8/24/25 - World Cinema - French Impressionism Reflection.

 The use of optical devices in French Impressionist film pioneered the cinematic language of visual storytelling in order to create images that weren't just merely seen, but felt. Many such methods, such as the visual rhythm displayed in Photogénie, the method of creating something more than merely photogenic, established that images in film could be composed similarly to music in the matter of which it is organized and presented. This is something which I am very fond of, as the human brain can subconsciously feel the speed or emotion of any scene or circumstance due to the brain's impulsive reaction to images. It can either give an audience a sense of fear and anxiety, or it could get them to become highly engaged with a sense of excitement.

More optical devices included the more pictorial method of superimposing different subjects over one another to establish the inner mental state of whatever a character is experiencing, whether through fear or nausea. I, for one, would try to implement this method into some of my work for the sole purpose that it puts audience inside the character's mind- a place of which you can't see anywhere else than a cinema.

Abel Gance's use of the vignette is also very innovative, as the overlay of a gradient to change the shape of the screen can really convey different tones and feeling with a scene. Similar to Marcel L'Herbier's use of masks to add an explicit contrast between foreground and background. Although I admire vignettes, I likely would not be as prone to using them for the sheer fact that they have lost their popularity in the mainstream. That is, the more traditional vignette shaped like an oval. I'm sure there are more subtle ways to use a vignette in the modern day which would be visually striking, but I've yet to think of one or see it firsthand. The masks, however, I feel can have more done with them, considering that they can be anything. A part of the room, setting, or a more conceptual visual to convey either an explicit depth, or a character's mental or spiritual state.

Overall, I really felt enamored from reading about these different optical devices and viewing stills of them in practice. This has mostly to do with the fact that the French Impressionist movement really insisted on emotions over action and creating an immersive experience for the audience, making it feel much more spiritual and personal. I will heavily consider utilizing modern variations of some of these optical devices, since I am really interested in conveying the spiritual state of characters and letting their feelings paint the screen with hues of the heart.

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