Medium Specificity

You'd think that as a filmmaker, the concept of moving images would have some deeper meaning to me. The idea that a picture is worth a thousand words certainly begs the question of motion pictures. And yet, I find that as a storyteller, I constantly take the medium for granted. Because of this, I decided to revisit the most basic elements of film--multiple moving frames and sound--to explore both the advantages and limitations of this art form.

I chose sound and image specifically because they most make up the narratives that I so strongly connect with. My piece, however, is not much of a narrative. It is, rather, a set of shots that depict students experiencing a typical day on BYU campus. Within these five shots, several technical elements are immediately noticeable. Unlike McCloud's "Setting the Record Straight", my piece takes an approach to the medium that calls attention by being noticeably different. Firstly, the film is a 360 degree video. That means the viewer has the ability to interact and look around the shot. And although the sounds of what is being depicted are clear and normal, the piece is presented in one frame-per-second.

In this way, my piece explores limitations, ask questions, and ultimately celebrates the technical possibilities of motion pictures. By using 360 degrees, the project presents present limitations and potential possibilities. For example, when watching a film, the viewer typically only sees the frame she is given and is expected to accept that one rectangle as the canvas. Even in observational cinema, the shot makes a statement. I wanted to explore that aspect as a limitation; what if you could look outside the shot? What would you see? Regarding subject and intent, however, there are so many new questions to consider in a 360 degree video, that perhaps it transcends the entire point and purpose of filmmaking as we understand it and is closer to VR, such as the new media experience found at The Void. Maybe film is supposed to be more straightforward. For example, a set frame tells us something specific. It hands us the subject, and forces us to make something of it. It inspires creativity rather than curiosity.

I also wanted to explore frame rate, as that is all video is--moving pictures. While most narrative films have a frame-rate of 24 frames per second, this one has a frame rate of 1 frame per second. This frame rate calls attention to the rather narrow bridge between photography and cinematography. The frame rate is juxtaposed against the sound, which is heard in real time, calling attention to the importance of sound to provide context and work hand in hand with image. We normally don't notice sound, but sound often informs everything we are seeing. It's half of the process. 

Altogether, I hope my piece reminds us of why we want to be filmmakers for one reason or another, and shows that we have only just begun to think of the potential of our medium.

Historical Stories

In 1980, a small fire broke out in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino’s delicatessen. The fire spread quickly and trapped many people on the upper floors of the building (LA Times “Burning Memories: Ten years later…”). Investigators blamed the fire on an electrical short, but what if they were wrong? What if the fire had more sinister origins? On Biography.com, we found out that Vegas’s most powerful mob boss-- Tony Spilotro-- was banned from casinos in 1979. Armed with this possible source of embitterment toward the MGM Grand, we constructed a story about Spilotro’s comeuppance arson.

In order to make our story seem plausible, we researched whatever we could about the hotel and the time period in which it burned. A copy of the original MGM Grand floorplan helped us orchestrate and describe scenes. The wire short that caused the fire gave us a basis for Spilotro’s involvement. We also used terminology from the time-- “Pap” was a common, almost derogatory term for paparazzi photographers in the early 1980’s.

James Higgins, our main character, is one of these “Paps”. Similar to the approach of After the Deluge, we wrote a good amount of the narrative and especially the world of James visually. Enamored by the glitz of 80’s casino life, he loves taking intimate and expository pictures of famous people.  In some way, he feels like taking these photos gives him power over people.

He enjoys the power trip he gets from taking pictures, but wants something more high class. In an effort to raise himself above his life situation, James is willing to extort anybody’s misfortune or misconduct. Shamelessly, he photographs intoxicated people in compromising circumstances. Without a second thought, he runs into a burning building to photograph the panic, destruction, and possible injury happening inside. James’s position as a paparazzi photographer enables him to witness the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino fire objectively. James uses his camera to separate himself from the terrible events, and he feels no sorrow from it.

James doesn’t have the time or the depth to feel empathetic toward the MGM Grand fire victims. When he develops his photographs and sees Tony Spilotro fleeing the scene of the crime, he doesn’t get angry or upset. He isn’t overwhelmed at the loss of life Spilotro’s actions caused. He just sees it as an opportunity to blackmail himself into mob life. James has always loved power, and here he is holding a photograph that gives him power over the most terrifying mob boss in Vegas.

James’ chip-on-the-shoulder attitude serves as a contradiction, and even push-back, against the general disdain of paparazzis during his time. His occupation serves as a symbol for anyone who is seen as the lowest of the low at the beginning of Reaganomics. Although he rails against the common perception of his profession, James himself buys into a sort of “trickle-down” ideology. He wears well-kept tuxedos and fraternizes with people from a higher class. He acts as if spending time photographing famous people somehow rubs their importance off onto him. He also separates himself from the moral implications of photographing for tabloids through a twisted sense of jaded ambition. The world looks down on paparazzi, so he might as well expose the world’s dirty secrets.

This project was a collaboration between

Barrett Burgin

and Madison Ellis

Process Piece

Initially, telling a story strictly through audio without the accompaniment of video, or any other element for that matter, might seem to be difficult and confusing. For us it certainly was. One of the elements we found most compelling about processes we watched before class such as “The Smokehouse” or “Five” were the visuals (especially of delicious food). However, upon completion of the audible sequence, the result was surprisingly beautiful.

For this project, we struggled finding the right process to present. Originally, we wanted depict what it is like trying to find something to watch on TV, but on our first attempt, we realized we wanted something a little more engaging. Certainly watching television is a common human labor, but besides the clicking of the remote and the sounds of the shows, there aren’t very many ways to go with it.

As we explored the idea, our original concept evolved into the process of going to the movie theater. Sounds of popcorn, tickets ripping, and friends and family enjoying themselves permeate the audio clip. Each sound invokes a memory, as all of us in this class have been to the movie theater. We decided to take that aspect of nostalgia one step further by creating the process of seeing a movie being shown on film. Because of this element, we had to create a composite of sounds from the past and present. Probably the most compelling aspect of the created piece hearing a film projector, giving the audio piece more of an authentic sound.

The piece follows the basic story model well. It was created as a sort of audio POV piece of the process of going to see a film at the movie theater. There are even different sounds in each ear, not unlike the “Virtual Barber Experience” found on YouTube. Our process starts with the ambiance of waiting in line to buy a ticket, then leads to ripping the ticket, buying popcorn, and finally arriving at the seats. With a distinct beginning, middle, and end, the story is able to be told without the use of dialogue.

It is interesting that a story actually can be told without a narrator holding the audience’s hand to guide through the tale, or even visuals. Instead, we experience a narrative simply through real life sound effects. The fact that the audio clip turned out realistic and rather easy to follow was a surprise because of the aforementioned beliefs on the subject.

The process of finding a process to record was the largest task. With digital films currently dominating the theater market, it is difficult to find a theater that even has a film projector anymore. After various phone calls and research, we were fortunate enough to get in touch with the one theater in Provo that still owns a film camera. They graciously gave us a tour. Possibly more enjoyable than actually creating the piece, learning about the old projector as well as taking a tour of the old SCERA Theater was an unforgettable experience. The kindness of the theater’s employees was what ultimately made this project possible.

Hopefully the audience of our process piece is able to further appreciate all that goes into screening a film, as well as reminisce on wonderful experiences of going to the pictures. We also aimed to reflect on the beautiful history of film’s progression to the point where it is now. Perhaps next time the listener goes to a movie, he will think more about the process after listening to this piece.