Nicholas Dease: Exploring Film Technique

Like any true art form, film is a medium that communicates meaning and value. Instead of paint or prose, however, it is a sequence of images alongside music and dialogue. These three diverse elements, when synched together, allow the audience to participate in a coherent experience that is custom tailored according to a director's vision. To this extent, a film may function similar to a novel with the exception that there is more control allotted to the director, as a film forces the viewer to come to terms with the reality being shown rather than building it in their mind's eye.

The tools with which a director crafts this experience or reality are myriad. The way an object is framed, its color saturation, and angle from which it is viewed are few of the many possible variations that affect the way one interprets the meaning of a situation. For example, a camera looking up from a low perspective will make whatever it is recording to appear gargantuan in comparison to the viewer. In stark contrast, when fixating on an object below from a high perspective, the resulting image allows the viewer to feel tall looking down. This subtle difference in camera location provides two significantly different feelings to be produced in the viewer. Additionally, objects which have an established symbolic meaning may be integrated into the narrative of a film to intensify a situation. Similar to methods incorporated in literature, visual symbols may create additional layers of meaning to an already significant situation. Animation provides a third outlet, the likes of which allow a director even more freedom than any other as they are not limited to the use of real-world objects and people. Instead, symbol, narrative, and form may be pushed beyond all limits. It's absolute freedom of expression.

Bunny: Unlike all the other clips we viewed in class, Bunny was exceptionally direct—like a visual haiku. Stripping itself of dialogue, the film focused on distinct visual imagery and symbolism which was accented by dynamic, sometimes unreal, cinematography. To put it bluntly, the film was solely concerned with illustrating the concept of death and how one cannot escape it. To that extent, it is something of a “momento more.” What makes it so interesting, however, is the subtle symbolism of the oven as transformer and the moth as harbinger of death. The allegory played out through the interaction between the bunny and moth significantly enhances the symbolism.

NorthFork: What I found so fascinating about Northfork was the subtlety of its overt symbolism. While that may sound like a contradictory statement, it is the only way I can describe the experience. One clear example is the scene with the priest giving his sermon, which illustrates a clash of the profane church architecture with the sacred expanse of beautiful nature behind. Instantly, the audience perceives the scene to be other-worldly but the actors conduct themselves as if it were any old church. The juxtaposition of the coffins on cars, which represent the transitory nature of humans, to the mountain-range, which represents the permanence of nature is also a subtle, but overt message.

Paris, Texas: This film, which fundamentally focuses on the theme of alienation, utilizes compositional elements as well as symbols to drive home the main character's inability to connect with others. Roads, power-lines, and planes are few of the many symbols of communication that follow travis on his journey. Throughout most of it, he rejects, or walks against these methods. What's particularly interesting about his journey is the pacing. A man of few words, Travis's journey on foot is silent and takes up a significant proportion of film. This slow and contemplative progression of scenery adds significantly to the running theme of isolation. At the end of the film, when he finally confronts his wife, the physical separation between glass as well as their reflections further enhance the theme.

Cabeza de Vaca:
Two areas where Cabeza de Vaca shines are in symbolism and pacing. The scene when deVaca performed a resurrection similar to Jesus's resurrection of lazarus illustrates the striking symbolism. Serving as an allusion to the biblical text, the scene portrays deVaca in the standard form of Jesus on the cross which creates an additional layer of significance. In the same scene, the pacing or progression of the act added to the meaning as well. The resurrection was performed slowly and deVaca spoke in foreign, almost primal, chanting. By taking spending so much time chanting in this scene, there is an inherent anticipation that is automatically raised in the audience. Additionally, the strange nature of the chants make the act appear all the more mystical.

The Wall:
Overall, the imagery in The Wall combined with the philosophical lyrics allows the audience to perceive abstract ideas that are literally illustrated. The scene playing “Goodbye Blue Sky” exemplifies this artistic freedom wherein it communicates a smooth stream of visual symbols to the viewer that indicates a singular conclusion—namely, that war is a meaningless sacrifice. It begins with a dove, a common symbol of peace which morphs into a hawk of war. The hawk swoops in and snatches up a city leaving behind only a pool of blood. This harsh imagery alone symbolizes that war comes quickly and leaves pain and suffering. Later, a British flag is seen falling apart resulting in a white cross covered in blood. The blood proceeds to stream off into a nearby gutter. The visual imagery here suggests that the Flag, which signifies patriotism, is a facade for the sacrifice of the soldiers. The blood represents this sacrifice going “down the drain,” reiterating that their death was pointless. This type of cohesive cinematography would be extraordinarily difficult to capture using real-world objects but animation provides a fast, yet powerful medium. Pink being represented as a rag doll, his teacher as a puppet, and the students on the “no more individuality” assembly line are other great examples of the literal illustration of abstract themes.

Andrew Presing: Exploring Film Technique

Bunny:
In the short animated film Bunny, the experience was a lot more powerful than what I had assumed it would be. I thought there would be a more child-oriented vibe from the piece but I was surprised to find it holding emotion and depth. The first thing to stand out was the lack of a voice, which was one of the most powerful ways to communicate the message. The rabbit is widowed and alone and it makes sense to me that she would remain silent. The moth and it's representation of the husband who has passed was also a surprising symbol to discover. At first the moth is nothing but a nuisance and is seen as a negative event, as the story continues the moth gains more and more value as we learn who it represents. The traveling through the oven into the "next realm" was a great representation of passing into the afterlife and was a visual pleasure to experience.

Northfork:
I found that, like Bunny and it's lack of a voice, Northfork was another film that had a lot of powerful imagery that expressed the messages of the film very well. The tall mountains that stood so concrete and unwavering and the vast expansive land that the people lived on were the immediate things that I noticed. The church scene in particular was a new experience because of the lack of a back wall to the structure, allowing for the vast beauty of the land to be surrealistically exposed to the congregation. This image immediately allowed me to make the connection between the unimaginable might of the divine power and nature. Although the people may lead hectic lives and will come and go, the immortal life of the divine lives on forever especially through nature.

Paris, Texas:
The imagery of Paris, Texas conveyed the disconnection from communication by using common methods of communication as symbols. The first scene shows the land and natural rock formations towering around Travis. As Travis continues on his path he also continues deeper into society and the world of modern communication. Once again, the lack of much voice or narrative is used with Travis in the beginning of the movie which inferred that something serious or peculiar had happened to Travis, this pulled upon my interest. Later in the movie, the scene where Travis' face appears over the face of Jane, was a unique visual experience for me. The use of the one-way mirror provided intense and emotional scenes that seemed very creative and successful in creating the emotion.

Pink Floyd:
This film in particular had a very strong emotional and visual feel to it. The imagery was completely surreal in its ever-morphing style. The animations were actually quite entertaining to watch and I felt that they did a good job at not holding back. The representation of war through the animations provided a dark and terrifying view into the world of war. The sense of evil, waste, and death was very present. The scenes on education stood out to me the most and the message of people losing their individuality was expressed in a way that I had yet to see in such viciousness. The judge was, of course, one of the more obvious and slightly humorous sides of the animations but still allowed for the viewer to relate to the stance against the judge.

Cabeza de Vaca:
The environment in Cabeza de Vaca is what first stood out to me, followed closely by the way the people looked. The landscape came off as harsh and unforgiving. The relationship between nature and god is something that I kept thinking of. The people in the film were also a visual experience. Covered in dust and dirt and having an almost ragged appearance, the people were very primitive. The scene where the girl is brought back to life left me with a lot of questions such as why was the girl deceased in the first place? Is this a common practice for this tribe? Why do some seem unphased by the miracle compared to others? I really enjoyed the scene where Cabeza de Vaca confronts his own people and asks them if where they stand is indeed Spain. His experiences make him resist his past and he is confrontational with the Spaniard, expressing his new views from what he has learned along his journey.

Michelle Breland: Exploring Film Technique

Bunny
The short film, Bunny, is about love, death and dying, as the film follows an elderly rabbit on the night that she passes away. It attempts to show us what happens when we die and leaves enough breathing room for the audience to raise their own questions about the afterlife. Bunny touches on such a grim and mysterious subject matter (death) but is somehow able to simplify it through the colorful, child-like form of animation. Because there are no words throughout the film, the symbolism is very striking. The moth going towards the light represents an angel trying to lead bunny to the afterlife; the oven represents the vehicle to the afterlife; etc.

Northfork
This film, as well as the rest, felt like a blur. When you only get to see snippets of a film, it makes it very difficult to fully engage in the story.
There was a major symbolic scene that I noticed during the short time that I had to view the film: the coffin on the car (in relation to the mountains in the background). This represented how insignificant and short a person’s life is in relation to the earth (mountains).

Paris Texas
The major theme in this film was communication. Throughout Paris Texas there is a lot of imagery that signify the increase in lines of communication (i.e. phone lines, road crossing, airports, phones, etc). There are also moments in the film that elude to personal journeys, such as the two brothers. Towards the beginning of the film, there are mountains in the background of both of the brothers; the texture and size of the mountains indicate the difficulty of each man’s journey. Throughout the film, there is also this lingering, mysterious story about Travis and his wife, who have not spoken in some time. The film ends with a moment of actual connection when Travis finally faces the glass and turns a lamp on his face so that his wife can see him.

Pink Floyd
The Wall was some kind of dark and twisty. The animation of war was very macabre with its inclusion of blood and crosses. There was powerful moment when the blood from the soldiers ran off into the gutters, symbolizing a waste of life. The education scene spoke to the factory-like structure of the system and how it squanders creativity and individuality. This can be seen when Pink gets in trouble for writing poetry and also with the presence of masks over the children’s faces after they exit the educational assembly line.

Cabeza de Vaca
There was a lot of strong Christian symbolism in the beginning of the film when the girl comes back to life (referencing the resurrection). From the little bit that I saw, I found it to be about the contrast of two cultures and the main character realizing that the Indians are not savages and do not need to be Christianized. This can be seen towards the end when he moves from two different backgrounds while confronting his own people: construction and nature.

Stephanie Colb - Paris, Texas

Throughout the film, Paris, Texas, the display of improvements in communication as well as the filmography used were both important aspects in portraying messages in the film along with the character’s journeys and individuals. At the start of the film, the main character, Travis, is shown wearing a suit and a red hat while in a desert seemingly disoriented from civilization and any means of communication. The picture shown in this scene remained distorted with little exposure, similar to the way we believe Travis was feeling during this time. The filmography used allowed the audience feeling more connected to the feelings and emotions in scenes. Soon, a hawk is shown in the picture, along with mounts of rocks that are falling down. Again, the film creators used filmography to connect the audience to the emotions and the character’s journeys. Travis continued to walk, following power lines, which are the next means of communication displayed. While walking down this straight path, Travis comes across his brother, Walt. During this scene the use of the camera and background images were used in a clever way to display differences in the two brother’s lives. Behind Travis stood a mountain filled with trees and obstacles and Walt’s background mountain seemed to be clean with a more fulfilled, completed life. During this scene, Travis’ brother said that it looked like he had just gone through a whole lot of obstacles; reflecting the view of the mountain. The use of filmography and background images such as the falling rocks and the clutter-filled mountain helps the audience see that Travis’ life is not fulfilled or he is attempting to reach satisfaction; however, many troubles have come between him and happiness. After his meeting with Walt, many more means of communication come into play: the train, trucks, freeways, telephones, and airplanes. The way that each scene was shot had the purpose to show more about characters and the type of society they lived in. The display of progression of communication and the clever use of film was used to better understand the story and journeys of the individuals.

Zach Wilson; Decalogue

Kieślowski's films portray the darkness of sin in brutally explicit detail. The memory that I have most vividly is the brutality of the murder portrayed in the taxi scene. The films portray the darker tendencies of human nature which are both intentional and unintentional. My primary thought when viewing the film was that it touched upon both sin that is known, and sin that is unknown. The murder film was obviously a carnal, known sin which was quite obvious, due to the graphic nature of the action. The personal computer, on the other hand was far more subtle. The idolatry committed had only the best motives. The father was trying to protect his son, Pawel, as he went ice skating. However, the father was putting his faith in a computer so much that he essentially bet his son's life upon the information given, rather than on his faith in God, or even in his own common sense, that an unseasonable thaw might endanger his son. Both films had catastrophic consequences. In the case of Pawel's father, he must now live on without his son, knowing that he had placed his faith and Pawel's life in the hands of a machine. In the case of the murderer, he faced his own graphic death by hanging. The consequences and effect of sin is just as Kieślowski presented it. It is ugly, it is brutish, it is shocking, and it is disgusting. As the class cringed during the prolonged scene of killing, Kieślowski had achieved his desired effect of shocking the viewers at the reality of sin in the world, and how the Law is inevitably just, and inevitably for the benefit and favor of society. The genius displayed by Kieślowski is that he displayed both the moral goodness of the law, as well as its innate practicality and utility. The death of a child by drowning, and the random, brutal murder of an innocent man are both ugly events that upset the aesthetics of the films. In addition, their deaths, being brought about by the transgression of the law, demonstrate impracticality. It was impractical for the man to trust a machine over his common sense or faith in God, and it was impractical for a man to commit a random, brutal act of murder.

Zach Wilson; Paris, Texas

Paris, Texas left me honestly confused as to the plot or story being conveyed. It was more of an image being portrayed through Travis' journey through the wilderness. The opening scene almost served as a microcosm for Travis' prior life. Travis is portrayed wearing a suit, which is tattered, his beard was unkempt, and he was wearing a red ball cap. He runs out of water, walking through the desert, presumably for days or even weeks.

We later learn his life story and the trauma which he faced, when his self-destructive tendencies and alcoholism ruined his family. His trauma has left him feeling extreme guilt and uses his journey as one to avoid contact with humans; he is a runner. He does not make contact with others, walks in a line that is not following any major paths or roads, or any type of specific order.

The use of cinematography does far more to progress the plot than the dialogue, as Travis is a man who has faced a trauma, which he does not wish to discuss. We later learn from his interactions at the strip club his life story. The story of his falling in love too soon, having a child, and being unable to support a family, his life flying out of control, and his later descent into insanity.

The scene showed in class with the mountains portrays more of Travis' inner character. The mountain behind Travis is rugged, wild, and nontraditional. The mountain behind his brother is more stable, solid, and traditional. Travis is one who does not conform, and who hashes out his raw emotion in his journey. He avoids contact with society, and develops his character in seclusion.

Christian Holmes Paris, Texas

Travis' journey is an odd one. Marked by silence and mystery, his march through the wilderness and his encounter with his wife in the brothel paint a strange and secretive story. Throughout the film there are several themes that help compensate for the lack consistent dialogue. The one theme that I specifically want to focus on is how color was used to convey tone where dialogue did not.

There are two scenes in particular that we spent time watching in class that are really worth mentioning when it came to the use of color to express tone. First, the wilderness. Travis remains almost entirely silent during his time walking through the wilderness. However, the color of both the landscape and the color of what Travis is wearing helps the viewer to pick up on subtle tones and feelings that the director wants to convey. The wilderness is overwhelming brown, tan, and green. It is natural, base, and real. These colors help set an opening shot that conveys how the world ought to be, a natural and (although hot, dry and dangerous) desirable state. It is the place that Travis flees to and acts as his sacred place.

This natural color of the scene is then contrasted with the color and style of Travis' clothing. Where the scene is natural, organic, and fitting to its environment, Travis, wearing a red baseball cap and a suit with a yellow tie, contrasts the environment he is set in. Because of this, Travis stands out as an object of organic in the midst of the organic. This convey's to the viewer that although Travis is wandering in the wilderness, he does not belong there; that there is something holding him to the created world.

The second scene where color plays an interesting affect, is in the brother scenes where Travis interacts with his wife. The key color here is pink. The wife wears a pink shirt and the room that she is placed in is overwhelmingly pink. On top of that, the room is and the props in the scenes have a softer feel. There is less of an organic setting set my the color and texture as opposed to the scenes in the wilderness. What's more, is that the soft textures mixed with the pink reflects the femininity of the scene. During the long silences of the scene, the pink and texture mixed with the expression of Travis' wife communicates the sexuality of the brother, the feminine nature of their encounter, and also it helps to convey how fake the brothel and the acts performed there are. This falseness is contrasted with the reality of the natural scene that the movie is originally set in. Overall, color and texture was used through out "Paris, Texas" to communicate the tone of scenes that dialogue was not used to communicate.

Jo You: "The Trial" in Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' (Film Technique) (Movie Post #3)

Last class we watched a plethora of different films, each illustrating their ideas in different unique ways. However, for this brief post I will discuss the filming technique of just one of these clips, of which I found to be the most intriguing, and this is “The Trial”, as shown in Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'.

Being a art major, I feel like this was the most intriguing of all of them because of it's unique artistic quality. Yes, the 'Bunny' film was also artistic and animated, but I think The Trial was much more intriguing and deeper in philosophical terms, which peaks my interest more.
In The Trial, the fictional character, 'Pink', puts himself on trial. This trial is personified by the bricks, which unite to form a massive wall that caves him in, shutting him out of the outside world. The way this is draw makes it feel as if the wall has its own personality, and it is an artistic rendition of his reclusive-ness.

Though it is a animated film, there is a obvious dark and crude humor represented in the clip and song itself. The crudeness of the film can be found in many examples, though the most memorable to me was the personification of the judge in the trial. He is characteristically cruel and demeaning, and he is drawn as literally an ass.

While most trials are conducted for the purpose of deeming whether someone is guilty or not, Pink's trial does not determine whether he goes to jail or not. Rather, he stands on trial to determine whether or not he will remain within his self-constructed reclusive wall, or break it down and rejoin society. The judge, in a sense, is also a part of him – the part of him that is making the decisions and arguing against himself internally.

One of the most thought-provoking artistic renditions in the film segment was the depiction of the school-master. He is shown as a puppet, and he molds all his students with hard discipline similar to brain-washing. He is also a puppet, however, for his wife, which is characterized as a horrifying praying mantis. This makes a huge statement about everything in just the way it is personified. The praying mantis reminds me a lot of Salvador Dali's paintings, in it which Sigmund Freud explains in detail how the female praying mantis will decapitate her male fornication partner during climax, though I think this is more irrelevant to the topic.

In any case, I really enjoyed this clip, and I enjoyed thinking about the analysis and philosophy involved in it. I could write a essay on this, but I think I've already written too much!

Allie Stough Paris, Texas

We see several different examples of communication in the movie. The picture is not over exposed. We see a desert, hawk, the first sign of communication, and a man, named Travis, with water. Travis has a red hat. There are rocks that are falling apart. Travis' life is a mess. He has come into town. Walt, Travis' brother, took him in because he looked disheveled and tired. Travis left his house. Travis has to be traveling near civilization because there are power lines and mountains. Travis walks along the power lines and not the road. Walt stops in a car to get Travis and there are rough mountains behind Travis. His live is crazy. There are smooth mountains behind Walt. He life is intact. We see several different kinds of communication: road line, power line, train line. Travis starts to walk along the train line. We see different angels of travel in this shot. We see shoes and airplanes: more communication. Travis sees a super highway that has trucks on it that he has never seen before. Travis sees his son. His son asks him where he was all the time he was gone. He walks in the city at night over the freeway and we hear Mexican music. He walks over a bridge and passes a man who is "crazy." He doesn't walk with the traffic; he walks perpendicular to it. It takes him two minutes to walk across the bridge. There is suspense because we don't see the man until the last possible moment. The man is preaching to whom ever about the doom of the world. Travis touches the man to try to give him some peace. He is in a brothel and the woman cant see him. He has found his wife but he doesn't tell her its him. They have separated earlier in life. Something happened between them that we never know about. They use a phone to talk to each other. Another form of communication. Even though they are next to each other they fell they have to put on fake fronts. The second time they talk to each other he faces the other way. He tells his story and as he goes on he recognizes his story and realizes it is him. He turns his chair around. She is ashamed and then she turns her back to him.

Allie Stough North Fork

North Fork

There is a priest in Montana in the 1950's. The town is building a dam so they have to move the city. The priest is giving a sermon to the people left still in the city. He says, "We are all angels. It's what we do that separates us." There are cars with luggage on the roofs. The church has no foundation left. One of the walls is knocked out and we can see the mountains in the background. There are cars going in three different directions at a cross roads. They don't know where to go. There is a scene with a herd of bison. The people moving out of town are like a herd of bison leaving. There is a boy carrying a case running in the snow. People are frantic and font know what to do. There is a car with a casket on top and the mountain are the backdrop. People are moving the graveyards because they are not coming back. The dam is taking over their lives. The only thing stable in this picture are the mountains.

Allie Stough Bunny

Ice Age
Bunny

The Bunny is cooking and sees a moth. She lets it outside and fixes the picture that was crooked. She goes back to cooking. The moth is back and she swats at it with a poll. The moth gets in the batter and she put the batter in the oven. The oven starts to flash. The moth comes out and she puts her head in the oven. The bunny is flying in space with alot of moths towards a light. There are no words in this movie.
The moth depicts a guardian angel to heaven and guided her towards the light. In the movie she shuts off the light so the moth will go away. Its like she is avoiding death. The moth was annoying. The husband is dead - the picture is crooked. Her whole life is scood. There is a timer representing the amount o time until death. The oven is a portal between life and death. The oven is shacking. Its the scared, like the tremendum. The oven speckle turn into stars.

Lars and the Real Girl

(blog for "topic of the student’s choosing")

I just watched kind of a strange little movie called “Lars and the Real Girl.” In this movie the main character Lars is unstable, paranoid, and unable to face reality. He has real problems relating to people, and even though his co-workers and family were constantly trying to set him up with woman, he preferred to just sit in his garage and do nothing. He was absolutely miserable until he got a girlfriend named Bianca. She was brazilian and quite lovely, but her down fall was that she was a doll. He however had the delusion that she was a real girl. The movie is really interesting how it shows the town learning to play along with the doll out of their love for Lars who is drastically improving in his mental health because of her. The doll was a crutch for Lars but immediately enabled him to relate as a normal human being. She made him happy and functional. The whole movie though made me think of how often I hear people say that people are only Christians because they need a crutch. Its easier to live if we believe in this made up God who will take care of us, and love us, and eventually take us to paradise after the suffering ends. In essence, they say that God is a crutch to society that help us stay sane. But then it got me to thinking. In the movie, even though he was believing this fake thing was a real person, that symbol (the doll) was real to him and created a truly positive effect on his life. I'm isn't God isn't real, but I think its worth noting that, even if he wasn't real, He's producing a an extremely positive effect in Christians! No one in the town took away the doll from Lars when they saw how it was effecting his life. The change was real even if she wasn't. So what doll symbolized for him was very real. And just the same, I think that even IF God was merely a crutch, the symbol to us is life giving.

Film Technique and Meaning

Class last monday was really interesting to me, from an artist's point of view. Lately I've been taking a lot of photography classes and we learn all about things like lighting, perspective, framing, setting, color ect. Everything that goes for photography even more so can be applied to the making of a film. I loved seeing all the different clips from all the different movies as well. It helped give a very broad look at different techniques and styles of getting through to people esthetically. For me, the one that got to me the most was the first one, “Bunny.” It wasn't only clever and funny, but it was also quite moving. It was surprising to me how all the little details tucked in (such as the tilted picture on the wall, or the speckled oven walls turning into a starry sky) could make such a difference in the effectiveness of the film. Too often I assume whether a film is powerful or not is merely found within the script and acting, but in reality a HUGE amount of it truly is in the things I too often take for granted such as the artistic work, and forethought of design that goes into making a movie. One thing that we didn't touch on in class, but I feel is worth mentioning, is the aspect of music in film. I think this goes hand in hand with things like color, lighting, contrast ect. Music has a HUGE handle on people. Its draws an emotional reaction out of us, and makes a movie more engaging and real. I would go as far to say, it could be even more important than many of the aspects we learned about in class. Music can make all the difference to me in whether I'm excited and interested in a film. But all together, I really enjoyed that class a lot and would like to study film as an art form more in the future.

Shawshank Redemption

(blog for "topic of the student’s choosing")
Last night I watched a movie called Shawshank Redemption. Warden Norton, the head of the prison, called himself a Christian and tried to make that one of his most defining characteristics, but when he wasn't quoting scripture at people, he was robbing them or shooting them with big guns. However, the characters who did show many traits of true christianity were the prisoners, who were thieves, rapist and murderers! It reminded me in a way of the elders in Babett's Feast. They too seemed very strict, and “preachy.” But Shawshank Redemption is a much more extreme case than the people in Babett's Feast. They both illustrated how empty (and sometimes ugly) religion can become when taken too legalistically. In Babett's feast they just believed that you could embrace Christ more fully by denying bodily pleasures, but in Shawshank Redemption, I think the warden merely was using christianity as a mask for his complete lack of virtue. Good movie though... and great ending!

Tara Thompson : Decalogue

Since we've started watching films this semester, The Decalogue has been the most enjoyable one for me, even though it made me cry... a lot. Through out the two episodes we watched there was a plethora of emotion and rawness that brought out deeper meanings than what was shown on the surface. In the first, Thou shall have no other Gods before me, Kieslowski created a cold atmosphere. Not only was it cold outside, but there always resided an empty, missing sense. I think in doing this, he was exemplifying the emptiness one may feel with out faith, as well as foreshadowing what was to come. However, the bigger picture seemed to suggest that relying on ration alone will never completely satisfy, even if you truly believe it will. Hence the son dying in the end even though his father had calculated his safety. Basically, the father had made calculations, and reason his god, and in doing so he had cast aside faith. The imagery of his actions is most definitely a form of visual midrash: At first, when he hears his son is "missing" he refuses to believe anything went wrong. He stays calm. However, as the night progresses, he slowly starts to lose his faith in reason alone. In the scene at the lake, when he looks over and notices the fire which has now gone out, it hits him: even the calculations by the most wise men will not always include the most unexpected factors. This seems to be the interpretation Kieslowski is giving, that in putting anything else before God you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Andrew Presing: The Decalogue

Decalogue is a representation of the 10 commandments presented through the medium of film in individual episodes, each dedicated to a single commandment. There is a fundamental difference in the manner in which Krzysztof Kieslowski uses midrash, the coming towards deep and comparative meaning, in his film to bring the viewer to understanding and the common method of using narrative. Instead of simply stating the commandments, Kieslowski slowly reveals the commandments to the viewer through the use of drama and emotion which is created in the lives of the characters. Using situations that people can relate to on a fundamental level is a much more successful method at creating a deeper and more meaningful interpretation. Through using universal emotions, such as love, no matter who the person is they will be able to find a way to the meaning on a personal level. The use of visuals, such as technology and the court system, allow for the viewer to easily relate to the symbols and thus interpret them more efficiently. The intense emotion can be felt throughout the episodes while each commandment plays out on the screen. Even the atmosphere in the film is slightly foreboding, creating a slight level of anxiety and attentiveness. Ultimately the film successfully brings the commandments to the viewer in subtle, yet clear method. It might take a few moments to reflect and realize it but in the end the understanding has still been received.

Shawn Erwin-The Decalogue

The first film is an artistic portrayal of the first commandment where God proclaims that He is the lord and that there are to be no other gods worshiped save for him. In Decalogue I, the two main characters are seen to be obsessed with a computer and they marvel at what they can do with it. The Midrash in this case can be said to be the computer as a representation of a false god. Not only does is it portrayed in this way, but the father puts all of his faith into the computer which represents a non-reciprocal relationship. Not only is he worshiping a false god in a sense but he is also not adhering to the covenant which is a key part of the commandments for God provides guidance and protection but at the cost of worship. His only relationship is type in commands in order to receive a result. This back fires when he and his son type in calculations in order to see if the ice will hold the son if he were to go skating. The son falls in the ice and dies leaving the father with nothing else and ultimately he strives to seek God and abandon the computer. The ice breaking can be symbolic of the breaking in trust that the father had for the computer and it finally dawns on him the consequences of relying solely on a false object. Once the veil has been lifted, the father realizes his error but at great cost, however, it moves him to God.
The second film covers the fifth commandment, Thou shall not kill. The Midrash in this film, isn’t so much as saying killing is forbidden but murder is. The difference lies in that killing my be carried out in defense, if you are attacked and you kill your attacker in self-defense then this may not break the commandment. However, the main character kills for no apparent reason other than just to do it. The only remorse that he shows for killing the taxi driver is only present because he gets caught. Rope is a key figure in symbolism in the film. The killer uses rope to commit murder, yet he is unable to full achieve his aim with the rope. It is messy and prolonged and results in him having to use a rock in order to finish the job. He too is later killed by hanging which involves using rope, and his death is just as prolonged and messy resulting in him having to be carried by multiple police officers.

Morgan Russell: Decalouge

Krzysztof Kieslowski's Decalouge is a perfect example of how the use of the idea of Midrash is crucial to interpreting a film. Most quality films use a narrative to convey an underlying message or meaning and it is up to the viewer's interpretaion as to what it is we take away from it. Although a viewer with no religious ideals in mind could interpret the theme of Decalouge I as "computers cannot be trusted", his use of religious symbolism and dialouge creates an unmistakable undertone of mysterium and tremendom. The viewer could feel the ominous presence of the strange character by the lake setting up something bad as well as Pavel's talks with his dad on death and religion. The Decalouge 5 focuses on the commandment "thou shalt not kill" which is easily relatable for all people of all faiths. The thing that struck me about this episode was how his execution was handled by the prison workers. The scene of the state execution was just as brutal as the killing that landed Jacek on death row in the first place. I think this was meant to show that killing is killing no matter if it is a crime of passion or a state mandated execution.
A very interesting point to me raised in class was Kieslowski's abandonment of the documentary, believing he could create something more real himself. He found that when a camera was on someone, they turned into a sort of actor and the authenticity of the scene was altered. I think his reasoning makes sense in creating an atmosphere and setting with actors he controls while the final product still appears very realistic and intimate in documentary style.

Stephanie Colb - The Decalogue

Kieslowski's The Decalogue is a series of films displaying the ideas of The Ten Commandments, typically in ways not clearly displayed. The first of the films connected to the first of the commandments which is known as, "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other Gods before me." This theme, in my opinion, was more difficult to follow as a visual medium as midrash. After deeper thought, however, it was clear. The nature of death is present in these films and it is seen in this film through the death of the son, Pawel. Pawel is a very intelligent 12-year old boy who lives with his father, a professor. After becoming depressed at the sight of a dead dog, Pawel beings to wonder about death. The explanation given by his rather was rather harsh, he described it as "the ending of all vital functions." Throughout this film, Pawel and his father rely deeply on the use of computers and technology; which in some sense, can connect to the first commandment. A false God or other Gods that are put before God could be considered anything that distracts individuals in a negative way or away from worshiping the one God. In this example, Pawel and his father spend a lot of time relying on the computer, which results in Pawel's death by trusting a computer to decide if ice on a river is think enough to skate on. The computer says it is; therefore, Pawel goes to skate, ending in his death. After viewing the film entirely, it is easier to see the way that Kieslowski used the visual medium of film as Midrash. This continues through the interpretation of the second film referring to the second commandment which says, "you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God."
Kieslowski used feeling and meaning in a deep sense through The Decalogue by connecting real life situations and possibilities to the Ten Commandments. The nature of death is a topic that some people find to be untouchable; however, it is viewed in different opinions in this film. Some find it as the ending of all, some see it as a more religious and soulful belief. This connects to individual's lives and the idea of eternity as well. Again, in the second film the nature of death is displayed but in a different way. The doctor finds himself having to basically choose who lives in the situation of a pregnant woman. Through the nature of death, the idea of eternity is obviously revealed. This film brings all parts of an individual's life into order through religion because of the medium of Midrash.

Michelle Breland: Personal Topic (1)

I found the discussion that followed the viewing of Decalogue I and V to be very interesting. Even though we have covered [to an extent] the mysteriousness of God, I felt like I had an epiphany when Dr. Redick mentioned that “God is mystery” as opposed to God is mysterious. Given what we have learned at this point in the class, that statement made sense but only on the surface. My mind kept going to the semantics of the words: God, life and mystery. What if the word God, and all that it encompasses, is just a synonym for life and mystery. It is not a higher power or something divine; it is just a word that we created to make sense of life and all of the things that we do not understand about it.

Michelle Breland: Decalogue

The Decalogue, as a film, explores the ethics and values mentioned in the biblical texts (the Ten Commandments). Instead of merely repeating the teachings on the Commandments, the director creates these dramatized situations for the audience to explore through and find meaning. I think that our ability to sympathize and/or empathize with these characters and their situations is very powerful. For example, I am sure there are moments when we all rely too much on technology for answers; have experienced loss; and have done terrible things to other people. Now, we may not have lost a child, worshiped a computer, or killed someone, but the root emotions of pain, hatred, and love are universally experienced. Because we are seeing the Commandments embedded in the personal experiences of these characters, we are able to contextualize the meaning in our own lives.

I think that the director was smart in choosing symbols that contemporize the commandments, thus creating a greater understanding of them. The integration of technology into the story (represents the other god in Decalogue I), and the court’s application of the death penalty (represents murder itself in Decalogue V) helps to bridge the gap of understanding because these things are prevalent in the present-day world.

Nicholas Dease: Midrash in The Decalogue

At its core, film has always served the purpose of interpretation—movies interpret everything from the values of society to the very meaning of existence itself. Like any work of art, a film is always created with a purpose in mind, a thesis of sorts, that ensures all the imagery, music, and dialogue are relevant to the ultimate goal of making a statement. While certainly not always limited to religious interpretation, there are myriad similarities between the medium and the practice of midrash. Generally speaking, film utilizes specific methods for portraying reality with a goal or purpose that is relevant to the audience viewing it. Camera Angles, lighting, color palette, and dialogue are few of the many tools an artist utilizes in the crafting of an experience that, to the first time viewer, will appear to be a linear progression of events that portray reality. In one sense, the film itself is an interpretation. In another, the film provides the viewer with a sandbox project their own interpretations upon.

Simply put, Midrash is the interpretation of biblical passages in order to make it relevant to contemporary society. In the case of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Decalogues, it is the practice of “crafting” a real experience that invites its viewer to perform Midrash of their own accord. The Decalogue provides only experiences, no answers. The answers to the questions are left up to viewer to interpret. However, to state that all the responsibility falls upon the viewer would be to completely disregard the Artist's crafting of the experience. In essence, he takes the ten commandments and interprets them in such a way that it invites one to interpret his interpretation. By providing the viewers with highly emotional situations, feeling becomes the currency for exchanging meaning.

In the case of “Thou shall not kill,” Kieslowski provides us a day in the life of a hoodlum that will ultimately commit murder. With a slow progression toward the kill, Kieslowski gives the audience a main character to project themselves upon. The hoodlum walks about the town performing all manner of misdeeds, but none compare to the horrendous act of murder at the end of his travels. The act itself is ugly, long, and uncomfortable. The experience is familiar in so far that it takes place in a contemporary setting and the emotions are realistic—like the dying man calling out for mercy. This sense of realism and familiarity allow the viewer to fundamentally integrate the event into their own setting through empathy. One can easily imagine being in that position and therefore the very core concept of “Thou shall not kill” is translated, but the meaning is created by the viewer themselves and is thus much more significant.

The same can be said for first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” We are given a figure that recognizes rationality as the only answer to the universe. Throughout the film, the audience is provided scenes where the limits of rationality are shown, like in the case of the Chess scene. The viewer therefore forms their own idea that rationality cannot answer all the questions.God,therefore, must be the source of meaning. The presence of the emotional loss provides a common ground of emotion for the transfer of ideas to take place. Ultimately, both short films are very successful.

Juan You: Decalogue (Movie Post #2)

Before entering this class, I had never heard of the term 'mid-rash' before. However, when watching two of the Decalogue films, I immediately understood why it is successful. It is short, to-the-point, and conveys deep concepts that can be thought-provoking to a audience. Each film conveys a commandment, and all the stories are not tied together in any way.

The first of the ten conveys the idea, “I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me”. In it, we are introduced to Krzysztof, who teaches his child Paweł all the fascinating aspects of reason, essentially using logic to solve all problems and seek answers. Even in his explanation of death to his son, Kryzystof uses a certain reasoning that eliminated any ideas of the supernatural aspects in death. Unlike his sister Irene, Kryzystof does not revere a spiritual God, he instead uses reasoning to control aspects of his life, to which he could be described as a agnostic being, even though to a certain extent, Reason is his God. But when Kryzystof loses his son due to his miscalculation, the audience is shown the faltering of those who rely on only reason. There needs to be a certain spirituality that everyone believes in.

In the end, Krzysztof goes to a altar, has a fit of rage and anguish, but finally goes down on his knees and uses the ice to trace a cross onto his forehead, while the statue of the Madonna cries for him. Because of his disbelief, he is rewarded with tragedy and loss. This is the cost for one who disregards not only God, but a belief in the mystic. Though reason and logic can be used in everyday life, it cannot predict everything; it cannot predict nature, or the sacred.

The other film shown to use was the fifth Decalogue, illustrating the commandment “Thou shall not kill”. It shadows the actions of Jacek Łazar, a young man who commits the ultimate crime of murder. His victim was the lecherous and cruel taxi driver named Waldemar Rekowski. Though he was unaware of the taxi driver's cruelty, Lazar kills him for no apparent reason.
Jacek's crime obviously lands him in jail, and his lawyer is Piotr, a young idealist. However, there is little he can do to help Jacek avoid the death penalty, of which he disapproves.
Neither Jacek nor his victim were very nice people. In fact, one could even argue that neither deserved to live. But like Piotr, the film depicts to us the morbidity and coldness of death. Wo are we to judge who deserves to live? Yes, both Jacek and Rekowski deserved death, but who are we to carry out such punishment? Jacek's actions results in his own death, of which he does not seem to mind. Ultimately, no one deserves to die. It is almost as if Jacek committed his crime for the reason of making up for his own sister's death in his hands. He makes up her death with his own death, just as the government makes up Rekowski's death with Jacek's death. Everything just results in more death, and what is the point in that?

It is interesting that we watched these two particular films, because the first urges us to believe in God, while the second tells us not to destroy God, who can be found within everyone.

Tiffany Noyes, Midrash in Film

Midrash is a dramatization or interpretation of scripture, a way of illustrating or helping us understand it better. What better way to do that than in film? In illustrating the first commandment “Tho shalt have no other gods before me” we see graphic imagery that help us understand what it means to have other gods before Him. The father in the story in general relies on things that can be measured, manufactured or proven. He loves rational thought and disregards anything beyond the physical world. It struck me that his “god” could have been knowledge, or his work, but its interesting to see his great love for his son that seems to go beyond the rational and measured confines of his world. When playing a chess game with his son, he smiles and has a glimmer in his eye as his son outwits “the system” by doing something spontaneous! So his dad appreciated the outwitting of a system in that circumstance. His safe zone generally fell into the physical, and what could be proved. This is in stark contrast to his sister who, when hugging her nephew, asks what he feels, and when he responds “love” she tells him that's where God is. She takes the physical world lightly and sees right past it into the spiritual world. She isn't very impressed with the technology and even cleverly asks her nephew “can it tell you what your mom's dreaming?” Instead she's a good Roman Catholic who believes there's more than just the physical realities at hand. In the end of the movie when the father starts to get scared that his son might be dead, he starts counting “one, two, three...” these numbers were something he was sure of, they were a comfort to him. But then after he did find out his son was dead, he lost it! He went to a shrine of Mary and the Christ child and (some would say) desecrated it! He overturned the table with the candles. This however was a step in the right direction for this agnostic father, for now he is acknowledging the existence of God, even if he is angry at Him. In turn, we see the beautiful image of the wax running down Mary's cheek, implying that she feels his pain. And he grabs the ice produce by the holy water fount and holds it to his face, another bittersweet moment. His child was killed by falling through the ice, and he turns around and holds this “holy ice” to his face while grieving.