Dorsky thoughts

I was expecting the essay to be more concerned with the similarities between something like faith, or belief in the unseen, and the manner in which one experiences or creates cinema. It seemed to me that this was only briefly addressed in the beginning of the essay, and it kept me wondering how a very strong word like "devotion" was pertinent.
Within Dorsky's writing there is a lot of talk about the materiality of film; it's relationship with light, intermittence, space, and time. I noticed allusions to a lot of other literature on the subject - mainly while he was speaking about film-craft as "alchemy", and discussing "the act of seeing" in terms of it's presence in film- the former being a topic we've been given another specific reading on, and the latter, very brakhage-esque. I also enjoyed his uses of the term single-mindedness, though I can't say for certain to what degree Keirkegaard was an influence. I would like to know more about how he sees film as "the spirit or experience of religion". I often wonder about peoples devotion to cinema/art and the creative process, and where that comes from. There can be something fulfilling or rewarding about it that goes beyond almost any type of experience and that's what I imagine a close relationship with God is similar to. ….. In a way I suppose a lot of art is doing what something like religion does in the sense that its giving form to the unseen, in an attempt to understand it on a deeper level, or make a certain meaning more apparent. Why is that so important to us - to give face or explanation, or symbol to something ethereal and elusive? I'm not sure I have any sort of answer but I think Mr. Dorsky has probably spent quite a bit of time with that question, and I'd like to know his thoughts on the matter.

Metaphors on Vision: Man with a movie camera

"This experimental film is really three in one: a documentary of a day in the life of the Soviet Union, a documentary of the filming of that documentary and a depiction of an audience watching that documentary. We see the cameraman and the editing of the film, but what we don't see is any of the film itself. With English subtitles."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op2sOtF113M

Educational Store for Kodak

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/Education/US_Online_Store/index.htm

Surprisingly, UNT is in the list of participating schools

16mm developing tank

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63619-REG/Yankee_YARFC15T_Clipper_II_Roll_Film.html

an artists life

The Artist's Life: Vito Acconci from NYFA on Vimeo.

Alchemy Reading_Bowling

What I gathered from the reading is that like alchemy, the process of videography and photography is an obscure, solitary practice. This is often a ritual for the practitioner. Like the alchemists, the practitioner of these arts is a bit of a mystic in search of an intangible and perhaps they are working against a societal norm too.

The closest thing to alchemy I can think of is the practice of liquid light show. http://vimeo.com/12074566

I'm pretty sure most of you have seen this movie, but just in case you haven't here is an excerpt of it.
Its called Decasia.  The movies consists of old damaged found footage.  If you have not seen it you must.  I found most of the movie on You Tube.