Christopher Nolan and the Art of Anamorphosis
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Thematic, Moral and Ethical Connections Between the Matrix and Inception
Thematic, Moral and Ethical Connections Between the Matrix and Inception. Modern Day science and technology has been crucial in the development of the modern film industry. In the past, directors have been confined by unwieldy, primitive cameras and the most basic of special effects. The contemporary possibilities now available has enabled modern film to become more dynamic and versatile, whilst also being able to better capture the performance of actors, and better display scenes and settings using special effects. As the prevalence of technology in society increases, film makers have used their medium to express thematic, moral and ethical concerns of technology in human life. The films I will be looking at: The Matrix, directed by the Wachowskis, and Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, both explore strong themes of technology. The theme of technology is expanded upon as the directors of both films explore the use of augmented reality and its effects on the human condition. Through the use of camera angles, costuming and lighting, the Witkowski brothers represent the idea that technology is dangerous. During the sequence where neo is unplugged from the Matrix, the directors have cleverly combines lighting, visual and special effects to craft an ominous and unpleasant setting in which the technology is present. Upon Neo’s confrontation with the spider drone, the use of camera angles to establishes the dominance of technology. The low-angle shot of the drone places the viewer in a subordinate position, making the drone appear powerful. The dingy lighting and poor mis-en-scene in the set further reinforces the idea that technology is dangerous. -
Objet Petit A,” Once Socialist-Modernist City Square Into a Theatrical Backdrop
She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you? – Norman Bates in Psycho This essay is an galma dedicated to the Macedonian government’s project “Skopje 2014,” 01/09 which recently turned Skopje, the capital of the Republic, into a memorial park of “false memories.”1 Over the last five years, a series of unskillfully casted figurative monuments have appeared throughout Skopje, installed over the night, as if brought into public space by the animated hand from the opening credits of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.2 Figures from the Suzana Milevska national past (some relevant, some marginal), buildings with obvious references to Westernized aesthetic regimes (mere imitations of styles from çgalma: The periods atypical for the local architecture), and sexist public sculptures have transformed the ‟Objet Petit a,” once socialist-modernist city square into a theatrical backdrop. Alexander the ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊMore than ninety years ago, in a kind of a manifesto of anti-monumental architectural and artistic revolution, Vladimir Tatlin challenged 4 Great, and 1 both the “bourgeois” Eiffel Tower and the Statue 0 2 of Liberty with his unbuilt tower Monument to the e j p Third International (1919–25). Since then, Other Excesses o k S discourses on contemporary monuments have f o flourished elsewhere in Europe (“anti- s of Skopje 2014 e monuments,” “counter-monuments,” “low- s s e budget monuments,” “invisible monuments,” c x E “monument in waiting,” “participatory r 3 e monuments” ) but this debate has completely h t O a bypassed the Macedonian establishment. k d s n v ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊThe government’s promise that the Skopje a e l , i t 2014 project would attract tourists and a M e a r journalists to Macedonia has been realized, but n G a e z for all the wrong reasons – in many articles, h u t S r Ê Skopje’s city center is depicted as a kind of e 4 d 1 “theme park,” and some of the newly built n 0 a 2 x r museums are referred to as “chambers of e l e 4 b A horrors.” In short, Skopje 2014 has become a m ” , e a t laughing stock for the foreign press. -
Lacan's Objet Petit a Between Visibility and Invisibility
Cont Philos Rev (2013) 46:251–269 DOI 10.1007/s11007-013-9263-z ‘‘The object in the mirror of genetic transcendentalism: Lacan’s objet petit a between visibility and invisibility,’’ Adrian Johnston Published online: 4 June 2013 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 Abstract One of the more superficially perplexing features of Lacan’s notion of objet petit a is the fact that he simultaneously characterizes it as both non-specu- larizable (i.e., incapable of being captured in spatio-temporal representations) and specular (i.e., incarnated in visible avatars). This assignment of the apparently contradictory attributes of visibility and invisibility to object a is a reflection of this object’s strange position at the intersection of transcendental and empirical dimensions. Indeed, this object, which Lacan holds up as his central psychoanalytic discovery, raises important philosophical questions about the transcendental- empirical distinction, arguably short-circuiting in interesting, productive ways this dichotomy and many of its permutations. This article seeks to achieve two aims: one, to clarify how and why Lacan situates object a between the specular and the non-specular; and, two, to extract from the results of this clarification a preliminary sketch of a post-Lacanian transcendentalism that is also thoroughly materialist. Keywords Lacan Á Mirror stage Á Object a Á Transcendentalism Á Materialism Á Hegel The object of Jacques Lacan’s thirteenth seminar of 1965–1966, entitled ‘‘The Object of Psychoanalysis,’’ is, unsurprisingly, none other than his (in)famous objet petit a, the object for which he takes the credit of discovering.1 In the opening session of this academic year, a session written-up and published separately as the e´crit ‘‘Science and Truth,’’ Lacan establishes a sharp contrast between scientific 1 Lacan (1973–1974, April 9th, 1974). -
An Asymptote of Reality: an Analysis of Nolan's "Inception" Carson Ratliff Grand Valley State University
Cinesthesia Volume 1 | Issue 1 Article 4 12-1-2012 An Asymptote of Reality: An Analysis of Nolan's "Inception" Carson Ratliff Grand Valley State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cine Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Ratliff, Carson (2012) "An Asymptote of Reality: An Analysis of Nolan's "Inception"," Cinesthesia: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cine/vol1/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cinesthesia by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@GVSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ratliff: An Asymptote of Reality An Asymptote of Reality: An Analysis of Nolan’s Inception In the first act of Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010), dream invaders Thomas Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Ariadne (Ellen Page) are walking through the world of a dream. This being her first time in the alternate reality, Ariadne is in awe of the realism of the world. Cobb explains to her that it will be her job, as a dream architect, to design the dream world to make it accurately reflect real life. Ariadne seems intrigued by this challenge and inquires, “…What happens when you start messing with the physics of it all?” At this, the pair stop in their tracks as Ariadne starts to reshape the world of the dream, folding the horizon up into the sky until it comes to rest upside down, one hundred yards above the two protagonists’ heads. -
The Performance and Materiality of the Processes, Spaces and Labor of VFX Production
Sarah Atkinson Interactive ‘making-of’ machines: The performance and materiality of the processes, spaces and labor of VFX production Abstract This article analyzes and interrogates two interactive museum installations designed to reveal behind-the-scenes visual effects (VFX) materials from Inception (2010) and Gravity (2013). The multi-screen, interactive, and immersive installations were both created in direct collaboration with the VFX supervisors who were responsible for pioneering the new and innovative creative solutions in each of the films. The installations translate these processes for a wider audience and as such they not only provide rich sites for textual analysis as new ancillary forms of paratextual access, but they also provide insights into the way that VFX sector presents itself, situated within the wider context of the current global VFX industry. The article draws together critical production studies, textual analysis, and reflections from the industry which, combined, provide new understandings of these interactive forms of ancillary film “making-of ” content, their performative dimensions, and the labor processes that they reveal. Context their conception and presentation within the wider context of the current global VFX industry. This article analyzes and interrogates two interactive The decadent displays of VFX excess and access museum installations that were designed to reveal presented in both installations are representative of behind-the-scenes materials from Inception (2010) the currently flourishing VFX industry within the and Gravity (2013) in order to showcase the UK which has been boosted in recent years, by a acclaimed, breakthrough visual effects (VFX) of system of tax incentives which have been in place 3 each of the films. -
Allianz Global Insurance Report 2020: Skyfall
stock.adobe.com - © Davies Stephen ALLIANZ INSURANCE REPORT 2020 SKYFALL 01 July 2020 02 Looking back: License to insure 10 Coronomics: Tomorrow never dies 16 Money? Penny? Outlook for the coming decade 22 No time to die: ESG as the next business frontier in insurance Allianz Research The global insurance industry entered 2020 in good shape: In 2019, premiums increa- sed by +4.4%, the strongest growth since 2015. The increase was driven by the life seg- EXECUTIVE ment, where growth sharply increased over 2018 to +4.4% as China overcame its tem- porary, regulatory-induced setback and mature markets finally came to grips with low interest rates. P&C clocked the same rate of growth (+4.3%), down from +5.4% in 2018. SUMMARY Global premium income totaled EUR3,906bn in 2019 (life: EUR2,399bn, P&C: EUR1,507bn). Then, Covid-19 hit the world economy like a meteorite. The sudden stop of economic activity around the globe will batter insurance demand, too: Global premium income is expected to shrink by -3.8% in 2020 (life: -4.4%, P&C: -2.9%), three times the pace wit- nessed during the Global Financial Crisis. Compared to the pre-Covid-19 growth trend, the pandemic will shave around EUR358bn from the global premium pool (life: Michaela Grimm, Senior Economist EUR249bn, P&C: EUR109bn). [email protected] In line with our U-shaped scenario for the world economy, premium growth will re- bound in 2021 to +5.6% and total premium income should return to the pre-crisis level. The losses against the trend, however, may never be recouped: although long-term growth until 2030 may reach +4.4% (life: 4.4%, P&C: 4.5%), this will be slightly below previous projections. -
A Study of Musical Affect in Howard Shore's Soundtrack to Lord of the Rings
PROJECTING TOLKIEN'S MUSICAL WORLDS: A STUDY OF MUSICAL AFFECT IN HOWARD SHORE'S SOUNDTRACK TO LORD OF THE RINGS Matthew David Young A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC IN MUSIC THEORY May 2007 Committee: Per F. Broman, Advisor Nora A. Engebretsen © 2007 Matthew David Young All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Per F. Broman, Advisor In their book Ten Little Title Tunes: Towards a Musicology of the Mass Media, Philip Tagg and Bob Clarida build on Tagg’s previous efforts to define the musical affect of popular music. By breaking down a musical example into minimal units of musical meaning (called musemes), and comparing those units to other musical examples possessing sociomusical connotations, Tagg demonstrated a transfer of musical affect from the music possessing sociomusical connotations to the object of analysis. While Tagg’s studies have focused mostly on television music, this document expands his techniques in an attempt to analyze the musical affect of Howard Shore’s score to Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This thesis studies the ability of Shore’s film score not only to accompany the events occurring on-screen, but also to provide the audience with cultural and emotional information pertinent to character and story development. After a brief discussion of J.R.R. Tolkien’s description of the cultures, poetry, and music traits of the inhabitants found in Middle-earth, this document dissects the thematic material of Shore’s film score. -
Inception and Ibn 'Arabi Oludamini Ogunnaike Harvard University, [email protected]
Journal of Religion & Film Volume 17 Article 10 Issue 2 October 2013 10-2-2013 Inception and Ibn 'Arabi Oludamini Ogunnaike Harvard University, [email protected] Recommended Citation Ogunnaike, Oludamini (2013) "Inception and Ibn 'Arabi," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 17 : Iss. 2 , Article 10. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol17/iss2/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Religion & Film by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Inception and Ibn 'Arabi Abstract Many philosophers, playwrights, artists, sages, and scholars throughout the ages have entertained and developed the concept of life being a "but a dream." Few works, however, have explored this topic with as much depth and subtlety as the 13thC Andalusian Muslim mystic, Ibn 'Arabi. Similarly, few works of art explore this theme as thoroughly and engagingly as Chistopher Nolan's 2010 film Inception. This paper presents the writings of Ibn 'Arabi and Nolan's film as a pair of mirrors, in which one can contemplate the other. As such, the present work is equally a commentary on the film based on Ibn 'Arabi's philosophy, and a commentary on Ibn 'Arabi's work based on the film. The ap per explores several points of philosophical significance shared by the film and the work of the Sufi as ge, and their relevance to contemporary conversations in philosophy, religion, and art. Keywords Ibn 'Arabi, Sufism, ma'rifah, world as a dream, metaphysics, Inception, dream within a dream, mysticism, Christopher Nolan Author Notes Oludamini Ogunnaike is a PhD candidate at Harvard University in the Dept. -
Alasdair Gray and the Postmodern
ALASDAIR GRAY AND THE POSTMODERN Neil James Rhind PhD in English Literature The University Of Edinburgh 2008 2 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis has been composed by me; that it is entirely my own work, and that it has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification except as specified on the title page. Signed: Neil James Rhind 3 CONTENTS Title……………………………………….…………………………………………..1 Declaration……………………………….…………………………………………...2 Contents………………………………………………………………………………3 Abstract………………………………….………………………………..…………..4 Note on Abbreviations…………………………………………………………….….6 1. Alasdair Gray : Sick of Being A Postmodernist……………………………..…….7 2. The Generic Blending of Lanark and the Birth of Postmodern Glasgow…….…..60 3. RHETORIC RULES, OK? : 1982, Janine and selected shorter novels………….122 4. Reforming The Victorians: Poor Things and Postmodern History………………170 5. After Postmodernism? : A History Maker………………………………………….239 6. Conclusion: Reading Postmodernism in Gray…………………………………....303 Endnotes……………………………………………………………………………..320 Works Cited………………………………………………………………………….324 4 ABSTRACT The prominence of the term ‘Postmodernism’ in critical responses to the work of Alasdair Gray has often appeared at odds with Gray’s own writing, both in his commitment to seemingly non-postmodernist concerns and his own repeatedly stated rejection of the label. In order to better understand Gray’s relationship to postmodernism, this thesis begins by outlining Gray’s reservations in this regard. Principally, this is taken as the result of his concerns -
Representations and Caricatures of Spanish Fascism in the Films El Espiritú De La Colmena, Cría Cueros and El Laberinto Del Fauno
Syracuse University SURFACE Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects Projects Winter 12-15-2014 Making Fun of Franco: Representations and Caricatures of Spanish Fascism in the films El espiritú de la colmena, Cría cueros and El laberinto del fauno Elizabeth Pruchnicki Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone Part of the Other Film and Media Studies Commons, and the Other Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Pruchnicki, Elizabeth, "Making Fun of Franco: Representations and Caricatures of Spanish Fascism in the films El espiritú de la colmena, Cría cueros and El laberinto del fauno" (2014). Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects. 866. https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/866 This Honors Capstone Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Making Fun of Franco: Representations and Caricatures of Spanish Fascism in the Films El espiritú de la colmena, Cría cueros and El laberinto del fauno A Capstone Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Renée Crown University Honors Program at Syracuse University Elizabeth Pruchnicki Candidate for Bachelor of Arts and Renée Crown University Honors May 2015 Honors Capstone Project in Spanish Capstone Project Advisor: Catherine M. Nock Capstone Project Reader: Kathryn Everly Honors Director: Stephen Kuusisto, Director Date: December 12, 2014 Making Fun of Franco: Representations and Caricatures of Spanish Fascism in the Films El espiritú de la colmena, Cría cueros and El laberinto del fauno. -
THE ATROCITY PARADIGM This Page Intentionally Left Blank the Atrocity Paradigm
THE ATROCITY PARADIGM This page intentionally left blank The Atrocity Paradigm A Theory of Evil CLAUDIA CARD 1 2002 3 Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto and an associated company in Berlin Copyright © 2002 by Claudia Card Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Card, Claudia. The atrocity paradigm : a theory of evil / Claudia Card. p. cm. ISBN 0-19-514508-9 1. Good and evil. I. Title. BJ1401 .C29 2002 170—dc21 2001036610 987654321 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper To my teachers, whose example and encouragement have elicited my best efforts: Ruby Healy Marquardt (1891–1976) Marjorie Glass Pinkerton Marcus George Singer John Rawls Lorna Smith Benjamin This page intentionally left blank Preface Four decades of philosophical work in ethics have engaged me with varieties of evil. It began with an undergraduate honors thesis on punishment, which was followed by a Ph.D. dissertation on that topic, essays on mercy and retribu- tion, and a grant to study the U.S. -
Neverness by David Zindell "Neverness Is an Exceptional Feat of Both World-Creation and Storytelling: Grand in Scope, Vivid
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/David%20Zindell%20-%20Neverness.TXT Neverness by David Zindell "Neverness is an exceptional feat of both world-creation and storytelling: grand in scope, vivid in evocation, inventive in its sure-handed marshalling of far-future detail, and genuinely moving as a human document. This book suggests that Zindell has just embarked on a major career in science fiction. I applaud his accomplishment and look forward to following his growth." -Michael Bishop, author of No Enemy But Time, Ancient of Days and Blood on Arachne "David Zindell's first novel has the big screen splash and color of Jack Vance, but with an epic complexity. His feat of universe crafting propels him instantly into the big leagues with the likes of Frank Herbert and Ursula K. LeGuin" -Edward Bryant author of Cinnabar and Particle Theory NEVERNESS A novel by David Zindell Donald I. Fine, Inc. New York Copyright 1988 by David Zindell All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Published in the United States of America by Donald I. Fine, Inc., and in Canada by General Publishing Company Limited. Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 87-45104 ISBN: 0-917657-97-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Zindell, David Neverness. 1. Title. PS3576.15183N4 1988 813.54 87-45104 ISBN 0-917657-97-7 (all paper) Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.