Thursday, April 24, 2008

Translating Images of Everyday Media ...


Just yesterday I was with two Film & Video Production students of Point Park University (which is one of the top universities for digital movie making).
Billy & Kevin have excelled in the program and one of their school projects/movies will be "screened" at Cannes Film Festival as part of the special program through Point Park University which Kevin qualified for and is providing him with this great opportunity.
In any event, we were enjoying drinking beers outside at a cafe` and conversing about equipment & gear, content, process, method, perspective, opportunity, etc. and one of the things while we were on the subject of foreign films from the 60's (having tremendous substance in all regards) Kevin brought-up was a film that was shown in one of his classes for discussion. He said the film was like some mathematical problem and was filled with angles, calculated sequences, circumferences, allegories - and that the cinematography was wildly stimulating and yet as it was in subtitles (not knowing the language) you were compelled to pay attention and keep-up w/ reading the subtitles to follow the dialog.
Interestingly, most of the class followed along w/ the subtitles whereas one student ignored the subtitles and just watched the film unravel. The one student's perspective was sharply different from the rest of the class and, actually, was more in-touch w/ the philosophy of the film itself.
The "still" shot above from Red Eye demonstrates this --- It neatly demonstrates how you do not necessarily need to read the dialog going on to put it all together if the proper cinematic techniques are employed.
Now, with this pic from Red Eye, I do believe, in this case, this may be just accidental. I mean, Greg & Bill & Andy are extremely bright but I don't know if they actually planned this type of suggestive symbolism that comes through here.
Sure the title here tells the tale = that Savanna Samson is reporting on some type of "Adult News." However, for me, I don't need the those words to spoon-feed me what's going on here. I look at Savanna Samson and her hair, lips, eyes & apparel and I look at the objects/symbols that happen to appear in the picture = and I dig it.
Best of Cinematic Roses,
Giovanni French mystrawhat.com myspace.com/mosshead7

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