Monday, July 11, 2011

Crossing Boundaries

There's something about visual cross-dissolves in films, something interesting that goes on between the contexts of the two images. Slowing it down and freezing it with a camera seems to break a code or cross a boundary that is in place to normalize the viewing experience.


When there is suddenly a third possible image, the dissolve stops acting as a bridge between two images and instead becomes another context to consider. It also has its own architecture; it respects the balance and symmetry of the other images, but for a split-second it also creates its own harmony, based not only on left-right-up-down, but also from one-image-to-another.


I've been playing around with dissolves lately and I've noticed that as I try to become aware of them I discover an underlying pace designed to smooth transitions that is technical and calculated, like a heartbeat. It's predictable and reliable, and amazingly we all instinctively know how it works.


Why not keep a camera handy when you're watching something and try it out?

3 comments:

  1. I like the blended faces. Oh Magnum, where have you gone?

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  2. really awesome. umm samething kinda happens when you capture a figures movemnt with a long exposure rith? sometimes you get two distinct "sides" of the person on either side of movement.
    This is neat cause its not the same figure or even moment in time. higgins looks great with eye shawdow. and tom with red lips takes it to the next level. I would love to see a episode of PI where they all dress up like women.

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  3. Yeah, and I guess our need for time makes those 'sides' occur since the photograph arbitrarily creates another border to consider. Magnum in drag would definitely fly. I think Rick likes miniskirts.

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