Tuesday

Genius Of Moving Image 3 Questions & Answers

ortishead video – Only You
Bjork – All is full of love

Then Making All is full of love featuring interviews with Bjork and Chris Cunningham.


How did Bjork and Chris collaborate on the All is full of love video?
- Bjork originally gave Chris Cunningham a specific concept requirement for the feel and the look of the video, then after showing her the storyboard idea Chris did the production process himself before the end so she could see the results before the release.

What techniques were used on the portishead video to create the unusual slow motion effects?
- To create the ‘Other Worldly’ look of the video, the actors and musician were shot in water tanks, it was in post-production when the careful process of removing the air bubbles took place. Then the footage was taken into the shot of the ‘dark alley’.

What other music video directors have gone on to direct feature films? Name two and the feature films they have made.
- Film Director and producer Michael Bay had worked at ‘Propaganda Films’ directing commercials and music videos, Bay’s success in music video’s gained a lot of attention which eventually led to him directing his first feature film ‘Bad Boys’ and went onto becoming a famous director with well known feature films like ‘Transformers’ and ‘Armageddon’.

Another music director is David Fincher, who was set on a directing career also joined the video production company ‘Propaganda Films’ ,and started off directing music videos and commercials which also led to his feature Debut 'Alien 3' and other successful movies such as ‘The Panic Room’ and The’ Social Network’.

Which famous sci-fi film did Chris Cunningham’s work on before he became a director?
- Chris Cunningham had worked on the film A.I. before leaving to pursue a career as a director working under the name, Chris Halls.

What makes his work different or original compared to other similar directors?
- I believe his background in the film industry as a special effects artist gives him an option on things when it comes to creating ideas, he said that after being in the industry he wanted to improve on his drawing which led to graphic novels which came useful when creating storyboards and planning. The most major quality that he has is that he creates his visual imagery from listening to the music rather than the other way of approaching the music with a fresh new idea.

Genius Of Moving Image 2 Questions & Answers

What is the role of the cinematographer in film making?
- A cinematographer is a visual psychiatrist, moving in the audience through a movie from here to there and so forth making you as ‘the viewer’ to think the way a cinematographer wants you to think. Where it tells you as the viewer where to look through the control and understanding of light, to compose and create movement these are the 3 elements of cinematography. The cinematographer is the author of light in the film and how it takes part in the story. Where you delve deep into the it, and become part of your subconscious to help develop an idea of how you visually represent a story

Why did director Roman Polanski insist on using hand held camera in the film Chinatown?
- Polanski used a hand- held camera to shoot the film because it created an intimate and spur-of-the-moment response from the actors. With hand held he was able to get shots that would have had to be done on stages and moving walls. The extreme closeness of the camera towards the actors provides the viewer with an intense voyeurism perspective which was the intended response from Polanski.

Name two films which use colour in a very symbolic way, and describe what they suggest.
- 1. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - It differentiates the two universes as Dorothy’s world is shot in black and white where as the world of Oz is shot in Technicolor. It shows major contrast between the two worlds and with this transition the world of color it became an unreal world, a happy place, a fantasy and in that sense Kansas became more real for Dorothy. Color conveys subjective states of perception or time, the metaphors of the everyday human world versus idealized worlds are not consistent.

2. Blue Velvet (1986)- Light had contributed a lot to the story, and the theme of the film was the idea of a polarized world, this theme is especially evident throughout the film which utilizes shadowy and dark cinematography portrayed in the film, to depict some of the unseen aspects lurching behind the Utopic façade of the town. The use of color imagery throughout the film helps evoke the fakeness conveyed by the suburban town that it is in fact a wonderful place to live without a dark side.

In the film Raging Bull why was the fight scene filmed at different speeds?
- By using different frame speeds in the fight scene the director was able to control the audience’s emotions towards the film drawing their feelings at a pace intended. The fight was filmed in real time which kept a pace to the action but the ‘over- crank’ side of ring shots were filmed in a much slower and dramatic way, drawing you into the role of the character by stepping into the characters shoes before being flung back into the action.

Who is the cinematographer for the film Apocalypse Now, and what is his philosophy?
-Vittorio Storara is the cinematographer for the film Apocalypse Now; he believes cinematography is a ‘community’ art not an art form. Unlike photography which he believes is a to be a ‘single’ art form like a painting or writing, his idea of working with light is that it is a group effort with the director leading the way.

Genius Of Moving Image 1 Questions & Answers

List two specific key relationships between Sam Taylor Wood's photography and film work?
- Sam Taylor Wood's photography and film work, both consists of people and emotions. They also both show a sense of narrative within the piece of work.

How does the use of multi-screen installation in her work reflect narrative?
- The use of multi-screen installation in her work reflects narrative in an unusual way. The narrative lets the audience piece together their own story, rather than just having one story-narrative being told to them.

What other photographers use film as an integral part of their work. List two examples?
- Gregory Crewdson was an American photographer who makes images in small town America, he is best known for elaborately staged scenes which are quite dramatic and cinematic, although his work doesn’t consist of moving image, his photographs filmic settings that feature often disturbing but surreal events. Another photographer who recently integrates film as part of his work is my favorite Fashion photographer Tim Walker; he brings all the fancy and intricate scene-making so fundamental to his renowned fashion photography. His first short film‘The Lost Explorer’ is an exception to his creative work.

Research three other Video artists and explain their working philosophy
- . Tim Burton an American filmmaker and artist, is famous for his dark, quirky themed movies such as Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate factory and Alice in Wonderland. Burton’s work is expressed through artistic visualization which he had discovered in his childhood, through his sketches and photographs Burton brought together all forms of art and cinematic ephemera to his films. His strength lies in his unique style of thematic fantasy life and emotional core that is captured in his work, it creates a sense of feeling of being in a dreamscape or in someone’ s mind is his visual theory that is integrated in his work.

2. Another filmmaker is James Cameron, who from early childhood had a huge interest in science fiction stories and fantasized about the making of motion pictures. This is what his main focus to the day is. He integrated his interests of science and art into his work which makes his work unique and effective, his films create a sense of a dreamscape of a world that revolves around science fiction, and his films like Terminator, Titanic and Avatar explore his unique interest.
‘I love the idea of being in another world and anything that transports me to another world is what I’m interested in’- (James Cameron).

3. Guillermo Del Toro is a director, producer, novelist, screenwriter and designer. He is best known for his creative fims such as Hellboy and Blade, his films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy and war. He has always had persistant interest in fantasy and drawing monsters from his imagination. He has made action hero comic book adaptation to historical fantasy and horror films. His interpretations of mythological creatures and monsters is higly influenced within his films he believes monsters have multiple values and how you use them determines how they are portrayed as symbols of great power. He believes that all creatures, like angels and demons, vampires etc are characters that are living breathing metaphors which he has created from his own personal beliefs and values on life and religion.
As a screenwriter Toro beleives that 50 percent of narrative is the audio/visual storytelling, screenplay is the basis of it all but doesn't tell the movie it tells the story but doesn't tell the movie it tells the story but doesn't tell the whole movie. A lot of the narrative is in the details.


Show an example of a specific gallery space or a specific site location where a video artist or film maker has created work, specifically for that space and been influenced by it.
- One example of this specific type location is Alnwick Castle, it has been used in number of film and tv programs including the book adaptation films of Harry Potter by author J.K. Rowling and producer David Heyman. It is probably best known as being the location of Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The exterior of the castle is used for the exterior of Hogwarts shots, the famous Quidditch match and the broomstick lessons is set within the ramparts portrayed in scenes from the harry potter movies. It has also been used for other featured productions such as Elizabeth Taylor and Robin Hood the Prince of Thieves. It's an imposing place and can help you imagine the area around to be considered the famous town of Hogsmeade.

Saturday

Genius Of Photography 6 Questions & Answers

How many photographs are taken in a year?
- Billians! 80 billion hotographic images will be taken this year alone. Today photography is not only worth bidding for it’s worth fighting for and faking for.

What is Gregory Crewdsons modus operandi?
- It looks like a movie, sounds like a movie and smells like a movie but it isn’t. All of this activity is to make a single photograph, by Gregory Crewdson. Crewdson has a production team on each shoot, these include cinematic lighting to create one single perfect moment, and also has his own camera operator and director of photography. He has a strange disconnection to photography. Gregory Crewdson doesn’t like holding a camera and doesn’t actually take the photograph. Crewdson is interested in images and believes that a camera is one of his instruments to capture the image. Over an eleven day shoot, in a variety of locations, Crewdson's team, made a series of multiple exposures which were digitally combined to make 6 final images. Crewdson produced an addition of 6 final prints of each image priced at approximately 60 thousand dollars.

Which prints command the highest price & what are they called?
- The most expensive prints are called 'vintage prints'. These prints are ones made by the photographers themselves, close to the time the photograph was taken. The most Expensive to date is by Edward Steichen, taken in 1904 called 'The Pond - Moonlight' it at Sotheby's Auction House for £2.6 million.

What is a Fake photograph? Give an example and explain how & why it is fake.
- A 'Fake photograph' is print from the negative, printed by someone other than the original photographer that captured the image. One example of a 'Fake photograph' is when Peter McGill purchased a print of 'The Power House Mechanic' which he was told was one of two prints. He then saw for sale numerous of prints of this photograph that all looked the same. Collector Michael Mattis, has also bought a copy of 'The Power House Mechanic'. Being a physical theriosist, he was confidence science could get to the bottom of it. Mattis found that in 1955 certain chemicals were put into photographic paper. These chemicals were called OBA’s and were not present in the original 1940's prints. The photographers assistant, Walter Rosenblum admitted to turing out the 'Fake photographs' to profit fro the market demands.

Who is Li Zhensheng and what is he famous for?
- Li Zhensheng was a red army news soldier, a photo journalist who in the 1960’s and early 70’s found himself covering the Cultural Revolution. These images of communist China made him famous.

What is the photographers "holy of holies"?
- The photographers "holy of holies" are a collection of the most famous, leading photographers, working for Magnum photo agency. These "holy of holies" included such photographers as Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier Bresson. Martin Parr applied to join the prestigious photojournalism agency but Parr’s work was very different to Magnum. His photos have been said to be meaningless. photographers but Parr had to battle long and hard to bring his distinctive brand of photography into photojournalism’s "holy of holies".

How does Ben Lewis see Jeff Walls photography?
- Ben Lewis thinks that Jeff Wall didn’t really invent photography but he took photography back to the 19th century to painting where everything is creative, the people, the light everything is constructed for a meaning. He fed in a lot of contemporary theoretical concerns. Concerns about genders- how men and women look at each other and about racial stereo-typing.

Which famous photograph was taken by “Frank Mustard”?
- The famous photograph, taken by Frank Mustard was called 'River Scene, France'. Camille Silvy, french photographer, set up the shot and manipulated it to a revolutionary 19th century level, but did not take the photograph himself.

Genius Of Photography 5 Questions & Answers

Who said “ The camera gave me the license to strip away what you want people to know about you, to reveal what you can’t help people knowing about you”, and when was it said?
- Diane Arbus said this statement in the early 60's. Arbus spoke openly about photography’s power, to both steal and exploit other people’s faces and lives.

Do photographers tend to prey on vulnerable people?
- I dont think that photographers prey on vulnerable people. Photographers look for interesting subjects, and sometimes these subjects can/could be seen as vulnerable people or people with a state of difference about them. These people and subjects are being exposed by the photographer and the camera.

Who is Colin Wood?
- Colin Wood was one of Diane Arbus's subjects. He was photographed by her in 1962, when he was seven years old. Colin Wood is in a few of Arbus's photographs taken in Central Park, NYC.

Why do you think Diane Arbus committed suicide?
- I think that Diane Arbus committed suicide because she became to emotionally involved with her own work. For example her she said "Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot,..." this made her feel like she was exposing vulnerable people to the world.

Why and how did Larry Clark shoot “Tulsa”?
- Tulsa is a collection of prints which were made into a book in 1971. Larry Clark photographed his own life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hence the name of the book. His life contained sex, crime, violence and hard drugs. These factors made this series of photographs become a personal and confessional diary, which became very commercial and very saleable.

Try to explain the concept of “confessional photography”, and what is the “impolite genre”?
- “confessional photography” is a style of photography that deals with capturing everyday life. This can be seen as unimportant but is vital for keeping a record of life in various different periods. The “impolite genre” is what we would today give an 18 age calcification. This “impolite genre” deals with violence, drugs, sex and intimate scenes and can be viewed as shocking and disturbing, but just show another side to humanity.

What will Araki not photograph, and why?
- Araki was a Japanese photographer who was known for shooting new levels of intimacy. Araki was a promiscuous photographer, who photographed everything and everyone. There was nothing he would not photograph. He says that photographs help him to remember and that he now, only likes to photograph things that he wants to remember.

What is the premise of Postmodernism?
- The premise of Postmodernism is that we now live in a media saturated society and everywhere we go we see numerous adverts and media imagery. In the post modernist analysis, you cant just take a portrait anymore as imagery, such as logo's on clothes portray other messages to an audience. An early example of this is by Cindy Sherman. Sherman photographed herself in various costumes and uniforms. This completely takes away her(the sitters) identity, This captured something of the current times, though it art it could be there to serve another purpose, such as for advertisement purposes.

Genius Of Photography 4 Questions & Answers

Why did Garry Winogrand take photographs?
- Garry Winogrand took photographs to see what the world looked like photographed.

Why did "citizens evolve from blurs to solid flesh"?
- Citizens evolve from blurs to solid flesh because as camera technology evolved, shorter exposer times became possible. This allowed photographers to capture moving people in a street, whilst still being in focus.

What was/is the "much misunderstood theory"?
- Henri Cartier Bresson’s "much misunderstood theory" was the decisive moment of photography.

Who was the godfather of street photography in the USA?
- Gary Winogrand is considered as the godfather of street photography in the USA.

Who was Paul Martin and what did he do?
- Paul Martin was a 19th century, British photographer. In 1896 he went to Great Yarmouth seaside, he used a camera which he disguised as a brown paper parcel. He photographed victorian people at the seaside, to show the magic of the beach at work.

Who said "When I was growing up photographers were either nerds or pornographers"?
- Photographer Ed Ruscha said this statement.

Why does William Eggleston photograph in colour?
- William Eggleston photographs in colour as he believes that it is more democratic. He is at war with obvious. He got colour prints recognised as art. Primary and secondary colours are very dominant in Egglestons photographs. The colour in his work gives it a bold new meaning, whist still being considered as art.

What is William Eggleston about?
- William Eggleston is about "photographing life today".

Genius Of Photography 3 Questions & Answers

What is described as “One of the most familiar concepts in photography”?
- One of the most familiar concepts in photography is "the Decisive moment" the pivotal point or moment when your capture your image.

Should you trust a photograph? (1.38m G3)
- Philosopher Arthur C. Danto says. "It was probably a huge mistake from the beginning"

What was revolutionary about the Leica in 1925?
- The Leica camera was made in Germany and was revolutionary as it was compact, quiet and with the latest lens technology it gave birth to a whole new style of instant photography.

What did George Bernard Shaw say about all the paintings of Christ?
- George Bernard Shaw said that he would give all the paintings of Christ for one single snapshot.

Why were Tony Vaccaros’ negatives destroyed by the army censors?
- Tony Vaccaros’ negatives were destroyed by the army censors because they contained images of dead GI's, decisive moments that the army believed the world were not yet ready to accept.

Who was Henryk Ross and what was his job?
- Henryk Ross was born on the 1st May 1910 and dies in 1991. He was a Polish Jewish photographer and was forces to documented Nazi production of goods and the inhabitants on the ghetto. Thought he did not have control of what he photographed, but he did have control over how he photographed the subject, using lighting to his advantage.

Which show was a “sticking plaster for the wounds of the war”, how many people saw it and what “cliché” did it end on?
- “sticking plaster for the wounds of the war” This phrase came from show ‘The Family Of Man’. The show had an audience of over nine million by 1964. The show concluded with a photograph, which was a ‘cliché’ at the time. It was taken by William Eugene Smith and was of his children walking down his garden into the light. It was a ‘cliché’ about it being their sentimental journey through life.

Why did Joel Meyerowitz photograph ground zero in colour?
- Joel Meyerowitz photographed the whole thing in colour as he thought that in black and white it would be, to keep it as a tragedy. He wanted to show the all of the destruction and uses colour to do so.

Genius Of Photography 2 Questions & Answers

What are Typologies?
- Typologies are sequences of photographs that share one unique theme and focus on one subject, much like a photographic genre.

What was "The Face of the Times"?
- "The Face of the Times" was a selection of portraits published by August Sander in 1929.

Which magazine did Rodchenko design?
- Alexander Rodchenko designed the magazine ‘USSR in Construction’, which was a collaboration of photomontages.

What is a photo-montage?
- A photo-montage is a collection of photographs that are pasted together, like a collage to construct one image. This process can be used to tell a story of and show different angles and aspects of a subject.

Why did Eugene Atget use albumen prints in the 1920’s?
- Eugene Atget used albumen prints, as he did not know how to use the modern techniques and printing processes, of the time.

What is solarisation and how was it discovered?
- Solarisation is a photographic technique where the negative is reversed in tone. The darks are now light and the light parts are now dark. The final images look strange and people seem to look like metallic and more two-dimensional. This techneqiue was discovered by Man Ray in the late 1920's.

What was the relationship between Bernice Abbott and Eugene Atget?
- Bernice Abbott was Eugene Atget's photographic assistant. she became the largest collector of Atget's work. She purchased 5000 of Atget's negatives and took them to America, where she promoted and publicised Eugene Atget's work.

Why was Walker Evans fired from the FSA?
- Walker Evans was fired from the FSA because he could not make his personal vision of documentary photography, conform to that of the propaganda requirements of the FSA's in 1937.

Genius Of Photography 1 Questions & Answers

What is photography's "true genius"?
- Photography’s has delighted us, moved us but it has mainly intrigued us by showing the secret strangeness that lies between the world of appearances. The "true genius" of photography is showing the audience the true limits and multiple uses of photography.

Name a proto-photographer.
- Henry Fox Talbot

In the 19th century, what term was associated with the daguerreotype?
- "A mirror with a memory" - In this process light is reflected back through an image.

What is the vernacular?
- The vernacular is a genre of photography which contains; scientific, forensic and journalistic photography, among others to document life. Vernacular photographers looked at the future uses of photography, exploring its limits and uses. This genre on vernacular photography was not considered as art at the time, even know this photojournalism could be viewed as art as it was communicating to an audience. Another impact was from 'Kodak' producing cheap cameras, film and so that photography was available to anyone who wanted to try it. This resulted in people documenting all aspects of life, from family holidays to news stories, allowing people to capture a moment of time.

How do you "fix the shadows"?
- The shadows could be fixed by using a mirrored metal, called a daguerreotype. This creates a one off image , like a polaroid. The finished image is the plate of the camera(obscura). The daguerreotype was developed by Louis De Geer. Photographers "fix the shadows" by stoping the image, whilst exposing it and used certain chemicals to do so.

What is the "carte de visite"?
- The "carte de visite" is a type of photography. It was patterned by French man, Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Diseri in November 1854. As the subject stood for their portrait you were photographed eight times in a rapid sequence by a camera with eight separate lenses. This meant that you could have eight small sizes photographs with various poses in a short frame of time. 1OOO's of these photos were sent between the US, UK and around the world.

Who was Nadar and why was he so successful?
- Nadar was a French artist, he was know for his natural portraits of famous people. He was also well know for his law-suit with his brother over the use of their company name 'Nadar'.

What is pictorialism?
- Pictorialism was an era of photography thaw was mean, moody and at its most po-faced. These photographers were looking at the past, unlike vernacular photographers. They were against candid photography and their images resembled artistic paintings of the era.