In my opinion, if a film wants to use only visual to communicate and state out arguments, the topic it is talking about will has to be very strong, for example issues like global warming, food waste and air pollution. By shooting footage that can represent those issues is a way of using image to make arguments. However, because my idea for the major project is more of an exploration, it is a journey of myself looking for an answer, so it might not be suitable to use only footage and no word in my film, because there will not be enough information. My film will highly rely on interviews as well, so it will be almost impossible to make this film with only visual footage or with only observational mode.

 

However, I think the statement of “The decision to use words minimally represents an attempt to match the film aesthetic to the footage, recognizing that the audience’s focus on creating their own mental representations of the objects represented in the image is in itself the most meaningful goal.” (p. 335) is correct. As I am making a documentary about food, it is important to shoot to food in a beautiful way so they look very delicious, and audience can realize that that footage is there to show the elegance of Japanese sushi culture. Helen (2013) also stated, “Audience is free to make up its own mind” (p. 335), so if the footage of food is not good-looking enough, the audience might have a different idea and maybe think that particular scene is criticizing the chef or the food. In order to impress the audience and show them the deliciousness of sushi and the delicate side of Japanese culture, I wish to shoot my food scenes in a very elegant way. By using slow motion and shallow depth of field, the food will look more beautiful and delicious. By using my 100mm macro lens, the aperture is 2.8, so the image can be very bright and I can shoot some very close-up shots on the food.

 

Although my film can’t use only visual but this week’s reading still gave me an idea of how to give the audience a better experience watching the film and how a film can be judge and think of by the viewers.

 

Reference: Hughes, H. (2013). Arguments without words in Unser täglich Brot (Geyrhalter 2005 ). Continuum, 27(3), 1-18.