CYOA--Lost and Found Films

            What I noticed the most about the narrative structures contained in the four short videos titled, “Hill”, “Prime”, “Coffer”, and “Byun” from a series called This Must Be the Place, was that the camera is able to show a contrast to what is being said. For example, Hill says he lives in a shop and that he is never really alone, yet, the images the audience is shown are displaying a different perspective—the perspective most of the world sees when they look at run down images of a once immensely prosperous city. Despite the isolation that appears on screen, Hill’s words are consistently positive and hopeful.

            In “Prime”, I was interested by the blurring of the film during certain parts, especially toward the end. Maybe this technique is a call back to earlier simpler times—this seems to be a theme of these video shorts, though I’m concerned that they future only men (side point).

            I’m noticing that this type of narrative makes it easier to be more concise and say more with shots in addition to dialogue than they could do one at a time on the written page. The close ups in “Prime” are powerful and makes me wonder if they are equally effective on the page if not more. Another theme of these shorts is the reliance on striking images with no words.

            In “Coffer”, the contrast between his dialogue and the images shown help lead the audience into the narrative, though I think this can be done just as effectively on paper. This video had the most action—Coffer making his plate photography. I think action could have been used more and I didn’t appreciate the use of the same type of music for every video.

            Video is especially effective for translation without leaving out the words which were actually said. I thought that the story of “Byun” was the most compelling—the least ordinary among a group of ‘different’ people. These pieces definitely have some great discussion material embedded in them—great pick!