Introduction

What is experimental film ?  

Subverting /stretching/ breaking/  conventions of narrative, genre and film form elements  such as invisible editing, single-image, reliable narration,  linear time , cause and effect , realistic or consistent mis-en-scene, character motivation , equilibrium and disruption, consistency of genre or setting, relationship with audience and "fourth wall" and many others....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_film


This clearly alters audience responses  as traditional pleasures such as narrative closure and suspension of disbelief are absent or subverted. Other pleasures such as disorientation , active spectatorship, and sensual experience may be foregrounded.


Experimental filmmakers are often connected to or directly influenced by other art forms such as avant-grade art movements such as surrealism or abstract expressionism , or experimental and improvisational music.

There are entirely  'experimental ' films ( short and feature length )  but more traditional  films may include experimental elements to challenge the limits of their genre, drive the narrative, subvert conventions and create active spectatorship.


We will be examining a range of experimental methods in film and then focusing on how the key text ( Pulp Fiction) uses some of these experimental  and 'postmodern' techniques alongside  more traditional cinematic conventions.


You will be focusing on the following key elements :  film form, contexts, narrative and auteur. 


POSSIBLE EXAM QUESTIONS :


To what extent does your film experiment with conventions of narrative and genre?


To what extent does your film study demonstrate a bold experiment in narrative? [20]


 ‘Unfamiliar approaches to narrative can be both difficult and exciting for the spectator’.
Discuss this comment in relation to your film study. [20]