The great majority of experimental filmmakers began with 8mm which is light and highly suitable because of its sensitivity to such themes. In the past few years, however, there has been a decreasing demand for 8mm films. Among experimental filmmakers there is enough popular support to ensure the continuation of 8mm. As I have written earlier, the use of 8mm in Japan in proportion to its population, and even compared to other countries, is very high. It became an important industry as people purchased cameras for fun but today many young people are buying secondhand cameras or using their parents cameras for artistic purposes.
Film is a combination of art and industry.
We need to reflect on the history of Japanese film dominated as it is even today by the immense power of the established industry. It is necessary to continue the movement for experimental film if only to establish whether art comes before industry or not. This brief survey of experimental cinema has focused on three periods, but evidently there were attempts in the intervening years as well. With the first showing of Japanese experimental films at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and at the New York Museum of Modern Art the increasing popularity of international exchange.