In my last post I introduced who Samuel Beckett was-a 20th century playwright-and the work he did that was transformed into film by various directors. The only piece that I talked about was "Breath" that was directed by Damien Hurst-a contemporary artist.
The next film we watched from Beckett on Film was titled "Act Without Words-1", directed by Karel Reisz. Karel Reisz is also a film wrighter. Again this film did not have any speaking and there was only one actor. The audience had to rely on setting, the actors actions and expressions, and props, to get an idea of what was going on. The actor was like a mime. In this film this man was stranded on what looked like a deserted island and he desperately wanted things that would help him survive. The audience might consider there to be a second character in the film. This character would be the whistle. The class decided that the whistle was like a God type figure. He distributed and took away the tools for survival to the man. The giving and taking away of the survival tools from the man was an example of process of learning through trial and error. It shows how the human mind works in the survival nad learning process.
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Interesting World of Samuel Beckett
On April 17th in Visual Culture class we got to experience the wonderfully interesting world of Samuel Beckett. He died recently but he was what seemed to me a brilliant 20th century playwright. I thought it was cool that we were able to tie in/see relationships with a 20th century playwright and the 1910s and 1920s work of actors Chaplin and Keaton. Beckett was influenced by both of these actors.
The class and I got to view a collection of his playwrights put to film by many esteemed directors. The title of the collection is called Beckett on Film. Beckett found the THEATER OF THE ABSURD which deals with ECCENTIALISM. Eccentialism is the belief that civilization is nothing more than a joke. Everything that we know and believe in is false and we cannot even trust the church or politicians or entities of the like. I think that this is a very cynical way of viewing society but I do believe that there is some truth in eccentialism, seeing as I have a really hard time trusting people, even my close friends. It is sad, I know. Eccentialism also explains that because we cannot trust these institutions, we can only rely on ourselves and our experiences and point of views. This way of thinking is not to promote narcissism but instead a sort of philosophy in which people only trust themselves.
These types of views were incorporated in Beckett's avant guarde cinema. The first film we watched of Beckett's was titled "Breath", directed by Damien Hurst. What is most interesting about this film is that it is like a minute long but I feel like the images and message is so powerful that it works and leaves quite an impact on its audience.
The class interpreted as someone taking their last breath and their spirit was leaving their body perhaps in a hospital. There are hospital materials around presented in a chaotic manner. Of course it is a non-narrative film seeing as how there were no words and no scenes, no real plot. There was only the sound of this terrible breath being taken in a drawn out manner. It definitely sounds like the person taking the breath is in pain. That is why we decided it was a last breath. The important thing about this very short film is use of form, sound, and imagery-very effectively I might add. This short film kind of scarred me a little but I was intrigues about this Samuel Beckett and what else he had to share with the world. I will talk more about Beckett and his other films next time.
The class and I got to view a collection of his playwrights put to film by many esteemed directors. The title of the collection is called Beckett on Film. Beckett found the THEATER OF THE ABSURD which deals with ECCENTIALISM. Eccentialism is the belief that civilization is nothing more than a joke. Everything that we know and believe in is false and we cannot even trust the church or politicians or entities of the like. I think that this is a very cynical way of viewing society but I do believe that there is some truth in eccentialism, seeing as I have a really hard time trusting people, even my close friends. It is sad, I know. Eccentialism also explains that because we cannot trust these institutions, we can only rely on ourselves and our experiences and point of views. This way of thinking is not to promote narcissism but instead a sort of philosophy in which people only trust themselves.
These types of views were incorporated in Beckett's avant guarde cinema. The first film we watched of Beckett's was titled "Breath", directed by Damien Hurst. What is most interesting about this film is that it is like a minute long but I feel like the images and message is so powerful that it works and leaves quite an impact on its audience.
The class interpreted as someone taking their last breath and their spirit was leaving their body perhaps in a hospital. There are hospital materials around presented in a chaotic manner. Of course it is a non-narrative film seeing as how there were no words and no scenes, no real plot. There was only the sound of this terrible breath being taken in a drawn out manner. It definitely sounds like the person taking the breath is in pain. That is why we decided it was a last breath. The important thing about this very short film is use of form, sound, and imagery-very effectively I might add. This short film kind of scarred me a little but I was intrigues about this Samuel Beckett and what else he had to share with the world. I will talk more about Beckett and his other films next time.
ESCAPED IMAGES AND A FAREWELL TO GINGER
Last weekend I had the pleasure of performing in the Escaped Images dance recital. I helped my friend Rebekah Perkins out by being in her choreographed dance for the production. The name of the piece was "Lu Rigonne". I am pretty sure I messed up the spelling on that but it means "hurricane" in french. The dance was supposed to portray images and interpret thoughts attitudes, and feelings of the citizens of New Orleans during the events of Hurricane Katrina.
There were three dancers including myself. At the beginning of the dance we were dancing as if we were on the streets of New Orleans right before the Hurricane wreaked havoc on the city. The dancing is supposed to portray the citizens who are still going on about their business, still smiling, not panicking because they don't feel that the hurricane is going to harm New Orleans. We are wearing bright colored vest colored purple, green, and gold as in homage to Mardi Gras. We also dance with different props including a clarinet, handkerchiefs to represent the Second Line tradition, as well as parasols for the same reason, and a cane. Being a New Orleans native, I believe that these were all appropriate props. The music is an instrumental of "When the Saints Go Marching In". It is upbeat and fast pace. The lighting is colorful with a backdrop of the skyline of New Orleans' business district at night. It is very fitting for the mood and sets the tone for this portion of the piece.
The next part of the piece is supposed to interpret the aftermath of the hurricane. We are wearing black and white and dancing with black umbrellas. We are the dance moves have a somber quality to them. The music is slow and the lyrics deal with the flooding of Louisiana. The umbrellas represent the flooding of the streets due to the storm waters and the breech in the levee. The slides for this portion of the piece
Next, the dance tries to interpret life a year or so after the hurricane. We come marching in wearing large men's collared shirts. The attitude for this portion of the dance is that yes New Orleans and its citizens were ravaged by the storm and they are struggling but we are a strong city and we will rebuild and make it through this. The music is like marching music. I like to interpret it as the people of New Orleans are like soldiers that just went through a war of a storm but they are survivors.
This dance was a serious one. It had a very different tone to it separate from the tap piece or the comical "Paper Pushing" that dealt with the mundane-ness of everyday life with careers. However, being a born and raised in New Orleans, I found Rebekah's dance uplifting. Depending how you look at it, it can give one hope that they can pick up their lives after such a tragedy. I thought that the costuming was abstract but it worked well with the choreography and music, you just have to have an open mind. The music was not abstract it had lyrics or rhythm that were supposed to arouse certain feelings and I think it did. The same with the slides as the back drops.
There were three dancers including myself. At the beginning of the dance we were dancing as if we were on the streets of New Orleans right before the Hurricane wreaked havoc on the city. The dancing is supposed to portray the citizens who are still going on about their business, still smiling, not panicking because they don't feel that the hurricane is going to harm New Orleans. We are wearing bright colored vest colored purple, green, and gold as in homage to Mardi Gras. We also dance with different props including a clarinet, handkerchiefs to represent the Second Line tradition, as well as parasols for the same reason, and a cane. Being a New Orleans native, I believe that these were all appropriate props. The music is an instrumental of "When the Saints Go Marching In". It is upbeat and fast pace. The lighting is colorful with a backdrop of the skyline of New Orleans' business district at night. It is very fitting for the mood and sets the tone for this portion of the piece.
The next part of the piece is supposed to interpret the aftermath of the hurricane. We are wearing black and white and dancing with black umbrellas. We are the dance moves have a somber quality to them. The music is slow and the lyrics deal with the flooding of Louisiana. The umbrellas represent the flooding of the streets due to the storm waters and the breech in the levee. The slides for this portion of the piece
Next, the dance tries to interpret life a year or so after the hurricane. We come marching in wearing large men's collared shirts. The attitude for this portion of the dance is that yes New Orleans and its citizens were ravaged by the storm and they are struggling but we are a strong city and we will rebuild and make it through this. The music is like marching music. I like to interpret it as the people of New Orleans are like soldiers that just went through a war of a storm but they are survivors.
This dance was a serious one. It had a very different tone to it separate from the tap piece or the comical "Paper Pushing" that dealt with the mundane-ness of everyday life with careers. However, being a born and raised in New Orleans, I found Rebekah's dance uplifting. Depending how you look at it, it can give one hope that they can pick up their lives after such a tragedy. I thought that the costuming was abstract but it worked well with the choreography and music, you just have to have an open mind. The music was not abstract it had lyrics or rhythm that were supposed to arouse certain feelings and I think it did. The same with the slides as the back drops.
Shhh Silent Films!
I thoroughly enjoyed Charlie Chaplin's silent film "A Dog's Life". Even though there were no words in the film, the facial expressions accompanied with the music told the audience the story. "A Dog's Life" is considered narrative cinema. I enjoy the fact that Chaplin was a very rich man at the time he was creating these films yet he understood the plight of a down-trodden man. He has a poor background. He played the role of a tramp very well. He also used movement very well along with his facial expressions to further tell his story. Movement and body language played a major role in this film and I like how the movement correlated with the music. The camera use also assisted with the cinematography even though it is simple. The camera is used conventionally and straight forward.
Chaplin films like "A Dog's Life" look like just another funny silent film but o'contrar. Well, at least I just thought that all silent films were just on the surface supposed to be funny silent films. However there are some thematic issues that Chaplin tackles in his films. In "A Dog's Life" He deals with HUNGER, ATTRACTION, ROMANCE, SENTIMENT, and even such serious/depressing issues as SEXUAL VIOLENCE. It is assumed that Chaplin has experience with all or most of these different issues before he became a movie star. It is interesting how he is able to tackle such issues yet do it in a humorous way. The ending is a happy American Dream one which I appreciate for its simplicity.
Then we watched a Keaton film which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed it more than the Chaplin film. He too was a comic that tackled serious issues /themes. Like Chaplin he had the "elements" of CRIME, LAW, SOCIETY, WEALTH, WOMEN, MARRIAGE AND ROMANCE in his film that all came together to create a plot. Unlike Chaplin the ending to the film that we watched of his was not a happy one. His leading lady wanted a business man and not just someone to love as with Chaplin's lady. Since his "business" venture does not work out, he does not end up getting the girl. Instead of perpetuating the American Dream, he critiques it by not being able to live it at his film's conclusion. He actually ends up giving up his attempt at obtaining the American Dream. However in between the plot line like Chaplin, Keaton uses a lot of movement to convey what is going on. Yet in contrast with Chaplin, he uses little facial expression which I particularly found hilarious. Camera movement and visual tricks help tie everything together.
Chaplin films like "A Dog's Life" look like just another funny silent film but o'contrar. Well, at least I just thought that all silent films were just on the surface supposed to be funny silent films. However there are some thematic issues that Chaplin tackles in his films. In "A Dog's Life" He deals with HUNGER, ATTRACTION, ROMANCE, SENTIMENT, and even such serious/depressing issues as SEXUAL VIOLENCE. It is assumed that Chaplin has experience with all or most of these different issues before he became a movie star. It is interesting how he is able to tackle such issues yet do it in a humorous way. The ending is a happy American Dream one which I appreciate for its simplicity.
Then we watched a Keaton film which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed it more than the Chaplin film. He too was a comic that tackled serious issues /themes. Like Chaplin he had the "elements" of CRIME, LAW, SOCIETY, WEALTH, WOMEN, MARRIAGE AND ROMANCE in his film that all came together to create a plot. Unlike Chaplin the ending to the film that we watched of his was not a happy one. His leading lady wanted a business man and not just someone to love as with Chaplin's lady. Since his "business" venture does not work out, he does not end up getting the girl. Instead of perpetuating the American Dream, he critiques it by not being able to live it at his film's conclusion. He actually ends up giving up his attempt at obtaining the American Dream. However in between the plot line like Chaplin, Keaton uses a lot of movement to convey what is going on. Yet in contrast with Chaplin, he uses little facial expression which I particularly found hilarious. Camera movement and visual tricks help tie everything together.
Environmental Portaitor
I really enjoy the environmental portaitor, especially when it is a self portrait of the photographer. In class we saw an environmental portrait of Neil Johnson who does a lot of Photography for Centenary. In our photography class, Spring semester last year, we had the pleasure of visit Neil Johnson in his studio. He also does photography for local businesses, publications, and even for plays.
I should probably explain what environmental portraitor is when the subject's picture is taken in the environment that they are normally in or associated with. Neil Johnson's environmental portrait was in his studio and I am pretty sure he had accessories in the photo that are related to his career.
I should probably explain what environmental portraitor is when the subject's picture is taken in the environment that they are normally in or associated with. Neil Johnson's environmental portrait was in his studio and I am pretty sure he had accessories in the photo that are related to his career.
LUST, CAUTION
Lust, Caution is a Taiwanese film directed by Ang Lee it was originally a novel written by Eileen Chang. Like all Centenary Film Society films-I would use the word movie as to not sound repetitive but I hear this degrades the artistry of the film- the ritual begins with the gathering of the film-goers in 3rd floor Jackson lecture room. When it's time for a lecture this room certainly feels like a classroom but when it is time to watch a film the room feels like a theater. Because of the type of movies that are shown and also because of the appearance of some of the audiencem, I always feel as if I am there for a film screening at a film festival. Hopefully one day I will actually attend one of those events.
The film begins with a woman in the cafe on the phone. Because of the way she is dressed I immediately conclude that she is a woman of importance and of a high class standing. After this first scene, I have a feeling that flashbacks will be a common motif throughout the film. Films usually use flashbacks because obviously time is of great importance to the storyline. It is probable that most of the important action that takes place, that is important to the film took place in the past. Wong aka Mrs. Mak becomes friends fast with a guy in school of course because she is an attractice woman and that is how it works.
I think that this is a very beautifully shot film. The footage is so clean and crisp and the colors while they are not vibrant and terribly colorful but they were bold. It added to the intensity of the subject of war, conspiracy and patriotism. Yet I don't think the director wanted to many colors for the same reason. The issues were of serious matter: war and politics. It is hard for me to describe but the way the film is shot and the score really puts you in the mood of watching a suspense or serious action about to unfold in front of your eyes. I totally got caught up. The cinematography is great. Sex of course played a major role in the plot of the film. We had to have some major seduction scenes to show the sexuality of Mrs. Mak and how she would be able to seduce such a powerful man.
The film begins with a woman in the cafe on the phone. Because of the way she is dressed I immediately conclude that she is a woman of importance and of a high class standing. After this first scene, I have a feeling that flashbacks will be a common motif throughout the film. Films usually use flashbacks because obviously time is of great importance to the storyline. It is probable that most of the important action that takes place, that is important to the film took place in the past. Wong aka Mrs. Mak becomes friends fast with a guy in school of course because she is an attractice woman and that is how it works.
I think that this is a very beautifully shot film. The footage is so clean and crisp and the colors while they are not vibrant and terribly colorful but they were bold. It added to the intensity of the subject of war, conspiracy and patriotism. Yet I don't think the director wanted to many colors for the same reason. The issues were of serious matter: war and politics. It is hard for me to describe but the way the film is shot and the score really puts you in the mood of watching a suspense or serious action about to unfold in front of your eyes. I totally got caught up. The cinematography is great. Sex of course played a major role in the plot of the film. We had to have some major seduction scenes to show the sexuality of Mrs. Mak and how she would be able to seduce such a powerful man.
An Introduction to Visual Culture
Even though I have made posts prior to learning the basics of Visual Culture I thought it would be important to go back a blog about the basics of the subject. In our first lecture we talked about what it meant to LOOK and what it meant to SEE, as you see they are two different things. There is more meaning behind the action of each. LOOKING is the physical act of vision. SEEING is finding meaning behind, and comprehending what you are seeing. These two acts are very important in the study of visual culture. After we see and look at a visual representation of art we try to interpretate it and find meaning behind it related to our culture or the intended culture of the artist.
There is like everything else you study a process to interpretation, especially of something as visual as art. I understand art to mean visual culture, so sometimes I may use the interchangeably. Interpretation is the way we begin to look at something and try to figure out what its purpose and function, it is like solving a puzzle. The process of interpretation begins with the artist/creator and what they have produced also known as the object or art work. Then there has to be some type of cultural interaction with the object or artwork such as an audience or consumption of the created product. When someone is interpretating something they are attempting to construct that something's meaning. You cannot fiiind the meaning, you create it yourself. That way there is no right or wrong interpretation! It is also cool to think about how there is no meaning to something until someone interacts with it. That pretty much sums up the CONSTRUCTIONISTS MODEL. This is all very interesting to me. I can also see it coming in handy when I go to art shows, purchase art, or attend a smart dinner party with my classy friends after college!
There is like everything else you study a process to interpretation, especially of something as visual as art. I understand art to mean visual culture, so sometimes I may use the interchangeably. Interpretation is the way we begin to look at something and try to figure out what its purpose and function, it is like solving a puzzle. The process of interpretation begins with the artist/creator and what they have produced also known as the object or art work. Then there has to be some type of cultural interaction with the object or artwork such as an audience or consumption of the created product. When someone is interpretating something they are attempting to construct that something's meaning. You cannot fiiind the meaning, you create it yourself. That way there is no right or wrong interpretation! It is also cool to think about how there is no meaning to something until someone interacts with it. That pretty much sums up the CONSTRUCTIONISTS MODEL. This is all very interesting to me. I can also see it coming in handy when I go to art shows, purchase art, or attend a smart dinner party with my classy friends after college!
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