About Art Films

Media Art and Art Films

Media Art is a contentious topic, and historically the media have not been valued to the same extent as other more traditional art-forms. For example:

Film emerged in the 1890’s and was initially considered a vulgar form of entertainment suitable only for the uneducated masses - it was initially pioneered by Thomas Edison for pornographic purposes in tiny theatres. It was not until the 1920’s and the support of the French new wave artists that it became a credible form of artistic expression.

It is worth noting that many things that are considered art today, were seen as populist and low brow when they first emerged…Billy Shakespeare….hmmm.

Definitions​

Art film is a term coined in the 1950s to describe foreign films as opposed to commercial films made in the Classical Hollywood style. It had connotations of exclusivity and class… 2ND CINEMA

The term is still used today to describe foreign films or small budget films, as well as films that pay direct homage to a particular Art style of filmmaking from a period of history.

Art films do not tend to prescribe to the Classical Hollywood formula of narrative conventions – they may be more experimental and less predictable than large scale commercial films.

In this context we are not simply defining Media Art by what it is, but, importantly by what it is not!

​Realist = Art Film

Classic Hollywood Style ≠ Art Film

Non Realist = Art Film

More Definitions

We can also categorise and define Art Films by being other than First Cinema

First Cinema - Hollywood

Second Cinema – European/Foreign Art Film – rejects Hollywood Conventions. Focus on individual expression of the director (auteur).

Third Cinema – Alternative to First World Cinema / Hollywood. An aesthetic and political film cinema movement in third world countries – predominately Latin America, but not exclusive to. Non commercialised and often often used to make political commentary.

Fourth Cinema – Indigenous Cinema. Providing own voice as opposed to representations by others.

National Cinema – Films that are associate with a specific country. Used in film theory to analyse how films reflect national identity and ideologies of a certain time and place.

Art vs Commerce

The media tend to be categorised broadly into two different types: Forms that have artistic status vs forms that are designed purely for entertainment and profit. Does this mean that films that have artistic status do not have profit motives?

“Popular culture tends to be the product of large institutions driven by the need to make profits and reach mass audiences. Their organisation is structured toward centralisation and mass production, highly specialised roles, repetitive genre and formats, and intensive marketing strategies. The products of these institutions are compared with those of independent producers whose experimental and avant-garde styles target more specific audiences and subcultures.“ (MPA Curriculum Council 2011)

This phenomenon leads to ‘safe’ media productions (i.e. the action movie genre or reality television) that might be popular but are largely the same repackaged product, that doesn’t push any new or innovative boundaries.

Art-House Films: “One in which artistic ambition and intellectual challenge are more important than the simple motive to provide entertainment.” (Jill Nelmes, Introduction to Film Studies)

“People think I am an artist because my films lose money” (Woody Allen)

​Therefore, Art Films:

Tend not to exist within mainstream film production institutions (how valid is this statement?)

Tests or explores innovative boundaries (form, style & content)

But, is it that simple?

Film Art Characteristics

​(1) An ability to transfer feeling (pathos) from the creator to the viewer.

(2) The subject matter often-times will challenge dominant values and ideologies of the time. Therefore they can often be controversial.

(3) They are often ‘personal films’ that reflect the director’s creative vision fully with little influence from commercial interests.

(3) They are often driven by distinct aesthetic choices – meaning is embedded deep into the visual and aural style.

(3) They can be innovative and new production techniques are often used that break traditional cinematic conventions (i.e. the jump cut).

(3) These films are not afraid to wake viewers from their ‘dream like state’ and break the ‘fourth wall’ (i.e. actors look at camera, jarring sound etc.

(7) Smaller budgets, and are often independently produced and distributed allowing for greater control of finished product.

(8) Intended for smaller ‘niche’ audiences (who are very loyal and can elevate a film to ‘cult’ like status). Profit usually not the sole motivation.

(9) Often explore/experiment with narrative structures – as such they can require greater thought to follow/read the story.

(10) Open ended non-resolutions. Leaves interpretation to the audience and might have multiple preferred meanings or readings available.

(11) These films often use controls and constraints to their advantage (ie less political pressures allow more diverse films, lack of budget leads to creating new techniques out of necessity)

​Art films today are much more accepted, yet are increasingly hard to define in terms of a particular genre. This is because many Art film directors today pay homage to various different historical art genres and films. Therefore they cross the generic ideological discourses that each genre is associated with, creating unique works in themselves. But furthermore, Art Films can and do exist within the Hollywood Studio system. In the end, it is really up to the audience, given their unique perception based on their own ideological/cultural discourses, to decide what art means to them and how it is defined.

It's just not Black and White!