Current mood:	nostalgic
Current music:	oru vattam koodi aa puzhayude teerathu

Winged Migration

I saw this documentary called Winged migrationcouple of days ago, and literally was spell bound. Visuals were breath taking, amazing and magnificent. It is a good blend of technology and focused creative film making. (Not surprisingly the director is a non-american :))

It is what you can aptly call a visual poetry. Each frame in the film breaths, and have an existence and life of its own.

Film takes us for a journey along with the migratory birds. It sure did make me jealous of their ability to fly, see the world in a perspective that we never could.

Shot using aids of aerial devices like glider, helicopters, balloons and what not, it is a mile stone in film making technology.

Film has very little commentary it. The visuals & music control and guide the story telling. Lack of commentary aided in satisfying one of my personal prejuidices. I consider the effect, meaning and importance of literature very much lower to visuals. Visuals have an existence of their own. It is just to enhance the visuals and rhythm in it, that we go for the support of literature. (not a general tautology, I know). But I simply love the films which conveys the most through visuals.

The focus by director (Jaquese Perrine) is definitely commendable. He had the most amazing footages every captured in the celluliod. His biggest advantage and perhaps greatest disadvantage as a story teller. It is where his subtle treatment scores. There is one shot when we are following a flock of birds. He gives ample time for the audience to merge and start to travel with these birds, when suddenly, we hear a gun shot, and one of the birds is shot down. In next frame, we see the rest of birds being shot down, and ironically the timing of the bullet shots also match with the flow of their flight. Music at that point is kept constant. And I remember me as well as vipul got visibly upset while watching this scene. The placement, timing and support from music is exquisite and Perrin's images can invoke reaction that normally one get only if he is a first hand witness. And it sure does convey some messages really strongly at certain instances.

Except for one or two shots, no other scene in the film was staged. And no computer graphics were used to capture the birds.

Maybe americans (especially hollywood) should learn a lesson or two from this movie, who pack their movies will all technical gimmicks possible and is desperately trying to show off the visual possibilities of computer graphics. But unfortunately, most of time these synthetic images over seeds the story telling aspect of it.

I sincerely wish all the kids, get the chance to see these movie, to realise and enjoy the beauty that is around them. Especially since now they are severely addicted to the no brain no soul cooperate media, and is growing up in utterly disgusting and insensitive consumerist society. All these poor kids get to see stuff like wwf wrestling, sick soap operas and music channels with semi porn stuffs and maybe only decent stuff they get to read is harry potter. (I am thankful that, I was born in 80's not 90's, though I very much yearn to be a kid)