Ken Burns Response

Its remarkable to think that so simple of an idea that we so widely see today emerged from one person, Ken Burns. After watching some of his Civil War movie, I was wondering what it was precisely I was supposed to be looking for. Then I watched an interview with him to figure it out. He came up with the simple idea of presenting still images within movies which were typically considered only live action. By using this principle, one can bring truth into their film by presenting images that came from a time when live action film footage did not exist. But instead of simply flashing them on the screen like a slide show, the camera pans from side to side, up to down, and in and out. Burns explains how you create a story by doing this. For example, the camera may move pan upward on a figure slowly revealing an expression on their face which says something different than if it were to be just plainly shown.