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The Essays of Cinema
Originally Posted by My Website
It was Michel de Montaigne who came up with the essay, and many have forgotten its original French intent, which is “to try” or “an attempt”. However, in the context of “The Essays of Cinema,” we are “trying” and “attempting” new forms of cinema for clarification. How does one bring about these new forms into being. As I have mentioned in the past, we begin to blend, but how?
Take this example:
Strunk and White’s book can be seen as a Bible for those who want a mastery of the form of the English language. However, when we are speaking in terms of how to build form of the cinematic language. We may need to take these forms of literature and translate them into cinematic context. This is how “Blank Verse” was created. But it doesn’t stop there.
The lexicon of every single outside form must be translated if film is to gain new forms outside, and coming within, itself. Take a Dewey Decimal Classification number, any will do, analyze its language, and exploit its language to film. This ultimately expands the very nature of film, allowing it to be a more complete art.
The “Essays” of Cinema are just that. “Trying” and “Attempting” to be a more complete and robust art form than it’s predecessors. Though cinema will never be a complete form, it must merge with all forms, therefore this notion of “incomplete” form renders it not at a disadvantage… but at a great advantage.
Take this example:
Strunk and White’s book can be seen as a Bible for those who want a mastery of the form of the English language. However, when we are speaking in terms of how to build form of the cinematic language. We may need to take these forms of literature and translate them into cinematic context. This is how “Blank Verse” was created. But it doesn’t stop there.
The lexicon of every single outside form must be translated if film is to gain new forms outside, and coming within, itself. Take a Dewey Decimal Classification number, any will do, analyze its language, and exploit its language to film. This ultimately expands the very nature of film, allowing it to be a more complete art.
The “Essays” of Cinema are just that. “Trying” and “Attempting” to be a more complete and robust art form than it’s predecessors. Though cinema will never be a complete form, it must merge with all forms, therefore this notion of “incomplete” form renders it not at a disadvantage… but at a great advantage.
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Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'Green'?
-Stan Brakhage
Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'Green'?
-Stan Brakhage