Hello class:
I am reading Lev Manovich’s book The Language of New Media and I came across one of his ideas about film:
“Cinema is the art of the index; it is an attempt to make art out of a footprint,” (295).
These sentences provide a very interesting break down of what film is about. His perception of film as a collection of frames recording reality, which could be stylistically enhanced by a careful and sophisticated use of technical elements, is very refreshing.
The short video we watched in class is a clear example of this idea. The use of images to tell a story, the incorporation of sound, multiple screens, they all aim to communicate a specific feeling and thought based on reproducing reality.
Manovich’s breakdown of modern cinematic means reveals a demystified approach to this medium.
Margaret M. Roidi
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The index, of course, is a trace of something real, an imprint as he puts it, a track, and in a sense digital media do away with that, the digits are no longer directly connected or causally connected to the phenomenon they represent. But you are right that they retain that sense of connection to the real.
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