A Walk
This might be different in tone from some of my other short films -- it's simpler, and there are fewer objects attempting to draw your attention; you are on the walk just like the individual whose perspective you're offered in viewing "A Walk."
"There is no place that is not haunted by many different spirits hidden there in silence, spirits one can invoke or not," (De Certau, 108). Both narratives provide access to the perspective of one of these spirits, and they are simple -- they border on ineffectual, however, their juxtaposition creates an effect that is ultimately beyond the simple, quantifiable combination of the two works.
"Only the restrooms offer an escape from the closed system," (De Certau, 111). These brief snapshots into a life, or lives, do not offer escape, they offer enhancement only. The terror of the real, of being anything other than oneself must be challenged, and "A Walk" offers that challenge, in a perfect simulation of the real -- the indeterminate lives of others, the animation that encompasses us all, the speech and motion patterns that may not be are own but are certainly shared among us.
"A Walk" is not real -- the footage is old, passed, and the story is even older. The idea that one would actually be able to live "A Walk" is ridiculous; however, it is necessarily possible that one would be able to consider the lives of those involved in "A Walk" and, possibly, forget their own.
The combination of the audio and visual work really well together. Without the audio, the visual might seem kind of aimless, and without the visual, the audio wouldn't have such a mysterious quality. Knowing that the audio is a journal entry you wrote also adds another layer to the film. Something about having a robotic voice instead of a real person reading the piece distorts the piece in an interesting way and gives it a somewhat dystopian feel. I think that's why having the voice drop an F Bomb is so jarring and funny. Swearing is a very human way of expressing oneself. Anyway, nice job!
ReplyDeletei often find myself feeling too 'behind-the-scenes' with your projects to make worthwhile comments, but luckily, i misheard what you were doing:
ReplyDeletethe speech and the video could very well each stand alone and have value. however, when put together, connections are immediately drawn that cannot exist when separated. the story and cemetery both take on new possible meanings (who is speaking? are they the ones in the graves? does the narrator know the people buried here? when did that happen? is this a parable? am i dead? are we all dead?)
it is rich in provoking thought and it is compelling to experience