3 film genres
1. Documentary films
2. Narrative shorts
3. Art experimental
Documentary – documenting reality (non-fiction)
- Most familiar
- Increasingly more difficult to define
o More portable video & sound equipment
o Prices decreasing = easier access to equipment
- Creates more intimate relationships between the filmmaker and sbuject
- Features (movie theatres)
o Typically large budgets
o Typically commercialized with director’s interpretation of fact
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o i.e. March of the Penguins http://www.nationalgeographic.com/marchofthepenguins/
o i.e. Cove http://www.thecovemovie.com/
- Short length (tv or web usage)
o i.e. Current TV’s Vanguard Commentary http://current.com/
o i.e. Travel Channel’s Anthony Bourdain No Reservation http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain
- In Class EXAMPLE
o Current TV’s Vanguard Commentary “Immigrants Still Searching for a Better Life”
o Preview clip of 1 hr long episode in series (one of many subject matters)
Narrative Short – telling or recounting a story (fiction)
- Shorter then feature, but can be just as powerful
- Feature is to a novel as a narrative short is to a short story
- Every second counts!
- There are many ways to tell a story
- In Class EXAMPLE
o Pixar’s Alma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58iXypYPNrw
Experimental Cinama –
- Called “Avant-Garde” in the 1920s or “Underground” in the 1960’s
- Opposed to/opposite mainstream commercial & documentary filmmaking
- Difficult to define characteristics
o The absence of linear narrative
o Use of various abstracting techniques
§ Out of focus
§ Painted or scratched film
§ Rapid editing
o Soundtrack that does not narrate or tell events
o Not soundtrack at all
o Etc…
- Usually low budget or self funded (grants)
- Small crew or even just 1 person
- Includes styles like non-narrative, impressionists, or poetic
- Influences commercial work
o Cinematography, visual effects & editing
o i.e. advertisements or music videos
- Many experimental filmmakers cross over to do features
- In Class EXAMPLES
o The Darkness of Days
§ International Documentary Film Award
§ About Suicide
§ Collage of black and white footage complimented by the male voice-over reading a depressed man;s diary
o Sally Potter - RAGE
§ Cross over film maker doing features
§ Make note of Potter’s point of view on filmmaking
§ Notice her work is considered experimental, but does not offer any of the above examples of experimental cinema themes
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