Idiot.
How come certain professors have to make you feel like an idiot when you ask them questions in e-mails, yet they encourage you to send them questions after class if you have any? I'm having this problem with my Film Theory and Criticism teacher, who everytime I e-mail him with a question or comment, seems to send back a response that is sarcastic and mean. I don't like asking questions in class because I can never formulate them correctly in my head; I regroup after class and on the computer later, type them out so that they make sense. Is that so wrong?
In his latest e-mail, the first thing he said in his response to my question about our first upcoming paper (which I'm stressing about now) was that I should have asked those questions in class. He then went on for a few sentences explaining that questions can be asked in class and that they don't need to asked in e-mails, as if I was taking time out of his busy schedule to have him answer questions. He told us to ask questions if we needed to and now he's making me feel guilty about it. What's that all about I wonder?
Anyway, the question I have concerning our paper is that I don't quite understand the question being asked, nor can I figure out just what I'm looking for. For the sake of desperation, here's the question that we have to answer. If anyone understands it better than I do (and if you understand it at all, you understand it better than I do), feel free to help out.
"What strategy or strategies does the film employ to allow a greater possibility for contemplation of the image?"
There's a passage from our book above this which sort of explains this concept: "The spectator's processs of association in view of these images is indeed interrupted by their constant, sudden change. This constitutes the shock effect of the film, which, like all shocks, should be cushioned by heightened presence of mind."
Basically, I'm looking for a film that uses the camera not just to shoot the picture, but to help tell the story. Right now, the only film I can think of is "Taxi Driver" and a scene where the main character, Travis, is on the phone being rejected and the camera pans down and almost looks away from Travis, as if it can't bare to witness his rejection. I'm not sure I could write an entire paper on this one shot as I'm not entirely sure this is a correct method to answer the question. I can't e-mail the professor and ask because he won't tell me. I just have to write it, turn it in, fail, and then live with it. How's that fair?
In his latest e-mail, the first thing he said in his response to my question about our first upcoming paper (which I'm stressing about now) was that I should have asked those questions in class. He then went on for a few sentences explaining that questions can be asked in class and that they don't need to asked in e-mails, as if I was taking time out of his busy schedule to have him answer questions. He told us to ask questions if we needed to and now he's making me feel guilty about it. What's that all about I wonder?
Anyway, the question I have concerning our paper is that I don't quite understand the question being asked, nor can I figure out just what I'm looking for. For the sake of desperation, here's the question that we have to answer. If anyone understands it better than I do (and if you understand it at all, you understand it better than I do), feel free to help out.
"What strategy or strategies does the film employ to allow a greater possibility for contemplation of the image?"
There's a passage from our book above this which sort of explains this concept: "The spectator's processs of association in view of these images is indeed interrupted by their constant, sudden change. This constitutes the shock effect of the film, which, like all shocks, should be cushioned by heightened presence of mind."
Basically, I'm looking for a film that uses the camera not just to shoot the picture, but to help tell the story. Right now, the only film I can think of is "Taxi Driver" and a scene where the main character, Travis, is on the phone being rejected and the camera pans down and almost looks away from Travis, as if it can't bare to witness his rejection. I'm not sure I could write an entire paper on this one shot as I'm not entirely sure this is a correct method to answer the question. I can't e-mail the professor and ask because he won't tell me. I just have to write it, turn it in, fail, and then live with it. How's that fair?