MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA + A PROPOS DE NICE - ESSAY
Discuss how far your chosen films reflect aesthetic qualities associated with a particular film movement.
The constructivist art movement focuses fully on celebrating new and different forms of modernistic technology and industry. This praise of technological advances helped move this 'movement' to become vastly popular. Dziga Vertov, who was described as a 'film hooligan' when creating Man with a Movie camera, felt the task of Soviet film was to document reality 'to reveal truth' and was opposed to the fiction film that depended on artifice. Vertov utilises many different filming techniques such as; cross-cutting and split screen, in order to present the technological advances of soviet union and their power. This fully emphasises his 'hooliganism' as his work is more expressive rather than realist as he creates hidden messages by using his many different film techniques. Boris Kaufman, Vertov's younger brother, photographed the film A Propos de Nice: to document the people's daily routines in the city, in order to show the social inequalities of the bourgeoise and how people should reject this idea.
In Man with a Movie camera, roughly a third of the way through the film, Vertov uses a sequence of shots of trains and trams with the intention to celebrate the communistic expansion and innovation of the soviet union. He uses muscular filmmaking and experimentation of individual elements in film in order to praise this new technological advance. Vertov experiments with the use of split screen and canted camera angles which ultimately reflects the negatives to social hierarchy; the rich get richer whist the poor get poorer. This idea is then dismissed after the Russian Revolution of 1917, which brought about the overthrow of the aristocracy. This brought a new found sense of equality, making this canted split screen now represent the way in which both rich and poor started to come together. Furthermore, the use of the Kuleshov effect where meaning is created via the juxtaposition of shots; is evident in the cut between the bicycle and the train in the same sequence which makes us become aware of the differences between the old technology to the new. Constructivism was influenced by Futurism, an art movement that celebrated movement, dynamism and new technologies. Being a constructivist, Vertov dismissed the old technology of the bicycle and praises this new transport of trains. Within the next scene, the pace of the people and the trams seem to speed up in which we see these trams race past many times. Vertov uses these new and various innovative filmmaking techniques to suggest to the spectator how the Soviet Union is seeming to advance in technology. This ultimately reflects how Vertov wants to enlighten the spectator that the Soviet Union possess the means for new advances in their country; whether it's technological or industrial. He uses the moving trains to reflect the ideal that the Soviet Union is moving forward and advancing.
The constructivist art movement focuses fully on celebrating new and different forms of modernistic technology and industry. This praise of technological advances helped move this 'movement' to become vastly popular. Dziga Vertov, who was described as a 'film hooligan' when creating Man with a Movie camera, felt the task of Soviet film was to document reality 'to reveal truth' and was opposed to the fiction film that depended on artifice. Vertov utilises many different filming techniques such as; cross-cutting and split screen, in order to present the technological advances of soviet union and their power. This fully emphasises his 'hooliganism' as his work is more expressive rather than realist as he creates hidden messages by using his many different film techniques. Boris Kaufman, Vertov's younger brother, photographed the film A Propos de Nice: to document the people's daily routines in the city, in order to show the social inequalities of the bourgeoise and how people should reject this idea.
In Man with a Movie camera, roughly a third of the way through the film, Vertov uses a sequence of shots of trains and trams with the intention to celebrate the communistic expansion and innovation of the soviet union. He uses muscular filmmaking and experimentation of individual elements in film in order to praise this new technological advance. Vertov experiments with the use of split screen and canted camera angles which ultimately reflects the negatives to social hierarchy; the rich get richer whist the poor get poorer. This idea is then dismissed after the Russian Revolution of 1917, which brought about the overthrow of the aristocracy. This brought a new found sense of equality, making this canted split screen now represent the way in which both rich and poor started to come together. Furthermore, the use of the Kuleshov effect where meaning is created via the juxtaposition of shots; is evident in the cut between the bicycle and the train in the same sequence which makes us become aware of the differences between the old technology to the new. Constructivism was influenced by Futurism, an art movement that celebrated movement, dynamism and new technologies. Being a constructivist, Vertov dismissed the old technology of the bicycle and praises this new transport of trains. Within the next scene, the pace of the people and the trams seem to speed up in which we see these trams race past many times. Vertov uses these new and various innovative filmmaking techniques to suggest to the spectator how the Soviet Union is seeming to advance in technology. This ultimately reflects how Vertov wants to enlighten the spectator that the Soviet Union possess the means for new advances in their country; whether it's technological or industrial. He uses the moving trains to reflect the ideal that the Soviet Union is moving forward and advancing.
The final sequence of the film conveys the constructivist values by distancing themselves with all symbols of capitalist Russia. One of the key sequences within the finale begins with the 'melting' of the Bolshoi Theatre. Vertov achieves this 'melting' feature by covering one side of the camera, and rotating it left and right with two different shots to create this split-screen illusion. This emphasises to the spectator, the products of Russia's bourgeoisie past metaphorically 'melting'; bringing their downfall upon themselves. This is displayed as a punishment for the way the proletariat were treated until their rise. This is also apparent at the end of A Propos De Nice where Jean Vigo utilises cross-cutting between a lady from the bourgeoisie and an industrial factory, in order to undermine the importance of bourgeoisie and replace it with a stunning new revolutionary building. These close-ups of the 'important' rich lady dazzled by her jewellery is then weakened by this new industrial advance; therefore destroying the ideas of the bourgeoisie being important and ultimately bringing his communist ideas to light.
In conclusion, both Vertov and Vigo both praise the constructivist movement whilst rejecting the ideas of the bourgeoisie. They manipulate multiple new innovative filming techniques in order to present wider themes surrounding the countries they live in. They both praise new technology that destroy the past as they are also followers of Italian Futurism.
In conclusion, both Vertov and Vigo both praise the constructivist movement whilst rejecting the ideas of the bourgeoisie. They manipulate multiple new innovative filming techniques in order to present wider themes surrounding the countries they live in. They both praise new technology that destroy the past as they are also followers of Italian Futurism.
Paragraph 1:
ReplyDelete"making them very modernistic." - not too sure what you mean by this. Are they not modernistic in and of themselves?
"This included the praise technological advances which helped move this 'movement' to become vastly popular." - awkward phrasing here - needs rewording.
"Vertov expresses these ideas" - although it might be worth mentioning that the very essence of his 'hooliganism' could be construed as expressive rather than realist.
Paragraph 2:
"which brought the overthrowing of the aristocracy to light." - I wouldn't exactly say it brought it to light - rather, it brought about the overthrow of the aristocracy.
"Within the next scene, it seems to speed up" - what seems to speed up?
"reflective of the Soviet Union society and how they seem to advance quickly whilst everyone else is normal. This expresses a celebration of the Soviet Union advancing at a quicker pace than other countries" - remember that Vertov is a propagandist filmmaker. The Soviet Union actually lagged behind other countries when it came to technology, something Stalin addressed increasingly in the coming years. I think, instead, you should be arguing the point that Vertov is using his various innovative techniques to SUGGEST the Soviet Union's advances. This would then lead to a discussion of spectatorship, and what Vertov ultimately wants the spectator to take away from his film.
Paragraph 3:
Good paragraph
Paragraph 4:
"In collusion" - did you mean collusion? This would mean that Vigo and Vertov were actually collaborating, which was not the case.
16/20
Some good work here, Xander. I think the intro needs a bit of work with regard to phrasing, and you've missed a trick in Paragraph 2 to discuss spectatorship, but Paragraph 3 is pretty solid.
It would be interesting to do a timed version of this essay. Compared with other essays I've seen, it's a little in the short side, and there's room to discuss the ending of MWAMC in greater depth, but then again, maybe it's all you'd have time to write in 25 minutes?
Rewrite:
ReplyDeleteParagraph 1:
"due to conveying messages within." - a bit vague - not really sure what you mean by this.
Paragraph 2:
"Furthermore, the use of the Kuleshov effect, meaning is created via the juxtaposition of shots, is evident"- phrasing here is a little clumsy.
"Whether it's technological or industrial." - this is a fragment sentence - suggest you link it to the previous sentence via a comma instead.
18/20
Good work, Xander. Top of the class!