The popularity of Hollywood and Mainstream films rose resulting in the eclipse of short films: as the small, short films could not compete with the biig budget, full length features. This very fact, drove certain filmakers to push the boundries concering filmaking, creating a certain art genre within these short films. Avant Garde and Experimental films took a strong interest in short films: taking on a range of filmmaking styles that were very different from the conventional techniques within mainstream.
An 'experimental film' is often characterised by the absence of a narrative, the use of various techniques scewing focus and creating an abstract piece such as using out of focus shots, painting or scratching the film, and the use of non-diegetic sound.
Perfect examples of this are both “Beyond Image” in 1969 and “The Berlin Horse” made the following year in 1970 by Malcom Le Grice with their experimental music and distrotion regarding colour and contrast.
One of the most famous director on the Avant Garde/Experimental ‘scene’ was Maya Deren, who’s work became very prominent within the 40s and 50s. She was not only a filmmaker, but she was also a film theorist. She was also a choreographer and a photographer, which is very aparent in her films, for example in 1943, Deren filmed 'Meshes in the Afternoon' (on a 16mm Bolex camera alongside husband Alexander Hammid) and a lot of her shots appear extremely delicate and aesthetically well presented, as if a piece of contemporary dance. A specific scene which looks cheoreographed in particular is of the woman falling down the stairs. The flow is smooth and is looks extremely abstract and dramatic, alongside the non diegetic drum betas, but mainly very wll placed and poised; as if there is almost a current pulling her through the hallway. Another perfect example of this her work is her elegant sweep through the curtains which is alost symbolic for being trapped within this pyscological problem she is going through, falling down the stairs also symbolises her struggle and fight to overcome them.
The film begins with an arm reaching in from the top of the frame placing a flower on the cobbled pathway. In symbolic terms It is possible that the white flower is a reflection of the bright sunnyday: happiness, tranquility yet, as an active audience the next shot makes you think twice with its unknown ‘shadow’ briskly walk past. This sets the whole tone of the film as you are never quite sure what is going on, and keeps the suspense and mystery going.
The couple created “Meshes in the Afternoon” with a desire to cause the audience confusion and a certain unnervity from its psychological theme and its use of jump cuts as special effects. A big influence on this being 'Un Chien Andalou' bu Luis Buñuel in 1927. This is very apparent as it is very unpredictable: with its symbolic objects such as the telepthone, knife, a key falling and a record player all presented in an eery and rather disturbing manor. The characters are also depicted in a synister light: shadows walking faced paced and the cloaked figure with a mirror for a face. A very iconic shot of the woman’s eye, could also be derived from Un Chien Andalou, as their is a very famous scene with the woman’s eyeball in the film that is very similar to that of Meshes in the Afternoon.
Originally a silent film, in 1959 Deren's third husband Teiji Ito added a Japanese inspired classical piece of music, which is occasionally not in time with a particular beat and not particulary in with the visuals defineatly adding to the slight tense and displacing feeling that tthe audience feel. When the key is dropped, the sound effect is very dramatic and adds to the fast paced cuts: which then slows down once she has picked the key back up returning to the tempo previously.
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