What is Photogenie?: Jean Epstein and The Master
TLDRThe script analyzes the concept of photogenie, coined by French film theorist Jean Epstein to describe the mysterious, alienating cinematic effect of capturing familiar things in a fresh way. Epstein argues photogenie is found in details in motion that testify to the specificity of the thing filmed. He uses an example of Phoenix's forehead vein emerging at a distinct moment. Ultimately photogenie is subjective, like beauty, but became influential in later film theory's concept of cinephiliac moments - accidental, marginal details fetishized by the spectator.
Takeaways
- 😀 Photogenic refers to the mysterious, alienating quality of cinema and its relation to reality - it reveals the material of images in a fresh way
- 🤔 Photogenic enhances the 'moral character' of aspects of things, beings or souls when reproduced on film
- 🔎 Photogenic applies only to mobile, short-duration details and moments - not full scenes
- 🎥 Photogenic emerges from the capacity of the cinematic medium and technology - not just from creative choices
- 🚀 The close-up shot often reveals photogenic moments
- 🤩 Photogenic reveals the 'personality' or specificity/particularity of things
- 👀 An example is recognizing personality in a detail like someone's eyes
- 🌄 Photogenic testifies to the uniqueness of specific moments, making time feel different
- 💡 Though subjective, photogenic is still considered real - like beauty
- 🎞 Photogenic evolved into the modern concept of 'cinephiliac moments'
Q & A
What does 'photogenic' refer to according to Jean Epstein?
-Photogenic refers to any aspect of things, beings or souls whose moral character is enhanced by filmic reproduction.
Why does Epstein say that only mobile aspects may be photogenic?
-Epstein specifies that only mobile, meaning moving, aspects may acquire a higher moral value through filmic reproduction. Static aspects do not reveal the cinematic property of things.
What does Epstein mean when he says photogenic value is measured in seconds?
-He means that the photogenic exists in short bursts rather than continuous action. The close-up reveals photogenic aspects only briefly.
How does Epstein define 'personality' in relation to photogenie?
-For Epstein, personality refers to the spirit visible in things and people - their particularity or specificity that is revealed in the cinematic image.
What role does the magazine eye recognition game play in defining photogenic 'personality'?
-The game shows that film can reveal distinctive personalities even in a cropped image through the specificity of the captured details.
How does the concept of photogenie relate to the specificity of time in cinema?
-Photogenic moments reveal the specificity of time - single moments that are recorded and can be replayed, unlike ephemeral time in reality.
Can the emergence of Phoenix's forehead vein be definitively called photogenic?
-No, photogenic is ultimately a subjective aesthetic perception, not something that meets absolute defined criteria.
How did ideas about photogenie influence later film theory?
-The concept of cinephiliac moments builds on photogenie - the fetishizing of marginal, unintentional details that appear briefly.
Why can't filmmakers intentionally create photogenic moments?
-Photogenic depends on chance and the viewer's perception. There is no set of criteria a filmmaker can use to guarantee or predict photogenic effects.
How is photogenie similar to the concept of beauty?
-Like beauty, photogenie is a subjective perception that cannot be defined by absolute, agreed-upon characteristics. It is personally felt as a property.
Outlines
🎥 Defining photogenie
This paragraph introduces photogenie as a concept related to cinematic specificity that enhances certain aspects of things when reproduced on film. It examines different definitions of photogenie, starting with Bordwell's view of it as a mysterious, alienating filmic quality that reveals familiar objects anew. Epstein links photogenie to the moral character of things, specifying that it applies only to mobile aspects that are enhanced through film.
🔍 Pinpointing photogenie
This paragraph further explores photogenie by drawing on Epstein's later writing in Magnification. Here he associates photogenie with brief moments or "sparks" rather than continuous motion. He gives the example of an emerging facial expression preparatory to a laugh. This suggests photogenie is found in small details in motion, rather than lengthy scenes.
🤔 Why film and not cartoons?
This paragraph examines why photographic media like film can produce photogenie in ways cartoons cannot. It keys in on Epstein's concept of "personality" - the visible spirit and specificity of things recorded. Through an anecdote about recognizing celebrity eyes, it suggests personality denotes the particularity of each object, which comes through in details filmed. Hence film's photogenie.
🌟 The specificity of time
Centering on the recurring forehead vein, this summarizes how the emergence of such a precise detail in motion enhances both that detail's specificity and the moment's. This testifies to film's unique recording of time in repeatable chunks. Though subjective, photogenie thus seizes on specificity in moments and details through the filmic medium in distinctive ways.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡photogenic
💡filmic reproduction
💡cinematic specificity
💡detail
💡movement
💡particularity
💡subjectivity
💡personality
💡enigma/mystery
💡aesthetic
Highlights
Photogenic refers to an aspect of something familiar that is revealed in a fresh way when filmed.
Photogenic has a mysterious, alienating effect in cinema's relation to reality.
Photogenic arises from filmic reproduction, not necessarily from a director's choices.
Photogenic requires mobility - aspects that are moving or showing movement.
The photogenic occurs in short bursts, like details in motion lasting just seconds.
Continuous motion is not photogenic, only intermittent moments have photogenic power.
Photogenic requires 'personality' - showing the specificity of a thing.
Seeing personality means recognizing the distinct particularity of something.
Photogenic makes us appreciate the uniqueness of each recorded moment in time.
Photogenic is subjective, not an objective property that meets fixed criteria.
Cinephiliac moments in later film theory relate to Epstein's idea of photogenic.
Cinephiliac moments focus on short, marginal, accidental details that affect us.
There's no fixed way for filmmakers to intentionally create photogenic moments.
We can now identify photogenic moments when appreciatively viewing films.
Share any personal experiences of photogenic moments discovered in films.
Transcripts
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