ds_0049_baumancinematic_cap_01.mp4

ds_0049_baumancinematic_cap_01.mp4

Line/shot/montages cinematic techniques in ASL poetry

Bauman, Dirksen

American Sign Language literature

American Sign Language Research

Semiotics

Deaf, Writings of the, American

ASL poetry

Dr. Bauman presents on how he discovered his identity as a 'hearing' person and how he discovered ASL poetry when he was a dorm supervisor at Colorado School for the Deaf. He recognizes the impact that Dr. Stokoe made by developing a framework to recognize ASL as a language which was like an 'earthquake', shifting our perspective on ASL. Dr. Bauman discusses traditional analysis of spoken and written poetry, and uses Tyger, Tyger as an example of the rhythm structure and rhymes. Dr. Valli researched ASL poetry and discovered many types of rhymes by applying the traditional analysis of spoken and written poetry to ASL poetry. The Snowflake poem by Valli is analyzed by Dr. Bauman and he points out the rhyme patterns of the handshape, movement path, location, palm orientation, and non-manual signals. Dr. Bauman believes that the analysis for spoken and written poetry does not work for ASL poetry, a there are no 'lines' as there are in spoken and written poetry. He suggests using film language, similar to sign language, (Stokoe noted this in 1979) as a way to analyze ASL poetry. Sign language plays with space and employs many film techniques such as close-up, medium and long shots, having a frame, using the camera angle, and using slo-mo or fast motion signs. The Lone, Study Tree (by Valli), and Missing Children (by Rennie) ASL poems are analyzed using this cinema language framework. The poet-performer is in a unique position of simultaneously being the film-maker, screenwriter, text editor, camera operator and actor when performing an ASL poem. New technologies, such as morphing might influence future ASL poetry creative expression. He ends the presentation by stating we need to recognize the cinematic properties of ASL poetry which would lead to a richer analysis of such works.

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Rochester Institute of Technology - RIT Libraries - RIT Archive Collections

2000

2018

moving image

mp4

VHS

53 minutes

American Sign Language

English

RITDSA.0049

Sculptures in the Air: An Accessible Online Video Repository of the American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry and Literature Collections

ASL Lecture Series DVDs

2018-2019 CLIR Grant-ASL Poetry and Literature

https://albert.rit.…

https://archivesspa…

New York - Rochester

Henrietta Campus

RIT Libraries makes materials from its collections available for educational and research purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. It is your responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright holder to publish or reproduce images in print or electronic form.

HELLO, EVERYONE.

THANK YOU, PETER.

TODAY IS OUR FINAL
PRESENTATION

OF THE ASL LECTURE SERIES,

AND WE HAVE AN ABSOLUTELY
WONDERFUL PERSON,

WHO USED TO WORK HERE
AT NTID, TEACHING ENGLISH.

HE LEFT HERE IN 1997.

CURRENTLY, HE'S TEACHING
AT GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY.

I KNOW THIS PERSON,
AND I KNOW HIS PRESENTATION.

I SAW HIS PRESENTATION
THAT HE'S GONNA BE GIVING TODAY

IN CALIFORNIA,
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS

AN ABSOLUTELY
WONDERFUL PRESENTATION

AND INVITED HIM TO
COME HERE, SO--

TO COME HERE AND SHARE HIS WORK
WITH NTID,

AND THE TOPIC IS--
AS YOU CAN SEE--

"LINE, SHOT, AND MONTAGE."

SO PLEASE WELCOME
DIRKSEN BAUMAN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
CAN EVERYBODY SEE ME OK?

GOOD. GREAT.

FIRST, I JUST WANT TO SAY
WHAT AN HONOR IT IS TO BE HERE.

I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS HERE
IN 1992-1996.

IT FELT LONGER.
IT FELT LONGER

THAT JUST THOSE FEW YEARS.

I KNOW THAT I WANT
TO THE ASL LECTURE SERIES OFTEN.

I REMEMBER THAT WELL.

THERE WERE A LOT
OF PRESENTATIONS

THAT WERE REALLY,
REALLY WONDERFUL.

I REMEMBER MARIE PHILIP
WAS HERE.

OH, MY GOODNESS.
SHE WAS JUST WONDERFUL.

LEN KURTZE WAS HERE.

MADE ME FEEL LIKE "WOW!"

NOW THAT I'M ONSTAGE,
I FEEL LIKE I'M

IN THE SAME GROUP--SAME
CLASS AS THOSE PEOPLE,

BUT I DON'T KNOW
IF I FIT IN THAT,

BUT ANYWAY, I'M HONORED
TO BE HERE.

FIRST, BEFORE I GET
TO MY PRESENTATION

OR BEFORE I GET
TO MY TOPIC,

I WANT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT
OF MY BACKGROUND.

I'LL TRY TO MAKE IT SHORT.

I WAS BORN IN COLORADO.

I WAS BORN HEARING.
HA HA HA!

UM, I GREW UP HEARING.

I DIDN'T FEEL HEARING.

I WASN'T BORN HEARING
JUST TO LET YOU KNOW.

I WAS HEARING,
BUT I WASN'T HEARING.

OK. SO WHAT THIS MEANS--
NO, I'M NOT HARD OF HEARING.

I AM FULLY HEARING,
I'M PROFOUNDLY HEARING, OK?

PROFOUNDLY HEARING,
BUT I DIDN'T BECOME HEARING

UNTIL I WAS 21.

I WENT TO A DEAF SCHOOL THEN.

MY IDENTITY WAS VERY CONFUSED.

I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND
MY IDENTITY WAS HEARING.

IT MEANT NOTHING TO ME,
THAT WORD.

I GREW UP WITH HEARING PEOPLE.

I GREW UP IN THE HEARING WORLD.

I NEVER MET ANY DEAF PEOPLE

UNTIL I WENT
INTO THE DEAF SCHOOL.

THAT WAS SOMETHING.

I WAS THE ONLY HEARING PERSON.

I DIDN'T KNOW--
I WASN'T WARE OF THAT,

THAT I WAS HEARING UNTIL THEN,

AND THEN I BECAME HEARING.

I UNDERSTOOD MY IDENTITY
AS A HEARING PERSON.

OOH. THAT WAS PROFOUNDLY--

THAT WAS A PROFOUND EXPERIENCE,

AND IT REALLY AFFECTED MY LIFE
SINCE THEN.

SO NOW I IDENTIFY MYSELF
AS A HEARING PERSON.

I BORDER THE LAND
OF THE HEARING

AND THE DEAF WORLD EVERY DAY.

MY JOB NOW IS
IN THE DEAF STUDIES DEPARTMENT

AT GALLAUDET.

BEFORE, I WAS
IN THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

I TAUGHT FOR 3 YEARS,

AND THEN I MOVED
TO THE DEAF STUDIES.

I AM THE ONLY HEARING PERSON
IN THAT DEPARTMENT,

AND THAT'S AN HONOR, TOO.

MY ROLE IN ASL POETRY
IS HOW I GOT INTO THAT.

WHEN I WENT
INTO THE DEAF SCHOOL,

THE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF,

I HAD JUST GRADUATED
WITH A BACHELOR'S IN ENGLISH.

I FELT LIKE I HAD A BACHELOR'S,
I HAD A B.A.,

I KNEW EVERYTHING.

I KNEW EVERYTHING
ABOUT LITERATURE.

I WAS A VERY LITERATE PERSON.

I KNEW POETRY.
I KNEW EVERYTHING.

I KNEW IT ALL. I HAD A DEGREE.

I DIDN'T KNOW
WHERE TO GET A JOB,

BUT I KNEW EVERYTHING ELSE,

SO FINALLY,
I FOUND A JOB

AT A SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
AS THE DORM SUPERVISOR,

AND THAT WAS VERY STRANGE.

ONE NIGHT, WE WERE
IN THE CAFETERIA,

AND I NOTICED A TABLE,
GROUP OF PEOPLE SITTING

AROUND A TABLE,
AND THEN I NOTICED

THERE WAS ANOTHER GROUP
OF PEOPLE AROUND A TABLE.

THEY WERE THROWING FOOD
AT EACH OTHER,

AND THEY WERE TALKING,
AND THEY WERE TAKING TURNS.

THE FIRST TABLE WAS
DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT

THAN THE OTHERS,
AND THEY EXPLAINED TO ME

THAT THEY WERE DOING
ASL LITERATURE,

THAT ASL HAS LITERATURE.

THEY WERE DOING A-B-C STORIES,
NUMBER STORIES,

SO ASL HAS
ALL THIS LITERARY STUFF,

ALL THIS I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.

SO THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE WAS
FROM A HEARING COLLEGE.

THEY NEVER TAUGHT ME THAT.

THEY DIDN'T TEACH ME
ABOUT DEAF LITERATURE.

THAT WAS A NEW WORLD FOR ME.

I FELT LIKE I HAD TO GET
INTO THAT.

I HAD TO INVESTIGATE THAT
TO SEE WHAT WAS THERE.

THAT WAS IN 1985
OR SOMETHING, I THINK,

AND I'VE BEEN INTO IT
EVER SINCE.

SO NOW LET ME GET ON
WITH MY PRESENTATION.

OH. BEFORE I START,
THERE'S TWO THINGS.

FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO LET
YOU KNOW I AM NOT A LINGUIST.

MY TRAINING--
IN ALL MY TRAINING,

IN ALL MY YEARS,
I HAVE NEVER GOTTEN

INTO LINGUISTICS.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT PHONEME
AND A MONEME

OR WHATEVER OF THAT.

I DON'T KNOW LINGUISTICS.

I AM A LITERARY SCHOLAR.

THAT'S MY FIELD.
THAT'S WHAT I DO,

AND I'M NOT A FILM SCHOLAR.

I'M NOT A MOVIE MAKER.

I ENJOY WATCHING,
BUT FORMALLY TRAINED IN MOVIES,

NO, I HAVE NONE OF THAT,

BUT I LIKE THE CINEMATIC ASPECTS
AND THE LANGUAGE ASPECTS.

I LIKE TO GET
INTO THE IDEAS

AND ANALYZE THEM MORE.

THAT'S MY SKILL.

THAT'S MY AREA.

OK. WE'RE GONNA TALK
ABOUT LINE,

WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SHOT,

AS IN CAMERA SHOT,

AND WE'RE TALK
ABOUT MONTAGE.

ANY OF YOU HAVE--I GUESS
I'LL HAVE TO SPELL THAT.

SO WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES.

I'D LIKE TO DEDICATE
THIS LECTURE REALLY

TO DR. WILLIAM STOKOE,

WHO HAS RECENTLY
PASSED AWAY.

I MEAN, IT WAS SUCH
A WONDERFUL THING TO MEET HIM

AND HAVE OCCASIONAL ACCESS
TO HIS WONDERFUL SKILL.

WE ALSO WENT OUT
FOR A COUPLE OF BEERS

ONCE IN A WHILE, TOO,
BUT--HEH HEH--

UM, HE WAS JUST SUCH
AN INSPIRATION

AND JUST SUCH
A WONDERFUL MAN.

SO THE EPICENTER--
I'M GONNA USE THIS SIGN

FOR EPICENTER BECAUSE
EPICENTER IS THE CENTER

OF WHERE THINGS HAPPEN, OK?

AND I'M GONNA USE THIS SIGN
FOR EARTHQUAKE, OK?

SO WE KNOW WHAT
AN EARTHQUAKE IS,

WHEN THE LAND PLATES SHIFT.

SO WHAT HAPPENS
BEFORE LANGUAGE HAPPENS?

BEFORE LINGUAL?

BEFORE YOU TALKED,
BEFORE WHEN PEOPLE TALKED,

YOU HAD TO USE YOUR TONGUE
TO SPEAK. OK.

AND THEY CONSIDERED
SIGN LANGUAGE TO BE

A MONKEY LANGUAGE
UNTIL DR. STOKOE.

DR. STOKOE REALLY PAVED
THE WAY

FOR THE RESPECT OF ASL,

SAYING THAT IT WAS
A HUMAN LANGUAGE.

SO FOR ABOUT 2,000 YEARS,

IT WAS A MONKEY LANGUAGE,
A NONLANGUAGE,

UNTIL STOKOE PAVED THE WAY
FOR THAT PARADIGM SHIFT.

HE CAUSED THAT PARADIGM SHIFT.

SO THERE WAS A TOTALLY
NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT ASL.

A TOTALLY NEW PERSPECTIVE
ON ASL, SIGNING ITSELF,

ON THE LANGUAGE ITSELF.

BEFORE THAT, HOW WE DEFINED
LANGUAGE WAS--

WAS WHAT LANGUAGE WAS,

AND SIGN LANGUAGE
WAS NOT INVOLVED.

SIGN LANGUAGE WAS NOT INCLUDED,

AND THEN AFTER STOKOE,
SIGN LANGUAGE WAS INCLUDED

IN ALL LANGUAGES.

OK. SO YOU HAVE FIRST
THE EARTHQUAKE,

AND YOU HAVE
THE EPICENTER SHOCK,

AND THEN YOU HAVE AFTERSHOCKS.

OK. WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED
WHAT LANGUAGE IS

AND WHAT LANGUAGE INCLUDES.

SO THAT'S THE EPICENTER,
THAT'S THE MAIN SHOCK.

SO IF WE HAVE A LANGUAGE,
A DEFINITION FOR THAT,

IT HAD TO BE EXPANDED.

IT HAD TO--

SO THERE WERE
AFTERSHOCKS ABOUT THAT.

IT HAD TO INCLUDE LITERATURE.

HAD TO INCLUDE SIGN.

THERE ARE STILL
MANY UNIVERSITIES

AND COLLEGES THAT DON'T
RECOGNIZE SIGN LANGUAGE.

THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW
THAT ASL HAS LITERATURE,

SIGN LANGUAGE HAS
LITERARY POETRY.

SO THAT'S ONE
OF THE AFTERSHOCKS,

AND ANOTHER AFTERSHOCK
IS POETRY.

SO MANY OF YOU KNOW SIGN,
CORRECT,

AND MANY OF YOU KNOW
THIS SIGN FOR POETRY.

IT'S BASED ON THE SIGN
FOR MUSIC,

WHICH IS BASED ON SOUND, OK?

SO THAT'S HOW WE GOT
THIS SIGN FOR POETRY,

BUT THAT'S NOT ASL, IS IT?

SO THERE'S DIFFERENT SIGNS.

HOW DO DEAF PEOPLE SIGN?

I THINK IF I HAVE
MY HISTORY RIGHT--

YOU CAN CORRECT ME
IF I'M WRONG,

BUT I THINK THE DEAF WAY
BACK IN 1970--

BACK IN 1989, THEY HAD
A LOT OF DEAF POETS COME,

AND THEY DISCUSSED ABOUT GETTING
A NEW SIGN FOR POETRY.

THEY NEEDED A NEW SIGN,
SO THEY DECIDED

ON THIS SIGN FOR POETRY.

OK. EXPRESSING SOMETHING.

SO THAT BECAME THE NEW SIGN
FOR POETRY.

EVERYONE--THEY REACHED CONSENSUS
ON THAT SIGN

AND THEN WENT ON,
AND THAT WAS ASL.

THAT WAS THE DEAF SIGN
FOR POETRY.

SO I'M GONNA MAKE
THAT DELINEATION,

THE "P" SIGN
AND THE SIGN FOR MUSIC,

THE POETRY, THAT'S
A HEARING SIGN,

AND THE SIGN FOR EXPRESSION,

THAT'S THE DEAF SIGN
FOR POETRY, OK?

SO I'M GONNA USE
THOSE TWO SIGNS AND MEAN THAT.

SO THAT WAS ANOTHER AFTERSHOCK.

SO LET ME STEP BACK
JUST A LITTLE BIT,

AND WE'LL TALK
ABOUT LITERATURE

FROM A LINGUAL--

LITERATURE FROM A--
FROM THE LATIN.

IT MEANS "LITTERE."
IT MEANS TO WRITE.

L-I-T-T-E-R-E.
IT MEANS WRITING,

AND THE ROOT OF THAT
IS "POEMA,"

WHICH MEANS TO CREATE, OK?

SO THAT'S THE LATIN
FOR LITERATURE.

SO HOW YOU MAKE A WORD
AND HOW THE ROOT

OF THE WORD INFLUENCES
THE WORD

IS VERY INTERESTING TO ME.

SO THE OBJECTIVES
FOR LITERATURE IS

WE WANT TO EXPAND HOW WE LOOK
AT AND ANALYZE POETRY.

SO THERE'S TWO.

WE HAVE FILM LANGUAGE, OK,
AND SIGN LANGUAGE,

AND THEY'RE PARALLEL,

AND THEY HAVE
MANY SIMILARITIES.

ANY DISCUSSION
OF ANALYTICAL POETRY

MUST HAVE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS,

WHICH ARE "HOW?" HEH HEH.

HOW DO WE START?

HOW DO WE--WITHOUT WORDS.

I MEAN, HEARING POETRY
HAS MANY, MANY, MANY POEMS

AND MANY, MANY YEARS,
A LONG HISTORY.

YOU CAN FIND A LOT
OF INFORMATION ABOUT THAT,

BUT ASL DOESN'T USE WORDS.

HEARING POETRY
IS BASED ON SOUND,

SO HOW WE DO START
TO ANALYZE ASL POETRY?

I MEAN, THERE ARE SOME GESTURES,

THERE ARE SOME MOUTH MOVEMENTS
AND THAT KIND OF THING,

BUT THEY'RE NOT
STRONG SOUNDS,

SO WHERE DO WE BEGIN?

SO THERE'S ALSO VOCABULARY
TO DESCRIBE HEARING POETRY,

AND THERE IS NO VOCABULARY TO
DESCRIBE DEAF POETRY.

SO THROUGH OUR ANALYSIS,
WE FOUND THAT HEARING POETRY

HAS RULES,
AND THOSE RULES ARE MANY,

AND WE FOUND THOSE SAME RULES--

A LOT OF THE SAME RULES
IN SIGN LANGUAGE POETRY.

IT HAS STRUCTURE.

AND THAT'S BEEN
THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH

TO ANALYZING POETRY.

SO FROM ORDINARY, EVERYDAY
ASL CONVERSATIONS

AND ANALYZING POETRY
AT THE SAME TIME,

WE NOTICE THE DIFFERENCES.

THERE'S AN EMPHASIS
ON PATTERNS.

SO "WHAT KIND OF PATTERNS?"
IS THE NEXT QUESTION.

OK. I NOTICED THIS RHYTHM, OK?

"TYGER TYGER,
BURNING BRIGHT,

IN THE FORESTS
OF THE NIGHT."

OK. IT'S 1, 2, 1, 2.
1, 2, 2, 3, RIGHT?

OK. 1, 2, 1, 2,
1, 2, 3.

SO IT'S A RHYTHM.

1, 2, 1, 2,
1, 2, 3.

OK? SO OBVIOUSLY,
HAS A RHYTHM.

ALSO, "BRIGHT" AND "NIGHT"
SOUND THE SAME, OK?

SO THERE'S A RHYME.

AND THAT POEM HAS
MANY STANZAS,

BUT THE RHYTHM IN THE SAME.

1, 2, 1, 2,
1, 2, 3.

AND THE RHYME SCHEME
IS THE SAME.

SO EVERYDAY LANGUAGE,
EVERYDAY SPEAKING

DOESN'T HAVE THAT KIND
OF RHYTHM AND RHYME.

WE DON'T TALK
IN THAT KIND OF RHYTHM,

AND EVERYDAY POETRY
EMPHASIZES THAT.

OK. SO POETRY HAS
ALL THESE RULES.

SIGN LANGUAGE--THE QUESTION WAS

DOES SIGN LANGUAGE
HAVE PATTERNS?

AND THE ANSWER IS YES.

SO THE IDEA OF RHYMING
IS BASED ON SOUND,

BUT DOES SIGN LANGUAGE
HAVE RHYME IN ITS POETRY?

YES.

WHO FIRST CAME UP
WITH THIS RESEARCH

AND DID THE BEGINNING
RESEARCH ON THIS INTO RHYME

WAS CLAYTON VALLI.

HIS RESEARCH FOUND
AND WAS ESTABLISHED,

AND THAT SET THE TONE
FOR THE DAY.

IT BECAME THE STRUCTURE
FOR ANALYSIS EVER SINCE.

SO I GAVE YOU A BRIEF SNIPPET

FROM THAT POEM
"TYGER TYGER," OK?

SO LET'S SEE WHAT KIND
OF RHYME SCHEME WE'VE GOT.

LIKE A SNOWFLAKE.

SO WE START WITH THIS.
JUST WATCH.

OK. SO THAT'S A SNIPPET.

THERE'S 5 HAND SHAPES
THAT WE USE, ALL 5.

TREES. FLUFFY TREES.

LEAVES FALLING
DOWN TO THE GROUND.

SO WE HAVE
A COMMON MOVEMENT PATH,

WHERE THE SIGN GOES,
WHERE IT TRAVELS,

UP, DOWN, OR SIDEWAYS.

TREE, FLUFFY TREE,
LEAVES FALLING DOWN

AND HITTING THE GROUND.

OK. SO IT HAS THE SAME.

IT HAS HAND SHAPE PATTERNS
AND MOVEMENT PATHS.

THERE'S A MOVEMENT RHYME.

ALSO, LOCATION,
WHERE THE SIGN IS PLACED,

WHERE WE ESTABLISH THE TREE,

WHERE WE PUT THE PUFFY TREE,
WHERE THE LEAVES FALL.

OK. I CAN'T PUT THEM
IN DIFFERENT PLACES.

I HAVE TO LEAVE THE TREE
IN THE SAME PLACE.

SO THAT'S ANOTHER TYPE OF RHYME.

AND THEN WE HAVE
PALM ORIENTATION.

IF MY PALM IS FACING
TO MY RIGHT OR TO MY LEFT,

DOWN OR UP.

OK. MY 5 HAND SHAPES.

THE PALMS ARE FACING DOWN
OR TO THE SIDE,

AND THAT IS IN ASL RHYME, TOO.

AND THEN OF COURSE,
WE HAVE THE NONMANUAL MARKERS.

WHEN I SAY THIS--
WHEN I SAY,

"PUT THE TREE UP,"

YOU CAN SEE THE SCENE.

I'M SETTING THE SCENE,
SO MY EYEBROWS ARE UP,

ALL MY NONMANUALS ON MY FACE
ARE SHOWING YOU

THAT I'M SETTING THE SCENE.

I'M PREPARING YOU,
AND WHEN MY EYEBROWS COME DOWN,

I'M EXPLAINING TO YOU,

AND THAT'S ALTOGETHER HAPPENING
AT THE SAME TIME.

HAND SHAPE, MOVEMENT PATH,
LOCATION, PALM ORIENTATION,

AND NONMANUAL SIGNALS,

AND THAT ALL--
ALL THESE PARAMETERS

MAKE A LINE DIVISION

LIKE YOU JUST HAD
WITH "TYGER TYGER."

"BRIGHT," "FOREST IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE NIGHT."

ON THE LAST LINE
AND THE FIRST LINE,

"NIGHT" AND "BRIGHT,"
THOSE RHYME.

THAT'S THE SAME
WITH ASL POETRY.

IT ALL ENDS--
EACH LINE ENDS

WITH A LINE DIVISION.

SO THERE ARE DEFINITE PAUSES,

DEFINITE PLACES
WHERE THE RHYME STOPS.

THE PAUSES ARE
WHERE THE LINE STOPS.

SO IF WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT A TRADITIONAL APPROACH,

THERE'S A LOT
OF BENEFITS FOR THAT.

THERE'S OTHER WAYS
TO DISCUSS METER

AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES
THAT WE CAN DISCUSS,

BUT YOU GET THE IDEA.

SO THIS APPROACH
HAS MANY BENEFITS TO IT.

SO WE HAVE--
THE SIGN HAS MEANING

SO THAT THERE IS POETRY,

SO THE BENEFITS
OF ANALYZING THIS MEANS

THAT IT'S VALIDATED.

THERE'S DIFFERENT KINDS
OF RHYME,

MORE THAN JUST
SPOKEN LANGUAGE POEMS.

SO WHAT HAS BEEN FOUND
HAS VALIDATED SIGNED POETRY.

IT ESTABLISHES
A COMMON VOCABULARY.

WE CAN ALL AGREE
ON HOW TO DISCUSS POETRY.

SO STUDENTS FROM A DEAF SCHOOL
NOW WHO ARE STUDYING

FROM CALIFORNIA
AND FROM NEW YORK.

TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS
OF STUDENTS MEET IN OHIO,

AND THEY DISCUSS POETRY.

THEY HAVE THE SAME VOCABULARY,
THE COMMON VOCABULARY

AND THE SAME MEANINGS
TO DISCUSS IT WITH.

IT PROVIDES TOOLS
FOR ANALYZATION.

BUT IT HAS SOME LIMITATIONS,
TOO, THIS APPROACH.

WHEN I FIRST STARTED READING
ABOUT LINE,

I WAS VERY CONFUSED
BECAUSE POETRY HAS LINES,

AND I DIDN'T SEE THAT IN ASL.

I CAN SEE IT IN WRITTEN.

YOU CAN SEE THAT "TYGER TYGER
IN THE NIGHT,"

"FOREST IN THE NIGHT"
AND "BRIGHT,"

YOU CAN SEE THAT,

BUT IN ASL,
I COULDN'T FIND

WHERE THE LINE
DELINEATIONS WERE.

SO HERE YOU CAN SEE
FOR YOURSELF.

SO CLAYTON VALLI SAID IT
VERY WELL, OK?

SO SPOKEN LANGUAGE,
SPOKEN POETRY.

YOU CAN HEAR IT,
YOU CAN SEE--AND WRITTEN,

YOU CAN SEE IT,

BUT IN ASL, IT DIDN'T
SEEM TO FIT

BECAUSE THE STRUCTURE'S
SO DIFFERENT.

IT'S VERY VISUAL,

SO WHERE
THE LINE DELINEATIONS ARE,

IT'S VERY HARD TO SEE

BECAUSE THE STRUCTURE'S
VERY DIFFERENT.

SO I WONDERED IF I COULD
FIND ANOTHER APPROACH

TO VIEW THE MOVEMENT

BECAUSE THE STRUCTURE DIDN'T--
I COULDN'T APPLY

THE SAME STRUCTURE TO ASL
AND WRITTEN POETRY.

SO WE HAVE TO BUILD
ON THE STRUCTURE.

WE HAVE THE STRUCTURE,
AND THEN WE HAVE TO BUILD

ON THE STRUCTURE.

AND WE HAVE TO SHIFT
OUR PARADIGM OF COURSE.

SO WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK
AT SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE

AND ALL THEIR RULES
AND APPLY THAT TO ASL.

WE DON'T HAVE TO.

IT'S ALREADY THERE.

ASL ITSELF IS A LANGUAGE,
AND IT HAS LITERATURE.

WE ALREADY KNOW THAT.

WE DON'T NEED TO DISCUSS
IT ANYMORE.

SO NOW A NEW LANGUAGE.

LET'S TALK ABOUT MOVIES,
MOVIE LANGUAGE.

MANY OF YOU MIGHT SAY,
"MOVIE LANGUAGE?

IT HAS A LANGUAGE?"

I SAY YES.

IT HAS PARTS.

FROM ALL THOSE PARTS,
YOU CAN MAKE ANY NUMBER.

THERE'S NO LIMIT
OF THE KIND OF STORIES

THAT YOU CAN TELL
THROUGH FILM, OK?

ALSO, YOU CAN MAKE
GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN FILM.

YOU CAN SHOOT
A DIFFERENT SHOT

IN A WRONG PLACE
AND HAVE SEQUENCE ERRORS.

YOU CAN ALSO HAVE
CONTINUITY ERRORS,

WHERE IN ONE SHOT THE GUY'S
SMOKING WITH HIS RIGHT HAND,

AND THE NEXT SHOT
HE HAS THE CIGARETTE

IN HIS LEFT HAND.

WELL, IT'S A CONTINUITY ERROR.

IT'S A SEQUENCING ERROR.

THIS IS NOT A NEW IDEA

THAT PARALLELS FILM LANGUAGE
AND ASL POETRY LANGUAGE.

THIS IS NOT A NEW IDEA.

I JUST KIND OF PICKED THIS UP
OUT OF THE DIRT

AND DUSTED IT OFF
AND BROUGHT IT BACK.

OK. NOW THIS IS VERY OLD.

THIS IS FROM 1979, OK?

DR. STOKOE WAS LOOKING
AT THE EVERYDAY LANGUAGE

AND NOTICING THE PARALLELS
BETWEEN ASL POETRY AND FILM,

OR MAYBE HE WAS JUST
INTERNALIZING THAT

AND IT HADN'T BEEN ANALYZED YET,

BUT ANY STORY--
AFTER THIS LECTURE,

FROM NOW ON WHEN YOU NOTICE
PEOPLE SIGNING,

YOU'RE GONNA NOTICE THAT
THESE TECHNIQUES ARE INVOLVED.

ANY STORY.
LIFE HISTORY STORIES OR...

LIKE, WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD
AND RIDING MY BICYCLE

IN COLORADO--
MY BROTHER AND I DID

FOR 4 DAYS.

WE RODE BICYCLES
UP THE MOUNTAINS FOR 4 DAYS,

AND ONE MORNING,
I WAS REALLY TIRED,

AND WE GOT
DOWN THE MOUNTAIN,

AND IT WAS A--
WE GOT TO A FLAT SPOT,

AND IT WAS REALLY NICE,

BUT I FELT LIKE
I WAS GONNA PASS OUT.

I WAS SO EXHAUSTED.

MY LEGS WERE STILL GOING,
BUT I WAS SO EXHAUSTED.

I FELL ASLEEP
AT THE WHEEL OF MY BIKE

AND HIT A ROCK
AND FELL OFF MY BICYCLE,

FELL OFF MY RIDE.

OH, BOY! MY BROTHER
WENT AND LEFT ME.

HE SPED ON AHEAD.

I'M NOT A NATIVE SIGNER
OBVIOUSLY,

BUT THE IDEA OF THAT STORY
SHOWS YOU

THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES.

I HAD CLOSEUP SHOTS
AND A NORMAL VIEW

AND A DISTANT SHOT.

HERE'S A CLOSEUP SHOT, OK?

SO YOU ZOOM IN
FOR THAT.

HERE'S A FAR SHOT
WHEN THE BIKE HITS THE ROCK

AND THEN YOU COME BACK
UP CLOSE FOR A ZOOM SHOT

INTO MY FACE
WHEN I THE GROUND, OK?

SO GOOD SIGNING GOES
BACK AND FORTH

FROM MEDIUM TO LONG
TO CLOSEUP SHOTS

JUST LIKE ANY FILM,
AND STOKOE RECOGNIZED THAT.

SO WHO GAVE STOKOE
THAT IDEA?

IT WAS ANOTHER DEAF PERFORMER.

MANY YEARS AGO
IN DEAF PERFORMANCE,

BERNARD BRAGG--
THIS WAS HIS THING.

HE TALKED
ABOUT THE VISUAL VERNACULAR.

STRONG MOVIE TECHNOLOGY
INVOLVED,

WORDS FROM THE CINEMA INVOLVED,

A LITTLE BIT OF MIME,
THAT KIND OF THING,

BUT TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY
WHAT VISUAL VERNACULAR IS,

LET ME TELL YOU IT LOOKS
A LITTLE BIT LIKE THIS.

A MAN WITH AN AX,

AND THEN YOU BECOME THE TREE
AND YOU NOTICE

THAT THIS MAN WITH AN AX
IS HITTING YOU IN THE LEG,

AND NOW WE HAVE A FAR SHOT
WITH THE TREE GOING DOWN,

GOING DOWN INTO THE GROUND,

AND THEN WE HAVE A ZOOM SHOT
WITH THE MAN

HITTING THE TREE
WITH THE AX.

SO HAVE A SERIOUS OF CUTS.

IT'S LIKE A MOVIE.

IT'S LIKE YOU'RE
WATCHING A FILM, OK?

THAT'S WHAT
A VISUAL VERNACULAR IS.

SO YOU GET THE IDEA OF THAT.

SO WHAT STOKOE ALREADY REALIZED

LINGUISTS ARE
STARTING TO ANALYZE

AND PERFORMERS ALREADY KNEW

BECAUSE THAT WAS THEIR WORK.

THEY TOOK THE LANGUAGE
AND APPLIED IT

TO CINEMATIC TECHNIQUES
AND THEN ANALYZED IT.

WHY NOT? WHAT'S STOPPING
US FROM DOING THAT?

WE HAVEN'T PUT
THE CINEMATIC--

WE CAN PUT POETIC TECHNIQUES
OR POETIC VERNACULAR

AND APPLY THAT
TO ASL POETRY,

AND WHY HAVEN'T WE?

WE HAVE OTHER PARALLELS,
SO WHY NOT USE THEM?

OK. ALSO EDITING.

SO I WANT TO GIVE YOU
SOME VOCABULARY.

THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING
WE HAVE FROM VALLI.

OK. NOW HOLD THAT
IN YOUR MIND,

AND LET'S GET SOME
VOCABULARY,

AND WE'RE GONNA PUT
THIS TOGETHER.

OK. NOW THE SHOT.

LIKE THE WORDS
ARE SYMBOLS OR SIGNS.

OK. THAT'S ONE PART.

IN THE MOVIES,
THE CINEMATIC PARTS

ARE THE SHOT.

OK. LIKE THE FRAME.

THE FRAME SPACE.

SO NOW YOU HAVE YOUR SHOTS.

YOU HAVE YOUR LONG SHOT,
YOUR MEDIUM SHOT,

AND YOUR CLOSEUP.

OK. AND YOU HAVE
CAMERA ANGLE.

LOOKING UP AT SOMETHING,
LOOKING DOWN AT SOMETHING,

WHERE YOUR CAMERA ANGLE IS.

NOW YOUR SHOT IN SPACE.

NOW YOU HAVE SHOT
IN FRAME TIME,

WHICH MEANS DURATION.

HOW LONG IS THE SHOT?

HOW LONG DO YOU STAY
ON THAT ONE SUBJECT,

OR IS IT A QUICK--
LIKE MTV, YOU KNOW?

YOU GET BOMBARDED
WITH ALL THESE EDITING--

ALL THESE DIFFERENT SHOTS,

AND IT COMES AT YOU FAST,

SO IT DOESN'T STAY LONG, OK?

OK. SO MOVEMENT
IN THE FRAME.

CAN HAVE CHARACTERS
OR PEOPLE WALKING

BACK AND FORTH IN THE FRAME,

OR YOU CAN HAVE SPEED CONTROL.

YOU CAN HAVE SLOW MOTION.

I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A KID
I ALWAYS USED TO LOVE

WATCHING TELEVISION.

I LOVED FOOTBALL,

AND I LOVED WHEN THEY DID
THOSE SLOW MOTION SHOTS.

IT WAS JUST GREAT
TO WATCH THAT BALL BE SNAPPED

AND WATCH IT SPINNING
VERY SLOWLY IN A CLOSEUP SHOT.

THE CROWD WOULD WATCH
THE RECEIVER RUNNING

DOWN THE FIELD IN SLOW MOTION.

THEN THE CATCH WHEN IT JUST
HIT THAT SWEET SPOT

AND HE WENT OVER THE GOAL LINE.

OK. WHEN I WATCHED FINALLY
A REAL GAME IN PERSON,

I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED
BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE

ALL THAT SLOW MOTION,
AND IT WAS SO FAR AWAY.

I WAS SITTING WAY UP
IN THOSE CHEAP SEATS,

AND I COULDN'T SEE THE PLAYERS.

IT WAS AWFUL.

I LOVED MUCH BETTER
WATCHING IT ON TELEVISION.

I COULD SEE--
I HAD THE MUSIC,

AND I HAD THE MOVEMENT,
AND IT WAS WONDERFUL.

SOME OF IT WAS FAST,
AND SOME OF IT WAS SLOW.

SO ASL POETRY HAS THAT.

OK. SO YOU'VE GOT
YOUR FRAME, RIGHT?

THE FRAME IS STABLE,
BUT THE CAMERA MOVES, OK?

SO YOUR CAMERA CAN PAN.

YOUR CAMERA CAN PAN
ALL THE WAY ACROSS

A LARGE FIELD.

TRACKING MEANS THE CAMERA
CAN FOLLOW A CHARACTER.

LIKE "ER" IF ANY
OF YOU WATCH "ER."

THEY'RE FAMOUS FOR THAT.

THEY'RE ALWAYS TRACKING
THEIR PEOPLE

ALL OVER THE PLACE.

YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE
IN THE CAMERA,

MOVING AROUND THE HOSPITAL, OK?

SO THAT'S THE POINT OF VIEW.

THE CAMERA IS
YOUR POINT OF VIEW.

SO SUPPOSE YOU HAVE HOUSE
IN THE DISTANCE.

YOU CAN ZOOM.

YOU CAN ZOOM FAST,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,

YOU'RE RIGHT THERE
AT THE DOOR OF THE HOUSE.

SO YOU CAN PLAY
WITH SPACE IN ASL.

YOU CAN HAVE SHOTS
WITH SPACE AND TIME,

AND THEY EACH HAVE
THEIR OWN VOCABULARY.

SO LET'S GO BACK
TO THE VALLI POEM.

OK. SO THE FIRST SHOT
IS A MEDIUM SHOT

IN THE OPENING.

HE SAYS, "EVERY DAY
IN THE MORNING,

I WOULD DRIVE," OK?

IT'S LIKE A NARRATOR.
IT'S A NARRATIVE,

SO HE'S KIND OF
A MEDIUM SHOT.

"EVERY MORNING,
I WOULD DRIVE,"

BUT WHERE'S THE CAMERA
ON THAT?

THE CAMERA'S, LIKE,
FROM HIS WAIST TO HIS HEAD, OK?

SO IT'S LIKE A MEDIUM SHOT.

NOW SHOT TWO,
THE CAMERA REVERSES ITSELF.

IT'S GOT A REVERSE ANGLE,

AND IT SHOWS THE LANDSCAPE.

IT'S NOT ON CLAYTON VALLI
IN A MEDIUM SHOT ANYMORE.

IT'S REVERSED ITSELF
AND SEES THE LANDSCAPE,

AND IT'S PANNING
THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE.

SO THE CAMERA THEN
IS TRACKING AND PANNING,

AND IT STOPS
AT THE TREE.

IT STOPS AT THE TREE.

SO THEN THE TREE
IS NOT CLOSE.

THE TREE IS A LONG SHOT, OK?

SO THAT'S THE MEDIUM SHOT
OF THE TREE,

AND THERE'S NO MOVEMENT.

YOU JUST SEE
THE TREE STATICALLY.

SO THAT'S 1, 2, 3 OPENING SHOTS

IF YOU WANT TO TALK
CINEMATIC LANGUAGE, OK?

AND THEN HE SHOWS THE SUN
BEARING DOWN ON THE TREE.

HE HAS A LONG SHOT
AND A MEDIUM SHOT,

SO YOU CAN GO BACK AND FORTH

BETWEEN CLOSEUPS,
LONG SHOTS, MEDIUMS.

OK. SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT SHOT PARTS, RIGHT?

SO WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO
WITH VOCABULARY AND WORDS AND...

WHAT DO WE DO
WITH ALL THESE DIFFERENT SHOTS?

HOW DO WE PICK THAT SHOT
AND PUT THE OTHER SHOT

RIGHT NEXT TO IT
AFTER THE FIRST SHOT?

FOR IMPACT.

AND THAT'S THE GOAL
OF POETRY,

TO EMPHASIZE, TO IMPACT
USING LANGUAGE.

I MEAN, IN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE,
YOU CAN HAVE IMPACT

AND EMPHASIS, TOO,
BUT THAT'S THE GOAL

OF POETRY--IMPACT.

HEH HEH HEH.

EDITING-ING-ING-ING.

SO NOW I WANT TO SHOW YOU
JUST A BRIEF EXAMPLE

OF, LIKE, A FILM, OK?

IT'S A BRIEF FILM SNIPPET.

GET OFF MY BACK. HEH.

SO FIRST WE'RE GONNA
BREAK THROUGH

WITH THE FIL--
THIS WAS A FIRST.

THIS WAS
A BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY.

THIS IS SERGEI EISENSTEIN.

THIS MOVIE IS
"THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN"

FROM 1928,
APPROXIMATELY 1928.

IN THE TWENTIES.

THIS WAS THE FIRST
OF ITS KIND.

SO IT'S A SILENT--
IT HAS MUSIC,

BUT IT'S BASICALLY
A SILENT FILM.

THAT'S PANNING DOWN,
TRACKING, SEE?

SO YOU GET THE IDEA.
HEH HEH HEH.

[LAUGHTER]

OK. HA HA.

WE GET THE IDEA.
WE DON'T NEED TO GO ON

WITH THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.

SORRY, BUT OK. IMPACT.

SO HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT IMPACT?

YOU EDIT DIFFERENT SHOTS.

YOU TRACK, YOU CLOSEUP,
YOU DISTANCE,

YOU GET THAT--
OH, THAT LITTLE BOY.

THAT WAS A CLOSEUP
OF HIS FACE SAYING, "MAMA!" OK?

ZOOMED IN ON HIM,

AND THE PEOPLE RUNNING
DOWN THE STAIRS, OK?

LOTS OF IMPACT SHOTS,
LOTS OF EDITING.

THE FIRST TIME--
THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME

THAT PEOPLE REALLY USED
A LOT OF EDITING TECHNOLOGY.

WE HAVE DIFFERENT KINDS
OF EDITING NOW.

I DON'T WANT TO MENTION
ALL OF THEM,

BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU
THE IDEA,

HERE'S THE FIRST KIND.
DIALOGUE EDITING.

OF COURSE, "THE BATTLESHIP
POTEMKIN" DIDN'T REALLY

HAVE EDITING FOR DIALOGUE

BECAUSE IT DIDN'T
REALLY HAVE DIALOGUE.

ACTUALLY, I DID THAT WRONG.

I DID IT
ON THE WRONG SIDE ANYWAY.

SO YOU'D HAVE TO DO THAT--
YOU'D HAVE TO SHOW THAT

ON THE RIGHT SIDE,
BUT OK.

SO PARALLEL EDITING.

OK. YOU HAVE A STORY HAPPENING,

AND THEN YOU HAVE
ANOTHER STORY HAPPENING

AT THE SAME TIME,
AND YOU GO BACK AND FORTH

TO EACH STORY.

LIKE, UM--LIKE
A HORROR MOVIE.

YOU KNOW, "PSYCHO,"
THE WOMAN'S IN THE SHOWER,

AND YOU HAVE THIS CREEPY MUSIC,

AND THEN YOU HAVE THIS MAN
COMING IN THE DOOR LIKE THIS,

AND THEN YOU CUT BACK
TO THE WOMAN IN THE SHOWER.

SHE DOESN'T KNOW
WHAT'S HAPPENING,

AND THEN YOU CUT BACK
TO THE MAN,

AND HE PULLS OUT THE KNIFE,

AND THEN YOU CUT BACK
TO THE WOMAN IN THE SHOWER.

SHE SEES HIM,
SHE SCREAMS,

AND THEN YOU CUT BACK
TO THE MAN STABBING THE WOMAN.

OK. CUT-AWAYS.

OK. THE CAMERA'S
ON THE PERSON

WITH THEIR HANDS UP SCREAMING,

AND THEN YOU CUT AWAY
TO THE SHIP.

OK. SO THE CHARACTER'S STORY
GOES ON,

AND THEN YOU CUT AWAY
TO THE SHIP,

OR YOU SEE TWO PEOPLE WALKING
IN THE PARK,

AND THEN YOU CUT AWAY
TO THE MOON,

AND YOU SEE THE MOON,

AND THEN YOU CUT AWAY BACK
TO THE PEOPLE, OK?

SO YOU CAN CUT AWAY
TO DIFFERENT STORIES,

DIFFERENT SHOTS.

MONTAGE. THAT'S WHAT
WE JUST SAW,

THAT REAL FAST INTERPLAY
OF CUTTING BACK AND FORTH.

THAT TELLS THE STORY
WITH VISUAL LANGUAGE, OK?

SO IT'S A VISUAL STORY,

SO THAT'S WHAT WE MEAN
BY MONTAGE.

OK. IT ALL FITS TOGETHER,

SO THESE ARE ALL
THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES.

WE ALREADY SHOWED YOU
THE EXAMPLE.

OK. ON THE STEPS.

SO YOU SAW THAT EDITING.

OK. NOW THAT MOVIE--

THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE
INVOLVED IN THAT MOVIE.

THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE
TO MAKE A MOVIE.

ASL POETRY IS JUST ONE PERSON,

AND THAT ONE PERSON,
THAT ONE POET

IS LIKE THE MOVIEMAKER.

THEY ARE A SCREENWRITER...

THEY PICK WHAT--
THEY'RE A TEXT EDITOR.

THEY PICK WHICH LITERATURE
THEY WANT.

THEY ARE A CAMERA OPERATOR.

THEY DECIDE
WHAT THE SHOTS ARE TO BE

AND IF THEY'RE GONNA TRACK,
OR IF THEY'RE GONNA PAN.

THEY'RE THE ACTOR THEMSELVES.

LIKE CLAYTON VALLI.

HE WAS IN HIMSELF--
IN THE MOVIE, IF YOU WILL,

HE WAS AN ACTOR.

THE POET BECOMES AN EDITOR.

THEY SWITCH THE SHOTS AROUND
AND DECIDE WHAT SEQUENCE

THE SHOTS ARE GOING TO BE

AND ALSO ALTOGETHER
THEY ARE THE DIRECTOR.

LOTS OF DIFFERENT ROLES
FOR ONE PERSON TO PLAY.

SO YOU CAN ANALYZE THE SKILLS
ON DIFFERENT LEVELS.

MAYBE SOME POETS ARE BEAUTIFUL
AS FAR AS WRITING,

OR THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL
AS FAR AS CAMERAWORK,

OR MAYBE THEY'RE
A WONDERFUL EDITOR.

MAYBE THEIR ACTING SKILLS
ARE NOT QUITE UP TO PAR.

SO THEY MAY HAVE AREAS OF SKILL.

WE'LL SEE IF TIME PERMITS,

BUT I'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU
ANOTHER POEM

THAT REVEALS THESE
DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES

ALL IN ONE, OK?

THAT POEM IS
ABOUT MISSING CHILDREN,

AND I CAN'T SHOW YOU ALL,
BUT I'VE GOT SOME.

I CAN SHOW YOU
THE FIRST SECTION.

OK. ANOTHER HAPPY STORY THERE.

[LAUGHTER]

SORRY. I DIDN'T REALIZE
WHAT I WAS PICKING, I SUPPOSE.

WANT TO SHOW THE AUDIENCE
ALL THIS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.

MAYBE I DID A BAD EDITING JOB
ON THAT. SORRY.

ANYWAY, MAYBE IT WAS WINTER
WHEN I PICKED THOSE.

I WASN'T FEELING QUITE
AS HAPPY AS NOW.

IT IS SPRING,
BUT ANYWAY, OK.

SO OBVIOUSLY, IMPACT.
OBVIOUSLY HAS IMPACT,

AND DID YOU NOTICE
THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES?

YOU HAD AN OPENING SEQUENCE.

OK. MORE CLOSEUP WITH THE MAN
EXPLAINING WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE.

OK. WHAT THE BOY
LOOKED LIKE, OK?

AND THE BOY WAS A COFFEE FARMER,
PLANTING SEEDS, OK?

AND SO THERE WAS
DEFINITE--THERE WAS--

YOU COULD SEE THE LONG SHOT
WITH THE BOY

OFF IN THE DISTANCE,
AND THEN IT ZOOMED IN,

AND YOU COULD SEE
WHAT WAS HAPPENING,

AND THAT WAS IMPORTANT
BECAUSE OF WHAT WAS

GONNA HAPPEN LATER ON,

AND THEN WHEN THE BOY
FINALLY DIED, OK,

SO THERE WAS NO SLOW MOTION
UNTIL THE END.

THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT,

AND THE BOY WAS HANDING
THE SEED TO THE SOLDIER,

BUT IT WASN'T GONNA DO HIM
ANY GOOD ANYWAY,

BUT AS WE GOT TO THAT POINT,
IT WAS SLOW MOTION

AS THE GUN WAS BEING PULLED BACK
AND THE TRIGGER BEING SHOT.

OK. SO YOU WANTED TO USE
SLOW MOTION FOR THAT

FOR EMPHASIS.

OK. ALSO, SO LATER,
WHEN YOU WERE CLOSEUP,

THEN YOU WENT FAR OUT.

SO YOU COULD PAN
THE COFFEE FARM.

YOU COULD SEE THE PICTURE
OF THE WHOLE FIELD,

AND THEN YOU COULD COME BACK
IN ON THE BOY AND THE FATHER

AND THEIR REACTIONS.

OK. AND THEN YOU COULD
PAN BACK OUT TO SEE

THE PEOPLE DYING,

THE SOLDIERS KILLING
ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE FIELD.

SO CLOSEUP, LONG SHOT.

OK. I'D LIKE TO--
OUR TIME'S RUNNING OUT.

OTHERWISE, I WOULD LIKE
TO GO INTO DEPTH

ON SOME MORE TECHNIQUES
FOR YOU,

BUT--NOW THIS IS
FROM VALLI--CLAYTON VALLI.

VALLI PICKED SOMETHING
ABOUT SEQUENCING.

NOW FIRST IN HIS POEM, REMEMBER,
HE SHOWED YOU THE HILLS,

AND THERE WAS A LONG SHOT,

AND THEN YOU WENT
CLOSEUP ON THE TREE,

AND IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT YOU
SEE THE ENVIRONMENT

AROUND THE TREE FIRST.

THAT'S THE REASON.

IT'S SITTING. IT'S CALLED
THE ESTABLISHING SHOT.

GIVE ME A SECOND.

OK. SO YOU PAN OVER,

AND THEN YOU CLOSE IN
ON THE TREE

AFTER YOU'VE ESTABLISHED
THE SHOT,

YOU'VE ESTABLISHED
THE ENVIRONMENT.

OK. SO IT'S IMPORTANT
TO CREATE THE ENVIRONMENT FIRST

BECAUSE THEN YOU KNOW
THAT THE TREE IS ALONE.

IT'S A LONELY TREE, OK?

THE SYMBOLISM OF THAT
IS A LONE, DEAF PERSON

BEING MAINSTREAMED
IN A HEARING ENVIRONMENT, OK?

GOING INTO A PUBLIC SCHOOL

AND BEING THE ONLY DEAF KID
IN THE SINGLED OUT CLASSROOM

AND EVERY DAY GOING,

AND THE SAME AS BEING ALONE,

GOING EVERY DAY
BACK TO WORK.

SO CLAYTON VALLI
SET THE STAGE.

HE SHOWED YOU THAT HE WAS
THE ONLY ONE ON THE ROAD

AND THAT THERE WAS
AN OBLONG TREE THERE.

HE IDENTIFIED WITH THE TREE,

THE STRUGGLE OF THE TREE
AGAINST THE WINDS

AND THE STORMS,

BUT THE STRENGTH OF THE TREE.

THE TREE WASN'T
STANDING UP STRAIGHT.

THE TREE WAS STILL STANDING
BUT NOT UP STRAIGHT.

TOUGH TREE, SO THERE'S A LOT
OF IDENTIFICATION.

CLAYTON VALLI WAS
THE LONE DRIVER.

THE TREE WAS THE LONE TREE.

OK. NOW RENNIE'S POINT.

SHE USED A SLOW DISSOLVE, OK,
IN THE BEGINNING.

CLAYTON VALLI GAVE YOU
A LONG SHOT,

YOU KNOW, A FAR SHOT TO SHOW
THE ENVIRONMENT.

RENNIE STARTED CLOSE
AND THEN WENT LONG AFTER THAT,

OK, SO IT WAS THE OPPOSITE,

AND IT WAS DIFFERENT
REASONS FOR THAT.

YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER
THE GOAL.

YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER
WHAT IMPACT YOU WANT,

AND THEN YOU PICK
YOUR SHOTS,

AND YOU PICK YOUR SEQUENCING

SO YOU CAN MAKE THE MOST IMPACT.

NOW WE HAVE
A COUPLE OF MINUTES LEFT.

SO MOST DISCUSSION
UP TO THE YEAR 2000--HEH HEH--

HAS BEEN
ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGY, OK?

COMPUTERS HAD
A GREAT INFLUENCE ON OUR LIVES,

SO WHAT'S NEXT?

I'M INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT NEXT.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN
"THE MATRIX"?

I SAW THAT MOVIE.
OH, MY GOSH!

THAT MOVIE WAS WILD.

AFTER THAT--
I'M A CHANGED PERSON

AFTER I SAW THAT MOVIE.

I MEAN, THE STORY WASN'T,
YOU KNOW, LIKE, ALL GREAT,

BUT, MAN, THE TECHNOLOGY
WAS SOMETHING ELSE.

WE HAD "MICHAEL JORDAN--
MJ TO THE MAX,"

THE IMAX--YOU KNOW,
THE IMAX THEATERS.

THEY USED THAT TECHNOLOGY.

THEY USED IMAX TECHNOLOGY.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW
HOW TO SIGN IT,

BUT, I MEAN, IT WAS JUST
THIS INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGY.

MY GOD, IT WOULD BRING YOU
SLOW MOTION,

AND THEN IT WOULD QUICK
INTO FAST MOTION.

ANYWAY, THE TECHNOLOGY'S
ALREADY THERE,

AND THE TECHNOLOGY
IS INFLUENCING SIGN LANGUAGE.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT'S
ALREADY IN SIGN LANGUAGE

AND THEN SHOWED UP
SECOND IN THE MOVIES

OR VICE VERSA.

I'M NOT SURE.

BUT HERE'S WHAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT--MORPHING,

WHICH IS THE NEXT
TECHNOLOGICAL THING.

THAT'S WHEN SOMETHING IS
IN THE BEGINNING

SOME ONE THING,

AND THEN IT TURNS
INTO SOMETHING ELSE

AND BECOMES, LIKE,
THIS OREO COOKIE.

AT FIRST, YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT IT IS.

THEN IT SPLITS IN HALF,
SO IT HAS MOTION,

AND THEN IT MORPHS
INTO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

YOU KNOW ALL KNOW
WHAT MORPHING IS.

GIVING YOU THE ELEMENT
OF UNEXPECTED.

THERE'S OTHER TECHNOLOGY
INVOLVED, TOO,

VISUAL VERNACULAR.
YOU CAN SEE THAT IN HERE,

THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES.

[LAUGHTER]

OK. YOU SEE
THE REVERSE SHOOTING,

REVERSE SHOTS?

FROM THE CANVAS TO THE PAINTER,
BACK AGAIN.

CUBISM MAYBE,
DOING CUBISM, RIGHT?

HOW DO YOU REPRESENT THAT?

[LAUGHTER]

THERE. THERE'S YOUR
MORPHING RIGHT THERE.

AGAIN THAT, MORPHING,
BECAME SOMETHING ELSE.

THERE. THAT WAS GOOD.
THAT WAS HAPPY, RIGHT?

OK. NO WAR AND DESTRUCTION,
DEATH AND BLOOD. OK.

THAT WAS GOOD. FINALLY. PHEW.

SO YOU SEE THE MORPHING IN THAT.

I THOUGHT IT WAS PAPER
OR THE EARTH

OR A PLANET OR SOMETHING

AND THEN GOES BACK
TO THE PAINT.

WHAT HAPPENS IS THE PAINT
SPLATTERED ON THE CANVAS

THEN BECOMES A BUTTERFLY,
BECOMES A BIRD, RIGHT?

OK. THEN THE BUTTERFLY
COMES OFF THE CANVAS

AND COMES ONTO YOUR HEAD.

OK. SO THE OTHER QUESTION IS
WHERE THE SHOT BEGINS

AND WHERE THE SHOT ENDS.

OK. THE LINES ARE GRAY.

THEY'RE NOT CLEAR ANYMORE,

SO THAT'S KIND OF A NEW WORLD
OF TECHNOLOGY,

A NEW WORLD
OF CINEMATIC POETRY,

IF YOU WILL,

SO I THINK THAT'S--
ALL THAT SHOT DISCUSSION,

ALL THAT DISCUSSION WE DID
ABOUT THE SHOTS

AND ALL THAT STUFF
I GAVE YOU

MAY BE ANTIQUATED BY NEXT YEAR.

OK. SO WE'RE GOING BACK
TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION.

HOW? HOW DO WE DESCRIBE POETRY
WITHOUT SOUND?

HOW DO WE DO THAT?

OK. SO ONE WAY IS TO
RECOGNIZE ITS CINEMATIC NATURE.

IT ALREADY USES
THE CINEMATIC TECHNIQUES.

IT'S A PART OF IT.

SO WHEN WE--SO WHY NOT
USE THE LANGUAGE FOR THAT

FOR ARTISTIC CREATIVE PURPOSES?

WHY NOT USE CINEMATIC LANGUAGES?

OK. SO THE CONCLUSION IS...

I WONDER. HEH HEH.

I FEEL LIKE WE'RE JUST
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

AS IT IS NOW.

IT'S INTERESTING, THOUGH.

SIGN LANGUAGE HAS BEEN--
HAS LIVED

FOR MANY, MANY THOUSANDS
OF YEARS.

PHILOSOPHERS LIKE PLATO
AND ARISTOTLE--

ARISTOCRANES,

ALL THE GREEKS WROTE
ABOUT DEAF SIGNERS.

IN ATHENS, THERE WAS A GROUP--

THERE WAS A COMMUNITY
IN ATHENS.

THERE'S ALL THESE REFERENCES
TO THE DEAF.

IN THE FIFTH CENTURY B.C.,
THE GREEKS KNEW

THAT THERE WAS
SIGN LANGUAGE ALL OVER,

AND THEY KNEW BACK THEN
THAT SIGN LANGUAGE

HAD CLOSEUP SHOTS
AND LONG SHOTS,

BUT I WONDER IF--
I MEAN, WE CONSIDER

CINEMATIC LANGUAGE
A NEW MEDIUM,

BUT DEAF PEOPLE HAVE HAD IT
FOR 2,000, 2,500 YEARS.

HEH HEH HEH.

IT'S NOT NEW
IN THEIR LANGUAGE.

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PART
OF THEIR LANGUAGE.

WE'RE JUST DISCOVERING IT
AS A TECHNIQUE,

BUT THE RECOGNITION OF IT
HAS BEEN VERY RECENT.

I DON'T KNOW--
WE HAVEN'T ESTABLISHED

IF SIGN LANGUAGE HAS INFLUENCED
CINEMATOGRAPHY AT ALL,

BUT--AND NOW WE HAVE
DIGITAL MEDIA,

AND PEOPLE CAN MAKE
THEIR OWN MOVIES,

AND THAT WILL
INFLUENCE FILM.

I THINK WE'LL SEE--
WE DON'T KNOW--

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE,
BUT ANYWAY,

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I APPRECIATE IT.

I WANTED TO THANK
DIRKSEN FOR COMING,

AND WE'LL SEE YOU ALL
NEXT FALL.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, DIRKSEN.

"This project is supported by a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."