"What is Experimental Film?" - Fred Camper

Attempting to fit experimental film as a genre into a box by listing its common qualities is a bit ironic, no? While it may seem counterintuitive, it does make sense why Camper felt the need to do so - to make it more accessible. Narrative and documentary films' purposes are typically quite clear-cut: tell a story, convey information, and, in the world of big-budget Hollywood productions, make money. While experimental films can certainly tell stories or convey facts, they transcend the need to turn a profit and therefore are rarely considered in the "mainstream" (the opposition of which happens to be one of Camper's criteria). Such a broad genre can be difficult to qualify, so I find it very helpful to have a tangible list of experimental film's common attributes.