Blog 2 - La Jette (1962)

Document on the angle of visual imaging and sound design discussions of Chris Marker’s Film La Jette (1962):Instruction : Document the discussion during the session…

a) The way the still images are photographed
Black and white, leading line, golden mean, close up, long shots, high contrast, low angle

b) Their duration on the screen Editing (transition, panning inside the image, fades to black, cuts)
Slow(starting scene) - 1min fade out
Fast - 2-3 sec per cuts & transition
         5 sec fading in & out for each image.


c) The way the sound artist edits sound.
Low volume to high volume as the background changes from far to near.
Higher pitch and different distorted sound creating some mysterious SFX
Heartbeats from soft to loud, slower to faster making the scene looks more engaging and thrilling.
Digital sounds, sounds more sci-fi.
Looping.

d) Their duration on the screen/timeline.
27minutes.

e) Signal Processing (reverb, delay, distortion, pitch, etc.).
Increase pitch, reverb & echo, distortion

f) The relation between the images and sound.
Images of a more thrilling scene was put with heartbeating SFX
Mysterious SFX
Narrator with deep bass makes the story sounds serious
Whispering makes the image looks scary and mysterious at time.
Beeping, sounds like in a hurry - running out of time
Slow music play as the image turns more romantic
Tragic music played as the main character falls.

a) Find more information about this film, eg. Interviews with Chris Marker.
- Chris Marker haven't try gouache medium to execute his art.
- La Jetee inspired a movie called 12 Monkeys directed by Terry Gilliam.
- This film uses photographs to tell & animate the story. (photo-roman technique)
- The pace of shifting each images creates the mood of the film.
- Besides that, the rhythm of the sound is also the key of creating the mood of the film.

b) Provide links and quotes.
"What interests me is history, and politics only interests me to the degree that it is the mark history makes on the present" - Chris Marker
http://www.afterall.org/books/one.work/chris.marker.la.jetee
http://www.filmcomment.com/article/marker-direct-an-interview-with-chris-marker

c) Find out if there are any other films constructed in a similar way?
Chafed Elbows (1966), Robert Downey Sr.