Traces of the Wild

The films of Robert Schaller, like several seen so far in lecture, take the viewer on
a visual journey into the surreal. Encompassed in his work are similar ideas and
ambitions that can also be seen in the work of Bruce Connor with a film like Valse Triste.
First, there seemed to be a lot of similarity in composition. Robert Schaller structured his
films about the wild in a disorienting manner, leaving the viewer to fill in the blanks. Bruce
Connor takes that same route in both of his films as he begins each one with something
seemingly conventional, then pulling the rug out from under the viewer as the film descends
into the imagination and the surreal. Schaller’s films, while pertaining to the surreal in
certain aspects such as framing and editing, are not looking to necessarily confuse the audience,
but to present an unconventional way of looking at something. In his films it was typically
something as simple as a tree or clouds in the sky. It is then through the editing process that the
structure of his films really take place. The same can be said for Connor’s films,
which one could say were edited in a non-linear fashion, therefore contributing
immensely to the film’s effect. In conclusion, Robert Schaller’s work in Traces of the
Wild bears similarity to Bruce Connor’s Valse Triste in both technical processes
as well as the structure and composition in that they book seek to evoke thoughts
and feelings about surreal, non-linear subjects.