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Ask anyone about what they think a 'moving image' is and there most likely to be describing Hollywood style movies or popular television programmes. It's easy to see why, this style of moving image has been dominating the market for decades and because of which has left people believing that it is the only type of moving image. In the same way that your favourite songs aren't the only side of music this is not the whole story of moving images. Take the Sony Pictures Entertainment company, a household name in the moving image business, profited $7.2 billion in 2010 from making films that were described as 'chewing gum for the mind'. Yes they can be revolutionary and inventive but only in their use of technology because you've seen the stories before, they're  just tweaked and repackaged ready to be sold again and again... and again.
Looking to break the mould and create a piece of moving image that truly original and is emotion/thought provoking? Then have a gander at these 3 guidelines that you should be thinking about before you start;

• Try to make it an aesthetic experience- If your going to blow someone's mind at least make it nice to look at...
• The meaning of the piece should be cryptic- Make sure not even Sherlock Holmes could work it out.
• The piece should be visceral (emotionally provocative)- If the piece has no narrative what-so-ever then start pulling on their heart strings and start provoking emotions... that'll leave a lasting impression.

Still from "The Crossing"- Bill Viola

There are a number of video artists out there that are pushing the boundaries but one man stands out in front of them all, Bill Viola. Bill is regarded to be world's greatest video artist, his works can be divided into three types; conceptual, visual and an unique combination of the two. Human consciousness and experiences (Life,death,emotions) are central themes in Bill's work along with his fascination with mythical traditions (e.g Zen Buddhism). Expect no Hollywood blockbusters here, Bill's work throws the narrative out the window and instead invites you watch his videos and discover your own meaning to them through his manipulation of visceral impact. In class we watched snippets of "The Passing" which is 54mins of Birth, life and death. To some it was emotionally distressing during the scenes of his mother(Wynne Viola) and I myself found it uncomfortable. After we'd seen some clips there were some that were furious that Bill would video his mother dying, yes I can agree it's a tad peculiar but this show's Bill genius in doing such a thing. All the emotions evoked during class were exactly what Bill wanted from us, we wouldn't be human if we sat there emotionless. How many times have you sat in the cinema and seen people physically outraged by what their watching? Not very many I'd think. Break the contemporary mould and start evoking emotions... but don't feel guilty for watching some Sony chewing gum, everyone's mind needs a break.

During class we looked at another video artist, Christian Marclay. Marclay is probably most famous for his work with sound than his video work due to him, in the words of critic Thom Jurek,  being the 'unwitting inventor of turntablism' with his manipulation of records using a turntable. But we're here to talk about videos and one of Marclays greatest works is "The Clock", a 24hr compilation of scenes involving clocks. The Clock is described as 'addictive' and 'mesmerising'  but when watching it you must be asking yourself the question "Why am I watching time?" That's exactly what your doing but you cannot deny that The Clock is a masterpiece, a masterpiece that sells at $500,000 a copy (You'll not be renting it from Xtravision I'm afraid)

These artists show that you don't need gripping narrative to have a great film, you just need to be clever and have a fondness for tugging people heart strings...