Duane Michals: The Man who invented himself

Duane Michals The Man who invented himself is a very interesting and original film. It really highlights Duane Michals personality and artististry. He has a very quirky, energetic, and bubbly personality. It is very hard to take him seriously. He really created a reputation for himself. From when he stole a pair of gloves from the storefront to always carrying his big silver metal briefcase everywhere he goes. There is no telling what Duane will do next. His actions are so unpredictable from the way he acts and talks. He will even make something mundane like a trip to the bookstore eccentric and different. In this scene of the film he was caressing the books and bookshelves. He would purposely angle the books so they are not straight up on the shelves.

He is a really inspirational artist that I really admire. He breaks your typical senior citizen stereotype. In addition, he is not afraid to be himself. Throughout the film he tells a lot of stories, however, it’s hard to tell if they are real or fictional. He will casually bring up something that sounds realistic and totally believable. However, it is exaggerated or false. One example is when he told a story about a lighthouse that used to be atop a hill near his childhood home in Pittsburgh. The story seems true enough up until the point where he mentions that at the top of the 1000th step of this lighthouse, one could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. He makes a great narrator and storyteller. However, it is hard to tell if this is a way for him to mask his true self or this is how he really is.

Duane Michal has such a bright, youthful, and carefree personality that you can’t help but be dragged into his pace. Throughout the film with his interactions with the models you can tell how relaxed and natural they are. He treats them like they are lifelong friends instead of employee and employer. He will joke around with them. However, at the same time he gets the job done. He will make sure he gets his vision of the project right.

As I continued watching the film and as Duane Michal himself said he is an expressionist. A lot of his work centers around the works he physically writes. His photographs bring out and emphasize his words and expressions. The picture grabs the viewers attention, but there is more than what meets the eye. The expression, “a picture is worth a thousand words” literally describes his work. There is always a story or message behind his work. His work touches topics such as life, love, and death. It really fits him as an artist because he is a storyteller.

Furthermore, as he said himself he is not a purist. He does not go the traditional way in photography. HIs style is unique to him and he does not care a lot about the technical aspects of taking a picture. He takes them in a style he wants. I really admire that about him because he is true to himself. He is not afraid to break away from the traditional route in photography and explore. Usually people who reach a certain age in life prefer stability and peace. He on the other hand is adventurous and wants to continue exploring his work. Overall, I learn so much about Duane Michals in this film. It definitely opened my eyes as a photographer, and I was really inspired by his work. I can tell why he is such a respected and famous photographer. He is a work of art himself and his life is a movie.

Chris Marker: La Jetee

Chris Marker’s film La Jetee is truly a work of art. It was innovative and differentcompared to all the films I have watched. It is composed of all still shots put together with a narrator in the background. The pictures seem like they are moving as one. The editing and how it was put together made it seem like it was one continuous video. He debunks the perception that film and cinematics have to be moving by slowing down the pace of still images.In addition, the music choice and the storyline of the film was very haunting and spooky. It was definitely a film ahead of its time.

When I was watching the film, even though I didn’t really know who Chris marker was. I can tell what kind of artist he was through his film. He likes to experiment with his work. Just like Duane Michals he shys away from the technical aspect of photography. At the sametime though, he is polar opposites from Duane Michals. From Duane Michals work you can tell he is a very energetic and bubbly person. However, with Chris Marker he has a more mysterious and eerie persona. Even though the film was composed of all still life images I still got a little scared while watching the film. It almost seemed as I was the one getting experimented on and the mad scientist was coming after me. Especially the image of the mad scientist who was staring straight at you. I wanted to escape and be free, but, just like the male lead, I was stuck in this infinite time loop. There is no escape and the only way you can be free is death. It was definitely a very haunting film that is perfect for the season, Halloween.

I really admire his work and would like to know more about him. I know La Jetee is one of his more famous works. However, I like to research and get to know him better as a person and artist. Unlike Duane michals film I couldn’t really tell what he is like as a person. There are so many questions I have after watching the film. Overall, he really inspired me and gave me inspiration for my own narrative- storytelling piece. I am very excited and can’t wait to see where this leads me.