Chapter 1

During the past and present there have been many examples of experimental media and in someway they all have their similarites and differences. The experimental videos that i am going to be comparing are Girl Chewing Gum by John Smith, Koyaanisqatsi by Godfry Reggio and Doll Face by Andrew Huang.

Girl Chewing Gum was made in 1976 and its about the illusion that there's a director giving orders while sequencing a film. You then find out that there isnt a director and theres a man talking over a pre-recorded film. The short films gives the illusion of control.

Koyaanisqatsi began filming in 1972 before finally being released in 1982 and it stands for "Life Out of Balance". The whole film was made by stop frame animation. Its about the destruction of the world because of the advances of technology and man-made problems such as skyscrapers and the destruction of nature.

Doll Face by Andy Huang was released on the internet in 2006. This video was a computer animation about how far someone would go to look perfect. But in the end they take things to far and land up destroying themselves. It adresses the problems today with how everyone feels the need to try and achieve perfection.

There are some similarites between these videos. Doll Face and Koyaanisquatis both are about destruction in some ways. Doll Face with how far people will go to achieve perfection. Koyaanisqatsi is about the destruction of the earth because what humans have done. Also these two films are heavily crafted. Doll Face being completely computer animated and Koyannisqatsi being made by stop frame annimation. Koyaanisqatsi and Girl Chewing Gum both heavily rely on audio. Girl chewing gum gives the illusion that the director is standing there out of the frame because of how he says whats going to happen in the frame. Koyaansiqatsi relys on audio so it fits the scene. If its a busy scene then the music is going to be quick and lively whereas if its a calm scene then the soundtrack is going to be slow.

The differences between these videos could be how they are made. They are all made using different methods. Girl Chewing Gum uses video footage, Koyaansiqatsi uses stop frame animation and Doll Face uses computer animation. Also the editing style is different. Girl chewing gum has hardly any cuts during the whole duration of the film, whereas Doll Face cuts everytime a different angle is used.