Stan Brakhage & Maya Deren
In discussing American avante-garde filmmakers, we were introduced to Stan Brakhage's "Mothlight" and Maya Deren's "Meshes of the Afternoon" and "The Very Eye of Night."
Made in 1963, Mothlight is one of Brakhage’s older films. It has hundreds of moth wings, leaves, and other organic debris pressed together between two strips of tape. Brakhage described the film as: “What a moth might see from birth to death if black were white and white were black.” I especially like how starting at 3:03 it looks like a moth crawling across to the right and then crawling back to the left.
His 1981 film "The Garden of Earthly Delights," in which paint and plant material goes by at 24 frames per second, is similar. It's interesting how some people use it to enhance their musical performances but others find it insulting to Brakhage to add anything to it at all. Here it is with music added:
Even earlier than Brakhage was the creative Ukranian-American Maya Deren. "Meshes of the Afternoon" and "The Very Eye of Night" made me think more about creative camera angles in visual storytelling as well as possible effects to explore once I learn more about video editing.
Made in 1963, Mothlight is one of Brakhage’s older films. It has hundreds of moth wings, leaves, and other organic debris pressed together between two strips of tape. Brakhage described the film as: “What a moth might see from birth to death if black were white and white were black.” I especially like how starting at 3:03 it looks like a moth crawling across to the right and then crawling back to the left.
His 1981 film "The Garden of Earthly Delights," in which paint and plant material goes by at 24 frames per second, is similar. It's interesting how some people use it to enhance their musical performances but others find it insulting to Brakhage to add anything to it at all. Here it is with music added:
Even earlier than Brakhage was the creative Ukranian-American Maya Deren. "Meshes of the Afternoon" and "The Very Eye of Night" made me think more about creative camera angles in visual storytelling as well as possible effects to explore once I learn more about video editing.
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