Bartel's first films were made in high school, primarily abstract and animated 16mm shorts, including titles such as Cinema Experimental (1954), Non Objective Film (1956), Margaret Whiting Sings 'The Money Tree' (1956), and Camel Rock (1957). After making the 35mm short Italian-language film "Progetti" (1962) while attending the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, Bartel produced "The Secret Cinema" (1966). Shot on an extremely low budget in 35mm and with his own money, The Secret Cinema was the film that began his reputation as a new and unusual independent voice in narrative cinema.