Pandora's Curiosity

The technical aspects that I have learned during the Myth video or my Pandora’s Curiosity are first how interesting effects can make a video look and that I still need to learn to use projectors properly. I used a variety of effects in my video that makes it seem almost magical. Along with the somewhat “sope” like acting, it gives it a sort of humorous undertone. As for the projectors, well my goal was to use two large projectors and a Pico projector. I again had issues with setting them up as my group had the last time we tried the projectors. I get confused with the many sorts of plugs and what is compatible with what sort of software. Other than those difficulties, I feel that the actual videos for the installation came together quite nicely.

Ann Arbor Film Festival

I attended the film festival on Friday March 30th for the All Divided Selves Screening by Luke Fowler. The show was at 7pm in the Michigan Theater Screening Room. It is a 2011 video that is 93 minutes long and is a 16mm on video.

Luke Fowler, the Artist, was expected to attend for a “Questions and Answer” session after the video but was unable to make it due to unforeseen circumstances.
It was based on the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s and Psychiatrist R.D. Laing. The video explored the mentally ill, such as people with schizophrenia and how psychiatrists treat these patients.

I found the video to be interesting. I have a slight background in psychology so I was able to follow the conversations in the video for the most part. However, I had a difficulty with the more technical psychological discussions and the artist tended to cut in and out of conversations. Also there were many still shots that were present during conversations that would randomly appear and in which I could not find a connection between the conversation and the images.

At the begging of the video, information was given about early asylums and how patients were mistreated with what at the time the doctors thought were treatments. I found this confusing because I was not sure if the audience was supposed to feel something for these people or if it was merely background information. Though as the video progressed, it had little to nothing to do with the rest of the content.

As for the videos redeeming qualities, it was certainly artistic. I feel that the video had a very overall documentary style, however at times it was as if the documentary was being mocked with the way people were cut off during their conversations and how Psychiatrist R.D. Laing was represented at one point being on a talk show while drunk and the audience approval of his behavior. With these abnormalities it creates an artistic feel to the otherwise documentary style.

Overall, I enjoyed the Ann Arbor Film Festival. It made for a night dinner and showing as well as the fact that I was able to see a recent work that I otherwise would not have seen.

Gerry Fialka

Gerry Fialka came to speak at Oakland University this past Thursday. He is a great speaker; he relates well with his audience and he knows his stuff.

I find it very interesting how Fialka said that artists need to reinvent the great ideas of the past artists, not to copy them but to create something based off of an-others idea and make it new, creative, and inventive. This is how we can keep moving forward in the art world and in life in general.

Also I like how he said that us artists should take our weaknesses or what we were told was incorrect or not good enough and run with it. I think that can make ones work stronger and even unique to that artist in their practice. What someone calls a mistake or poorly done can turn into that persons strength and the basis for there work.

Fialka was very honest and right down into reality. One of my favorite things he said was that the real classroom is outside of the classroom. Walk through a city and there is art everywhere, and not just the actual art but the potential art too.

Gerry Fialka
www.laughtears.com

Who Am I?

This post was a brainstorm for my video: Meghan Meg Me

I was born July 16th, 1991. That currently makes me 20.
I am part Italian, German, French, Irish, Scottish, English and probably a few other things.
I am Christian. I am faithful.
I am a faith based existentialist.
I am a pacifist.
I am an artist.
I am intelligent, pretty, kind, and generous.
I am eco friendly and into yoga and Zumba.
I am an only child. I have a mom and a grandmother who love and support me.
I am loved and in love. I am engaged. I am a squirrel and he is a koala.
I have brown hair and blue eyes.
I love chocolate.
I enjoy art and music. Everything is art.
Tigers are beautiful. Reading is beautiful.
Libraries and museums art my favorite atmospheres.
The supernatural is fascinating and dangerous.
I am all of these things and I embody them all.

I am Me.
I am Meg.
I am Meghan.

60 Second Shot

I found it interesting as to how many different ideas the others had on the project 60-second shots in class. I really enjoyed the close up shots like the gaming shot and the candle shot. I preferred watching the fixed shots to any of the moving ones; I found that it intensified the video for me personally. However, the shot with the (mostly) sound creating objects was very aesthetically interesting. I found that the video kept my attention (I usually start on tangents in my mind when watching video), I was curious to see more of this video. I think a series would be interesting in this sort of style and idea.

The aspect of sound, I feel, is a very important aspect and I would like to apply it to my own videos more so than I do. I think sound is a beautiful and interesting way to enhance an idea in video. I also appreciate the different ways of holding a camera, specifically when laying the camera on its side; it plays with the perceptions of a persons mind. There were a few videos in class that did this like the gaming, candle, and my video (cookie maker). The lighting was very interesting in the pipe video. The way the light shined on the metallic of the pipe and the way the color shifted in the video because of the firelight.

Overall, I enjoyed all of the videos in some way or another and I learned a few tricks as well as gained a couple new ideas. Also, hearing the stories behind the videos, how they were thought of and how they applied to the persons life gave me some insight of how to use others aspects of my life in my work.

This is the full video Cookie Maker that I pulled my 60 second shot from, this video is 3:38 minutes.

Why and What I love about Video Art

While growing up as a child and up until the end of high school when I heard the word "Art", I thought of traditional art: drawings, paintings, and sculptures. It wasn't until half way through my first semester of college that I had ever even heard the phrase "new media" or "video art." I knew I wanted to be an art major and so I began to explore my options. I narrowed my choices to photography and new media due to my lack of skills in the traditional areas. I wasn't sure how I would fair with photography and so I choose new media. Even after I had joined the program, I still wasn't completely sure what the subject entailed and so I took my first new media class. The topic opened up a whole new area for me to explore. I had never thought that someone had actually made websites and videos, it was just something I took for granted and never put any thought into. But here I was, beginning to learn.

I found that with Video Art I have more difficulties with than creating websites and so I discovered my challenge. Video Art is an intriguing art form. I enjoy brainstorming about my projects; I find that I think about my ideas constantly for days before I begin. I pick up most of my new inspirations through the activities and people I see just within the time before the project. It's quite an adventure in itself. However, my favorite part about Video Art is collecting the video. Just the fact that I might have to travel to a particular location for a shot I want or that I have to set up a "set" for my ideas is so exciting. It's always an adventure, even if the video doesn't turn out quite the way I hoped. I can always turn what I have into something just as great as my original idea but different. Editing of course helps to do this, but I find it frustrating most of the time due to my handicaps with software and the fact that I really don't like using Mac computers. However, once the editing is done, I love to watch the final project. It never fails to feel good to have completed a project and especially to see my name associated with it too!

Video Art is going to be challenging, but I'm always learning and open to new ideas and techniques. I hope that this Video Art class will continue to push my limits so that I can create the best works I can and prepare me for my Senior Thesis and future projects.