Critique: In Progress

Through observing critiques and getting feedback on my work, I have a better idea of how I am going to execute my ideas.  Through hearing what my classmates and professor had to say, I was able to figure out a way to make my transitioning of my statue figure more obvious by incorporating some sound effects that were suggested in class.  Critique pushed me to consider how I was going to make the transformation fit the aesthetics of the overall video.  I went back and looked at the filters I was using and adjusted them to make it less shaky for the viewers, but also added  other filters or effects to make certain colors pop. 

I decided to add to the imagery or changed some things around, visually, in order to make my work an effective multichannel piece.  I would have liked to have kept the single channel with multiple screens because I liked the look of it, but it wouldn’t have met the requirements. Therefore, I am still considering using two desktops or may experiment with the projectors, depending on how I like the feeling of the large or smaller scale.  I feel that I like the way it looks on monitors because of the detail and color is better.

Overall, I was satisfied with the footage I had and the direction I went with.  I want to keep the text and old feel of the myth.  Critique did not change my direction, but helped me better meet the requirements and push my work to be more successful.

Ann Arbor Film Festival

Besides going on this adventure alone, getting lost, and running out of change for parking; I highly enjoyed the experience of going to downtown Ann Arbor.  I loved the atmosphere and thought it was infested with art.  The film festival was great, although I knew no one there.  However, I did see Gerry Fialka. 

The first thing I went to see was Phil Solomon’s American Falls.  There were three large screens that were projecting his work.  Before reading about it, or catching what the title was, I watched it to see if I could figure what it was about.  I thought the piece was really interesting with bits and pictures of history, deformed and blotchy. The integration of images and words was great.  It made me think of politics and how “hazy” independence, rights, and equality are, today.  The way the images looked and how the sound was intense at times made me think of corruption or how history and what the country fought for has been tossed into the “muck.”

I also went through the exhibition where you had to take a mirror in with you and look at it at eye level, as you walked through it.  It made me feel as if I was walking through this different environment with images projected on the ceiling, which were now reflecting at my feet.  It was a creative way to play with perception and our idea of space.

After, I went to the Michigan Theater and listened to Craig Baldwin’s speech.  His vision is collage-based and he focused a lot on using found footage, making it your own.  He looked at film as a form of rebellion, creating your own identity through film.  He loves video and thinks using real film to create work is still relative to creativity, and it is how he wishes to continue his work. He mentions the birth of film from the Kuleshov effect and Eisenstein montage (time of Soviet Union), which is something I have learned in my cinema class this semester, so to me it was relevant. Baldwin stressed how music, Avan Garde, Dada, and culture has influenced him, as well as, filmmakers.

Overall, I thought it was great to see something new because I have never heard of the Ann Arbor Film Festival before.  I would like to go again next year.

Gerry Fialka- speaker/workshop

I thought that the discussions and thought processes presented by our speaker last week was very interesting and uplifting.  It made me feel that my opinions, judgments, and thoughts are just as great and accurate as anyone's.  This is because he is accurate in saying we have all formed into this norm or idea of accepting something for what it is.  There is room for other "theories" and ideas, and ways of completing our everyday tasks.  There are creative ways to explore life and get involved in thinking out of the box. 

Often I was confused by the topics we were covering; however, it was fun to be spontaneous and talk about topics that are not always thought about at school, work, and home.  I agree that is important to combine work and home because you should love what you do.  You should always be critically thinking and observing things around you, connecting your home life and work life.  However, I feel that my work life and home life are so different at the moment that I do not like combining the two.  Emotions and stress, to me, are often brought home from work and school.  Instead, I want my ideas and thought processes to follow me.

I felt that when he asked questions and told us to give one word answers, that my answers were always thought-provoking.  I am unsure this is because I am creative, or because I like coming up with answers that provoke others.  I like to trick or impress people with ideas because often ideas are difficult to come across when we have to think quickly.  I feel it's sometimes easier to think of something when you have less pressure.  For example, thinking of a video topic may seem difficult when you are given certain guidelines and are under pressure to meet the standards.

Fialka made it clear that thinking for yourself is very important and that not even teachers, scientists, or government knows the answers to everything, yet has an "explanation" for everything.  Listening to Fialka's comments and points of view almost upset me because to become an art teacher I have to follow strict courses and procedures.  Yet, he stressed that everything we see and do isn't always the correct thing to do, but is accepted as a norm.

100 Words About Me, Myself, and I

I see myself in different ways, depending on my mood and situation.

1. artsy
2. outgoing
3. anxious
4. funny
5. young-spirited
6. stressful
7. smart
8. independent
9. compassionate
10. thoughtful
11. entertaining
12. sarcastic
13. determined
14. nervous
15. insecure
16. friendly
17. hard-working
18. careful
19. weird
20. kind
21. some-what short-tempered
22. listener
23. dedicated
24. wild
25. stubborn
26. complicated
27. patient
28. dancer
29. procrastinator
30. motherly
31. emotional
32. indecisive
33. teacher
34. reliable
35. fidgety
36. open-minded
37. blunt
38. goal-oriented
39. talkative
40. sympathetic
41. enthusiastic
42. lively
43. cheerful
44. moody "often"
45. opinionated
46. advice-giver
47. responsible
48. resilient
49. understanding
50. loyal
51. regretful
52. self-disciplined
53. fast-paced
54. adventurous
55. fearful of the "unknowing"
56. loving
57. self-conscious
58. realistic
59. thinker
60. problem-solver
61. often pessimistic
62. persistent
63. visual learner
64. hands-on
65. forgiving
66. sincere
67. likable
68. helpful
69. demanding
70. ambitious
71. affectionate
72. risk-taker
73. spontaneous (when I want to be)
74. tolerant
75. road-rager ;p
76. reasonable
77. virtuous
78. rebellious (at times)
79. thrifty
80. gentle                    
81. punctual
82. writer
83. gregarious
84. loud (when I'm comfortable with the people I am with)
85. colorful
86. down-to-earth
87. confused
88. generous
89. supportive
90. a rocker
91. active
92. a motivator
93. busy
94. unpopular
95. thin/short
96. tenacious
97. creative
98. great memory
99. Not set to one crowd of people
100. Me....Myself...and I ;)

60 Second Shot Reflection

What I learned about the 60 sec film is that it is often difficult to come up with interesting concepts or compositions that require a time limit of one minute.  I found that each individual came up with very different ideas, yet had similar ideas when it came to camera movement and the distance at which the shot was taken.  I felt it was very interesting that almost every student played with this idea of using angle or “cropping” to create a certain feeling in the environment in which the students were in.  Some videos were reviewed as performances and others were more personal (autobiographies).  It was great seeing different compositions, colors, points of view, and types of cameras used.

I have become extremely comfortable in front of the camera through applying different emotions and facial expressions, trying to convey certain feelings of curiosity or confusion to the audience.  I felt my work was very different from other students; however, I felt it was important for me to introduce myself through a digital video, allowing for others to get a sense of how I am on camera.  I felt it was a quick and fun experience, jumping into a project that required no editing.  It gets people comfortable in making a video without the “extras” first.  It was a great idea to have no limitations, allowing for students to have the freedom to choose their composition and topic.  However, it is sometimes more difficult to have no guided focus or goal.  This experimentation allowed for me to learn a little about each artist.

Video art- why I love it

Video art was one of my biggest fears in venturing out into new media.  I started by determining I was going to specialize in drawing.  However, with one media class I found myself easily attached to technology.  I enjoy Photoshop and Final Cut Pro has become my closest friend.  I love taping images and voice overs, creating interesting effects and overlays.  I find it to be time-consuming, but so was drawing.  I found more excitement in video art, as opposed to concentrating on a single drawing.  I have freedom in video art and I am able to express myself through image and sound, and it can be both abstract and realistic.  Video has emotion that can be experienced with multiple senses, and the creator has more say in how its interpreted by the audience.  I have found video art to be fun to create, allowing me to find myself.  I have been able to express myself better through video art, rather than painting or drawing.  Video art has given me greater opportunities and the ability to create what I want through a set of guidelines.  I am pleasantly surprised by my growth and change in heart.  I feel many can learn more about me and find that I have developed a style since Video Art I.  I love creating work about emotion (anger, frustration, pain) and life experiences.  I feel that memory and past has a great affect on our work as artists.  I wish only to learn more and progress, showing people that I am a true artist, one that can be taken seriously.