First assignment- 800 word analysis

Experimental media might not be for everyone. It requires thought, patience and an open mind... there are many different ideas and hidden messages in experimental videos, for example Andy Huang's 'Doll Face'. The message behind the video was that we, as human beings, are so obsessed with the media and looking how the people on the T.V look that it can lead to our self-destruction. John Smith's 'Girl Chewing Gum' has a similar message but is presented in a slightly different way. Whereas 'Doll Face' was made using CGI (Computer Generated Images), 'Girl Chewing Gum' is all about concept over craft, it shows the narrator as a voice of power who tells you what is happening. The message behind this story is you shouldn't just go along with anything the media tells you. Similar messages, different methods of getting them across. 'Telling Lies' by Simon Ellis is also about not believing what you hear, but it is more about what people really think than what the media is trying to tell you.

Some people would not like 'Girl Chewing Gum' as much as 'Doll Face' or 'Telling Lies' because it is an older piece (it was made in the 70's) and is less pretty and was made on a considerably lower budget, but this does not mean that the message is any less stronger or important. Even tthough 'Doll Face' may be easy on the eye and 'Telling Lies' may be more comedic and these two may appeal to the masses more, they are all as good as each other. No one is better or more right than someone else in experimental media, especially if one was made a couple of years before the other. In fact in my opinion this makes it even more cutting edge because it was made before it's time. In experimental video if you want to get a point across you do not need to spend tons of cash, you just need a clever idea and a camera.

Storylines in experimental media do not have to follow a simple narrative. The beginning, middle and end do not have to be in order, or it does not need them at all. For example in 'Koyaanisqatsi' there is no conventional plot, just an assortment of cleverly photographed scenes. It has a more complex and different structure to some, for example 'Doll Face' has a clear beginning (where the face starts to watch the T.V), middle (where the face tries to copy the images on the screen) and end (where the face gets broken because it tries to follow the T.V when it moves away). There is no need for a simple structure, it may make it easier to understand but those videos without it still get across their message.

I have a few ideas on what I might do in my experimental video now I have seen a few others. I am thinking of doing things a little differently in my experimental video (as you do). I want to create a piece that shows that life isn't insignificant or passing us by. I want to show that life can be GOOD and POSITIVE if only you just let it. I havn't got a lot of ideas on how I am going to show this but I know what message I want to get across.

When we watch videos as a class there are usually a lot of different reactions. This is good because an experimental video is not supposed to have a clear message, you are supposed to think about it a bit and make up your own conclusion as to what it means, just like in art. When you look at a painting you don't have someone telling you what it is supposed to mean, you have to work it out yourself.Experimental media is what you make it. If a certain piece hits close to home and you think it has a certain meaning than you cant be wrong, that's what makes experimental video so easy. It is hard to critique because it might not mean something to you but it might to someone else.