Self Portrait

I had a lot of fun making the self-portrait project even though I am slightly disappointed that I did not get to do the claymation section. I ran into technical issues, because of that and the time constraint I was unable to make something I was happy with. Through these problems, I learned many things that will help me with future projects. One thing I was surprised by was how people liked how smooth the spinning was. I was very conflicted about this because I thought it would be too smooth and it would lose its stop motion appearance. I shot a couple test of this part and I still think I like the other version better because it has a choppier look to it. The version I went had 12 shots per spin and that fit perfectly with the frame rate I wanted to use. I wanted to make it 24 frames per second so that every two spins would be one second. Even though I am disappointed that I did not get to make the claymation piece I wanted to make hopefully I can make it when I take 302 animation next semester. 

Group Installation

As we have met up our idea has evolved from being a scare piece into something that is a mix of anxiety and fear. We will mainly focus on what causes people anxiety and hope to make people feel some of the fear that it can cause, but to a lesser extent because we do not want to harm or make any of our classmates uncomfortable.  My role in the project is to find footage that fits with our goals. I will also be handling some of the moving parts of the project like getting the stuff we need to put on our project.

Revised Self Portrait

My conceptual goal for my self-portrait is to give a view into my mind and show off my passions. My technical goal is to create something interesting and weird with animation. Stop motion animation will be my main focus but I will also use 2D computer animation and paper cutouts. I am still on the fence if I will use real-life footage or not. It mainly depends on how long my animation sequence is by the time I have made the idea I want to make. My ideas from the first post have not changed but have evolved into a more cohesive piece that will flow better together with the use of computer animation. My only concern is that I might be biting off more then I can chew but I think I should be able to pull it off.

Presentation - OK GO

 Ok Go is a music group that formed in 1998. They make experimental music videos that are often shot in one take. They had there first viral success in 2005 with the song A Million Ways. Since then they have produced viral video after viral video. They have ridden this success to many different sponsorships that often revolve around giving money to a good cause.

Cucalorus Reflection

I really enjoyed Cucalorus and wish I had been going to it my whole time at UNCW. Many things were how I expected them to be and others were not. One thing that surprised me was how weird some parts of the festival were. There was this “mime” that showed up at the beginning of two of my blocks. At the first block, I and the crowd were very confused. I was not sure if some random person had just wandered off the street or not and had decided to perform. I meet a couple of the filmmakers. Most of them I was glad to meet but one of the filmmakers I wish I had not. She was weird which I guess is understandable since her film played in the block of weird short films but after hearing her talk and seeing some of her reactions to the Q and A questions it really soured me on her film. Besides that, I had a really great time and my favorite part was seeing the wide range of films that had very different styles and topics. One thing that I learned is that if you have an idea no matter how abstract or weird it may be that you should go ahead and make the film because there are always places it can be shown at. One thing that surprised me was how laid back the festival and all the filmmakers were. They all seemed very happy to share and talk about their work. If I was presenting, I would know now that how people perceive you during a Q&A can change how they view your film. I also learned that you should not do a Q&A if you are not going to answer most of the questions and have a mental breakdown if someone asks you a joke question. Besides that, one filmmaker I really enjoyed this festival. I feel like I learned a lot of new approaches to filmmaking. I also learned some interesting techniques about animation that I think will help me during creating my own animated films.

Self-Portrait Idea

For my self-portrait project I want to make something that appeals to my interest, so i have decided to make something with stop motion animation. Because stop-motion animation can be really time-consuming I am still unsure how much of it will stop-motion and how much will be clips. I already have two sequences planned out that will be stop motion. One will involve me. In this part, I am going to play around with movement and color. The other sequence will involve me animating with clay. This is the part that worries me the most because of how time-consuming it will be but I believe I can pull it off. I think these two sequences will come together to be around 1 minute, so i am unsure if I want to continue with stop-motion throughout the rest of it or use a mix of videos and animation.

1D Response

I learned many things about sound design. One of the biggest things I learnt was just how important sound design is. I am making an experimental film in FST497. The film uses many different types of found footage clips, so sound is very important to linking these unrelated clips together. Before this project I did not really know much about sound design and did not really focus on it that much. This project also taught me many new ways to adjust and fix audio that i would not have known about otherwise. I feel like this project has made me a stronger filmmaker and editor.

Pre-Cucalorus Post

I hope to get to see interesting and new films. I know I will since I picked a film block with weird short films. When I went to visions last year some of the films I saw got my creative juices flowing and inspired me in my own work. I hope and expect that cucalorus will do the same. I am going to try to network and meet new filmmakers. I would like to meet some people that I could possibly work with one day. On Friday I am going to see jackfruit shorts and lord of chaos. On Sunday I am going to see paw paw shorts and fiddlehead shorts. My actionable challenge is to meet three filmmakers that make shorts and talk to them about their work. I enjoy shorts far more than I like features and will be glad to meet people that feel the same. If one of their films catch my eye, I will talk to them about the film, their process and what inspired them to make their film.

1C Response

I had shot on film before in my 302 documentary class, so I mostly got more experience with shooting on film and using a light meter. The things I learned the most about was making abstract/experimental pictures. I had never tried that before with film. I never knew about the B mode on the exposure settings. I also had never thought about doing a double exposure with pictures. I was glad we got a chance to do abstract shots because I am more excited about doing abstract stuff than something that is easily recognizable.

Light Observation

Light Observation 1

I am in my room with the lights off, so it is somewhat dark. Some light is escaping through the closed blinds slightly lighting the room and giving it a blue tint as it passes through my curtains. The TV plays in the background making the walls dance with color. The colors constantly change as the image does. The little bit of sun that was coming in is now gone as the sun goes behind a cloud. This causes the lights on the wall to get even brighter making me even more mesmerized by its dancing.

Light Observation 2

I have been in my dark room editing all day, so as I step outside for the first time I am immediately blinded by the sun’s bright rays. I remember I have sunglasses in my backpack, so I fish them out. The world now becomes a more comfortable darker shade. But the sun has not had its last laugh as it bounces bright beams off cars into my eyes and blinds me again. This causes me to close my eyes and focus on the light warm colors that are caused by the sun passing through my eyelids.

Project 1B - Sound

I learned through this project just how weird you can get with sound. You can take sounds and turn them into something entirely new by either mixing sounds together or by adding effects to them. That just by changing the sound a little bit it can become something alien. This project showed me just how important a soundscape can be and will make me take it far more serious for my other classes since before it was always just an afterthought, something I did because I had to. This has also shown me that something can feel entirely different just by simply changing the sounds.

Sound Observations

Sound Observation 1

I am outside on my balcony. I hear the jingle of keys as some locks their car. I hear a crappy pop song as someone drives by with there window down. I hear a very quiet slapping sound as someone’s flip-flops hit the pavement. There is a low-pitched whirling noise as the fans of the AC unit spins. I can hear a muffled high-pitched laughter and a very faint voice as two females are talking. There is a very bassy sound of a car engine, a clicking sound as they drive over speed bumps, and a high pitched squeak as the metal on the gate grinds together as it opens. 

Sound Observation 2

I am on the bus. The whooshing of the AC going is very overpowering and at first makes it hard to hear other sounds. I hear the low mumble of voices through headphones. There is a soft pitch rumble that rises in volume as the bus accelerates. There are indistinguishable voices coming through the CB radio. As we arrive at the next stop a soft calming voice of a woman comes over the intercom saying the name of the next stop. There are many high-pitched squeaks as the bus bounces from hitting a bump. I hear an almost deafening high-pitched ring as someone pulls the cord letting the driver know they want to be let off at the next stop. I hear a very quiet sniffle that had a rhythm to it as they continuously try to stop their nose from running. 

Week 2 Reading

Bela Balazs

I agree with the authors about how silence is not truly silent. Just because there is no music in the scene does not mean that no sound design went into the scene. If a scene was truly silent it would be to be jarring and make the audience aware that they are watching a film. The author also makes a good point that a dramatic sound is made more powerful when it is accompanied by a dramatic picture. I do not agree with the authors when they say sound cannot be isolated. In films today, we often see close-ups of actors as the sound from that environment slowly fades away. This shows the viewer that will are now inside that character’s head.

Week 1 Readings

Fred Camper

In Fred Camper’s writing, it says that experimental films first hit the public scene in North America around the mid-1960s. One problem these films faced was people were unsure what to call them. The filmmakers believed neither be called avant-garde or experimental really fit with what they were making and all the other names purposed fit even less. Camper came up with a six-part test to determine if a film could be considered experimental or not. These films were often created by a small group on a low budget and did not offer a linear story. 

Maya Deren

In Maya Deren's writing, she believes when amateur filmmakers compare themselves to professionals it is easy to get demoralized. But she believes you should not get disheartened. You are making films because you love the artform. Amateurs have an advantage over professionals and that is freedom, both physically and artistically. They do not have to worry about keeping an audience's attention for 90 minutes but can focus on the beauty of filmmaking. She believes you do not improve your filmmaking by adding more people and equipment but by using what you do have to its fullest.

Bio

My name is Daniel W. and I am from NC. What interests me the most about experimental film is it ability to subvert commonly accepted film conventions.
I enjoy filming nature more than anything, especially water. I enjoy making experimental stop motion animations and would love to one day to work at at stop motion animation studio.
I enjoy television more than I do film because I think most modern films today are trash and the studios care more about making a profit than making a good film. I am also a reserved person and mostly keep to myself.