One may
read infinite interviews with independent filmmakers whining about
making a $3,000,000 film on a $750,000 budget, but can we really pity
them after we consider how Stan Brakhage
(1933-2003) expanded the creative potential of the entire medium using
nothing but blank film stock and some felt tip markers? The immensely
influential filmmaker completed over 300 films while living a low budget
life, working with amateur equipment and discards. His films take us to
the extremes of our emotional states while dismissing the tedium of
narrative structure. He has opened the doors to new understandings of
human experience to all willing to accept his art.
