Apr 15, 2008
illuminated
The lumiere video concept is not one I am very familiar with, but one I am looking forward to finding a bit more about – I have stumbled upon numerous references to it while researching videoblogging, most recently on this excellent blog by Andreas Haugstrup Pederson, a communications student based in Denmark.
Not only can this man build a mighty fine quicktime plugin, but he is also something of an aficionado on Lumiere.
Research on lumiere cinema has provided a handy segue into his work and blog, both of which offer insightful and comprehensive commentary on videoblogging.
So, what has Andreas told me so far?
Rules of Lumiere
The rules are as follows:
This makes it easy to create, but difficult to conceptualise.
I am still researching the philosophies behind the lumiere format, named after the Lumiere brothers. Incredibly simplified, I think the concept is to recreate film within the constraints that the Lumiere brothers experienced – i.e. limited time, equipment and effects. These were the ‘natural limits’ of Lumiere cinema. The premise therefore keeps the film itself technically simple – to not distract with edits, effects, zooms and cuts, and to capture spontaneity. Rather than being compared to or in competition with other styles of film and video, the Lumiere concept is designed to ‘complement perspective film and observer documentary’.
The Lumiere Manifesto argues that the principles followed in Lumiere film ‘are essential to our existence as artists, media producers, visual creatures, and world citizens’. One of the most interesting of these qualities is accessibility. As the Manifesto advises (and one might note that this is in principle) ‘Lumiere films require no explanation and are accessible to any audience with patience and an acceptance of the world we share.’
With that exact notion in mind I will try and create my Lumiere rhizomes. I want the individual videos to ‘require no explanation’ and to be accessible, but also the overall work to make some sort of sense. As such, I must think about the relationship between the two movies to the viewer and to each other, as well as the context of the media they are displayed in.
Instead of starting with a grand plan, an end in sight, as I usually would, I am going to start with nothing and see where it takes me. Stay tuned.