Benjamin and Allergies

Well 3rd day of film theory class...

I don't know if it's because I'm older and I learned from the 1st time I went through college... but I feel like I'm the only one or the few who do the readings in this class.  Or else people will NOT speak up.  C'mon, people this is a 2 hour class and our TA can't/shouldn't lecture for that long.  GROWL!!!

Anyway...

Today's reading was about Walter Benjamin and his work called "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction".  If you're in film, you're probably read this one.  Through the 4 articles we've read in class, I particularly enjoyed this one.  To me it's basically arguing and finding the points to: what is art?  how is film an art compared to other mediums (paintings, music, stage plays, etc.)?  how can film be used for or against us?  It's fun to read these early works, especially when you can get your mindset back to early cinema and sound films.

What I like about this class is the reading responses we're supposed to do everyday and turn in.  I really sound like the Hermione Granger know-it-all but I hope it helps emphasize that I have been putting a lot of effort into these complex articles.

Here is mine:

Walter Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” tries to categorize film within the world of art by way of radiating auras and arguing the presence within time and space.  What I found particularly interesting was his argument about the lack of an aura that film movies or photography present.  In the world we live today, it is hard to imagine a world without mass production, which Benjamin states in his first section.  Aside from pottery and money, few things were made for the masses.  In his second section he explains that the reverence is lost in any kind of reproduced piece of art (photographs, music, etc.) that is experienced outside its original context.  To me this is a valid point because as humans we tend to show respect to those we are admiring.  If we are watching a play or a concert we idolize for that time the people we are giving our attention.  Thus I think that Benjamin’s aura is a two-way track – a give and receive system.  In one acting class I took the instructor said “You energy is having a conversation with the energy of the audience.”  While this is true for plays and concerts, what does this mean for paintings?  Again a painting is something that we admire.  Pending on the viewer, one decides how much aura to receive from the painting.  Someone may give more energy to seeing the Mona Lisa verses The Persistence of Memory verses The Winged Victory of Samothrace.  However, I believe a sense of aura, or at least a certain level of respect, can be achieved by film and photography, especially now. 

Tell me what you think.  Agree?  Disagree?  Don't really care?  

In other news... WHO THE HELL STEALS A MCFLURRY, TAKES 7 BITES AND GIVES IT BACK?!  

And future work - short youtube show (?) about Parking and Transportation.  It will be epically awesome.

PS - my allergies are killing me.  Will be posting in about 5 minutes about the new movies I watched today.