Handmade, Through and Through

            The most interesting aspect of the some of the films we have been studying so far this year is their lack of narrative or direction. That is not to say that they lack intent and thought, just that they do not hold the viewers hand through their pieces. The two works that demonstrate this best are Baghdad in No Particular Order by Paul Chan and My Life as a Bee by Robert Schaller. Both pieces command your attention not through a compelling story or complex characters but through what is purposefully left out. The narrative: the voice over telling us that everything will be all right, that there is a beginning, middle, and end. While these movies would be scoffed at in Hollywood for their lack of plot, they are put on a pedestal in film courses. Why is that?

            Paul Chan’s work, Baghdad in No Particular Order, is the epitome of non-linear films. Not only is the film itself completely non-linear, with no plot or obvious beginning and end in sight, but the accompanying website (notably titled Baghdad in No Particular Order, Part II) also offers a relatively non-linear approach to the stories of people in the film. This technique offers the viewer a chance to experience the footage itself without being forced to try to understand some plot thrown together by a film studio. The footage must speak for itself and tell a story, as all good art does whether intentionally or not. The camerawork also lends to the feeling of a very raw piece that is intended to spur curiosity and tell a story; an obvious lack of tripod use makes to footage look like any old home video shot by mom and pop.

            In My Life as a Bee by Peter Schaller, we are shown a much different approach to non-linear story telling. In this case, the film is handmade, from the handmade emulsion to the use of a pinhole camera in lieu of a modern mechanical camera. By stepping back in time in a technological sense, Schaller gives the work a sense of effort; knowing the techniques used, it is hard not to respect him for the amount of work he had to put in to produce such a piece. However, though old-fashioned, the technique offers a much more accurate depiction of what a bee would probably see as it was flying around searching for pollen.