ThreebasicfeaturesinSandow

Whatisfilm?Tobemoredetailed,whatfeatureswithinfilmcandistinguishitselffromotherformsofvisualarts?Thefundamentalquestionwasinquiredandisstillbeingexploredbyvariousmeansfromdifferentpractitionersandresearchers,andtheanswersremainindefiniteandvarious.Thissequenceanalysisaimsatthesamebasicyetcomplicatedquestion,tryingtopartlyconcludefilm’sessentialfeaturesthroughexaminingoneoftheveryearliestfilmpractice,Sandow(WilliamDickson,1894).Thisparticularfilmpresentedthreeinterrelatedfeatures:movement,materialityandperformance.Throughthesefeatureswecandrawaratherspecificratherthangeneralconclusiontowardstheopeningquestion,thatfilmisasequenceoforganisedmovements,thesemovementsfunctionedasaperformancewiththepurposetodrawtheaudience’sattention.Sandowisfarfromwhatweknowasfilmtoday.Itappearsasmerelya40-second-longsequenceofmovingimageswithoutnarrativeplot.Inthesequence,thefirstmodernbodybuilder(alsoaprestigiouseducatorandentertainerofphysicalscience)EugeneSandow,giveshisopeningstageactinwhichhemovedthroughaseriesofrandomlyheldposes(around15ones),eachonecontinuedfor2-3seconds;thesemovementsweretakenbymediumshotmainlyfocusedontheupperbodyofthestrongman,andwerepresentedbeforeablackinteriorbackground.Despitetheuttersimplicityofthecontents,theshortsequencecontainedadequateelementstogeneratethreebasicfeaturesoffilm:movement,materiality,andperformance.MovementisthefirstthingweperceivewhenwatchingSandow.Thefilmdisplayedthebodybuilderasthesolecharacterandtheonlyobjectthroughoutthesequence.Themovingandstretchingofhisarmsandupperbodywasfrequentandclearagainstthedarkandblankenvironment.Herethefilmraisedthedifferencebetweenstillimagesandmovingimages:Thelatteraddedthedimensionalityof“time”tothevisuality.Containingacertaindurationoftimemeansthattheimageswerenolongerstill,theobjectwithintheimagesbecamemovable,changeable,moldable,andmostimportantly,fluid.TheaddingoffluiditygaveSandow’sbodypossibilitytoshowhowthestructuresofmuscles,thetexturesofskins,theshapesofthefigureandthedifferentposesandpositionsweregraduallyformingandreforming,whichwasbeyondtheapproachofsimplyanimatingasequenceofstillimagesinorder.Thistypeofchangeappliedaslightbutcrucialchronologicallogictothefilm.Thislogicmightnotimplicatespecific“events”tohappeninchronologicalorder,butitarousedbothdifferenceandsuccessionbetween“now”and“then”:audiencewasawareofthedifferencesbetweentheposesSandowheld,yetfeltthecontinuityorduréeintheprocessofhisposingthroughthefluidandchronologicalchanges.So,tobreakdowntothebasicsequencesectionsofthisfilm,thefeatureofmovementcreatedaprocessinwhichtheimageschangingfrom“now”to“then”arenottotallyseparateandsudden,butratherhasagradualconnectionbetweenthem.The2or3secondsofSandow’sreformingandre-posingaffirmedthefilm’scompletiontovisuallyintegratemomentsoftimeintodurationoftime.Alsocanwefindoutthatfromthisaspect,therepresentationofmovementsincethenhasbecameoneofthemostdirectandvividwaysforpeopletovisuallyexperiencethetimeasaduration.AfterperceivingthefluidlychangingmovementsofSandow,wethencametorealisethecertainpreconditionsunderwhichthemovementswerepossibletobeseen;webegantorecognisethatthosemovementswerebasedonandconveyedthroughrealisticmedium,theremusthavehadarealmanperformingrealstageactbehindthepeepholeonthekinetoscope.Thiscertainmediumisthesecondfeatureoffilm:materiality.ThematerialityinSandowreferredtothephysicalityorrealitydimensionofthecontent(re)presentedonscreen.InSandow,thestrongman’smaterialexistence,includinghismuscularpowerandstrengthandhisvariouslyandrandomlychangingposes,wasbasedonakindofrealnesswhichthespectatorswereabletorecognise.Weknewfromourexperienceandknowledgethatthemanmustbereal,thoughhewasseenbyusunderalessrealisticcondition,theviewingmachine.Asahumanbeingandphysicalexistenceintherealworld,Sandow’smaterialsubstance—hisbodyandabilitytomovewerecapturedandadoptedto(re)produceanewvisualmaterial.Inotherword,unlikeotherkindsofvisualarts,Sandownotonlychosethematerialsinrealityandmadeimitationorportrait,itphysicallyreconstructedadifferentrealityinandalternativespace(thekinetoscopicscreen)usinghumanbodyandmovement.ThoseconstructedmaterialsofSandowwerealikeyetdifferentfromtherealperson,usingwhichthefilmcreatedanew“Sandow”asobject.TheSandowonscreentooktherealperson’sshapesandforms,holdingtheposes;heisimmortalamongthemovingimagesandcanbeshownandplayedendlessly,whileassuringtopresenttheexactlyinvariablelook.Meanwhile,theSandowonscreenwasoriginatedfromapersonwe(theaudiencebackthen)couldmakeactualcontactsinreallife,andwasinhabitedinthemilieuswewereabletorecognise(eventhebackgroundwasdarkandblank,wecouldinferwithourknowledgehowthepersonwasfilmedinartificialenvironment)andconnecttowhatweperceivedastherealityinwhichwelived.Aquotefromacontemporarynewsletterreportmightalsobeevidential:Sandow’s“almostpreternaturalmuscularfibreisdepictedwithanalmostuncannylifelikeverisimilitude”;hewas“reproducedbeforethebeholder’sraptgazewithabsolutefidelitytonature”(Phillips,1997:184).ThephysicalityofSandow’spresence,therealityofhis“nature”thusshowednotonlyhowthefilmwasrepresenting,butalsohowitwasreconstructingandreproducingaconstructedreality/materialityonscreenthroughthedeploymentofthematerialityfromtherealworld.Throughtheanalysisabove,thethirdsignificantfeature—performancefinallycameintoplay.Afterthefirstimpressionofthemovementandthelaterrecognitionofthemateriality,wecannowconsiderthefilm’swholepractice(fromproductiontopresentation)tobeacertainperformance,initsgeneralmeaning.BeingtitledoftheProfessorofScientificandPhysicalCulturetoKingGeorgeV,SandowadvertisedhisexercisemethodsandexhibitedhismuscularphysiquethroughmultiplemediaincludingEdison’skinetoscopefilm(Crompton,2011:37-41).Sandow’slogicandstrategywastostagethiswell-knownpublicfigureandrepresenthisperformancewithoutinterferencefromtheoutsideworld.Inthiswayitcouldbuilda“filmedtheatre”anda“worldofcommercialamusement”oppositetotheeverydaylife(Musser,2004:15-30).Theselectionofawell-knownsubject,thepresentationofattractivemovementandtheconstructionofaseparateenvironmentwereallpartoftheperformingprocess.Theprocessaimedtopresentspectacleandentertainmentfortheaudience,soratherthanbeingdoneindifferently,itwasrealisedoutofcertainpurpose:todrawtheaudience’sattention,todrivethemawayfromtheworldofworkingandliving.ItiscomprehensibletostatethatSandowwaslikeatranscriptofthetheatricalamusementintoawholenewtechnology-basedform.Andjustlikethetheatricalpractice,thecontentwithinthefilmwasneversimplerecordingsandneutralrepresentationsofeventshappenedinreallife,itwashumanlyconstructedandarrangedtowardsthepurposeofamusement.Sandow,aswellasmanycoevalworksofEdisoncompany,adoptedrawmaterialsfromtherealworld(thebodybuilder,thestageactofshowingphysiqueandholdingposes)toconstructarepresentedmaterialityonthekinetoscope.Thismaterialityconveyedcontinuousandfluidmovementsinordertobeperceivedbytheaudienceatfirstsight.Inconsequence,themovementdistinguishedthefilmfromstillimages;thematerialityendowedrealness,whichwasfamiliartotheaudience’sexperienceandknowledge,tothefilm;theperformancebothtranscribedandtransferredatheatricalamusementtothenew-bornartform.Itisworthnotingthatthethreeaspectswerenotseparateatall.Movementwastheoutermanifestationofmateriality(Sandow’sbodyandmovementsremindedaudiencetherealnessofthesequence);materialitywastheinnerfundamenttopresentmovement(thosemovementshadtobeconveyedtoandunderstoodbytheaudiencethroughtheirpreexistedknowledgeofreality);performancewastheintegrationandthepracticalsummaryoftheformertwo,itconnotedmoreofamethodofpracticeandageneralproductionprocessofthefilm(showinghowthefilmwasorganisedwithcertainpurpose).Atlast,Sandowwaspresentedasanattractiveperformancewithorganised,fluidmovementsandreconstructionofreal-worldmateriality.CitationCrompton,Constance.quot;EugenSandow(1867-1925).quot;VictorianReview37,no.1(2011):37-41.Musser,Charles.quot;Atthebeginning:MotionPictureproduction,representationandideologyattheEdisonandLumierecompanies.quot;Thesilentcinemareader(2004):15-30.Phillips,Ray.Edisonx27;sKinetoscopeandItsFilms:AHistoryto1896.London:FlickBooks,1997.