A point of view = perspective. In particular a 1-point perspective. The mirror or one dimensional plane defines and creates other planes.
Some of these planes are constant and never change. Most are in a constant change of state, depending upon the infinite number of perspectives, or points of view, that one could assume.
7 comments:
Strong start.
0. Present your thoughts on how the "mirror" as a spatial device affects the environment of the Big Brother House. WHY are they being used?
1. It might be worth including a "key" to explain what each of the "colors" represent. Blue = mirror, Red = projection plane from mirror, Orange = ? Are there other colors/intents to layer onto these diagrams.
2. You comment about "constantly changing perspectives" vs. "perspectives that never change" is an interesting one. Does there seem to be a logic where each of these occur (i.e. constantly changing in public areas, never changing in private areas)?
3. Is there a logic to the mirrors and their placement? From your screenshots, they all seem to be approximately the same size and located at the same position above the ground.
4. One interesting direction you might consider for this assignment is to alter the perspectives - change the size of the mirrors, reposition them, increase them, etc. and then speculate on how this will affect the environment.
I picked up on the obsession with mirrors as well. My guess is that the main function of those mirrors is to create a concealed space for the cameras and all the technological components that are the inner workings of this show.
However, this functional use of the "two-way" mirrors inadvertently creates visual depth, feeling and I would suppose a sense that "someone is watching." There has been discussion that these "reality" shows are the exact opposite of reality. The "cast" knows that they will be on TV and there will be viewers and this is there chance for fame. The use of the mirrors in every room and many of them is just a subtle reminder to the cast that this is a TV show. The everyday viewer may not be clued into this clever way to capture all the activity of the house.
This "new" concept to not have any camera crews physically not there to persuade or influence the cast in any way is really not a factor, in that the cast is well aware that everything is being filmed.
What I would be interested in seeing is the footage that is captured by these "mirrors." TV producers are well aware of what sells and what does not sell. Just as the new craze of watching Poker on TV. The viewer is not subjected to the hours and hours of poker play that it takes to get the few interesting hands that are shown in a one hour show. So this "reality" TV that millions of viewers are craving after is just the programmers perspective of what needs to been seen. What reality TV is really the perspective of some slob at the controls broadcasting what his view/objective of what the TV goers want to see. This is not reality, just a projected perception of "reality".
I also was struck by the mirrors, but chalked them up to be nothing more than places to hide cameras... you raise some interesting issues though, that the mirrors do serve a two fold purpose... For logistical purposes, they do provide cover for the ever watching eyes of the audience...but for our purposes here, to analyze these screen shots, the mirrors make it possible for the view to go beyond the extents of a television screen... they add another dimension to the viewers experience... tacky perhaps, but informative...
Well Peter, I personally think the entire show is tacky. I turned the sound off when I was watching the episodes for screen shots. Much better that way.
I will be posting more on the mirrors and the questions that Chris raises, plus some additional diagramming, in the next day or two.
~R
Definitely no argument there....ouch....I have never watched the show before this project and hope that I never have to again...... the value of the analysis is evident however... I never really looked at mirrors as a chance to go beyond the extents of the view before.....I guess if I can find something positive that came from "Big Brother," anything is possible....
... careful with the snide comments ... during the summertime i do nothing but watch Big Brother (and baseball). It is not going to win any awards, but I see it like a non-funny version of Seinfeld.
hehe... sorry Chris, no offense intended. For what ever reason I just cannot bring myself to watch this paticular reality show.
There is a lot to be said for things that are for pure entertainment and diversion. For example, I am play a very popular MMORPG far more than any video game should be played. I just enjoy the diversion from the stresses of everyday life.
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