LXIV (64 in Roman numerals) by Damian Livesey was a winner in one of the FILMSshort competitions. It
is dedicated to Damian's father, Jack, who died in 2009. A beautifully
shot montage, it was his final year film from Staffordshire University,
England, and pieces together a dazzling array of shots that condense
our existence into a 3-minute film
Slow Wave is a 3-minute experimental animation about sleep disturbances and its effect on the mind and body. Creator Andy Kennedy constructs an entirely visceral experience of slumber with his atmospheric sound design and disorienting animation style. Kennedy’s use of abstract, geometric shapes deconstructs the world he has created in an impressive way, akin to a Cubist Picasso painting. His color use is also poignant in that he uses red to signify disturbance, again like a painter. This red menace seems to have a personality of its own like the shapes and sounds that grow out of the walls and floor. The sound design itself is chock-full of recognizable things, but overlaid into a melodic soundtrack which adds to the uncannily dark atmosphere.
CONTROL is a central theme to this short. It asks the question of whether or not we forfeit complete control while we sleep—a fear many people can relate to. What happens inside our minds when outside forces affect our subconsciousness? Is there also a physical reaction? Kennedy addresses these notions in the second act of his film, which admittedly feels more like a completely separate project.
Kennedy explains his inspiration for this project: “The idea for Slow Wave began while I was living in a very noisy apartment in Brooklyn. The bass from my downstairs neighbors had a very disruptive effect on my life and work. I wanted to visualize how sound can change the experience of being in a space. I also have night terrors on a regular basis, often times based on irregularities in light or sound. I wanted to capture the visceral and abstract nature of both these experiences and weave them together into a single file.
Film Production Assignment
A very brief history of experimental film
What do experimental films have in common? Well, nothing. They each take a unique, original approach to convey something important to the audience.
So, does this mean that means that you can do anything you want? Nope.
Good experimental films often require even more planning than narrative films. That’s because the best experimental films involve risk. In an experimental film, you don’t have a narrarive or conventional story to fall back on. Instead, you are expressing your creative vision. But is that vision clear and compelling? Does it say something unique or original? It better be.
Making an experimental film DOES NOT mean creating something that no one can decipher. In fact, just the opposite: a great experimental film has an abundance of meaning.
You will create a 60 - 90 second experimental film that will involve a scenario (a child does something wrong and has to tell his or her parent about it, choose a storyline from a previous film you made, or present your own idea). You will not tell the story as a narrative film. Instead you could imagine the scenario by:
Telling the story as a stream of consciousness
Filming it as a dream sequence
Using animation
Using stop motion
Animating titles
Match cuts
Experimenting w/color grading
Experimenting w/After Effects or another special effects program
Experimenting with sound design
Mixing different kinds of footage, photography, and/or media
Using another approach approved by your teacher - if you choose to come up with your own approach, you must get this approved by your teacher by the end of this week.
Sometimes the best way to decide how to create your own original approach is by studying the works of others. So here is a list of some of the greatest experimental filmmakers of all time. You should review some of the best-known, highly regarded contemporary experimental filmmakers. Review - The 15 Greatest Avant-Garde Filmmakers Of All Time Review -Films Short Review -Short of the Week