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2nd-rate-film-school · 5 years

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Hi Jules, It’s been a long time since I last asked a question! In college next year, I have to make an experimental film, a music video, and a short film. I was wondering if you had any tips on how to come up with concepts for these? I know you’ve answered them about short films already, but I’m almost clueless about music videos or experimental films. I’ve watched enough of both as preliminary research, but other experimental films in particular I find really boring so idk what to do! Thank you

Hi @muke-ro-wave long time no see!

Tbh, music videos and experimental films are not my strong suit so some people might have better advice than I do. (Looking at you @kubrickking.)

I’ve only worked on a few music videos but often when doing so, the lyrics are used as the “script” and interpreted based on the overall meaning of the song. For example, I was a part of this music video where the story was about our artist, who is from the Midwest, starstruck by a girl and by the culture of Hollywood. From there, the video became about the artist trying to make the Midwest look like Hollywood, which is, of course, ridiculous - so it became a sort of parody/meta-critique of how artists often show one face to their audience but their real lives are much different. We focused on the spirit of the lyrics, not translating them word-for-word.

For experimental films, it’s similar. They focus on emotion and are not overly concerned with structure (although just because they don’t follow Hollywood convention doesn’t mean they don’t have a structure). There are multiple approaches to experimental film and no one way is the right way. That’s the beauty of it. For me, the most powerful experimental films are the ones that focus on emotion and use that as the basis of the story. Waltz with Bashir is an exploration in PTSD, F for Fake is a meta-documentary that poses the question “What is Art?” and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a critique on the upper middle class.

Aside from the subject matter, each of these has a distinct style, which is often linked to the artistic sensibilities of the filmmaker. Consider what style appeals to you and what works best for your subject matter. Waltz with Bashir uses animation and non-linear storytelling that compliment the filmmaker’s exploration of his own memories. F for Fake uses the guise of telling the story of an art forger to examine the validity of cinema as art, using quick cuts, playback, and other methods to forcibly remind the audience they are watching a film. Discreet Charm uses absurdity as metaphor, and satire as a means of critique.

Essentially, when making a music video or experimental film, you need to find an emotional concept and use the medium of film to convey those emotions to the audience (easier said than done, I know). Once you have a subject, I recommend studying films that you like that have a similar emotional impact to see what methods the filmmaker employs to convey that particular emotion.

Hope this helps!

Jules

#ask box #experimental film #music video #emotion #style #concept #developement

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