Week 3

Window

This feels like it could be the beginning of a Wes Andersen film. I think that means Greenaway achieved his intended goal. The absurdity of each of these situations he is describing is heightened by juxtaposing very straight, square shots of normal-looking country house interiors. It almost lends the events he is describing a humorous quality, as if they couldn’t happen in real life, but maybe in this weird imagined world that looks like ours, they could.

Lost Book Found

I don’t think I have anything to add or analyze about this video. I personally agree with the ideas that it is trying to convey, and I think it does so very effectively. In a case like this, I think acting as a voyeur is appropriate. It is much easier to witness the vapid and soulless nature of a late-capitalist society if you are not a part of it. As mentioned in the video, if you are a participant within this society, the more you are able to comprehend your place and within it and its workings, the less likely you are to empathize and feel proud of the products of that society. Completely removing one’s place within it and looking at it from the outside in could possibly help to bypass that issue.

La Jetée

In the readings, it was mentioned that what made video art different from traditional film making is that it didn't focus on storytelling, screenplay, acting, etc. However, La Jetée is literally just a short film with narration, and instead of moving shots that make up the film, it’s just still pictures. Could this even be considered video art? If one took an existing film, replaced each scene with a single frame from that scene, replaced all the dialogue with narration, then put it all back together, could that end product be considered video art in and of itself? It is something that is very subjective, but almost seems too easy.

One thing I can say, however, is that Richard Kelly definitely watched this when he was writing the script for Donnie Darko.

Ilha das Flores

This video could be considered ahead of its time. The auditory and visual presentation of information in a very rapid and story-like manner before arriving at a conclusion is a format that is very common with YouTubers of today. This video also uses a similar technique as Window, where the presentation of the information is complete opposite in tone of the topic of the information itself. The images and narration of the Holocaust, as well as the children hunting for food through garbage, paired with the non-challance attitude of the narrator, really do a good job highlighting the injustices taking place. Especially when in contrast with the woman making dinner for her family that was shown earlier.