A Photograph Says So Much

The photo graph that I chose to discuss is from when my mom was a teenager/early twenties. The photograph is Sephira toned. She is standing by herself directly in the middle of the shot and it is summer, so she is wearing shorts and a tank top. Her hair is very long, reaching to almost her waist and pin straight, it is parted directly down the middle. She is wearing a huge smile and behind her there is a dirt bike/motorcycle. The bike and my mom are outside. How do I know all this if I wasn't there, or in this case even born yet?

I know all this because of my moms memory, and what she recalls from seeing this photo. Photos are specific to time and place. This photograph was taken at a specific time at a certain place and it combined the technology of the camera "capturing" this moment with the actual activity of my mom standing with this bike. This photograph became a social act. She was out riding a bike or about o go for a ride and somebody thought that it was an important or significant enough of a moment that they wanted to be able to not only remember how they recall it, but also through the use of the actual event. Time stood still and stands still in this photo.

When I first saw this picture I was very surprised because first of all my mom looks so young and I couldn't believe how long her hair was or what the style was at this point in time. Which would be about 1965-ish. The second thing I noticed right away was the fact that there was a motorcycle behind her. This surprised me because my mom has always told me and continues to tell me to stay off of bikes and how unsafe they are. I love the speed and openness of being on a bike. I never knew that my mom did when she was my age as well. I asked her what the bike was doing in the photo, to which she replied with a smile; that she use to ride bikes all the time. It was something all the kids did at that time and how much she loved it. She even told me how when she meet my dad he rode every once in a while because his dad had bikes. I never knew any of this, nor would I have ever guessed correct if you asked me. My dad to me has always been "Mr. business" and not very much of a risk taker type. My mom then went on to explain the fashion choices and etc. She remembered all this and was able to recall all of her feelings and emotions about so much just from this one photo because photos are artifacts that help us remember our bodily presence.

Upon seeing this photo my mom remembered exactly what she was thinking and feeling when it was taken. She was able to recall other stories and moments from seeing this picture and we were able to connect in some weird way from this photo.

It is said that not just the actual photos but the act of taking the photos play a role in how we remember certain events in our lives. "Not only do photographs, but the act of taking photographs, has a role in the way we remember important events in our lives; it is a ritual", I take from this that we as a society have come to almost rely on technology and cameras and the photograph to mark and remember important moments in our lives. It has become a 'ritual' to take pictures at weddings, birthdays,holidays,proms,etc. The ritual and act of taking a photo almost marks its significance.

When Films Speak Without Words

The film I chose to review a 5 minute clip of was, Empire Records. This film is one of my all time favorites. A little background about this movie; It is a day in the life of the employees of a record store that is about to be bought out by a furniture store. The manager almost had enough money to out buy him but one of the employees gambled it away. On this particular day a "rockstar" Rex Manning comes to do a signing. The clip in which I am going to talk about is prior to the star getting there and the employees setting up his signing area.
The mise en scence or the making the scence is varied. First the people are all over the place because they are jamming to a CD while setting up, they are singing and dancing and have props such as chairs, tables, posters. There is also a line and crowd of "fans" in the store.
The first shot is of Marc( an employee) coming down the stairs, the camera is below eye level and a wide shot when Marc is at the top of the stairs. Then Marc runs down the stairs and in doing so the camera zooms in on him and does ann extreme close up as he is talking. The camera is also now at eye level. These two shots are with Marc only. There is then a cut in the scene and we are now seeing Rex Manning.
Rex Manning makes an entrance and is sitting at a table. The line of fans begins to come up one by one to get his autograph. The camera is above his eye level at a medium shot to show from the "view" of the standing fan. Then the camera cuts to the fan speaking and it is another medium shot that is below eye level to show or give the perception from rex's view as he is sitting. There are several shots and ranges going on in just this one segment form this movie.
All of these elements and language of the film help to give the movie a realistic feel and add to the dimensions of the film. The use of close ups or the use of angles can "talk" to the viewer in the sense that they can indicate importance, feelings, and directions of the characters without them even speaking.