Help me title my PhD thesis?

May 28, 2009 7:15 AM

Help me title my PhD thesis! Cool Photography/Cinema/Camera phrases wanted!

The subtitle will be: Aspects of Photography and Cinema in the Fiction of XXX. But I need a cool front title. Something along the lines of:

Through the Lens: Aspects of....
Adjusting the Lens: Aspects of...

But those are kind of lame. I'm trying to come up with something that incorporates both photography and film, so "camera" and "lens" work but "shutter" doesn't, for example. The thesis focuses on the various angles of this visual field, so something that indicates a multiplicity of meaning would be great. Bonus points if it's a quotation from someone like Sontag.

You will get full credit in my thesis acknowledgments!

posted by meerkatty to Writing & Language (19 answers total)

Viewfinder: aspects etc
Iconoscope
eye focus (sorry)
reflecting reflexes...

/I'm just going to give up and slink away now.
posted by b33j at 7:23 AM on May 28, 2009

Best answer: How about 'Depth of Field'?
posted by echo target at 7:40 AM on May 28, 2009 [1 favorite]

Exposed: (or Unexposed:)
Glass Eye:
Diffusion: (or Diffused:)

(I wish I knew who XXX was, it could help!)
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:42 AM on May 28, 2009

Or 'Through a Glass, Darkly' (from Corinthians) or 'Through a Glass, Clearly' (Asimov novel)
posted by echo target at 7:43 AM on May 28, 2009

Other terms to play with:

Aperture

Aspect Ratio

and my favorite:

Reciprocity Failure
posted by availablelight at 8:05 AM on May 28, 2009

Echoing showbiz_liz, it would help to know who 'XXX' is. For example, if it were Nabokov, I might suggest "Camera Obscura" or "Transparent Things".
posted by trip and a half at 8:09 AM on May 28, 2009

Oops -- meant to elaborate on that: is there a title or quote from the work of 'XXX' that would be appropriate?
posted by trip and a half at 8:11 AM on May 28, 2009

Vanishing Points: Aspects of Photography and Cinema in the Fiction of XXX.
posted by jamjam at 9:23 AM on May 28, 2009

Filmic.
posted by bardic at 9:30 AM on May 28, 2009

Or, if there is a deep vein of the grotesque in your author's work:

Stories of the Eye: Aspects of Photography and Cinema in the Fiction of XXX.
posted by jamjam at 9:30 AM on May 28, 2009

Yeah, knowing who your subject is would help. That said, here are some random things I've thought of.

Training the Camera (as in "training the camera on" something or someone)
Lens Flare (especially apposite if it's a whizbang prose stylist)
Aperture (I love this word)
Shot in Black and White (could only be married to specific writers but could be great)
Dynamic Range (would suit a very varied author)
High Contrast (another phrase that would suit only very specific writers)
Zoom Lens (I like the way the letters look on the page)
Scratching on Film (appropriate for a writer)
posted by Kattullus at 9:35 AM on May 28, 2009

Camera Obscura
posted by DrDreidel at 9:42 AM on May 28, 2009

"Single Lens Redux: Aspects of..."?
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 11:18 AM on May 28, 2009

Close-Up
Saturated Images
posted by WeekendJen at 11:28 AM on May 28, 2009

Best answer: Depth of Field: Aspects of Photography and Cinema in the Fiction of XXX
posted by dersins at 3:05 PM on May 28, 2009

How to figure out your thesis title.
posted by Weng at 3:30 PM on May 28, 2009

Best answer: On a more helpful note, I too like "Depth of Field"...
posted by Weng at 3:32 PM on May 28, 2009

Response by poster: Depth of Field....I think that's the winner so far. Thanks!
posted by meerkatty at 5:03 PM on May 28, 2009

* Shots between the [Mind's] Eye .... blah blah blah (ahhh, that one sucks, hang on, I'm just getting started)
* Running in Circles of Confusion, from stills to motion pictures .... blah blah blah
* --- on the "multiplicity" slant: A Thousand Words' Worth at 24FPS (OMG, I love that one)
* Running to Stand Still; Still Photography's influence on Modern Cinema
* Kinetic Stills: Photography's Influence on Motion Pictures

Good luck! When's the defense?
posted by Lukenlogs at 1:27 PM on May 31, 2009