Richland Digital Video Fall 2018

I feel that many of the things that Vertov spoke on about the advantages of recording video still apply today. Over time we have developed the technology to make the advantages he spoke of like being able to capture impressions in a manner completely different from the human eye rings more true today than when he wrote it. For example on a social media "story" site like SnapChat everyone can pull out their phone and record the same event from entirely different perspectives. What may look like a grand time from one persons point of view can look like an epic fail from anothers. Quotes like "we cannot improve the making of our eyes, but we can endlessly perfect the camera" are evident every year with manufactures competing to put the most high resolution cameras in their devices. I had a "Go Pro" camera in mind when he talked about capturing a boxing match from the viewpoint of the competitors. I enjoyed reading this excerpt of Kino Eye, it has a lot of sim...

Based on the reading of the Kino-Eye, I've seen that it not only describes the technique and workings behind not just film and camera work, but vision in general. Enhancing vision has given others capabilities for ages as they see reality around them, giving them unique viewpoints and perspectives that they sometimes showcase through their art and other actions, whether through technology such as cameras or simply drawing with a pencil. With technology and other devices used today, that same enhancement is, in my opinion, amplified and capable of being customized to fit the user's style, but sometimes it's better to just use the two eyes you've got because you'd be surprised how a natural sight can seem to you.

I realize that Dziga Vertov wanted to change the rejection of the Kino-Eye. He wanted us to see the power of film. To prove his point, he explains that the Kino-Eye is stronger than the human eye, and that it shows us things we can’t see.   I like to think that film is powerful It allows us to have a better understanding of the world around us. For example, when we see a ballerina, we might think that she is graceful and delicate. Film can show us how strong and talented a ballerina is. We can get a closeup of the way in which they move. Their muscles working hard, and the pain they go through for hours. Imagine The amount of control they must have to keep a serene and calm expression. Film can make us aware of things we couldn’t see before, not just in ballet but everywhere around us. Depending on the way something is edited we can see many different versions of one story all thanks to the camera. 

Dziga Vertov talks about the camera like if it was perfect. He explains how it can capture something perfectly on the moment. He also talks about the act of shooting video, how it is a form of art, talent, and precision. In fact, when filming, the cameraman should feel the emotions that pushes him or her to do what they are doing. However, we cannot forget about the traditional manual arts such as painting and drawing. Those forms of art stay the base for everything and sets the point where art started to get recognise. Overall I really liked reading “Kino Eye”, it made me understand more about the philosophy behind filming and using a camera opposed to manual arts.

I liked how he made the Camera seem more powerful than the human eye. He made me feel more appreciation for the Camera and even gave me ideas and a little motivation. I feel like I will now be a little more creative and driven next time I go on a shoot. I thought it was funny how he discredited the Theatre. Not that I fully agree with his statements but he did have some good points. He did credit the writers and other people involved in theatre, if I am not mistaken. Which is good. Overall I thought it was an interesting read, mostly because I felt more appreciation for a device that I take for granted.

In The Ontology of the Photographic Image the author talk about photography and manual arts such as painting or drawing. He compares the two and makes it clear that a photograph is “perfect” in the way that it captures exactly a certain whereas a painting is just trying to reproduce what reality was. He also says that the art of photography is the new age and that it should kind of take over the traditional manual arts. I think that art is art no matter how it was made. What matters is the meaning behind it and the work put into it by the artist.

In The Onotology of the Photographic Image, the author explains that photography is the art of our time because it's more realistic than paintings. I agree that photography is more realistic than traditional art, however it does not mean that only photography should be considered the art of our time. In my opinion paintings can still have a modern feeling depending on what the subject is and if a new technique is being applied. While photography allows artists to express themselves in new ways, drawing or painting gives us more opportunity to shape, manipulate, and express our ideas better.