The filmic structure as visualisation

pp. 139-191

in: Adelheid Heftberger, Digital humanities and film studies, Berlin, Springer, 2018

Abstract

Vertov's films challenge the audience's viewing conventions today just as they originally did. A single viewing reveals only a certain degree of the manifold references, anticipations and reversions between individual images and themes and spectators not infrequently complain of dizziness after a screening. These reported experiences are certainly plausible, and they serve as evidence of the complex manner in which Vertov's films are constructed, as well as of the strong visceral effect they provoke. It is thus not astounding that the desire is often expressed for a visual orientation aid to Vertov's films. Comprehensive visualisations have been created, not only by the software of architect Stavros Alifragkis (2011) but also by the graphs of film scholar Vlada Petrić, which can be understood as attempts to visualise Vertov's filmic structure. Vertov, too, alongside his activity in film, prepared tables and diagrams in which he singled out and visualised individual sections of his film work.