Ratings

-1. 16 mm-
Manipulating film developed film stock, making rayograms, and drawing on blank film stock to create the 100 frame animation - I would have never considered using any of these techniques- I am so glad I have been exposed these processes it was very much enjoyable and I look forward to applying them to future projects- Beaching, painting, oil and sandpaper were my of my favorite-  It allowed me to really carry my artistic abilities over to film and be creative in a new way.

2. Rhythmic edit- 
Editing to a rhythm really exposed me to the editing process, and tested me to think in a different way- This project was monotonous at times - challenging and upon completion brought me great pleasure. I now enjoy editing- The possibilities are much more open than I initially assumed. The only thing I would have changed about this project is being about to pick the theme/ subject, but I can always reuse this editing style in the future and do so. I have a mental note to shoot more footage than I think I will need next time, and then maybe even a minute more to be safe! - more footage would have greatly approved my short- I am overall proud of my end result- this was my second editing project ever and I'm hooked!

3. Stop motion multiplane animation- 
The time in which we had to shoot this was so shot, we were defiantly hustling -one of the biggest challenges was setting up lighting- Trying to use the other groups lighting to an advantage and work with it/ around it- glare off of the glass- A really fun, challenging project- I know it was repetitively stated to shoot 10-12 shots per movement- I really could not wrap my head around how quickly the images would move until they were played- They moved so fast- We ended up slowing it down in post- I'm excited to retry this technique in a different project in the future.

4.Freestyle-
Challenging in it's own way with all the freedom to basically do anything with two rules-  Theme- "Make America great again" and we had to incorporate an experimental element that we had not explored in a class project.  There were a lot of ways to go with this- I chose political satire- I'm still in the beginning stages of this project now- I am enjoying it.

5. Crowd-sourcing- 
I didn't fully know about crowd-sourcing and the endless ways that it can be applied to film making- I like the idea of crowd-sourcing in the future-  However for me- I ended up completing- 20 of the 30 frames myself- No one really wanted to help/ participate-  I am however really excited to see the end result of multiple peoples artistic variations put together as one, cohesive short film!

6. Bolex-
I probably would have never been exposed to a bolex- Filming on and developing if not for this class-I am very grateful.
Despite the warnings about the time restraint, and quick run troughs for preparation-  time went a lot quicker than incapacitated-  Luckily- The action of the film just made it onto film!
The only downfall to the project for me was my group was a little under prepared upon arrival- we had to alter the game plan day of- which I honestly think in hindsight was a good thing- The group dynamic was frustrating for me with this project/ eschewed- one member was super hardheaded and didn't budge on even one detail- so I felt like I was working on someone else's project instead of a group project. It was nice to learn how to use the bolex over all it was a cool project-  The end result was satisfying.
I'm excited to see them premiered with a second live sensory element- I think it will be interesting to see how  the films will be affected.  



 

Bolex long take

Filming using the Bolex camera was interesting, we planed, staged, cranked and shot. Even though we practiced and were warned about the time restraint, our timing ended up being a little off. Luckily, the main pop of the action (the guitar smashing!) was caught mere seconds before the camera turned off, so although our film did not end up being exactly as planed it was indeed a success!
The exposure, and filming was very different than a digital camera. The Bolex needs much more light for exposure, and developing the film stock, and seeing the images/ film stock turn from clear to black was thrilling - seeing the film come to life right in front of my eyes. When we projected the footage it was also fun to see how it looked in its negative form. The whole process went a little differently than expected, I am happy with the footage we captured. I am so glad I am now versed in operating a Bolex, and exposing the film, I hope to shoot using one again!  Now that I have a better understanding of the process it would be interesting to see the results of a newly planed long take.

Rough Theater

6x1 has taught me a lot about rough theater- from the projects assigned to working with groups or partner. The more I try to control the end products, the more of a headache I have had. 

At first  after reading the article- I thought of rough theater as more of a physical place of viewing a film or performance- this place probably being a smidge gritty, sometimes quit and comfortable, at others loud and out of any one persons control, and of course always a little rough around the edges. However, after having it read a loud to me in class, I realized I was only half right- Rough theater is all that and more- it's learning how to let go of the structured formulas of "popular" theater, allowing the medium to flow naturally- improving- allowing creativity to take over and not getting hung up on details- being hard-headed and anal, is a massive creativity suck-

All of our projects in some way have been a little taste of rough theater, the "roughest" was our 16mm film manipulation project, try completely controlling bleach, ink and oil as it drips down the film strip! I was- forced isn't quite the word- during this project to let go, have fun with the process, and experiment. Once I did this- relaxed that is- I started tilting the film strips to further allow whatever liquid was on there to swish around the project took a new shape for me. I allowed each medium take it's own natural state and express itself, it was truly freeing. I was using colors and lines as expressive tones, and thinking in a new way-Visual stimulation-  Exhilarating. 

rough theater-  let each medium used truly show itself- control- at least complete control- is overrated- relax- experiment! 

Crowd-sourcing

Crowd-sourcing is a very creative way to make something such as an experimental film. It involves the collaboration of  many different people, allowing for a broad creative approach, as everyone has a different way of thinking and approaching an idea. It is usually a very affordable way of making an idea come to life, crowd-souring depends on the donation of artist work and a small crew for editing. Technology at large has opened many doors for communication and working collaboratively on projects. Wikipedia, and I had never thought about this fact is indeed one of the most successful and continuous example of a major crowd-sourcing project. It very straight forward, easy to follow guide lines on how to successfully make it through the process. I am very excited to see how our crowd-sourcing project turns out!

Experimental film project: uno

I took on the role of a mad artist posing as a scientist during the making of this project. I experimented with bleach, hydrogen procide, vinager, salt, paint and coffee all within my kitchen sink. Glad my roommate wasn't home all the while, he is a neat freak and would have had a conniption fit with the wonderful mess I made. Inks, sand paper, and sharpies were also used during my experiment with clear leader and old film stock. My brightest idea which failed... (A few of my experiments failed, just to let it be known, but my brightest idea) was to sprinkle salt and coffee along different sections of the film and then pour bleach over it, my assumption was that it would make sweet patterns, it did not. This project proved multiple times that my assumptions were plum wrong. Bleaching was my upmost favorite part of this project, instant gratification!

Sound

"Sound and Time"- Boyd expresses his love for music and various sounds. He records and mixes sounds, to create a conversation between material, sound and place- sound being the activating element connecting them. Multiple sounds to make one- natural and unnatural combined to create something new. He often mixes his recordings and creates a loop.
This video made me think of all the different sounds in the world, and the different ways in which they could possibly mix together. It is mind blowing to think about how many variations are possible.

"Listen"- This video really pointed out the different natural sounds, birds, traffic, metal pipes, a record, gloves going on a hand, a hat on the head, hay and snow crunching below feet, a zipper. This video made me aware of how many sounds I take for-granted and tune out on an average day.

"Listen up: Opening our Ears to Acoustic Ecology" This article broke down "acoustic ecology" as an umbrella term and the different ways sound is being studied. The main point- Sound affects humans and animals within their environment. City noise has been interfering with different species of birds- their mating calls have changed from a unique song to a generic chirp.  Sonar used by the Navy for underwater surveillance are affecting marine life- Migration patterns changed for whales- Some beached themselves, autopsies showed hemorrhages in or around ears- pointing to the cause being "intense acoustic pressure." Technology has added to us selectively listening. That being present and really listing is of up-most importance.

"The Father of Acoustic Ecology"- "Society is in need of a big old Q-tip. Our senses are clogged with too much." This article begins- It expresses the importance of listening to what is around you and how technology has lead to us zoning out sound, due to the lack of important information its natural drone makes. It goes on to speak of how humans make destructive sounds and even go so far as to attack others with it. That long distance hearing isn't as possible anymore- overpopulation of sound has taken over. That sounds and nature are connected- If an instrument is played or a song is sung, birds will sing back.

All of the above material promoted the importance of listening- and suggested that we have become so accustom to ambient and other noises we have forgotten the importance of really listening. That to really experience the world and not stay stuck inside yourself- it is necessary to really listen and let the sounds slowly unfold and layer around you. That sounds are important- not only to listen to, but encouraged thoughtfulness when expelling your own noise. Also the difference between distortion, broadband noise and natural, rich sounds.  

As I was reading the articles I begin to realize how little I really listen to the different sounds around me. My ears had defiantly become jaded to sounds of the world. After turning my ears back on, so to speak I really noticed how much noise is humming in the air at any given time.

A lot of questions and things to consider came to mind: What makes two sounds work together and why. What makes a sound pleasant, and on the flip what makes a sound abrasive or annoying. I never thought to think this much about sound.

A unique perspective and visual sound

Synesthesia- Two or more senses linked. There are two main forms that people experience projective and associative. Projective- Visuals: colors, shapes or forms. Associative: Feeling. There are many sub categories in which someone can experience the two forms: Colors, tints or tones associated with numbers and letters. Colors with music or sounds- colored hearing, seeing the perfect pitch, talk about the best music major ever! Numbers as points in a spacial sequence.  Numbers as a mental map. Sounds trigger a bodily sensation- Let's hope one's not linked to the urge to pee! Numbers and letters in an ordered sequence as a gender or personality. Negative emotions triggered by a sound. Spoken words that have a taste!- The word "wallpaper" taste like snozzberries, how wonderful! Time represented as a mental map with objects- time as a mental spacial construction.

The two main types are color coded- numbers and letters or sounds. Most people with synesthesia find it to be enjoyable. How can I get this you say? Unfortunately, you can't. One is either born with Synesthesia, or it is developed during childhood when being taught abstract concepts.

Synesthesia is not a completely new concept for me, but I had no idea of the many variations- that any of the two senses can mix in any way! I feel like having a form of synesthesia would be an awesome creative experience and a great learning aid.

Cymatics- Visualizing sound- vibrating a medium such as sand or water using sound- medium creates pattern. Higher freqency= more complex patterns.
I need to experiment.

A response to Len Lye, word vomit style

Collage, Moving shapes, animation, peppy Cuban music- cartoon feel, experimental.

The two animated, experimental films shown in class consisted of dark color tones and peppy upbeat music. The shapes and lines that varied in thickness and size danced as they moved about the screen. The images did not always relate to the one previous or prior, the consistency of the music aided in binding, and shaping the film as a whole. For me the films created a happy, nostalgic feeling.