Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". It refers to people that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics.
Avant-garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo, primarily in the cultural realm. The notion of the existence of the avant-garde is considered by some to be a hallmark of modernism, as distinct from postmodernism. Many artists have aligned themselves with the avant-garde movement and still continue to do so.
Music videos are usually incorporated with Avant Garde techniques as they offer distinctive styles that are typically familiar. The concept of avant-garde refers exclusively to marginalized artists, writers, composers and thinkers whose work is not only opposed to mainstream commercial values, but often has an abrasive social or political edge. Throughout our music video we intend to use the following styles of Avant Garde:
Early Soviet Cinema
The new state, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, officially came into existence on December 30, 1922. Frequent features include the use of the montage effect which incorporates the fast cuttings/splicing/editing of sequences and individual shots to create an association of images to produce meaning. Examples of Early Soviet Cinema can be found in The End of St. Petersburg (Vsevolod Pudovkin, 1927)
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members. Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact.
Leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement. Entr'acte by René Clair (1924) is a renowned film which juxtaposes reality and produces a new meaning - a surreality.
