Restoring the Quality of Spatial Identity Applying Cinema

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 1 Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

One of the most important criteria to evaluate urban spaces is its quality. The existence of these criteria has been proposed to perceive and receive space, the presence of citizens and the transmission of concepts such as identity, vitality, dynamism, memory. Representing the quality of space in mass media such as cinema helps to improve the quality of the human-space relationship and the continuity of features that may change over time. Therefore, according to the research issue, cinema can both complement urban knowledge and, as a valid document, help the audience understand space and urban issues, confirming or denying the characteristics of space. Thus, it has a powerful effect on the viewer and emotions. The purpose of this research is how to represent urban space and environmental quality in one of the best romantic comedy films in history, written and directed by Woody Allen, called Midnight in Paris. The research method was qualitative and independent of numerical documents, based on experimental work (film). Data collection was library-documentary and film viewing. In this research, first, using urban planning texts, four categories of environmental quality were summarized in a table and the criteria obtained from it were in accordance with the film semiotics and related codes. The film analysis was based on the content analysis of sequences containing urban spaces and only image analysis. The results indicate that in order to achieve and accurately understand urban space, information about space can be obtained through cinema as a visual tool, and the definitions of temporal, spatial and cultural and social realities can be defined and redefined enhancing the value of urban space in order to improve and strengthen concepts such as identity, sense of place, city memory
 
Keywords: urban space quality, public areas, cinema, mental image.
Introduction
The more attractive the environment is to the observer, the more lasting an image is triggered in his mind which will be the foundational reason for his actions. Likewise, one of the goal of urban design is to promote spaces and places. People come across and encounter the locations and spaces via perceptions and images, so interacting with the environment may be based on direct experience of the environment or indirectly through media and film. Cinema focuses on the concept of ­city image and utilizes physical, socio-cultural, functional and­ perceptual­ component of urban city to influence people. Given the above issues, the importance of identifying and enhancing the image of the city by cinema, as one of the most important measures of urban competitiveness, becomes increasingly apparent. In this regard, the thought-provoking and key questions arise asking both how the image of the city is formed in film and what the main components of a city image are in film.
Materials and Methods:
The present study was conducted as a descriptive-analytic theoretical-practical study­ .­The method of data collection is documentary-libraries. ­The research seeks to find the relationship between­ urban spaces and cinema which is considered as theoretical aspect of this research. The results can be used by urban designer, urban planners and filmmaker. It is considered as an applied research too.In this regard, it has been attempted to identify the components of­ urban ­spaces quality, after evaluating the theories and guiding ideas of these two topics in the theoretical literature of the subject and then the relationship between these two issues has been considered.­­ The purpose of this research is how to represent urban space and present environmental quality in one of the best romantic comedy films in history, written and directed by Woody Allen, called Midnight in Paris
Results and Discussion
Based on the theories, interpretations and analyzes, some of the present research questions  can now be discussed and answered; The person first comes to the primary perception of the environment with regard to the external features of the environment, including the design dimension,­ visual fit and physical structure, identity as well as its function and activity. In the next step, the meaning of the environment, will be discovered. As mentioned before, the image of a city is a general feeling that people have about it and when the name of urban spaces is associated with it, it can be positive or negative. Each of the components of urban space in turn influences the formation of the image in the minds of the people. However, what is known as the overall image is about urban spaces as a whole, which is a mixture of different components that evokes an inner sense of that urban spaces. For example, when people think or remember about urban spaces and call it pleasant or unpleasant, they call it likable or dislikable. In this research, urban quality components were ­ examined. In this section, in order to achieve the main goal of the research, the question appeared in this area is discussed considering the theoretical examination of the connection between the components of urban spaces quality and cinema. In this regard, first the concept of urban space quality is discussed and then the relationship between the two concepts of city and cinema is examined and analyzed. The case study was: midnight in Paris.
According to what has been said by different researchers, urban spaces quality divided into four parts: physical,­­ cultural­ and social, functional and­ perceptual­. Important Buildings, symbolic monuments, historic textures and buildings, and urban design or landscape design of a city or area are among the physical and perceptual indicators. Urban facility includes events, festivals, cultures and social features of the local community along with the arts and traditions of the socio-cultural group. Services for people including coffee and shop, access to urban spaces and location, traffic situation, alongside shopping and leisure centers, are part of functional component in urban spaces, which are represented in the film Midnight in Paris. What can be considered certain is the use of all component in order to make the urban spaces more successful in cinema.
Conclusion:
Regarding the relationship between cinema and urban spaces, it can be said that cinema ­­is related to the concept of image and re-imagining of spaces and places. Managing a city’s image in cinema   is essential because it is the individual perceptions and the image that shape the emotional and behavioral response in urban spaces leading to the creation of a favorable mental image of the urban space.  

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Main Subjects

References

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