Who is Chris Marker?

Chris Marker (Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve) was born in 1921 at Neuilly sur Seine, France, and died in 2012 and was a French filmmaker, poet, novelist, photographer, editor and multi-media artist who has been challenging moviegoers, philosophers, and himself for years with his complex queries about time, memory, and the rapid advancement of life on this planet. He fought for the French resistance during World War II and enlisted as a Paratrooper in the United States Air Force. In the 1950s Marker wrote for l’Esprit and Cahiers du cinéma and was an assistant to Alain Resnais. His work was been presented internationally. Marker was the subject of a film retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and was a featured artist of the exhibition Passage de l’image at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, and Documenta X, Kassel, Germany. In 2018 he had a screening at Cannes Film Festival, won the International Critics Prize, and had a major retrospective in Paris. Marker’s La Jetée is one of the most influential, radical science-fiction films ever made, a tale of time travel.

What is the story behind La Jetee?

La Jetee is about a man that is sent back and forth, in and out of time in an experiment that attempts to unravel the fate and the solution to the problems of a post-apocalyptic world during the aftermath of WW3. The experiment results in him getting caught up in a never ending memories of past events which are recreated on an airport’s viewing pier. What makes the film interesting for the purposes of this discussion, is that while in editing terms it uses the language of cinema to construct its narrative effect, it is composed entirely of still images showing images from the featureless dark of the underground caverns of future Paris, to the intensely detailed views across the ruined city, and the juxtaposition of destroyed buildings with the spire of the Eiffel Tower.

Research:

Elizabeth castle is located in St Helier, Jersey. The castle was built in 1601, making it 422 years old and for 400 years this contained a priory, and for the last 350 years a castle. It is accessible only on low tide by foot, if the tide is high, you have to get a boat over. Construction of the castle began in 1594, and continued in the first years of the 17th century under the then governor of Jersey, Sir Walter Raleigh, who named it “Fort Isabella Bellissima” (the most beautiful Elizabeth) after Elizabeth 1st.

Today, the castle is administered by the Jersey Heritage Trust as a museum site: among the historical displays are the Jersey Royal Militia Museum holding several centuries of military memorabilia. Every Sunday through the season when the castle is open, a team of historical interpreters recreate the garrison of 1781, at the time of the battle of Jersey. Displays are given of musket firing, cannon firing and civilian life.

Photo Archive:

Nazi Occupation:

The Occupation of Jersey by German Forces during the Second World War commenced on the 1 July 1940. The Occupation was to last for nearly five years and eventually ended on the 9 May 1945 – Liberation Day.

Following the defeat of France, Winston Churchill reluctantly made the decision that British troops be withdrawn from the Channel Islands and redeployed. This left the five islands completely demilitarised. Around 25,000 occupants were evacuated to Britain. Almost all of Alderney’s residents were evacuated, along with around half the population of Guernsey and a fifth of the people from Jersey. The United Kingdom government provided ships to evacuate women, children and men who wished to join the forces when it seemed that Occupation was inevitable.

Britain suppressed the news that the islands had been demilitarised, so when Germany attacked it did so with bombings, killing 44 islanders on Jersey and Guernsey. The Nazis occupied four islands – Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark. It was the only British territory to be occupied. They would remain there until the end of the War in Europe in May 1945.

Hitler believed the Channel Islands might be a ‘stepping stone’ from which to invade Britain. They were also a useful propaganda tool – to show that the Nazis occupied British land.

German Military

The military consisted of varying numbers of troops, around 25,000 in October 1944, with an additional 15,000 Organisation Todt (OT) workers once fortification of the islands began in October 1941.

Gun Emplacements

To counter any attempted Allied assault, beaches were mined in vulnerable landing spots, anti-tank
walls of steel and concrete were built, large clifftop guns put in place, camouflaged gun emplacements installed, the walls of Elizabeth and Gorey castles reinforced, steel spikes planted in
fields where aircraft might land and a radar station established at Les Landes. In order to ferry the
vast amounts of concrete needed, a railway network was created to link with the Ronez quarries on
the north coast.

Synopsis:

This short film will consist of images produced at various artillery sites around the island. throughout the video a voiceover of an elderly man explaining his experience during the Nazi occupation will accompany the still images, starting at Elizabeth Castle and expanding to multiple heritage sites and bunkers. Images sourced from the Jersey Archive will be compared to newer images photographed by us. The new images will consist of differing angles of the heritage sites/artillery emplacements (aerial views). The aerial views will be filmed by a drone.

Mood Board:

Archive Images for Comparison:

Corbiere

Noirmont/Portelet

St Ouens

STORY: What is your story?
Describe in:

3 WORDS:

St Malo Streets.

A SENTENCE:

A school trip to St Malo exploring the walled city.

A PARAGRAPH:

The story behind my zine is based on our school trip to St Malo, France. We too the boat to France in the morning where we walked into the walled city of St Malo and explored the area while experiencing and embracing the French culture. The images picked out for the zine, I believe have captured the French culture really well.

NARRATIVE: How will you tell your story?

I am going to lay my images out in a way which creates a sequence so every image next to each other will have a similarity or be linked to one another.

What is a narrative?

A narrative, is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional or fictional. Narratives can be presented through a sequence of written or spoken words, through still or moving images, or through any combination of these.

To create more nostalgia, I was going to add in one archival image into my zine however, while experimenting in InDesign i decided not to include the archival image as it did not fit in with the rest of my images and it looked quite random.

What is a zine?

 A photo zine is a self-made, printed issue built of photos and captions. The term comes from the word “magazine”, as zines follow the style of magazines with headings, text, and illustrations put on a grid. An important feature of a photo zine is visual storytelling.

Mood board:

I have created a mood board for inspiration on how I would like to lay my zine out. I am wanting a very minimalistic look to my zine and I have decided that I will keep all of my images in black and white apart from the two cover images to add some contrast.

Old St Malo Archives

I edited these images using photoshop Beta, the beta software allowed me to edit in objects into each photo while making it still look real. When placing a new object into an image, it also creates a shadow making it look very realistic.

Hypothesis: Photography and Truth: Can a photograph lie?

“A picture is simply a moment, and although we might think we can divine what it is we are looking at, there are times when a visual representation of life is simply neither the whole truth, nor nothing but the truth.”

The word ‘photography’ means drawing with light. Which originates from the Greek word of photo. It was created in 1822 in which Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took the first image. I believe that photography can be viewed in two ways. Some people believe that photography should be considered as a threat to traditional artforms such as painting and drawing as photography takes away the human touch from each canvas. On the other hand, it can be viewed as a way to express the truth, as a raw image does not hide anything. The development of photography as we know it today started with the invention of camera obscura, this was a device which was able to project an image onto a surface. Camera obscura has been used as a tool for artists to use to allow them to trace images. However, this device does not permanently capture the image.

Artificial Intelligence, also known as Ai is the development of computer systems that can do things which would typically require human intelligence. Ai systems analyse large amounts of data and recognise patterns which enables them to make decisions or predictions based off of the data they have received. Ai has many benefits, and the main benefit is that it can help by advancing healthcare. This can be done as Ai can assist with disease protection, medical image analysis, drug discovery and many more. While artificial intelligence has many benefits, there are also many drawbacks, and challenges associated with its development, One of which being bias and discrimination. As Ai systems can become biased from the data they received while being trained. However, Ai is hugely used in photography to enhance and automate editing processes which is much faster and easier to do now compared to the times before the invention of artificial intelligence.

For example, In film photography, the darkroom was an essential part of the editing process. Photographers used various techniques to manipulate the exposure and contrast of prints. This involved adjusting the exposure time during the printing process, using dodging and burning techniques to selectively lighten or darken specific areas of the print, and applying filters to modify the color balance. And also, photographers or specialised retouchers would use pencils, brushes, and dyes to manually retouch and manipulate prints. This could involve removing imperfections, enhancing or softening details, or even adding or removing elements from the image. Making these types of processes take a long time, whereas now a days you are able to re touch an image in a matter of seconds using ai. in order to create multi exposure images photographers would expose the same film negative multiple times or combine different negatives which gives the effect or merged images together. The two images below are called “valley of the shadow of death” taken by Roger Fenton. Although both photos are very similar, there is one major difference and that being the cannon balls in the road. The area where the photo was taken was named valley of the shadow of death as it was well known for the continuous amount of bombing/ shelling which took place there. Film-maker Errol Morris went to Sevastopol in 2007 to identify the site of this “first iconic photograph of war”. He was investigating a second version of the photograph without cannonballs on the road and the question as to the authenticity of the picture. Hitherto opinions differed concerning which one was taken first, but Morris spotted evidence that the photo without the cannonballs was taken first. He remains uncertain about why balls were moved onto the road in the second picture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_the_Shadow_of_Death_(Roger_Fenton)

The digital age has undoubtedly transformed the way photography is practiced and the potential for altering the truth within images. While traditional film photography also allowed for manipulation through darkroom techniques, the invention of digital technologies and software like Adobe Photoshop has made it easier to edit and manipulate images in more sophisticated ways. This has raised concerns about the authenticity and truthfulness of photographs. Programs like Adobe Photoshop provide powerful tools for editing and manipulating images. With these software tools photographers can adjust exposure, contrast, colours, and other things, as well as remove or add elements to an image. This has the potential for both subtle enhancements and more dramatic alterations that can significantly change the content and truth of an image. The image below is an Ai edited image of Donald Trump working in a fast food restaurant by Phillip Toledano. Toledano created this image using an Ai generated app, Midjourney. He believes that a photograph should be like an unfinished sentence. When creating these images Phillip Toledano focused on how Donald Trump portrays himself and generated the images to do the opposite. Trump has an obsession with showing off his his power and projecting his strength, however, the series of images which were made makes him look weak, and are degrading. This series of Donald Trump that Toledano created has no relation ship with either photography or the truth. However, it shows the creativity and skill that comes behind editing and the power that is held within Artificial intelligence.

In conclusion, I believe that photos can lie. This is due to the fact that as soon as camera is picked up you aren’t always getting the ‘full picture’ as the lens won’t be able to capture all 360 degrees of the frame, and that is before editing is even mentioned. It’s important to note that while digital manipulation raises concerns about truthfulness and authenticity, not all image editing is obvious and stand out. For example, ‘ Valley of the shadow of death’ looks as if the cannon balls were edited out. Many photographers use editing techniques to enhance the aesthetic quality of an image or to express their artistic vision. As viewers, it’s essential to approach photographs with critical thinking, considering the possibility of manipulation and understanding that images may not always represent objective truth.

Contact Sheet:

images:

Editing:

The Decisive Moment is a term coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. It refers to the moment when all the elements in a photograph come together perfectly to create a meaningful image.

“For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to ‘give a meaning’ to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.” “Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

Mood board:

What is considered street photography?

Street photography is a genre of photography that records everyday life in a public place. The very publicness of the setting enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without their knowledge. Street photographers do not necessarily have a social purpose in mind, but they prefer to isolate and capture moments which might otherwise go unnoticed.

SUBJECT MATTER/ CAPTURING A MOMENT > people and humanity, theatre of everyday life, poetics of streets, comic absurdities and humour, small acts of kindness, scenes of unexpected beauty, ordinary moments, visual pun and humour, gestures and poses, faces and crowds.

LOCATIONS & PLACES > inside the walls and on the ramparts, back alleys and sidewalks, beaches and coastal promenades, parks and public spaces, cafes and shops, street corners and intersections, signs and advertising, facades and architecture.

POINTS OF VIEW > low/ high/ canted angles, deadpan approach, light and shadows, intensity of colour, reflections in shop windows, shoot through glass, frame within a frame, focusing and un-focusing, up-close and details, shallow depth of field, artful and funny juxtapositions, geometry and space, lines and form, textures and patterns, signs and shop windows, advertising and graphics, reflections and mirrors.

APPROACH > capturing decisive moments, candid portraits, informal snapshots, inobtrusive observations (Cartier-Bresson style), interactive and confrontational (William Klein approach), spontaneous and subconscious reactions, poetic possibilities, inquisitive mind and roaming eye, looking and prying, shoot from the hip, serendipity and good luck.

CAMERA HANDLING > Lenses (focal length): use wide (18-35mm) to standard lenses (50mm). Focusing: automatic or manual – whatever you prefer. Exposure mode: S or T mode – (shutter-speed priority). Shutter-speeds: experiment with fast (1/125-1/500) and slow shutter-speeds (1/15-1/60). ISO: 100 (sunny weather), 200-400 (overcast ), 800-3200 ISO (inside or evening/ night). White Balance: auto

Nostalgia – is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. Wikipedia

It reminds ourselves of who we have been and what memories we have created compared to who we are today, i cant be triggered by simple things such as  a familiar smell, sound, old photos or by just feeling lonely. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion which is mainly related to happy/positive memories and big life events, which many people use as a way of comforting themselves.

Nostalgia is associated with a longing for the past, its personalities, possibilities, and events, especially the “good ol’ days” or a “warm childhood”. There is a predisposition, caused by cognitive biases such as rosy retrospection, for people to view the past more favourably and future more negatively. http://encyclopedia.uia.org/en/problem/nostalgia

Mood Board:

This mood board is based around the theme of nostalgia and also film cameras. I have decided to add in film camera photos onto my mood board as it is something I am familiar with and use regularly. I believe that film cameras create a lot of nostalgia to many older people from an older generation as it was what they used to use when they were younger. It is also a nostalgic process as you take the photo and then you have to wait for the whole roll of film to be developed before you can see it, therefore you are living in the moment more than you would be with a digital camera. However, when I go through with the photo shoot I will probably use a digital camera and use photoshop and light room to look as if it was taken on a film camera. I would do this as it is a faster process and could get the images instantly.