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.