Metaphysical Philosophy Of Movement In The Short Film Night Table

Noël Carroll argues that for something to be considered a film it must have the essential attribute of movement. She does so by arguing the case of Serene Velocity, which incorporates perception of movement on screen from still images. This essay will explore her argument that the film is doing metaphysical philosophy due to movement, and its existence as a thought experiment, then discuss how the short film, Night Table, satisfies her argument. My aim is not to focus on the content that is within a film, but rather what constitutes something as a film. Using the short film Night Table, I argue that it should not be considered a film, despite satisfying Carroll’s argument, but still exists as a work of philosophy on film and that movement alone is not enough to be considered a film because visual aid must be present. …show more content…
While there is no narrative content in the film, it exists to exemplify the essential features of the artform, film, by performing a reflection on itself (178). The feature this film is exploring is movement. Gehr does so by taking still shots of a hallway and alternates between them creating the illusion of movement. The film itself is set up to provide an original philosophical idea to emphasize the necessity of movement in film, thus it is contributing to philosophy of the nature of film (174). The film Night Table, aims to reach the conclusions as Serene Velocity, by mimicking the technical style, but it presents a new idea in how the movement is presented. Night Table, takes a collection of shots between an exposed lens to a night sky and a covered lens on a table, and alternates between them, however, visually, the shots are entirely black. This presents the idea that if the perception of movement is necessary for a film or if it merely needs to be