Experimental Film?

Ethan Schaefer

Ethan Schaefer

Member
Hello everyone. I've decided that I'm going to work on a very short experimental film. It will be mainly based off of breaking the fourth wall. I've just begun the script and It will hopefully be about a man who has found himself stuck in his own imagination of some sort of nightmare. Please give me some criticism, ideas, or tell me how dumb I sound... Anything :)

I'll be adding to this very soon.
 
Do you mean breaking the 180 degree rule? Usually directors break the rule to create confusion or to portray it. If you watch a few movies or TV shows you're sure to see it used.
 
ProfessorU said:
Do you mean breaking the 180 degree rule?
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The 4th wall refers to the invisible wall between the viewer and the actors. Breaking the 4th wall means that there will be postmodern self-reflexivity going on and the characters may even directly address the camera and the viewer.

Ethan Schaefer said:
Please give me some criticism, ideas, or tell me how dumb I sound... Anything
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Your idea sucks. No, I mean it's great. You sound dumb and brilliant. No, I mean. Oh, okay, I got stuck just giving you anything.

Actually it's tough to give you much feedback because I'm not sure what the film is, but breaking the 4th wall doesn't make a film experimental and it sounds like you might even have a story going on there which might take you even further away from being an experimental film. You sure you don't want to just film a peanutbutter sandwich and hope the audience understands that it's really about a man stuck in his own imagination?

Tell us more.
 
Maybe you could pull it off, but there's a decent chance it will fall into the category of pretentious crap, my $.02
 
Let me point you towards a great little British mini-series that did a great job of breaking the 4th wall. House of Cards. Search it out...I'll bet it's on Netflix...it's WELL WORTH IT.
 
"Office Space" does it all the time (but it's supposed to be a doc, so doesn't really count).

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is famous for that as well.
 
pmark23 said:
"Office Space" does it all the time (but it's supposed to be a doc, so doesn't really count).

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is famous for that as well.
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In what universe is Office Space supposed to be a doc?

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is a great example, though.

Edit - Oh wait, did you mean "The Office?" My bad.
 
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I don't think we can tell you anything...since you didn't tell us anything. "man who has found himself stuck in his own imagination of some sort of nightmare"

I don't even know what that means? haha. If you want us to tell you about the concept, pitch it to us. :)
 
Haha... Wow.

I really didn't expect anyone to say anything about this yet...
The feedback wasn't really something I was looking for until I said more lol.

I've got a the script worked out a little and I'm experimenting with some effects for this. The story is about a man who wakes up and finds himself questioning whether or not he is actually awake. Some "unexplainable" things begin to happen which I will hope falls into the experimental genre and the final scene and only dialogue in the short will break the fourth wall.
I hope that clears a little bit of this up.

Much More Soon and then maybe I can help you understand what the hell I'm talking about...
 
also, If anyone has read the introduction of the novel "House Of Leaves" then you may understand a little bit of what I'll be shooting for in this and maybe some other experimental shorts. The introduction of that novel is by a man named johnny truant and it's very erie and compelling....

Just a little more to add.
 
If you go passed the 180 degree line it doesn't automatically make it "experimental". It's not a set rule that you can't break and go to jail. It just sparks confusion in a character.

Oh, and consider getting a new profile picture.
 
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House of Leaves was a very odd book.

I can see how it could be experimental if it were a silent film... however if it has heavy dialogue it may take away from that. Just my thoughts. Many experimental films i've seen have been silent with only sound effects and maybe two or three words or phrases.

Also, if you're talking about breaking the fourth wall like in theater (speaking to the audience), that does not make a film experimental. If you intereact with the audience without dialogue... well that may be a different story. I haven't seen that done and can't really invision how it would work out.
 
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Breaking the forth wall like people have said rarely qualifies an experimental film. In theatre it is done far more often than you would think. Same with film and TV especially.

It is a piece of the puzzle, but I think you need to readapt your definition of experimental film in order to make one. If I have an actor talk to the audience in this scene (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) I've made an experimental film...not so much.
 
Blaine said:
Let me point you towards a great little British mini-series that did a great job of breaking the 4th wall. House of Cards. Search it out...I'll bet it's on Netflix...it's WELL WORTH IT.
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This!

Blaine, you have excellent taste.

"You might very well think that. But of course I couldn't possibly comment."
 
You guys are definitely right in saying that just because you talk to the audience (or camera in film case) it doesn't not make the film experimental. My film that I've not yet been able to begin shooting is about a man who awakes from sleeping and begins to notice things that happen that couldn't really happen. There is no dialogue except for two phrases in the entire thing. There are parts where his world falls apart around him and the fourthwall is broken in two instances both of which are attained by speaking towards the viewer but not only speaking toward the viewer.

I'm very excited to begin this project because of the huge realm of possibilties for all of my ideas.
 
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