Friday, February 28, 2020

Describe the kind of preception suggested in 'A Child's view of Essay

Describe the kind of preception suggested in 'A Child's view of colour' and 'Metaphors on Vision' and relate that to your percep - Essay Example In the essay, â€Å"From Metaphors on Vision,† Stan Brakhage confirms the power and beauty of perception that is unfettered by logic. Like Benjamin, Brakhage asserts that infants, who have not yet acquired human logic, possess the purest perceptions because they have not learned the meaning of fear. These notions of â€Å"perception† are applied on Lynne Ramsay’s 1999 film, Ratcatcher. Ratcatcher demonstrates the different visions of a good life from the viewpoints of the director, children, and the audience because of their varied, potentially conflicting, perceptions of images that are caused by differences in how these three groups perceive, understand, and express the film’s colours, sounds, composition, and sequences. Before going through the claims of the essay, an overview of the film is essential to understanding its elements. The setting of the film is Glasgow in 1973. During this time, Glasgow suffers from poor housing conditions that are worsene d when the garbage collectors go on strike. Because of the strike, garbage accumulates and pollutes the surroundings. The government balances numerous priorities, as it pursues a development program that includes a housing project and seeks to resolve the problem of the garbage workers going on strike. James Gillespie (William Eadie) is the main protagonist of the film, where he and his family are waiting to be re-housed in one of the newly built apartments of the government (Ratcatcher). James’ friend is Ryan Quinn (Thomas McTaggart), who is supposed to visit his father in jail. Instead of going to his father, Ryan plays with James (Ratcatcher). Their rough play has resulted to Ryan’s drowning in the canal. James feels guilty because he has not alarmed the neighbours of what happened, and instead, he runs away. James has other friends, Margaret Anne (Leanne Mullen) and Kenny (John Miller), who all have their personal issues. The rough boys in the neighbourhood make fu n of Kenny and Margaret Anne, while also sexually abusing the latter. The military arrives to clean the rubbish in the area, but somehow, James feels that only the outside aspect of their social dilemma is cleansed. He jumps into the canal and commits suicide, while the film ends with the vision of his family relocating to their new house. To begin the analysis of â€Å"perception,† Ratcatcher illustrates the perception of the director of a good life that can be described as limited and delimiting. The difference between limited and delimiting is that limited pertains to the film as it is, a limited view of life, while delimiting pertains to the intentions and biases of the director that affect what can be included and not included in the elements of the film. The director controls the camera, which, as a tool of perception, can only include a semblance of reality. In the bus scene, where James runs away and rides a bus, he sees mounds of trash from the bus windows (Ratcatche r). The bus windows are similar to the camera. It can only catch what is in front of it without fully covering everything and without completely conveying what the presence and absence of images mean. The scene exposes the limitations of the camera as an eye for the director, and in connection, to the viewers. Brakhage states that the camera can only capture so much, as it superimposes images on one another and attempts to cover varied motions and emotions (122). He argues that the camera eye is a limited peek into the world.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Video Reaction Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Video Reaction Paper - Essay Example The lightness and â€Å"breaking of the dawn† emotion of the second movement, Venus The Bringer of Peace, is contrasted amongst the heavens of this suite. It is light and airy and I like really liked it although not as much as the first piece. The 3rd movement, Mercury The Winged Messenger, uses the greek mythology to create a flighty almost lyrical piece in which the dominance of Mars is reheard in certain momentary sections, yet the air of Mercury prevails. In contrast to the militaristic 5/4 pulse of Mars, the  ¾ time of Mercury is delightful and joyous and pleasant to listen to as well. Jupiter is a piece which rests on traditional english folk themes and enhanced orchestration elements to create sonority without being bogged down by military motifs seen in Mars. Jupiter brings to mind certain English hymns and is emotionally uplifting. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age, lives up to its title and is plodding and almost mechanical. The theme element is haunting and uncomplicated using elongation over movement in its undercurrent. My least favorite of the movements, its rather plodding nature is almost sleep inducing. In stark and violent contrast, Uranus The Magician, evokes the images of dark magic while echoing the thematic elements of Paul Dukas Sorcerer and even Dvorak Slovakian Dances. Along with Mars, this movement engages the listener to pay close attention to the enlarged orchestra and its powerful sound. In the terminal movement, Neptune the Mystic, evokes the tonality of distance and finality and the end of all things. Not content with evoking leaving everyone happy, the composer leaves with the distant voices of the female choir in dissonant tones evoking the far away planet that is Neptune. In addition to the usual large orchestra elements, the ENTIRE piece adds organ, 2 extra flutes (Piccolo and bass Flute),