Everybody talks about it — photographers, cinematographers, directors, artists, psychologists etc — and it's a concept accepted at face value. No one questions it and no one denies its existence. Yet, for the most of us, it's more of an idea that is spoken about and "dropped" into conversation from time to time. We rarely tend to actually see the theory apply itself in practice and actually appreciate it. The idea/theory/concept I allude to is that of the sheer power possessed by visuals.
Admittedly, I had never really experienced it, barring a few instances when a particularly moving photograph or some bit in a film or an exceptionally retina-scorching live music show blew me away. These are just a few of the instances where I felt the mesmerising touch of the visual form in a meaningful, albeit sporadic manner. And that previous sentence contains the most important word and essence of this paragraph — sporadic.
Recently, I experienced this phenomenon over an extended period of time — three hours and a bit to be a little more precise. The effect of this power I'm on such a trip about isn't restricted to only images that move a person. It's also about the basic art of communication. The hearing impaired know this well.
So, onto my actual point, I found myself earlier this week, seated in a cinema hall, watching a film in a language that is more alien to me than the concept of ethical journalism is to India TV. The film in question, of course was Sivaji. Having never spoken or understood a word of Tamil to this day, it was always going to be a daunting task to make head or tail of the film. And yes, while I was aided by a couple of helpful persons, who actually did speak Tamil, in understanding some of the subtler aspects, I was able to figure out a major part of the film with the sole assistance of the antics onscreen.
That is not to say that this was the most cerebral piece of filmmaking I've ever seen or am ever likely to see. As a matter of fact, it was no more than a monetary splurge of extraordinary proportions to tell an idealistic but ultimately naive tale of one man's quest to make the world a better place (for you and for me and the entire human race). It wasn't what could be described by any stretch of the imagination as groundbreaking cinema either, but, it was my first real extended brush with the power of visuals as a communication tool and it intrigued me. And that's pretty much what this entire diatribe was all about. Time well spent, don't you think?
1 comment:
When I read your intro statement, I slapped my forehead and thought this was another rant about Cinema class and 'taking the form forward' Glad that you stayed away from that kind of stuff.
Its a shame that most movies that come out of Hollywood (or indeed Bollywood) these days take visual power to mean expansive computer generated worlds, big budget action sequences, and creating worlds within film.
I'm still of the school of thought that believes that visual appeal of a less obvious nature, for eg. two men standing outside a video store, or an ex-crackhead hitman biting into a Big Kahuna burger appeals to me more visually.
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