[in]Transition

If I had to sum up Karin Spišáková’s entry on Hannibal in a word, which word would I choose?

My first thought is of “defamiliarization.” Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines “defamiliarize” as “to present or render in an unfamiliar artistic form usually to stimulate fresh perception.” Indeed, the close-up shot can do just that, as many have discussed since the early days of cinema, from Walter Benjamin to Mary Ann Doane. But, taking a lead from Spišáková, perhaps more interesting than the dictionary definition of “defamiliarization” is this example listed underneath it, which could easily apply to the clips featured in the video: “And these fragments, when examined closely, defamiliarize ordinary […] reality in a manner different from that of hypnagogia.” The images featured in the video not only defamiliarize the objects they display in extreme close-up, but are themselves defamiliarized by Spišáková’s edit, which removes them from their original narrative context, enabling their examination and aesthetic appreciation alongside formally-similar images. This act of defamiliarization in fact characterizes much of videographic criticism. And, of course, a defamiliarization of sorts is also enacted here on the format of the TV Dictionary itself, with the inspired choice of focusing on example sentences rather than word definitions. This highlights the contextual nature of language, including audiovisual language, as Spišáková reflects in her creator’s statement.

Her entry relates to my own (much simpler and more “traditional”) entry on Dexter in several ways: both series focus on serial killers, of course; both play with subjective perspectives, at times focalizing the narrative through abnormal, traumatized or pathological subjectivities outside “normal” society – another form of defamiliarization of the “regular.” In Dexter’s case, this is particularly evident in the opening credits sequence, which renders the familiar and mundane – an ordinary morning routine – strange and sinister. Both entries have chosen to focus on highly-stylized sequences that make much use of extreme close-up shots, though in Dexter’s case this is the exception to the rule, whereas Hannibal deploys such aesthetic defamiliarization more freely.

But while “defamiliarization” certainly provides some insight into the video, I find myself drawn to that final word in the sentence quoted above: “hypnagogia.” I will admit I had to look that one up! Merriam-Webster defines “hypnagogic” as “of, relating to, or occurring in the period of drowsiness immediately preceding sleep.” Once again, underneath this definition can be found a relevant sentence: “The hypnagogic state is that heady lull between wakefulness and sleep when thoughts and images flutter, melt, and transform into wild things.” Perhaps “hypnagogia,” then, would be the word I would choose to capture the essence of Spišáková’s entry, in which thoughts, images, and words indeed flutter, melt, and transform into wild things.