"How To Make An Experimental Video/Short Film"
A Free Seminar by the Malaysian Video Awards Council in Conjuction With The National Art Gallery, Under The Auspices Of The National Art Gallery
[This report is posted on the MVA's web-site. An abbreviated version that focuses on tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE is presented 1st. This is followed by the entire text. People wishing to view the original web-page can follow this link.]
Happened: between 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday the 18th of March 2000
Venue: National Art Gallery Auditorium
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The final speaker was an underground experimental filmmaker from the United States of America, tENTATIVELY a cONVENIENCE (Tent) aka Michael Tolson. With a career in the area of experimental filmmaking spanning over 25 years, he has made 202 films on a total budget of USD11,000. "I am living proof that you do not need much of a budget to make films. You just have to make do with what you have and be creative with it.". To Tent, experimental film are films that are made in ways no one else has ever made, and viewers have never seen. The concept for his films are very much derived from the transitions he makes in his life. For instance, the second short film he made, titled Mike Film where 21 art objects was shot on 13 fifty foot rolls of Super-8 film. But, he decided that he did not want to be an artist at that time and made the switch to become a mad scientist and this film marked his transition. So, he cut up the film that he had shot and ended up with 46,800 individual images of the art objects. After 22 years, he is still distributing these films to people all over the world and getting reports back on what was done with the film. Sounds quirky? Well, that is exactly the first impression that Tent will give you; but upon listening to what he has to say and watching his films, you find that he is a true genius in the area of experimental film. Equipped with a mind that knows no boundaries, experience and the belief in his work, his films are interesting and thought evoking. "You must believe in your film. When you believe in your film, it will project through to the images that you shoot and then spill over to your audience.".
Of his three films screened, his piece titled Philosopher's Union Members Mouthpieces showed how a simple idea can provide the viewer an insight into the world of the subject, make a statement and be entertaining all at the same time . This film is part of an on-going series by Tent where he captures extreme close-ups of subjects mouths while they are talking about their own personal philosophy. In this case the film that was screened was on a woman who worked at a factory in the Southern part of the United States of America. Tent would shoot his subjects preaching their philosophy as a very long sentence, where in this case was 5 minutes long.
Using basic video and film equipment, Tent also experiments and creates his own special effects. For instance as a result of a fault in a camera that he used, a white line appeared on all 200 feet of film that he had shot with. Instead of throwing it away or reshooting, he scratched the rest of the film to create a very original waterfall effect for his film. "If something went wrong with your shoot, try to innovate and use the mistake to your advantage. It could be a type of special effect or add emphasis to your story.".
[..]
"How To Make An Experimental Video/Short Film"
A Free Seminar by the Malaysian Video Awards Council in Conjuction With The National Art Gallery, Under The Auspices Of The National Art Gallery
Happened: between 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday the 18th of March 2000
Venue: National Art Gallery Auditorium
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Introduction
What is experimental film? Well based on the number of different definitions that it has been given, it seems to be a genre in film beyond a text book definition. In trying to define it, one would have to take all the probabilities that it covers into consideration and this would be equivalent to explaining what goes on in the human mind, and this is exactly what experimental film is based on; the mind of the experimental filmmaker. For the purposes of this report on the seminar organised by the Malaysian Video Awards Council held in the middle of March, experimental films are defined as films that are presented in an original, non-mainstream way.
The Seminar
A seminar on "How to Make an Experimental Video/Short Film" was held at the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday the 18th of March. Attended by over a hundred students, filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers, a contrast of the different areas in filmmaking were given a representation ranging from narrative filmmaking, documentaries to pure alternative, underground/experimental filmmaking. Hence participants received a well-rounded view of short video/films.
The first speaker Desmond Ng, a Director with Planet Films touched on the terminology and resurgence of the experimental film. Currently developing his own feature length experimental film diary and a video installation piece, he defined undergound/experimental film as "films that are not features in the Hollywood sense and takes the viewer-filmmaker relationship further.". "The experimental filmmaker should try to exude a personal relationship with the camera and hence absorb the viewer into the story.". Taking an example from experimental filmmaker Sadie Benning's work, he showed how a story can be told even though the images were "ugly". "Think of what you want to say; how you want to communicate it, no matter what equipment you have, the story is what matters. With Sadie's film, the "ugly" images helped emphasise her story of personal anguish and oppression."
The next speaker was Experimental Filmmaker Ho Yuhang. Opening his talk with a story about his encounter with a con-man, he went on to explain that ordinary experiences can bring about extraordinary feelings. "You should look for things that will strike you personally and then try to describe or show it as accurately as you can.". Yuhang stressed that to achieve this, discipline is the key. "You should take time to think; take time to brainstorm. Write down whatever that comes to mind regardless of whether it is rubbish or not.". Using experimental filmmaker Jonas Mekas' diary series Walden as an example, he described how discipline can result in an excellent piece of work. In Walden, Mekas shot footage of his life everyday for three to four years. The result was an experimental film diary made up of six series. Using a non-narrative way of telling the story of his life, Mekas' work was a visual example of Yuhang's advice. "See what you have around you. Use these basics to your advantage in your film. Filmmaking is not and should not be complicated. In order to achieve this, one would have to train oneself to look deeper into ordinary things and more often than not, you will find something that will fascinate you. Use your imagination; maximise and expand your observation, and gain experience wherever possible. And finally, I believe that the judgment of your film should come from those who view it.".
In the course of gaining experience, mistakes will surely be made. In most instances, mistakes are usually the best way to learn. Giving a very insightful talk on mistakes, was narrative filmmaker Kam Raslan. With 15 years of on-the-job experience in film, Kam has made his fair share of mistakes. He showed an example of a short film that he had shot but abandoned because of too many mistakes. "You have to know why it is you want to make film, and not just what film you want to make. You have to know what it is you want to say, and to find out if you do have something to say. Your outlook and reason for your film is more important than just pretty pictures. A good way to start is to identify your limits, and then to create within these limits. So the most important step that should take place before production gets started is to plan. Everything should be placed on paper in advance. This plan will help you to keep within your limits, provide a clear definition of duties and goals, and the timeline in which to achieve these goals.".
From the production aspect, Kam spoke about the importance of the production team sharing the same vision. Drawing from his experience from the abandoned project, his team although excellent expertise-wise, lacked the ability to share the same goal of making a short film as they came from advertising backgrounds. Furthermore, according to Kam, the team should be made up of at least three people to ensure the segregation of the duties of the director, producer and writer. "It is possible for one person to perform these three functions, but problems will arise when the individual tasks get muddled up in the mind of that one person.". From the technical point of view, Kam recommended the use of digital video cameras. "Digital cameras allow for the opportunity to experiment with different styles of shooting. This way, you will be able to find out what suits you the best. Keep experimenting. Find out your own personal style.".
With the cross-over of documentaries with short film, Bernice Chauly provided a useful talk about the concept and content of writing a documentary. "There are so many real stories to tell. Social issues, cultural issues, the list goes on. In writing and making the documentary, you should be unbiased and try to represent the truth as much as you can no matter how cruel, sad or controversial the topic or subject may be. A documentary should provide its viewers with an insiders view and is to a certain extent voyeuristic. Realism and facts are what you should strive for.".
The final speaker was an underground experimental filmmaker from the United States of America, tENTATIVELY a cONVENIENCE (Tent) aka Michael Tolson. With a career in the area of experimental filmmaking spanning over 25 years, he has made 202 films on a total budget of USD11,000. "I am living proof that you do not need much of a budget to make films. You just have to make do with what you have and be creative with it.". To Tent, experimental film are films that are made in ways no one else has ever made, and viewers have never seen. The concept for his films are very much derived from the transitions he makes in his life. For instance, the second short film he made, titled Mike Film where 21 art objects was shot on 13 fifty foot rolls of Super-8 film. But, he decided that he did not want to be an artist at that time and made the switch to become a mad scientist and this film marked his transition. So, he cut up the film that he had shot and ended up with 46,800 individual images of the art objects. After 22 years, he is still distributing these films to people all over the world and getting reports back on what was done with the film. Sounds quirky? Well, that is exactly the first impression that Tent will give you; but upon listening to what he has to say and watching his films, you find that he is a true genius in the area of experimental film. Equipped with a mind that knows no boundaries, experience and the belief in his work, his films are interesting and thought evoking. "You must believe in your film. When you believe in your film, it will project through to the images that you shoot and then spill over to your audience.".
Of his three films screened, his piece titled Philosopher's Union Members Mouthpieces showed how a simple idea can provide the viewer an insight into the world of the subject, make a statement and be entertaining all at the same time . This film is part of an on-going series by Tent where he captures extreme close-ups of subjects mouths while they are talking about their own personal philosophy. In this case the film that was screened was on a woman who worked at a factory in the Southern part of the United States of America. Tent would shoot his subjects preaching their philosophy as a very long sentence, where in this case was 5 minutes long.
Using basic video and film equipment, Tent also experiments and creates his own special effects. For instance as a result of a fault in a camera that he used, a white line appeared on all 200 feet of film that he had shot with. Instead of throwing it away or reshooting, he scratched the rest of the film to create a very original waterfall effect for his film. "If something went wrong with your shoot, try to innovate and use the mistake to your advantage. It could be a type of special effect or add emphasis to your story.".
The Discussion
Finally, the discussion session which was moderated by renowned commercials Director Rohini Kumar of RK Studios, was fully utilised by the participants to ask questions. Of the more interesting questions that were asked was, "What is the point of Experimental Film? To make money? To make a statement? What is the point?". The "point" according to the panel should not be limited to what is mainstream, and definitely not to just make money as experimental films are not meant to be box-office hits . It should be based on how you want to express yourself and the message you want to put across. Filmmaking is an outlet for expressions and opinions where there is no right or wrong; just what is right for you.
Another question asked was, "What is a good experimental film?". The panel was of the opinion that a good experimental film is one that the viewer likes. Experimental films are based on ideas and methods of presentation subjective and personal to the filmmaker. The technical aspect of an experimental film, however should not be used as the base on which to form an opinion on the film as it usually plays the role of supporting and enhancing the message. In most cases, due to the subjective nature of the filmmaker's message, it may not be understood by the viewer. But, if the story appeals to the viewer, then the viewer will be able to form his or her own opinion on the film.
Finally, there was also the query about budget and tools; how much and what should be used. From the point of experimental films, and to possibly cover other types of productions as well, there is no set amount or tools with which to work with. The panel advised that resourcefulness plays a big part in making your own experimental film. The time spent actually filmmaking only makes up a fraction of the entire career span of a filmmaker. The rest of the time would be spent networking, learning, gaining experience and working on personal overall skills. So it is important to first recognise the technical and financial limits; then, one has to be flexible to create within these limits.
Summary
To summarise, this seminar was basically categorised into 3 sections, namely; creative, production and technical.
In the creative process of an experimental film, it was suggested that one should use things or issues that have a personal appeal to the filmmaker. Basic surroundings can and should be used to the advantage of the film. Importance should also be placed on the filmmakers outlook and reason for the film, and the way in which the story is intended to be communicated.
From the production aspect, a plan should be put on paper first to identify the limits of the resources available, define tasks, and provide timelines for each process. It is also imperative for the production team to share the same vision as the filmmaker to ensure a successful representation of the story.
On the technical side, digital video cameras were recommended due to the flexibility it provides for experimenting with different styles.
Conclusion
This seminar provided definitions, examples and a framework on which to start making an experimental video/short film. The content however, will be up to your creativity. So, if you have something to say, why not try saying it through your very own experimental film.
Feedback on or questions about this report are most welcome. Please post your questions and/or opinion in the Forum link.
Using this successful seminar as a yardstick for things to come, the 5th MVA Festival 2000 definitely be something to look forward to. So keep visiting this site for the latest information on the speakers lined up for the 5th Malaysian Video Awards Festival 2000 happening in May.
to the tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE movie-making "Press: Criticism, Interviews, Reviews" home-page
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to the "FLICKER" home-page for the alternative cinematic experience
to find out more about why the S.P.C.S.M.E.F. (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Sea Monkeys by Experimental Filmmakers) is so important
for info on tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE's tape/CD publishing label: WIdémoUTH
to see an underdeveloped site re the N.A.A.M.C.P. (National Association for the Advancement of Multi-Colored Peoples)