My initial idea was based on the idea of reflections I gathered footage of different objects which reflected people actions.
Insert footage
I then narrowed this idea down to using just one object which still showed reflections whilst telling a brief story of an object rather than an individual. My idea continued to develop whilst editing whereby I had to add to footage to construct the narrative.
In order to develop a clearer understanding of experimental film I decided to watch other experimental films on YouTube.
Watching these films built my knowledge base in regards to the conventions of experimental film. This gave me ideas about how I would construct my media piece. A key feature I noticed within this genre was the focus on a particular individual, experimental films are created with the individual in mind building a story for that person and allowing the audience relate. The editing techniques used reflect different messages; the characters are often placed in a variety of settings and shown in multiple angles. The usage of superimposition is common within this genre as the fade from one image to another creates a link and confusion in the imagery presented.
Within media we have been given the task to create our own experimental film. As the basis our teacher showed us the short film, Meshes of the Afternoon (1943).
The techniques used within this film set the foundation as to how we would construct our individual media products. The narrative of experimental films strikes confusion and ambiguous thoughts for its audience, this had a major influence on the idea I would develop for my experimental film. The shadow portrayed throughout the film gives the audience this sense of mystery and combined with the sound alerts them of the possible darkness conveyed behind the shadow. The ambient sound within this short film creates an atmosphere for the audience to develop their thoughts as to what will happen to the character and how do the other characters contribute to what they film signifies. Repetition was another key element of this film which was demonstrated through the muse en scene, certain objects where used (e.g. telephone, flower, key, knife etc.) which allowed the audience to see how the character was going back in time.
Jamilla Dumbuya 