By Craig Garcia
American film director legend Stanley Kubrick was a firm believer in the idea that if it can be thought up, then it can be filmed. 2001: A Space Odyssey, a testament to that philosophy, has left an impression on me that will never go away. Odyssey showed me colors, sights, and sounds thatI thought could only exist in our minds.
Kubrick not only redefined the visual aesthetic for cinema, but his films brought up questions about our existence, and what we put our faith in. He never shied away from controversy. He broke guidelines while at the same time making his own, and that’s important to note.
Look further back in the history of film—back almost thirty years from Odyssey—and you run into Citizen Kane by fellow cinema legend Orson Welles. It influenced generations with its cinematography, powerful use of dialogue, and by breaking away from a traditional linear story by replacing it with flashback. Welles broke the rules on how to go about making films; just like Kubrick, he made his own rules.
Go even further back into the early 1900s, back to what was essentially the start of feature narrative film, and you’ll meet D.W. Griffith (The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages), who was using close-ups and dutch angles like nobody’s ever seen before, and putting tinted color palettes in certain scenes to up the ante on emotion. Look at Griffith’s film now, and you’ll probably laugh at some parts, but at the time he was the definition of uncharted territory.
Whether it be a director, writer, composer or anyone else in the film industry, the best at their craft learned from their role models, and they take that inspiration to create something that tries to reinvent the standard.
There are members of the UO community, faculty and students alike, who focus their time and energy on trying to bring something to life that we haven’t seen before. To bring their side of the story that hasn’t been displayed on the screen yet.
This column wants to shine a light on those people.
Every week, I’ll have a discussion with someone from the UO that’s involved with film. This column will detail what their thoughts are on the current climate of the medium. Anyone from freshmen to grad students—even faculty members—will be a part of the discussion.
Film is the common artistic ground that everyone shares. Its accessibility is more widespread than ever before, which makes the messages that films are conveying to the audience more important than ever. Our fellow students could be the Kubricks, Welles, and Griffiths of our future, and they could have a lot to show us.
