Vonnegut, is that you?

As I read "A Moving Picture Giving and Taking Book", I could not help but laugh at his wit which reminded me of that of my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut. It took me a few pages to realize that the information he was trying to convey was actually getting through among the jokes and overtly simple explanations for processes. His humor seemed to help in some ways make the material easier to digest. It felt as if I was having a conversation with Brakhage himself, relaxing in his living room amongst all of his toys. Although it may have taken up more time and energy to convey the information that way, it certainly made the information much more enjoyable than the exact numbers would have been.
If the humor kept me reading and interested, then some of his passages that delve too far into his linguistic games kept me confused and reading sentences over again. Most of the time, I would eventually understand what he was trying to say. However, sometimes I didn’t. Had there been less wordiness, I believe that I would have comprehended the material easier at times.
Another aspect of the reading that gave me a bit of trouble was that it seemed to jump around. It should be noted that Brakhage frequently apologizes for getting off topic in the writing itself. This was part of what made it seem conversational, but in turn made it slightly more difficult to stay adjusted to what point he was trying to make or to what technique he was trying to describe.
Aside from how the article read and its ease of comprehension, it was informative for sure. The article and its sections on the operation of a projector and how film stock is utilized in many different ways helped me to understand the tools I would be working with throughout the semester in 6x1. With my still photography background, the information on apertures was nothing new but I’m always interested to see how the inner workings of a camera, either still or moving, are explained in a way that makes it easy to understand. I’ve frequently tried to explain those processes to others with very little success. So in that respect, the article impressed me.
Finally, this article definitely stirred my excitement for the rest of the semester in 6x1. I think Brakhage was a huge fan of creativity, even to the point of pushing technology and possibilities to their limit. I’m anxious to do so, especially after reading this article.