Friday, May 16, 2014
Looking Back
It feels weird remembering my high school career now. I'm starting to question the logic of eyewitness accounts; memories warp so easily. People change, events happened and the moment may be structured that way now and forever, but what comes to pass afterwards can quietly change the moment in your own head. You look back on things you once thought were a good idea with a feeling of sadness for your naivety, a twinge of regret for what could have been, and maybe a bit of laughter. Remembering isn't easy, and if you can't really remember your own experiences how can you possibly begin to remember history? Is it even really your place to "remember" an event you weren't alive for? Does that make it easier? We have our memorial days. We have our petty "thank you's" and "remember when's" but in reality, no one knows exactly what we're saying thank you for, and no one remembers the same event. The same things may have happened, yes, but in each person's mind its just a little different. So now I'm sitting here, thinking about my past five years, my one last class, and just wondering "how much can I really say I know about my own life?"
Thursday, May 15, 2014
The Film
The Zapruder film is probably one of the most well known films in existence. It has millions of hits on YouTube today, in countless "enhanced" variations and stabilizations. It was played for the public upon its release by the CIA, and a massive bidding war was fought over who would get the film first. CBS ended up losing to Life magazine, who bought it for $150,000. Life subsequently published around 30 frames from the film in a special Kennedy Memorial edition, where Zapruder insisted that they leave out the notorious 313 after having a nightmare of a headline reading "See the President's head explode!" But what about the physical film?
The reel itself lasts for about 26.6 seconds, totaling 486 frames at 18.3 frames per second. Zapruder filmed with a standard home shooting Kodachrome on 8mm film. The first observable reaction to a gun occurs sometime before frame 170. Governor Connally turns his head sharply from left to right between frames 160 and 170 as if reacting to sound of the shot.The second shot occurs between frames 223 and 224 when Kennedy was visibly hit initially and raised his elbows and clenched his fists in front of his face and throat. The next recorded shot occurs at notorious frame 313, with the visible effects of Kennedy's headshot.
Today, the film is valued at around $16 million. In 1999, the Zapruder family donated the film to the Sixth Floor museum, selling all copyrights to the museum as well. However, due to the poor quality of home video film itself, the original is beginning to head toward the end of its fifty year lifespan. Over time, the acetic acid in the cellulose acetate film begins to break down on itself, causing the film to become brittle, shrink, and develop strange pigmentations. There is not any known process for halting or reversing the rate of degradation, but it can be stalled somewhat by cool dry climates. Thank goodness for digitalization, eh?
The reel itself lasts for about 26.6 seconds, totaling 486 frames at 18.3 frames per second. Zapruder filmed with a standard home shooting Kodachrome on 8mm film. The first observable reaction to a gun occurs sometime before frame 170. Governor Connally turns his head sharply from left to right between frames 160 and 170 as if reacting to sound of the shot.The second shot occurs between frames 223 and 224 when Kennedy was visibly hit initially and raised his elbows and clenched his fists in front of his face and throat. The next recorded shot occurs at notorious frame 313, with the visible effects of Kennedy's headshot.
Today, the film is valued at around $16 million. In 1999, the Zapruder family donated the film to the Sixth Floor museum, selling all copyrights to the museum as well. However, due to the poor quality of home video film itself, the original is beginning to head toward the end of its fifty year lifespan. Over time, the acetic acid in the cellulose acetate film begins to break down on itself, causing the film to become brittle, shrink, and develop strange pigmentations. There is not any known process for halting or reversing the rate of degradation, but it can be stalled somewhat by cool dry climates. Thank goodness for digitalization, eh?
Monday, May 12, 2014
And the plot thickens...
Recently, while browsing Reddit I stumbled upon a delightful link that sketched out the live and times of the eyewitnesses of the Kennedy plot/assassination. Of course this is the work of a conspiracy theorist, and there isn't a proliferation of sources, but supposedly one would be able to find records of all of these deaths. Especially considering the huge number of gun-related deaths, surely someone would report the shooter!
Nah.
Turns out it may be sensationalized after all, at least according to Jim Marrs who counter argues nearly every one of these deaths. The site looks equally shady, but the information seems a bit more sound and backed up. These are just a sampling of the numerous JFK-assassination sites I found on this particular prowl, but it's indicative of just how much theorizing and controversy there is, even today, surrounding this event. I came away even more firmly rooted in the belief that we are never going to know what really happened, and I would probably be better off believing The Onion's take on the whole situation.
Nah.
Turns out it may be sensationalized after all, at least according to Jim Marrs who counter argues nearly every one of these deaths. The site looks equally shady, but the information seems a bit more sound and backed up. These are just a sampling of the numerous JFK-assassination sites I found on this particular prowl, but it's indicative of just how much theorizing and controversy there is, even today, surrounding this event. I came away even more firmly rooted in the belief that we are never going to know what really happened, and I would probably be better off believing The Onion's take on the whole situation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)