Close Reading
I believe that one of the rare qualities of people in my profession, and one that I hope to improve on in the future, is the ability to perform a close reading of a text. With the importance of applying theories to everything it can sometimes be too easy to forget just how important it is to sit down and really dig deep into the primary text.
That is why I was so impressed with this article by Dave Addey at typesetinthefuture.com about a film I have never seen: Moon. There is really no theory behind this detailed reading, just a careful attention to detail. Addey’s creative and well-written post does one more thing: it draws attention to the fact that the creators of Moon were very careful as well with detail. They didn’t throw this thing together. To take a phrase from Shawn Blanc, they took Delight in the Details. Reading Addey’s examination of Moon made me remember to be more careful when I read, and to be more careful when I create. I need to not get lost in the theory and remember to delight in the details.