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Vol 12, No 4(46) (2020)
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ТЕЛЕВИДЕНИЕ. ЦИФРОВАЯ СРЕДА

138-148 21
Abstract

The article examines TV speech as a subtype of media speech.
The audible verbal component of the TV product includes two types of speech:
a) sounding “voice-over” of the invisible narrator; b) “on camera” interviews
sounding in sync with the facial movements of the talking person.
The shift from the semantic (substantive) approach to the TV media speech
analysis (which has been predominant for many years) to a communication-
model discourse provides the tools for studying sounding texts in conjunction
with dynamics of the screen image.
The intersection of verbal and visual spheres of the TV product opens up
the possibilities for an integrative approach.
Synchronous and off-screen types of media speech perform different
functions. The off-screen text is intentionally monologic, its main semantic
message is transmitted by verbal statements, structured according to a specific
syntax in order to ensure a logical communication with TV viewer.
The synchronous “on camera” speech carries emotional and illustrative
features, adding a touch of dynamics and entertainment to the TV show.
The “spontaneity” of the “on camera” speech is illusory, it can be considered
as quasi-direct speech, performing the functions of a screen attraction.
On the Internet TV texts lose some of their properties, primarily the
synchroneity of online viewing.
The possibility of replaying and pausing the video, of listening carefully to
verbal texts influences the structure of the audiovisual product in accordance
with new habits and social practices of media consumption

FILM THEORY AND FILM HISTORY| AUDIOVISUAL ARTS

8-19 8
Abstract

The usually opposed concepts document and image are treated here
as parts of an art system which relies on the specific character of documentary
image combining an account of events and the implicit metaphorics of the
captured reality. Throughout the history of cinema documentary filmmakers
have always tended to move beyond the strict adequacy of representation giving
their personal interpretation of reality in terms of a poetic text. Documentary
film poetry is most notably related to Dziga Vertov who strived to overcome the
flatness of sheer chronicle breaking through to a kind of screen versification.
Vertov’s recipe was based on distancing, his messages could not be understood
just by automatic perception of events, but only in view of polysemic symbolical
and metaphorical content of every single shot camera angle accentuations.
Editing and rhythmic connotations, exquisite camera angle accentuations, blank-
verse rhythmic captions turned observation of the ordinary course of life into
abstractions, as exemplified by “A Sixth Part of the World”.
The experience of poetic documentaries based on organic combination
of literary verses and screen imagery is evidenced by Alain Resnais and Paul
Éluard’s “Guernica” and Joris Ivens and Jacques Prévert’s “The Seine Meets Paris”,
two films featuring two personal models of documentary poetry perceived as
expressive transformation of reality viewed through the lens of Pablo Picasso
and Alain Resnais and as lyrical outbursts in the movie by Ivens. Contemporary
forms of documentary poetry are exemplified by Godfrey Reggio, Philip Glass,
Ron Fricke and their modern followers.

FILM LANGUAGE AND TIME | IMAGE GENESIS

22-31 24
Abstract

The article deals with the transformation and interpretation of the
initiation process with reference to the Soviet fairy-tale film genre, more precisely
with the trial by fear of young heroes as an important stage of their getting to
be truly Soviet people. The research is based upon the study of the archetype of
an ideal hero in the fairy tale genre which has its roots in the socialist realism of
the 1930s. In Soviet film tales of the 1960s (like the classic «Kingdom of Crooked
Mirrors» by A. Rowe and «The Tale of Time Lost» by A. Ptushko) telling about
the modern life of pioneers such ideology-driven symbols of the past came to be
some kind of human ideal for young heroes in search of role models. Hence the
necessity of initiation and the importance of trial by fear for the preparation of
youngsters for becoming ideal Soviet people.
With the collapse of Soviet mythology the fear in film tales evolved from a
metaphysical designation of the process of transition into the anxiety about the
current changes in real life which was getting ever less fairy. It became apparent
in the transient tales of the post-thaw period like «Adventures of the Yellow
Suitcase» by I. Frez who still kept on working with contemporary medium. The
study of initiation of young fairy-tale heroes by means of trial by fear in terms of its
changing sense brings out that the transformation of the Soviet fairy tale universe
followed the general flow of thought in Soviet cinema at that turn of the decade.

32-43 5
Abstract

On the basis of films about the Great Patriotic War produced during
the thaw period, the idea of young characters’ romantic image of a war-time heroic
deed is advocated. The article examines the cinematic image of the war as the view
of a new generation of directors, removed in time from the events of 1941–1945.
The depiction of war in films of the thaw period demonstrates the inevitable clash
of the idealistic consciousness of young knights with the destructive forces of war.
The problem of romanticizing heroism in war becomes relevant due to the change
of perspective on the phenomenon of war, which invades normal existence and
takes away the lives of young people who are just beginning their journey.
The scientific novelty lies in determining to what extent the screen image of
war is influenced by the temporal distance between generations of directors who
made films in wartime, when patriotism was a leading motivating force, and their
children, the directors of the thaw.
Using the films of Mikhail Kalik ‘‘Goodbye, boys!’’, Vladimir Motyl ‘‘Zhenya,
Zhenechka and Katyusha’’, Naum Birman ‘‘Chronicle of a Diving Bomber’’ and
others, the author reveals the gap between the romantic dream of a heroic deed
and reality. The necessity to go to war is more tragic for young heroes in films of
the Thaw than in wartime films.
The author argues that the more reverent attitude of thaw cinema to the fate of
its characters results from the time distance sufficient for a new understanding of
the phenomenon of war in human life, a decrease in the patriotic fervor and a shift
of focus from general military actions to the life of a specific person.
Looking at the image of the hero of the thaw period and the artistic space
of films of the 1960s, the author calls the sense of a life unlived the result of
the youthful craving for a heroic deed and the confrontation of yesterday's
schoolchildren with the severity of war reality. The author reveals the problem of
young heroes' unpreparedness for the trials of war and shows the meaninglessness
of the chivalrous sacrifice in the name of a romantic idea.

PERFORMANCE | THE ART OF PRESENTATION

46-58 18
Abstract

The work of B.M. Nemensky is inextricably linked to the events
of the Great Patriotic War. This theme unites his works of different genres not
so much by the choice of a plot associated with specific military actions, but by
a special type of heroes – people with whom Boris Mikhailovich traveled along
the front roads from Velikiye Luki in 1942 to Berlin 1945.
Nemensky went to the front as an artist of M.B. Grekov’ studio. Using a
pencil and a brush, he made dozens of sketches of the battlefields, of soldiers,
of people from the cities and villages ravaged by the war, of burnt houses and
streets covered with crushed brick.
In Berlin in the spring of 1945, the artist created a series of drawings and
sketches, which later became known as “the Berlin sketches”. Their authenticity
and expressiveness in conveying the smallest details stem from his work on the
battlefield, and the rejection of false theatrics allowed them to reach a high level
of understanding of the “calamities of war”.
The article offers an artistic analysis of the paint sheets of “The Berlin
Sketches”, it points to the connection between their artistic language and the
traditions of Russian art and its technique. Particular attention is given to
B.M.Nemensky’s work with light, which defines the atmosphere of the sketches,
becoming the main means of transmitting the emotional state. This role of
light characterizes the national fine arts all the way from ancient Russian icon
painting to the present day. In almost all works of Russian painting, you can
discern this approach to light, which is the expression of the spiritual energy of
the world.
Adherence to national traditions largely determined the emotional strength
and depth of meaning of the “Berlin sketches”, which became one of the most
expressive artistic documents of the Great Patriotic War, upholding humanistic
values characteristic of the best works of Russian culture

72-81 10
Abstract

The article examines four contemporary Russian documentaries
shot in 2018–2020, two of them monochromatic and the other two polychromic
and achromatic. Based on non-fiction films, the study analyzes the use of color
as means of translating the documentary maker’s artistic vision. It sees into
the process of live video filming for a documentary that may confront the
videographer with the challenge of the color treatment, so that his skill depends
on his ability to readily assess the color harmony regardless of hampered
shooting conditions. The ongoing development of photography and cinema
equipment and the improvement of color rendering in video images help the
film directors to develop a deeper understanding of cinematography, to master
the technique of digital video processing. However, technology is no more than
an aid to the creative thought of documentary filmmakers who are responsible
for the aesthetic vision and representation of reality. To what extent the author
manages to render his artistic vision in a screen document depends on the
level of his excellence. Documentary filmmaking gives directors freedom of
reproducing their world views, so color as film medium is used by authors more
focused on the picturesque aspects of color. Therefore the article points out the
chromatic and achromatic properties of color as components of the film imagery
affecting the perception of the documentary film maker’s artistic conception.

SCREEN CULTURE | CULTUROLOGY PHILOSOPHY

84-106 21
Abstract

Relationship dynamics of a character and his action space is
essential to the plot. Consider the case when a character becomes part of high
society that is a space of everlasting holiday, of subtle delight, witty talks and
fancy entertainments. Most likely this character will face death. Film makers
developing that kind of plot seem to anticipate the final collision by charging
the film space with various omens. Why? What conflicts is the dazzling world
of wealth and leisure fraught with? The study answers that, introducing the
concept of “the space of leisure” meaning by leisure an ostentatious waste of
time. This definition largely corresponds to Thorstein Veblen’s theory of the
leisure class. The ostentation of time wasting gives their existence in the space
of leisure the tone of a never ending show blurring the line between the true-life
and the semblant. This contradiction is resolved by strict necessity to follow the
rules of the game.
The study proves that the space of leisure is a confined playing area with
inviolate rules of the game. Introducing in it a spielbrecher (Huizinga), that is a
character willing to violate the fixed rules, contributes to unleashing the forces
of social disorder loosely-bonded by these rules. Death in the space of leisure
results from the spielbrecher’s collision with the elite’s collective interest which
makes this death a side effect of the threat of breaking up relations between
those in power and the underlings.
So the present day cinema not only draws forth the culture’s ludic aspect
but also brings into sharp focus the playing areas’ boundaries and reveals the
conflicts of the modern society.

WORLD CINEMA | ANALYSIS

108-122 13
Abstract
Referring to the nature of the hidden in art one may rephrase the
German philosopher Jean Paul: art brings out the hidden, or the obvious absence
of it.
The hidden as a concept in film dramaturgy can manifest itself at all levels
of the story’s content. This article represents the mechanism of the hidden by
the so called ‘‘latent’’ dramaturgy which is relevant to a serene, dormant style in
pictorial art. So, many canvases created in the 17th-century during the Golden
Age of Dutch painting, were termed ‘‘stilleven’’ insofar as they presented a kind
of frozen, silent life of things. Terming this style as ‘‘latent’’ is most suitable for
many films whose authors are not so much concerned with the dramatic twists
and turns of the plot as with the impact of external conflicts on the inner world
of the characters and their ways of dealing with life challenges.
The style of latent dramaturgy is most obvious in contemporary Iranian films
characterized by a matter-of fact tonality and deliberately muted emotions. The
imagery and the entire meaning of the film are revealed in understatement.
The concept of the hidden in Iranian films exemplified by latent dramaturgy
is determined by the realities of Iranian society, by its bans, its censorship, Islamic
ideology and many taboo subjects which lays the groundwork for resorting to
undertones and parables. Additionally Iranian filmmakers draw inspiration
from the rich heritage of the ancient Persian culture.
Using the mechanism of the hidden, latent Iranian dramaturgy touches upon
crucial aspects and mysteries of human existence. Without emotional expression
and profound effects, just by dramaturgic means, Iranian films manage to arouse
empathy.


   
123-136 7
Abstract

Modern cinema has a huge number of expressive means that
allows to represent a diegetic space in a certain kind of artistic convention.
One of such means is the attempt to create audiovisual relations that ensure
the reliability of the filmic action. Italian film director Matteo Garrone in
his works explores the possibilities of the soundtrack to form an audiovisual
space that would be organic to the chosen type of the artistic convention.
Working with different genres of conditionality, M.Garrone nevertheless
remains an adept of realistic style. It is particularly interesting to note that
Garrone’s realism is manifested in his films by the means of using plausible
sound, regardless of whether the documented outskirts of dirty Naples or
the embodied images of an ancient fairy tales are shown on the screen. We
can define such an attitude to sound treatment as audiovisual plausibility –
a strong correlation between imagetrack and soundtrack in every nuance of
their alterations.
The soundscape of M.Garrone’s films plays a fundamental role in the
formation of his realistic director style. In this article, the soundtracks of
three films by the Italian director (“Gomorra”, “Reality” and “Pinocchio”)
are examined from the point of view of the choice of audio-visual artistic
means, which allow him to physically materialize diegetic space. Sound gives
«corporeality» to both pseudo-documentary and fantastic type of narration

ПЕРФ0РМАНС | ИСКУССТВО ВОПЛОЩЕНИЯ

59-71 9
Abstract

The article examines the problem of holistic imagery resulting from the body of an artist’s works of various years. This perspective provides a deeper insight into his world view and creative method. The artist’s intention is best conveyed in the totality of his work revealing the true semantic load, the ultimate sense of his art. Only then one can be sure to understand the real message of his work. In the present article "a series" of works denotes the entire artistic career, which gives an opportunity to retrace the development of the core message, with all challenges and the final output characteristic of the artist’s personality. That way a series is can reveal the elusive sense of the figurative world perception much more pronounced in the whole oeuvre than in a single work. In cinematographic terms, paintings of various years make a kind of "montage sequence", echoing or contradicting one another and thus creating a holistic view of the artist's creative spirit. Quite often such a series brings out latent semantic layers untraceable in any single work, which is suggestive of the inmost semantic depth of the unrepresented or of an "extra-sense".
The outlined approach is based on the evaluation of the famous Russian
artist Geliy Korzhev. The article deals with three main stages of his work.
During the Soviet period he earned all kinds of awards and the reputation of
one of the leading painters of the socialist realism. The second period, that of
metanoia, was marked by the notorious controversial series figuring grotesque
fabled beings — “tiurliks”. At the third stage Korzhev turned to biblical subjects.
Taken as a whole, the work of Geliy Korzhev is a striking example of
commitment to the truth of life and creativity which required utmost spiritual
effort. Its evaluation makes clear that considering a series of works offers quite
a different understanding of the whole artist's oeuvre and of his every work as
well



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ISSN 2074-0832 (Print)
ISSN 2713-2471 (Online)