Making “Serpent” (1980)

"Making Serpent" follows director Barlett as he details the making of his 1971 short film, "Serpent." The documentary offers a detailed look at filmmaking, providing a step-by-step guide for aspiring filmmakers interested in visual storytelling. It examines how to build a story without words, focusing on editing and using universal images from nature. The film also demonstrates how to achieve visually impressive results with a small budget. By analyzing the production of "Serpent," students of film and art can learn about cinemagraphics – a blend of cinema and graphic design. This unique approach makes "Making Serpent" a complete film course. The documentary has been praised by filmmakers like Stan Brakhage, who sees it as a helpful perspective on structural film. Bruce Baillie credits "Making Serpent" with carrying on Sergei Eisenstein's Film Form theory into modern cinema.