The pace of a feature depends on the length of the shots and the narrative progression!
In an art form as vast and multifaceted as cinema, there are many kinds of different styles of work. It is only natural that a medium which is older than a century diverges into different streams. Slow or fast depends on the way the pace of the montage has been treated in a film, the term ‘Slow Cinema’ refers to a practice in the medium, where many provocateurs have chosen to deliberately slow down the pace of the film increasing the shot length and often using minimal plots to portray the essence of this trend of the medium. The advent of this style can be traced back to the very start of cinema, yet this style was kind of a response to the ever faster style in the commercial space where average shot lengths were close to three seconds. Slow Cinema allows an intimate and thought-provoking experience, where in it lets the audience feel every second of the run time making their works not only an intellectual exercise but also physical. By doing so the viewer doesn’t remain a passive consumer but also takes part in the watching experience. This list consists of the best artists associated with this style and this list will aim to highlight all the artists you should be aware of if you are willing to explore this facet of the medium.
The most popular faces of this style Bela Tarr is a Hungarian visionary whose images are seeped in melancholy and deliver an eerie and surreal experience to the patrons of his work, with moving track shots which are prevalent throughout his work, seeped in rich Black and White and slow and methodical pace his work is one of the prime examples of this style.
The only Asian artist on this list Apichatpong or Joe in short hails from Thailand, he is a former architect who took the medium while in
College his parents were both Doctors and the narrative of his works revolve most around that and also the concept of mortality, his works weave a complex tapestry of human existence, the unknown and spirituality. His works are also a very important example of slow cinema and his films showcase a different style within the slow also and showcases his home, Thailand in a very different light.
