Predator and Prey: Blog 3

I chose to take a closer look at the film Deeparture by Mircea Cantor. I chose to write about this short 2 minute and 43 second film because it has no sound at all. The opening scene is a wolf type dog sleeping on it's side in a start white background, then the film shortly pans to a deer like creature. It took me a few moments to realize that not only was this a cute deer and a cute looking dog, but my gosh, it's a deer and a wolf both together in a all white gallery space!! Myself being an animal lover, immediately thought that this was wrong and not morally write, what if the wolf were to kill the deer? The red blood would look like a murder scene on that perfectly white backdrop. My next discovery was my feeble attempt to keep hitting my volume button in hopes that a noice from the animals would so appear. No such luck, as I watched the film numerous times I began to realize that having no sound at all makes a much more interesting piece. With out sound, you then have to pay close attention to the actions of the two animals. You watch their eyes, you begin to sence that the deer look's ranther uncomfortable and somewhat confused. On the other hand, the wolf is just laying around, panting, without a care in the world, thinking hey, I have a free lunch, and it's even an easy catch. Having no sound it seems like you are peering through a glass wall into a strange sound proof room at a twisted exhibit at the zoo. Whithout sound, it makes your other sences work just a little bit harder to investigate whats really going on in the film. You actaully have to watch it, and not just multitask and listen while doing something else.

The fim that I want to compare is Patty Chang's Fountain. This film by all means is stark in constrast. It shows her infront of a mirrow kissing we own reflection as water dribble downs besides her. The sound in this 5 minute and some odd second film is beyond irritating. Slurping water and the sound of a girl kissing her own reflection is not my idea of fun. I would rather watch animals that want to kill each other be trapped up in a box for people to watch. What confuses me further more is the fact that the round mirror is placed on the foor and Chang procedes to kneel over it and slirp water off is just plain strange. Focusing just on the sound for a minute, if you were to close your eyes and just listen I think a girl sucking water from a mirror is the last thing you would think that you are watching. The noise could really be from a number of things. Perhaps, it's from our little furry friends from Cantor's film. Or from the sounds of people stomping through the rain outside. 

In conclusion, the importance of sound in a film is really not necesary in all cases. I think it's ultimately up to the filmmaker, what they want the viewer to get out of the film.