So this has virtually...nothing to do with libertarianism, but this is the only forum I go on, and I'd like to bring what I just created to a wider audience.
What I am speaking of is that I just created a short surrealist/experimental film using my family's camcorder from the 1990s.
Tell me what you think. And be warned - it is a surrealist and experimental film. Don't try to search for any narrative or meaning.
I found the music a tad distracting, and blundering as it went on - didn't really 'flow' with the images. I do think you've got an eye for capturing good images though; particularly of nature. The visuals reminded me of Lubezki.
Lubezki! That's quite a compliment, thank you.
And yeah, I think I understand what you're saying about the music, I just thought it would be pretty evocative and intense which made it my choice.
I think something simpler and more natural would compliment the images more. I have a few examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CxCQlYDxpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk8Y-XxaAog
The latter is a film by David Lynch, who is a surrealist filmmaker himself, and although he went more conventional with 'The Straight Story', I'd argue it's one of his better films.
Interesting. This was actually my first choice for music:
I think I've watched a porno with that soundtrack.
...Seriously?
It looks like some good editing - do you use your own video editor or the one youtube has? I like the music too (who is it, btw?)
If you want to see something surreal that looks like it was spliced together from strange home movies, have a look at this:P
I actually use some very basic home-grade editing software (Sony Vegas Movie Studio, 2009 version).
The music was composed by Joe Hisaishi, who is an incredibly talanted Japanese composer.
And thank you very much for the feed back.
By the way, that IS very surreal.
This is the style that inspires me the most when it comes to surrealism:
What the hell happened to Proyas? His last few films have been big and dumb Hollywood garbage. His early stuff was passionate and thought-provoking.
Yeah...well, I know the Danish director of the movie "Drive" once gave a talk in Copenhagen at an indie film festival about how Hollywood is a snake pit machine that has no soul, that will grind a director up and spit him/her out.
Perhaps Proyas fell into that realm. It certainly looks that way.
Indie filmmaking FTW
Actually, I remember reading that Proyas had a terrible relationship with FOX in the making of 'I Robot', and they took complete control of the film and disregarded any vision he had.
Neil Blomkamp (director of District 9) said he was offered a job by FOX, and that the way in which the producers work over there is completely authoritative, and scummish, and he vowed to never work for them in his career.
Wow.
Fox has put out a few good pictures over a few decades, but they do suck.
And that's pretty interesting about Blomkamp. I respect him for steering clear of the beaureucratic mess that is liberal Hollywood.
youshould use a camera stabilizer..
http://14dollarstabilizer.org/
its kinda shaky.
“Since people are concerned that ‘X’ will not be provided, ‘X’ will naturally be provided by those who are concerned by its absence.""The sweetest of minds can harbor the harshest of men.”
http://voluntaryistreader.wordpress.org
Looking at the final picture - I find that I kind of like the casual shakiness in the way that it came out on YouTube. TronCat mentioned that it reminded him of the cinematographer for Children of Men, and I see what he was talking about, and that is a kind of style I like.
@SkepticalMetal
Yeah, FOX sucks. The only director that has any power over them is James Cameron.
alright...
Cameron used to do cool stuff before the blue monkey phase.
I love surrealism. Here's a post about me talking about it.
I tend to define surrealism rather broadly, as anything that is surreal. Some of you know my previous avatars:
Not previous avatars but just some google images I love:
My favorite playwright of all time is Samuel Beckett, who I've heard is technically an "essentialist", whatever the hell that is. I've always considered him a surrealist, but I'll let you decide:
I also appreciate anime with surrealist elements. I've already reccomended Neon Genesis Evangelion to you Skeptic, so I should just throw that out there again since the last few episodes touch on the surreal or are so allegorical that it constitutes as surrealism. Madoka Magica (another great and moderately bloody anime, do not be fooled by the trailers or the show's appearance) FLCL has the clearest surrealist influence, also fully recommended:
The anti-war books "Slaughter-house 5" and "The Things They Carried" (the second one highly recommended) also have twinges of surrealism in them.
That's what I have to say about that. You can have your thread back now.
Pretty neat.
But...what do you have to say about my film?
It's not bad, but I feel like without the music it's empty, and with the music I feel like its just sort of a chill music video with random images. I'd either change the style of the music that you have or attempt to do something a little more stylistic and succinct, possible focusing less upon moving images which are changing as opposed to images which show little change, like when you turn on the faucet.
I see what you're saying. Thanks for the feedback.
By the way, I, once again, MUST recommend Samurai Champloo to you. Seriously. It's like the best anime evar.
Oh and just to give you an idea of how far I've progressed...here's a video of mine from 2010.
That surrealist thing with the mouth talking and only focused on the mouth is freaky.....
Indeed it is. And I thought Samuel Beckett was a modernist?
I think that he's technically a "minimalist", but I also consider many of the "strict" definitions of what people are as bullshit when the intelligentsia is defining things. If one cannot see the resemblance between Beckett's work and surrealism then one is "doing it wrong"
Uh huh.