PHOTOGRAPHY_ESSAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![2]

7/31/2019 PHOTOGRAPHY_ESSAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![2]

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Discuss the relationship between photography and cinematography withreference to examples of contemporary practice. (2,500 words, 40%)

(Essay Plan)

Is there a relationship between the two, and to what extent?

Introduction:Both photography and cinematography are undergoing enormous change.Eastman Kodak, the inventors of the first digital camera are no longer inproduction. Lytro have just invented a camera that focuses shots in post-production, and smart phones are continuing to produce images that rival thoseof professional cameras. Filmmaking is undergoing a similar change. A newgeneration of digital SLR cameras has spawned a breed of amateur filmmakerswho can capture both still images and shoot broadcast-quality video on the samedevices. The affordability and small size of these cameras means they are nolonger restricted to business and the hobby of wealthy individuals, insteadanyone can have a go and this is producing new creative opportunities. In thisessay, I will examine to what extent digital technologies are changing/blurring the relationship between photography and cinematography in contemporarypractice, with reference to DSLR filmmaking.

Historical DebatesPhotography history -One of the first ever motion pictures produced by the Lumiere brothers wastheir 1895 film Arrive des Congressistes { Neuville -sur-Sane . Thekinetograph, set from a fixed angle, simply captured photographers

disembarking from a boat. They were filming reality in as accurate a way aspossible. Interestingly, whilst filming, one of the photographers took a photo of the Lumieres camera. In these early, experimental times, there was a cleardistinction between photography and filmmaking, one was concerned withstillness, the other with motion.

Susan Sonntag's On Photography Mary Ann Doane's The Emergence of Cinematic Time .Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Is there a relationship between photography and cinematography?

No longer concerned with chemical composition, photography andcinematography is increasingly a series of digital data, composted of 0s and 1s.

Time vs. MotionWhat is more powerful, a photo or moving image?

Commenting in her book On Photography ( 1979), Susan Sontag believes that a stillimage is and will be more memorable than a moving one. You can really remember aphotograph and you can really describe it, in a way that you cannot describe two orthree minutes of film (pg66. The Photography Re ader).

Photography is concerned with stasis; it is a fixed image. It has the power tomake time stand still, whereas film is concerned with sequences of images.


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Petter Wollen believes that a still image is more memorable than a moving one.That you can remember an image more than you would remember a sequence of film. War photography, as Susan Sontag suggests, are a neat slice of time and canbe kept and pondered over (pg211, Photography Reader). Memorable imagesfrom .. such as Vietnam Girl can be viewed for as long a period as requiredwith the possibility of returning to the image. It can be a device for stopping timeand presenting fragments of the past. Walter Benjamin (pg 309, Photography: Acritical introduction) points that still photography recreates everyday details thatwould normally be overlooked. The shutter can freeze action not perceivable by theeye alone.In fact, they have the power to become a fetish. Sontag argues that.

NarrativePhotography and cinematography are both methods of visual storytelling. Theconvergence of still and motion imagery is propelling the industry forward.Photography and cinematography are both concerned with narrative and visualstorytelling. Sharing many similar elements such as framing and lighting, thetools they use can crossover.

DebateThere are many different debates that circulate between photography andcinematography. Which is more powerful? More skilled?

Can co nsider the Bullet Time effect that was made famous in the Matrix films. Isthis effect actually photography or cinematography?

We would show up at the location and he'd look at it like a still photographer. He would sketch with the cameras. He'd makeframes and he'd look at the back of the camera. He was thinking about how he was going to do the motion sequences. Irealized the way he saw was different than all of my still photography colleagues. He was thinking with that filter of motion .

T he Decisive Moment. The decisive moment, it is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second,of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Time: Photography and CinematographyA photograph freezes time, forcing an audience to contemplate an imageWe experience a sense of distance from the image.

Film exists in the past and in the present. A man is hit by a car, an audience feel asense of there after multiple viewings. An audience reacts to the illusion of reality. By capturing these series of events the camera captures a narrative.

We feel pity for the prisoner, and horror at what war has revealed about human nature - that we are capable of killing each otherwithout feeling much of anything. That's the story the picture tells.

Watching the 16mm newsreel footage of the execution, I'm struck at how quickly it all happened. The filmed event seems at once


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more real and less meaningful than the photograph. I guess that's the tyranny of cinema, that we're forced to experience events in theflow of time, rather than outside of it. (I still dig cinema though!)

In a still photograph, you have to "read" the image and use your imagination to work out what happened a second (or a year or alifetime) before the shot was taken, and what will happen next.

Motion

Cinematography is more concerned with movement and images are presented in asequence within a set duration and you cannot return to them as you please. Acinematographer deals with relationships between shots and between groups of shots.

Philip Bloom

Vertov also believes that the task of the cinema and the camera is not to imitate thehuman eye, but to see and record what the human eye does not normally see.

Paragraph 3: (Photography used to be a mechanical process, now digitaltechnologies open playing field. Digital Hybridity).

Digital image manipulation has broadened the possibilities of what can be producedin both photography and filmmaking. Adobe Photoshop and After Effects give theability to composite many layers of imagery and place elements within a virtualenvironment (post-photography). They have never had so many tools to work with inpost production. Photos can be manipulated to add elements that were never therebefore and this creates an elastic sense of space and time. Changes can be immediateand undetectable. For example Photographers such astakes iconic images and

removes the subject, leaving just the landscape. He has the tools to add or removepolls to scenes and airbrush. Simarly in filmmaking, live-action footage is often shotin front of a green-screen and composited in postproduction. In Stephen SpielbergsWar of the Words (2009), for example,The resultin g illusion of reality from Spielbergs wide shot makes us feel as if we arerunning from the bridge ourselves. In this, as in most cases in film and photography,the purpose of the digital effects is not to replace the analogue effects, but to enhancethem.Digital technologies has made us puzzle over the source of photographic realism.In one case pyramids on a magazine were moved closer together to fit the format of the page (pg.204 Photography Reader). I wonder when an image is manipulated likethis, is it morally betraying history? No image nowadays can be considered believableand the integrity of photography will always be in question.London Gallery, landscape portraits of the year. All are digital. MOST are digitallymanipulated. I believe they begin to look synthetic, similar with vibrant, punchycolours. Lose the integrity often associated with analogue photography.In the past many people believed that photos could not lie, the image was seen ascapturing reality, but digital technologies have changed this. James Cameron statesthat, like painting, digital technologies allow you to rework an image after it has beenshot, just like a painter would continue to rework a painting. I believe this extends thecreative possibilities as the tools are available to realise an idea. Some critics eagerlyendorse the creative possibilities of digital technologies, and Blanchard argues that,ultimately, its all about enhancing creativity and the story -telling process (2005:48).


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Contemporary ExamplesPhotography and cinematography are no longer restricted as separate disciplines.

Many professionals learn the language and skills of each medium which can betransferred to the other. Anton Corbijn is a photographer and filmmaker. I was aphotographer bef ore I knew anything about to say something (Youtube, TheAmerican Anton Corbijn Interview. 1.08). He has photographed famous names suchas Elvi s Constello, David Bowie and U2 and made music videos for Similarly Bruno Aveillian is a photographer, director and multimedia artist. Heexpresses his art in both mediums. An example can be seen in his advert A journeyfor Louis Vitton. He paints with light beautiful images with light with a significantattention to detail. For example. He brings cinema to advertising. His

photographs express a surreal expression of lightFor Bruno, the relationship between photography and cinematography is aboutpresenting undefined spaces that allow the mind to immerse itself in the moment,the place, in the same manner as an intuitive and sensorial travel diary .Aveillan took inspirations from paintings by Breughel, researching the old master'scolor palette and deliberately reconstructing false perspectives.

Seb Meyer "The lie for me," he explains, "is that photographs are inherently silent.They don't make any noise. They also don't exist in time. They're frozen moments. He adds audio.I believe photography can reveal a surrealist sensibility. The ordinary thing is able toreveal its beauty when photographed.

Film, La Jete constructed almost entirely from still photos.Duane Michals photographer who makes innovative use of photo sequences.Gregory Crewdson builds an lights a set to take one photo.

Photography Largely deinstitutionalized.

Cinematography Cinematography more collaborative plan with producer, director,sound, gaffer. The way the camera moves should be for a purpose, to tell meaning.Mass audience, commerciality, institutionalized.

Photography

Cinematography varying focal length of lens, position of camera, light, the subjectcan be altered. Both artists learn to see photographically.

Photography

Cinematography Film, The Fall, like painting with moving images. Surrealism, like Dali paintings.

Photography


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Cinematography One photograph should evoke a fascinating story, while with cinematography, you use thousands ofphotos to achieve the same effect.

Photography capture a parcel of time

Cinematography

Photography

to the image when you wish (Peter Wollen, pg76, Photography Reader).photographyits just a medium where you try to find the language and try to saysomething (

SimilaritiesI believe both images selected within the image of a frame demarcate what is mostimportant. It can create relationships that werent there before.

Christopher Doyle Masterclass (Youtube) Space can be formed by light to create poetry. Camera movement is about how well we dance (4.13min), you take mesomewhere and I go with you .

David Campany states that film, in its orchestration of the viewers desire throughthe fullness of its unfolding, is closer in its structure to voyeurism ( Photography andCinema 2008:11 ).

Paragraph 4:

Sam Taylor-Wood. She is a photographer, filmmaker and visual artist. Famous for herdebut film Nowhere Boy (2009), her images of crying men, and video portrait of David Beckham.

Filmmaker and photographer Wim Wenders.

Hard Boiled Sweets A British Gangster film shot on the 5DmkII.- positives of using camera: lightweight (easy to raise an lower rig), shallow

depth of field, cheap, good in low light, quick filming with few lights aspossible.

- negatives of using camera rolling shutter (didnt use an y hand-held camera),moir,

digital technologies have enabled filmmakers to create scenes which are heavilyinfluenced by art. For example, The Fall


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to create scenes which are heavily influenced by art.

Rodger Deakin favourite scene No Country for Old Men (Youtube). Use of

shadows, silouettes and reflections. A combination of what an actor is doing andwhat you can do with light.

Para 5:Such events like The Open Shutter Awards encourages dialogue between thephotography and filmmaking communities.

Conclusion:

I think digital technology has sparked a new interest in photography andcinematography.

Photography and cinematography were once very different mediums, but nowtechnological advancements gives creatives the power to switch between mediawith the flick of a dial. This development makes this art form more interestingand opens doors for new forms of creativity . Some capitalists, however havebeen caught in a perfect storm of this technology. Eastman Kodak wereobliterated by the creative destruction of a digital age (Rob Burley, TheGuardian) and unable to keep up with the development of smart phones anddigital SLRs . It seems that they invented the technology that destroyed theirown business. But for many it has brought the relationship between

photography and cinematography closer than one could have predicted since theearliest interaction in the Lumiere brothers film Arrive des Congressistes {Neuville-sur- Sane (1895) . Photographer and videographer, Corey Rich believesit is purpose-driven to enable us to spend less time fiddling around with thetechnical aspects and spend more time on the creative. He believes that theseparation between filmmakers and still photographers is getting a lot thinner asboth professions adopt the same devices. As time goes on it will become rarer tohave a camera that captures stills or videos.

Digital photography has revolutionized image making. Photos can be taken anduploaded to the Internet within seconds, for anyone to see. It was alwaysconsidered that the camera could not lie,

The technical aspects of photography and cinematography still remains.Consideration for light, composition and framing, and the art of seeing.

Whilst discussing the impact of digital technologies on photography andcinematography, it is important to consider the contribution of the Internet. Video andphoto-sharing websites such as Vimeo and Flickr have born out of the popularity of DSLR cameras and smart phones. These interactive communities have helpedglobalize photography and film by providing platforms to share creativity. Similarlydigital technologies offer unlimited malleability to filmmakers and photographers.Software is available to both the professional and amateur, an editor has the ability to


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reach into the guts of a photograph or film and manipulate any aspects of it (Ritchin,ph312). Filmmaker James Cameron has embellished these digital technologies. Hesuggests that like a painter who continues to paint over an image, digital technologiesallow the filmmaker to continue the creative process by altering, colouring, croppingand image. Further realizing their true vision. The lines between what is real and what

is digitally manipulated have become harder to distinguish.

Photography and cinematography are different mediums. They use different ways totell stories.Visually they can complement one another but also stand alone. They rely on similar technologies and concepts about lighting, framing andcomposition, but both inherently have different goals.

To return to the original question, the two mediums share the artistic languagethey use and the techniques by which they are created. The ways they areobserved and received may be vary. Peter Wollen states that film has animmediacy, a here and nowness, with the ability to carry an audience along infascination. This contrasts wit h the frozen moment, the there and thenness of the photograph (pg16. Photography Reader). I believe that photography dwellsin the moment of frozen time, whereas cinematography dwells in the passing of time.

Both photography and cinematography have been highly influenced in the digital era.Jean Luc Godard, once said that "Photography is truth" and then added that "Cinema is truth "24 times a second"

Bibliography

Baudrillard, J, (2003) The Spirit of Terrorism. New Editing Translated by ChrisTurner. London: Verso Books

Botha, Karen. (2008) The Impact of Digital Technology on Film Production and theConcept of Cinema: A Case Study of the Terminator Trilogy Spanning 1984-2003.Johannesburg: The University of Witwatersrand.

McKernan, Brian. (2005) Digital Cinema The Revolution in Cinematography, PostProduction and Distribution. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Sontag, S. (1979) On Photography. London: Penguin Books

Wells, L. eds. (2003) the photography reader . Abingdon: RoutledgeWells, L. eds. (2004) Photography: A Critical Introduction . 3rd ed. Devon: Routledge

Other


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Johnson, B. (2009) The technological secrets of James Camerons new film Avatar.The Guardian. [online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/20/3d-film-avatar-james-cameron-technology [Accessed 01 January 2012]

Websites:

http://philipbloom.net/2012/02/21/hardboiledsweets/

(http://www.boardsmag.com/articles/magazine/20020501/aveillan.html )

(http://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.html) .

http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2012/01/qa-corey-rich-increasingly-complex-relationship-between-photography-and-cinematograph
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/20/3d-film-avatar-james-cameron-technologyhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/20/3d-film-avatar-james-cameron-technologyhttp://philipbloom.net/2012/02/21/hardboiledsweets/http://philipbloom.net/2012/02/21/hardboiledsweets/http://www.boardsmag.com/articles/magazine/20020501/aveillan.htmlhttp://www.boardsmag.com/articles/magazine/20020501/aveillan.htmlhttp://www.boardsmag.com/articles/magazine/20020501/aveillan.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2012/01/qa-corey-rich-increasingly-complex-relationship-between-photography-and-cinematographhttp://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2012/01/qa-corey-rich-increasingly-complex-relationship-between-photography-and-cinematographhttp://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2012/01/qa-corey-rich-increasingly-complex-relationship-between-photography-and-cinematographhttp://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2012/01/qa-corey-rich-increasingly-complex-relationship-between-photography-and-cinematographhttp://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2012/01/qa-corey-rich-increasingly-complex-relationship-between-photography-and-cinematographhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.epicentroart.com/bruno.htmlhttp://www.boardsmag.com/articles/magazine/20020501/aveillan.htmlhttp://philipbloom.net/2012/02/21/hardboiledsweets/http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/20/3d-film-avatar-james-cameron-technologyhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/20/3d-film-avatar-james-cameron-technology

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PHOTOGRAPHY_ESSAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![2]