Experimental Film

Loose Definition: Something that doesn't follow convention, often one of the first films to do something, may come out with a negotiated reading, come out of something different
Pulp Fiction
What makes it experimental?
It's controversy is part of the experimentation, e.g.:
Drugs - no value judgment places on it's use
Rape scene
Language - N word, excessive and white people say it
Swearing - always saying the F word
Narrative - non-linear


No score, all sound track. Mainly use diegetic sound. Primarily 70s, some 60s music


Editing:
Loads of fade outs and fade ups in strange places
Only one parallel edit - Marcel with Samuel Jackson


Cinematography:
Few shot reverse shots, only really when there's an argument with Vince and Samuel Jackson
Hitchcock-like shots, positioning


Motif:
3, 2, 1 before stabbing Mia same with putting the gun down
Vince going to the bathroom heralds problems


Film primarily dialogue, which carries people through it


Post Modernism









The idea that nothing is original any more, everything is a copy of a copy etc.
The theory that Quentin Tarantino is the death of post modernism because Pulp Fiction ultimately has style over substance, which is the peak of post modernism - borrowed ideas
Auteur debate whether he pays homage or steals from other film
A critique of social constructs - hierarchy, family, education, the reason why we exist
I.e. the rise of anti-heroes in the late '60s. None of the characters have heroic traits, similarly to Old Country for Old Men
Self referential/aware - knows it's a film - i.e. lets get into character, square. Always recognizes the fact that it's a film
Breaks down traditional ideas of film making
Lacks cohesive narrative
Sets out to be a cult movie
In modernism, dialogue is used to move the plot forward, in post modernism it's used to build character
Areas of intertextuality in Pulp Fiction:
Vince's car is a reference to Carrie
Referencing famous people - Marilyn Monroe etc.
John Travolta dancing, also shot similarly to Saturday Night Fever
Opening scene almost exactly the same as opening of Bonnie and Clyde
All references Buddy picks up is a reference to a horror film
All songs 1970s soul pop music
The way they speak - exploitation
Style of substance - the Prada Handbag of Tarantino's films
Similarities to Reservoir Dogs
Long, protracted dialogue sequences
Doesn't show expected parts - not much action, diner scenes
Same actors
Controversial language
Voyeuristic shots, two shots, high contrast colour
Long takes
Pulp Fiction more non-linear
Using dialogue for dialogue's sake
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Pulp definition at start of film relevant to how the film looks and is set out
Context of production - early 1990, shift away from social and political structures, sense of re-evaluating the past, cultural exploration: post modern texts, high/low culture blurring, film as collage etc. Independent/mainstream crossover beginning
High/low culture - ballet and fancy stuff vs TV shows, naff novels, films
Quentin Tarantino is a self confessed film obsessive. His films filled with references to other texts, sometimes seen as plagiaristic