About
Does film as a form of art has any future in the contemporary media landscape? - this has been the main question of the course, and the hypothesis was that it is within the tradition of experimental and avant-garde filmmaking where an answer might be found. Thus the course provided an overview of those moving image experiments that broke with the traditions of narrative filmmaking and tested in several different ways the limits of filmic expression. The course tried to interpret within one unified framework most, if not all forms of the so-called avant-garde film, that experimented with the visual expression, structure, spectatorship and apparatus of moving images. The goal of the course was to make students aware of those unusual filmic forms and tools of expression that are unknown to the general public, but are an integral part of the tradition of avant-garde film. It is also important to provide students a theoretical, historical and analytical frame for the interpretation and contextualized analysis of such kind of works of art. It has been also an important and declared goal of the course to develop in students an affinity towards subversivity, an avant-garde and experimental attitude, a culture of questioning and transgressing established frames, rules and structures.
The course proposed a method that integrated theory and practice, thus students had the possibility the approach some of the problems tackled by artists and filmmakers through the weekly creation of several short video pieces based on briefs provided during the classes. Thus enabled students to understand the main problems of the field both from the perspective of the viewers and of the artists.
This website presents those videos that were created by the students of the course in the Spring semester of 2020.
Projects
The tasks were designed in a way to offer the possibility for students to test the main challenges faced by the artists of different trends of avant-garde cinema. However the tasks were communicated to students without informing them beforehand about the era or style that will be presented and discussed through the videos they were to produce.
Barna Bakos
Task: Surreal traumas
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
When I was young, once I flew with a hot air ballon. It was really fun, however in the landing the ballon fell apart and caught fire. Fortunately I only got hurt a little and everyone was fine.
Task: Dancing Dreams
For the next week you should tell the story of one of your dreams – a dream that is focused on the movement of a body, or one that is best told through movements of bodies.
Solution
in a recent dream a black cat torn me into pieces with his claws
Task: Structured days
Tell the story of one of your quarantine days in a video that follows a pre-established formal structure. Design a structure, and follow it through no matter what happens.
Solution
One day we visited the many trucks that traped here in the quarantine.
Task: Abstract emotions
In this week's video you should present three different emotions thorugh images that contain no recognizable elements of the everyday outer reality.
Solution
Stress and calming nostalgia.
Task: popular agression
Create a video on any form of aggression using allusions or references to any kind of popular culture.
Solution
Me fighting with girls.
Bendegúz Batke
Task: structured days
In this week's video you should present three different emotions thorugh images that contain no recognizable elements of the everyday outer reality.
Solution
A day in work and home. Pov and non-pov, documentary, non-documentary. Interesting short shoots of a day.
Task: abstract emotions
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
I used defocused closeups and amorf shadowed shapes, repetitive blinking lights on ceiling to depict the desired emotions.
Mays Dweiri
Task: dancing dreams
For the next week you should tell the story of one of your dreams – a dream that is focused on the movement of a body, or one that is best told through movements of bodies.
Solution
Visions of dream, body, and color
Task: structured days
Tell the story of one of your quarantine days in a video that follows a pre-established formal structure. Design a structure, and follow it through no matter what happens.
Solution
Documenting a day in quarantine life by recording 10 seconds every 30 minutes.
Patrícia Harsány
Task: abstract emotions
In this week's video you should present three different emotions thorugh images that contain no recognizable elements of the everyday outer reality.
Solution
Patterns from my home are reminding me of my childhood. Nostalgic, uncertain, repeating.
Task: Popular Aggression
Create a video on any form of aggression using allusions or references to any kind of popular culture.
Solution
About pop culture generally.
Task: Structured days
Tell the story of one of your quarantine days in a video that follows a pre-established formal structure. Design a structure, and follow it through no matter what happens.
Solution
I introduce my day through a cup of coffee.
Roxane Phylicia Juhász
Task: abstract emotions
In this week's video you should present three different emotions thorugh images that contain no recognizable elements of the everyday outer reality.
Solution
In this video three emotions are shown. Convulsion, hesitation combined with stagnation and in the end relief.
Task: dancing dreams
For the next week you should tell the story of one of your dreams – a dream that is focused on the movement of a body, or one that is best told through movements of bodies.
Solution
This video symbolize my nightdream about reunion and the joy that goes with it. It celebrates the moment, when you are connected to the people you like and haven't seen for a long time. But it also shows the separation at the end, since it still was just a dream.
Task: Surreal Traumas
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
This video is about fear of the falling. The floating in space and the sequence with the feather are opposite states of falling, but they describe my idea of falling. The moment in which one is on one's own, without support and without hope. The feather is also symbolic of the lightness which, despite this, falls to the ground due to the force of gravity. In our world everyone and everything is unconditionally exposed to the falling. On the other hand, a jump can be the entry into a new world. Like the universe for the astronaut.
Sven Kammerer
Task: Surreal traumas
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
This video tries to show my inner reaction when I received a call that a family member had an accident. How my mind started in a calm position and my thoughts became faster and faster and more negative. Until I calmed down a little bit and could think more clearly.
Hana Kocurková
Task: dancing dreams
For the next week you should tell the story of one of your dreams – a dream that is focused on the movement of a body, or one that is best told through movements of bodies.
Solution
a dream created from the memories of Porto/melted into color/was it a dream or memories/it happens to me that I do not recognize the dream from the memory.
Task: abstract emotions
In this week's video you should present three different emotions thorugh images that contain no recognizable elements of the everyday outer reality.
Solution
feeling with dissolved water from snow in memories of time
Task: structured days
Tell the story of one of your quarantine days in a video that follows a pre-established formal structure. Design a structure, and follow it through no matter what happens.
Solution
my life has stopped,
I look around
I see nice things
but I feel empty
Viola Koczka
Task: Surreal traumas
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
The topic is trauma, the feeling is lost and paralyzed.
Task: Dancing Dreams
For the next week you should tell the story of one of your dreams – a dream that is focused on the movement of a body, or one that is best told through movements of bodies.
Solution
It's about the structure of dreams : startling like a story (when the hands are synchronised) but it begin something irrational (when they moving individually) and the place (background), were the story goes, it suddenly change.
Its also can be the movements of the sleeping body compare to the movements in the dreams.
One of my favorite dreams from my childhood when I was walking in a cathedral alone, thats why I chosed gregorian music.
Task: surreal emotions
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
-
Zoltán Nagy
Task: structured days
Tell the story of one of your quarantine days in a video that follows a pre-established formal structure. Design a structure, and follow it through no matter what happens.
Solution
Made under 24 hours in the dormitory, under quaratine, with a phone camera, everything was improvised, without script or directions, and then cut, to give the impression of a memory, a slice of life.
Dénes Peták
Task: Surreal emotions
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
A vertical experimental video
Task: Abstract Emotions
In this week's video you should present three different emotions thorugh images that contain no recognizable elements of the everyday outer reality.
Solution
-
Yuting Sun
Task: Abstract Emotions
In this week's video you should present three different emotions thorugh images that contain no recognizable elements of the everyday outer reality.
Solution
A girl walks out from home, suddenly she becomes a man, she is not sure if it's real, she walks around and around, go back home again trying to confirm who she is in the mirror, but then she becomes the man again. Three emotions, anxiety, melancholy and loneliness are presented.
Task: Dancing Dreams
For the next week you should tell the story of one of your dreams – a dream that is focused on the movement of a body, or one that is best told through movements of bodies.
Solution
In the Dream, I travelled day and night through dancing with people, poetically, our bodies were attached but our mind was floating everywhere, we saw trees, water, fireworks, colourful rooms, in the end the dance slowly disappearing within sky.
Task: Surreal Traumas
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
As a former social anxiety disorder sufferer, the most terrified thing for me was being around the crowd.
Task: Structured Days
Tell the story of one of your quarantine days in a video that follows a pre-established formal structure. Design a structure, and follow it through no matter what happens.
Solution
Being quarantined with my favourite people, we are staying indoor almost everyday in the past two weeks. Shadows and spots of sunlight are the most aesthetic things we are enjoying in the apartment, while imagining we are in the forest and having birds around.
Hédi Ágnes Szabó
Task: Popular Aggression
Create a video on any form of aggression using allusions or references to any kind of popular culture.
Solution
When my brother was a little boy, he didn’t get any toy guns because my parents considered it too aggressive. But it didn’t stop him from playing role games where he was a soldier, terrorist, hunter (anything with a gun basically) and he used every kind of household items to shoot with. Later he was also into FPS games, which are often considered as a cause of aggression and violence in teens and adults but is also a major part in today’s popular culture. I used this association in my video. (side note: my brother is not violent:D)
Task: Surreal Traumas
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
This video is about the trauma my cat had to go through as a stray. He was hit by a train and one of his legs and his tail had to be amputated. We adopted him after someone found him near the trails. It also reflects on the feelings we experience as the 'parents' of a handicapped pet.
Task: dancing dreams
For the next week you should tell the story of one of your dreams – a dream that is focused on the movement of a body, or one that is best told through movements of bodies.
Solution
This video is about sleep paralysis which I experienced a few times in my life. It happens right after the rapid eye movement stage when the mind is conscious but the body is still “asleep”. I can’t move, it feels like I was stuck in my own body forever and it is usually accompanied by intense fear. I can only move my eyeballs, it lasts for about half a minute, then I can suddenly move my fingers, feet and then my whole body. I imagine being buried alive feels very similar. It is also believed that sleep paralysis played a role in the creation of alien abduction and paranormal stories since some have intense hallucinations seeing shadows, demons, bright light, feeling levitation or heavy pressure on the chest.
Dominika Szosznyák
Task: Popular Aggression
Create a video on any form of aggression using allusions or references to any kind of popular culture.
Solution
Mass psychosis is often the very base of pop culture. Which can cause agression sometimes (such as black friday). I chose a phenomena caused by a game, Pokemon go. This kind of mass behaviour is in relation with pop culture's effect on modern days' society (I think).
Virág Tyekvicska
Task: dancing dreams
For the next week you should tell the story of one of your dreams – a dream that is focused on the movement of a body, or one that is best told through movements of bodies.
Solution
So there are certain steps - so-called reality checks - you can do to learn lucid dreaming, for example, observing your hands, pinching yourself, checking if you have a reflection, holding back your breath, etc. More esoteric sources also recommend trying to visualize a shiny light ball in front of your forehead as you fall asleep.
Mátyás Wettl
Task: Surreal Traumas
Please create a video about a traumatic moment or event of your life, but avoid any narration, thus instead of telling the story of that event try to convey the (inner) experience of it.
Solution
I have entomophobia (meaning I am terrified of bigger bugs, moths, locusts, or any kind of bigger arthropods) and it is a recurring nightmare I have - that can even occur as a horrifying episode in any dream I have, regardless of the happenings in the dream - that one or many bigger arthropods fly towards me or gets closeby, and I try to shoo it/them away unsuccessfully. The picture of these many insects is already horrifying to me, thus even just making this video was quite unpleasant.
Task: abstract emotions
In this week's video you should present three different emotions thorugh images that contain no recognizable elements of the everyday outer reality.
Solution
Agression is one of the most basic emotions. It is so basic, that not even humans can feel it. I tried to demonstrate it in this short video.
Task: structured days
Tell the story of one of your quarantine days in a video that follows a pre-established formal structure. Design a structure, and follow it through no matter what happens.
Solution
This is the story of a recent day of my life
