January 22, 2007

Viewings:
So Is This (Michael Snow, 16mm, b&w/silent, 49 min, 1982)
There There Square (Jackie Goss, video, 14 min, 2002)

So Is This
I like the idea of the way Michael Snow set this film up. He uses different colors for lettering and by doing this, he adds a certain feeling to each of the words. I felt like this film was a little long and tedious, but for some reason I just kept watching it. When I first read that the film was about two hours long, I immediately became restless. It turned out though, that he was lying just like he said he was. It was only 49 minutes long. Snow also uses different lengths for certain words to apply effect. By doing this, he brings up some critical ideas and issues, as well as pushes against censorship. I think by using words on screen, he presents a sort of subliminal message. He flashes provocative words across the screen. Towards the end of the film, he gives the audience ten solo words, which are left for the audience to interpret as they wish. I found his frequency of the word "this" rather distracting. Michael Snow's goal is to create a type of interactive communal viewing experience.

There There Square
This video is predominantly a map of the United States. The main color is blue. I like the historic dialogue in this film. Goss uses different size fonts and color in her dialogue. This isn't a very long film. I really like the shots of the different hand drawn maps of the United States. Some of them are pretty funny.