Responce 2

1. Sitney argues that Reflections on Black anticipates a lyrical film because the protagonists surroundings aren't presented in a dreamlike state. The camera presents the world almost in a definitive sense, thus giving it someone of a lyrical structure.

2. The camera takes the perspective of the protagonists (that is, first person) and the audience is never removed from this state of mind. It almost goes so far as to suggest that the audience is the protagonist because we are viewing everything through his or her eyes, thus connecting them on another level.

3. Marie Menken was probably the largest influence on Brakhage's move to a lyrical film. Beyond praising his films and unique style, Menken used the camera in a rhythmical, almost predictable sense when applied to the lyrical film. Brakhage later picked up and employed this into many of his films.

4. A soft montage gradually places images together (usually based on pattern, color, or rhythm) allowing the viewer to get a sense of where the image is progressing whereas a hard montage forces images together, usually in a juxtaposing fashion attempting to disorientate the viewer. An example of a soft montage in Anticipation of the Night might be the camera moving its focus from doors to windows to a garden hose, etc. whereas an example of a hard montage from the same film would be the pan across the baby's arm.

5. Brakhage focused on very trivial on apparently meaningless objects. That is, to say, things that are often overlooked everyday by people because of laziness, or simply because they are accustom to seeing so many things. He claims very few people applicate the small details and it is not used in a "spiritual sense". He was often very fascinated with colors, shapes, and patterns and how they play on both the physical eye and the brain.

6. Sitney argues this because many other experimental filmmakers at the time were still stuck on the idea of romantic or tragic life, whereas Brakhage engaged in much more lucid ideas of expressionism. Directly manipulating film and his attention to small everyday or overlooked details (as previously mentioned) allowed him to branch out in a fashion that few filmmakers either dared to explore or never considered. Also, his strong connection between the spiritual and the everyday gave his films a very powerful and liberating sense.

7. The natural cycle of the seasons, man verses nature, a first understanding of conciseness, and sexual imbalance.

8. The Cage employed just about every technique known to man and then even created some to get an extreme sense of disillusion. Multiple camera speeds, edits, and filters were used to disrupt the protagonist (and viewer). These different film techniques went beyond just a visual impact but also, according to Sitney, created metaphors for perception and conscience that changed perspective in experimental films.

9. Both films lack a consistent or, at least, connected narrative and they appear to go around in circles. They also seem to be humorous if you look at it as a almost slapstick like comedy. Finally, several camera tricks were used to create that comedy and move the story forward.

10. Peterson literally took the ideas of his students and shot them on the film. Where most filmmakers would try to connect these ideas in an editing lab, he shot all of the ideas presented (the diver, the rats, the chalk, the ballad) and simply cut them together trying to tell some sort of story. With the music playing over the film, it gives the entire thing a play like feel.

11. I tackle films such as this by simply attempting to enjoy the image and the edits. If I get a sense of plot or message or anything else beyond them, I can apply and enjoy that as well, but with films such as this I simply attempt to enjoy the images and cuts as much as possible. It doesn't always work but it is a good effort. Sitney appears to literally dissect the film by counting images, relating them to time, ratios, etc. This is something very few people do, even for experimental films. The only people who spend that much time with films would be the filmmakers and perhaps film scholars (such as Sitney). Most viewers wouldn't spend that much time with the film (and realistically couldn't until recently in technological history). I don't like that style as it appears to try to scientifically understand art. Yes, there is a certain amount of science and psychology behind art, but you cannot treat it or try to understand it as if it were a definitive science, as he appears to do.

The Led Shoes

While I thought many of the visuals were interesting in this film, I did struggle with it. I felt the film to be very inconsistent and was very distracted by its absence, even in visual style. The biggest complaint I had with it was that how the film presented time was very disorienting. At first, with the women, we see her jumping out the window in linear time. Shortly thereafter, the film is reversed and we see what she was doing before she jumped out the window. However, after a few minutes of that, the film again reverses its time and appears to move forward, yet in an alternate timeline. The problem is that it just doesn't present an altered scenario of what might have happened, but rather takes events that we know to happen in the future and then progresses with those future events in a past time. While mildly interesting, I felt it was too confusing and didn't seem to serve the film any more than just not manipulating the time scheme. I thought the diving suit was an awesome element to add though. The love between this woman and the gigantic man just seemed overwhelming and I got a very Romeo and Juliet type feel from it. I also like the footage of the little girl playing with the chalk, but again, had trouble connecting it to the love story.

1. Typically rituals, sex (or taboo sexual themes), and dreams.

2. Sitney states that the image really drives the narrative more so than events. I.E. rather than the cause and effect style of most narrative films, image and visuals drives the film forward.

3. The architectonic film.

4. I did not preform nearly as deep of an analysis as Stiney. Whenever viewing the film, I simply try to figure out the "puzzle" that the film presents. That would be figuring out the order of sequence of events, which woman corresponded to which time frame, etc. I am also simply fascinated by the visuals and camera techniques. The cloaked figure with the mirror for a face has always struck me as particularly horrific and stunning.

5. Experimental filmmakers in the 1940s saw the image that was being captured (that is, what is really going on in the world) more as an image to be interpreted by the camera. With the camera being able to capture these actions, we as people can than interpret what actually occurred.

6. That everyone is trapped within the Magus.

7. Cinema 16 showed films that weren't regularly available to the general public or, at least, in a wide or accessible viewing. They were not just experiential films, there were things such as educational films and early stages of independent or small budget films as well. Films were presented in a manner where they often were shown in no logical or connected order so that people could truly concentrate on a single film and not try to combine feelings with different films.

8. Typically colleges with some type of film club or small art houses.

9. By exposing New York (a major center for the film and art industry) it forced people to attempt to accept or emulate this style of design for films. It challenged people to view and make films that were traditional or did not follow normal narrative parameters. It also heavily challenged censorship laws and issues that were very strict in New York.

10. Mostly economic. Most of Europe was bankrupt after fighting this terrible war and people had very little money for things like food, let alone film. Those who did have some money still had limited access to funds and equipment. They couldn't get big stars to star in a big film and even if they could be produced many people wouldn't necessarily see them because of the lack of money. Many of these people were upset with the government, so filmmakers used this political turmoil and unrest to create what is now known as the avent-garde film.

11. Abstract art attempted to move past the natural world. It tried to find the elements that built up this natural (or material) world while staying on a very broad are all inclusive level.

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome

This certainly was a strange film. As I was watching the film I kept trying to organize some ideas or themes this film could be about. Earlier, I felt consumption was a large theme, as many of the main actor (who played several characters) was regularly seen eating forms of jewelry. I felt as if he kept consuming items from a material world or, possibly, that these items were being forced upon him. Later in the film I felt some sort of struggle between natural beauty and artificial beauty. Specifically with the masks and make up, I felt that these were covering up many of the characters natural beauty. To me, the image of the girl in the bird's cage encapsulated this idea. The one character with elaborate makeup and long nails seemed very pleased by the idea of the masking of these characters as did the "emperor" or was covered in green or purple makeup. Both the color and editing throughout the film was eccentric and over the top seeming to cover up the "natural" beauty of the film. I'm not suggesting that one is better than the other, but the elaborate colors and several layers of film created something that, clearly, was not captured on the set giving it a radically different feel. Yet there was so much contained within this film, I feel almost guilty trying to judge it off of one viewing alone.