Stan Brakhage –Mothlight

Stan Brakhage's Mothlight is interesting in its disguise. You can not tell what is making the shapes or designs just by watching the video. The movement is extremely quick and shaky. There is not a smooth transition between images. I wonder if the speed and transitions are due to what was available at the time technologically or a choice that Brakhage made. It also seems as though this is almost a silent film, meaning there is no intentional "background" music, however it seams as though the shuffling between images makes a rustling noise. This accompanied with the brown shades makes the film feel very "earthy." As the video continues there are recognizable shapes at times, what looks to be leaf shapes, star shapes, branches, or flower shapes (Though they are made from moth wings). Also the video switches between a lot of negative space and strips of moth wings interchanging with consecutive slides that are completely covered in wing designs.