Installation- Minute!

It was great getting feedback from the class for the project. We had been focusing so much on the interactive element that we did leave out the main video streaming part of the project. We were still unsure how to go about the project after discussing it with the class. After a long group meeting we were able to find a great median. We decided to still keep the idea of the clock but simplify it a bit and have the 4 people who are the second hand attempt to finish their minute as soon as the minute video is over. We are going to play with fast a slower edits and styles to see if that will affect the time the groups finish.

We loved that we can still incorporate the clock concept as well as experience time with everyone through our videos. I think overall it will be easier to follow and I really hope the audience has fun with it. It will be nice to have people moving around since it will be so cold out. We may not be as tech savvy as the other groups but I still feel that this will be very visual and interactive!

Time Instillation Ideas

So I’m very excited about this time instillation. As I’ve been brainstorming more and more there are several ways that we can go ahead with this project. My main hope is to really delve into the concept of time and how we are all ‘living in the moment’ without really absorbing it. I also like the idea of the past- so each moment that happens now will soon become just a time in our past. I don’t know how much I will go into the future aspect but I really want to focus on the current present time.

There are several images that we can project on the screen- maybe images of clocks entwined with different colors –the idea of how time can affect you with the different sight of color. Also there could be images of people growing old before our eyes but that might get tricky since I don’t think we have much experience technically to represent that well. We could also project images of the audience in present time with clocks spinning in the background to show visually that time is passing them all by in this very moment.

I really want to focus on the interactive element of this instillation and have the audience experience this with us. I thought a neat idea would be to display an image of a couple clocks and ask them to determine what is wrong with the image. This would just be a “waste of time” for the audience but would hopefully open their eyes a bit to how important each minute is.

Also I really like how the past can be different than we remember since our memory isn’t always the best resource. So it might be neat to ask the audience to remember certain moments in the past- although I mostly want to focus on time and not so much memory so we shall see.

One of the films from Cucalorus talked about living lie to the fullest. I really want the audience leaving with the idea that everything they do matters and each moment is important. I also want to close the instillation with celebrating cinema and photography because it is the only way that you can really “capture” time. I’m definitely struggling with how the best way to interact the audience but hopefully when we narrow our ideas it will become more concrete. 

CUCALORUS

Cucalorus is such a great film festival! I was so happy that I was able to attend the screenings and can’t wait to see everyone else’s thoughts about it. I attended the Flesh Jelly Shorts. I really enjoyed it even though it kept me squirming in my seat and confused my brain the whole time!  The first initial thought was that the cinematography in each was spectacular. The quality and scenery of the shots made it so enjoyable to watch. This was my first festival I have attended so for me it was so fun to enjoy really great cinematography in every production. 

My favorite short from this block was by far was the closing one: Blackstory. Although the bloody shots were a little hard to watch, I thought it was genius. This was a film that I would watch over and over again. The use of multiple screens showing at once MADE this film. I don’t think it could have had such a strong impact without this unique addition. The multiple screens combined with reading foreign dialogue made it so difficult to follow along with each individual shot- yet that is what made it so great! It was so suspenseful and yet rewarding throughout the film. You already know the fait of these characters from the beginning, so seeing them get closer and closer to their death was pretty exhilarating to watch. I liked the idea of knowing that these characters will die from the start. There is still a lot of mystery since it is hard to tell how each character was killed- so some of the fun is putting all the pieces together. It was also funny because the whole time I was anticipated their death yet not really wanting them to die. This is crazy to me since none of them had characteristics that would make you wish them well- but you are on this journey with them so you can’t help but watch. Our music video idea was generated from the design of using multiple screens so seeing this film really showed how it can be carried out well. This film really played with my head and I loved it!

I also loved the idea of the Chance film. Some people did not like this one as much, and I do agree that it lagged a bit; but I thought it came full circle in the end. From the start, you know that this killer is not messing around-, which provided the suspense from the beginning. I especially liked the moment that he was speaking with Catherine (I think was her name- the one that ends up living) and talked about how she will grow old and look back on her life and how she never accomplished anything. Dying is a scary thought and what he said is so true- we all need to live to the fullest cause you never know what will happen. I really liked the spin that it took at the end too. Hearing the other characters say her name, you assume that this means she will die- but in the end she gets to live. It was crazy to me too because you almost feel more sorry for her than the others that are about to die- knowing she has to live with that fear of him returning and the sadness of the others that she watched die for the rest of her life. I really enjoyed the film and I thought it was a great discussion opener.

Also loved Journey to Planet X. This was not part of the shorts but I wanted to mention it. I love documentary and I thought this one especially is the reason I love them so much. I was laughing the whole film and it was such a joy to watch. It was also great speaking with the directors after! Loved the festival and can’t wait to go again next year when I’m 21:) 

Self-Portrait

I am very excited about this self-portrait. Being born in France, I have had the luxury of traveling a lot in my life. I go to France fairly often to visit family and go on vacation. I was also able to spend this past summer living in LA. I love traveling and want to portray that in my video. I never want to stay in one place for too long and I really enjoy different cultures. I’m a very up beat and happy individual. I think showing a lot of colors and movement would help illustrate that. I’m a bit nervous on what I will be doing for music but I’m sure I can come up with something. It will be neat to edit an experimental version of myself :) 

Film Festivals

I'm so happy that Wilmington has started up the Dirt Poor Film Festival. It was so much fun when I went last time. It was just neat to get a lot of film students together to enjoy cinema together. It is always enjoyable to grab a drink with friends and share things together. Dirt poor is able to do this at such a reasonable price. It is also very smart that they have it once a month so that it isn’t too much but still a good amount. Hope that makes sense!

I would really like to see more foreign films brought to local festivals. I'm from Cary and there is a smaller movie theater called the Galaxy theater. http://www.mygalaxycinema.com/ It is so much fun to go to this theater. Most of the films are either foreign or independent films. I love going to this theater because you're able to get a glass of wine and beer at a reasonable price. There was a big dispute that occurred last month. There was a feud over having a Harris Teeter getting built and taking down the theater. Thankfully the theater was able to win it over. It is such a shame that huge corporations even attempt to remove small businesses like that.

From Art House to "Microcinema"

I found this article very interesting. It was such an enjoyable and simple read since we have already learned a bit about the Aurora Picture Show. Theaters are getting so expensive these days that it is so nice to know that there are outlets like these available. I’m so happy that Wilmington was able to create such a hip and interactive Dirt Poor festival. I love the idea of how intimate the experience is with less people. This is something that I have yet to experience and would really love to. I thought it was really neat how one place screened films inside of a school bus! I’d love to know how they went about doing that.

So many people are able to pick up a camera these days and film and create something. I feel that this generation, more than ever needs an outlet like microcinemas in order to show their work. It is not so easy to make it to California, so I think these outlets are great ways to promote the joy of film making and screening. 

Music Video AD

I’m very excited about the music video project! The group I have is really great and everyone is able to work well together. So far we have some great ideas. We would like to highlight great parts of downtown Wilmington and the beach with this song. We want a lot of movement and freedom shown throughout. As Assistant Director, I will be making sure everything looks great when shooting. I’m happy to help out the Director with anything he may need. We are going to be using 1 or 2 actors for the main set up for the video. We might also find people off the streets and incorporate them into the video. I will be in charge of making sure all the props are ready on set for the day of the shoots. I’m happy to assist with any style to represent for the actors and set. I would love to incorporate colors and movement if possible. It will be neat to use super 8 video and I’m eager to see how the footage will come out. I'll eventually be the main editor. We are planning to have several boxes on the screen so this is a new concept I'm excited to learn about!

Project 1D

Working on assignment 1D was more difficult than I thought it would be. There were a lot of great photos to choose from and it was hard to pick which ones- and where I should put them. I first had to listen to the 2 minute sound track a couple times to figure out which photos would best to represent the music. I started selecting images that I thought would work well. Once I started putting photos in different parts of the track, I selected the length of the photos and how much they would repeat, if any. I really enjoyed creating something and then watching it play through. The idea of adding color was something that I really wanted to do, but I didn't want it to last through out. I wanted the color to be more of a surprise and special. I did see the track as a full circle idea so I wanted the beginning to be bright and have the ending end darker. I did enjoy the little “Spicy” comment made at the end so I decided to put the burger fast food image in at the end- for fun:)  I enjoyed having rhythm with the photos and I liked splashing the images with color in the middle- of the track. I enjoyed creating the images for a sound track. It was neat not having and choice in making the music. I’m excited to see what everyone else did with the images and soundtracks.

Dirt Poor Film Festival

I attended the Dirt Poor Film Festival this past Wednesday. I really loved this event and plan on attending more in the future. It was wonderful to be surrounded by peers who enjoy film. I’m so happy that we are able to create a small community outside of school. I was so curious as to how they were going to show films in a bar but I do believe they did the best that they could. I liked how there were breaks after the film segments. I do feel that the sound quality is lost since it is a bar. I would have enjoyed having subtitles just so I could fully get a sense of the film I was watching. Some films were not necessary to have much audio because they were more visually appealing but still it would be nice- since it is a bar. One of the longer films was very interesting. I was pretty confused since I could not hear much of what was going on, but I do remember that is was clearly inspired by French Noir cinema. The film was in black and white and had a very distinct Breathless feel to it. No doubt that the strongest similarities were the jump cuts and constant smoking of cigarettes. Haha. It was really great to enjoy film with so many people in such a comforting place. Everyone was celebrating the films, not critiquing them-, which was beautiful to me.

Light Descriptions

I really enjoyed the photography photos this weekend. It was really interesting working with the lighting meter as well. I have never used a devise like this before and it was fascinating understanding how it works. I thought it was supper neat how it is able to determine the f-stop. Being a projectionist, it was also cool to work with film camera. I’m always building film by threading the 35mm through a projector. Sprockets are the main thing that you have to make sure is correct so it was neat to see how sprockets are incorporated in a film camera. ‘Seeing’ the process from the beginning was really interesting. I love taking photos so it was cool to see how digital photography originated from.

I had so much fun taking the photos. It was neat to look around and try to figure out what you could capture and how. Christian and I had a good time playing around with shadows, angles and distance. This is something I never really think about with my own digital camera. I usually just point at an image that I think is neat and shoot. With iphones these days, they have pointing an shooting, as well as editing photos so SIMPLE. It is really informative for people to know how cameras have evolved and the process that it undergoes. I have to say that it is pretty nerve racking, taking a photo, and having no idea how it may have turned out. I can't wait to see what the photos looked like!

1st Presentations

The presentations were really great this time around. I really liked learning more about Jonas Mekas. The opening video was a great wait to show him off. My favorite quote by him by far now is the one that says, “We don’t want false, polished, slick films-we prefer them rough, unpolished, but alive; we don’t want rosy films,- we want them the color of blood.” I thought it was a great and powerful way to put it and I so agree with this statement. I could not believe that at the age he is, he started the 365 Day Project. He is quite a character so I really want to look into more of his films.

Viking Eggeling works were very new for me. I thought his designs were strange yet powerful. I really enjoyed how he was able to put sound into the abstract art forms. It was also interesting how he went about creating it with tinfoil and all. I liked the idea of “seeing sound”.  

Harry Smith’s works were a bit too abstract for my tastes. I give him a lot of credit for how much time and effort it took to create the films but it was very hard for me to stay interested. I enjoy much more the works by Brakhage. 

I love the way Brakhage is able to handprint color and create beautiful images. Each image I wanted to put on my wall so I could have it. The final film shown about Brakhage and his family was really great as well. I had never seen it and really enjoyed how he used light throughout. I’m so glad there was time to see the flicker of light in the boys’ room. It was pretty beautiful how the “light” was given so much purpose in the film. I think it is something to think about because Brakhage really did treat light as a character that added so much to the film. Really enjoyed learning more about each guy! 

Week 3- SOUND

I really enjoyed recording my own sounds for this project. It made me realize just how simple it can be and how important it is. I have a lot more appreciation for those that are deeply involved in sound. Music for me is always such an inspiration and key component when I create films on my own. This project had let me see that there are other important ways to design a film than just showering it with music. It was great to play around with the levels and see how different each sound can be depending on how far away the mic is in relation to it and the pitch of the object. So glad to have had some more experience with sound!

Matt Hulse’s screening was extremely insightful. I was unsure of what it would be like to simply listen to artwork sounds. I really enjoyed it! My favorite was the 2^nd one that he showed. I loved how it really told a story and was appealing to listen to. Just hearing sound leaves so much more for the imagination to explore. I really liked putting my own ideas and thoughts into it. I thought about how it would be neat if someone handed me these sounds and I had the opportunity to fill in the visual- It was a neat concept I have never explored. I also really enjoyed the blind girl. The whole time I was pretty lost and would not have even known where she actually was, had Matt not told us it was a cemetery at the end. I really want to go back and listen to them again. I think the first time its just such a different idea to think about that it definitely needs time to absorb in my brain!

Sound Blog Post!

Outside my Apartment: I sat outside my apartment on my balcony during the middle of the day to listen. I was surprised how loud and numerous the nature sounds were verses the apartment building that I was right next to. I could also hear in front of me the sound of a machine running from the houses across the way. It was definitely not a lawn mower or leaf blower but it did sound like a device that would solely be used for outside gardening. The engine would rev up for a moment and then there would be a constant monotone of the machine. I did notice that the sound seemed to only stay in one spot. Still not sure what is was but it was by far the loudest sound I heard. To my left I could hear the Cicada’s buzzing and humming at various frequencies. They would buzz for a minute with a consistent tone and then soften a few minutes later. Right next to me on the porch I could hear the rustling of leaves as the wind hit them. In the background to the left I could hear the cars drive by on the main road. On the right side of me I did not hear that much noise since there are only apartments and forest in the background. The only sound I could account for was the noise of a car being locked from a remote. It was very quiet in the distance and could have been directly behind my building. I tried to listen for the sounds of people around the apartment but for the time I was outside, I could not hear any other neighbors-, which I found surprising.

Library: Listening to people in the library by the coffee shop was more difficult than I thought. It was hard to distinctly hear all the sounds around me individually. There was of course the sound of coffee being made to my right which blended with the voice of the employees calling out various names: Kate, Matt & Jordan. I could also hear the sound of pens on paper and typing on a computer to my left. Numerous conversations were going on in all directions. The loudest ones were the people immediately to my left. I heard them discussing how much they enjoy their professor for Biology class. When I listened for other conversations, I could hear orders being made at the counter, a short hello between friends and laughter between some girls. In the distance I could hear the iprint as papers printed. I also picked up on the rustling of papers and zipping of bags throughout the couple minutes I listened.

Photo:)

Me in LA over the summer:)

1st Blog Post!

 Nathalie:

I have been interested in film ever since I the beginning of High School. My interest grew as the years went on. I have filmed a number of weddings over the years on my own as well as worked for a wedding videography company (Life Stage) for a semester after a semester internship. This summer, I was lucky enough to be able to spend the whole summer in Los Angeles. It was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had. I learned more than I could have ever dreamed from my internship at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. I was working for Nash Entertainment, who is putting on a show for TruTV called Caught Red Handed. It will be amazing to see the Location I found for the show and my name in the credits once it hits the air! I can’t wait to get back there once I’m done with college.

Mekas: 

This reading was an fascinating way to look at the history of cinema. Not everyone believes in god, so I thought it was interesting that he started with this statement as if it was a fact-(“god inventing cinema”). A lot of what he says is the truth. Cinema became a money business right away. It has evolved in so many ways over the years. I do not think it is fair though to make it seem that there is only either a money business side and a solely enjoyment side. Although money is a key factor, enjoyment is always an element. People do what they do because they love the art form. My favorite quote by his was the one about “an art form we do for each other.” This is key because film should be something that is always appreciated by the bond it brings to everyone involved in the process. 

McDonald: This essay was extremely helpful in understanding the start of Avant-Garde. The genre is still dealing with the difficulty of appearing like a standard art film form, yet it is completely different and not at all contemporary. I was interested in learning about enhances in technical and esthetics after World War II. I think the great thing about Avant Garde is that they use techniques that are so different and interesting. The word ‘Experiment’ is a great term to connect with Avant Garde. It emphases the fun part of Avant Gade since it gives you the freedom to create whatever you want, using the endless tools available.