If you hover over this page there is a sub page with 'layout research and testing on'.
Experimental Film Codes and Conventions: Aspects of the genre:
Experimental Films have been referred to as avant-garde, underground or independent.
Experimental films are nonconformist and set out to challenge ideas about what films can show and how they can be shown.
It re-evaulates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms and alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working.
The aim of experimental filmmaking is usually to express the personal vision of an artist, rather than to entertain or generate revenue.
The goal is often to place the viewer in a more active and thoughtful relationship to the film.
They use minimal language; most prefer visual images.
Many of it's more typical features - such as a non-narrative, impressionistic, or poetic approaches to the film's constructions - define what is generally understood to be ''experimental''.
It rejects many conventions from mainstream movies
Since there are no set rules in experimental films, it means various styles of experimental film exits; which makes it difficult to draw out it's specific codes and conventions.
Target Audience:
There isn't a specific target audience for experimental films
However, we can tell due to it's complexity and ambiguity it's probably more targeted towards an older audience who is able to comprehend deeper meaning and symbolism behind certain scenes for instance.
It could be easily targeted towards any class background, ethnicity, religion and gender.
Plot:
Since there are no set rules in experimental films, it means various styles of experimental film exists; which makes it difficult to draw out it's specific codes and conventions.
The fact that this genre is so broad and vast means the plot can be about anything the director wishes to express.
They can express more personal experiences or feature more eccentric features.
Many experimental films, particularly early ones, relate to arts in other disciplines; painting, dance, literature and poetry.
A lot of movement is artistically expressed through the use of experimental film and animation.
Since narrative isn't followed it makes following the 'plot' more challenging for the audience.
Some plots might seem very random and strange.
For example, within Warhol's ''Eat'' (1963) it consists of 40 minutes of high contrast shots of a man slowly eating and transcends the expectations of what a movie should actually consist of.
Understanding Experimental Cinema:
Since Experimental cinema has much depth and it's codes and conventions aren't easily pin pointed, it's important and essential to at least understand it's different forms.
Again, experimental films are not tied to any story structure, character arc or common sense.
This helps understand where it's different elements come from and it makes things more specific.
Forms of Experimental Films/Animations:
Abstract Form: The abstract form organises entire films around colours, shapes, sizes and movements of images. This form can seem completely random, but is in-fact linked to themes. These can show and demonstrate the contrast which is part of the genre's key element. Self Reflexive Cinema: This may include a character interrupting the story to speak to the camera (breaking the fourth wall). This kind of cinema has generally been seen as consciously and purposely opposing the mainstream cinema's realistic illusion. Surrealism: This is surrounded by irrational, non-contextual arrangement of subjects. It tends to lend itself to experimental films and is made to portray the workings of the subconscious mind as manifested in dreams for example. Associational Form: This is a type of organisation in which the films part's are juxtaposed to suggest similarities, contrast, concepts, emotions and expressive qualities. It's almost impossible to define a conventional set of parts into which an associational film will fall. Therefore general principles are that images are grouped together in larger sets, use repeated motifs and content that invites interpretation.
Audience Response: Responses vary with experimental films as they are so peculiar. In this case, the audience is allowed to have their own individual interpretations of the media product. The audience responses could include:
Confusion
Boredom
Shock
Laughter
The goal of the director isn't to make them feel a particular way
Research: Experimental Films: 'The Door' by David Shingley (2010)
"It's a work of what seems like blinding obviousness. But in attributing the ability to express a condition to something that is manifestly unable to do so, Shrigley is having a go at the infantilising anthropomorphism currently sloshing around daily culture: the coffee cup which has "Careful – I'm hot!" printed on it; or, as I saw recently on a tourist double-decker the other day, "Sorry – I'm not in service"." (1)
David Shrigley explores the concept of explaining how children were born to children through the use of digital/traditional hand drawn methods. The overall structure of this short documentary is simple, concise and expertly delivered through the symbolism of the 'door' on the Mother's stomach.
The documentary is very linear in regards to the overall movement of the Documentary, it flows with continuity from scene to scene and allows the audience to follow a clear narrative with experimental shapes used to explore the information presented on-screen. I really enjoyed the way he uses a cartoon visual in an experimental manner, it's a stylistic element which I've never understood until watching this Documentary.
The reasoning behind this, in my opinion is because it enables the audience (children/young adults) to identify themselves through his childlike character and explore the information in an innocent and non-prejudice manner.
'A is for Autism' by Tim Webb
'A is for Autism' is an animated documentary that conveys what it's like to be autistic. The overall structure of the documentary is traditionally hand-drawn with an expository documentary style. This works really well in the documentary as a whole as it's telling the life of children who are suffering with autism.
The documentary was commissioned by BBC Four as part of their 'Disabling World' season in 1991 and I feel as though it gives a very rare insight into how this condition is treated by the individual who is suffering. The structure of the film is very linear in terms of metamorphosis into the different drawings which has been done in a very innovate and structured sense. I feel as though this works really well with the subject Webb is dealing with.
"After researching the project for a year, Webb decided to make an 'animated documentary' based upon contributions and collaborations with autistic people, seeing animation as the most effective means to convey the condition of autism. Every design in the film originates from a drawing by a person with autism and, although the drawings are very different, Webb organises the material in such a way as to create an overall unity." (1)
References: 1. Willig, C. (2003). BFI Screenonline: A is for Autism (1992). [online] Screenonline.org.uk. Available at: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1166359/ [Accessed 1. Dec 2016])