Subjectivity and Teaching it
The experience of watching and then giving our thoughts and perspective of other films here in Bologna has been, complicated to say the least. We have watched films from a range of different decades and each film has played an important role in the growth and change in cinema. As is usual with film school we will watch a film, process and then give our feedback on the film. We did this over and over again but there was one instance in particular that will stick with me. When we watched and gave our interpretation of Rossellini’s Journey in Italy.
We watched the film as usual and had very little context of what the film was and then gave our critiques. Almost everyone in the room said the same thing. We critiqued the film for not being very strong in it’s narrative and for having a particularly week ending. Then after hearing our perspectives the two of you asked us, what if we tried watching the film outside of the narrative bubble we came to understand.
This moment … Hit me. Like it really got to me and made an impact.
I began to rethink my ways of viewing films. I went back in my mind over my reactions to films in the past (namely when I was 18 when I rewrote and created a new shot list for the end of ‘On the Waterfront’ by Elia Kazan). I began to realise how much of a subjective art form film really is. Bresson told us that he wanted us to feel his films and to understand them. Antonioni said that he wouldn’t tell us the meaning of Blow Up cause that’s not the point and Lynch … well we really have no idea where that mind is going most of the time.
All of these great artists made works of the subjective that they turned into the objective. Their own ideas, their own codified language of semiotics that we cannot understand since we have not lived their experiences and understand images and experiences in the same way.
And yet, film is an art form that we are constantly critiquing, all of the time. Everyone gives their opinion on what a good film and a bad film is, whether uou know nothing or everything about film. We are forever drawing our own opinions on the art form. There is universally accepted good and likewise bad. Film is caught in this strange stage of being both universal and singular in the same space. Both understood by many and comprehended by none.
The subjectivity of film is the subjectivity of art which is the competition between individuality of beauty and the uniformity of aesthetics.
So, now we have established one of the words in the title, now let’s move on to the second. Teaching … what the fuck!!!
How on God’s green earth are we meant to teach film? Sure the very simple answer to this is to say the technical side. Well great that’s fine. But then what about the rest, what about the subjective.
How do teachers critique a students work, their own language?
I’m not for a second saying that students don’t have something to learn.
I know for a fact I have so much to learn as a student and I keep trying to learn from professors.
But I have to wonder, how can we as filmmakers sit in portfolio review look at another persons subjective understanding of a time with their own codified language and honestly and truthfully and helpfully critique them?
That is an art form that I truly struggle to understand.
- Dave