MEMENTO

Memento is a 2000 American neo-noir psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan.  Leonard Shelby, a man with anterograde amnesia, which impairs his ability to store new memories,  has developed a system for recollection using hand-written notes, tattoos, and Polaroid photos. Memento chronicles Leonard, an ex-insurance investigator as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers.

Please write a response considering the narrative structure of the film as well as how it relates to the concepts of a temporal labyrinth. This is to be posted to your blog and be about one page long.

Linear vs. Non Linear Time

Linear Time-  A linear process or development is one in which something changes or progresses straight from one stage to another, and has a starting point and an ending point. 
English Dictionary

In other words, it can be seen as the direct forward relationship of the past turning into the present which turns into the future, all uninterrupted nor meandering. The beginning precedes the middle which precedes the end. Linear progression implies that the process builds off the previous stage in a clear development (it does not circle back!)

One artist to be aware of with this concept is Bill Viola. He works in video often presenting a slowed down perspective of an event. This incremental approach to speed lengthens the duration of the event, offering a fresh opportunity to experience it. Micro rhythms are made visible, a density and tectonic sensibility is given to minute gestures. Below are several links or videos relating to Bill Viola. 

"The Greeting"

Click here to hear Bill Viola talking about "The Greeting" from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

For additional background on Bill Viola, please to listen to an interview- "Cameras are Soul Keepers"

Christian Marclay's "The Clock" is consider a masterpiece about Time. Using disparate clips from movies he organized them into a coherent linear progression of the the time displayed in each scene. Striping the scene of its context and purpose, he backgrounded them to highlight the passage of time on the screen- literally making a clock that ran in sync withe the 24 hour day. 

Please click here to read a New Yorker profile about the artist and the work.

Below is an excerpt of "The Clock"

NON- LINEAR TIME

Presenting non- linear time involves breaking from the single direction of time's arrow. Putting aside the logical progression from point A to point B in time, we break time by rearranging moments, going backwards, repetition, looping, changing durations and speeds and create multiple branch offs or progressions.

 The physical concept of a book is called a codex- a manuscript held together by stitching, essentially an arrangement of pages that reads in one direction. At one point in history these replaced scrolls, tablets, etc. As the nature of information, language, technology change, the format transforms. The examples below of artist books show a clear divergence or challenge to the normal scheme of a book. Its linear time nature is secondary to its physical make up, content is therefore chaotic and irregularly placed.

Artist Book

 Artist Book

Maya Lin

 Maya Lin

Painters have been engaging with time since the mediums inception. Within this frozen image is a world, there is a sequence of elements that we read, possible narratives or non- linear image based content. The sense of the passage can melt away as the viewer looks at a painting. The image could be 'without' time or make us keenly aware of our experience of time. Regardless, the act of looking accesses our time sensibilities and painting can orchestrate our perception of this.

 Di Chirico

DiChirico's paintings offer a sense of time that never changes, a moment that is endless, or a suspension of time.

Neo Rauch

By contrast Neo Rauch's Paintings, while having no narrative, give the sense that all time is happening simultaneously.

 Neo Rauch

Labyrinth with no Walls

Labyrinth-

1.

an intricate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one's way or to reach the exit. Synonyms: maze, network, web.

2.

a maze of paths bordered by high hedges, as in a park or garden, for the amusement of those who search for a way out.

3.

a complicated or tortuous arrangement, as of streets or buildings. Synonyms: warren, maze, jungle, snarl, tangle, knot.

4.

any confusingly intricate state of things or events; a bewildering complex: His papers were lost in an hellish bureaucratic labyrinth. After the death of her daughter, she wandered in a labyrinth of sorrow for what seemed like a decade. Synonyms: wilderness, jungle, forest; morass.

5. ( initial capital letter ) Classical Mythology . a vast maze built in Crete by Daedalus, at the command of King Minos, to house the Minotaur

Jorge Luis Borges -(1899 – 1986) an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. His work embraces the "character of unreality in all literature".^[1] His best-known books, Ficciones (Fictions) and The Aleph (El Aleph), published in the 1940s, are compilations of short stories interconnected by common themes, including dreams, labyrinths, libraries, mirrors, fictional writers, philosophy, and religion.
-Wikipedia

Please read the short story by Borges entitled "Circular Ruins" and "The Library of Babel". Click here to go to the PDF. The story begins on page 214 and 251 respectively. Please compose a short written response to the story considering the concept of a labyrinths (and the numerous forms of a labyrinth in the story).

In addition, consider the story of King Sisyphus from "The Odyssey". As Odysseus enters Hades to consult the blind prophet Tiresius, the first tormented soul he encounters is Sisyphus, punished by the gods for repeatedly tricking them and escaping death/ Hades.

“And I saw Sisyphus at his endless task raising his prodigious stone with both his hands. With hands and feet he' tried to roll it up to the top of the hill, but always, just before he could roll it over on to the other side, its weight would be too much for him, and the pitiless stone would come thundering down again on to the plain” (Homer).

SHOOTING VIDEO

Some things to consider:

Get a closing shot.
Get an establishing shot.
Shoot plenty of video.
Adhere to the “rule of thirds.”
Keep your shots steady.
Follow the action.
Use trucking shots.
Find unusual angles.
Lean forward or backward.
Get wide shots.
Get tight shots.
Shoot matched action.
Get sequences.
Avoid fast pans and snap zooms.
Shoot cutaways.
Don’t break the 180 degree “plane.”
Use lights.
Grab good “bites.”
Get plenty of natural sound.
Plan your shoot.

STORYBOARDS

Storyboards are essentially the blueprint for your video or movie creations. They are a series of sequential art frames in which your story or concept is told. Storyboarding is the foundational stage of the process in which the creative vision is first layed out IN time.  They are more than merely a planning stage (although crucially important!) they give form to the the visual mechanics of video, literally how the scene looks, what type of shot, camera angle, composition and transitions etc. While they have a similarity to comic book frames (whose narrative content is carried out through the frames) their main purpose is to direct the camera, animators or editors etc. It is much more an informational tool than a finished artwork, yet heavily influences what the finished video will look like.

Some examples below may help clarify.

Spiderman

Irk Spector

In these examples above, all frames are the same format, follow chronologically and even contain notes or symbols to assist in planning. It is not imperative to be an excellent draftsmen, only that the information be expressed clearly. Stick figures can get the job done! Each scene should be planned out from beginning to end. This includes the establishing shots, character close ups, truck in or out, pans and transitions. This will be used to aid in your filming, timing, and expression of your content. It is expected that you will not shoot your video in linear format but rather in sections and reconfigured during the editing process.

The following is a presentation of terminology and examples of camera shots.

Example taken from the floobynooby.com

A few things to consider:

Rule of Thirds- basically a compositional awareness. The frame is divided horizontally AND vertically to make 9 boxes. These lines demarcate the location the eye natural tends to focus on. It also serves as a quick way to consider the positive and negative space in the composition.

The 180 Degree Rule (Line of Action)- When showing a character, the filmmaker must consider how the viewer identifies this character through vantage point. Simply consider the the left and right side of the character each consisting of 180 degrees of the full 360. If we view the character from the left side, we would be confused, if immediately following, we were then presented with the character from the right side. We can show the character from any angle within those 180 degrees in different shots or close ups etc, without confusion. Breaking that 180 degree plane and crossing over MUST be shown or the viewer is lost.

For homework, I am expecting you to collaborate with your partner to create the storyboards for your documentary. This should address the issues mentioned above and aid in the planning and execution of the filming/ editing. Fully rendered storyboards are to be presented (one per partnership) at next class.

DOCUMENTARY 101

Considering you are about to embark on making a documentary, the following is a short but succinct documentary on time and setting it properly. Click here to view the short documentary on "Where Does Time Come From."

As we begin the process of creating a documentary, it is important to understand the scope of the project and breaking it down into manageable parts.

Below is a short starter list of things to plan and be aware of:

1- Create a Statement or Treatment .
         This must address-  What the theme/ or question is?
                                         What is your perspective of this theme?
                                        What is your vision?
                                         Background research, aesthetic content…

2-Create a list of Priority Elements in the documentary
          This should include opening, context of theme, interviews, supporting information, moment of culmination and ending.

3- Make a list of video shots needed
           This must include establishing shots, environmental background shots, close-ups, transition shots, visual textures, etc.

4- Storyboard
           Storyboards should be made for all Priority Shots. They provide a sketch of all the camera angles, close ups, transitions, setting shots, interviews, etc all in order. It serves as organization to the video process.

5- Schedule
          Planning is important, to maximize our limited time organization will be key. This should include video shots, coordinating actors/ interviews, editing, etc.

6- Prep all questions or dialogue
          Preparation and focus are instrumental in obtaining good footage for the documentary. If there is an interview, plan the questions to illuminate the theme accordingly.


Please write a blog post about your Statement. It should include or address the issues mentioned above, namely #1 -3 plus a working title for the documentary.

The Fictional Documentary

A documentary film is a nonfictional motion picture intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record

-Wikipedia

Ken Burns is a documenatry filmmaker creating works about aspects of American Culture and history, most notably "The Civil War", "Baseball" and "Jazz". He is associated with the editing style that favors panning over still photographs with interviews and voice actors complimented with direct interviews of historians etc. In all his films, there is ample amounts of verifiable information- witness accounts, newspaper articles, historical research, etc. His organization of all these elements lends to an informative educational experience.

Click here to view a small portion of Ken Burns' documentary "The Civil War".

In contrast, there are many documentaries that stray toward the edge of believability. Namely the documentaries alleging the existence of mythic creatures (Big Foot, Loch Ness Monster etc.) These works clearly are not intentionally comical but stem from the filmmakers true urge to explore or capture evidence. While the subject often remains elusive, the actual process of the search lends credibility to the film.

The Monster of Loch Ness Documentary

HOMEWORK:

Please view Banksy's "Exit through the Gift Shop". On your blog write a post of about three paragraphs analyzing the work and consider these issues- 

Which elements are believable? (Specific examples)

Which elements are not believable? (Specific examples)

What is the morale/ purpose of this fictional documentary?

Additionally, after meeting with your partner and briefly discussing your collaboration, for homework brainstorm 5 ideas for the fictional documentary topic. Bring to class on Wednesday so we may review in partners.