Vertov argues that the cinema camera is the "eye" that "captures life unexpectedly". He believes that the control of the camera complements the insignificant ability of human beings to see. The camera is a medium that extends the capabilities of the eye. There was a scene that left a deep impression on me, the woman's eyes kept closing, the shutters were opening and closing, the fast switching of the shots was dazzling, and then the camera turned and the camera cover slowly opened, revealing a only eyes. There are other similar scenes in the film, all of them express Vertov's idea, they are the point, the camera is the "eye".
The eyes are the props that humans use to observe life, and the camera inherits and enhances this function. In Vertov's view, the function of film is to record reality faithfully, and he supports "capturing life". "The Man with the Camera" was born under this concept. It is an urban symphony documentary in the form of "a day in the life". All the materials in it are taken from real life, without any rehearsal, showing the Soviet essential aspects of the new society.
However, Vertov's films are not simply limited to documenting society, he also investigates the various ways in which life is viewed with a camera. This film involves many film techniques, such as fast and slow, double exposure, mobile photography, stop-motion animation, screen segmentation and other methods. The most impressive is the photographer Kaufman who was filming with the car. He was sitting in the car holding the camera and focusing on taking pictures of the people in the other car. At the same time, there was another camera hidden outside the lens that was filming him. The film form of "self-disclosure". This film can be interpreted from two perspectives, one is what is recorded by photography, and the other is how photography is recorded. Vertov's idea is really amazing.
In addition, the film uses montage technology to the height of advanced experimentation, splicing together seemingly unrelated pictures, producing unexpected effects and giving life materials specific meanings. Vertov used montage technology to create a strong contrast between the pictures, "so that this camera, which has no language and story at all, tells the connotation beyond the picture. For example, the combination of marriage and divorce, funeral, childbirth, and wedding combination, The comparison between a beautiful woman and a laboring woman makes people feel a lot of emotion." The contrasting film language, like our presentation of "life, life, old age, sickness and death, joys, sorrows and sorrows".
In addition to the above, this film has other wonderful ideas, such as the film structure, the appearance of the editor and so on.
"The Man with the Camera" must be unacceptable to many audiences in the current commercial mode, but it is an early experimental film. Through step-by-step exploration, with the early aesthetic foundation, the film develops step by step.
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