Viewing our self-portraits

I was a little nervous to say the least in regards to showing my self-portrait. I was working on it and wasn't sure if anyone would like it. I took the approach of doing more narrative based storytelling, even though the images were more surreal. Therefore, I didn't have a lot of super-impositions, and didn't do a lot of quick editing. Instead, the intent was to use editing to juxtapose images of me, and images of parts of cameras and projectors, to suggests a link. The audience seemed to respond to my humor i.e. "me wanting to eat film." I feel it is true though that for an independent filmmaker you have to be pretty ridiculous to pay for film when you also have to eat! If I could do it over, I would change certain things including: my opening and closing titles and some different narration. I felt that I should have done some things more experimental with the narration, rather than doing a straight narration. I might think about that next time, and do something different and perhaps unique. The one thing that I did like a lot from this experience, especially after showing it to my roommates and girlfriend, was that I could make something that touched people and was genuine, and it was creative, but didn't take months and months of prep. I really enjoyed the short format of this assignment. I might actually, explore the chest hair idea on my own. I want to do some more intricate things, including split screens. If I finish it, I'll post it on this blog.

Should I still be posint?

so, just to make sure, should I be posting anything else on these blogs? I haven't heard about these blogs in a while at class, and also as early on, I would see it assigned on the syllabus, but I there is nothing assigned. I just want to make sure.

Idea for my creative self-portrait

I am trying to come up with some idea for my self-portrait. 

I am definitely going to do it on chest hair. What do you think about me doing it with a split screen? Like Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls. I could talk about my chest hair, living in a metrosexual world, mixed in with old footage from when I've shaved, naired, and actually waxed! OUCH!!

But maybe I could just narrate? I also would like to bring in archived footage from the 1970s. 

I'd love anyone's thoughts on this. 

Thoughts on Music Video (My Rants)

Aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!! I don't want to be the producer! I've already been doing that for the past two years! I've produced a honors project, a television show, and now I work for TealTV, as, can you guess? a producer!

I wanted to be the cinematographer so bad! And I'm not crying over it, it's just that I have experience, on my own time, working with film. And I was excited by the chance to maybe get to do it for a class, but no, I have to be the PRODUCER!!!!

I'm still a little bitter, maybe I should have made the slips of paper with my name on it bigger! I was trying to save trees by making small slips. Anyways, I guess I'll survive. I have EXTENSIVE experience with logistics of filmmaking *boring*

I also have access to lights, so I think our group will be good on that.

So, that's all I have to say, I can organize and get equipment, because lord knows I have no hand in the CREATIVE aspects of this project. Just kidding of course, I know that in student productions everyone gets a say on everything.

I'm really not bitter and feel a lot better putting this all out there. I'm actually excited about being a producer. Not!

Response to Assn. 1D

It was fun. I really like doing this part of the project, because I feel much more comfortable in the visual world, than I do in the audio world. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the audio portion and not learn from it, quite the opposite is true; however, I enjoyed this more. I really liked the concept, of making motion out of still images. The fact that three pictures of the same setting was taken, and they had slight variations, meant that when looped, they would create the illusion of jagged motion. This really brought the piece to life for me. I took it from the poets heart and went with the feeling that the sounds gave me, rather than creating a story. This is the first time that I went pure experimental in my approach to a project in this class. I let go of most of my narrative instincts. Overall, I liked how the piece came together. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone elses.

Self Portrait Idea

Let's see, some ideas for my experimental self-portrait? None. Well, not true, I have a few ideas churning in my noggin. I could do one on my hairy chest, and how that got me a lot of attention in ninth grade. Hmmm, I've always been proud of it, maybe I could do something about me being proud, and then having this Metrosexual craze occur. I was also thinking about doing one on my philosophy of life and the world (real hippie stuff), which I have always enjoyed speaking to others about, but I'd have to think a bit about how to translate that onto video. I also have daddy issues like most people do, so maybe I could use that. That reminds me of Austin Powers 3, "Uh oh, someone has some daddy issues!" Lol. Anyways, I also have a lot of deep dark information about myself, that would be interesting to explore. I'll explore them further as I start to use my camera, but this has been a good start.

Response To Sound/Light Project

I found these projects to be very enlightening, especially the light project, but I'll start with the sound project. The biggest thing I learned about sound is how to record it. Using the equipment was particularly good to learn. It was also a good experience to see how sounds can be manipulated and just what sort of effect they can have when juxtaposed with other sounds.

Now to get to the lighting project. I learn a lot about lighting in just one class period. I always use to think of cinematography as seeing an object, lighting it, and then filmming it. I was wrong. I never fully understood depth of field and how f-stops effect that. Contrast and composition have also become more engrained into my mindset. I had already been fairly proficient in using a lightmeter, but using it in the field, with others watching me, and their pictures depending on correct readings, really helped be understand lighting a whole lot better. Even though I don't think my pictures turned out as well as I had hoped, I still was inspired by some of the amazing photos that other student took. The lighting project has really helped me understand my photography better, and inspired me to develop my 'eye' a bit more.