PROGRAMME TITLE: Frustrations about the course
DIRECTOR/
CAMERA OPERATOR: Gari Nichols
DURATION: Between 2-5mins
FORMAT: DMV
AUDIENCE: Very little people (if any)to show the emptyness of my words
STORY RESUME: My original idea was to make a video showing the great things about life but due to recent events I refuse to make that video.
I am going to record my self releasing my frustrations about the course, and put it on a black screen in minimilist fashion to show how little anyone cares. I am just one voice in a sea of nothingness.
CHARACTER RESUME: Only my voice
Monday, November 3, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Experimental Video Review #5
Koyaanisqatsi- Godfrey Reggio
My final revew is of one of the more famous experimental videos, Koyaanisqatsi.
The title, translated from the Uto-Aztecan language Hopi, means ''crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance' and the film reflects that well.
There is no real structured story in this film, just a series of cleverly films scenes pieced together over a soundtrack by American classical music composer, Philip Glass. The scenes depict life moving from cave people to modern life, with some scenes moving slow and others moving really fast.
So mentioned already the video is shot over a soundtrack, but this music is not actually in the scenes so it would be classed as non-diagetic.
The idea behind this video is enviromental, it is about how humans have ruined that which is organic and natural and how our lifes are moving so fast when it could be much slower without technology. In Godfrey Reggio's words,
"These films have never been about the effect of technology, of industry on people. It's been that everyone: politics, education, things of the financial structure, the nation state structure, language, the culture, religion, all of that exists within the host of technology. So it's not the effect of it's that everything exists within [technology]. It's not that we use technology, we live technology. Technology has become as ubiquitous as the air we breathe..."
After watching this movie I was a little bit confused, it took me a while to work out what message was trying to be brought across. It was, for lack of a better word, a little boring but it was impressive how well made it was and the music was seven shades of awesome.
My final revew is of one of the more famous experimental videos, Koyaanisqatsi.
The title, translated from the Uto-Aztecan language Hopi, means ''crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance' and the film reflects that well.
There is no real structured story in this film, just a series of cleverly films scenes pieced together over a soundtrack by American classical music composer, Philip Glass. The scenes depict life moving from cave people to modern life, with some scenes moving slow and others moving really fast.
So mentioned already the video is shot over a soundtrack, but this music is not actually in the scenes so it would be classed as non-diagetic.
The idea behind this video is enviromental, it is about how humans have ruined that which is organic and natural and how our lifes are moving so fast when it could be much slower without technology. In Godfrey Reggio's words,
"These films have never been about the effect of technology, of industry on people. It's been that everyone: politics, education, things of the financial structure, the nation state structure, language, the culture, religion, all of that exists within the host of technology. So it's not the effect of it's that everything exists within [technology]. It's not that we use technology, we live technology. Technology has become as ubiquitous as the air we breathe..."
After watching this movie I was a little bit confused, it took me a while to work out what message was trying to be brought across. It was, for lack of a better word, a little boring but it was impressive how well made it was and the music was seven shades of awesome.
Experimental Video Review #4
Doll Face- Andy Huang
This is one of my favourite experimental videos as it combines both craft and concept to get its point across.
The story is about some kind of mechanical face that tries to copy the images that it sees on a T.V screen. The screen moves further and further away and the face tries to get closer and closer so it can keep on copying the images. Eventually the T.V moves too far away and the face breaks itsef because it cant get close enough.
The film is shot completly using CGI and is very sleek and modern. There is no real sound in the vide except for some music and sound effects, the little sound there is could be described as diagetic as the sound fits the soundtrack.
The idea behind this video in my opinion is that we as people are obsessed with looking how people on the T.V tell us to look and that we will go to extraordinary lengths to copy these images even though it is practically impossibly due to the amount of airbrushing and photoshop used in the media.
As I said at the beggining of this review, this is one of my favourite videos as the point was clear and I got it nearly straight away. It made me feel like you dont need to try and look like the people on T.V because you just cant.
This is one of my favourite experimental videos as it combines both craft and concept to get its point across.
The story is about some kind of mechanical face that tries to copy the images that it sees on a T.V screen. The screen moves further and further away and the face tries to get closer and closer so it can keep on copying the images. Eventually the T.V moves too far away and the face breaks itsef because it cant get close enough.
The film is shot completly using CGI and is very sleek and modern. There is no real sound in the vide except for some music and sound effects, the little sound there is could be described as diagetic as the sound fits the soundtrack.
The idea behind this video in my opinion is that we as people are obsessed with looking how people on the T.V tell us to look and that we will go to extraordinary lengths to copy these images even though it is practically impossibly due to the amount of airbrushing and photoshop used in the media.
As I said at the beggining of this review, this is one of my favourite videos as the point was clear and I got it nearly straight away. It made me feel like you dont need to try and look like the people on T.V because you just cant.
Friday, October 10, 2008
First assignment- 800 word analysis
Experimental media might not be for everyone. It requires thought, patience and an open mind... there are many different ideas and hidden messages in experimental videos, for example Andy Huang's 'Doll Face'. The message behind the video was that we, as human beings, are so obsessed with the media and looking how the people on the T.V look that it can lead to our self-destruction. John Smith's 'Girl Chewing Gum' has a similar message but is presented in a slightly different way. Whereas 'Doll Face' was made using CGI (Computer Generated Images), 'Girl Chewing Gum' is all about concept over craft, it shows the narrator as a voice of power who tells you what is happening. The message behind this story is you shouldn't just go along with anything the media tells you. Similar messages, different methods of getting them across. 'Telling Lies' by Simon Ellis is also about not believing what you hear, but it is more about what people really think than what the media is trying to tell you.
Some people would not like 'Girl Chewing Gum' as much as 'Doll Face' or 'Telling Lies' because it is an older piece (it was made in the 70's) and is less pretty and was made on a considerably lower budget, but this does not mean that the message is any less stronger or important. Even tthough 'Doll Face' may be easy on the eye and 'Telling Lies' may be more comedic and these two may appeal to the masses more, they are all as good as each other. No one is better or more right than someone else in experimental media, especially if one was made a couple of years before the other. In fact in my opinion this makes it even more cutting edge because it was made before it's time. In experimental video if you want to get a point across you do not need to spend tons of cash, you just need a clever idea and a camera.
Storylines in experimental media do not have to follow a simple narrative. The beginning, middle and end do not have to be in order, or it does not need them at all. For example in 'Koyaanisqatsi' there is no conventional plot, just an assortment of cleverly photographed scenes. It has a more complex and different structure to some, for example 'Doll Face' has a clear beginning (where the face starts to watch the T.V), middle (where the face tries to copy the images on the screen) and end (where the face gets broken because it tries to follow the T.V when it moves away). There is no need for a simple structure, it may make it easier to understand but those videos without it still get across their message.
I have a few ideas on what I might do in my experimental video now I have seen a few others. I am thinking of doing things a little differently in my experimental video (as you do). I want to create a piece that shows that life isn't insignificant or passing us by. I want to show that life can be GOOD and POSITIVE if only you just let it. I havn't got a lot of ideas on how I am going to show this but I know what message I want to get across.
When we watch videos as a class there are usually a lot of different reactions. This is good because an experimental video is not supposed to have a clear message, you are supposed to think about it a bit and make up your own conclusion as to what it means, just like in art. When you look at a painting you don't have someone telling you what it is supposed to mean, you have to work it out yourself.Experimental media is what you make it. If a certain piece hits close to home and you think it has a certain meaning than you cant be wrong, that's what makes experimental video so easy. It is hard to critique because it might not mean something to you but it might to someone else.
Some people would not like 'Girl Chewing Gum' as much as 'Doll Face' or 'Telling Lies' because it is an older piece (it was made in the 70's) and is less pretty and was made on a considerably lower budget, but this does not mean that the message is any less stronger or important. Even tthough 'Doll Face' may be easy on the eye and 'Telling Lies' may be more comedic and these two may appeal to the masses more, they are all as good as each other. No one is better or more right than someone else in experimental media, especially if one was made a couple of years before the other. In fact in my opinion this makes it even more cutting edge because it was made before it's time. In experimental video if you want to get a point across you do not need to spend tons of cash, you just need a clever idea and a camera.
Storylines in experimental media do not have to follow a simple narrative. The beginning, middle and end do not have to be in order, or it does not need them at all. For example in 'Koyaanisqatsi' there is no conventional plot, just an assortment of cleverly photographed scenes. It has a more complex and different structure to some, for example 'Doll Face' has a clear beginning (where the face starts to watch the T.V), middle (where the face tries to copy the images on the screen) and end (where the face gets broken because it tries to follow the T.V when it moves away). There is no need for a simple structure, it may make it easier to understand but those videos without it still get across their message.
I have a few ideas on what I might do in my experimental video now I have seen a few others. I am thinking of doing things a little differently in my experimental video (as you do). I want to create a piece that shows that life isn't insignificant or passing us by. I want to show that life can be GOOD and POSITIVE if only you just let it. I havn't got a lot of ideas on how I am going to show this but I know what message I want to get across.
When we watch videos as a class there are usually a lot of different reactions. This is good because an experimental video is not supposed to have a clear message, you are supposed to think about it a bit and make up your own conclusion as to what it means, just like in art. When you look at a painting you don't have someone telling you what it is supposed to mean, you have to work it out yourself.Experimental media is what you make it. If a certain piece hits close to home and you think it has a certain meaning than you cant be wrong, that's what makes experimental video so easy. It is hard to critique because it might not mean something to you but it might to someone else.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Two Very Important Words
CRAFT AND CONCEPT
I'm going to go into a bit more description as to what craft and concept means:
Craft-When you use craft in experimental video you concentrate more on how it looks more than what it actually means. When you prioritise craft over concept in experimental video it usualy means the video is more technically apt and they usually take longer to film.
Concept- A concept in experimental video is the idea that the video is based around. If a video is concept based it needs little or no craft involved at all. If you watch a concept video only for how it is made you probably wont get it, you need to think about what the director is trying to tell you.
I'm going to go into a bit more description as to what craft and concept means:
Craft-When you use craft in experimental video you concentrate more on how it looks more than what it actually means. When you prioritise craft over concept in experimental video it usualy means the video is more technically apt and they usually take longer to film.
Concept- A concept in experimental video is the idea that the video is based around. If a video is concept based it needs little or no craft involved at all. If you watch a concept video only for how it is made you probably wont get it, you need to think about what the director is trying to tell you.
Experimental Video Review #3
Girl Chewing Gum- John Smith
This choice I made partly because I couldn't be bothered to find out the names of the people who made the other 3 videos, but also because it has an interesting message.
it was made back in the 1970s and is shot in black and white. It shows a street corner and there is a man narrating and at first it seems like this man is just behind the camera directing. But we soon work out he cant possibly be doing this as he starts to direct real life, for example he tells biirds to fly across the screen and how fast the clock should be going. Eventually he tells us he is in a field somewhere. Then he starts to give more description about the people walking past, telling us what jobs they do and what they are doing off screen.
It is a message telling us that life is staged and all events are predetermined.
This piece is all concept. There is no real craft involved.
This choice I made partly because I couldn't be bothered to find out the names of the people who made the other 3 videos, but also because it has an interesting message.
it was made back in the 1970s and is shot in black and white. It shows a street corner and there is a man narrating and at first it seems like this man is just behind the camera directing. But we soon work out he cant possibly be doing this as he starts to direct real life, for example he tells biirds to fly across the screen and how fast the clock should be going. Eventually he tells us he is in a field somewhere. Then he starts to give more description about the people walking past, telling us what jobs they do and what they are doing off screen.
It is a message telling us that life is staged and all events are predetermined.
This piece is all concept. There is no real craft involved.
Experimental Video Review #2
Jan Kounan- Giselle Kerozene
Even though this video was a bit....odd, I liked the way it had been made.
The story isn't very clear but it involves a chase between two witches. The video is made using stop frame animation, which uses 25 frames per second, and it lasts 2.40mins which means that 6000 frames were used. It is very well put together and must've taken days to complete.
There are two important words when describing experimental video: Craft and Concept. Looking at how something is crafted means you see how it is made, but if you look at the concept you look at why it has been made.
This video would fall under the craft category because it is well put together but doesn't really make a point.
Even though this video was a bit....odd, I liked the way it had been made.
The story isn't very clear but it involves a chase between two witches. The video is made using stop frame animation, which uses 25 frames per second, and it lasts 2.40mins which means that 6000 frames were used. It is very well put together and must've taken days to complete.
There are two important words when describing experimental video: Craft and Concept. Looking at how something is crafted means you see how it is made, but if you look at the concept you look at why it has been made.
This video would fall under the craft category because it is well put together but doesn't really make a point.
Experimental Video Review #1
Telling Lies- Simon Ellis
We were shown 6 videos in class. Telling Lies was the first one we were shown.
It was a story told through a series of phone calls that piece together the story of a night out gone a bit wrong.
There are no pictures but there are words... the catch is that the words show us what the people who are talking are really thinking.
You could argue that the audio is non-diagetic because the words and thevoices are saying different things but i think the sound is diagetic because it fits the imagery.
It was a pretty funny video and my favourite out of the 6 we saw.
We were shown 6 videos in class. Telling Lies was the first one we were shown.
It was a story told through a series of phone calls that piece together the story of a night out gone a bit wrong.
There are no pictures but there are words... the catch is that the words show us what the people who are talking are really thinking.
You could argue that the audio is non-diagetic because the words and thevoices are saying different things but i think the sound is diagetic because it fits the imagery.
It was a pretty funny video and my favourite out of the 6 we saw.
Monday, September 22, 2008
A piece of video art I enjoy
... It's not like I haven't been trying to find a piece, it's just I'm not into the whole 'arty' thing. I'll edit my post when I can find one.
My First Assigment
So I have to write 100 words on what I think experimental video means... well that's 14 right there lol.
Ok serious now... I think experimental video is exactly what it says on the tin. Experimenting with different styes to create an awesome video. If I'm entirely honest I have not had much experiece in this field (my talents mostly lie in tabloid journalism) but I have messed about with home video before. Not a lot of it would be the sort of stuff I'd like to share with other people, especially my class, but we did try out making a proper film with scripts and lighting and everything.
Needless to say it wasn't very good. In fact it was bad, really bad, like the worst kind of bad, like the sort of bad that makes you cringe when you even think about it. But I had fun and that's all that matters... NOT!
During this assigment I expect to experient with different ideas and create short but interesting pieces of cinematography (woo made up words!)
141 words a little overshot but... meh!
Ok serious now... I think experimental video is exactly what it says on the tin. Experimenting with different styes to create an awesome video. If I'm entirely honest I have not had much experiece in this field (my talents mostly lie in tabloid journalism) but I have messed about with home video before. Not a lot of it would be the sort of stuff I'd like to share with other people, especially my class, but we did try out making a proper film with scripts and lighting and everything.
Needless to say it wasn't very good. In fact it was bad, really bad, like the worst kind of bad, like the sort of bad that makes you cringe when you even think about it. But I had fun and that's all that matters... NOT!
During this assigment I expect to experient with different ideas and create short but interesting pieces of cinematography (woo made up words!)
141 words a little overshot but... meh!
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