The challenge of conveying semantic structure through cinema has tested filmmakers since the inception of plot driven short movies in the early 20th century. This film uses a combination of cameras, stock footage, and still photography, to depict the splendid rise and ultimately bleak fall of human civilization using the power of montage, sound design, and image manipulation to sustain the narrative. In particular, the intent is to trace the genesis and evolution of the human animal from his primitive conception to what will ultimately be his inevitable demise in a series of shots, ostensibly unrelated, arranged to depict the seventh, and final day in the Book of Genesis, the day when God rested. This project and the film, Di_s Septem, examine methods of conveying narrative virtually absent of actors, characters, and a limited amount of text. Roles of montage, editing, and audio design in the establishment of narrative structure are addressed, and analyzed to illustrate the innate ability of these elements to tell the story absent of dialogue, text interspersed by long moments where video and sound design take center stage in the interpolation of the story. The DVD of the film is available for viewing at the Media Center of Love Library.
