Reading Response #9?

1. Benning's work is related/similar to the Riot Grrl subculture in that it captured the whole do it yourself and stand up for your artistic beliefs. Most of the work from these underground movements was made with low tech equipment similar to the punks and there "lets use what we got" mentality. The Riot Grrl subculture is different from the punks in that they focus on women empowerment and the ideas of finding yourself as a women. The punks were more male influenced and dominated.

2. Benning's work is described as visual essays by Milliken because its basically what they are. A story written out with images from her own life and fiction based pieces. All different mediums are used within in order to make the film more personal for her and allows the viewer to get deeper into the story.

3. The term sculpture has changed over the years into a much more open classification allowing for many new, different types of constructions into the sculpture genre. More common now-adays are installations which I think his projections would be classified into more. Every artform evolves into a newer version of what it was, thats all that the art of sculpture is doing.

4. Minimalist sculpture is post modern because it focuses more on the viewers experience with the work instead of a stamped on meaning from the artist. The lack of caring in the work leaves it a post modern work.

5. Both artist use the human body as the object of their art. The attention is focused on their reactions to the physical endurance of using their own bodies.

6. The mode of film practice refers to the specific working style within the avant garde community. Classical Hollywood cinema, surrealism, and French new wave are all forms of non-experimental processes of film practice.

7. The main difference between experimental art and gallery art is the availability to the audiences. Experimental films have been and are still being shown in small venues, classrooms, and film festivals. Now with netflix and the Internet, experimental art is available in all types of forms. Gallery art is location specific which holds back most viewers from specific galleries.

Reading Response #7

- I was unable to find the Tribulation 99 article by Michael Zryd in the Reserves but I would still enjoy doing a response to the film. I'm sure the article talked about how most of the students were confused, as was I, the first time I viewed it. I love found footage movies and am about to start creating mine for 6x1. It's hilarious when media from one angle is used to convey a completely different story. The fact that this one is so long and plays with the government and the mass amounts of controversy that surround it, is what makes Tribulation 99 such a great found footage. With the addition of aliens being the reasoning for most of the incidents happening, it creates a mass confusion about the truth of the film. The first viewing I had may have been in your class my freshman year, not quite sure but I know I had no idea what I had just witnessed. A further explanation after the film helps but what is truly needed is a multiple viewings. This was only my second viewing in three years but I found it much more entertaining now that I could perceive what was actually happening. Blaming everything on alien activity is hilarious and entertaining at the same time because you want there to be some truth in it. Tribulation 99 is fun, I hope to see it again soon.

1. Once again I couldn't find the article this is pertaining too but I can make an educated guess on what Arthur is speaking of. Realest usage of found footage would be using the footage to imply some reality in the imagery, probably not taking it too far out of context. Figurative use would imply more of what was going on in Tribulation 99, referencing the footage to a completely opposite idea.

2. Three similarities between the No Wave/Punk film movement and the punk music scene would be first and most prominent, would be the idea of simply picking up and instrument/camera and start playing. Each scene would also help each other with the creation of each others projects, musicians as actors and filmmakers could make videos for the bands. Thirdly as technology goes, the no wave group had their super 8 cameras which weren't made for mass movie production and the musicians had their slide guitars.

3. The five characteristics of the modernist paradigm would be the superiority of high art of modern culture, medium specificity, autonomy of art, smooth camera movement, and super impositions.

4. ehhhhh

5. What Ahwesh means by the rejecting the "aesthetics of mastery" is that she doesn't agree with the following of the classical narrative structure and follows her own methods. By shooting on Super 8 and not using professional actors she was able to follow her own ideals about filmmaking. This is similar to the style of punk filmmaking with the camera and actors.

6. Mainstream porn focus on the male, his penis, and him getting the ultimate satisfaction when the day is over with. The Color of Love however, focus's on the two females making love while the male seems unimportant.

7. The Laura Croft character was taken out of her video game world and inserted into the world of film. Awhesh used repetitions of Laura's body movements in different variations, wardrobe changes, and different camera angles to form the piece. Also a theme of incomplete actions circles the settings.

Nostalgia

I really enjoyed Nostalgia, FINALLY! I fully enjoyed the full length of one of our films. I enjoyed the simple structure of the twelve photos slowly burning away differently each time. I realized the audio was a photograph ahead around the third or fourth picture. I believe this was about a picture or two ahead of the smoke rings. I had a slight feeling that the audio was like this at the beginning when the first image didn't really make too much sense. It was really mesmerizing watching the images slowly burn away in their own unique fashion. I love still photography and it is also a hobby of mine so each image was fantastic to look over before it dissipated. Never seen another film like it so, hooray!

Reading Response #6

-It seems as if the sexual content of films throughout the semester has slowly began to increase, and Fuses is an perfect example. It was much more abstract and manipulated compared to Flaming Creatures or Fingered, but we'll talk about that later. The lack of lighting with the red tone is pretty enjoyable to watch and sets the mood for what is happening in front of the camera. There is a unique mystery to Fuses that is hidden behind the dark red lighting that makes you want to squint and tilt your head as if it will make the imagery more clear. The content of these films doesn't really bother me, its more of the extensive close up shots of penis's and male ejaculation that kinda get to me. Aside from that note, I thoroughly enjoyed Fuses, Flaming Creatures, and Fingered. The intriguing imagery of the bodies in all three films is fascinating and like nothing else that I've really seen. They show the beauty of the human body regardless of anybody else's morals. While they do push the envelope CONSTANTLY, its pretty cool that they basically said fuck it when they made this films. Thumbs up minus the cocks.

1. The four typical characteristics of the structural film are the flicker effect, a fixed camera, loop printing, and rephotography. Deren/Brakhage/Anger films focus on the function of the brain and how the eye perceives things. While the structural film explores the human mind and its conscious.

2. Structural film's metaphor is that the mind's experience is what's most engaged? I think it's something like this, hard to put it into words

3. The reason for Sitney being able to believe in this is because Warhol was a minimalist in his early films. He focused on the pure essence of film and not the need to fill every frame with an important detail. The longevity and stillness of his films is what seems to be the biggest piece of evidence leading to Sitney's argument. Warhol seems to refuse the typical film structure and created his own style which lead to, what Sitney says precursor for the structural film.

4.

a. Warhol was deferentially an anti-Romatic artist because he normally would set up the camera and simply filmed one subject as he pleased and would do no other production work with lighting, sound, or narrative. He didn't follow the traditions of past avant-garde filmmakers who would focus of every aspect of their film giving it a deeper meaning.

b. They all used the idea of a fixed camera but for different reasons. Warhol wants to make the views mind work and become interested in the not so interesting. Snow and Gehr would use the fixed camera for a mysterious compilation of imagery. These two were also much more prepared when it came to shooting a scene, as Warhol would just go, set up, and shoot.

c. This seems to relate to the experience that each viewer has consciously while viewing the stylistic choices of each artist. Warhol's whole viewing experience is based on the duration of his films and how the viewer will perceive what is on screen. It relates to structural films because of their usage of stillness and their strive to create a subconscious experience.

6. The metaphor of the minds consciousness.

Chelsea Girls Response

I was not impressed at all, well maybe a little bit. I found the visuals more appealing on the left screen and the dialogue somewhat interesting on the right side, since there was no audio on the left screen. The sweat and pope parts were funny but really couldn't keep my attention. It was pretty crazy when whoever it was hit that girl, I did not expect that at all and then it got really intense. I'm supposing that it wasn't staged, but it is really hard to tell with the film style that Warhol and Morrissey chose. It has a reality style feel that is kinda creepy during the shooting up and hitting of the women sections. It would of been much better if we could have used dual projectors but not too logical for class. I found the beginning hilarious as I have with many films but its a dark, weird humor that Im not positive a lot of people get now a days. Things aren't said for shock value, but simply what was on their minds. They spoke as they felt. As I look back at it, I guess I enjoyed it a little more than I did immediately after.

Reading Response #5

Kiss

-I enjoyed Kiss, until after about the fourth couple was shown. After that I felt like I was constantly seeing the same thing over and over even though each was different in their own way. I guess I found out by watching this that I really have no interest in watching people kiss, especially two men, but that's neither here nor there. The shot distance was interesting in that most were very close besides the two which were slightly zoomed out in the middle of the shot. While I understand what Warhol was going for and its essence from the time it was filmed, but as a young heterosexual male, the film Kiss wasn't too enjoyable over all.

1. Bleeker Street, Fashion Industries Auditorium, and Cinema 16 were all venues associated with the underground New York film movement. The Charles Theater had a very widespread programing allowing everything from musicals to art exhibitions to showcasing jazz preformances weekly.

2. The filmmakers that Mekas associated with "Baudelairean Cinema"were Smith, Jacobs, and Rice. Mekas created this term to describe the use of similar characteristics that this filmmakers were using in their films which were first used by a French Poet Baudelairean. The purpose of using this characteristics were for the same reasoning as the poet, for pure shock value to the normal society.

3. Legal problems occured with the underground films because society deemed them indecent and appalling while the city was trying to be cleaned for the World Fair. Kenneth Angers films Scorpio Rising was causing legal trouble in LA around the same time for its appalling images of male genitalia.

4. Tavel re-wrote A Clockwork Orange, the book, in order to adhere to Warhol's filmmaking style by taking away the unnecessary and creating a scene which was consisted of a bare plot only there for basic understanding. One complete long take, minus the film switch, with Edie basically doing her own trance like performance on the side is what allowed her to steal the scene.

5. Warhol's Chelsea Girls was one of the first, if not the first, underground film to be shown and gain attention from the "real world" in mainstream theaters. Newsweek gave an impressive review causing for a ruckus to spread and encourage people to rush out and see it. It spread across the country with no surprise to its popularity in NY all the way to LA and every major city in between.

6. Getz created several underground films and compiled them into one feature and began to send them around the country. His uncle owned several theaters which allowed him to gain popularity and the films began to be known as The Underground Cinema 12

7. They claim that the post 1967 Warhol films consisted of his same unique style but lacked their intense shock value which he normally thrived on. His use of sex, drugs, and all other taboo subjects continually increased however.

Reading Response #4

1. I watched Joe Jones film Smoking and was kinda shocked that that was all it was. Black background with white numbers counting too one thousand. That is the simplest breakdown a person could have. While the film is extremely short and has no basis for a story, it is a prime example of the fluxist movement in representing a film, itself. It was interesting that it said 10 feet, I was thinking if that was possible the length of the actual film it was produced on. The only other thing I can really say about it is the differentiating fact that the numbers do a 100 count then refer back to the next 200, 300, 400 and so on in respective order. Fluxfilms still confuse me with their intentions but are still amusing in simplistic ways.

2. Fluxfilms don't fit in with Sitney's definition of avant-garde films because he exclusively defined avant-garde films as those which replicate experiences of the mind and some sort of recreation of ones perspective. Flux films were created only for the simply reason of wanting to create a film just for the sake of doing something creative. They don't seam to represent the true background of filmmaking with a reason to create a film other than simply creating "something".

3. Some of the reasons for Smith's obsessions with Maria Montez are that he felt he had created her in some sort of way. And every type of artist never truly wants to separate themselves from their "greatest work", so Smith had an obvious connection with her. Found an article online speaking on Smiths obsession with Montez relating it to gay culture with reference to Montez and her costuming. Noted that she couldn't act from here to there but had a personality that could overwhelm an audience. I missed last week but after watching some of Cobra Women on youtube, I more closely understand Smith's obsession and see her lack of acting skills.

4. The 60's New York art community was very close with one another. Seemed to be a close-knit unprofessional setting for all of them. Jack Smith and many of his peers were essentially poor so had no income in order to produce their art. Smith was known to find items for costuming and set creation from stores in such that were closing and were throwing out their items. This way everything seemed knew and fitting for the film but was gained at a relatively low cost, or free.

5. Mekas traveled all around basically putting Flaming Creatures on a circulation gaining money and fame from the "tour". The film was being considered pornographic which highlighted Mekas's artistic credibility. With all the money and credit he gained by doing this he upset Smith because none of the money or credit was being delivered to him. A metaphor f a lobster was created towards this incident between Mekas and Smith.

6. Normal Love is represented a non materialistic world in which ones lives were conformed around art. The film allowed people to live a life within it where their imaginations were let loose and could connect with the film in a dream like state. Missed class so not sure what was discussed about changes in New York art. But many things in which Warhol had produced were representative of productions from Jack Smith's early days.

7. Smith began to refuse to make a final masterpiece of any of his work. When a art piece was a master piece it was then put on a pedestal where commercialism and the masses all would want a grab at it. He refused to make copies of his work for distribution. He was a hardcore artist purely in it for the sake of art and had no intentions of making money from it. He would wait till after midnight on most showings in order to get rid of all the non-hardcore viewers who wouldn't respect his films for what they were.

8. Warhol's earliest films were very long but weren't driven by long plots. Things such as Eat, Empire, Kiss, and Haircut were films from this period. The titles may seem to expose what the films were about but the true gem was inside. Some of the differences between Sleep and Empire were that Empire was one continuous long shot and Sleep was edited together with many different shot angles and sizes.

9. Screen tests were shot regularly at Warhol's factory and included almost anyone from friends to other artist who happened to stop by the factor between the times of 1964-1966. It served as a type of documentation of the factory. It helped Warhol's filmmaking because it allowed him to practice a develop a better understanding for the lighting, framing, and position of people in front of a camera.

10. Warhol's key collaborator for his early sound projects was Eddie Sedgewick. Some of his first films were Afternoon, The Poor Little Rich Girl, and Vinyl. His first sound films seemed to be documentaries or portraits and used very little camera movement at first. Most subjects were found during his screen tests.

Reading Response #3

2. He argues that it plays a major role because "the combination of picture and sound at the conclusion of the conclusion of the next episode exemplifies the latter." I was confused by the word synecdoche. I guess it is trying to say that Charles actions are a part of what is going to happen? Very confused. Brakhage had most likely seen The End and been influenced going on to create Reflections on Black. His had seen ideas from Maclaine's film and portrayed them into his own work.

3. Conner's films use bits of irony and move between the terrible and the ridiculous. He plays with the film and makes the viewer work and pay attention to his details in order to get the ideals across in each episode. Maclaine on the other hand takes the mature, straight forward route of presenting this vision of doom. The emotions of this film run over the whole course unlike Conner's emotional roller coaster.

4. These two films are examples of Beat sensibility because of the positions and emotions that are represented through their main protagonistic characters. The films seemed to be created with low budget, minimal editing, and low standards. Examples of the picaresque form are evident in the expansive never ending middle which allows them to have episodes.

5. This was the movement that wanted to poke fun at the artist and what they called art. It was a fight against high art such as the dada created meaningful art out of non-arty things. Very similar to the dada movement the fluxfilms aimed at irony to present their art towards Anger and Brakhage.

6. The focus of Fluxfilms was not to focus on the individual artist and their own achievements in the film, it was to parody their mode of film production and ideas. They were concerned with producing film by the yard and not by the frame like Brakhage and Anger. The collaboration of artist helped produce the film but took away from the personal aspect of it.

7. Jenkins says that Zen for Film fixed the material and aesthetic terms for production of fluxfilms because it uses the medium of film with the basics of filmmaking skills and techniques to make something that is different every time. Many people believed the film is nothing but to a few the small imperfections of the film is what created its micro details and a film that is comprehend able for the abstract artist. It showed non believers that something can be made out of nothing.

Dog Star Man

I enjoyed the quick close-ups and jerking camera movements within the prelude of Dog Star Man. The shots which involve the moon are nice and very in focus for having so much done to the film. It seems like there is a close up of a dog or some type of fun which has vibrant orange and red color. The close ups of fire are beautiful and show the slow graceful movements of the flames as they are firing up the material around it. It's almost nice not being able to see the whole subject, you are only exposed to small parts at a time of each filmed subject. Wether he filmed the solar eclipses himself or was found footage the placement and use of the images are very bright and creative within this prelude. I believe there was an image of a woman's butt then an immediate cut to a vagina. I believe this is what it appears to be and only supports Brakhage's obsession with the human body.

Reading Response #2

1. Stiney states that the Reflections of Black is a lyrical film because the protagonist surroundings are not in a dreamlike realm.The medium is affirmed by Brakhage manipulating the film.

2. Shooting constant POV shots through the protagonist making the viewer feel as if they are the actual protagonist.

3. . Marie Menken was probablyz of the largest influence's on Brakhage'smove to a lyrical film. Menken used a rythmetic tone through out the entire film. Her style was slowly mixing into the new world. Her predictable sense in the rhythmic tone fit perfectly with the tone that Brahkage was looking for.

4. The names of the two montages fits them very well for the most part. A hard montage seems to force images together in a juxaposition that isn't clear. Sometimes used to disorientate the viewer or just cause havoc on the screen. A soft montage seems to slowly places images either based on shape, color, rhythm, or by random.

5.Brakhage's thoughts and ideas are like none we've ever had. He concentrates on the menial things in life and says that people can be unaware of the things around them and that they need to be opened up and see with their mind. Only a few people know how to use their spiritual sense.

6.Sitney believes that other filmmakers in that time were still stuck in the romance and love lifestyle. While the other filmmakers were off doodling, Brakhage was creating his on expressionism in art. His creativity as him being the extreme artist he is aloud him to create all different types of camera movements not normally used.

7. The concept of man and nature of the seasons with archetypes such as innocence and rationalism by the writers Blake, Marllarm, and Stevens.

8. Use of an anamorphic lens shown along with other creative camera movements that help keep the film exciting. A good distortion of space is noticeable but not sure how was done. The Cage does use a numerous amounts of camera techniques to create sense's of disillusion.

9. Between Entr'acte and The Cage, they share similar plot styles, and similar camera illusions. They Differ by The Cage was slightly more in focus and didn't rely on comic relief as did Entr'acte.

10. Peterson took the idea from his students who were all filmed doing there things. Wrapped around a thesis the class created about this distortion and irationalization of ballads over time.

Lead Shoes

I enjoyed some of the photography but the overall film wasn't satisfying for me. It was a bit slow to an odd plot about a diver and his lover but then ended on a very weird note with the smaller diving suit being undressed. I enjoyed the women jumping out of the window from two different angles and then being played in reverse. Also the chalk line being drawn in reverse was interesting to watch even though the framing was a bit off. The elliptical frame was common use throughout the whole film. Then after then man got splatter on his foot it completely lost me. At the end he was there again looking disgusting chomping on some bread. Seemed as if the women was constantly searching for something, it could have been her husband in the diver suit and she was dreaming about a possible death with him diving? Whatever the purpose was, I was kinda bored with it and would of rather'd watched The Inauguration of The Pleasure Dome again.

Reading Response #1

1. Sexual identification, jump cuts, dream sequences, lack of character interaction, repetition,

2. The structure, while following a loose plot structure, was jumpy and the title "imagist" fits perfectly. It is following an action more than worrying about temporal continuity. A vertical structure is more apparent than a horizontal way of storytelling.

3. An Architectonic Film

4. Not too much, this was the first time I had seen the film and was not sure of the so called "plot" that was advancing. After reading about the film it concreted a better understanding of the film, but calls for multiple viewings to truly understand the true interpretation. Sitney's guide and made for a better understanding of my twisted interpretation of the confusion film.

5. The paragraph was kinda confusing but talked about the dream sequence usage in Anger's film was similar to the way that avantgarde filmmakers of the 1940's used the sequence. The camera acts as the mind and shows how the characters are relaying the images. Also usages of self-reflectivity to make apparent the medium.

6. That each person is now within The Magus

7. The programming at Cinema 16 wasn't regular compared to the regular theather's in NYC. While variety was the prime programming technique, the films shown were not the regular run of the mill hollywood showcases. Not only avant garde entertainment was shown but also educational, independent, and scientific films were presented.

8. Mostly Colleges but small theathers, film society's and art houses were common too.

9. Cinema 16 had a large impact on New York City film culture. The rise of this venue and similar ones encouraged more avantgarde films to be produced now that venues existed for them to show abstract work not suited for the major theatres. It influenced enough filmmakers in NYC in order for it to still be popular and showcased around the globe

10. The political and economic unrest throughout Europe caused inflation's making the economy upset. Revolutions during the unrest caused for a loosing of traditions are the acceptance of new ideas for the future. So during this time there were various filmmakers who did not believe in the conventional commercial film. As there was nowhere to play these films small clubs and film societies flourished throughout the continent premiering strictly Avantgarde productions. Many other art movements were taking place throughout Europe and it was only a matter of time before film was influenced by these ideas. Finally, the influence of New Art on the public made them realize and become aware that machines with their speed, rhythm, and patterns can add a new appeal and beauty to life.

11. The goals of abstract art were to represent the real world but on a fine line of illusion and disorderly placement.

Pleasure Dome Response

This was my first time watching this film and it was hopefully the last. Aside from the sharp colors, exaggerated make-up, and crazy characters, the semi homo-erotic, non narrative juxtaposition, just didn't do it for me. There was a weird theme of eating/drinking everything that wasn't edible. First the main character is eating his necklace, then all sorts of small objects, onto a white powder substance that is shared among everybody. I’m not sure what mood Anger was going for but some scenes came across as humorous while the rest had a very intense and dark feeling that made me believe something was going to continue on within the story realm. Which never happened. While most avant-garde films have a loose plot that has some sort of substance, the Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome seemed to have no basis at all. While the missing plot seemed to of detoured me from watching, the abstractness of the film is what kept me watching and waiting. I enjoyed the costuming and use of past mythologies, even though I did not know them all, it was obvious that they were present. While I enjoyed it a point, I could care less about viewing this one again. Ever since I was shown Scorpio Rising as a freshman, I haven’t had urge to view his films.