Affordances

Today I got my last gift of the holiday season, the gift of time. I had enough time today that I had a chance to get to the movies, which parents of very young children can only dream of unless they can afford a sitter on a regular basis. I saw the "silent film" a movie called "The Artist," about the decline of silent films in favor of the "talkies." While I didn't have time to get popcorn - I was 5 minutes late - I did have time for the delicious irony that took place in between when the movie was scheduled to start, and when the previews were through. The final preview was for the re-release of "Titanic" (in 3D). No, I am not even shitting you. 

"The Artist" is fundamentally a movie that will hit you over the head with the philosophy behind Tom Wujec's TED talk. By the time you see someone give the 'finger' early on in the movie, I already had the feeling that if I were to hear someone talking, it would be obscene and droll. Later on, when the main character gets an early showing of the first "talkie" he laughs at how ridiculous it is, and I'm right there with him. When the fourth-wall of movie-audience is toyed with and he starts hearing the sounds of the world around him, you almost fear that you might hear the main character, and mentally beg him to wake up from his nightmare. When there finally is foley-voice work in this movie, it's a well placed relief. No, it's not an entirely silent film, but it is entirely in that style, with audience script cues and lip reading when appropriate. 

If you have time to see a movie soon, it should be this one. If you are so afforded by modern technology, you should check out the movie "The General" a 1926 movie with Buster Keaton first. Apparently, it's available online here; although if you can get a dvd or something you'll like it better than the crappy streaming on that site. Anyway "the general" is really cool in that you can get a sense for what kinds of things they used to try in these movies in the way of special effects, or as they used to call it, "creativity." Old movies used to be shot on a 4x3 aspect ratio onto rolls of proofs and edited together into a master. The prints made off the master might be toned in various hues and sent off to the theaters. I was delighted to see all the sliding transitions and toning, cigarette burns and dodged transitions put to work in "the Artist," subtle, but still there as an homage. 

With "The Artist" you get a sense that these concepts of editing together proofs in a darkroom have become more refined and appealing, but you also get to experience what we've lost. Sure, talkies and modern movies have brought us all kinds of great things, but the silent films gave us certain affordances, and it's worth understanding what those are. It's relaxing, like getting a haircut, but thrilling like reading a book, and you get to fill in the voices and intonations in your head. You're afforded the opportunity to use your own imagination, and connect more closely with the story and it's rendering. For those of you who have ever intoned "the book was much better" you just might have your doe-eyed faith in the motion pictures restored after seeing such a film - no doubt shot on black and white safety-film to reduce risks from fires...