Student Originated Studies: Media

so this last week i have worked with dre in the mornings with my audio.  he helped me clean it up, but the mic breathing sounds worse because of this and we couldn't fix it because it was always while someone was talking.  and the audio channels were connected.  so that was frustrating, but i had to let it go because it was stressing me and there wasn't anything i could really do about it.  i have been working a lot so i have money when i move since i don't have a job yet.  i'm getting excited for my trip to new york and am excited to move away from olympia.  i have my eval conference this morning.  i think i'm going to work in the mml and try to make a final dvd still, but that is all i have planned.  i also hung up the posters around town.  i'm also going to the mediaworks screening tonight.  i guess i'm pretty much done with school.  shit. 

 amber

so me and randy spent the last two days on the poster, i like the way it turned out. all that is left to do is put em up. as for what i have been up to. i am attempting to finish my eval this weekend. i have also designed two different dvds. one for promotion, and one for grad school. i have all of the videos compressed and ready to burn, so i'm going to do that on monday. i'm going to use the three video dvd menu and a more basic one for employment opportunities and distribution.

i have just finished sitting in on a class on web streaming. although i already had an idea, it was a nice refresher and to have slow step by step instructions. this has made me excited to have my own website and post my videos on it. i'm opposed to youtube and myspace video because of all the ads. besides that i have a tiny bit of refining on my video and i will be done. i tried to shoot some more video experiments, but they haven't turned out how i wanted. maybe i'll work on that next week. i'm going to new york in two weeks. if anybody has any food or entertainment suggestions i would appreciate it. i'm going to focus on writing a strong eval this weekend. and on monday i will burn my final mom for the screening. that is what is up.

so i have finally reviewed the shoot in its entirety. i have to say that i think i'm going to screen the piece where i am wearing pants. the main reasoning is the lighting and i don't like the positioning of the tree in that one. i wish i was struggling more with the tree in the pants one, but those two things are enough to make me want to use the other one. i also have been thinking a lot about my intentions for this piece. i have come to the realization that it is an interrogation on some levels and there have been different power dynamics between me and my mother because she is so passive. anyways, if anybody has any feedback or other things i should consider let me know.

the past week i have been looking for jobs in portland. i have not had very good luck finding tv/film/media jobs. i'm hoping something will come up. i have also been watching videos from the video data bank for research. my favorite was a piece called now, it was a female performer from the seventies interacting with pre-recorded footage. it was a study in duration, communication, and timed performance.

i have yet to finish my treatment for mother and make a reel/design a dvd. amber

this piece is a taped installations with three projectors, two audio channels, and a tree. there are two different versions: one of me asking questions in the tree, in the other version only my literal voice is in the piece.

this video is about the communication between me and my mother. in the piece we communicate, but there is sometimes a lapse in timing between my questions and my mothers answers. there is also disassociation. i was at one point interviewing my mother, but for the final piece, i am interviewing her video projection, which further disassociates the communication between us. i ask questions ranging from her childhood to how she told my sister and i about sex. i'm not forceful with my questioning, but the content of the questions and intimate setup could be viewed more as an interrogation than an interview. in the interview/interrogation i'm trying to reveal why it was so hard for my mother to communicate with me more openly about development. my mom's answers deflect the questions by being vague and in some cases even lying, although the viewer would never know this. the camera and eventually viewer adds a judgmental element and therefore my mother has tailored her answers for the audience. or she has blocked out or forgot these experiences and since i communicate better with her now, she is relating present answers to past situations.

besides being about communication, it is also about looking/performing in relation to gender.

in conclusion to the last post i was impressed how  dedicated current classmates were to my project.  i wouldn't of gotten through it without that.  i had been so stressed over the past week and in my mind was done, but everybody was extremely helpful, offered to stay later, and alex even came back to help me break down the set.  

as for other things i have been doing.  i have recently become interested in animation and obsessed with shooting as much as possible while i still have access to the equipment.  who knows when i will again.  so i worked in the 3-d experimental lab on monday shooting time lapse of magic rocks growing.  the magic rocks didn't grow because they were old and from value village.  if anybody knows where i can get newer magic rocks tell me before monday and i can try it again.  if not, i'll figure something else out.  i have also been shooting small experiments in my room with cotton candy, cake/sparklers/ and sprouted potatoes.  these have turned out alright, but would improve with better lighting.

and lastly, along with applying for an audio/visual specialist position at providence, i'm going to try to make a series of shorts with pheebs today called, whoops, oops, and bloops.  i guess that is all for now.

amber

so for the past week i have been working on my installation and i am happy to say that it is done.  i still haven't watched the footage because apparently the sound system in dance recital hall 209 has a tendency to short out and i'm worried.  i think i'll look at it after class.  it definetely wasn't my original vision and i'll have to see if i like what came out of it.  all in all i probably did seven takes, three or four which turned out.  

as for the setup brad was gracious enough to drop by a dvx, alex did audio from a flow diagram ben drew, and chris did whatever needed to be done.  everything got setup in time and i just had to worry about the tree in the morning. thanks for the help. 

alright. so today i'm going to meet with brad at 2:30 to work on the lighting situation. i wont be able to actually see what it looks like until friday though. as for the biggest obstacle, finding a tree. my roommate has a car and said she could possibly help me tomorrow, but i'm still having trouble finding a tree. it has to have a solid root structure to stand on it's own and be able to support me. i have one idea so hopefully it works out. i did try the scene shop and they didn't have anything. as for audio, ben has offered his services and alex has offered to help with anything else. i'm stressed, but luckily i have a lot of help so i'm not freaking.

besides lighting, i need to finish editing all three video channels and make sure they line up and are clean. i worked on it yesterday. all i have to do is refine it and burn the dvds. i also rehearsed more last night and noticed that the audio tone slightly changes during the silence where i ask the question. so if i pay close attention i can use that to time it. the only thing is i need to talk a little before the tone change. so i'm going to keep rehearsing. i feel like the most powerful part of the interview lies in the timing.

the presentation yesterday has given me a lot to think about. voyeurism versus audience interaction. is the piece more about me or my mother or about the way we communicate. am i asking or interrogating? do i want the audience to sympathize with me or my mother? do i care who they sympathize with? why did i choose the questions i chose?

when i originally decided to do this piece, i was mostly thinking in terms about communication. my family has never had good communication and it has always been something that has bothered me, and made for an even more awkward adolescence. specifically, they didn't talk about sex or development with us. i remember when i was a teenager this had quite a traumatic effect on me. i didn't go to slumber parties because i was afraid i would start my period. in my mind, when you started your period you bled uncontrollably. this is true to some degree, but my idea of it was extreme. my sister started her period at the doctors office and also didn't have a full understanding of what was going on and the doctor had to explain it to her. so i guess in a sense, not super conscious, this was a sort of interrogation. what is interesting though, is that my mother acts like we had better communication than she did with my sister. when i was younger i was sure that they talked more openly. what it comes down to is our parents never discussed these issues with us, which isn't extremely uncommon, but in the interview, my mom recalls talking to me about it, but not my sister. i'm wondering if she actually thinks she did, or she is editing her answers for an audience that could potentially judge her parenting. in either case this piece has been an interesting exploration into my family and i am more invested in it than ever.

hey everyone,

my bad.  i have the room from 4-8 on friday, may 11th.  if anyone can come i would greatly appreciate it and i wasn't kidding about the enchiladas.  sorry about the confusion and thanks.

 amber

so as i mentioned in my weekly update i will be doing my installation on may 11 and 12th.  i have dance recital com 209 scheduled for setup on may 11th 4pm to 7pm.  i would appreciate any help, especially audio.  the setup includes three projectors, three dvd players, lighting, audio, and a huge tree.  what more could you ask for?

a  mber

alright,

so today i have been running around like a madman rescheduling my installation.  i realize that i have taken on too much with the three jobs and trying to accomplish all my goals.  i still think it's possible with more organization and motivation.  so today i rescheduled my installation for May 11th and 12th.  i cleared it with the com building and media loan.  besides trying to rehearse and setup my interview, i'm also getting a proficiency in the 3d animation lab on monday.  i'm going to start shooting the magic rocks piece for practice.  sooooo, hopefully, the goal, is, to, have my animation to screen; to show the installation space for clarity; and to possibly have some short experiments done.  

this last week i have been focusing on my writing, specifically a coherent artist statement.  this is such an intimidating project.  i have collected all of my notes and the different interpretations on the soiled piece, specifically, and have been trying to turn it into one cohesive idea that is backed up with personal and textual information.

so whoop, there it is.  amber

I guess the main thing i want to focus on this quarter is resume building, and applying for grad school. Besides putting together a professional packet for a job/school, i also need to work on the way I present myself over the phone, and during an interview. Along with the way I present myself will be focusing on the way I write about my work. Writing has always been my biggest challenge. I'm going to put together a couple of artist statements describing common themes and metaphors that can be applied to my work this year. I'm also going to back it up with text and experience. I already have a lot of writings about my work i'm going to go through them tonight and combine them to make one coherent statement.

I also want to complete the Mother piece, before my critique. i have scheduled time in the com building for the beginning of may. i'm going to shoot it at least twice, and pay careful attention to lighting and setup. i'm also going to rehearse the interview questions until i have them memorized. This is already starting to naturally happen from watching the interview so much and transcribing.

I also have plans to shoot magic rocks growing in time lapse using a bolex. i want to use film, but will have to see if it fits into my budget. The rocks take six hours to grow and i want each minute to represent an hour. so i'm looking at a total of six minutes.

In my spare time i have been drawing a lot and have storyboarded some shorts similar to the sugar cubes and marshmallows. I want to have a couple of experiments shot by the end of the quarter also. so i guess that is everything that i want to try and accomplish.