Deren and Brakhage

Wow. What a compilation of experimental shorts. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that these films were done in the late 50s. They truly were extremely advanced for their time and I can only imagine what the film-goers thought of them when they first came out.

Deren gave an intriguing point in her essay that films can, at times, be considered "animated paintings"; that there is a similarity between the screen and the canvas. She also states that there is an artistic way how film can exploit the idea of time as well as create illusions through 3 Dimensional compositions. Her works, Ritual in Transfigured Time, fortify this idea very well. In Ritual in Transfigured Time, the basic elements of time and dimension are significantly shifted through Deren's unorthodox use of filmmaking techniques.

Time is altered in several moments throughout the film. In the beginning when Deren is knitting, time is slowed down in a hypnotic state. During the ballroom scene, many of the segments are repeated twice, highlighting their importance while retaining the film's dream-like atmosphere. Additionally, there is a constant use of freeze-frame, jarring the expectations of the audience.

Dimension is also portrayed in an usual way particularly in the end when the character is falling down with a negative color technique placed to have her completely white. This visual stands out profoundly as it artistically displays something that usually wouldn't be shown in that way. This use of basic film elements composed in a very non-traditional way fortifies its odd presentation. More importantly, its artistic use of these aspects shows what Deren meant regarding "animated painting".

Brakhage discusses the camera as an eye; a lens into our world. With this in mind, Window Water Baby Moving, through its brutally realistic depiction of a childbirth can be seen understandable as Brakhage wants us to feel as if we were really there, rather than merely watching a woman giving birth. This ultimately makes sense because when one thinks of a birth scene in a Hollywood scene it is extremely disconnecting on an emotional standpoint.