Monday, May 2, 2011

Ratings


Rhythmic Editing -1
            I liked this the most because I didn’t have to be in the film and I had complete freedom on what I wanted to do.  I really liked the rhythmic aspect of the project.  I gave an interest music aspect to the video.  The way my video turned out fit perfectly with what I’m into.  The funny thing is that the way mine turned out was a mistake.  First, the footage that I shoot was set to daylight so everything had a blue tent to it.  The music synced up almost perfectly too.

48 Hr video race – 2
            The way my video turned out this time was also a mistake.  Trying to get the video finished within the time limit and under all the limitations was stressful, but in the end it worked out to my advantage.  Sometimes when you are under pressure with a time limit that’s when art can become really interesting.  I was really happy with how everything linked together in my video.  Overall, it was fun.

Recycled Footage – 3
            I liked this one because I tried something different than the other two videos.  I was able to get take out my frustration with television programs/icons.  This video was fun, and something that I didn’t think too much into.  So in the end this was my third personal favorite.  Even though I did it while I had so much other things to finish for other classes.

Multi-Plane Animation – 4
            This project was fun because of the fact that we animated frame by frame.  I felt that working together (in fours) was interesting and put a nice little spin on things instead of working individually or just one other person.

Bolex Long Take – 5
            I didn’t really like working “on-the-fly.”  But, I did enjoy shooting/developing with film.  In the end it was fun.  I really didn’t have much to do with our idea.  I just “acted” (if you wanna call it that) in ours.  That was a nice little change of pace.  Not really having to worry about a story or anything.

Cameraless Filmmaking – 6
            I’m not big on experimental filmmaking, so this one is my least favorite.  And not being able to work with a camera left me a little puzzled at times.  Overall it wasn’t a bad project, but definitely not my favorite out of them all.

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Mystery Workshop


The Mystery Workshop was surprisingly fun.  I didn’t think it was going to be as interesting as it turned out to be.  I really didn’t know what to think because we were bringing in all of that stuff to class… that was weird.  But, in the end I had fun I liked how the white bed sheet was used as a screen.  Although, a bunch of adults sitting in the fort was not ideal.  I felt cramped inside the thing, so I fell that we should have made it bigger.  Even though the fort was the biggest that has been made in the class yet.
The food was very good too.  I didn’t really contribute because I really didn’t know what was going on.  But, thanks to everyone who did… it was all good.  We had everything imaginable.  Pizza, chips, dip, doughnut holes, cakes, drinks… etc.  So I really enjoyed that aspect also.  I brought Combos, for that is my “guilty pleasure food.”  For those who don't know what Combos are… they are basically a cracker rolled up into a cylinder.  They make different kinds, and my favorite kind is the regular pizza flavored.  An episode of Reboot and a bag of Combos, and I’m in heaven.  (For those who don’t know what Reboot is… one of the GREATEST shows ever produced!)
The films were interesting too.  I enjoyed all of them, and for being produced in forty-eight hours they were really impressive.  All of them were very creative.  Some were more cryptic than others, but I liked that aspect.  What was really interesting was that no one had a similar project.  Each one was vastly different from each other.
In the end, I think that the Mystery Workshop day was one of the best/more enjoyable classes that we have had all semester.  It seems that the Mystery Workshop should have been our last class.  It was for the most part, but I think we should have saved it for April twenty-fifth.  I’m not complaining though.  At least we got to do it… regardless of the date.  I can’t believe that the semester is almost over.  It feels like it just started a month ago.  But, I’m ready for summer, so I’m glad that it is coming to an end.  This last week is going to be hell though… so much stuff to do with such little time.  But anyway… only one more blog left (thank god)

Monday, April 11, 2011

Beet Stretch (9v2 m 2)


My thoughts on Beet Stretch… Well, I cannot say that I’m really impressed by this form of music.  I listened to “9v2 m 2” from the beginning till about an hour into it.  In that hour I kept feeling like something was going to happen.  Like it was the beginning of a concert.  The fact that everything is slowed down is relaxing, but I wouldn’t listen to this on an everyday basis.  It’s great that someone can do manipulate this music, but if someone is going to listen to Beethoven’s 9th then he/she should do that instead of listening to this version.
I really didn’t understand how the process was complicated to do.  Slowing it down without losing the pitch of the music?  It’s not something I would really look into doing, so I really don’t care.  I just think that a person shouldn’t do this to another persons work and try to sell it.  That’s a cop-out… Now, if this person did an original piece and wanted to slow it down, then go for it.  At this point you are just trying to cash in on something that they really didn’t manipulate that much.
Not that this is all bad. I said before this is very relaxing, and I could fall asleep to it.  So, not thinking about this music too much would be relaxing to try to sleep to.  The music itself sounds like I’m looking into the sun setting for the day.  Except in this instance, the sun is taking an extremely long time to set.  The other good thing was that I was cooking while I was listening to it.  I felt like I was a chef... Okay, that was dumb.  But, it was like a scene from a movie when someone is cooking, and they play that crappy music to make it look classy.  That’s what it seemed like.  To bad I was just making Ramen Noodles…

After I stopped listening to it, I pressed stop.  It was like everything was uplifted from me.  Because I had felt like a lot of noise was just being fed into my brain.  The first thirty minutes wasn’t bad, but after that I kept looking at the time to see when I could stop listening.  The music (if you wanna call it that) became noise after a while.  I really couldn’t take anymore than what I heard.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Molotov Man/The Ecstasy of Influence


Molotov Man:
            I would like to talk about the paintings themselves first.  I really like the author’s original paintings.  These paintings remind me of the Ralph Bakshi film American Pop.  This film was rotoscoped from real people to look like an animated film.  American Pop is one of my favorite animated films, so this is why I liked the artwork so much.  The intense looks on the subject’s faces make the artwork stand out.  I particularly love the one with the man on the microphone.  The shading on the faces is so realistic.  I really am drawn to look at these pieces of art.
            I do not feel that the author should feel bitter or mad about other people taking his artwork and making that their own.  Now, I do not feel like the author is mad.  I’m just saying he shouldn’t be mad.  I feel that the author is upset that the “Molotov Man” was taken in the direction of anti-corporation ads like that of Pepsi.  But, the artist should have been aware.  This artwork is similar to what Warhol made in 1960’s.  This idea proves that anyone can take an image and make a piece of artwork.  Others should learn from the mistake that this artist made.  

The Ecstasy of Influence:
            I find this article interesting.  I agree that art is basically a whole if you were to think about it that way.  This idea implies that all artists are influenced by another work of art.  I think that this is true everything that I have ever made or wrote has been inspired by something else.  I also enjoy the beginning of the article in which they use Bob Dylan as an example.  The reason I enjoy this is because I do not care for Bob Dylan, and I’m sick of people trying to tell me how “original” he is/was.
            This article also discusses other ways one can be inspired.  For instance, blues player Muddy Waters talks about how he wrote a song about his girl friend leaving him.  I enjoy this part of the article as well, because sometimes the best art come from emotional pain.  This pain makes the artist determined, and takes the mind off the pain.
            Finally, the author does a great job at backing up their points that they are trying to make.  The article goes as far as using cartoons as an example.  Without The Honeymooners the Flintstones would not exist, and without the Flintstones the Simpsons would not exist.  This idea is odd, but very true.  So, in the end all forms of art/media is influenced by something else

Monday, March 28, 2011

Long Take


Saturday was fun.  I really enjoyed shooting the sequence.  The process of developing the film was really interesting also.  Our group really did not have an idea or what we were going to do, but we soon came up with something that worked.  I really did not have much to do with the idea.  There was not any input on my part of the story.  The only thing that I really did was act in the film… if you wanna call it acting... Anyway, I really enjoy my art.  It was nice not having to come up with something.  Sometimes it’s nice by letting someone else come up with the ideas. 
The idea was funny for a one-minute long take.  But, the story does not make any sense I must say.  Overall, the film is enjoyable.  Especially being that our group didn’t know what we were going to do until the minute we started blocking.  It was a very physically demanding shoot.  For my character I had to do a lot of running.  There is even a point were I stop running because my character is out of breath.  By the time the final take was shot I was really out of breath so I’m sure it looks realistic enough on film.
The other group that we helped out had a good idea too.  Their long take was chaos.  It was not chaos in the sense that they did not know what they were doing.  It was chaos in the sense that so much random stuff was happening.  I really liked that they used so much stuff in their take.  Their long take seemed thought out… at least more than our group had.  It was also fun that our group was apart of their project.  The monster that was in our project was originally part of their shot, but they did not use it so we worked it into our project.
Overall it was a lot of fun.  I have only seen a quick negative of the other group’s projects, but what I saw was good.  I think we all did well on transferring the projects… especially considering that we did not have a teacher there.  The only thing that I really didn’t like was showing up to school on a Saturday.  I had other things going on day; so I would have liked it better if we would have did the project on a weekday.

Monday, March 21, 2011

48 hr video race


I really feel that I need more explanation on our assignment.  I have read the paper that was given out, but I don’t fully understand it yet.  From what I do understand; this assignment is going to be rushed.  I have competed in a forty-eight hour race before, but our group filmed it.  That took way too much time to try to make the film good within two days.  Now, this assignment is supposed to be without a camera?  I’m not looking forward to it.  For me, I’m a perfectionist when it comes to film projects.  So, this assignment is not made for me.  I felt that we should have had more time on the “cameraless” project.  The fact that I only have two days to make a project without a camera is not going to be fun for me.  I felt like I was drained with the cameraless project…  And, I didn’t think it was going to turn out good.  That was when I had a couple of weeks of work put into it.  But, I liked how it turned out, so maybe this project won’t be that bad.  Either way I’m not excited about it.
As far as ideas go… I won’t have an idea till I have the prop.  It would be like writing a paper in the dark.  So for now I can’t say what I will do.  I already feel stressed about the project.  Until then I will think more about how I’m going to make a film.  Maybe upload images on a computer and edit them together…?  I’m sure when the pressure is on I will think of something good.  I really don't want to go through scratching on film again… I liked doing that when it was new to me, but I feel that’s all I did on the cameraless project.  Plus I don’t want to rush through the film manipulation (being that I only have two days).  That idea of filmmaking is fun, but I don’t want to burn myself out on it.
I also have other projects that I’m working on (in this class and others).  I really don’t like thinking about more than two or three at a time.  I will wait a couple of weeks before I truly have something that I want to use. I really don’t have anything definite, but I will come up with something good… I know it.

 





Monday, March 7, 2011

Thoughts on cameraless filmmaking...


            At first I didn’t think that our project was going to turn out well.  But, after seeing the finish product I was really happy with the final result.  We ran into problems with the printer that was going to print directly onto the film.  So, at that moment we didn’t think we were going to pull off the animation part.  We were going to animate fire, so we ended up printing off our animation and putting the film overtop of it and tracing the animation with a sharpie.  I actually liked how it turned out more than I liked our original idea.  The animation looked hand drawn… because it was hand drawn.  It made the film look more hands on.  So in the end something better came out of the final result.
            I was confused on what we were supposed to accomplish the whole time that we were making the film.  This confusion was also another reason I felt that the project was not going to turn out well.  I really did not understand how to show elements like wind or earth.  For earth we took the rayograms and colored brown, blue and green to represent the look of a globe.  For wind we used bleach on the film that already had images on it.  This experiment turned the film blue, but we were still able to see the image on the film.  We were able to do the magazine transfers for water.  We simply took images from a surf magazine and transferred them onto film.  We were struggling to make everything work, and in the end it all worked out fine.  I thought we was not representing the elements good enough, but my partner told me not to stress so much about it because this was an experimental project.
            We waited till the last minute to splice the film together.  There was three other groups waiting to splice their project too.  We were organized though so we got in there and spliced it quickly and got out.  We did mess up on the fire though… it’s actually upside down, but (again) I like this better.  In the end our “mess up” become (what I thought) the more interesting aspects of the project.  I do not think I could reproduce that again.  I mean I could do the project again, but the next time it would be more polished.  I think the fact that we did not know what we were doing helped make the project better.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Projections of Sound on Image/Acoustic Ecology


Projections of Sound on Image:
The first reading “Projections of Sound on Image” is an interesting read.  I have heard a lot of people discuss how the silent film era gave better performances than in the sound era.  Some may agree with that statement.  This article seems to argue how sound is a very useful tool in making the audience “feel” what is going on in a film.  The author discusses how the ear processes quicker than the eye.  They continue to discuss how spoken words make the ear work faster.  This idea seems to be over looked by people who argue the statement made by the silent film era.  Those people maybe right, but it seems that they are quick on what they say.  I feel they do not give sound the credit it deserves.
   The author does a great job at explaining how an audience gets an impact on sound.  By using the example of Bergman’s Persona in which a hand is impaled by a nail.  The author talks about if one was to take the sound away the audience may still be shocked. By adding the sound the audience is able to hear the sound of the nail being driven in the hand one, thus making the experience more gruesome and realistic.
Overall I found the article very interesting.  The author discusses more about sound/music with the definitions of “empathetic” and “anempathetic music.”  It was very informative and I hope to read more articles like this in the future.

Acoustic Ecology:
“Acoustic Ecology” was not as effective as the “Projections of Sound on Image” reading.  I felt that this article was not really teaching me anything.  The author basically talks about different ambient sounds.  I know about ambient sounds, so I really do not need to read about what they are.  The article spends almost an entire page about different sounds in different locations.  For example, “the sounds of the meadow and its surrounding hills are subtle.”  Well… of course they are!  Anyone who has been out on a meadow or field can tell you that there is not a lot of sound.  It’s not just this.  The author discusses other sounds in other places.  Why waste my time?  I know what certain things sound like, therefore no need to describe them to me.
In the end, I really didn’t find this article very useful.  If I didn’t know what ambient sounds are… then maybe I would have needed to read this article.  But, I really don’t think anyone needs to have the sounds of a meadow or anything else described to them.  If so, then that person needs to get out more…

Monday, February 21, 2011

Theory of Animation


`            Upon reading “Notes Toward a Theory of Animation” I did agree with what was being conveyed.  The short paragraph at the beginning discusses on how animation can be cheaply made.  This idea reigns true in today standards probably more than ever.  What I mean is that the animation that is being made today is very cheap and lazy compared to animation of the thirties and forties.   Most of modern animation is 3D computer animation, and virtually no traditional hand drawn animation is being produced.  One may be so bold to say that hand drawn animation is… dead. 
            Later on in the excerpt, the author discusses the fact any camera movements in animation are limited to pans and tilts.  This statement is true, maybe because the animators are lazy, or maybe cutting to different shots is too expensive.   The passage never really discusses why this idea is true.  It does say that more experimental animation films contain different shots.  The author seems (to me) as if they are putting down any animation that isn’t experimental… According to the author most animation remains consistent in how they are made.
            Speaking of “remaining consistent,” how many times do I have to have Duck Amuck crammed down my throat?  I like this cartoon, but it seems that when theatrical animated shorts are brought up (at least in film classes) this is the one that is discussed.  Okay… I know it is a good cartoon and a good example of an experimental cartoon, but there are more out there that can be discussed.  How about Fantasia, or more specific “Meeting the Soundtrack.” This portion of the film shows the soundtrack like the one that would be located on the filmstrip of the film.  It may not have much camera movement but it does use experimental elements.  The author doesn’t have to use this as an example, but they could use something different.
            All in all the reading is very informative for someone who doesn’t know anything about animation.  But, I guess that’s the point.  I would have liked to read something different on the subject of abstract animation.  I did agree with a lot that was being said, but I would have liked something that I haven’t heard a million times before.  I would also like to make it clear that I do not hate Duck Amuck.  It probably seems that I dislike the short film.  I do like the cartoon, but I also think that it is very overrated.

Sunday, February 13, 2011





            My experience on the project thus far has been… well, kind of confusing.  Basically, I am still trying to figure everything out.  I have worked on the fire aspect of the four elements.  I am starting out painting the cells with yellow, orange and red ink.  Then I started to scratch some of the ink off and continued to add more of the same colors to the clear strip of film. I also used a mix of oil and ink.  This method broke the ink up more instead of being a solid mix.  I’m not finished yet, for I want to add more to this part of the element.
            The other elemental aspects have not been thought of much yet.  Mainly, I’m waiting to see what I can do in the dark room.   I really do not know what direction I’m going with this project.  Maybe that’s good… maybe bad.  I do not really know, but I feel like going with my gut on this project.  I think that will make the project more interesting.  I want to try printing on the film like we saw/talked about in class.  I am also interested in seeing what I can do in the dark room.  I want to know how that works and I’m interested in seeing what I can creatively do with that aspect.

            I really do not know how my partner did in the dark room. They really liked it though.  My partner said that it was really enjoyable.  So, needless to say, I’m excited about going into the dark room tomorrow.  My partner did not really say what they did on Monday, but this person really enjoyed it.  This seems like good news because I have enjoyed everything that we have done in class thus far.  As I have stated before, I’m not into Avant-garde filmmaking, but I do enjoy what we are doing.

            Working without a camera as a whole is quite interesting.  I have not made a film without a camera before.  This experiment is very enjoyable, for it reminds me of being in an (visual) art class.  We are making art instead of pointing a camera and shooting a subject.  I think by starting out with a “cameraless” project will help us become more creative on future projects.  We will be able to use a camera, and also use different techniques to make a more interesting film.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Synesthesia and Cymatics


      Synesthesia seems to be both good and bad… at least to me.  The reason that it’s is good is that certain types may make one more creative or even smarter.  By having the “number form synesthesia” one may be have numbers come to them easier than that of a person without this condition.  Wikipedia shows a picture of a colored number scale.  This scale seems like it would help relate colors with numbers for someone who is doing math problems.  To me this condition seems similar to someone who has an Eidetic/Photographic Memory.  By seeing a certain number one may be able to remember certain equations.

            This condition may help someone become more creative.  Hearing sounds can create different colors in a person’s head.  This idea will marry sounds and visuals together and make the experience of the artwork complete.  The unity of the art will make the art whole, and will make the art more interesting.

            On the other hand, it may work against someone.   For instance, people with the Personification type of Synesthesia may have a hard time coping with life.  The Personification type seems to be almost like Schizophrenia.  I do not claim to be a psychologist, but from what I know this seems to relate to each other.  The website gives the example that “U is a soulless sort of thing. 4 is honest, but… 3 I cannot trust… 9 is dark, a gentleman, tall and graceful.  Does this mean that a person with this condition may not trust someone with a “3” on their shirt?  So, this seems like it would lead to an extreme paranoia such as Schizophrenia.  Then again, I maybe wrong, for I’m not a genius in Synesthesia or Psychology.

            Cymatics is not a new breakthrough study, but it is an interesting one.  The idea of different vibrations making different shapes creates a more organic aspect of an experimental film.  I personally love this idea because I feel that it connects visuals and sounds to make one fluid experience. I enjoy the use of different sounds to make music, and in turn creating a visual experience to go along with what an audience is hearing.

            The article on Wikipedia did not go into too much detail about Cymatics.  I guess this is more self-explanatory than Synesthesia.  Both studies are very interesting, and both are something to take into consideration when making an experimental film.  Synesthesia was a little confusing, or maybe I just don’t understand because I do not have this condition.  Either way I found the subject very informative.  I have heard of Cymatics before, but I did not know that this was the proper term for it.  I would like to attempt to use both ideas for one/few of my films in the future.

Saturday, January 29, 2011


This film is almost indescribable, for one really cannot pinpoint a specific part to discuss.  Overall, I found the film enjoyable.  I loved how the images were in sync with the music/sound effects.  As said before it is hard to try to describe an exact moment that I liked about the film.  To me it seemed as if we spent more time in the darkness.  What I mean by this is that there was more darkness than there were shapes.  Of course, I could be wrong… this is the first and only time I have seen this film.
            Neon colors fill the frame with triangle shapes.  At one moment, I remember different colors flashing for a few frames (maybe less).  These quick releases of different bright colors made me feel like I was going to have a seizure…  The beat of the music/sound would trigger a certain shape, or even a certain color to show on screen.  This idea seemed to go along with the discussion of how different sounds could trigger certain wave movement.  Passage probably took the idea way further than the actual real idea, but it is nice to know that this film was based on another idea.   I particularly love the parts in which a shape would flash a couple of times, and then the music would freak out causing the shapes to just rapidly show up.  In ways the film reminded me of watching fireworks on the fourth of July.  The loud noises, the bright colors and the darkness are features in both a fireworks show, and this film.  Other than these things it is hard to remember a short experimental film that I only saw one time.  I have tried to look the film up on the Internet, but I have had no luck finding it.
            This class is the first time that I actually got to hold different film stocks in my hand.  Most of the time film is “too delicate” to hold.  I liked how this class went into an opposite direction and scratched film just to see what would happen.  The “splicer” machine always looked complicated, but it turned out to be really easy to use.  Just in this one class I got to do things that I never thought I would be able to do.  Overall, our first class meeting was very enjoyable.
            I was drawn to take the class because I thought it would be interesting to work with film.  Everything is digital now, but I am not the type to hate on digital.  I just figured it would be nice to do something different.  I also was drawn to the fact that this class would help build on a reel that I could show one day.