Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction & Blair Witch Project

After reading Walter Benjamin's Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, I have concluded that the construct of the Blair Witch Project makes an assertive attempt at cutting into reality. The first quote stated by Benjamin explains how with the invention of film, the aura that was once embodied in the original prescence of actors when preforming in front of an audience, is shattered by the invention of film which calls for them to act in front of a camera which replaces the audience, and therefor strips the actor of his aura. This quote relates to Blair Witch Project in the sense that the lead actress Heather constantly deviates between actress in front of the camera, and "audience" by operation of the camera. The presence of aura in the film Blair Witch Project becomes blurred throughout the film based on the constant reevaluation of what could be percieved as reality, and fiction despite the fact that the movie is not live, but rather an edited film. The second quote explains that the cameraman penetrates deeply into his work like a surgeon preforming an operation on a patient but, unlike a painter which keeps a "natural distance from reality." The quote goes on to explain that the work yielded by the cameraman "consists of multiple fragments which are assembled under a new law" and through the equipment utitlized to produce these images, the camerman creates a "thoroughgoing permeation of reality with mechanical equipment, an aspect of reality which is free of all equipment." This quote relates to the Blair Witch Project because it contradicts this quote by Benjamin. The Blair Witch Project rejects the notion that the equipment used to create the images should be absent from the frame to create a sense of reality, but rather used the presence of the equipment and crew to reinforce the theme of reality throughout the film. The presense of aura in the Blair Witch project is constantly questioned through the construction of the film with begs the audience to question what is and isn't reality in the film.

Blair Witch Project Outline

C. Credits

1. Burkittsville, Maryland
a. Heather Donahue and Joshua Leonard collect their filming equipment and pick up Michael Williams, and explain their plans to film a documentary about local myth the Blair Witch
b. The three filmmakers interview a few locals who express their knowledge about a man who had turned himself into the police after kidnapping seven children and killing them in his basement under the coercion of the Blair Witch during the 1940's.
c. The filmmakers encounter another local named Mary Brown who met the Blair Witch in the woods and had described her as a woman with thick dense black fur.

2. Black Hills Forest-Day 1
a. Josh, Michael and Heather venture into the woods and question Heather's credibility after suspiscion of being lost in the woods and meet a pair of fisherman who tell a tale about five individuals who hiked to Coffin Rock and were gruesomely murdered
b. The filmmakers make camp in the woods after searching for signs of the Blair Witch and brief panic of being lost

3. Black Hills Forest-Day 2
a. The filmmakers explore more the woods with little certainty of their location and stumble upon what appears to be a ancient burial location. One of the crew members stumbles upon a pile of rocks and Heather replaces one of the rocks that had fallen off the pile to remedy the stone pile.
b. The filmmakers have an argument about being lost in the woods, and Heather becomes a prime target.
c. The filmmakers make camp and hear odd sounds in the woods but cannot locate the sound or identify it.

4. Black Hills-Day3
a. Disturbed by the sounds in the night, and rushed for time the filmmakers decide to locate their vehicle and return home but unsuccessfully become lost in the woods again.
b. The filmmakers make camp.
c. The filmmakers hear strange sounds in the woods again but cannot locate or identify the sound.

5. Black Hills-Day 4
a. Three piles of rocks are found outside their tents.
b. Heather acknowledges that the map is missing. Michael later admits that he threw the map into the river in frustration of being lost.
c. The filmmakers discover a series of figurines created from sticks and bark suspended from trees suggestive of vodoism
d. The filmmakers make camp and hear indistinguishable sounds in the night, feel strange movement against their tent and in panic flee the camp for safety only to return a few hours later to discover that their tent had been raided and Joshua's pack of items were covered in a jelly-like residue while Heather and Michael's packs were untouched.

6. Black Hills-Day 5
a. The filmmakers wander aimlessly through the woods
b. They make camp

7. Black Hills-Day 6
a. Heather and Michael awake to find Joshua missing.
b. Heather and Michael look for Joshua but decide to to continue into the woods to hopefully find the location of their vehicle and then get help in locating Joshua
c. After making camp that night they hear sounds that appear to be similar to Joshua's voice screaming for help but isn't completely discernable

8. Black Hills-Day 7
a. Heather uncovers a pack of sticks tied with cloth with torn pieces of bloodied fabric and what appears to be partial remains of an individual
b. Heather and Michael wander in the woods and make camp.
c. They hear what appears to be Joshua's screams and follow the sound to a vacant house
d. Heather lags behind Michael as they race through the house following Joshua's cries which lead them to the basement. Michael is the first to reach the basement in which his video camera is knocked to the ground and all movement or sound from him ceases.
e. Heather races down to the basement in pursuit of Michael screaming his name and finds him facing into a corner.
f. Heather's screams stop when her camera is knocked to the floor.

E. End Credits

Tokyo Story and Hollywood Continuity Practices

The film Tokyo Story directed by Yasujiro Ozu embodies unique editing techniques that differ greatly from the common practices of Hollywood continuity. One significant difference between Hollywood Continuity and the techniques demonstrated in Tokyo Story is shot duration along with camera placement closely near to the floor in addition to camera movement. In Tokyo Story, Ozu places the camera significantly lower to the ground connecting the audience with the life of the characters which deals greatly with sitting very near to the floor in a vast majority of the scenes whereas most Hollywood Continuity practices would exhibit cinematography and shot composition from a much higher height. In addition, the length of the shots are abnormally longer than the shot duration evident in Hollywood continuity. As mentioned in Chapter eight of Film Art, "patterning of short shots can create an accelerating feeling," whereas longer shots create an almost impatient and anxious feeling evident in Tokyo Story's shot succession. The camera movement exemplified in Ozu's work also places great emphasis on little camera movement, and more emphasis on cutaway shots of close ups of the character's faces demonstrated in various scenes throughout the film while Hollywood Continuity relies greatly on camera movement to communicate narrative through various shots. Also, the subject matter of the film is quite mundane and documents everyday life as it realistically occurs which varies from Hollywood continuity which deviates from mundane subject matter. Overall, Tokyo Story demonstrates sophisticated editing practices which are similar to Hollywood Continuity, yet are unique in the sense that it embodies different camera angles, succession of shots and subject matter however both forms of film demonstrate realism in a unique and convincing manner.

Robert Frank Photo

In Robert Frank's photo Charleston, the two books Film Art and Practices of Looking, would interpret its meaning from very different perspectives. In Practices of Looking, the author may argue that based on the composition of the photograph taken by Robert Frank, that there are specific semiotic meanings embedded in the photograph. For example, one interpretation of this photo may include the denotative and connotative levels of meaning analyzed by Barthes. In this photograph, the denotative meaning could be described as an African American woman holding a Caucasian infant, leaning against the side of a building on a street. The connotative meaning of the photograph can be related to race relations in the South denoted by the African American woman caretaking for the infant. The second book Film Art could argue that based on the composition of the film in general, the African American's woman placement in the frame, and the direction of her gaze conveys a specific emotion that seems rather neutral--neither bitter nor pleasant. In addition to the direction of the woman's gaze, the composition of the contrast between the very white infant against the darker woman brings attention to the varying race differences between the two individuals. Aesthetically the contrast between the white and black suggests race relations, and the specific mood conveyed is one that is almost neutral based on the countenance of the two individuals composed within the frame.