Experimental filmmaking Koen, Sander 17 November 9-11h

In this seminar we will examine forms that are alternative to observational filmmaking. Using examples of (ethnographic) films that have aimed to create meaning by applying style choices that are less maninstream, we will examine how they are able to create a seemingly lived experience for audiences by involving them on a different emotional level.

Whatever style choices we make for our final film, we will always need to take them into account from the very first shooting day. The most common side-step from an observational film and editing style is the essay film, in which the researcher’s positionality is foregrounded. But we will also look at some brief examples from the Soviet school of filmmaking and briefly venture into more poetic and associative ways of storytelling. Ultimately, we will discuss how these choices will have an impact on how we undertake our fieldwork.