Sergei Eisenstein: Alexander Nevsky

As a third film I went to see, directed by Sergei Eisenstein, was Alexander Nevsky from 1938. The film is about the invasion of Novgorod in the 13th century, on one side The Teutonic Knights and the other side Prince Alexander.
It was the first of Eisenstein’s sound film.
Film score composed by Sergei Prokofiev.

A famous scene from this movie is a decisive battle on the ice of the frozen Lake Peipus.
Eisenstein made an analysis of the audiovisual technique they used. In the diagram below Eisenstein deals with 12 shots, representing the tense calm before “The Battle on the Ice.” The chart explains the connection between sound, composition, movement, and duration – the notes are arranged in this way so that he can demonstrate the tremendous precision of the audiovisual synthesis in this series of shots, especially in terms of its timing.

The technically innovative collaboration between Eisenstein and Prokofiev in the editing process resulted in a match of music and imagery that remains a standard for filmmakers.

Comparing to the other movies, I saw (October and Battleship Potemkin) I found this a little hard to come through; the lines were constructed and the message nationalistic, which in the end scene made sense in light of world war two.
There was less experiment with the editing/montage (knows from previous movies).

Source:
Eisenstein on the audiovisual, Robert Robertsen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Nevsky_(film)

Sergei Eisenstein: Battleship Potemkin

Battleship Potemkin from 1925 was the second film of the Russian director Sergei Eisenstein and was named the greatest film of all time at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.
It presents a dramatized version of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers.
It is a silent film, and there exist various soundtrack versions made after 1925.
To retain its relevance as a propaganda film for each new generation, Eisenstein hoped the score would be rewritten every 20 years. (Wikipedia Dec. 2016).

I had a great experience seeing the movie to the soundtrack of the Danish punk rock musicians Peter Peter and Christian Rønn. The soundtrack composed in 2007 was powerful and noisy but also poetic and silent. The music, the editing, and compositions were overwhelming, present and relevant.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battleship_Potemkin
Eisenstein on the audiovisual, Robert Robertsen

 

 

Dream image 7: Half naked in public

HTC VIVE

I had my first experience with Vive at DR Design; they just board it as part of a development project.
I tried the Google application Tilt Brush. Wauuw it was great to jump into a 3D universe and start drawing with a controller that was so intuitive to use and gives a feeling of a magic wand at the same time. I could zoom in and walk around the drawing objects. I drew the edge of my body and stepped out and saw myself in a pulsing dynamic stroke. I drew a Christmas tree which, my son after decorated with shiny stars and glowing hearts. I want to know more abut it; how can I import and export to other programs, can I make new brushes, can I import animation?

The game Ninja Fruit in VR are incredible; what power, instead of swiping your finger on a smartphone you are provided with two long sharp swords. After cutting countless of fruits, my pulse came up.

http://www.vive.com/eu/
https://www.tiltbrush.com/
https://vr.fruitninja.com/

Dream image 6: Square Coffee Cups

Sergei Eisenstein: October

To learn more about the film theory of the Russian director Sergei Eisenstein, I had the great opportunity to see his third movie made in 1928, from the silent period in film history.
The Danish Film Institute have Eisenstein on their program this month.
Yesterday I saw “October: Ten Days That Shook the World.” It is a celebratory dramatization of the 1917 October Revolution commissioned for the tenth anniversary of the event. The film which depicting the storming of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, were censored and cut down by order from Stalin.
A live soundtrack accompanied the film played live by German Axel Dörner (trumpet) and Bukhard Beins (Percussion).

The film is a tribute to the Bolsheviks and appears in many ways as propaganda.
I wasn’t that focused on the story or message; I focused more on compositions, editing, lighting, and rhythm.

Eisenstein is famous for his creation of mass scenes; October is no exception – demonstrations, soldiers, and the storming of the Winter Palace. Lots of people acting the historical scenes at the actual locations where the revolution took place ten years before. Many of the cast had participated in the revolution and the storming of the Winter Palace.

Some particular scenes stay in my mind, example; when those in power open the bridge, to isolate people from the working class district – the camera cuts between a dead white horse and a dead girl both laying in the middle of the bridge when the leaf of the bridge goes up. Because of the amount of cuts and different angles, it felt like the scene was in slow motion. The scene ends with the white horse hanging in its harness for a dramatical moment and then falling into the water.

There was no use of camera movement; editing and people- and object movement created the tension and dynamic.
The composition in each scene was thoughtful made (light, shadow, depth, and point of attention) and could stand alone as pictures.
Eisenstein worked as a stage designer on theaters before film making.

The musician’s audio interpretation added a contemporary and artistic element to the whole experience.

Source:
Eisenstein on the audiovisual, Robert Robertsen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Eisenstein#From_theatre_to_cinema

Dream image 5: Me and the obsessed house