IM: Film Essay 2014

In this case I am analysing the work by Clare Anderson, Laura Stephens and Wichaya Kim Jensen, titled ‘Nostalgia’. Here is a copy of the url:
http://vogmae.net.au/classworks/media/2010/kfilms/nostalgia/

The title of ‘Nostalgia’ was highly appropriate for this korsakow film, with the pattern, interface and content all assisting in creating a feeling and sense of what the title suggests.

Pattern:
This is a work that has strong connections to Bordwell and Thompson’s idea, that the filmmaker’s purpose may be to express or evoke a particular emotion from the viewer by the abstract images, sounds or colours they have chosen.
There is quite a clear pattern apparent, particularly with the clips that appear in the thumbnails, and only after multiple viewings does the pattern become clear. Although the opening sequences of clips are never the same, the SNU’s have reminiscent qualities and act to establish the film’s context with text such as “I spend a lot of time thinking”, “Maybe there was something there” and “I had you just for a second. Then you were gone”.(https://www.mediafactory.org.au/boglarka-marffy/2014/04/03/establishing-clip/)
Beginning with the ocean, the next sequence of clips are related to water, followed by clips of the city, with abstract clips also appearing throughout the film, and choosing a clip that is out of focus takes you to the next “group” of sequences. (https://www.mediafactory.org.au/boglarka-marffy/2014/04/03/ocean-images/)

There is a clear system of relations circled around where one may go to remember a memory, where one may go to forget and where one is reminded of a person; these patterns are determined by locations, suggesting that there are specific emotions connected to places.

The interactive layout of the film is an element that adds to the complex, creative and unique design that the film portrays, and thus assists the way in which nostalgia is communicated. The feelings of a sentimental longing and affection for the past are portrayed through music, choice of locations, and the text associated with each clip aids in emphasising this.
The text changes with each clip, correlating and leading the viewer to assume the nostalgia is in reference to a love, one that was lost, and it has an abstracted relation to the clip being played. For example, “I feel so far away from everyone else” shows flickering city lights in the distance, and “I spend a lot of time thinking” shows a rock pool. Many people can relate and picture themselves in that situation, sitting and contemplating.
(https://www.mediafactory.org.au/boglarka-marffy/2014/04/03/link-between-image-and-text/).
The hanging shoes are a recurring pattern and I think this is metaphorical of both running away and trying to find your way. (https://www.mediafactory.org.au/boglarka-marffy/2014/04/03/shoes/)

The backing music is different for each clip, and is appropriate in depicting the mood. What makes it somewhat abstract is the fact that the story is assumed; there is no concise and obvious narrative. “It is the receiver’s recognition of this intent that leads to the judgement…we can never be sure that sender and receiver have the same story in mind” (Ryan 2006,p.9), but with deliberate creative decisions made in ‘Nostalgia’, I think their intention is well interpreted.

Content:
This work is made up of real life action, footage from the everyday. I-doc genres use different technologies to form a relationship between “the reality, the user and the artefact”(Aston J, Gaudenzi, S 2012 p.126). I think through the interface and content, the film portrays, that especially with nostalgia, places or object trigger multiple memories from both adjoining and different locations.

Aston believes that I-docs “offer more scope for in-depth engagement with a set of complex ideas through the presentation of multiple entry points and simultaneous storylines” (Aston J, Gaudenzi, S p.133). Korsakow films support the fact that “Experimentation and idiosyncrasy are intrinsic to a form that is always and necessarily unique and original” (Rascaroli 2008, p.39), and this work supports both arguments as it is quite complex in terms of the fragments that are presented. Although the clips are grouped by locations, numerous clips seem to re-appear away from their “group”, and it is these clips that seem to have a reflective connotation to them with a sense of a deeper meaning.

The use of sound is a key component as it supports the change from each interface. It is crucial at identifying and creating a very particular emotion; it helps to create a dynamic and engaging experience for the viewer, as the tone of the clip would be interpreted differently with the absence of the sound.

Interface:
‘Nostalgia’s’ interface consists of 5 rectangular shaped thumbnails, with one being larger and the main focus to watch. The interface in relation to the user experience helps guide the emotions. Knowing korsakow, there are multiple interfaces that have been designed in this work and assigned to different clips.
The way the interface is collaged has a relationship between the content and subject of the work through setting up the feeling as if you are walking through the memory. The viewer is initially set up to feel a sense of sorrow, as it is evident that someone has lost a love and is mourning this, and we are accompanying them on their journey of lamentation and rediscovery.

In terms of finding a relation between the pattern, content and interface of ‘Nostalgia’, I think this korsakow film intends to demonstrate how memory has a cannonball effect, with places and objects triggering other recollections. This is supported by the content of the footage, the categories that determine the interface and the pattern of which it follows.

References:

Aston, Judith, and Sandra Gaudenzi. “Interactive Documentary: Setting the Field.” Studies in Documentary Film 6.2 (2012): 125–139

Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. Film Art: An Introduction. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, 2013

Rascaroli, Laura. “The Essay Film: Problems, Definitions, Textual Commitments.” Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media 49.2 (2008): 24–47

Ryan, Marie-Laure. Avatars of Story. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006

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