Photography and Cinema
sharon
(sharon)
#1
WhereToStart
Studiessuchasthisbookarepiecedtogetherfromfragments,andthe
workofassemblyusuallybeginssomewhereinthemiddle.I‘began’with
oneoftheLumières’films,butwhatreallypromptedthisbookwasnot
theinventionofcinema,orphotography,butanimagefromapoint
halfwaybetweentheinventionofcinemaandtoday.Italsocomesfrom
halfwaybetweenphotographyandcinema.ItisapublicitystillfromRear
Window( 1954 ),AlfredHitchcock’sfilmaboutaphotojournaliststuckin
hisapartmentwithabrokenleg,hisgirlfriendandamurder.
Wewillcometothefilmsoonenough,butfirstletusconsider
thestill.ThemaninthewheelchairwiththecameraistheactorJames
StewartplayingL.B.Jeffries,aNewYorkphotojournalistwhoworks
formagazinessuchasLifeandLook.Thesemagazinesofferedamixof
entertainmentandnews.Alongwithreportagephotographyarrangedas
photo-storiestheycarriedpublicityformoviesintheformofadvertise-
ments,portraitsandpreviews.Filmstillssuchasthisoneandthe
reportageofthekindmadebyJeffriesmaystrikeusasopposites.Onthe
whole,popularcinemawasandremainsescapistfantasy,whilethesub-
jectofreportageisactuality,therealeventsoftheworld.Buteachinits
ownwayhadtosolvethesametwoproblems:visualclarityandnarrative
stillness.Filmstillsachieveditthroughthegroupeffortofstagingand
thedetailaffordedbylarge-formatcameras.Reportagetookanother
route:apicturetakingratherthanmaking,reliantuponspeed,lightness
andeconomyofexpression(seechapterOne).Wherethefilmstill
remodelledmotion,reportageusedfastshutterspeedstofreezeit.Each
soughttosecuredetailandmastertimeintheirownways.Bothpursued
‘theblurredpartsofpictures’.^14 Thewomaninthestillistheactress
GraceKellyplayingLisaFremont,whoworksforafashionmagazine.
Thecouplearelookingintentlyforevidenceofamurder.Buttheyarenot
lookingintothecourtyardwheretheactiontakesplace.Iftheywere,we
wouldseeonlytheirbacks.Forourconveniencetheylookoutoftheright
oftheframe.Wecanseethecourtyardandinthewindowsthevarious
charactersfromthefilm–somenewly-weds,alonelyspinster,adancer,
anartist,agroupofmusiciansandamurderer.Thetimeofthefilmhas 19
