Peer Reviewed Papers by Jake Ivan Dole
(Published in Special Issue, 10, on Cinematic Affect, The Cine-Files Journal, June 2016)
The noti... more (Published in Special Issue, 10, on Cinematic Affect, The Cine-Files Journal, June 2016)
The notion of a camera as a body has been explored by film scholars for many years, ranging from the writings of André Bazin, Alexandre Astruc and Vivian Sobchack, and most recently scholarship in embodied cognition and cinema. This paper utilizes an embodied cognition framework to theorize for an understanding of the camera as a representation of the author’s perceiving body, through a case study of Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000). Building on Sobchack’s insight that a camera can project a bodily intentionality with which the viewer can identify, I propose that Wong’s camerawork enacts particular bodily dispositions that create conditions for intersubjective identification. A camera can mimic bodily dispositions by cueing particular sensorimotor schemas through movement, and by placing itself within proximity of objects in the visual field. However, because authorship is a cultural construct, it is necessary to employ a framework that incorporates a pluralistic understanding of both physiology and cognition, including the viewer’s capacity to project narrative and socio-cultural context onto the camera’s bodily nature. Within such a framework we can understand the film’s camera not only as a symbolic representation of the author’s body, but also as a formal construct that inscribes and cues physiological, narratological and socio-cultural understanding.
Imagination is an abstract concept represented in three Hollywood films as a manifestation of ins... more Imagination is an abstract concept represented in three Hollywood films as a manifestation of inside-outside orientation between spaces of reality and imagination. This author explores themes of imagination as placement cues that generate viewer embodiment by evoking preconceptual bodily experience. Conceptual metaphor is presented as a creative strategy by means of which viewers are perceptually oriented in film space. This paper argues the importance of the field of embodied cognition in studying viewer engagement with spatial concepts.
Keywords: conceptual metaphor, inside-outside orientation, placement cue, schema.
In M. Avgerinou, S. Chandler, P. Search, M. Terzic (Ed.), New Horizons in Visual Literacy (pp. 1-10), 200. Siauliai, Lithuania: International Visual Literacy Association.
Short Papers by Jake Ivan Dole
When: February-March 2019
Where: The Gulf of Alaska
Why: Study of pacific salmon dynamics
Keywords: Soviet Animation, Brezhnev era, Zastoi, Soviet film and Television.
Book Reviews by Jake Ivan Dole
Conference Presentations by Jake Ivan Dole
This talk interrogates an oft-neglected era of Soviet television in the Leonid Brezhnev "stagnati... more This talk interrogates an oft-neglected era of Soviet television in the Leonid Brezhnev "stagnation" years (1964-1982). While much of Western scholarship dismisses Soviet entertainment of these times as artistically insignificant, this paper argues that television formats, such as the historical adventure film, reveal the prevailing subjectivities and preoccupations of Soviet audiences. Historical adventure films in the Soviet Union, such as the “Sherlock Holmes” series (1979-1986), were television films or serials that were set in a distant past, frequently adapting classic works of Western literature. Historical perspectives on Brezhnev-era entertainment are often unkind, seeing most popular films as aesthetically and narratively “safe." Another relevant point of view about Brezhnev-era filmmaking isolates a propagandistic trend of “edutainment,” as the fundamental characteristic of popular television programming. These viewpoints, however, demonstrate some apparent weaknesses. The former is almost completely indifferent to Soviet audiences, choosing to privilege a formal and auteur-driven focus of study. The latter focus on edutainment stresses the framing of content by the state, rather than its reception. The problem here is that we understand precious little about Soviet television viewers, and the contexts within which they viewed television. This paper argues that the popularity of the historical adventure television film reveals as much about Soviet audiences as it does about the state’s role in shaping meaning. I isolate two primary social threads for analysis, and look at the ways they are reflected textually in historical adventure television films. Firstly, I connect the emergence of television in the Soviet Union with near-simultaneous shifts in living conditions - specifically the transition from communal to increasingly private living. Secondly, I argue that Soviet subjectivity in the Brezhnev years needs to be understood in terms of a broader phenomenon of psychological and imaginative escapism. Made-for-TV historical adventures reveal thematic concerns for the comforts of home and friendship, in stark contrast to the forward-looking, utopian ideals of Socialist dogma, reflecting a seismic shift in the common Soviet subjectivity of the Brezhnev years.
Location: Montreal, QC
Event: SCMS
Date: March, 2015
Lecture Notes and Presentations by Jake Ivan Dole
Course Syllabi by Jake Ivan Dole
Course Description: Film 2700 explores the history and evolution of the motion picture medium fro... more Course Description: Film 2700 explores the history and evolution of the motion picture medium from the 1890's to the present. We will focus on the social, technological, and institutional progression of film in the 20th century, paying special attention to how these factors influenced the aesthetics of film. Our primary emphasis will be on the narrative fiction film, while some major movements of film history will be examined accordingly. You might be able to purchase an affordable used copy of the second edition through websites like Amazon and AbeBooks. Otherwise you may purchase the textbook through GSU bookstore as an ebook (just walk up to the cashier and ask them for the access code). Additional readings (if any) will be added through iCollege. Screenings: We will be able to watch most of the assigned films in class, which is why your regular attendance will be essential. In certain instances, you might be required to watch assigned films on your own time. I will let you know when this happens. Attendance and Participation: Attendance is mandatory and will be taken in each class session. Students are permitted two (2) unexcused absences during the course of the semester. After that, each unexcused absence will have a negative impact on your final grade. Excused absences include documented medical and family emergencies, as well as the legal, religious, and school related obligations. iCollege (formerly D2L Brightspace): We will be using this tool throughout the course to communicate outside of class, and as an electronic storage for course content and essay submissions. Please take the time to familiarize yourselves with iCollege early in the semester. Within two weeks of the semester, you should be able to locate the dropbox and content sections. All of your assignments will be submitted via the dropbox, while the content section will contain all necessary materials, such as this syllabus, course slides, midterm exam prep information and any extra readings.
This course explores popular Soviet movies and television beginning with the era of Joseph Stalin... more This course explores popular Soviet movies and television beginning with the era of Joseph Stalin and ending with the Gorbachev perestroika and glasnost.
Film 1010 introduces students to the basic terminology and methods commonly utilized in film stud... more Film 1010 introduces students to the basic terminology and methods commonly utilized in film studies.
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Peer Reviewed Papers by Jake Ivan Dole
The notion of a camera as a body has been explored by film scholars for many years, ranging from the writings of André Bazin, Alexandre Astruc and Vivian Sobchack, and most recently scholarship in embodied cognition and cinema. This paper utilizes an embodied cognition framework to theorize for an understanding of the camera as a representation of the author’s perceiving body, through a case study of Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000). Building on Sobchack’s insight that a camera can project a bodily intentionality with which the viewer can identify, I propose that Wong’s camerawork enacts particular bodily dispositions that create conditions for intersubjective identification. A camera can mimic bodily dispositions by cueing particular sensorimotor schemas through movement, and by placing itself within proximity of objects in the visual field. However, because authorship is a cultural construct, it is necessary to employ a framework that incorporates a pluralistic understanding of both physiology and cognition, including the viewer’s capacity to project narrative and socio-cultural context onto the camera’s bodily nature. Within such a framework we can understand the film’s camera not only as a symbolic representation of the author’s body, but also as a formal construct that inscribes and cues physiological, narratological and socio-cultural understanding.
Keywords: conceptual metaphor, inside-outside orientation, placement cue, schema.
In M. Avgerinou, S. Chandler, P. Search, M. Terzic (Ed.), New Horizons in Visual Literacy (pp. 1-10), 200. Siauliai, Lithuania: International Visual Literacy Association.
Short Papers by Jake Ivan Dole
Book Reviews by Jake Ivan Dole
Conference Presentations by Jake Ivan Dole
Location: Montreal, QC
Event: SCMS
Date: March, 2015
Lecture Notes and Presentations by Jake Ivan Dole
Course Syllabi by Jake Ivan Dole
The notion of a camera as a body has been explored by film scholars for many years, ranging from the writings of André Bazin, Alexandre Astruc and Vivian Sobchack, and most recently scholarship in embodied cognition and cinema. This paper utilizes an embodied cognition framework to theorize for an understanding of the camera as a representation of the author’s perceiving body, through a case study of Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000). Building on Sobchack’s insight that a camera can project a bodily intentionality with which the viewer can identify, I propose that Wong’s camerawork enacts particular bodily dispositions that create conditions for intersubjective identification. A camera can mimic bodily dispositions by cueing particular sensorimotor schemas through movement, and by placing itself within proximity of objects in the visual field. However, because authorship is a cultural construct, it is necessary to employ a framework that incorporates a pluralistic understanding of both physiology and cognition, including the viewer’s capacity to project narrative and socio-cultural context onto the camera’s bodily nature. Within such a framework we can understand the film’s camera not only as a symbolic representation of the author’s body, but also as a formal construct that inscribes and cues physiological, narratological and socio-cultural understanding.
Keywords: conceptual metaphor, inside-outside orientation, placement cue, schema.
In M. Avgerinou, S. Chandler, P. Search, M. Terzic (Ed.), New Horizons in Visual Literacy (pp. 1-10), 200. Siauliai, Lithuania: International Visual Literacy Association.
Location: Montreal, QC
Event: SCMS
Date: March, 2015