Linguistic Transitions Rolling Through the Electronic Windows of Memory

     "Three Transitions" and "Vertical Roll" provided interesting displays of how camera placement and use can create unique creative opportunities, something which can be employed by us in our projects.  "Electronic Linguistic" and "Windows" were two I enjoyed because there were moments in which what I was seeing was not really what I was seeing, especially in "Electronic Linguistic".  No doubt there is a certain level of artistic ability and craftsmanship that goes into it as well as patience to allow it to happen, but it is something we can take away.
     "Art of Memory" was interesting for its use of the real and the fabricated (and a world with its own set of realities and myths) and this is something that I would like to try.  I know there's green screen and all that good stuff, but I would rather try to take another approach because part of what I liked about "Art of Memory" is that it wasn't trying to hide the fabricated from the real (at least in my mind) and green screen, though it is amazing what you can do with it, does seem to be trying to hide (unless it's a parody, of course).
     Though I don't have any solid ideas yet, I would like to take self-created characters or objects and place them in real and/or fabricated settings and see what happens.  I know, very loose idea.  I'll work on it!

Jenkins: Push and Pull

On Page 224 of Jenkins' "Convergence Culture," he describes television as a push medium in that messages are sent out to the public whether the public is seeking them or not and he describes the internet as a pull medium in that it serves those with an interest in a particular topic and they seek it out. While this certainly isn't new in media, it is useful for us to think about ways in which we can use the different tools available to us and what sort of information we unleash in those mediums.  Jenkins suggests that the internet is for hardcore fans and television for the undecided.  I think it is fair to say that videos and/or films can be roughly equated to television in an artistic sense as many people watch a movie not knowing much about it and once they start watching it the information is pushed at them, so to speak.  This rough translation is certainly arguably wrong, but I think it can work if we consider the video or film just part of the 'art' we are creating and the internet (blogs, websites, facebook pages, etc.) is another aspect of the piece of art as a whole.  If someone watches a video I make and likes it and is encouraged to visit either a blog or a website or facebook page about the video, then their experience may be enhanced.  Obviously, this is one of the things Jenkins has been discussing, but I think the push and pull idea really made me understand some of the power of convergence.

An idea I am just now working on deals with our second project.  Without any spoilers in case you read this before the viewing, there are a couple of ways in which I could totally use this idea because my second project has 3 vignettes and 2 of them I can easily see having further 'life'.  The video project would be the pull, hopefully garnering interest for further inquiry by the viewer.  One of the vignettes would probably be best served by an interactive blog and the other could easily have a facebook page and website that further explores its life which could lead to more videos.  I know I'm being vague, but will expand upon this as the semester moves forward.  While part of me sees this as an interesting idea, another part of me is more interested in just making the videos and doesn't want to bother with the other internet work.  Of course, who knows, maybe I would like it?

How to Fix a World of Disorder

     I enjoyed both of the screenings and took something from each.  "Disorder" was powerful because Huang Weikei used sound very effectively.  We typically heard something before we saw something and the sound didn't always match what we saw (especially in the 2nd part) as the sound was often a leftover from the previous scene that carried over into the new scene.  A perfect example of this was the pig squealing as it was carried over from one scene to the next and was effective in adding an extra layer of tension to the already disturbing images of people being manhandled.
     This is definitely a technique that I can employ in the projects for this class and it all becomes a matter of picking certain sounds with certain images.  As well, choosing when not to use any sound at all is another choice because with the flood of sound, silence also becomes a powerful tool to use.  As you (Todd) suggested in class, you can spend an unbelievable amount of time working with audio while editing video and I will say that I typically spend the same, if not more time on the audio than I do the video.  That means, for me, learning how not to overdo it then becomes the trick.
     "How to Fix the World" was, to me, just one of those perfect videos in that it incorporated captivating images, provided educational moments and interesting information, and allowed humor to enter the discussion.  The take away from this screening for me was the use of humor and I know that is not an editing or filming technique (well, maybe it is), but I think it is often overlooked as a way to share information.  In this case, if the information was to be shared in a traditional way (narration or interviews or on screen printed quotes), even the best visual graphics would have rendered this a far less entertaining watch.  And, I'm not saying you have to entertain me all the time, but if you can share information and entertain the audience without losing the integrity of the information, why not do it?  I will look for moments where I can reassess how I'm transmitting the information to the audience and see if there is another way I can share it that may not only bring a smile to someone's face, but also inform them.  Like I said, I'm not a believer that you have to do this, but if you can, why not?  The subject matter may lead you one way or the other, but Mel Brooks and Spielberg have covered some of the same material in their movies and both of them have taken different approaches.  This probably was not the best example of what I am trying to say, but I think it's just a good idea to ask yourself if you can cover your subject from another angle and see what you get.

Jenkins: The 6th Beatle

     "I read the news today, oh boy..." - These lyrics, from the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" made me think that the idea of telling a story across multiple mediums is nothing new.  For a while there, every Beatles lyric was referenced and cross-referenced by fans and critics as they scoured newspapers, films, television shows, literature, pop-culture, etc. to find out what the deeper meaning was to the songs and to enrich their experience (oh, and maybe some of them were a bit OCD, too!).  Some went as far as to create elaborate urban-myths surrounding the song titles and lyrics, citing sources and creating a stir in the entertainment world.

     Whether or not the Beatles fully intended on this to happen is debatable, but what isn't debatable is the power behind an artist multi-tasking his or her art.  They did this by creating 'concept albums', films, artwork, poetry books, costumes, etc. and making them accessible.  They also financed business and creative ideas by opening their doors to the general public and if a person had a good idea, they would finance it.  As well, Lennon often personalized his lyrics based off of public knowledge of his life experiences (this has become standard practice in the music industry).  Because of this, I believe, the Beatles were able to transcend from a pop-band to a world-wide phenomenon that has lasted generations.

     I think telling a story across multiple mediums has a lot of possibilities.  Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" gave me an idea.  During the song, a record exec asks the band, "By the way, which one is Pink?" and it led me to think of how that idea of misinterpreted and manufactured identity could work using multiple mediums.  I think it would be interesting to create a blog titled "Who is Gabby Ludwig?" and this blog would be about many things such as politics, dating, and religion.  The blog is supported by a man on the street video asking people, "Who is Gabby Ludwig?" (amongst other questions) as well as a "Who is Gabby Ludwig?" documentary that is about a webvision show called, "Gabby Ludwig".  The webvision show could be an interview of local artists type show.  None of these are actually about Gabby Ludwig, rather, they are about everything but Gabby Ludwig.  I know it sounds confusing, but I think it would be an interesting case-study into how public identity and name recognition are created and/or supported via multiple mediums.  It's just a loose idea right now and hasn't really taken on any tangible possibilities, but I think it would be fun to do.
     Looking back, I made a 40-minute B-movie in 2012 in which the main character was a depressed young man who tried a new product that was guaranteed to turn his life around:  it was a label-maker device (with an IPHONE interface) that was installed on him that would allow the company to send him messages to tell him what to do - I now realize I could have very easily incorporated the multi-medium storytelling idea to enhance the experience for the viewer.  Especially since the product itself was using a mix of old and new technology. I could have created a fake website where viewers could have created their very own label-making to do lists and they could have chosen which products they would choose to be told to consume.  As well, my friend made some original music and created a fake band name and I could have very easily created a facebook page for the fake band (and all the other characters).  I also had a fake terrorist group with the initials R.O.T. that I could have easily created youtube videos establishing street cred for them (even though the R.O.T. storyline was the biggest flaw of the movie, in my opinion).  All in hindsight, right?  The project already sapped so much of my time that I could not have completed any of this in time for when the project was due.  However, for future projects it will be something I will think about, especially since I know a couple of interweb designing geeky nerd types who probably would love that sort of stuff.  

Boundaries Revisited

After our class screening and upon further reflection of the first project, there are some things I am pleased with about Boundaries on a Sunday Morning and some lessons learned.

I was pleased with being able to construct a concept and create it onscreen and know that having a general visual outline before I shot the video gave me a sense of purpose with the camera.  Scripting as much as possible is a good thing, because if I don't know what I'm doing, how can I expect my audience to know?  This doesn't mean I can or should plan everything, it just means the more concrete I am with my concept and plan, the more opportunities for video 'magic' to happen.

The chaotic element of not knowing what the dog would or wouldn't do also allowed an 'in the moment' type atmosphere while I was shooting.  The risk/reward of that chaos is this:   since I wanted the dog to be just a part of what I was shooting, I think I could have mapped other targets of interest so that when the camera was away from the dog, the composition of the subject and the target would be just as captivating as the dog.  So, I sort of allowed myself to be at the mercy of the dog, so to speak. :-)

Other than that, I feel good about the project and it made me realize that I don't tend to rely on long takes very much, as I choose to cut a lot and use shorter takes.  I look forward to trying to incorporate some longer takes in my future projects - where appropriate!

Precession of Simulacra and other dreams

     I was immediately drawn to this idea:  "It is the map that engenders the territory and if we were to revive the fable today, it would be the territory whose shreds are slowly rotting across the map.  It is the real, and not the map, whose vestiges subsist here and there, in the deserts which are no longer the Empire, but our own.  The desert of the real itself".  Now, I know I am taking this way off on a tangent that is probably not being referred to here, but I've always wanted to work with the visualization of the male and female body being an actual map, but have not found a way to use it.  Reading Simulations and the above passage specifically, made me think that you could tell a visual story by focusing on different body parts that correlate to that part of the story either in a real, physiological sense or in a symbolic way.

     In some ways, the idea is reminiscent of Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man in that a character has a body full of tattoos and when you look at one, it transports you to a different time and space and characters and story.  I don't think I would go to that extreme, though, as I would rather use the mapping system of a person's body and its parts to perhaps create an entire story for that person.

     It could be done several different ways, but establishing the visual of the body as a map would be an important aspect and it seems like it could be done with some extreme make-up to render the body to look like an actual map or you could go to the other extreme and make it very campy with seemingly interactive special effects where the 'Host' of the video story could 'click' on the main character's body part and that body part would zoom to a close up and then the story of that particular part of the person's body and life would begin.

     Here are a few ways to use the body as a map for visual storytelling purposes:  When first showing the person as a map, it would be vital to explore the idea that the person's life events happen chronologically, but the telling of their life story as how that person lives and relives it (because we drift between the past, present, and future), may not be chronological, so just as the body doesn't haven't an apparent beginning or end (no butt jokes here, please), their life story could be shared or experienced like a road trip or 'where do you want to go next?' vacation trip ideal.  Each body part would be labeled like a map, and each city or mountain or lake or forest could contain several experiences within the same locale of life events, such as romance (the nape of the neck, perhaps), family (the left hand), spirituality (the right knee), jobs (the mouth), etc.

     No matter how you map it or choose what body parts represent what life events, I think it could create some wonderful visual opportunities.  Simply focusing only on a person's mouth while they apologize to someone could be one way to use the body part mapping system and create an interesting visual dynamic, but to mix it up the mouth could also start another story, but be totally rendered silent while the character experiences his or her first passionate kiss, leaving the person to wonder what the lips and tongue dream about.