Koyaanisqatsi is an experimental video directed by Godfrey Reggio, it took 6 years to collect and film all the footage used in the film. It was released in 1983 and is composed of numerous clips of cityscapes, cave paintings, destruction of buildings and slo-mo and fast forward clips of all kinds of examples of everyday life. Alot of this film is contradictory; at the end of the film a rocket is shown taking off in slow motion, eventually it explodes, leaving the burning debris to fall through the sky. While this violent image is on the screen, a calming chant is played over it and even though you would be watching something quite aggresive, the music has a calming influence. This clash of feelings can leave the viewer feeling uneasy.
This film starts with cave paintings and ends the same, in between however, images of modern life and the natural world are shown. The way Koyaanisqatsi is put together makes me think about the contrast of old and new in the world. It also gives me the impression that the director is trying to send a message about the way we are treating the planet. The message I got is that if we want to keep building, we have to destroy nature and we have to make changes to the way we live if we want to save our planet.
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Dan this is very similar to Nathan’s post! Be careful that one is not copying or helping the other too much. I need you to go deeper into the meanings behind the film. Not just opinion and loose facts. Can you try this again please with more detail on conceptual ideas for the film as well as commenting on the visuals and music.
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