During the spring semester of 2009, I took a class entitled: The Art of Film. We surveyed a large collection of foreign and independent films. Our professor, Mike Landrum, emphasized the role of that cinematographers play in constructing the artistic wonder behind each film. In fact, the very first movie we watched highlighted some famous cinematographers and their works. So, during that semester, I was paying attention to the various lighting effects for the movies we watched.
Reading Chaptaaa 6 about lighting brought back memories of that class. Specifically, how painstacking the work can be in order to produce a particular lighting effect for the film. The science of understanding light, technology of contributing light, and techniques of distorting light are very complex. However, when artists can comprehend all three and put them into practice, the product can be astounding.
I hope that my videos will progress in terms of lighting effects. Usually, I might go as far as turning one light off and turning another on -- but the techniques spread well beyond that! If I can incorporate greater visual/lighting effects, perhaps my videos will not bore audiences (but, they'll probably be bored anyways).
Ah. Oh, well.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
An Angel Among Mere Humans
In reading "Chapter 5," a.k.a. the low-down on sound, thoughts of R.J. Clarke came to my mind. I remembered his luscious, dirty-blond locks and glorious, slender running legs, but even more than his physical attributes, I recalled his studious research in the field of Time-Based Media.
For his senior honor's project, R.J. researched the relationship between aural and visual effects for videos. In his project, R.J. video-taped a runner galloping through the North Campus Cross-Country trails. He had two different musical tracks constructed to fit the footage. One track was slow and involved minor chords to heighten thoughts of reflection in emphasizing an internal "run," or escape, of the character. The other track was upbeat and promoted a sense of rush, furry, and anger through an exciting run.
R.J.'s research pointed towards the significance of audio effects for videos because the same footage, when applied to different audio accompaniments, can evoke varying moods and feelings within the audience. Reading this chapter helped clarify the crucial role that audio plays in video. Barton could have emphasized this if he wanted to better argue the audio qualities of videos (loser!).
Also -- there's a bunch of technical sound equipment and what not! Although it's a little overwhelming, hopefully I'll have a better grasp on the terminology and practice by the end of the semester. We'll see!
For his senior honor's project, R.J. researched the relationship between aural and visual effects for videos. In his project, R.J. video-taped a runner galloping through the North Campus Cross-Country trails. He had two different musical tracks constructed to fit the footage. One track was slow and involved minor chords to heighten thoughts of reflection in emphasizing an internal "run," or escape, of the character. The other track was upbeat and promoted a sense of rush, furry, and anger through an exciting run.
R.J.'s research pointed towards the significance of audio effects for videos because the same footage, when applied to different audio accompaniments, can evoke varying moods and feelings within the audience. Reading this chapter helped clarify the crucial role that audio plays in video. Barton could have emphasized this if he wanted to better argue the audio qualities of videos (loser!).
Also -- there's a bunch of technical sound equipment and what not! Although it's a little overwhelming, hopefully I'll have a better grasp on the terminology and practice by the end of the semester. We'll see!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Hershey Kisses Under Smelly Feet
I Know Why the Caged Video Sings
by Bryan
O, John Belton is a fruity man --
his arguments do not freaking stand:
Why confess that video is sound,
then talk about "images" all around?
Belton, my boy, the essay writer,
please try to make your arguments tighter!
Don't assume we know those terms you speak;
back up those words (check page sixty-three).
I'd be convinced about your "sound" crap
if you'd said "films evolved to vids," Pap.
That progression, I'd rationalize.
Your bologna, I can't compromise.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Arthur the Aardvark and the Concurrent Saga of Arbitrary Titles
Fact: Congressman Chris Lee gave a presentation this afternoon at the Fireside Corner, the mystical study environment of the B. Thomas Golisano Library -- where hardcore research and knowledge meets an electronically operated fireplace.
Fiction: I attended this mini-conference/presentation with hopes of understanding the Congressman's political plans.
Truth be told: I attended this meeting to see how a Congressman interacts with a seemingly arbitrary College. So, I took special notice of how he performed his presentation. In doing so, I became distracted (hard to believe, right?) and watched the event's photographer snap pictures.
He was kneeling one row in front of me and was positioned in such a way that I could see his camera's screen after he took a picture. I saw how he would manually change the focus and play with foreground to achieve a specific shot: one consisted of a student looking off into the distance and thinking so constructively, while two other students were blurred on opposite sides of him.
After the Congressman's presentation, I sought out the photographer and spoke with him about his photography work. His name is Matt Wittmeyer and he graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse program. He is a freelance photographer and videographer, doing some events for the school upon request. I told him about Intro to Digital Video and mentioned the articles we read about the "film vs. digital" debate. He agreed that digital is about the end result and can see how film focuses on the process. He added that "film" will become a lost art form because so many people are going digital with their works.
It was awesome meeting Matt and hearing what he had to say about film and digital artwork. Our conversation also made the articles we read for class more tangible. I tip my hat to you, Matt.
Adios.
Fiction: I attended this mini-conference/presentation with hopes of understanding the Congressman's political plans.
Truth be told: I attended this meeting to see how a Congressman interacts with a seemingly arbitrary College. So, I took special notice of how he performed his presentation. In doing so, I became distracted (hard to believe, right?) and watched the event's photographer snap pictures.
He was kneeling one row in front of me and was positioned in such a way that I could see his camera's screen after he took a picture. I saw how he would manually change the focus and play with foreground to achieve a specific shot: one consisted of a student looking off into the distance and thinking so constructively, while two other students were blurred on opposite sides of him.
After the Congressman's presentation, I sought out the photographer and spoke with him about his photography work. His name is Matt Wittmeyer and he graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse program. He is a freelance photographer and videographer, doing some events for the school upon request. I told him about Intro to Digital Video and mentioned the articles we read about the "film vs. digital" debate. He agreed that digital is about the end result and can see how film focuses on the process. He added that "film" will become a lost art form because so many people are going digital with their works.
It was awesome meeting Matt and hearing what he had to say about film and digital artwork. Our conversation also made the articles we read for class more tangible. I tip my hat to you, Matt.
Adios.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Reading Numero 1
Questions of identity can surface among communities which experience a change in media. Primarily oral cultures, which over time transformed into primarily literate cultures, questioned how the change from the spoken word to the written word would affect their lives. In what ways would their identity be altered; perceptions of tradition, uses of documentation, implementation of reading skills, etc -- the very structure of culture. Writing is also considered an extension of oneself because a person only knows by the very words (and meanings) she or he knows. To write words down is to transfer the meaning of oneself.
Today, new media are being utilized. Computers have types and texts; cameras have photographs; and videos have film and motion-pictures. We are progressing into a digital age, whether we like it or not. The same was true for those enduring the transition from oral cultures to literate cultures: these changes occur. The essay, "After the Death of Film: Writing the Natural World in the Digital Age," sparked some thought about this matter. In discussing the take on celluloid filmmaking and digital videos, I became interested in how an artist might see these different motion-picture production procedures in relation to the work being an extension of oneself.
If an artist has the ability to create a video by physically tampering with the tangible filmstrips and the procedures thereof, the artist has full freedom to create a film that is one-of-a-kind, simply because the exact chemical balance or film clippings may never be exactly reproduced. Surely, this can be viewed as an extension of the artist: to establish meaning through images physically crafted by hand. However, the artist must account for possible accidents, like strange mixtures of chemicals, that will affect the films end result.
But, as discussed, avant-garde critics seems to be impressed and focused on the process, not the end result. Therefore, an artist who punches keys on a computer or hits buttons on an electronic device to create a video may be at loss. In this case, the artist is not physically handling the film, but utilizing the intelligence and swiftness of a machine to labor the picture. Thus, the artist is distanced from the production process and the end result because of the digital apparatus -- similar to how an author scribbling notes in a journal is compared to an author typing a story on a laptop; the pen flows from the hands instinctive movements and makes a personal letter while the computer gives distinctive structure with font, size, and format.
... some pending questions:
What does this mean for artists in the 21st century?
Does it matter which procedure is utilized to create a video?
How important is it for our artwork to be an extension of ourselves?
How can we digitally create an extension of ourselves through video?
Today, new media are being utilized. Computers have types and texts; cameras have photographs; and videos have film and motion-pictures. We are progressing into a digital age, whether we like it or not. The same was true for those enduring the transition from oral cultures to literate cultures: these changes occur. The essay, "After the Death of Film: Writing the Natural World in the Digital Age," sparked some thought about this matter. In discussing the take on celluloid filmmaking and digital videos, I became interested in how an artist might see these different motion-picture production procedures in relation to the work being an extension of oneself.
If an artist has the ability to create a video by physically tampering with the tangible filmstrips and the procedures thereof, the artist has full freedom to create a film that is one-of-a-kind, simply because the exact chemical balance or film clippings may never be exactly reproduced. Surely, this can be viewed as an extension of the artist: to establish meaning through images physically crafted by hand. However, the artist must account for possible accidents, like strange mixtures of chemicals, that will affect the films end result.
But, as discussed, avant-garde critics seems to be impressed and focused on the process, not the end result. Therefore, an artist who punches keys on a computer or hits buttons on an electronic device to create a video may be at loss. In this case, the artist is not physically handling the film, but utilizing the intelligence and swiftness of a machine to labor the picture. Thus, the artist is distanced from the production process and the end result because of the digital apparatus -- similar to how an author scribbling notes in a journal is compared to an author typing a story on a laptop; the pen flows from the hands instinctive movements and makes a personal letter while the computer gives distinctive structure with font, size, and format.
... some pending questions:
What does this mean for artists in the 21st century?
Does it matter which procedure is utilized to create a video?
How important is it for our artwork to be an extension of ourselves?
How can we digitally create an extension of ourselves through video?
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