counter-cinema

Peter Wollen's Characteristics of Counter-Cinema

1 narrative transitivity vs. intransitivity: (cause and effect structure) in counter-cinema events don't necessarily follow each other, nor even appear in some historical period

2 identifiation vs. estrangement: in mainstream cinema characters may represent social groups and act naturally as part of reality effect; by contrast in counter cinema characters are often unbelievable, they can stare back at the camera or are not likeable. further, lack of continuity in structuring of film prohibits 'interpellation'

3 transparency vs. foregrounding: mainstream films conceal artifice of filmmaking process to promote illusion; in counter cinema the process is made transparent, often referring to filmmaking processes themselves (camera, lights are included in frame)

4 single diegesis versus multiple diegesis: not one person's story but many; in counter cinema many different stories can exist in the framework of filmstory and do not need to correspond

5 closure vs. aperture: mainstream film represents closed, coherent worlds; in counter cinema other worlds and texts are referred to with no apparent effort to integrate them

6 pleasure vs. unpleasure: pleasures of mainstream cinema are to seduce viewer into passive acceptance of status quo; counter cinema is difficult--pleasure is intellectual and not emotional or aesthetic

7 fiction vs. reality: aim of counter cinema is to force viewer to confont reality--of filmmakng as a means through which cultural values are reproduced