Enviromental film idea

Ballet Mécanique is a great example of abstract experimental film.

It is one of the most influential pieces of experimental works because although it seems chaotic and confusing it also has purpose and a theme. The film is basically composed of repetitions of common objects and shapes but is presented in an overwhelming and machine like way. The film begins with a woman’s face in the middle of the frame followed by the frame backing up and going out of focus. Then we are shown lips, first they are happy, then sad. Then the process of spinning and distorted metal imagery begins. The motion of the camera is a way to express the fact that everything the director is choosing to show us is being distorted by this artificial pair of eyes. We see a mans face and watch it distort and disappear, I think he chose to do this to tell the viewer that by using and submitting to this technology all of our everyday actions become somewhat depersonalized or unintimite. This is followed by more swinging shapes and objects thus separating the viewer further from the familiar sense of human reality. next we see a bird, then it cuts to more machine like chaos. We only see this once in the film, a temporary flash of nature to make the viewer aware of his disconnect from it. We are shown amusement park rides, marching soldiers (walking uniform like a machine) and then a distorted figure stretched across the screen, dehumanizing the person.Then we see tools, kitchen supplies and shapes in a fast pace anxiety inducing frenzy. We see flashes of the woman face to remind us where we came from. News headlines are shown in a way to connect the viewer to the world around them and make them feel more familiar with the situation and to make them realize that they themselves are contributing to this machine like everyday.All of the women featured in this film are conventionally attractive, and should be pleasing to  look at, but make you feel uncomfortable and anxious, just waiting to see the image again.

 A close up of a baby dolls head is shown with its eyes closed, the director uses no emotion, only fast paced motion.The first image of the woman returns to close the piece, she is on a swing and is smelling the nature around her. Has she become aware of the cycle she was giving into and somehow escaped it?

-The film has a reflective property to it, where reversed, identical and similar images appear in the film at equal distance away from the middle point but on opposite sides of that point. This could yet be another metaphor for life?(sleep, work and sleep again)

The music is very dissonant and repeats a lot of themes (like the sound wailing, brash note that rises and falls, like some kind of engine or wheel spinning to its max then coming back to rest, like how humans wake up, get through their day doing the most they can in that day then going back to sleep for another day. This can also be seen as a metaphor for being born, doing work then dying). The music is restless and never has a sense of cadence or finality throughout the film until abruptly ending after what seems like almost too long, can be another metaphor for life. Could also be a piece punched into a player piano roll, a machine meant to play music and was at the height of its popularity when this film was made. The player piano can be seen as a clash between two worlds, humanity and machinery, something we still have yet to come to terms with in society today.