Vol. 4 (2020): Exploring Creative Methodologies
Articles

Undressing the Excessive Image: The Essay Film as a Transgressive Mode of Inquiry

Júlia Machado
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Published 14-02-2025

Abstract

This article examines the making of Transgressions (2015), a short essay film I made on transgressions in art films. There, the theme moves from being a mapped object of knowledge to become a territory that provides the resources for film production and storytelling. As I question to what extent the erotic body is excessive in art films, I observe the essay film becomes a poetic-reflective generator in itself. I end by arguing that we observe the process of making an essay film as a mode of inquiry that includes in its thinking process both unpredictable encounters with the materials and intuitive choices in the editing room, something that a solely analytical or theoretical approach could hardly provide.