In this particular class session, the filmmaker
presentation was about Jonas Mekas, who is known to be the “godfather of
American avante-garde film.” He studied
in the University of Mainz and shortly emigrated to New York with his brother
shortly after World War II. This is
where he first purchased his Bolex camera and began filming moments in his
life. This is where his avant-garde
technique is based off of.
Mekas had a very documentary like style to his
film. According to the presentation in
class, it was a way to signify what he would have done as a child if he did
have a camera to play with. With his
brother, Adolfas, he would then found the magazine Film Culture, which is a prominent film magazine to this day. That, to me, shows how significant this man
was to the film industry and the development of such a genre. As his career progressed, he would stray away
from using actors in his films to a more realistic, capture in the moment, type
of filming. Alongside choppy editing
and physically altering the film itself to really capture the avant-garde style
we know today.
One little tidbit I also enjoyed from the
presentation was the influences Mekas created within the art industry. Artists such as Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali
collaborated and were inspired by Mekas’s work.
He also collaborated with Yoko Ono and John Lennon, which I thought was
really awesome. Overall, I think that
the inspiration of one man who really captured the essence of an amateur
filmmaker to create work that would be known for generations is truly inspiring
for an amateur filmmaker like myself.
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