Maya Deren

Maya Deren was a film theorist and a prominent American avant-garde filmmaker. She created the short film ‘ Meses of the afternoon’ a short, primarily experimental film featuring a lot of imagery, distinct camera movement and slow motion editing.

-The film uses a lot of symbolic imagery for the audience to come to their own conclusion with (the key, the knife etc.)

-The narrative is very repetitive

-The film can be interpreted in different ways

-Deren uses sound effects to emphasise action (the key falling down the stairs)

-The handheld camera and disorientated camera angles give a dreamy effect

-There is no dialogue or diegetic sound. The film relies on action, camera movement and non-diegetic sound to explain the narrative

-The sacrificial music, along with the close ups make it seem almost scary and unnerving to watch

Deren has publicly attacked Hollywood placing herself as the complete opposite of the industry’s standards and practices. Deren states “I make my pictures for what Hollywood spends on lipstick" and that Hollywood “has been a major obstacle to the definition and development of motion pictures as a creative fine-art form.”