Fun with 3D

The 3D camera shoot was an awesome day. I'm glad Andre actually got ours fixed up after the issues we were having with after effects. But it came out great.

It pretty much worked the way I thought it would have to work with the 2 camera setup eye-width apart. The tough stuff was perfecting what filters to use and wear to move the 2nd image in after effects. But all in all it ended with relative ease and I know my group had a blast. Any day you get to do soul train during class is a good day.

I actually decided to do a quick edit of our soul train dance with music, just for shits n giggles. And the making of our own 3D glasses was crucial. (Although note for next time: bring more colors of paper...i got stuck with white...) Anywho, I loved the 3D shoot. Alotta fun, and I def learned a cool new trick that i'll probably be using soon for a future project or just for fun.

6x1 part dos.....

Being as that I'm probably not the most in tune with experimental film, I wouldn't know much other experimental projects that could be done than what we've done so far. I will say that no matter what, a fort must be built in every 6x1 class. that was awesome.
Having said that, maybe a sort of "Given" footage project could be done. Where you give us a certain amount of film from random other projects or stuff that you've done, and we would have to create something out of it. It kind of resembles found footage but it provides a nice little artistic constraint on our part.
I would say more working with actual film. Even just using the small regular 8 that you had was pretty fun and interesting. Maybe even incorporating a little more animation would be fun. Learning a little after effects or flash would be cool. 1 minute animations can always look pretty sweet.
Maybe even doing an interesting "star wars uncut" type of deal but with a different movie. You could cut up a certain scene into 16, 1 minute segments, and each student (or pairs or whatever) would have to recreate that scene, and then you would attach all the segments together.
Other than that I can't really think of too many other 1 minute productions....I think part I of 6x1 covers quite a bit.

Rough Theater

I feel as though in an odd twist of fate, my rough theater has (for whatever reason) become dance. And not an artistic, sensual style of dance (though some may strongly dispute that). But more along the lines of an eccentric, stylized version of hip swaying and arm movements.
As we've already seen through several projects this year, if someone should be called upon to perform a little jig, it is Tory. Whether it be all around Wilmington, or at a bar, everyone now expects me to dance when they want a mini show.
I don't mind performing my dance moves (the titular "hair gel" has become the most recognizable), I'm just not sure where it neccessarily started. It might have been senior year of high school, when i took part in the Mr. OCHS competition/ fundraiser (it was basically a faux talent show for senior guys to try and raise money). We had to perform several synchronized dances on stage, which is where i realized I actually could dance. Unfortunately, after 4 years I've put on some weight and my bones are creaky, but I can stilll whip out a good move here and there. I suppose the actions of dancing upon command to perform for others does count in the category of rough theater.

Saturday Shoot

I always seem to get my blog days mixed up, so I'm responding slightly later to our Saturday long take shoot. First off, I thought it went great. Everyone showed up, ready n rearin to go. For our project we were trying to create an early 20's, silent film treasure hunt type of feel. But as our explorer discovers the buried idol, and hides it, chaos ensues and he is chased by fellow explorers (a few people from later on in the 20th century appear; but i think it helps with the absurdity of the piece).
The other group that helped us out worked great with us, and had no qualms about dressing in crazy costumes for our bit. And Jon did a spectacular job running the camera and keeping time. Our piece came out at exactly 50-some seconds...It was really cool getting to use the old Bolex cameras, doing the processing of the film, and capturing them on video. The old scratchiness that is produced certainly aids in our genre we were goin for.
I also really enjoyed the smaller 8mm camera that was going around. I'm interested in seeing what kind of footage manages to come out of that. On the whole, I think saturday went great for everybody and was a lot of fun. We definately got lucky with the good weather.

Ecstasy and Molotov responses

I suppose the general theme of both articles is "what exactly are we entitled to as artists?" With concepts and ideas created from your own mind, what happens when a similar concept or idea appears. The same goes for images and sounds and writings. It gets even more confusing when an artist is knowleadgable of the others' work, even 'stealing' or coyping a portion of it, or even the whole thing.
I kind of enjoy the idea of cryptomnesia. It really gives the feel that, even throughout history, without ever knowing it, you yourself as an artist may resonate in a precise and identical way to another artist somewhere that you don't even know. I always find myself worrying about subconsciously putting things into my artistic works, that may be considered plaguerism and i wouldn't even realize it. But I suppose after so many centuries of artistic creation and human nature playing out, there are only so many general themes and occurances that one can go through without repeating. Personally I believe there are only three main themes to human life that ever really matter in art: Sex, Love, and Death. (and i'm pretty sure I heard that somewhere.)
The Molotov man was an intersting case study of rights and ownership. It worked out for the best between Susan and Joy (both received much more press and business b/c of it i feel). But both learned an important lesson about human rights, artistic interpretation, and when not to sue an artist with a vast amount of crazy friends.

48 Hour race

After only a few screenings of previous 48 hour race products, I have several ideas of what I would like to do. Most likely I will use a digital camera and produce a stop-motion effect type of film. I was particularly inspired by the film that had dancing doll parts and jars spinning (I forget who made it or what it was called). But I enjoyed the simplicity of it and the use of sound effects and music.
I have a few ideas and probably won't decide exactly what I want to do until we discover the mystery item. But I was thinking of maybe doing sort of a musical montage/ dance with food products, such as having oreos spinning and then opening and closing, the filling dissappearing then reappearing.
I was also thinking of maybe using dvds and remotes, perhaps even paints and paint brushes creating a painting. Basically I want to use inanimate objects and make them animate somehow.
I could use a human being in some capacity, but rarely do I get a chance to create stop-motion films that I want to use this opportunity to create some unique footage that is different to/ adding something to my own personal style.

St. Louise Response

The Scratch Film Junkies' 'St. Louise' was exceptionally rhythmic not only in the use of the soundtrack, but the images meshed so well to create their own rhythm. The rockin' tune was well fit for the fast paced and chaotic nature of of the footage. Really goes well with the Film Junkies' style. I also enjoyed the use of text at the beginning such as "This Film was made..." and "Do not take with other medications" sort of sandwiched between the true colors of the filmstrip. As always there was awesome scratching and tinting around images of moving or talking people. The airplane and the music seemed to build up great suspense, it flew right at you as the tempo increased. You kept waiting for more scratching or shapes to appear ontop of the plane, but it always remained in view, ever-escelating towards the viewer. I find this semi-long take to be quite unique in what i've watched of the Junkies so far. The cartoon that was engulfed in scratching and manipulation was also quite creative on their part. Great morphing shapes as well, such as tghe tearing of film becoming four circles and then combining to be one.

Chion Reading

Sound, particularly for cinema, most assuredly develops upon added value. This thought process of 'added value' is what keeps moviegoers a'goin'. People wish to feel entrenched in their films. I'm not knocking silent films of the past, I love them, but with the Jazz Singer and the invention of synchronized sound, the film industry boomed. It became a magical experience for viewers. A true escape from reality and a trip "Through the looking glass" so the speak.
The ideas of empathetic and anempathetic music was pretty interesting. The proper flow or juxtaposition of sound compared to the music truly creates and/or affects mood tremendously. I find the more creative and fun aspect is figuring out ways to juxtapose music with the images of my films. To place a completely comical soundtrack over morose and dramatic events tends to really bring out the emotions of the acting. I don't know exactly why that always is...I just know it works and agree with it.
The one thing within the article I don't know if I entirely agree with is the vectorization of sound compared to Images. Chion claims that sound is much more affected by reversal. I don't know about that specifically in the case of cinema. If film footage is moving backwards I tend to notice that pretty quickly as well. It's a devestating difference in the physics and movement of the people. And music could also have a smooth and simple enough rhythm that it may work backwards. I suppose it would be an interesting experiment to try out.

Cameraless Filmmaking...So far...

I must say, I have been having a blast working on all of our projects thus far. Simply being introduced to these new methods and styles has been quite evocative and exhilerating. The Pez animations were so creative using everyday objects, such as the pizza ala Pac-man, that it really inspired me to think outside of the box as much as possible for these upcoming projects. I'm hoping my partners and I can come up with something equally as unique for our stop-motion animation projects.
Coloring on the film stocks was also pretty interesting. I believe myself to be a painter at heart and being able to work with inks and color in an entirely new fashion was a lot of fun. The scratch and tear methods are also quite fun, I'm excited to see what our final products will end up producing when run through the projector. It's crazy to think that we create our pieces, attempting to manipulate the filmstrips with something in mind...but then have something much more unique and special sort of result from the unexpected tampering and blowing up of the images. I can truly say I'm excited to see where we go from here.

Theory of Animation Response

Though I find that I am actually more attracted to the orthodox 'cel' animation style, I very much found Wells' article quite intriguing, particularly the basic contrasts between the two different styles of orthodox and experimental animations.
I find the most attractive aspects of experimental animation to be the concepts of dynamics of musicality and the presence of the artist. The rhythms and colors of any form of experimental film are crucial. It creates a beautiful flow and essentially develops a sense of specific non-continuity as stated in the article. This flow seemingly connects all images and shapes placed on screen, providing the viewer with a substantial connection throughout the film. The idea of the artist standing out as an individual is also quite exciting. The singular artist in question, works to express his/her indivual emotions, mindsets, or creative urges on screen through the means of experimental animation. The orthodox animator must adhere to strict guidelines, creating similar images as the previous animator in his line of essentially industrialized production. Not to discredit that type of animation whatsoever. I find it to be quite difficult and admire all those that have dedicated their lives to producing legendary cartoons such as the seminal Chuck Jones. I believe that either stylistic form that one may choose will lead to great artistic benefits in its own right.

Through the Synesthetic Looking Glass

The two things that surprised me the most while reading the "Synesthesia" articles was that A: There are over 60 varying forms of synesthesia reported worldwide (but apprently only a handful have actually been scientificially studied); and B: within each of the varying forms, similar patterns or trends are noticeable. Firstly, I never would have realized that cases of synesthesia were diverse in definition or occurance to create 60, count 'em 60, different forms. I don't know why, but that is absolutely amazing to me that there is that much variation. I'm sure there are some cases where I cannot even comprehend the stimulations/events that certain synesthetes experience.
I also find it quite interesting, though not hard to believe, that certain forms of synesthesia express similar patterns. I suppose my initial thought would have been that synesthetic experiences were unique to the individual and the individual's brain, but apparently in some instances it is not. Whoda Thunk?
I consider myself an artist of varying forms, working with film and paints, and can understand the ideas and concepts behind synesthesia in art (though in no way consider myself a synesthete). It would appear that the art by the likes of Carol Steen captures what I would generally consider synesthetic experiences. The varying colors flowing together derived from an experience in itself. Marcia Smileck takes a creative spin with photographic synesthesia, attempting to provoke a synesthetic experience for her audience. I find it to be a little simplistic, but certainly effective. Anne Salz truly pulls the effect together with her Vivalde painting. The beautiful variation of the orange anchored by the black figures really creates that flow and feeling that we may indeed be viewing a piece of music.

Responding To the Beat

I'm writing an informal response about our class screening of the Scratch Film Junkies' To The Beat. The film is so visually chaotic and colorful that combined with the beats of the music, the footage seems almost naturally fluid. It was almost mesmerizing the way it was capable of syncing with the soundtrack. I really loved the movement and arrangements of the geometric shapes, particularly the wild movements of the bright blue figures appearing near the beginning of the film. The appearance of circles/bubble-like figures growing and shrinking was also quite beautiful.
I also, really enjoyed the varying thematic sequences presented throughout the film. The general theme of fire was outstandingly represented by bright red swirls and figures created to appear over top of twirling fire within a dark space. And when the images of people were utilized in the film, the scratching on and/or around them created this additional air of mystery such as the circles presented around three different beings, a small girl, small boy, and an older woman. It isn't until they are revealed sitting together in a long shot that you realize they are even connected at all.
The last thing that truly stood out for me was the cleverly placed repetition of comic strip images (they appeared to be comic strip images though they very well could have been magazine or newspaper transfers) all appearing on screen in rapid succession. To me, it added a somewhat cartoonish dynamic to the film, enhancing the playfulness of the piece.