Watching La Jetee I was struck by how Chris Marker was able to make such a simple series of photographs into such an intricate story. Had it not been for the voiceover I am not sure I would have understood it completely. By using various techniques such as cross-fades, black slides, and photographs placed back to back with no transition the director was able to create a circular film where the present, past, and future all seem to happen at once. It’s incredible how the placement of the photographs paired with the director’s chosen transitions changes the story. Had Marker chosen to not repeat an image as much (for example) the story would have taken a completely different route and may have not conveyed the same message. It is the repetition that was used that I find the most interesting because the images are exactly the same; it is just their placement that is different. This highlights the importance of order and really made me think about sequence and how each image related to one another. By choosing to make a movie of stills from different scenes the director made it so that the importance of each image wasn’t found in the image itself but rather in its relation to the images coming before and after it. The narrative as well as this choice of sequence makes it so that the viewer believes that he/she is moving through a situation and the rhythm of the images aids in this. In a way La Jetee is a photo book displayed in a different form that allows the director more control. In a photo book the sequence of images and the narrative are very important, but by displaying his images as a movie the director is able to choose the pace at which the viewer turns the page as well as the voice with which the viewer hears the story. Things are done in La Jette which would be impossible to do in book form, such as having a running narrative that the viewer is able to process at the exact same time as the images. This really made me think about the placement of texts in photo books because their placement really affects what is seen first and what is considered the most important in the viewer’s eye. I found La Jetee very interesting in the way that the story was told and the different techniques used. It has provided me with valuable lessons on the importance of narrative and sequence and has allowed me to better understand the effect ones choice of medium can have on the final piece.
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