Abstract

Art is omnipresent, and the exclusivity in any form of art comes from our surrounding and the environment that we surround ourselves with. This thesis attempts to investigate the characteristic work of an Indian director, Satyajit Ray (1921-1992) from a modern point of view and bring back his work that has been forgotten with time. Satyajit Ray introduced the Neorealism movement 1 to Indian cinema, and came to be known for his artistic style which offered a certain sense of universality to the expression depicted. The honest portrayals in his work resonated with the international audience for the first time in the history of Indian cinema.

Neorealism is a documentary style of shooting movies where they mostly used non-professional actors and filmed at real locations, in real environments. The point was that of capturing life in its purest forms which mostly addressed the rural and the poor class in the society.

My thesis engages in studying the significance of Ray’s work in today’s world, and briefly discusses ways to incorporate the same kind of work with today’s technology and audience. I have studied one of his masterpiece’s called “The Apu Trilogy” which is a fusion of sadness, humour and poetry with exceptionally little resort to the spoken words. It’s an attempt to establish a connection between his films with the contemporary American culture, hence navigating across culture boundaries. Attention to detail, minute observation, and appreciation of issues in a mundane human life were characteristic features of Ray’s work. These are some points that I am trying to focus on through an audio-video presentation. This thesis will attempt to reintroduce Ray’s virtues into a rather modern setting of today’s time.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Ray, Satyajit, 1921-1992--Criticism and interpretation--Interactive multimedia--Design; Motion pictures, Indic--History and criticism--Interactive multimedia--Design

Publication Date

5-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Visual Communication Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

School of Design (CIAS)

Advisor

Daniel DeLuna

Advisor/Committee Member

Chris Jackson

Advisor/Committee Member

Shaun Foster

Comments

Physical copy available from RIT's Wallace Library at PK1718.R3119 D46 2015

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

VISCOM-MFA

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