Wontonmeen: Consciousness and Temporality in the Short Film

Rush, Michael P.

Hong Kong. : Savannah College of Art and Design

2013-08

Thesis (M.F.A.) -- Photography

Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Photography

Includes bibliographical references (p.18-19).

Wontonmeen is a short fictional film that raises questions about human memory, consciousness, and the psychological and temporal spaces between us. The film is composed of short vignettes, based on one day in the lives of 4 young people who live in the same apartment building in one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Using voiceover narration to guide the viewer through their thoughts, the film depicts and explores the unique, subjective quality of how individuals experience time. Non-linear narrative structures, time-remapping, manipulated sound and visual effects are used to depict character's memories, thoughts and dreams. These techniques create an ambiguous scenario for the viewer in which ideas of memory, time and states of consciousness are questioned. From its inception over 130 years ago, film has been an obvious choice for addressing such complex issues as time and memory. It is considered a “time-based” art along with sound and music since duration is one of it's fundamental attributes. My research investigates and addresses the role of pacing, editing, effects, sound and the non-linear narrative to represent time and multiple and mutable temporalities in the moving image. Along the way I explain how a merging of philosophy, film theory, and real life experiences informed my work and provided a framework for both visual and conceptual choices. Lastly, I consider Wontonmeen's position as an art piece in the broad context of both contemporary art and cinema.

CHAIR: Dietrich, Scott

Wacks, Debra

Johnson, Carl

English

Photography

Text

PDF : 37 p. : ill

Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.