Event #3: Metaphors on Vision

On Saturday, April 14th, I attended the film Metaphors on Vision with my roommate at the Hammer Museum.  Figure 1 shows the ticket I needed to get inside the theater. Since I did not research the screening too much beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised to find the show was about archived films that were brought back to life. The films were black and white as well as silent, both of which I had never seen at a theater before. The presenters before the screening mentioned that what made Stan Brackage influential was his adaptation of 8mm film in making his videos more raw [1,2]. He captured different aspects of his life with this type of filming which he eventually compiled in Songs.

Figure 1: Ticket to Songs showing

This event related very directly to the portion of the class that discussed robotics and art. Through his extensive use of the 8mm filming technology, Bracken realized that how he utilized the technology around him would influence the type and quality of art he could convey to the world [3]. Since this technology was not as refined as that which was being used in Hollywood at the time, he could give the world a more unfiltered presentation of his life. This was very much represented with Song I, where the grainy quality of the videos gave a more intimate look into his wife's life. In this sense, technology can be used as a way of expression for an artist.

Figure 2: Inside Billy Wilder theater

Watching the films inside the Billy Wilder theater (Figure 2,3), I realized how humble and down to Earth the whole montage was. The films didn't have any flashy colors or dramatic music in the background to accentuate the scenes. Instead, they featured everyday aspects of his life like his wife sitting down and looking out the window or just strolling through the garden. It made me reflect on whether film was ever as simple as that which I sat in for. Such type of film captured more of what most people's everyday lives are like unlike the high-flying action movies that tend to gross millions of dollars these days. The films were more representative of what most people experience and the reason why he was able to achieve this sense was from the type of filmography he used. The 8mm eliminated the sharp edges and beautiful colors that were known to catch most people's attention during his time and offered a more simple view into one's life. As such, he had ownership of the type of feel one would get from watching Songs by simply choosing what kind of filmography he would use to convey his message.

Figure 3: Me at the Billy Wilder theater

Overall, it was a nice change from typical cinema. I would highly recommend this event to other students because it will give them a better idea of the different types of filming around and how the quality of the video can influence the message the artist is trying to convey. It was also a really cool experience to see a silent and black and white film for the first time!

Link to event: https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2018/04/13/metaphors-on-vision

Sources:

1. “Super 8 Mm Film History.” Loading Site Please Wait..., www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/production/spotlight_on_super_8/super_8mm_history/index.htm.
2. Link, Adrianna. “The Summer of Super 8: A Look at the Film's Technological Origins.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 16 June 2011, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/the-summer-of-super-8-a-look-at-the-films-technological-origins/240219/.
3. “8mm Film History: A Cheaper Film Format for the Great Depression.” Click·Scan·Share Photo Scanning & Video Transfer to DVD, www.clickscanshare.com/snapshots/8mm-film-history-a-cheaper-film-format-for-the-great-depression.