Notes

- pioneers in the field of moving pictures - Georges Melies, D.W. Griffith, and Sergej Eisenstein
- More recently - LVT and "Dogma 95"
- 1960s = cinema was expanded and there were many inter-media excursions - many artists "deconstructed formal and compositional elements of cinematographic code"
- EX. performances, multimedia actions, multiple projections, and the dissection of all cinema's realities -> in order to reflect upon the structure of film
- 1990s = use of cinematic history (intertextuality?), debated cinematographic parameters, produced classics as remakes
- video has stood in relation to other artistic languages and media such as television, performance, sculpture and film
- collective cultural memory was a common theme - films in the 90s were often shown in darkened theaters on a large screen
- "art breaks with the conventional perspective of film in many ways"
     - use of multiple projections, split screens, or screens placed away from walls to allow them to be             viewed from front to back and simultaneously
- many artists combine the world of theatre with the electronic possibilities of video
- documentary format is based on experimental form - ex. Chris Marker, Chantal Ackerman, and Jean Rouch

Project #3

Project #3

        Initially, this article was really confusing because I didn’t really understand the language, but I ended up realizing this article had some interesting arguments about art appropriation, plagiarism, and living in the postmodern world. In high school, I was always told that plagiarism was was one of the easiest crimes you could commit, so I was always hyper aware of it and generally gave it a negative connotation; however, after reading this article, I realized that “plagiarism” and re-appropriation is everywhere especially in the art world. 

        I think that art appropriation is a product of living in the postmodern world. The quote about Lincoln waiting anxiously for telegraphs during the Civil War really resonated with me because it showed that even 150 years ago, there was a need for new technology and cultural velocity. In essence, a break from the past. Today technology is changing at a rapid pace, and art is becoming more inclusive of different mediums thanks to technology, so I think that art appropriation and intertextuality is necessary.

       I might be biased though because this Jim Jarmusch quote has always appealed to me: “Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to."

project #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edtJYEcyJbA

sad dog

no one wants to be sad dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_xRdOtTTjk

Moving Pictures notes

- Video is a familiar medium
     - different than film and television
VIDEO = a means of preservation that retains the recorded material in a state of permanent availability and manipulation
- today video can be produced and edited entirely on a computer
- video can be easily manipulated because of its large pool of material
      - Brecht pointed out the risk of enforced conformity and indoctrination
- Names to know (N2K) - Nam June Paik (Electronic Superhighway)
- Vilem Flusser (N2K) - 1991 = "dialogical memory"
- Video art is often considered self-reflexive?

- 1960s = "broke with conventional genre notions"
- the medium was often interdisciplinary - plastic arts, music, dance, theater, etc. were all combined with video art
- difference between American and German television - German television only broadcast at night -> different types of media coverage
- Paik = such a presence -> "Exposition of Music - Electronic Television"
- Germany - overarching theme.. really into video art

- video depends on the current state of technological development more than almost any other artistic medium
- 1967 - Sony put the first analogue video device on the market
- (N2K) - Les Levine, Andy Warhol - some of the first artists to use the portable video equipment immediately after it appeared
- new innovations were created to distort television images - synthesizers were later developed by a number of artists to allow for direct video manipulation

Project #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsWWWxCRNVc

My favorite

http://vimeo.com/12622938

ta daaaa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0xQ8ZuamUQ

Homework 1/27

Taking a tour of the FCP X Interface
- event vs. project folders
       - when choosing files for both, they need to be named EXACTLY
- event folder = repository where you store and organize all of your media, video, audio, still images, graphics, etc.
- for audio skimming is used 2 hear clips (shift s)
- ALL tab = indication of length and clip height
- project folder = sequences or edited programs (where the magic happens)
        - window -> show, viewer/ project = dual display
        - play/ pause = spacebar
        - function + left or right takes u to the end of a clip
        - project library for new projects -> click on the little film canister

Creating and Organizing events from scratch
- 1. create a new event
        - file/ right click (both give you a new event)
- IMPORT MEDIA - navigate/ select media
- it's important to have proper organization and awareness so your project moves smoothly
- organizing = copy files = new media is created
         - import folders -> organized outside of final cut, this is great for organization in the future
- HUD = heads-up-folder - this is where you can see specifically where ur media is being created

Playing and Marking clips in preparation for editing
- B-roll
- list view - navigation method -> JKL (total control)
         - i = begin
         - o = end
         - L = forward
- thumb nail -> change the seconds
- slow mo = hold K, press J and L keys in order to hone in exactly for audio
- press F and favorite -> 2 save/ rename
- in essence, your marker is like a digital post it note

Understanding different types of editing tools
- think story lines rather than tracks
- 4 different types of editing tools/ key strokes
         - Insert = W, playhead @ the end and press W
         - Append = E -> grab a shot and press E -> the shot automatically goes 2 the end no matter what              (nice and easy)
         - Overwrite = D -> write over, select in an out then press Ctrl D
         - Replace = you physically have to do this, there isn't a short cut -> right click and replace

Homework assignment # 1

Understanding resolution for video
Resolution = the amount of detail an image holds
Pixels = an actual unit of digital image
- You can change resolution can change at will 
- HD = 1080 HD & 720 HD - only two resolutions (big deal) 
- Rule of thumb: you can't crop video, so don't do it

Choosing a video frame rate
- Video today is usually filmed at 30 frames per second - keep things simple (so smooth)
- Think of video as a lot of little still photos moving together
- film was originally 24 frames per second - our eyes are used to this
          - the contrast between 24 frames per second and 30 frames per second is enough for our brains to register the difference between film/digital video because our brain is used to associating that look with the original film look
- 60 frames is like slow mo? And can be used for sports movements - good stuff

Understanding the challenge of shutter speed
- Overarching theme: shutter speed is different from video to still photo
- High shutter speed -> good for still frames (think freeze frame)
           - good for detail -> chattery (not smooth)
- 1/125 can work in video if the action is not too fast or complicated 
- The higher the shutter speed, the less normal/ more unusual your video will look

Getting the right exposure
- Manuel exposure is usually pretty good - auto exposure is annoying
- Look for blinking when checking for the correct exposure
- Use a histogram and check f-stops
- ISOs - capture quality video easily from 100 to 400 and even 800