So avant-garde cinema is over and I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. However, I do feel conflicted about that class because part of me absolutely hated it. I feel like I did not learn anything and that it was a waste of time. But at the same time, I feel like it was a good experience to have. I would have never watched any of those films on my own. It did open me up to some new styles of film-making. And I didn't hate all of the films. Some I genuinely liked, like the Maya Deren and Shana Moulton films. Part of me wished I paid more attention sometimes because people in class would mention things they thought about the films that I had completely missed because I zoned out or feel asleep. So maybe I didn't learn anything because of the limits of my own mind. I did try very hard to keep an open mind. It didn't always work. To me, cinema has form, conventions, narrative, all things that avant-garde films lack. I couldn't get past that sometimes. I guess its the same as modern art; not everyone likes or even understands modern art (I sure don't) but at least they look at it and try to figure out what it is that they do or do not like about it. That is what I did with this class. It really made me appreciate cinema more and recognize the things I really like about it, the reason I love films. I love them because of the stories they tell, the worlds they transport me to. And while avant-garde cinema brought me to some very strange worlds, it was just not the same.
At least the semester is over. Now I get to make my own films next semester. That should be fun...
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