The major obstacle for amateur film-makers is their own sense
of inferiority vis-a-vis professional productions. The very
classification "amateur" has an apologetic ring. But that very
word-from the Latin "amateur" - "lover" means one who does something
for the love of the thing rather than for economic reasons or
necessity. And this is the meaning from which the amateur film-maker
should take his clue. Instead of envying the script and dialogue
writers, the trained actors, the elaborate staffs and sets, the
enormous production budgets of the professional film, the amateur
should make use of the one great advantage which all professionals envy
him, namely, freedom-both artistic and physical. Artistic freedom means
that the amateur film-maker is never forced to sacrifice visual drama
and beauty to a stream of words, words, words, words, to the relentless
activity and explanations of a plot, or to the display of a star or a
sponsor's product; nor is the amateur production expected to return
profit on a huge investment by holding the attention of a massive and
motley audience for 90 minutes. Like the amateur still-photographer,
the amateur filmmaker can devote himself to capturing the poetry and
beauty of places and events and, since he is using a motion picture
camera, he can explore the vast world of the beauty of movement. (One
of the films winning Honourable Mention in the 1958 Creative Film
Awards was Round and Square, a poetic, rhythmic treatment of the
dancing lights of cars as they streamed down highways, under bridges,
etc). Instead of trying to invent a plot that moves, use the movement
or wind or water, children, people, elevators, balls, etc. as a poet
might celebrate these. And use your freedom to experiment with visual
ideas; your mistakes will not get you fired. Physical freedom includes
time freedom-a freedom from budget imposed deadlines. But above all,
the amateur film-maker, with his small, light-weight equipment, has an
inconspicuousness (for candid shooting) and a physical mobility which
is well the envy of most professionals, burden as they are by their
many-ton monsters, cables and crews. Don't forget that no tripod has
yet been built which is as miraculously versatile in movement as the
complex system of supports, joints, muscles and nerves which is the
human body, which, with a bit of practice, makes possible the enormous
variety of camera angles and visual action. You have all this and a
brain too, in one neat, compact, mobile package. Cameras don't make
films; film-makers make films. Improve your films not by adding more
equipment and personnel but by using what you have to its fullest
capacity. The most important part of your equipment is yourself: your
mobile body, your imaginative mind, and your freedom to use both. Make
sure you do use them.
Maya Deren. Film Culture, Winter 1965
Some Experimental Film-Makers - RSS Feeds
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The
2008 American election, in my view, raised extremely important issues
of secularism and fundamentalism - most of which were missed by the
mainstream media. In this montage, I've played with links between the
military and the theocrats. The images and text are chosen from a large
database by an algorithm, although there were touches of lyricism,
especially in the choice of sounds. I think this is Bricolage. Again,
there are gaps in logic, allowing the audience to find meanings for
themselves.
