Alternative Cinema Research

Alternative cinema as a nomer encapsulates so many things that it is easier to understand when broken up into smaller, distinct categories of films. A list of such categories can be found below, with a short description of the style/category and an example. 

Experimental Film

Often seen as the same things as Avant Garde.

Experimental film as an exploration of form and medium. most experimental film made before the invention of the digital camera used the medium of the film strip as its basis. As such, the horizontal view of the film strip made artist think differently about how the image was created. Experiments with creatign images directly onto the film without the intervention of the camera pushed the medium forward. An example of this is Margaret Tait's John MacFadyen, an abstract coloured animation directly painted onto 35mm film.

Personal

Film and media that deals with personal matters for the filmmaker. Most personal movies are documentaries using archive footage and interviews to create a world for the viewer to engage with. One example of this type of film is Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell which goes into the family history of Sarah and her parents, but also deals with the artificiality of the creation of a media image. 

Avant Garde

Often seen as the same thing as Experimental.

Avant Garde cinema is cinema that pushes the medium further. This can either be by exploring and breaking narrative conventions, unorthodox editing or unusual staging. The avant garde is less about the physicality of the medium, but more about breaking what is seen as normal by the conventional viewer. A prominent example of a filmmaker who does this in his work is Alejandro Jodorowsky. The movie The Holy Mountain plays with the expectations of the viewer by having contrasting mise en scene and a religiously inspired narrative. 

Independent

Independent movies are any movies not produced by the big Hollywood studios. As such, most movies in the world are independent films. However, as the major studios have a monopoly on the film market and have created movie expectations in the audience, this does not actually mean that independent movies are also the most watched movies. The Breadwinner by Nora Twomney is considered independent despite having Hollywood star Angelina Jolie as a producer. 

Underground

Underground film is a term that came into use in the late 1950s/early 1960s for films that were being made and distributed outside the studio system. Many of these movies would never have been produced otherwise as they did not comply with the Hays Code, which was still in effect until the late 1960s. One of the better known figures of the underground film movement is John Waters. Wgile his movies were all made after the Hays Code had been abbolished, his films were still considered underground due to their small crew and controversial subjects. Pink Flamingos is one example of the underground films Water's has made. 

Fine Art

Art films often have subjects that are at home in museums or galleries. As such, they are often not created to appeal to a large audience. One of the characteristics of these films is that they ask that the audience thinks about what is being presented on screen, and as such expect an educated audience. Peter and the Wolf as directed by Suzie Templeton is an example of a film aimed at a small audience with an artistic background which utilises the moving images as a unique medium.