three storiesby
jmritzComment by chalice: I had to look at this series of images at least a half dozen times before I found a thread through all of them. I note that you mention that there are three stories right from the outset. However, in each case, there is something more, hidden at first and revealed at the end of each vignette. It's almost as if there are six stories, all of them connected by location.
The first one is outstanding as I missed the woman, even though she was included in the image. It seemed as if it was all about the black guy and his thought process and body language. Then, at the last moment, he moves and the woman is revealed, having been behind him and absorbed in her own thought process and body language the whole time, largely beyond what the camera tracked.
The second one uses a different device to make the reveal. This time a group of people are together and it is not clear what is going on until you telescope into the heart of the group and find the man counting and arranging his money. The others, who appear to be with him, are largely oblivious to his actions. What I liked especially about this one is that you have built on the first story's technique by having the final shot of this second series reveal a man standing in the background, harking back to the title page where he was first shown. It's as if he has also been part of the story, just another layer hiding in the background.
The final image of interaction ends with a view of cars and motorists in the background. Again, behind the main story of a man helping two women put bags in the car, is another whole layer of activity going on, unrelated, but simultaneous with the main subject.
And isn't this just the way life works. From our frame of reference (here, the camera's viewpoint) we focus on a slice of life, while largely unseen until the last moment, another slice is taking place, all linked by time and place but unrelated otherwise. Well, that's how I look at your essay. And it took some careful looking repeatedly to make sense of it all. As a whole, though it all ties together.
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