1) Richard Finkelstein creates and photographs miniature cinematic scenes. His compositions are well balanced and he uses the rule of thirds. His work also contains leading lines and gives the viewer various viewpoints.
2) In this series, Finkelstein creates a rich, ambient world and he explores the idea of movies as windows into a fantasy world. He shows us characters who are experiencing this fantasy world and also shows when the movie is over and the usher has to sweep up popcorn and sodas, but the images of the movie live on. For example, the last photo shows a man sweeping trash off the floor, yet on the screen we can see a sliver of a man projected. Finkelstein's work is inspired by paintings by Edward Hopper and Alfred Hitchcock films. His work comments on the impact of movies on our emotions and how movies let the viewers inside a fantasy reality.
3) I think this series is really cool! I love the idea of creating a miniature scene. At first glance I didn't realize everything was miniature because they look like scenes that could be taken from real life. I also can see how the influence of Hitchcock and Edward Hopper come through. The first image looks very Hitchcock with the black and white and moody tone. The scale of the woman on the screen also creates a dramatic effect. I can see the influence of Hopper, especially in the last image where there is a single figure and through the use of light and shadow effects. Hopper also carefully calculated compositions and that is what Finkelstein does when he creates and photographs these scenes.
I was going to chose this photographer as well! Love the play on the mingling of the still life and theatre elements.
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