Audiences experience cinema as a form of illusion Essay Example

fifties and sixties. P. Adams Sitney then identifies the independent film of the late 60s and early 70s as "structural film".

He defines "structural film" as a cinema of predetermined and simplified structure where the primary impression of the film is its shape. This references Michael Snow, George Landow, Tony Conrad, Ernie Gehr, Joyce Wieland, and Paul Sharits. Michael Snow focuses on perception by simplifying the "Narrative" of his films to basic camera movements and examining their impact on the audience's perception of time and space.

David Snow, recognized for his pioneering work in experimental film, has created several remarkable works, including La Region Centrale (1970-71). In this film, Snow captures a deserted plateau with a breathtaking view of surrounding mountains. In his film Back and Forth (1969), Snow explores movement as a means to transcend. Likewise, Wavelength (1967) is one of Snow's most celebrated and esteemed films. It consists of a continuous forty-five-minute single zoom shot from a fixed camera position across an eighty-foot New York loft. The shot progresses from a wide-angle view to a narrow field of vision on the far wall. This film is regarded as the epitome of structuralism in cinema.

Michael Snow has established an exceptional interpretation of time experience through his exploration of zoom. His particular rule, where the camera cannot look back, transforms it into a mechanism that transports the viewer through the length of the loft. As a result of its irreversible progress, the camera leaves what it has passed through behind, which becomes unretrievable.

Despite its slow pace, the filmic action in this work is still tense and exciting, redefining the norm. Throughout the zoom, viewers

witness four human events, but what really stands out are the disruptions that occur: colour changes, negative film sections, changes in film stock (contrary to the continuous zoom term) and the superimposition of movement. The use of sound, or more accurately in this instance, music, does not serve the typical narrative film purpose of conveying emotions such as sadness or happiness. Instead, Snow grants sound an equal footing with what we see on screen. The sound track aligns with the visual trajectory of the film, with an electronic sine wave that boasts a "zoom" like quality by going from lowest to highest note in a similar duration.

Paul Sharits extensively experimented with multi-projector films, including Razor Blades (1968), which was intended to be synchronised but rarely was. He also explored the flicker effect through his interest in color, which he saw could develop film themes purely through use of color. Similar to Peter Kubelka's Arnulf Rainer (1960) and Tony Conrad's Flicker (1966), Razor Blades uses optical pulsations caused by short bursts of information to create a dazzling effect, but unlike Kubelka and Conrad's black and white films, Sharits incorporated color into his exploration of the flicker effect.

In his films, the fluctuating colours serve a dual purpose. They draw attention to the pulsing light beams and also reflexively remind viewers of the physicality of the frame and the surface on which films are projected. As we watch, gradual colour changes result in a flat, undifferentiated field covering the entire image. However, faster changes result in random shapes extending into the auditorium, creating an optical space that shifts between two and three dimensions--a characteristic of space perception

in all films. The alternating bursts of colour structure Sharits' film and allow him to explore the kinetics of cinema and its ability to create motion illusions.

Avant-garde filmmakers in the 1960s and 1970s extensively explored the materials and apparatus used in cinema. Tony Conrad utilized a "hands on" method to create metaphors for film production and projection, showcasing his comprehension that celluloid constitutes film. In 1974, he exhibited various film projects, which featured an exclusive presentation of pickled filmstrips alongside the screening of cooked film made from a recipe.

The term "avant-garde" is an eccentric idea that applies a military metaphor to the art and cultural worlds. It is often used as a substitute for the more inoffensive "Modern" or "Modern movement", and can serve as a pseudo concept to confirm reputations. The preparation of a dish on stage and throwing the cooked film onto the screen, as well as an incessant four-projector system of film loops featuring abstract images accompanied by taped musical compositions, exemplify avant-garde cinema's radical and independent approach to conventional cinematic modes. As Sitney notes, the American avant-garde film's aspiration is often the cinematic reproduction of the human mind. Through exploration of its medium, properties, and materials, avant-garde cinema creates its own history separate from the classical narrative cinema.

Avant-garde cinema has evolved in tandem with innovative advancements in modern poetry, theater, music, and painting. Specific to its individual genres, traditional forms, and theoretical considerations, it has also established institutions for production, distribution, and showcasing.