Master of Art & Design Project of Anatol Bogun

Allen, W. (2000). Stardust Memories. Buena Vista, FL: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

The film is about a movie director who is famous for his comedies but now wants to be taken serious because all he sees in the world is suffering and death. Woody Allen uses unique audiovisual approaches to communicate the protagonist’s inner thought processes and emotional states. The film begins with a dream sequence in a train that symbolises the character’s inner turmoil and inability to undo his past decisions in life. Sound effects and the absence of sound makes this scene especially traumatic. Another visual approach is a wallpaper in the protagonist’s apartment that changes with his mood. A scene that shows how the protagonist remembers his ex-girlfriend uses a montage technique that reflects the nonlinearity of memory through hard jump cuts in the same camera shot. This is contrasted by shots of his current girlfriend that show up to two minutes of footage without any cut. The vast amount of techniques to display the protagonist’s inner feelings is an important influence on my project.

Amenábar, A. (2001). The others. New York, NY: Dimension Films.

Barthes, R. (1996). The death of the author. In P. Rice & P. Waugh (Eds.), Modern literary theory. London, United Kingdom: Arnold.

Barthes’ seminal essay argues that the interpretation of a text should not consider the intentions or biography of the author. Instead the reader becomes the co-creator of meaning. I believe that any contemporary narrative should respect Barthes’ proclaimed role of the reader or viewer. I intend to apply this knowledge to my short film to create a non-patronising and intellectually stimulating narrative.

Barker, M., Drouin, J., Hoedman, C., Kawamoto, K., Kotabe, Y., Norshteyn, Y., Pojar, B., et al. (2003). Fuyu no Hi. Tokyo, Japan: Kinokuniya.

Fuyu no Hi (Winter Days) is a collaborative project that tells a story created of concatenated haiku poems that were written by different authors in 17^th century Japan. The story is translated into animated short films made by 36 different international animators/directors. The collaborative nature is a valuable impulse for my project because I want to move away from a very individual mode of operation to a more collective exchange with other creative artists and professional.

Baudrillard, J., & Witwer, J. (2000). The vital illusion. Columbia University Press.

Bizzocchi, J. (2005). Run, Lola, Run: Film as a Narrative Database. MiT4: The Work of Stories, Cambridge, Massachusetts: May, 6(8).

Campbell, J. (1973). The hero with a thousand faces (Second.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 

Campbell’s very influential work investigates in the monomyth, a common story structure that appears in mythologies across all cultures. What Campbell describes as the hero’s journey contains important milestones of a protagonist in a narrative such as the call to adventure, the refusal of the call, initiation, thresholds, the road of trials, the return, etc.. The book goes beyond story structure and emphasises the importance of the transformation of the hero and the role of mythology to understand life and create value for self and society. Campbell furthermore argues that old mythological tales that today are often regarded as lies in fact function to transport the mind into a state that opens it to the deeper message beyond the apparent surface of the narrative. This resource was one of the main influences for me to choose my project topic. It will be a continued source of information and inspiration. I intend to utilise Campbell’s insights to create a short film that communicates more than the visually obvious in unique but coherent ways.

Coen, E., & Coen, J. (1991). Barton Fink. Los Angeles, CA: Twentieth Century Fox.

This film is about a screenwriter who suffers from writer’s block and is drawn into increasingly surreal events including a murdered woman in his hotel room. The directors create an intellectually engaging story that mixes the protagonist’s illusionary experiences with the questionable reality of Hollywood in the 1950s. This transgression of reality to illusion reflects my project topic and is a valuable inspiration.

Dunhill, M., & O'Brien, T. (n.d.). Collaborative Art Practice and the Fine Art Curriculum. Collaborative Arts. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from http://collabarts.org/?p=205

This essay challenges the still widespread idea of the artist as a solitary genius. The authors advocate collaborative practice from a pragmatic and pedagogical point of view. I intend to engage more in collaborative work. I am particularly interested in increased exchange of ideas which forms one of my project methodologies. The text delivers interesting insights in the field from two experienced and engaged fine art lecturers.

Dutton, D. (2009). The uses of fiction. In The art instinct. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Dutton looks at art from an evolutionary point of view. He argues that the appreciation of art, and especially of narrative fiction, may be an evolutionary adaption that gives an advantage over live forms that cannot enter imagined worlds. The author sees three adaptive advantages in fictional stories: low cost and low risk surrogate experiences, instructive sources and an encouragement to explore someone else’s points of view, beliefs, motivations, and values. Even though I disagree in many points with Dutton’s argumentation this thought-provoking text sparked a whole range of ideas and associations. Considerations of the above mentioned three adaptive advantages have their valuable place in my project.

Please see http://dipl-o-matic.nugob.org/the-uses-of-fiction for a more detailed critique in my online journal.

Eco, U. (1997). Foucault's pendulum. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

This novel by semiotics professor Eco is a story about three book editors who invent a world conspiracy. Their own creation turns against them when occultists get wind of the project. The more the editors insist that it is all a lie the more are the occultists convinced of its deep and secret truth. The novel masterfully presents how one person’s fiction can create a manifest reality. The theme is insofar related to my project.

Egri, L. (1960). The art of dramatic writing. New York, NY: Touchstone Books. 

Even though an aged text this is a widely respected resource on analysing plays. It was written as a “how to” book for playwrights but applies equally to screenwriting. It explores premise, character, conflict and other general story components. Egri uses interesting examples. For instance he imagines the consequences for a story if a character like Hamlet was taken out of his environment and put into Romeo’s shoes. Out of the many books that have been written about storytelling this one stands out for me in its clarity and insight.

Egri, L. (1965). The art of creative writing. New York, NY: Citadel Press.

The Art of Creative Writing can be seen as a supplement to the aforementioned The Art of Dramatic Writing. As the title suggests the main focus lies in the creative process to find and develop a story while the earlier work focuses on the structure which is supported by the analysis of well-known plays.

El-Noor, M. (2008). Narratwist: alteration in meaning in a short film text (Exegesis). AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://aut.researchgateway.ac.nz/handle/10292/408 

This exegesis of an AUT graduate describes the research and practice for the resulting animated short film In the Name of Art. The text describes stylistic treatments, concepts and applied methodologies. El-Noors considerations and research into a story twist are an interesting resource for my project and may become very valuable when the story is further refined. I believe that to apply a twist in a story creates a severe risk for a filmmaker. A twist that is detected before it is revealed can ruin a narrative as being predictable. To apply a twist thus requires careful consideration. Triggered by this exegesis I see two types of twists which I want to label the high risk intellectual and the lower risk emotional twist.

Please see http://dipl-o-matic.nugob.org/poppoya-railroad-man for a more detailed explanation in my online journal.

KEY TEXT:

Ferri, A. J. (2007). Willing suspension of disbelief: Poetic faith in film. Plymouth, United Kingdom: Lexington Books. 

Please refer to the annotation.

Furuhata, Y. (1999). Poppoya: Railroad man. Tokyo, Japan: Toei Company.

Poppoya is the story about an aged station master who suffers from an incredible feeling of guilt. The man constantly prioritised his loyalty to the railway company over his own family, even at crucial events such as his only child’s birth, illness and death, and his wife’s passing. Hallucinations of his late daughter and her forgiveness restore the man’s humanity. The film shows a very subtle way to display hallucination. The director refrains from visual effects that signify the protagonist’s illusion so that for the audience the hallucination of the daughter becomes an undistinguishable part of the depicted reality. In contrast to highly visual and effects driven films such as MirrorMask (McKean, 2006) Furuhata’s film delivers a subtle alternative that is worth considering for my project.

Please see http://dipl-o-matic.nugob.org/poppoya-railroad-man for a more detailed critique in my online journal.

Gaiman, N., & McKean, D. (2004). The wolves in the walls. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing. 

This graphic novel tells the story of a girl who discovers that wolves are living in the walls of her home. One day the wolves invade her house and she and her family need to work out a plan to regain possession of their home. The narrative is told from a very innocent child’s point of view that does not question if things are logical. The text advocates that as long as you strongly believe in something it may become your reality. It is noteworthy in this graphic novel how effortless illogical events become an unquestioned reality. This relates strongly to my project.

KEY TEXT:

Gaiman, N., & McKean, D. (2007). Signal to noise. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing. 

Please refer to the annotation.

Gilliam, T. (1985). Brazil. New York, NY: The Criterion Collection.

Brazil depicts a surreal futuristic (or dystopian) society that is governed by a bureaucratic system. The protagonist suffers from his lack of freedom. This is expressed in reoccurring dreams in which he tries to save a woman from monstrous creatures. The hero escapes the world he lives in by an escape into his imagination which finally gives him the freedom he was longing for. Visually Gilliam’s film is intriguing. It creates a surreal atmosphere that often leaves the viewer in doubt over what represents the depicted reality of this world of fiction and what is the main character’s illusion. It is also interesting that the reality in this film is so surreal that it leads the protagonist to escape into an illusory dream world that resembles our actual reality more than the world the character lives in.

Gondry, M. (2004). Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. Universal City, CA: Universal Studios.

This film plays largely in the protagonists mind. The main character decides to have the memory of his former girlfriend erased so that he can move on in life. Gondry applies a number of interesting visual effects to depict memories and their disintegration. He uses varying sound resolutions, fade-outs of elements, unusual perspectives, loops, etc. The movie is a visual stimulation and inspiration for my project.

Gondry, M. (2006). The Science of Sleep. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Science of Sleep is about a man with vivid day dreams that enter his reality. Due to his hallucinations it is difficult for him to interact with reality. The film mixes live action film and stop motion animation in very interesting ways. The protagonist’s hallucinations are visually clearly separated from reality by the use of stop motion animation. In my project I am still experimenting with different uses of media to express reality and illusion. I regard this film as a helpful inspiration should I decide to follow this path.

Grau, O. (2003). Virtual art. Cambridge, MA & London, England: MIT Press.

The book explores early immersive art forms such as perspective wall paintings and panoramic paintings.  Grau follows art into contemporary times and investigates in interactive installations, telepresence, etc. The findings and examples are an interesting look into other media forms where reality merges with the virtual world.

Hattler, M. (n.d.). 1925 aka Hell. Viborg, Denmark: The Animation Workshop. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/10059901

This animated short film is inspired by a 1925 painting of Augustine Lesage titled A Symbolic Composition of the Spiritual World. The film’s very abstract nature that wants to depict hell can be seen and felt as a claustrophobic nightmare, an endless journey deeper and deeper into a threatening environment. For my animation I am planning to include an abstract scene that depicts a nightmare. Hattler’s film is an interesting approach to a possible visualisation.

Hockley, L. (2007). Frames of mind. Bristol, UK & Chicago, IL: Intellect Books.

Hockley discusses Jung’s belief in a less clear-cut distinction between reality and illusion than is generally assumed. Jung sees the image as a mediator between conscious and unconscious. Hockley transfers this image into the context of movies. He highlights the relationship between viewer and fiction from a post-Jungian point of view.

Holert, T. (2009). Art in the Knowledge-based Polis. e-flux, 3(February 2009). Retrieved from http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/40#_edn31

Holert’s article takes a critical view on “knowledge production” within art and art education. The author sees an intrinsic danger in the institutionalisation of the arts in higher education. He advocates the development of a new research methodology for the arts. He fears that without such a methodology art research programmes at universities would be little more than a bureaucratic manoeuvre.

Jeunet, J. (2002). Amelie. New York, NY: Miramax Films.

This movie is about a young woman who secretly influences the lives of the people around her to the better. At the same time she struggles to find the courage to take action and change her own life. Amelie is portrayed as a very imaginative person who enjoys turning her daydreams into a reality. Scenes of Amelie struggling with her loneliness and emotional despair contain shots that show her fantasy merged into the surrounding environment. This forms a playful yet non-intrusive visualisation of illusion and reality.

Jonze, S. (1999). Being John Malkovich. London, United Kingdom: United International Pictures.

In this film a puppeteer finds a tunnel into the actor John Malkovich’s mind. He initially starts to make a business from his discovery but then learns to control Malkovich for his own purposes. The puppeteer becomes aware that he is not the only person with an interest to take on another person’s body and mind when he meets a group of elderly people who use this technique to prolong their lives. The film has fascinating visuals that relate to my project and story idea. Of particular interest for me is a scene when John Malkovich gets into his own mind and thus enters his own unconscious.

Jonze, S. (2002). Adaptation. Culver City, CA: Columbia Tristar Home Video.

In this film a screenwriter writes himself into a script and thus influences the course of the story as it is being told. Personified by the protagonist the story is a refusal of screenwriting principles while it reluctantly accepts the place and validity of such guidance. This multi-layered narrative excels in combining real events in present and past with invented fiction that spills into the protagonist’s reality. The main character’s insights have a direct influence on his physical environment. The screenwriter’s twin brother functions as a narrative device for the two conflicting voices in the protagonist’s head. As the fictional screenwriter shares his name with the actual screenwriter Charlie Kaufman this story becomes a meta-narrative of even wider proportions.

KEY TEXT:

Kurosawa, A. (1950). Rashomon. Tokyo, Japan: Daiei Motion Picture Company.

Please refer to the annotation.

KEY TEXT:

Lacan, J. (1994). Touché and Automaton. In J. Miller (Ed.), A. Sheridan (Tran.), The four fundamental concepts of psycho-analysis (pp. 53-64). London, United Kingdom: Penguin.

Please refer to the annotation.

Linklater, R. (2001). Waking life. Los Angeles, CA: Twentieth Century Fox.

Waking Life tells the story about a man who becomes aware that he is experiencing his own dream. The narrative discusses philosophy, science and dream states. The film uses the technique of rotoscoping to reflect the dreamlike state of the protagonist. This animation method may be applied to some elements of my short film, but requires further experimentation.

McKean, D. (2006). MirrorMask. Culver City, CA: Sony Pictures.

MirrorMask is a movie centred around a girl who goes on a fantastic journey to come to terms with her teenage life that is torn between loyalty and rebellion, love and anger. The visually intriguing film was written by Neil Gaiman and directed by Dave McKean whose background as an illustrator is clearly visible in the style of the depicted fantasy world. Backdrops and creature design may become a valuable influence on my project.

McKee, R. (1999). Story. London, UK: Methuen.

Robert McKee has become a widely known instructor for screenwriting through his “Story Seminar”. The book covers a wide range of what McKee calls principles for screenwriting. The book is an informative source if it is read from a more distant point of view. I believe that his opinion on screenwriting principles is often so strong that they can be interpreted as fixed rules (even though McKee warns to see them as such). In my opinion the author is also too one-sided when he vehemently favours Hollywood productions over other cinema. All these points combined could create the problem that this book becomes a screenwriting formula. However, if McKee’s book remains one of a larger number of screenwriting resources it gives remarkable insights into the craft of storytelling.

Meade, A. (2010). About. Alexa Meade. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://www.alexameade.com/about.html

Alexa Meade is a young artist who uses paint on subjects who are then placed into real settings. Her installations (or performance art) are also documented as photographs. Meade’s approach blurs the lines between art and life. The artist’s work is an interesting inspiration for depictions of reality and illusion in a different medium and art form.

Miyazaki, H. (1988). My neighbor Totoro. Tokyo, Japan: Studio Ghibli.

Miyazaki’s animation is about two young children who move to a new home in the country with their father while their mother is in hospital for treatment. The sisters meet fantasy creatures with magical powers. If the fantasy world exists or is an illusion is left to the audience to decide. The narrative accompanies the sisters through a confusing time in their young lives. The fantastic events may be interpreted as a way for the children to cope with a difficult time. The narrative that is told from the point of view of an innocent child is a speciality of Miyazaki. This can transport an adult audience back into their childhood which may be the reason for his success across all ages.

Miyazaki, H. (2001). Spirited away. Tokyo, Japan: Studio Ghibli.

Not far away from Myazaki’s aforementioned My Neighbour Totoro (1988) this film begins when the girl Chihiro moves with her parents into a new town. They take a wrong turn and enter a deserted town in old Japanese style. The parents turn quickly into greedy pigs and Chihiro enters a fantastic world that she has to make sense of by herself. She quickly learns what it means to be independent from her parents and the effort it takes to survive on her own. She works hard in a bath house and goes on a quest to return and free her bewitched parents. The narrative describes a quick maturation of a timid and needy girl into an independent strong character who knows that change can only happen by courage and determined action and that this is the only way in which we can grow as human beings. The enchanting world that Miyazaki creates is coherent and complex, yet the story follows a relatively simple thread. In a similar way to other works of the director this successfully creates an experience that reminds of childhood days. I have visited some of the places in Japan that were an inspiration to Miyazaki. It was interesting to see the filmmaker’s motives and methodologies first hand.

Monaco, J. (2000). How to read a film (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press US.

How to Read a Film gives a broad overview of film in the context of art, technology, the language of film, cinematic history and contemporary multimedia forms. While many chapters seem too technical for my purposes I find a strong interest in the art context and signs and syntax of film. Chapters about codes, mise-en-scene, montage, etc. concern every filmmaker. I believe that the more one knows about this the better one can master the craft.

New Zealand Film Comission. (2010). Low budget features overview. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from http://www.nzfilm.co.nz/DevelopmentAndFinancing/Low_Budget_Features/Low_Budget_Features_Overview.aspx

This web page by the New Zealand Film Commission poses important questions to filmmakers who work on a tight budget. It offers guidance to turn limitations into assets and how to write a good one page synopsis. This supports a quality script before it has been written and helps to ensures that a film can be shot within realistic constraints.

Rosto. (2008). Big White/Big Black. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Rosto A.D. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tympepO7O0

This animated short film sends a character on a literal journey into the unconscious of the self. The symbolic visual language is fascinating. As the theme comes close to my story idea this film becomes an important resource for my visual research. The rotoscoped animation is part of a series of short films called Mind My Gap, a translation of a graphic novel into animated segments using various techniques.

Russell, P. (n.d.). Consciousness and Reality. Spirit of Now. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.peterrussell.com/Reality/RHTML/R2.php

Russel’s text contains interesting observations on illusory realities, virtual reality, creations of the mind etc. The author also refers to philosophical approaches of Plato and Kant. The text can be seen as a stepping stone to deeper research in the area of consciousness and reality.

Schwizgebel, G. (2007). L'homme sans ombre. Montreal, Canada: National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxip-PTlOcM

This animation about a man whose shadow is stolen is to me mainly appealing from a visual point of view. Schwizgebel uses a hand drawn technique to bend perspective which creates interesting transitions through optical illusions. His approach is worth analysing for my project. One key scene in my animation should apply what could best be described an optical illusion. More precisely the scene would involve the gradual change of a two-dimensional plane in a three-dimensional space to turn into a three-dimensional object by means of a camera pan. This will be elaborated at a later stage by means of sketches and visual experiments.

Selick, H. (2009). Coraline. Universal City, CA: Universal Studios.

Coraline is a stop motion animation about a girl who moved to a new home in the countryside. Deprived of her old friends and neglected by her busy parents she enters a parallel world full of caring people, including her “other mother” and “other father”. To remain in this world she would have to pay the price of her soul. The animation creates a limited yet very immersive world that triggers a childlike curiosity to discover what lies behind closed doors and forbidden places. The visual style masterfully reflects the dark theme of the narrative.

Sheik, S. (2009). Objects of Study or Commodification of Knowledge. Remarks on Artistic Research. Art & Research, 2(2).

This text questions current practice of artistic research and art in a post-industrial environment. Sheik argues that artistic research may function merely to mold artistic work within university structures of knowledge and learning. He closes that artistic research itself must remain a subject for further research.

Shepherdson, C. (1995). History and the Real: Foucault with Lacan. Postmodern Culture, 5(2). Retrieved from

In this text Sheperdson explores the exotic world of fiction and elaborates why such a strange and unfamiliar land can become an account of our own world. The journal article refers to Freud, Foucault, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Lacan and others. It gives insight into the philosophy and work of many theorists that play an important part in my area of research.

Strauch, R. (2000). The Reality Illusion. Pacific Palisades, CA: Somatic Options.

Strauch elaborates about creations of the mind and how reality differs from the dominant Western world view that sees reality as something that is independent of the viewer. The author argues that reality may look different from different viewpoints but also that a single perspective can be interpreted in various ways. Rather than focusing on the separateness of things Strauch emphasizes unity. The book presents an interesting yet personal perspective on ways to understand reality.

Svankmajer, J. (2000). Little Otik. New York, NY: Zeitgeist Films.

This film of the magical realism genre tells the story of a couple that can’t conceive a baby. Instead they adopt a piece of wood in approximate shape of a baby. This comes to life and out of insatiable hunger devours everything, even live animals and humans. Visually the movie is a mix of live action film and stop motion animation. Svankmajer is well-known for surreal elements. When the couple talks to a doctor about their fertility issues the husband imagines to buy a baby on the street like a fish, wrapped in newspaper. This is one of many surreal events. What stands out is that the animation does not try to be perfect and photorealistic. The director seemingly sets concept over stylistic perfection. It is refreshing to still see this approach in a contemporary movie, particularly as the low budget that was available could not produce photorealistic effects that would be able to compete with bigger productions.

Tan, E. S. (1996). Emotion and the structure of narrative film. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Tornatore, G. (1994). A pure formality. Culver City, CA: Sony Pictures.

Tornatore’s film shows the interrogation of a “suspect” in a little police station in the deserted countryside. The narrative focuses only on two people, the inspector and the suspect who claims to be a famous writer. The inspector never reveals what exact crime he investigates. The only information is that a dead body was found. When the man gets more and more caught up in contradictions he learns to realise and face his previous suicide. The film is interesting for my project in its narrative style. Up until a defining story twist the audience is kept unaware that apart from a few flashbacks none of the events so far have taken place in the real world.

von Trier, L., & Leth, J. (2004). The five obstructions. Port Washington, NY: Koch Lorber Films.

In this documentary Lars von Trier challenges filmmaker Jørgen Leth to remake Leth's 1967 short film The Perfect Human (1967) five times, each time with different limitations: The first film must be shot in Cuba with no shot longer than 12 frames, the second must be made in the worst place in the world, the third must be made without any limitations, the fourth has to be an animation and the fifth is made by von Trier but is credited as Leth’s. The film is not only about different ways and techniques, the narrative, and to work within close limitations but furthermore about the relationship between von Trier and Leth, and von Trier (as the student) challenging his mentor and in doing so supporting and paying respect to, and invigorating him. The documentary is relevant to my project because it shows how supportive strong limitations can be to the creative outcome of a project.

Vogler, C. (1998). The writer's journey (2nd ed.). Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions.

The Writer’s Journey translates Campbell’s aforementioned The Hero With a Thousand Faces into a guideline for screenwriters. Vogler follows the hero’s journey with the help of contemporary film examples. One could argue that this very influential book had an overall more negative than positive effect on cinema as it seems that it was often misread as a formula that created predictable films. Nevertheless it is an interesting read, yet not as rich in content as Campbell’s original.

Vorhaus, J. (1994). The comic toolbox. Los Angeles, CA: Silman-James Press.

Vorhaus’ book is an easy and entertaining read on comic storytelling. Contrary to its title I found it just as useful for the development of serious fiction. The hands-on tools that the author provides are useful ways to trigger creative processes and to gain confidence in writing. I frequently go back to some of these motivating tools, also for my current dramatic narrative.

Watson, B. (1993). The lotus sutra. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

This contemporary translation of a very influencial Buddhist sutra makes the original text accessible. What links it to my  project is the extremely visual language that in Campbell’s words functions to “transport the mind and spirit, not up to, but past them [the gods], into the yonder void” (Campbell, 1973, p. 180). It thus represents a very early literary work that uses symbolic fiction to simultaneously connect to a reader’s conscious and subconscious mind.

KEY TEXT:

Writers Guild of America. (2008, October 23). Charlie Kaufman on his latest film & why “movies are dead”. YouTube. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxps3oouNiQ

Please refer to the annotation.

KEY TEXT:

Yamamura, K. (2002). Atama Yama. Tokyo, Japan: Shochiku Films.

Please refer to the annotation.

Žižek, S. (1992). Looking awry: an introduction to Jacques Lacan through popular culture. MIT Press.

Žižek provides a contemporary view on the theory of Lacan and applies it in works of popular culture. A major part of the book is dedicated to a Lacanian view on Alfred Hitchcock’s work. The book may not be as deep as Lacan’s original work but it functions as an accessible introduction to his theory about reality and the real.