Future So Bright

Matt McCormick’s 2010 film “Future So Bright” depicts an array of decaying buildings set in rural areas throughout middle and western America.  Many of the structures shown are only the ghostly shells of what once were full-bodied homes and businesses.    Each shot functions as a portrait, inviting the viewer to imagine a narrative.

The shots are very long and still, giving heightened attention to the very little movement that does occur.  The eye becomes very sensitive to the subtlest of movement in the grass or the shifts in the wind.  This lends a meditative quality to the film, as if the camera is taking a long moment of silence and stillness out of respect for each abandoned structure. 

The angle and framing of the shots transform the houses into monuments—they appear large on the horizon, overcoming the golden landscapes on which they were built.  The stillness of the shots also imbues the ghostly structures with a certain sense of monumentality, encouraging the viewer to pause and reflect on a nearly still image.