Sketch Film Essay: Assessment 2
Korsakow Film: Bright Splinters
Created by: Michael Lincoln, Katrina Varey, Sunniva Sollied Møller, Scott Huang
Link: http://vogmae.net.au/
‘Life is not like conventional fiction: life is more real, flies at us in bright splinters’
Shields, 2011
Introduction
The Korsakow film Bright Splinters is an observational work that uses pattern, interface and content utilising the recurring theme of ‘light’ to highlight the underrated beauty of Melbourne city. The collage of clips are comprised of different fragments of time and space providing a dynamic yet fluid experience for the user. Moments that occur every day that ordinarily go by unnoticed, suddenly seem so significant and meaningful. There is something very beautiful and thought provoking about each individual clip, however when viewed in relation to each other a new, polysemic meaning is created.
Pattern
Bright Splinters presents a number of connections between clips that allows the user to establish recurring themes throughout the film. The consistent theme of light is present throughout each clip. To compliment this concept, combinations of day and night as well as artificial and natural light are cleverly employed throughout the film. The correlation between the clips becomes apparent when seen on the main interface. The effect of the videos being similar in appearance around the main media is visually dynamic and prompts the user to create their own patterns.
There is also a recurring theme of motion depicted throughout each clip. Again this is generated though the use of both natural and artificial objects and helps to create the atmosphere of Melbourne as a metropolitan city, constantly moving through time and space. The movement throughout each clip also helps to establish rhythm throughout the film.
The recurring patterns that are evident throughout the piece are supported by the continuous soundtrack, which plays uninterrupted throughout the film. The ambient and slightly somber music assists to establish mood and sets the overall pace of the film. The constant background music also helps to create continuity and flow throughout the work.
Interface
This interactive documentary utilises a simple yet effective interface design, which remains consistent throughout the duration of the film. The main SNU, which is played in colour, is surrounded by seven black-and white thumbnails. The large number of preview windows presents the user with a greater amount of choice on how to proceed through the film. The thumbnails are arranged along the top of the main media window and continue down the right hand side. By not forming a complete square the user is left feeling free and liberated rather than contained by their decisions. The edges of the thumbnails also blend seamlessly into the black background, making them less defined and less likely to pull focus. This also relates back to the significance of light and its ability either expose or conceal.
The individual clips are not looped which helps to add to the fragmented feel of the piece. Each clip seems to be capturing a specific moment in time. Although having the soundtrack continue to play once the clip has completed helps to maintain the overall flow of the piece.
Content
Visually, the film is impressive. A variety of different shots are utilised to create a complex film that is both captivating and stimulating. A plethora of clips, which all relate to light, are captured throughout Melbourne. They comprise of both natural and artificial light and vary from day to night, inside to outside. Some clips include people while others do not. However they are consistent in their quality and have been edited in a stylistic way that enhances the overall feel of the film.
The opening sequence presents itself visually engaging and slightly more intense than the other clips throughout the film. The Shields quote “life…though flies at us” is introduced using the sporadic nature similar to that of a fluorescent light in juxtaposition with a wide-shot, light-heavy time lapse sequence, allows the user to immediately be able to establish the subject. Text is only utilised in the opening sequence, which allows the user to focus on the visual beauty of the clips rather than be distracted by having to read throughout the film.
The videos are recorded from a first person point of view, which is a common trait for observational mode of documentary. The filmmaker remains hidden behind the camera, ‘ignored by the surrounding environment that we neither change nor influence the events being captured’ (Nichols, 2010). This helps to draw the user in allowing them to feel like a part of the work.
Connection
The decisions made in the patterns created, the interface design and the content captured throughout the interactive documentary form a strong cohesive theme of light that can be interpreted by the user to create meaning depending on their individual experiences.
The interface design along with the continuous background music encourages the user to progress through the piece, although not necessarily forward as the piece takes on a multi-linear narrative structure. This allows space for the user to interpret the relationship between videos and the meaning of the work.
Through utilising specific design elements, the filmmakers highlight fragmented moments in time that are usually taken for granted and invite the user to take notice and appreciate their surroundings. By combining content, rhythm and the recurring theme of movement the film not only establishes a sense of place but also successfully creates atmosphere, successfully capturing the culture and diversity of Melbourne city.
Evidence
Bright Splinters is an interactive documentary that can be recognised as a hypertext, as it allows the user to create their own journey through selecting a range of pre-existing options (Ashton & Gaudenzi, 2012). Even though the filmmaker has the power to create the content and make relationships with the keywords, it is still up to the user to create meaning, based on their own personal experiences (Ashton & Gaudenzi, 2012). This interactive documentary, which combines a number of observational clips, also highlights the changes in the way in which users engage with digital media (Sørenssen, 2008). The film takes an experimental approach to documentary making, to produce common themes and patterns throughout (Bordwell & Thompson, 2013). Bright Splinters is a highly stylised and powerful Korsakow film, which eloquently explores the underrated beauty of Melbourne city and reflects on how we interpret the world around us.
References:
Bordwell, D & Thompson, K (2013) Film Art: An Introduction. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill.
Judith, A & Gaudenzi, S (2012) “Interactive Documentary: Setting the Field.” Studies in Documentary Film 6.2: 125–139.
Nichols, B 2010, Introduction to Documentary, 2nd ed., Indiana University Press, United States of America.
Shields, David. (2010) ‘Reality Hunger: A Manifesto’ Knopf, vintage pp. 110-122
Sørenssen, B (2008) “Digital Video and Alexandre Astruc’s Caméra-Stylo: The New Avant-Garde in Documentary Realized?” Studies in Documentary Film 2.1