Reflection 'Film Art, An Introduction's article on experimental film

This article lays out what an experimental film is. As a newcomer to this genre, having touched on it fleetingly in Media studies at school, it is incredibly useful in understanding what experimental filmmaking is. It gives a window into what is expected when asked to make an experimental film.
The article seems to say that ‘experimental film’ is a very loose category and one film might not be recognisably similar to another that also carries the label of experimental. An experimental film ‘challenge orthodox notions of what a movie can show and how it can show it.’ In other words an experimental film looks at the world at a slightly different angle. See something that the conventional film makers might be blind to. Due to this idea portrayed in the article it has shown me than in order to create an experimental film that is effective it is necessary to show things in a way which might not be conceived as normal.
So why make these films? According to this article it is in short to experiment. The Filmmakers may be tired with the convention that they are ‘supposed’ to work with. Some might want to experiment with the medium of film with out having to tell a story. The impression this article gives, in my view anyway is that Experimental film pushes the boundaries of the artistic element of filmmaking. To be able to utilise the form and play on fewer elements in order to really create an artistic peace rather than a narrative told through moving images.
There are other reasons for experimental film however. One may wish to convey a personal experience, a mood or physical quality. The filmmaker may not wish to tell a story in the normal manner of a beginning middle and end. They may want to simply express a view point on a certain subject, without being constricted by narrative conventions. The article effectively conveys the how and the why of experimental film, which is instrumental in understanding the form.
The article them moves on to case studies of ‘Ballet mecanique’ and ‘A movie’. In doing the elements that have been previously discussed are shown in terms of the films they describe. This gives context to both the films, due to the introduction, and to the form in the readers mind as it relates the concepts to texts. Also by choosing one film from the school of ‘the abstract form’ and one from ‘the associational form’ , ‘Ballet mecanique’ and ‘A movie’ respectively it gives a broader context to the varying styles of experimental film. As it is such a wide bracket taking a film or films from only one category would diminish the effectiveness and educational value of this article. Therefore the article because of its broad spectrum is integral to its effectiveness, in telling the story of experimental film.
In conclusion, to my mind at least, this article is great for introducing a new comer to the art o experimental film. It sets up what is expected of a filmmaker who sets out to make an experimental film. Also in the context of this brief, it is incredibly useful for this reason.