A Search for Architectonic Spatial Connections and Functional Relations in Narrative Film: Case Study of "Short Cuts" From Film to Architecture: An Extended Cinematic Approach to Architectural Space Design (part 2) (original) (raw)
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Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ), 2011
In this paper, the definitions of film syntagmas and segments are reintroduced, and the notions of narrative Existents and Events are introduced based on Seymour Chatman's theories as they are central elements in the analytical process used here. After extracting the segmental structure of the case study film Short Cuts, a 30mins section is considered for in-depth analysis where 5 types of Inter-Segmental Connections and 3 types of Intra-Segmental Relations are retrieved. The relevance of these Connections and Relations to the Existents and Events further develops the film to architecture analogies and further completes the contents of their corresponding Table elaborated in earlier works.
Journal of Architecture and Building Science - Transactions of AIJ (Architectural Institute of Japan), 2011
In this paper, narrative film is defined according to structuralist semio-linguistics, and then its units of significance are laid out in a preliminary model of elementary units. Then, by applying this definition and segmentation process on the case study film of "Russian Ark", it was found that all its significant elements and organizational structures are dependent on, and function of, the denoted architectonic elements of the actual State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, where it was filmed. This dependency of the filmic structures on architectonic elements allowed the preliminary conclusions that their similarities with architectonic spatial structures are as follows: 1) architectural spatial units are similar to segments and syntagmas, 2) their organizational structure is similar to the diegetic spatial structure, and 3) architectonic programmatic and functional organizations are similar to the narrative organizational structures, or syuzhet.
Journal of Architecture and Building Science - Transactions of AIJ (Architectural Institute of Japan), 2012
In this paper, a preliminary report is given on an architectural workshop entitled " Extended Cinematics: A Design Process Based on Architectural Interpretations of Narrative Film Structures " that was organized as a design experimentation platform for transforming film into architecture. Then based on structuralist semio-linguistic approaches to film analysis, and using the architectural designs resulted from the experiment, a mapping process that includes Design Derivation Diagrams surveying the transformation of narrative into architecture is introduced. Finally, using data from the latter diagrams, film-specific properties are identified to influence these transformation processes more than the design topics assigned to the participants.
Architecture and Cinema: Spatial Narratives of Architecture through Cinematic Context
2021
Architects when designing-built environments are confronted with imagining and anticipating the visuospatial and navigational experience of users during the initial design conception phase. Architecture constructs spaces while film provides a way of viewing those spaces in time. Cinematic narrative transpires using spatial cues of architecture to evoke emotion in viewers. These very viewers become users of space and place. This research puts forth the view, how understanding cinematic narratives are translated to form using architectural cues would help in dissecting the architectural narrative better. Instead of regarding architectural elements as passive, we should view them as actions that embody and carry emotion. To understand architectural elements in action, we need to collide time with space and cinema gives access to both dimensions. Exploring and reviewing the architectural narrative in films to assess the interiority and exteriority and the relation of the space with the characters, their movement in space and time.
A Search for Architectonic Spatial Structures in Narrative Film: Case Study of “Russian Ark”
Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ), 2011
In this paper, narrative film is defined according to structuralist semio-linguistics, and then its units of significance are laid out in a preliminary model of elementary units. Then, by applying this definition and segmentation process on the case study film of "Russian Ark", it was found that all its significant elements and organizational structures are dependent on, and function of, the denoted architectonic elements of the actual State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, where it was filmed. This dependency of the filmic structures on architectonic elements allowed the preliminary conclusions that their similarities with architectonic spatial structures are as follows: 1) architectural spatial units are similar to segments and syntagmas, 2) their organizational structure is similar to the diegetic spatial structure, and 3) architectonic programmatic and functional organizations are similar to the narrative organizational structures, or syuzhet.
The spatial context of the cinematic aspect of architecture
Facta universitatis - series: Architecture and Civil Engineering, 2015
This paper presents the findings, conclusions and results of my PhD research entitled, "The spatial context of the cinematic aspect of architecture". The purpose of this paper is to present the possibilities of adopting the cinematic qualities of architecture as an approach to tracing current modifications in contemporary architectural discourse in relation to the paradigmatic change of perception of urban space towards a movement perspective. The design process tradition, which comprises a standard series of procedural exercises aided by new technology, is in contrast to the experimental architectural research of the last decade that has clearly demonstrated the tendency to enrich the limited traditional approach in order to extend human vision beyond what is perceivable. Accordingly, I propose that we can test the cinematic aspect of architecture, first having harmonized the relationship between architecture and film through their common methodological and didactic appro...
Architecture and cinema are two distinctive worlds which are interlaced with each other in many ways. Their association is not only a physical establishment but also in a metaphoric sense. The vocabulary of film is found in architecture at numerous levels. Time and again, architecture manifests itself as the background of a scene, a setting for various actions or a way to convey the mood of a scene or an era. They work together like the mind and body to decipher the sensory aspects. This research will try to examine the role of architecture in cinema, to evoke the emotional response in the audience by creating a catalog of architectural elements and composition that enhance the frame to create a definite mood
This paper presents the findings, conclusions and results of my PhD research entitled, "The spatial context of the cinematic aspect of architecture". The purpose of this paper is to present the possibilities of adopting the cinematic qualities of architecture as an approach to tracing current modifications in contemporary architectural discourse in relation to the paradigmatic change of perception of urban space towards a movement perspective. The design process tradition, which comprises a standard series of procedural exercises aided by new technology, is in contrast to the experimental architectural research of the last decade that has clearly demonstrated the tendency to enrich the limited traditional approach in order to extend human vision beyond what is perceivable. Accordingly, I propose that we can test the cinematic aspect of architecture, first having harmonized the relationship between architecture and film through their common methodological and didactic approaches. To verify the cinematic aspect of architecture in theory, practice and education, and to maintain the level of creativity present in design practice, I initiated a reassessment of current design practice and proposed alternative architectural design strategies.
Fantastic Architecture in Cinema
Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2022
Movies represent society's dream, which is to tell a story; characters interact with each other to create this story, their mere presence on screen creating space. Thus, filmmakers become architects in their effort to communicate these spaces, whether they are interior or urban, to enhance and add to their story telling. They are not constrained by the limits of the architect nor, especially in the case of Sci-fi and Fantasy movies, even by the constraints of reality, imagining and creating architecture from a wholly different perspective: a story perspective. The characters interact with their hypothetical spaces and this shows what they require of the architecture to convey their story. Thus, the hypothetical spaces represent people's aspirations and their deepest fears for architecture. Part of an architect’s job is making dreams a reality. However, in the architectural industry, design is accomplished in a step-by-step process that has undergone little change since its establishment. While this makes the job easier, it also leads to recycling, putting limits on architects’ imaginations. This research analyzed an array of fantasy and sci-fi movies from an architectural point of view and explored the inspirations behind them. Patterns were found in the arrangement of spaces and the urban characteristics in the films. Then, the themes and messages behind the architecture were explored. Findings indicate how the cinematic architectural designs have played off of real life architecture and inspired one another since the creation of moving pictures. From a practical lens, these findings reignite architects’ imaginations, proposing new tools to achieve the fulfillment of society's dreams.
In the search for ways to overcome the negative connotations of applying characteristically traditional practice methods in the current regulation of spatio-visual parameters of the urban environment, we are moving towards discussing alternative 'architecture of relations'. The paper elucidates how film may offer an alternative position in architecture, where urban spaces are thought and designed in closer relation to the potentials of film to manipulate reality, change the mode of perception, provide vision and reconstruct unconscious impulses of the metropolis. The experimental designs show how resonating records of space, time and movement through space may simulate the mapping impulse that inspires an alternative approach to designing spaces. My approach relies upon various knowledge production platforms to detect temporal filiation between cinematic and real space. They are indicated here in the context of postmodern discussions to uncover a new interaction point between cinema and architecture, in order to support time-based modes of reception of architectural and urban ideas.