Anatomy of a Photograph

CINE 24

8.22.09

Casey Koerner

Anatomy of a Photograph

His Divine Grace, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, is a celebrated Indian saint- responsible for a global spiritual movement and the translator & spiritual authority of dozens of essential Vedic scriptures.

The beauty of this photograph emanates from his powerful mood-

combining feelings of blissful joy with deep accomplishment & satisfaction.

This image is captured during a break from one of the many dictaphone

translations he made, undertaking an astounding body of work, and enabling millions of people to enter into the vast Vedic spiritual knowledge with their own native tongues.

The photograph is exceptional in an aesthetic sense- due to the clearly defined focal point, aligned with the graceful gesture and supporting background elements- which provides fluid, seamless continuity around the frame.

The tonal range of the photograph is beautiful & elegant as well- and suggests a mood of deep reflection & an intimate satisfaction- perhaps captured in the early morning or late evening.  Along with the even balance of white and black tones, the photograph offers a beautiful depth of field, focusing the attention clearly on the figure.

Perhaps one of the most exciting visual dynamics of the photo is the juxtaposition of the arm gesture with the direction of the dictaphone cord, creating an intense cross-dynamic with a subtle frenetic energy that contrasts the meditative mood.

In conclusion, this is a beautifully constructed photograph well deserving of it's beautiful, elegant, reverential subject matter.

Direction & Process

The second week of school has arrived; paired with my conviction that I am on the right path, and my time here will lead to creative & financial fruition.  The Filmmaking textbook I'm reading "Shot by Shot" is fascinating, as I begin to learn about aperture, exposure, camera mechanics & light metering.  
Filmmaking is dynamic.  When 24 frames a second are introduced sequentially, a whole range of new, limitless themes emerge under the manipulation of time.  The sole power of creation is relinquished from the machine and placed back into the hands of the artist, as emotions emerge with the unfolding of narration.

Multimedia, (new media) or "rich media" is the name of the program I'll be working under for the next 2 years.  So what is "new media?"  Basically, it's digital interactivity.  It's the guidance of an analog age to a digital age.  I'm looking forward to seeing which opportunities await this new direction of design, but I have to say as much as I am a fan of interaction, I very much dislike coding websites & don't want anything to do with left brained busywork.

I'm optimistic that my skills with design & audio will carry me in exciting new directions, complemented with a focus in narrative digital/traditional film & video.  I don't know exactly where I can find employment in this realm, but I am comforted by this semester's direction & the in depth portfolio development & internship opportunities available towards the end of the program.

And fine art?  As my time dwindles (even more so when I have to start work) I'm taking satisfaction in finishing the 12 piece series I've began, and eventually pitching it to a series of galleries upon completion.  Above are a couple of concept photos, I've already completed 12 images & have sketched out several canvases.  The first painting is nearly finished, and I can't wait to apply the spraypaint, that will be the cake's icing for sure! 

Who can predict the future, but God?  I know that as much as I would like to make a living from fine art, I refuse to allow commerce to influence my creative process.  This is why I'm focusing on multimedia as the financial direction, so that my fine art can remain fine- untampered by commercial considerations or financial temptations. 

I am very much encouraged by my forward progress, and am feeling more unblocked artistically than I ever have in my life.  I feel that amazing things are in store, aligned with the prospect of creating art with such an emotional impact that people will be moved to tears, and moved to take action.  My goal with film has always been to "make grown men cry" so we'll see if I can achieve that some day.  :)   Endeavoring steadily, with faith & confidence, I seek solace in the eternal present.

Success!

Divine intervention has prevailed, I was able to add 4 full classes, and I am now officially a college man. (Again.) This is the brightest set of classes I've ever had at a community college, and for the first time ever I'm highly optimistic about the quality of the subject matter, the students & the teachers.

So, first of all I have Intro to Theater, and the first day we walked around the theater & learned what the different aspects of the stage are called. I also got a question answered which I've been wondering for some time...when sent towards a direction on the stage, moving "forwards" towards the audience is termed "down" and moving backwards is termed "up." That never made any sense to me, until it was explained that in days yonder the stage was tilted, so the actors literally were moving "up" or "down"on the stage. So there it is. This class looks great, we're going to be watching a lot of live theater, learning about all the basics of acting, blocking, improv, lights, music, costumes, etc.

The second class is "Multimedia Basics," which started out very promising with a lecture covering design basics, including Gestalt principles. Our first assignment was to divide a piece of white paper using only line under the directions given. We were "supposed" to do thumbnails, but I just jumped in with the pen, my design sense is very intuitive & planning too much tends to water down the power of inspiration. I'll post the results. This class is a beginning overview of multimedia, discovering how the web, audio, film and design all come together to make...."multimedia." Very interesting.

Next on the list is "Intro to Multimedia" which, impressively, offers 2 hours a week of lectures & demonstrations from industry professionals involved with multimedia. There will also be studio visits, and I'm feeling confident that I'll have a strong understanding of the business of multimedia at the end of the semester, with a well defined direction in mind.

The 4th class, and definitely most exciting for me is "Intro to Filmmaking." I've wanted to make movies ever since I saw Labyrinth in at age 5 in 1986, so the opportunity to learn the technical terms for shots & the process of combining filmic elements is very exciting. Not only are we going to learn the terms of filmmaking, but the class actually requires that we make 3 of our own films! I already have my concept set out for the first one...very emotionally intense.

So that's it for now...feeling very optimistic about working towards a job that I love to do that pays me more than 12 grand a year. Everything is working well right now. I love San Francisco...I'm on a 2 year track towards economic prosperity & I don't have a job. Oh wait, I need a job. For food and shelter. Well I don't have to work today, and I have food & shelter, so everything is still going great. :D

Time, Craft & Culture

Time is slipping away from me, and it's a very good thing.

Film school started yesterday, and the unexpected success of all of my classes made me realize that A. I am going to have very little time on my hands for secondary projects and B. I am going to have major responsibility to get straight A's, with no excuses to cop out. (the class is boring, hate the teacher, etc.)

Culture!

Wow, San Francisco, you are definitely not the valley. All of my education in the Junior College system of Chico and Sacramento has failed miserably. Lack of culture...lack of ideas...lack of talent...lack of passion...of course there were a few roses from the concrete, but generally I quit all of my classes immediately.

How surprised I was to find all of my classes in SF full of stylish, intelligent, original people with varying cultures from around the world, with teachers that are both passionate, active & talented in their craft. Luckily I was able to add all 4 classes, (just barely) so it appears that film school destiny has arrived!

More about school later, these pictures are from a beautiful show I went to today in the Academy of Art building on New Montgomery. The jolly fat white man was my favorite, in my opinion the painting was rendered perfectly, from a craft point of view. Very inspiring.

Time. Back to time. With 3 days spent on work (ugg, and I still haven't found a job. I find it somewhat humiliating that I have to beg them to give me a minimum wage for the "right" to do shitty work 24 hours a week) 2 days spent at school, I have 2 days left. 2 days. 1 day most likely left for homework, which leaves one day for everything else.

I'm happy with this because it's going to force me to define my creative priorities & discover what I love to do and miss doing when there is essentially no time left, and I won't be able to get back to it for several days.

I am feeling optimistic & hopeful, generally, even with resources (money) and free time dwindling. Everything will connect. I'm enjoying my artistic recovery & can only develop positively from here. :)

Tattoos

Here's a sample of the script that I'm scheming to put on my body.....somewhere....it's a secret.

Patience

Tomorrow is going to be a whole new chapter in my life...film school! I've always been a huge fan of cinema since I was a little kid...it's such an amazing medium with an unlimited range. I've always wanted to make movies, and fortunately technology has advanced to a point where you can create a full feature film for under $20,000 and a great looking HD film for under $5,000. And those limits are being broken every day.

My desire to control the future is the root of my impatience. The truth is, I will always be taken care of by God, but I lose faith in that & become impatient because I can't find a job, can't finish a project, don't have what I want NOW. The job thing is certainly an issue, but what's the worst that can happen? Even the birds and flowers have a place to sleep, plenty to eat & nice clothes to wear.

Creatively, I've become impatient because I don't have the money I need to start my painting series, and I'm attached to that. Instead of getting frustrated, I just put energy into other projects & have trust that the money will come. Interestingly, sometimes when I don't have the resources I need it forces me to come up with clever solutions. For instance, I don't have enough money to buy spraypaint, but I can always mimic the effect of spray paint with oil & perhaps even stumble onto a happy accident in the process.

Process is an important word for me, because I am generally addicted to results & perfection, which is a copout & a mechanism to stay fearful and safe. I have a quote on my monitor that reads, "The success of a creative recovery hinges on our ability to move out of the head and into action."

I feel a positive momentum growing year by year as I slowly break thru the guilt and shame involving creativity that I experienced as a child. It feels empowering, and although I know from experience the amazing catharsis I feel when I am creating, my mind & emotions from the past are so powerful, sometimes I end up cripped & take a step back.

2 steps forward, 1 step back. If that's the rhythm that's necessary, I'm going to embrace it with confidence & enthusiasm & never relinquish my determination.

Crossroads

So, I've decided to kick-start this blog again...with a new post each weekend...

I'll be talking about my artistic life here in SF, accomplishments, setbacks etc.
I'm hoping that this will subliminally coerce me into a more disciplined state, where my goals are more finely outlined & I spend more time with projects & less time watching Entourage & playing chess online.

Crossroads. I say crossroads because school starts in exactly a week @ City College & I have to decide whether it's going to be film school for the next 6 months, or if I'm going to put school aside and work on a fine art career. I could do both, assuredly, but I'm coming to a point where I want to start seeing results as soon as possible, either financially or at least creatively. Juggling 3 or 4 projects isn't doing much for me anymore, and I'm starting to think that it's a mechanism for staying blocked, and avoiding the fear of digging in & really trying to become excellent at something.

The book "The Artist's Way" has been extremely helpful, I've been following it very closely. It's helped me to discover many artist blocks I've been suffering from, many coming from childhood & dealing with issues like shame, guilt and fear. My spiritual practice is also becoming stronger as an unexpected advantage from following the workbook. I've really began to carve out what I want & work towards wasting less time & money & going for it - unfazed by the fear of failure or the responsibility of success.

So here is the latest...I've been creating compositions in photoshop that I will soon turn into paintings. A friend advised that I create 20 such compositions in an effort to coagulate a unified vision & theme. I've created 9 of these comps already, and I have to say I'm feeling very pleased with the direction.

This week "The Artist's Way" is having me keep an hourly checklist of my activities & a checklist for each dollar I spend everyday. I'm actually relieved that I'm doing this...I can't waste any more time, and I'm ready to start working hard!!!