Kathryn Ramey
Experimental Filmmaking : Break the Machine
A complete and practical guide to the craft and processes of experimental filmmaking
Become a master in the influential, diverse, and highly innovative field of experimental cinema. Harness the little-known techniques and subtle aesthetics required for this imagination-driven art form.
For the first time in a single volume, Kathryn Ramey has written a complete and practical guide to the craft and processes of experimental filmmaking, showing you step by step the material methods that will help you begin an experimental media practice. From these lessons, following in the tradition of Stan Brakhage's A Moving Picture Giving and Taking Book and Hell Hill's Recipes for Disaster, you will learn to dismantle materials and assemble them in new ways, to use products for purposes other than those intended by their manufacturers, and free yourself from the constraints of conventional media. Experimental Filmmaking offers:
-Color film photos and illustrations demonstrating various experimental filmmaking techniques
-Step-by-step tutorials on hand-processing film, direct animation methods, optical printing, making your own microphones and other sound experiments, glitch art, and much more
-Explanations of the historical, theoretical, and socio-political contexts of various experimental film movements and styles
-Tips on how to locate experimental film communities in your area, as well as how to screen and distribute your work
-Parallel interviews with filmmakers currently working in the genre who offer context and direction for your own projects
-A companion website (www.focalpress.com/cw/ramey) containing video examples of numerous films for inspiration and emulation
Whether you are an aspiring experimental filmmaker or a mainstream practitioner looking to incorporate alternative techniques into your films, Experimental Filmmaking: Break the Machine gives you the tools you need to execute your boldest film projects!
Table of Contents
Introduction; First There Was Sound; Film/Video/Digital Video Basics; Destruction/Creation/Hacking: Manipulating the Found Image; Making Something New; Darkroom Techniques; Re-purposing Film Technology; Para-cinema; Optically printing at Home; Exhibiting and Distributing Experimental Work