School of Film and TV - Theses

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Towards a secularised - transcendental style in film

Nathan, Peter T. ( 2018)

Towards a secularised - transcendental style in film is a practice-led research investigation that interrogates a religious style of filmmaking known as the transcendental style in film in order to determine what it has to offer for a secular, contemporary filmmaker. Taking American author and filmmaker, Paul Schrader’s (1946 -) book titled, Transcendental Style in Film (1972) as the primary source, this enquiry begins with the unpacking of Schrader’s theory, as it pertains to the work of French director Robert Bresson (1901-1999). Aspects of complementary theories, including parametric narrative as proposed by American film theorist, David Bordwell (1947-), and French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s (1925-1995) theory of time-image are then drawn upon to help facilitate a new, non-religious perspective of the transcendental style in film. The resulting thesis is applied to the development, production and post-production stages of a short absurd-fantasy film, The Dream of the Songstress (Nathan 2018).