Sarah McConnell
COM 232; Visual Literacy
Paper#3 – Review of Blow Up
“Nothing like a little disaster for sorting things out.” – Thomas, Blow Up
The movie Blow up is a visual buffet of superficial beauty but it also contains a twisted plot that makes you think about reality and how we attempt to control it. Is what we see really there and is what you see what you get? Taking place in London, we meet Thomas, a mod 60s photographer who is a male chauvinistic control-freak. You instantly want to hate him, but seemingly can’t resist his arrogance and nickel slick attitude. As a result, we are drawn in to a world of Thomas’ unique design; a world of deranged beauty. Within this world, only Thomas is in control and we are just along for the ride. He controls the women of his choosing, his art, and every situation that he finds appealing or attractive.
The first sign of Thomas’ control is when he is photographing the model Veruschka. Knowing she has to catch a plane to Paris, he makes her wait over an hour to be photographed and proceeds to make sure she knows he doesn’t care about his own tardiness. This lack of respect lets us know that he feels superior. He begins to bark orders at her and photographs a sexual dance that is meant only for his pleasure. However, he treats her better than he treats his other models, The Birds. Thomas forcefully poses them into the art that he wants to create. He demeans them with this tone, sarcasm, and overall rude behavior, making them appear insecure and small which is in contrast to the stereo-typical high fashion model behavior. He does not apologize for his bad behavior because if he can control their actions, he can then manipulate the vibe, the physical scenery, and the final images produced from his camera. Therefore, he is the only one who can make his art. Knowing this is very important because it sets the tone for the upcoming events that cause us to want more from this tormented man.
The park scene is pivotal when looking at the scenery and Thomas’ control issues. The park appears to be beautiful and lush, a utopian-type place to shoot the ending for his dark photography publication. During this shoot, he photographs a beautiful yet conservative woman and a middle-aged man who appear to be frolicking within the confines of Thomas’ Garden of Eden. He becomes so wrapped up in the superficial beauty of his surroundings that he cannot see that the park becomes a dangerous place of pure evil and violence as his maiden beauty is an accomplice to murder. The woman pursues and confronts him about invading her privacy during such an intimate moment, and this only adds to Thomas’ arrogance and perceived control of the situation.
Jane: Stop it! Stop it! Give me those pictures. You can't photograph people like that.
Thomas: Who says I can't? I'm only doing my job. Some people are bullfighters, some people are politicians. I'm a photographer.
By putting himself within the realm of a politician, he makes himself seem very important and therefore will do whatever he wants. When she asks for the film, he refuses her thus starting a game that he thinks he is controlling. She follows him to his studio, demands the film again and then is reduced to playfully seducing him to get what she wants. Due to his juvenile arrogance, he does not see that she is playing him. Thinking he can gain control of her, he gives her the wrong roll of film. Succumbing to his curiosity, it isn’t until he develops the film that he sees the dark side of his serene shoot. He begins to see the violence and murder as he blows up the photos and reviews them with a magnifying glass. The contrast of the park’s appearance and the dark reality taking place within is absolutely striking. It is at this moment, when he begins to lose his control.
His need to control and understand the situation causes him to go back to look at the body. During this time, Thomas’ overall demeanor and cool/collected behavior is beginning to crack. He is discombobulated, jittery, and erratic with his actions. The original photographs and negatives have disappeared. While driving he sees his lovely maiden, who disappears before his eyes. He is completely losing control over everything he knows. To help regain control, he attempts to re-photograph the body, which has long since disappeared.
This experience has physically and emotionally changed him as is shown in the final scenes with the mimes. He is now deflated, humbled, and open to the real world around him. He watches a tennis match performed by mimes and eventually realizes that what he sees may or may not be real, therefore he must open himself to all things (shown by him finally disappearing in the open field).
This film is beautifully shot with extremes and excess. However because of the excess, we realize how simple our own reality can be. Simple, yet still beautiful.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Administration Rights
I have given all of you the ability to edit and add to this site. Feel free to do so. The only rule is to not remove the work of others.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ben Bertolino
Hammond
COM 232
15 February 2010
Analysis of an Image
The image that I chose is a picture of the National Football League’s Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is awarded to the Super Bowl Champion every season. But this is a special picture, because it is not standing alone, but being embraced, worshipped, and cherished by a team that has just won the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl trophy is symbolic of everything that not just an NFL player, but any professional athlete works toward for their entire lives. It also symbolizes the goals for which any person works hardest. This image portrays the scene of reaching the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl, and can be seen further through Nick Lacey’s terms for image analysis, such as context, composition, and frame.
First, the image of the Vince Lombardi trophy immediately sets the photo at the finish of the Super Bowl. The hands that support it confirm this fact because they are still dressed in uniform apparel, such as gloves and tape. When I initially saw this image, the raw emotion of the winning moment for the championship team blasted up from the bottom of the frame and through the hands of the players to the trophy. For the image to be held high by the hands in this photo, the emotion of finally accomplishing their goal as both a team and a player hits hard. For an NFL player, coach, or fan, the feeling of your team winning a championship has no equal. Every participant in every sport hopes, prays, and wishes for this moment for as long as he has known the game, so when the Super Bowl is won, the celebration begins. This image demonstrates that moment first-hand.
Next, the composition of this photo tells not only the story of the championship team (in this case, the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers), but also the story of everyone in pursuit of his goals in life. On a literal sense, the photo shows the team celebrating its hard-fought victory in the Super Bowl. The celebration is on, and the trophy is being passed around and embraced, demonstrated by the taped hands reaching up and fingerprinting the silver surface that reflects the thousands of joyous people. Also, on a symbolic sense, the good times in life stem from the hard work that we put into what we do. That is also evident in this picture, from the dirty, beat up hands, to the stretch to put just one fingertip on the ultimate symbol of accomplishment. One of my teachers in high school always used to tell my peers and me, “Work hard, and play hard,” and that phrase can be represented perfectly in this image. Through the trying times that test their toughness, the grasp on the trophy is the moment that begins the time of play after a long, grueling session of work. Even if the goals accomplished are not as significant as winning a Super Bowl, the ability to balance hard work with rest, relaxation, and play is a lesson that can lead to a much healthier lifestyle.
Finally, the frame in which the image is placed is a perfect moment captured using the Rule of Thirds. The players, coaches, and fans have all just experienced the first moment of realization that their team is the champion, so the placement of the Super Bowl trophy at the top of the image represents the highest of goals. The many hands at the bottom third of the frame represent the many participants that are constantly reaching toward one same feat. The horizontally centered trophy pops out at the viewer upon first glance, signifying the divine nature of those who are immortalized by the glory of winning the Super Bowl. As if the sun is shining down upon the world, the Vince Lombardi trophy provides a light that shines upon the best of the players and coaches in both the NFL and the entire athletic world. This is further illustrated in the image by the reflection of a mass of people, as well as the bright light that shines on the horizon of that reflection. By looking at that image embedded in the trophy’s shining surface, it is as if the trophy is displaying a glorious object that thousands of people gaze up at with lust and desire. The reflection of such a moment could not be captured without precise framing, for such a mirror image would have to be captured at the perfect moment.
Lacey’s views on image analysis, most notably context, composition, and framing, all allow for an image as profound as this one to be brought to life in many different respects. Whether it is the emotion that has overcome the Super Bowl champions, the divinity of Vince Lombardi and the trophy that was named after him, or the simple hard work of a regular person working a nine-to-five job from an office cubical, this image captures the accomplishment for which every person strives.
Hammond
COM 232
15 February 2010
Analysis of an Image
The image that I chose is a picture of the National Football League’s Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is awarded to the Super Bowl Champion every season. But this is a special picture, because it is not standing alone, but being embraced, worshipped, and cherished by a team that has just won the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl trophy is symbolic of everything that not just an NFL player, but any professional athlete works toward for their entire lives. It also symbolizes the goals for which any person works hardest. This image portrays the scene of reaching the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl, and can be seen further through Nick Lacey’s terms for image analysis, such as context, composition, and frame.
First, the image of the Vince Lombardi trophy immediately sets the photo at the finish of the Super Bowl. The hands that support it confirm this fact because they are still dressed in uniform apparel, such as gloves and tape. When I initially saw this image, the raw emotion of the winning moment for the championship team blasted up from the bottom of the frame and through the hands of the players to the trophy. For the image to be held high by the hands in this photo, the emotion of finally accomplishing their goal as both a team and a player hits hard. For an NFL player, coach, or fan, the feeling of your team winning a championship has no equal. Every participant in every sport hopes, prays, and wishes for this moment for as long as he has known the game, so when the Super Bowl is won, the celebration begins. This image demonstrates that moment first-hand.
Next, the composition of this photo tells not only the story of the championship team (in this case, the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers), but also the story of everyone in pursuit of his goals in life. On a literal sense, the photo shows the team celebrating its hard-fought victory in the Super Bowl. The celebration is on, and the trophy is being passed around and embraced, demonstrated by the taped hands reaching up and fingerprinting the silver surface that reflects the thousands of joyous people. Also, on a symbolic sense, the good times in life stem from the hard work that we put into what we do. That is also evident in this picture, from the dirty, beat up hands, to the stretch to put just one fingertip on the ultimate symbol of accomplishment. One of my teachers in high school always used to tell my peers and me, “Work hard, and play hard,” and that phrase can be represented perfectly in this image. Through the trying times that test their toughness, the grasp on the trophy is the moment that begins the time of play after a long, grueling session of work. Even if the goals accomplished are not as significant as winning a Super Bowl, the ability to balance hard work with rest, relaxation, and play is a lesson that can lead to a much healthier lifestyle.
Finally, the frame in which the image is placed is a perfect moment captured using the Rule of Thirds. The players, coaches, and fans have all just experienced the first moment of realization that their team is the champion, so the placement of the Super Bowl trophy at the top of the image represents the highest of goals. The many hands at the bottom third of the frame represent the many participants that are constantly reaching toward one same feat. The horizontally centered trophy pops out at the viewer upon first glance, signifying the divine nature of those who are immortalized by the glory of winning the Super Bowl. As if the sun is shining down upon the world, the Vince Lombardi trophy provides a light that shines upon the best of the players and coaches in both the NFL and the entire athletic world. This is further illustrated in the image by the reflection of a mass of people, as well as the bright light that shines on the horizon of that reflection. By looking at that image embedded in the trophy’s shining surface, it is as if the trophy is displaying a glorious object that thousands of people gaze up at with lust and desire. The reflection of such a moment could not be captured without precise framing, for such a mirror image would have to be captured at the perfect moment.
Lacey’s views on image analysis, most notably context, composition, and framing, all allow for an image as profound as this one to be brought to life in many different respects. Whether it is the emotion that has overcome the Super Bowl champions, the divinity of Vince Lombardi and the trophy that was named after him, or the simple hard work of a regular person working a nine-to-five job from an office cubical, this image captures the accomplishment for which every person strives.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Image analyzes
Melissa Lebor
Com 232
2/14/10
Image analyzes
For my image analyses I have chosen a still picture from the movie dirty dancing. This picture features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray. The first time this movie was ever aired was in 1987. Dirty dancing was the first production for Vestron pictures and due to this was a low budget film of only 5 million dollars. Dirty dancing became a massive box office hit making over 214 million dollars worldwide. This movie is worth studying because it is timeless and will always be relevant. After so many years people can still relate to the classic love story that takes place.
To analyze this picture, I will use Lacey’s concepts from his book, Image & Representation: Key Concepts in Media Studies. I will describe this picture using three techniques; these are composition, context and code. When looking at this picture people are instantly drawn in. When examining the composition a number of things need to be considered. We need to ask does this picture draw people in. The answer to this is yes. This picture has been taken close up only showing the top halves of the characters bodies. This instantly makes the viewer look and pay attention. This picture is bold and colorful taken in a dark setting; making the people in the picture stand out. The camera is showing the viewer exactly what it wants you to see. This is the portrayal of love. Considering the scale of the objects in this picture, we can see that the characters are dominant and take up most of the image. In this picture non-verbal communication is extremely important. This picture shows two people emotionally connected and in love. If a person were to view this picture without seeing the movie they would know the connection these two people share. It is obvious through there body language.
The context of this picture shows two people living life to the fullest. If someone didn’t know what this movie was about, they might assume that this was a married couple in bed. These two people are intertwined and obviously in love. We can tell this by the look in Patrick Swayze’s eyes. The rule of thirds definitely applies to this picture; the first place that the viewer’s eyes go to is the characters faces. This gets the viewers attention and holds it. Looking at this picture, nobody would know when it was taken. This picture is timeless with the message never being changed.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Image Analysis
Jared Murawski
February 15, 2010
Visual Lit
Analysis of an Image
This picture I am analyzing is one taken in 1960 during a New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles game. The two men pictured are Chuck Bednarik (Eagles, top) and Frank Gifford (Giants, bottom). It is a photo that most football fans have seen but not all truly have analyzed or know the story behind it. The history behind the picture only adds to the intrigue of the photo, which I will describe later. After reading Nick Lacey’s piece on image analysis, I will try and describe this photo using the process he himself uses including composition, context and code.
First, the composition of the photo needs to be taken into account. The picture, taken in black and white, portrays an image and a game that has been changed greatly over the years. Not even taking into account the men in the photo, the grainy and colorless composition conveys an image of grit, ferocity and rage. The players are dirty and taped up passing on the idea of pain and pure violence. The position of Bednarik over the seemingly lifeless body of Gifford portrays pure dominance. Bednarik is shown as a towering figure filled with absolute aggression while Gifford lies on the ground in a purely helpless state. The Eagles linebackers monstrous figure is the initial form spotted when looking at the photo and rightfully so as he takes up about 4/5 of the photo. There is truly only one way to convey the mood of this photo and it is in that of dominance and pain.
The framing of the photo, which amazingly has to be purely by chance due to the speed of the game, is perfectly conveying the struggle and battle between these two men. It is an action shot and allows for the rule of thirds to actively be displayed in the photo. The referee’s body to the left side lines up with left vertical line while Bednarik’s towering body lines up with the right vertical line and his eyes align with the upper horizontal line. Gifford’s entire body is practically the bottom horizontal line as he lays unresponsive.
The context of the photo only furthers the grittiness of the shot. It portrays a fierce game that wasn’t governed by so many rules and safety regulations and was full of men who played numerous positions and played the game because it was their job. For those who don’t know the story behind this picture. It portrays the aftermath of one of the NFL’s most fierce and memorable tackles. Bednarik laid out Gifford on his blindside on a passing play on a clean hit and knocked him completely unconscious. Bednarik claims himself that his words for Gifford after the hit were “Stay the fuck down!” but Gifford couldn’t attest to this. While the photo shows the pure dominance and devastation of the hit, the story furthers the lore. The hit caused Gifford, mainly a running back, severe head damage and took him out of the game (as he retired) for eighteen full months. He would eventually return to the game and still prosper but most believe he never returned to the form he played at prior to the hit.
In understanding the history behind the actual hit, it is amazing to think that a photographer could capture this brutal moment in which one man physically and mentally dominated another man to the point of semi-retirement. The pure rage shown in the photo can bring a viewer back to the age of a different game. And while one looking at this photo can almost feel the hit lay upon Gifford himself, I’m sure when Gifford looks at the photo he still feels it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)