Jack Cronin

This film centres around a scene in Blade Runner in which the main character, Rick Deckard, is examining a photograph using a machine that allows him to zoom in on certain parts of the picture. Not only is he able to zoom in, but it’s revealed that he can also look around and behind objects within the photograph. In doing so, Deckard can draw out clues that, from the perspective of current technology, it would seem impossible to see. Deckard’s investigation in the film ultimately reveals things not just about the case he’s working on, but also about himself.

Based upon a short story (of the same name) by Franz Kafka, My Neighbor deals with anxiety and suspicion. This film was produced in conjunction with the Experimental Narrative Filmmaking class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee during the spring of 2002.

During their annual migration to Mexico, thousands of monarch butterflies funnel into Point Pelee National Park in Leamington, Ontario, where they wait for calm weather to allow them to fly across Lake Erie. The Wind That Held Us Here uses images and sound captured at Point Pelee National Park, as well as poetic text, to explore the concept of transmigration. The visual style uses monochromatic tones to isolate the shapes and natural features of the park, inviting the viewer to focus on the invisible but always present wind. The film is intended as a visual expression of the fleeting wind and ever-passing time.

Filmed at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan over the course of three years, this work, which loosely follows the cycle of seasons, is a study of the landscape and an attempt to represent the unique character of this region.

The Deer and the Antelope is a personal, experimental documentary that briefly explores the lives of Burton and Carla Cronin, the filmmaker's parents. The film blends interviews, home video and cinematic collage to suggest the randomness of memory and visual texture of perception.

A filmic postcard from Isle Royale National Park by Jack Cronin.

A study in contrast of Las Vegas and the Red Rock Canyon.

Invisible City was filmed in Detroit over the course of three years. Inspired by Italo Calvino's "Invisible Cities," in which the Italian author suggests that what constitutes a city is not so much its physical structure but the impression it makes upon its visitors. The film is loosely organized into four segments representing spring, summer, fall, and winter.

A study of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the winter/spring of 2018.

Rivergarden was filmed along the Huron River and Malletts Creek in Ann Arbor and Dexter, Michigan. The film incorporates images of light and moving water, as well as the filmmaker's children.