PG: The term “experimental literature” is fraught with ambiguity and misunderstanding. Is that the case in the “experimental film” world?
SB: I think this is the case with experimental film. I am not too bothered by the word as short hand for a type of film which is outside of industry. That being said, I sometimes wish there were more specific or delineated phrases for this type of film and video work. Phrases like "experimental documentary" and "experimental narrative" are sometimes tossed around but I think in a lot of ways it would help the art form, help cinema and art in general if there was a more expansive vocabulary for these types of films. I wonder a lot if ideas or creations, like water, sort of fill up whatever language is sitting around. It is true that many people take umbrage with this phrase as a category. I think because experimental film is for the most part without a commercial aspect—I mean in the most economic sense there is very rarely commerce involved in the creation and exhibition of this type of film—it has not needed to evolve as radically as other art forms to vie for attention and sales—in many cases this has led to great, odd pieces being created and in another sense it has lead to a stagnation and oppression of the art form. This latter can be seen in the work which is continually emulating what has traditionally been considered "experimental film."
back | next
more info
|