Lost Post - |ˈstrək ch ərəl| |film|

I thought I had posted these a while ago. Not sure how they never made it up on my blog.


2. How is structural film different from the tradition of Deren/Brakhage/Anger, and what are its four typical characteristics?

The modernist movement that Deren, Brakhage and Anger were a part of was more about representing dreams and vision. Structural is a "cinema of the mind father than the eye." The four formal properties of structural film are the fixed camera, loop printing, re-photography, and the flicker effect.


3. If Brakhage’s cinema emphasized metaphors of perception, vision, and body movement, what is the central metaphor of structural film? Hint: It fits into Sitney’s central argument about the American avant-garde that we have discussed previously in class

The techniques used in structural film are used to induce states of the mind. The metaphor is that of consciousness. Structural film still follows Sitney's argument about the American avant garde representing the human mind, just through different means than the modernist tradition.



4. Why does Sitney argue that Andy Warhol is the major precursor to the structural film?

Warhol as well as Fluxus (which was an influence of Warhol) techniques are the backbone of Structural film. Fixed camera and the idea of letting the film evolving in front of frame spontaneously are common techniques and themes in both.


5. The trickiest part of Sitney’s chapter is to understand the similarities and differences between Warhol and the structural filmmakers. He argues that Warhol in a sense is anti-Romantic and stands in opposition to the visionary tradition represented by psychodrama/mythopoeic/lyrical films. But for Sitney’s central argument to make sense, he needs to place structural film within the tradition of psychodrama/mythopoeic/lyrical films. Trace the steps in this argument by following the following questions:

a. Why does Sitney call Warhol anti-Romantic?


Sitney says that wahol described himself as "anti-romantic", but what he means in the opposite of Abstract Expressionism, or almost a commentary on the whole romantic movement.


b. Why does Sitney argue that spiritually the distance between Warhol and structural filmmakers such as Michael Snow or Ernie Gehr cannot be reconciled?

c. What is meant by the phrase “conscious ontology of the viewing experience”? How does this relate to Warhol’s films? How does this relate to structural films?

Its the idea awareness to the viewing process in simple terms. Warhols films were often mean to be boring in order to allow one to become fixated on other aspects of the films. Screen Tests allowed the chance to study a person's face when attempting to be still. Structural films like wavelength used this idea with a slow zoom to allow the viewer to become aware of every detail in the mise-en-scene to the most extreme level.

d. Why does Sitney argue that structural film is related to the psychodrama/mythopoeic/lyrical tradition, and in fact responds to Warhol’s attack on that tradition by using Warhol’s own tactics?

6. What metaphor is crucial to Sitney’s and Annette Michelson’s interpretation of Michael Snow’s Wavelength?

The metaphor is that of all Structural film, consciousness. This idea of the film bingeing the mind rather than the eye is present in wavelength not only visually but audibly with its experimental soundscape.

Structural film part 1 - |ˈstrək ch ərəl|

2. Sitneys says structural film takes these previous concepts of film further into the human mind. Whereas Brahkage was trying to represent vision and Deren was trying to represent dreams, the structural film attempts to recreate consciousness (cinema of the mind rather than the eye). Characteristics include fixed camera, loop printing, re-photography, and the flicker effect.

3. I think sort of hit on this is the last answer. Brahkage’s camera is that of the eye, Structural film makes are one step further back into the brain. Structural film attempts to challenge the conciseness of its viewers through numerous aural and visual cues.

4. Warhol as well as the fluxus filmmakers used many of the same characteristics in their films, just to achieve different products. The filmmaking process was very similar (fixed camera/flicker film) and many fluxus filmmakers actually made their way into structural film in these early years.
( to be continued)

Fuses - |ˈbyoōtē|

Fused may have been not only one of the most beautiful films i have ever seen but evoked the most intense emotional response i have ever experienced as well. The sex scene is an interesting thing to take about in conjunction with this film. Hollywood sex scene to me have always seemed so ridiculous in many ways. The music, the framing, the pacing, and then awkward choreographed off beat thrusting. There are few sex scene in the entirety of films I have seen that seem authentic in anyway (most seem to be French New Wave or Neorealist for what i can recall.) Fuses is an experimental documentary, so i guess that would give it so authenticity, but it still seems loosely narrative. There is clear beginning (foreplay) to climax to ending (cuddling) structure. To me the awkward or clumsy moments are the ones that make this film so real and emotional. Besides the fact that this film is manipulated and hand painted and such (which give it a scrap book, nostalgic kind of feeling), the camera work seems very sensory driven much like Brahkage's work. This idea of the camera being the eye of the protagonist comes in and out of this film. Some shots seem to be shot by the two partners who are engaging in the act and some seem to be voyeuristic (filmed by a third party/pornographic style.) The combination of the two types of footage give this internal external rhythm throughout the sexual experience. I think the used of a type of memory drive b-roll cut in and even layers sometimes is very interesting as well. I really loved it. the end.

Nostalgia - |näˈstaljə; nə-|

As I mentioned in class it took me a while to catch onto what was happening with this film. I'm not sure if this has to do with my physical state after traveling for 24 hours straight. I believe I was still trying comprehend the setting and photographs and image of them burning for a while before i started to pay attention to the voice over. Once i started to realized he was talking about the next picture coming up, the new factor made why slowly rotating mind work over time to comprehend what was happening. I remember thinking it was very simple in the beginning but by the end a was going through this complex process of anticipation. I think i was honestly most interested in the period of time when the voice over ended and the pictures remained on screen burning until it was unrecognizable. Before i realized that he was talking about the next picture i found it very arbitrary and boring. Once i figured out the pattern, this time became so important to the film. This gave me a chance to think about exactly what i was about to see. I found it soo interesting how much more important the waiting period was due to this structure.


(lawls) - |ˈidēət|