Jujube/2019-iffr-takeaway: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:38, 4 February 2019

I was interested in movies that related to my current investigations

How to translate autobiographical materials into empathic matters? Perhaps through myth and tales? (See essay --> Jujube/methods-session-5)

What is image capable of in conveying that intention and — in the process or as a result — creating empathy?

Also, not at an idea level but an aesthetic one, I'm drawn to the mountains, seas and remote places...Why? Out of the sublime, the metaphor, the unexpected forms?

From the movies, I see different ways in which the image carries weight. In some cases, the image IS the narrative, such as the scene when the word messenger faces gun point in Pájaros de Verano. In others, the image visualises a metaphor, like the woman catching water from all directions with buckets in Pattaki. Sometimes, the image becomes part of a well-written essay. (Above Us Only Sky)

I also find sound indispensable — often more important than what I see. The sounds can represent a place. In Tutto l'oro Che C'è, the wild track is THE track. The sounds create silence. Examples are the forest in Tutto l'oro Che C'è and water in Pattaki. In the case of music, it can be the narrative by itself, as seen in The Last Seven Words)

Actor-directed films can lead to incredibly tender moments. (Vulnerable Histories (A Road Movie)) In this case the director's role is to create a framework to communicate that clearly and foster an environment/crew that lets things happen.

I must hone this craft

In the projects for the next phase I want to be better at creating moving images. I will invest more in understanding and practicing cinematography. (See Jujube/cinematography for concrete learnings.)

A good intention will never come across in distracting camera work (e.g. the excessive shake in The Day I Lost My Shadow). I want to avoid abstract aesthetics when something is just abstract for the sake of it (or some lofty intellectualism in the name of poetry... enough of those random and self-indulgent manipulation of the 16mm films in the shorts from History Deletes Itself).

P.S. My criteria for the films (and the ones that did end up teaching me a lot)

A story based on/inspired by myth/tales/rituals

Pájaros de Verano
The Gold-Laden Sheep & the Sacred Mountain
Pattaki
The Last Seven Words

A highly personal story

A volta ao mundo quando tinhas 30 anos
Vulnerable Histories (A Road Movie)
Memories of My Body
Last Night I Saw You Smiling

scenes in the mountains and/or by the sea

Tutto l'oro Che C'è
Above Us Only Sky

alluding to the meaning of images"'

After Images shorts (Gulyabani and TROPICS)

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 Also, not at an idea level but an aesthetic one,  '''I'm drawn to the mountains, seas and remote places...Why? Out of the sublime, the metaphor, the unexpected forms?'''
-From the movies, I see different ways in which images carry weight:
+From the movies, I see different ways in which the image carries weight. In some cases, the image IS the narrative, such as the scene when the word messenger faces gun point in ''Pájaros de Verano''. In others, the image visualises a metaphor, like the woman catching water from all directions with buckets in ''Pattaki''. Sometimes, the image becomes part of a well-written essay. (''Above Us Only Sky'')
-- The images ARE the narrative. (The scene when the word messenger faces gun point in ''Pájaros de Verano''.)
+I also find sound indispensable — often more important than what I see. The sounds can represent a place. In ''Tutto l'oro Che C'è'', the wild track is THE track. The sounds create silence. Examples are the forest in ''Tutto l'oro Che C'è'' and water in ''Pattaki''. In the case of music, it can be the narrative by itself, as seen in ''The Last Seven Words'')
-- The images visualise a metaphor. (The woman catching water from all directions with buckets in ''Pattaki''.)
+Actor-directed films can lead to incredibly tender moments. (''Vulnerable Histories (A Road Movie)'') In this case the director's role is to create a framework to communicate that clearly and foster an environment/crew that lets things happen.
-- The images become part of a well-written essay. (''Above Us Only Sky'')
-I also find sound indispensable — sometimes more important than what I see.
-- The sounds represent a place. In ''Tutto l'oro Che C'è'', the wild track is THE track.
-- The sounds create silence. (Forest in ''Tutto l'oro Che C'è'', water in ''Pattaki''.)
-- The music itself has a narrative. (''The Last Seven Words'')
-Actor-directed films can lead to incredibly tender moments. See Vulnerable Histories (A Road Movie).
 == I must hone this craft ==