created, & modified, =this.modified
A defect: Failing to get immersed in a film, because you are constantly aware of the camera incongruously and distractingly in the scene. Even in the most fantastical scene, or private intimate moment the camera (this object of glass and metal) is there. If you pull back, only slightly, to reveal this, the entire scene is rendered ridiculous. The art teeters on the edge of absurdity. But we slip almost into a sleep by the events on the screen, and the awareness of this ruse recedes. But I am imagining a case where this isn’t true, and the entire thing is spoiled by camera awareness.
How to fix this? A completely mind-based photograph. You sit and gaze on the scene. It is played only once. In your head the scene unfolds. Occasionally we can take these “long” photos, where rather than desiring to post and be seen, the scene performs (though this is wrong, it just is) and you sit and observe. You might think of the photo you’d be taking but also hope that eventually you would not. The picture ceases to be a moment, but is continuous experience.
You must see a photo opportunity, and rather than reaching for the phone or a camera, accept that this moment will pass. It is a loss, and a gain. But you’ll be there for it while it does pass.
In watching a director commentary on Sometimes I Think About Dying, the crew discuss how to get interesting and varied shots, the camera was often placed in unusual locations. At one time they did not announce to the actors where the camera was, and they all questioned where it was
- on the floor,
- on top of a cabinet
This is a unique point. When watching the film, there’s no question where the camera is (the point of view reveals it) but while filming, it can be lost.