'Daybreak Express' (1953) by D. A. Pennebaker

When we were shown the different documentary/experimental short films, D A Pennebaker's 'Daybreak Express', was the one that stood out to me the most. The main aspect was the beautiful colouring used throughout, especially the establishing shot of the sunrise. The continuous orange and black colouring at the beginning gives it a real 'arty' feel, which is something I'm not used to seeing so it was a different experience for me. Then when you think it's starting to get a bit monotonous with the colour scheme, it changes to bright blues. It manages to transform the dull new york back buildings into something aesthetically pleasing for viewers to watch.

His use of the classical piece of music by Duke Ellington, also named 'Daybreak Express', keeps an upbeat rhythm, which when combined with his well timed editing, makes the pace and flow of the film work really well.

The different camera techniques he used, were ones that I had never seen/noticed before, like the fisheye shot, and near the end when the image is distorted by a 'kaleidoscope' type effect. I think the experimental portions of the film are what makes it an interesting piece to watch. Considering the simple focus of the film, how manic city life can be and the mechanisation of our society, if he had just done a documentary style film, it wouldn't have had the same effect. The viewers probably would have become bored fairly quickly.

When I think about the amount of thought and effort of each shot and location that he must have used, it really inspires me to be more creative with my ideas and makes me want to try more experimental films myself.