Tuesday
Apr102007
FYI - Cinemascapes
Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at 11:24AM 
Resurrection of a Corporate Christ • click to embiggenIt looks like Aaron Hobson has found a groove. His recently launched portfolio site is devoted to his Cinemascapes which owe much to Jeff Wall, Cindy Sherman, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and, I suspect, his love of 'Indi' film-noire by Qienten Tarantino, et al.
In Resurection of a Corporate Christ, based on the assumption that he might be hungry after a few days in a tomb, Aaron has taken CC a McDonald's meal. FYI, Aaron, ala Cindy Sherman, appears in all his Cinemascapes.
Aaron has my attention. I hope he pursues this groove to full maturity.
Reader Comments (21)
...a few more... David Lynch, Wim Wenders and Ron Fricke
and thanks btw.
Aaron,
I am impressed.
Blovious, you should be proud.
Amazing stuff that Aaron is doing here. I am particularly intrigued by the NYC Rooftops and it's wonderfully voyeuristic feel. So, Aaron, do you scout locations, as a director might, or is the creative process that goes into your cinemascapes more spontaneous than that? I know this is an evolving, somewhat nascent project, but do you have a story to tell?
thanks Jimmi Nuffin, if that is your true name :) & Mary...
Mary. As much as I'd like to come up with a long winded explanation on thought process and scouting out locations days in advance with an assistant in tow...it is really more of a spontaneous idea on a concept, followed by a rough area for location in my memory bank, and then shot on my lunch hour at work(except for the NYC rooftops of course). Alas, being a "hobbyist (non-paid)" leaves me with limited options.
I would love to one day, be able to have the money or funding to go all out with wardrobe, props, and a helper or two if needed...along with several hours of shoot time on a saturday or sunday. Basically stage, light, and prepare a scene as if it were actually a film set. I think these images are "swell" and "dandy" and I enjoy them (and others seem to as well), but they are all very rushed and under prepared as fas as being completely thoughtout and executed properly.
someday...someday...
They don't look at all rushed and underprepared. Regardless of the process, the final result looks very well thought out!
I don't know Aaron these images have a great look and feel of thought behind them in my opinion. You have accomplished some amazing pieces here with minimal fuss...who needs a crew when you can do it all? One man, one camera....sounds like independence to me.
enh...it is nice to hear that from you both, encouraging indeed...I guess I just feel like it looks rushed...because during my lunch hour it literally is rushed and I only get one shot at these and later instead of having 3 or 4 choices of poses, light, exposure, etc...I'm stuck with what I just shot. ya' know. To me, after seeing the one shot (actually several stitched) I get to thinking about what if I did this or what if I did that.
The summer will be nice for longer daylight I suppose. I started shooting (seriously. as an artform) in October of last year, so I guess I've never seen the sun after work.
another thought about "if" I had the money and funding...
my thought about presenting this at a gallery would be to show 12-14 images each displayed on it's own 42" plasma screen TV. Seems it would be fitting for cinemascapes and might look nice with the colors and light "popping" off of the screen.
I agree with the others...these look anything but unprepared. Really good stuff here, Aaron. I hope, as your father mentioned, that you continue in this vein. It seems that the possibilities would be nearly endless.
So what do we have here? A new sub-genre of art that we can call Lunchbucket Photography? or How we learn to squeeze out every ounce of creativity we have in the moments that Modern Life allows us? I love it! You go Aaron! And you too Tom with your Noon series.
hahaha...I don't mind being called a lunchbucket photographer, do you Tom? I kind of like it actually!
"Lunchbucket Photographer"... that's good Mary.
Aaron, I really understand your frustration with being rushed. I remember the same thing from making films. Speaking of which, are you working on scripts for these "Cinemascopes?" I really like the plasma display idea too, but any chance these things are going in the direction of some narrative form? I personally would encourage it.
Ever seen a film called "La Jetee?" Here's a viewer's comment from IMDB:
"'La Jetee' is a film about movement made up entirely of photographic stills. Well, not entirely. For one transcendent moment the photo moves, ironically at the film's stillest moment, as a woman we have starred at sleeping in the sunny dawn wakes up. It is typical of Marker that a film spanning centuries, millenia, war, torture, experimentation, murder, dreams, time travel, destruction, love, joy, should have as its epiphanical moment an elusive, delusive moment of utter calm, that of a sleeping woman opening her eyes. In a film whose body is the stuff dreams are made on, such a moment is truly cataclysmic."
It's been a long time since I've seen it, but somehow it relates to what I imagine you're doing w/ the Cinemascapes. Good luck with them.
that film sounds great Kent...I will "google" it.
I've only slightly attempted to script one of these...it was a "subconscious stalker" series...but for the moment I'm more into the single image with an open ended narrative for the viewer to interpret.A 3 part "mini-series" wouldn't be bad idea if that's what you mean. I bet if I had an agent, he'd say that would be a great idea, because then you force a seller to buy 3 prints all together...hehehe...
and WOW on the feedback folks! much appreciated!
Hey Aaron, I don't have anything to revealing or enlightened to say other than that these images are some of the most memorable that I've run across on the net in some time. Really fantastic.
As Joel said, they are some of the most memorable images I also have seen lately. Follow this out. I would like to see where it takes you.
is it OK to blush now...?!?!
Aaron - even more than a 3 parter, is what I had in mind. More something like a graphic novel made up of stills. Well, novels are rather ambitious. How about a short story? But every frame/still needs to be densely packed with significance that propels the story. Surely someone's done it - I simply haven't seen it.
It's fine fine work and a true inspiration to me. I'd love to see you do a gallery show Aaron! Ahh, a graphic novel is a cool idea, too. Sick.
I do have to say the novel/s.story idea is growing on me a little bit. Although I do believe imagery is all I know, with tiny bits of a story. But, on the other hand a collaborative effort with a "real" writer who shares similar philosophies with me and is willing to carry my camera bag around might be a idea worth investigating...Too bad Vonnegut passed away yesterday, although he probably wouldn't like the bag carrying idea.