My MFA thesis paper is available to read: https://curate.nd.edu/articles/dataset/My_Eyes_Saw_Without_Looking/28781876?file=53906792
my magazine, The Grain, is available for purchase now!
The Grain: The Grain - Fall 2020
The Grain is a photography magazine centered around small, independent artists and film or alternative processes art photography. The Fall 2020 issue features interviews with analog photographers, a work in progress feature on an artist working in gum bichromate, and completed projects in both…
On The Historic Value of Photographic Male Homoeroticism
From the beginning of the artform, photography has had the unique ability to capture a person exactly as they are in front of the lens. As the ability to create photographs transferred from the extremely wealthy, to the artistic, to the average person, the types of people in standing in front of and behind the camera have changed drastically. One social minority group that transcended wealth, status, and race and therefore can be seen throughout the evolution of photography is that of homosexual men. Whether the photographs were taken in secret or marketed to vast audiences, one can track the trajectory of photography’s growth through the intentional capture of homoerotic male figures.
Read MoreHorror Genre Theory Through the Lens of Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond
After the success of Re-Animator (1985), Stuart Gordon sought to direct a second adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft story. Choosing to recast the same two lead actors (Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton) and shooting in Italy under a budget of “two and a half million dollars” (Gallagher, 98), Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna created From Beyond (1986), based on the 7-page Lovecraft short story of the same name. From Beyond serves as a perfect example of many theories of the horror genre; it displays classic examples of category violation, it compares well to past films and its contemporaries, and it offers a complex look at the feminist perspectives of horror films (or, as some critics would have one believe, lack thereof). By analyzing the ways that From Beyond works as an effective horror film, one can learn about the genre itself.
Read MoreA Monster Born from Two Men: The Gay Subtext of Universal Pictures’ Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein
The homoerotic subtext of the creation of Frankenstein’s monster is apparent and lasting, even to audiences watching James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) in the modern day. The implications of two men living in a secluded castle with the purpose of creating life without a woman would not be lost on viewers at the time of the film’s release either; homosexual subtext was often used to implicate something being unnatural or evil. However, what James Whale’s film suggests is that its monster is not inherently evil.
Read MoreThe Influence of New Queer Cinema
All film movements are important because all film movements push the boundaries of the medium in some way. What separates film from other mediums is in how many ways it can be manipulated, thanks to its audio-visual nature. A film movement can be purely focused on expanding narrative, making use of new technology, experimenting with the language of editing, disregarding traditional shot compositions, producing and releasing films in new markets, or showcasing new acting techniques or set design. This is to say that filmmakers have so many creative choices, both behind and in-front of the camera, that multiple filmmakers questioning just one of those choices can lead to the synthesis of a film movement. What sets the great film movements apart from the average is the ability to make a lasting change to the filmmaking landscape. However, there is another tier of movement: that which goes beyond film and contributes to society and culture.
Read MoreHayao Miyazaki: A Modern Mythologist
When Hayao Miyazaki retired in 2013, he left behind one of the greatest bodies of work of any animator. His films were fantastical and all uniquely his own. They all featured incredible stories and endearing characters, and they all can be analyzed as myth. Of course, anything can be analyzed as myth, but Miyazaki's films are specifically interesting due to the purposeful subversions of the familiar tropes of myth which reflect the evolution of society and culture, including but not limited to: better roles for female characters, anti-war and pro-environment sentiments, and conclusions involving peace and unity. Miyazaki weaves his own personal opinions and viewpoints into the age-old storytelling tactics of myth. This could be on purpose, or this could be a perfect case for the collective unconscious, but either way, his films are perfect for modern mythical analysis.
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