Moving Images, Understanding Media

Chapter 5 Personal Expression and Studio Production 195

In the late twentieth century and early twenty-fi rst century, motion

pictures in theaters and on television consistently demonstrate rapid editing

techniques, whether in continuity editing mode or through non-narrative

techniques. Th ere are also many variations on montage techniques, used in

impressive introductory or epilogue sequences for a number of dramatic

television series (such as Th e Wire or Lost) or in the dynamic editing seen in

fi lms by such directors as Steven Soderbergh, Richard Lester, or Ermanno

Olmi. In the work of these and other fi lmmakers, the viewer can see many

examples of sequences that are linked by memories, interior perceptions of

place and time, and association or contrast of ideas and forms that bring

the viewer into the perspective of a character or shape a distinct viewpoint

of the setting or context of the images. Other contemporary examples are

found in the disjointed arrangements and repetition of sequences in fi lms by

Quentin Tarantino, or “hip-hop” editing in Requiem for a Dream (directed

by Darren Aronofsky, 2000).

Mastering the Techniques of Non-Narrative

Moviemaking

Th ere are also entire fi lms that use non-narrative formats. Th ese may be

fi ction fi lms or documentaries, or they may be quite diffi cult to classify.

Certain fi lmmakers have brought highly personal, oft en dream-like portraits

to the screen, such as in Maya Deren’s Meshes in the Aft ernoon (1943).

Others have made movies known as “structural fi lms” that focus on the

process of fi lm resources to create the content of the fi lm itself, such as

with Michael Snow’s Wavelength (1967), which consists of a 45-minute

zoom in towards the far wall of a room with a variety of changes in image

and sound to shift perceptions and contribute meaning to the fi lm.

Finally, some directors have combined various approaches to create

quite individual responses to the resources of motion picture media, such

as Britain’s Derek Jarman. In Wa r R e q u i e m (1989) and other projects, he

incorporates Super-8 and video footage made with family and friends to

add texture, personal resonance, and a vibrantly brilliant use of color to

his fi lms. With long-term collaborators including actress Tilda Swinton

and composer Simon Fisher Turner, his work uses collage techniques

of creation and culminates in his fi nal fi lm Blue (1993), a 76-minute

meditation on life, illness, death, and love that consists entirely of a

screen of blue inspired by the paintings of Yves Klein.

Across the full range of motion picture production we can witness

examples of non-narrative moving images being used to establish

compelling visions and convey unique sensations, whether in highly commercial

projects or in fi lms that resolutely challenge normal viewer expectations. In

animation, a number of fi lms by the Walt Disney studios feature extensive

non-narrative portions, including the groundbreaking and still popular

Fantasia (1940). Norman McLaren, one of the most distinctive animators in

motion picture history, created pixilated and hand-drawn cartoons that used

many approaches to convey intricate and inventive messages and sensations

Figure 5-27 Derek Jarman

fi lming with his Super-8

Camera. (Courtesy International

Film Circuit/Photofest)

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