Death of Cinema?
In Van Trier’s Melancholia there is one moment of raw imagery and vivid spectacle that sticks out to me most. Such is in the introduction to the movie, when Kirsten Dunst’s character is attempting to move against the immobilizing and physically realized “depression”. It is a scene of suspense and beauty, and while its primary connection to the audience is through visual spectacle, it still allows the audience to absorb detail. We, as the audience, can still absorb detail because it is an extended shot, and does not have rapid editing, and thus it does not promote a short-attention span.
This scene in Melancholia combines both old-world and new-world elements of film theory, it is visually breath-taking and utilizes modern technology; however, it also requires its audience to consistently pay attention in order to grasp the full meaning of the movie. This brings up a very interesting point, because as a spectator, before this scene, I believed cinema was to develop into a primary method of showcasing visual technology and that as a result, the story in films and the art of cinema was bound to die. However, after witnessing Van Triers’ combination of modern and classic theater it has come to my attention that film will merely incorporate all impending visual technologies to create a new kind of cinema, and not just visual spectacles intent on taking 18-25 year olds’ money.
By always accepting the perpetually improving visuals in movies, the art of cinema will become something else, nothing less than the great films of the 20th century, but certainly different from them. Great films of the 21st century will develop with awe-inspiring visuals at their side, but they will not be created solely for the benefit of us seeing the visuals, rather the plot and character development will still be the foundation of a movie. The new technology will enhance said plot and character development rather than replace it. Technology will be used as a tool to further cinema, just as it is always used in society.
AWESOME post Sean!!! I could not have expressed my views on technology's influence on cinema any better. I for one definitely believe that the evolution in CGI technology and special effects in general create amazing depictions on the big screen. That is however, when it's done right. The way in which the majority (I'd say 80-85%) of modern films utilize tech visuals is for lack of better words, whack. Whether it be through fiery explosive infernos in the latest action flick, or an attempt at some overly sappy thought-provoking film, films today overly utilize special effects turning the masses into fanboys/girls decked with the hottest Transformer bookbags and Edward Cullen binders.
ReplyDeleteMelancholia however, was a breath of fresh air and you could inhale it from the beginning. By scrapping the mundane intros we see everywhere else, von Trier gives us something else to take in. He fades us into incredibly slow shots of various events - the backgrounds of which we have no idea. Each separate take was visually stunning and beautiful and eerie and all that! It was really cool and I appreciated every second of it. I wasn't distracted at all. The mystery behind what von Trier displayed made me want to dig deeper. The color saturation, slow motion editing, and CGI only intensified my desire to figure it all out.
I liked how you saw depression in Kirsten Dunst's shot. It's kind of obvious I know now, but when I first saw it the slow motion really made me feel what she was feeling. What a horrible condition she's in - on what's supposed to be the happiest day of her life, she seems to be getting dragged into a hellish situation. The way in which she trudged through the "gray, wooly yarn" really put me at odds with whatever was holding her back at the moment. All of the effects that the shot had on me would never have happened without the slow motion and out-of-this-world effects. It was an enjoyable movie for me and the beautiful special effects made it so. I believe when placed in the right hands, technology has a bright future in cinema. Who knows what's next?