Cultures of Convergence: Pre-war Avant-garde Cinema

16:34 Notes , Theory , Year 2 0 Comments

Change in art:
First photographs appear.

"At the floral ball"

Compairing form an subject to earlier paintings, this film seems to have borrowed some elements.

High Art:

• Aimed at wealthy high society
• Has detail, intricacies
• Would reflect high society lifestyle
• Sometimes buyer's would be portrayed in the paintings
• Mainly involves people

"At the hypnotist"

• Exactly like a theater production
• There is no space created

• First film to create a sense of depth

Modernism tries to point out the unique features of a medium in order to evolve it and separate it from other mediums.

Eg. Modernism points out that paintings are literally paint on canvas, and are not a reproduction of live, separating it from photographs.

"The Endless Column"

"Symphonie Diagonale"

Abstract Cinema

"Ballet Mecanique"

• Chaotic
• Variations to keep interest
• Abstract
• Around the idea of rhythm
• Instead of imitating theatre and paintings, it liberates itself by looking at music, another abstract medium

"The Death of Marat"

"Requiem" by Mozart

"The Battleship Potemkin" by Sergei Eisenstein


"man with a movie camera" by Dziga Vertov