Before planning my film, I combed through the various presentations that had been given throughout the module and made a list of different characteristics experimental films commonly have. I made note of ones that I could use in my own film or had already planned on using.  

In the end, the characteristics that I had included were as followed: 

• The absence of any dialect. 
• To put the viewer in an active position where they are forced to think about the topics being covered. 
• Made on a low budget – no budget. 
• Non-conformist, challenging the viewers ideas about films, what they can show and how they can show this. 
• To express a personal view rather than to entertain the viewer.
• A non-linear plot.

For the final look of my film, I made sure to focus heavily on the visual aesthetics. Although it was shot on a DSLR camera I wanted it to have the feel of the film feel as though it wasn’t something you’d see in mainstream media.  I achieved this through using a preset as well as opting for non-conventional framing settings.

The focus of the film itself could also be said to be experimental, as the women’s rights movement is typically brought in as a subplot of films instead of the main focus.

When composing how I would focus on the women’s rights movement in my film, I prepared by watching conventional films on the subject such as the documentary ‘Suffragettes With Lucy Worsley’ (Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley, 2018) to familiarise myself with the origin of the movement. From this, I learnt a great deal and compared this with the knowledge I had from more modern sources of feminist activism such as the YA book ‘Women Don’t Own You Pretty’ by Florence Given (Given, 2020).

I aimed to merge the two different approaches in my storytelling technique, having the harsh honesty that was in ‘Suffragettes With Lucy Worsley’ – .i.e. the paint and its representation, shown in an aesthetically pleasing way like the presentation of ‘Women Don’t Own You Pretty’ – .i.e. the artistic filter and upbeat music. Thus, I am confident in my films identity as a tribute to the women’s rights movement.

Bibliography

Given, F., 2020. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty. 1st ed. London: Cassell.

Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley. 2018. [Film] Directed by Emma Frank. UK: Brook Lapping Productions.