Saturday, November 29, 2008
redo of assignment 2
I reworked assignment 2 with final cut express and music which is royalty free. While I prefer the previous music. This music is suitable.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Taking the Dog Out
hopefully larger... I've tried this three times and in larger formats and still looks small when posted.
Yeah... just viewed it. No matter how large I make the dimensions in Final Cut it gets squished within the black area around it. help.
Yeah... just viewed it. No matter how large I make the dimensions in Final Cut it gets squished within the black area around it. help.
Toothbrush
The relationship between man and toothbrush. I had some frustrations with my movie clips not resizing properly.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Reaction to Adel Abdessemed: Situation and Practice
I first entered the smaller of the 2 rooms without a guide and was greeted by a snake bite loop and a kitten lapping milk. I loved it! The yelling David Moss in a clown nose was more effective the second time I saw it with the gallery guide.
I entered the larger installation and the first thing in my eyesight was one of his earlier pieces of the woman removing the veil. I thought it was effective and lovely. Short, but not sweet, is how I would describe most of his works in the show. One of the reasons I like the installation was because Abdelessemed wanted the window out onto the construction area to remain open and unblocked as a supplement to his show. I thought this was a great use of spontaneous installation because the window added a lot by continuing the vein of realism and street-life from which much of Abdelessemed's art springs.
The guide said something that really helped my understanding of the show as a whole. He described Abdelessemed's view of video as a conduit of sonic art, not necessarily a visual experience. With his still photos (where there existed quite a bit of movement and tension as well), he catches things he feels would not be any better presented on film as moving images. I closed my eyes and stood in the room and heard the sounds of a factory, a hammering, a cacophonous place in time.
Surprising to me, the foot crushing the lemon was one of my favorites. It had a very erotic quality to it that was amplified by the size of the projection screen. I took the show as a whole piece and came away with a million thoughts spinning. Usually a good sign when leaving a gallery.
I entered the larger installation and the first thing in my eyesight was one of his earlier pieces of the woman removing the veil. I thought it was effective and lovely. Short, but not sweet, is how I would describe most of his works in the show. One of the reasons I like the installation was because Abdelessemed wanted the window out onto the construction area to remain open and unblocked as a supplement to his show. I thought this was a great use of spontaneous installation because the window added a lot by continuing the vein of realism and street-life from which much of Abdelessemed's art springs.
The guide said something that really helped my understanding of the show as a whole. He described Abdelessemed's view of video as a conduit of sonic art, not necessarily a visual experience. With his still photos (where there existed quite a bit of movement and tension as well), he catches things he feels would not be any better presented on film as moving images. I closed my eyes and stood in the room and heard the sounds of a factory, a hammering, a cacophonous place in time.
Surprising to me, the foot crushing the lemon was one of my favorites. It had a very erotic quality to it that was amplified by the size of the projection screen. I took the show as a whole piece and came away with a million thoughts spinning. Usually a good sign when leaving a gallery.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Assignment for November 20
1. Finish your video in Final Cut Express
2. Export as QuickTime, testing out different compression schemes. For standard 4x3, I recommend 320 by 240 (ie. QVGA), for 16x9 you can use 480 by 370 which is becoming a de facto standard.
3. Post online -- preferably to blip.tv -- and cross post to our class blog. Remember to cross post with blip, you need to add our class blog by logging in with your blogger/gmail account name/password.
2. Export as QuickTime, testing out different compression schemes. For standard 4x3, I recommend 320 by 240 (ie. QVGA), for 16x9 you can use 480 by 370 which is becoming a de facto standard.
3. Post online -- preferably to blip.tv -- and cross post to our class blog. Remember to cross post with blip, you need to add our class blog by logging in with your blogger/gmail account name/password.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Royalty free music
In my quest for legal compliance, I found this website for royalty free music:
http://magnatune.com/info/
Interesting concept with support to the artists.
http://magnatune.com/info/
Interesting concept with support to the artists.
Making Breakfast
Short 2 minute film about someone waking up and starting the day by making scrambled eggs.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Field Trip - Adel Abdessemed
I enjoyed the exhibit, specifically the cats. The juxtaposition of cats drinking milk and the cat eating a rat made me think of my house cats in a different way. It was interesting that many visitors had been disturbed by the house cat and the rat but it is perfectly ordinary to watch a lion or tiger eat a deer on the Discovery Channel and not think anything of it.
I had trouble with the artist's idea of "moments" because individually I didn't think his videos were that disturbing, not for someone with his history. I felt it was a disappointing use of time-based media until I considered the time-line of walking through the exhibit itself. That was more of a journey and more satisfying.
Field Trip - Adel Abdessemed
I enjoyed seeing the Adel Abdessemed exhibit, but I did not feel much emotion in the pieces. I tried to understand where he was coming from in terms of his religious background and his nationality, but did not get any particularly strong messages from his work.
The ceramic cast of the torched car was very interesting and I feel this was his strongest piece. We can see burned-out cars quite often on the news, but I think the seriousness of actually burning a car in rage was really captured by having that replica.
Overall I think that his work is interesting, just not as incendiary as the guide suggested.
The ceramic cast of the torched car was very interesting and I feel this was his strongest piece. We can see burned-out cars quite often on the news, but I think the seriousness of actually burning a car in rage was really captured by having that replica.
Overall I think that his work is interesting, just not as incendiary as the guide suggested.
Field Trip - Adel Abdessemed
The piece that stayed with me the most were the holy books at the end. If the Qu'ran, the new testament or Torah are transcribed by prostitutes are they any less valid. When some religions don't consider literature by women to be valid, and and on top of that they also often condemn prostitution, is a volume of a holy book less holy or less meaningful when written by a prostitute. It really makes you think about the silliness of sexism and how society judges certain individuals. Also, just the thought of him going up to prostitutes and offering them money to transcribe books is hilarious.
Overall I thought the show was effective at making me feel uneasy and uncomfortable. The use of video I think was much more effective than still images because the movement and the sound really captured my attention, and the constant repetition really nailed it into my head.
Overall I thought the show was effective at making me feel uneasy and uncomfortable. The use of video I think was much more effective than still images because the movement and the sound really captured my attention, and the constant repetition really nailed it into my head.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Field Trip: Adel Abdessemed
The piece that stayed with me the most was the video of the fall from the sky. I love the idea of throwing or dropping a camera and letting it capture whatever it will without controlling it.
I also liked the cat eating the rat. It made me think that the action captured (and actions much more disturbing) happen all the time and that I should watch it. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not happening.
Another thing I thought about was the different timing of the videos and sound in the room and how that timing depends on the order in which the videos are turned on.
Field trip: Adel Abdessemed
In general I was not particularly moved by many of the pieces in this exhibit. The opera singer, speaking as a terrorist, was really just irritating. The cat eating the rat was disgusting in an expected way. The exhibit was loud.
The one piece where I was able to appreciate complexity was where milk was poured on the man's head, not because it looked demeaning, but because the man looked like he was suffocating. He reportedly hated milk. I felt suffocation, or claustrophobia.
At the end I spent a little more time with the cat videos, and I was able to see them as skittish in a desperate way, but I'm not sure if I would have gone back if I had not been told they were feral cats.
I was particularly struck by the cocoon of humidity I created once I finally took a seat in the subway car on my way home.
Field Trip: Adel Abdessemed
Adel Abdessemed's show prompted me to think about how important (or not) context should be when evaluating art. When I first walked into the exhibit, I didn't see much that was appealing. When the curator started speaking, though, I found I was more engaged in the exhibit. But then I started to question whether context should be considered important at all. Does a video of a coke can being stomped on become more interesting when we know the artist is from a war-torn country? Would the same video be as interesting if the artist were from a comfortable, upper-middle class society?
The one exhibit I did find interesting was the transcription of holy texts by street workers. I thought the question posed -- are holy text still holy when transcribed by prostitutes -- was thought-provoking.
I realize this post has nothing to do with time-based media, but these are the impressions I took away.
The one exhibit I did find interesting was the transcription of holy texts by street workers. I thought the question posed -- are holy text still holy when transcribed by prostitutes -- was thought-provoking.
I realize this post has nothing to do with time-based media, but these are the impressions I took away.
Adel Abdessemed
Overall, there weren't a lot of pieces that made me think about anything other than what it was at face value. To me, the burnt car was a burnt car, and the cats drinking milk were cats drinking milk... However, all of the pieces as a whole melded well together and that is a testament to the artist's vision and to the curators. Adel's pieces do not stand well individually, but as a group they tell a great story about Algerian history. Having said that, there was just one piece that really stayed in my mind after I left the exhibit:
The camera falling out of the plane didn't really fit with everything else. After seeing this piece the first thing that jumped into my head was: "Boy, that is dangerous; what if the camera hit somebody?" And then I realized how funny that was because that is not going to go through one's head if they themselves jump out of the plane. This piece fit well with the video of the artist's son waving obviously, but I felt it could also have been powerful on its own. It made me think about a difference between life and death; in life you (might) care about other peoples' well being, but in death, especially in suicide, one is going to have a tough time to consider other people. In the end, the piece shows how selfish suicide is.
The camera falling out of the plane didn't really fit with everything else. After seeing this piece the first thing that jumped into my head was: "Boy, that is dangerous; what if the camera hit somebody?" And then I realized how funny that was because that is not going to go through one's head if they themselves jump out of the plane. This piece fit well with the video of the artist's son waving obviously, but I felt it could also have been powerful on its own. It made me think about a difference between life and death; in life you (might) care about other peoples' well being, but in death, especially in suicide, one is going to have a tough time to consider other people. In the end, the piece shows how selfish suicide is.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Field Trip: Adel Abdessemed
As requested, here is my feedback of one piece from Adel's show:
The piece that struck me the most were the large scale dual videos showing the fall from the plane next to the image of his son waving goodbye. If looked at separately, each video tells its own unique story and/or one's own interpretation of the story. Together, the images add another dimension. They feed off eachother and allow the viewer to construct a reason why the individual in the plane would want to commit suicide with a young child eagerly waving. Is the image of the child from long ago and has since died, leaving the jumper distraught? Is the jumper so distanced from reality that the child is insignificant? The combination of images basically makes me try to read into the story rather than take each video at face value.
The piece that struck me the most were the large scale dual videos showing the fall from the plane next to the image of his son waving goodbye. If looked at separately, each video tells its own unique story and/or one's own interpretation of the story. Together, the images add another dimension. They feed off eachother and allow the viewer to construct a reason why the individual in the plane would want to commit suicide with a young child eagerly waving. Is the image of the child from long ago and has since died, leaving the jumper distraught? Is the jumper so distanced from reality that the child is insignificant? The combination of images basically makes me try to read into the story rather than take each video at face value.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Field Trip / Assignment for 11/13
A reminder that we will not meet at the classroom this Thursday (11/6) instead we will gather over at the List Visual Arts Center at MIT at 20 Ames street (see map) for a 6 pm gallery talk. Let's meet there at 5:45, please. This IS mandatory, so if you can't make it Thursday you need to let me know and also schedule time to see the exhibit.
Please complete your video edit for our class on 11/13.
Here are some resources for editing:
-- links from videomaker.com
-- tips from metacafe.com
-- transitions tips from Ken Stone (lots of good stuff on his site)
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