: Interviews with Independent Filmmakers by Scott MacDonald
- Film as Art by Rudolf Arnheim
- Experimental Filmmaking: Break the Machine by Kathryn Ramey
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