We watched one of his short films titled "Mothlight", a short, three minute piece from 1963. As much as it did appear to be a bunch of nonsense, it was actually quite fascinating. It did help that we watched it as it was meant to be watched - on a 16mm projector. Not that Brakhage intended for the piece to be viewed only on 16mm, but the projector did add an effect to the overall viewing experience.
To begin, the 1963 film is silent. Hearing the film move through the projectors different components added this nostalgic feel, sound and look to the overall picture. If this would of been viewed on DVD or on an online video sharing service like YouTube, this nostalgic feel probably wouldn't have been noticeable, or even present.
According to Prof. Duran, Mothlight was created by placing objects, such as moth's wings, blades of grass, and other small items onto perforated tape that was obviously cut to the same width as 16mm film. This means that dust particles and other small objects would make their way onto the tape and eventually onto the film. This causes the film to appear rather grainy at times - but I'm not sure if that was because of the projector or wear and tear on the old film. Yet I'm fairly certain that the dust particles were intended by Brakhage.
At first look you may think the filmmaker was on some sort of hallucinating drug at the time, as the film has that "acid trip" look to it. On top of that, the image begins to be hard to look at as the objects are flying by at a fast rate, making it feel as if you might go blind.
Yet it is important to note that I did enjoy the film. Yes, it is experimental and rather odd, but the film's image is very unique and original and conveys what I believe to be Brakhage's personal expression of his feelings and emotions.
The film can be found on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaGh0D2NXCA
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