Film Theory Visual & Performing Arts Essay Research

  Analyzing Film Theories Student Name
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Film Theory
The ultimate aim of filmmakers is to ensure that the audience can connect with the work. The viewer should be able to follow the various scenes and appreciate what the film is all about. Without such connections, the audience is likely to be put off hence denying the filmmaker the opportunity to communicate important information. To ensure the connection, films utilize synesthesia. The terms refer to the stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathways that results in a deep connection of the viewer to the piece. Over the years, the concepts of synesthesia have become a catchword for filmmakers. This article demonstrates four concepts that demonstrate the relationship between the film and the spectators.
In her article, Lisa Coulthard examines the concept of haptic aurality while focusing on the films of Michael Haneke. Coulthard appreciates that listening is beyond what someone hears in a film. Listening is an acoustic experience that is rich in metaphor. In Haneke's film, hapticity of silence is utilized to enhance the experience of the viewer. The cinematic silence in the film is critical in offering an inquiry into the tensions that result from it. While complete silence is relatively rare, partial silence where a scene does not have background music or dialogue is common. Such silence generates intrigue that better captivates the audience. Haneke has in many occasions noted that “the ear is fundamentally more sensitive than the eye.” (Coulthard 19). Hence, the use of sound should be used effectively to enhance the intellectual capacity of the viewer. The director hence needs to appreciate the critical auditory mechanisms. In Haneke's films, the silence comes from the interaction of the acoustic and visual moment. The reduction of the visual elements and combining this with relative silence leads to active aural engagement. Silence creates an emotional impact as the viewer anticipates what is likely to happen. At the same time, silence is needed in creating deeper immersion into the film.
The idea of eroticism is used in Carolee Schneemann’s film Fuses (1967). In the film, the images of the characters making love are interspersed with beautiful shots of the sunlight streaming via the windows. As the bodies in the film behave erotically, the film and the viewer also engage erotically. In this case, the film invites the audience to feel, as opposed to seeing the film. The eyes enjoy the texture of the film that can only be felt. The film and the audience come together “in mutual exchange between two bodies who communicate their desire…” (34). In eroticism, the bodies come into contact with each other, which communicates a deep desire. The bodies recognize one another as an expressive and desired object. The touch between the skin of the viewer and that of the characters in the film is critical in...