I have always been a big fan of black and white and I really like that you used that throughout your video. The fact that It takes place in the foundation room gives it more of a significant meaning due to the fact that we learn and do a lot in that room- 8 hours a week.. It looks really neat when the camera focuses on the spots and drips of paint because it almost looks like blood. I have never really noticed how beautiful those random mistaken marks on the walls could be until watching your video! I really like that you took one subject and just explored different parts of it - kinda of like an abstract documentary. - Helen
The black and white video recording helped give a soft, fluid feel as you wondered around meadows. Also it did not feel as if you were just recording random stuff, but rather it felt like you were running around frantically looking for something. Weaving in and out of tight spots, going around obstacles, and sometimes appearing to be asking others for advise. This helped add a kind of story telling atmosphere to the film.
I really enjoyed this, it's very different from the other videos we uploaded. While watching, I couldn't help imagining that this video was taken by a camera that was attached to some giant dog; the way that you meandered around areas, inspected unsuspecting nooks and crannies, and ran around the foundations room was reminiscent of a dog running around a new area. I appreciated that it was mostly unedited, because it felt like you didn't care if people saw your experimentation methods.
It was really great until the sudden laughter broke in near the end, because then it sort of lost the mysteriousness it had accumulated. Personally, I would edit that out and have it be completely silent. Or, if you wanted to clue the viewer in on who was shooting, have faint blips of audio occur throughout the video.
I liked the black and white tone of the entire video and I think that it really helped set this video apart from the others in the class. The video also seems to have a level of narrative and exploration taking, in a way of rediscovering what was already there or revisiting what we already know. The laughter felt out of place in this project and felt more like an anomaly than it did a cohesive part (even though the laughter probably is hinting at the mood in which this was being filmed).
I like the use of black and white, but I would try to find a theme for your subject matter, as opposed to filming seemingly disconnected bits of Meadows. I think that if you still want the video to be centered around the Meadows building, you should find something to focus on, such as architecture, or the painted on, grimy surfaces (I preferred the sections containing things like that over the parts where we can see people).
This video was very interesting. I liked the sudden moment of laughter. It added drama and made the silence of the rest of the video more emphasized. In some other videos that were completely silent it was easy to stop thinking about the silence but the laughter gives a sudden reminder to the viewer that the video had been completely silent. The fast pace of the movements also added drama. The video has a very excited and playful mood which makes it fun to watch.
for four minutes, I thought there was no sound, AGAIN. Then, as I was turning my sound all the way up, just to check, BAM. Caroline's face was hilarious. I like the scenes so far, it may be kinda cool to try to work some color into it. Idk how stuck you are to the idea of a B&W film, but it might be worth experimenting with. It seems very themed, just the way everything is in the arts school, y'know? Just another idea to maybe narrow a few things down.
I don't know if I can be as generous as your peers. While I appreciate your experimentation with the shooting process and exploration of the neglected elements of the foundations room (totally an interesting subject), I don't feel like your editing is building a coherent composition. Neither the editing nor the shooting feel very intentional, but I think they could be tightened up through editing and some re-shooting to feel a bit more planned, even if the process remains improvisational. I don't feel like this needs to be black and white. I don't necessarily see what it gains, particularly when the coloration of some of those paint blotches and marks might be really nice in the right context. I think you could really benefit from using a tripod and taking your time exploring that space. There are many wonderful films that use a similar strategy of making a portrait of a space or set of objects, so you're not in uncharted territory. A few to take a look at might include Marie Menken's 1945 film where she makes a portrait of Isamu Noguchi's studio, and Brakhage's Wonder Ring documents the 3rd Ave El in New York and features some pretty adventurous camerawork.
I'd really like to see you re-edit this. I realize I left the description of the assignment fairly vague, but this video, as it is now, strays from the assignment a bit too much. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to talk to me in class or e-mail me and we'll try to work things through.
I didn't know how to put the video on but you can copy and past the url. Sorry!!!
ReplyDeleteI have always been a big fan of black and white and I really like that you used that throughout your video. The fact that It takes place in the foundation room gives it more of a significant meaning due to the fact that we learn and do a lot in that room- 8 hours a week.. It looks really neat when the camera focuses on the spots and drips of paint because it almost looks like blood. I have never really noticed how beautiful those random mistaken marks on the walls could be until watching your video! I really like that you took one subject and just explored different parts of it - kinda of like an abstract documentary.
ReplyDelete- Helen
The black and white video recording helped give a soft, fluid feel as you wondered around meadows. Also it did not feel as if you were just recording random stuff, but rather it felt like you were running around frantically looking for something. Weaving in and out of tight spots, going around obstacles, and sometimes appearing to be asking others for advise. This helped add a kind of story telling atmosphere to the film.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this, it's very different from the other videos we uploaded. While watching, I couldn't help imagining that this video was taken by a camera that was attached to some giant dog; the way that you meandered around areas, inspected unsuspecting nooks and crannies, and ran around the foundations room was reminiscent of a dog running around a new area. I appreciated that it was mostly unedited, because it felt like you didn't care if people saw your experimentation methods.
ReplyDeleteIt was really great until the sudden laughter broke in near the end, because then it sort of lost the mysteriousness it had accumulated. Personally, I would edit that out and have it be completely silent. Or, if you wanted to clue the viewer in on who was shooting, have faint blips of audio occur throughout the video.
I liked the black and white tone of the entire video and I think that it really helped set this video apart from the others in the class. The video also seems to have a level of narrative and exploration taking, in a way of rediscovering what was already there or revisiting what we already know. The laughter felt out of place in this project and felt more like an anomaly than it did a cohesive part (even though the laughter probably is hinting at the mood in which this was being filmed).
ReplyDeleteI like the use of black and white, but I would try to find a theme for your subject matter, as opposed to filming seemingly disconnected bits of Meadows. I think that if you still want the video to be centered around the Meadows building, you should find something to focus on, such as architecture, or the painted on, grimy surfaces (I preferred the sections containing things like that over the parts where we can see people).
ReplyDeleteThis video was very interesting. I liked the sudden moment of laughter. It added drama and made the silence of the rest of the video more emphasized. In some other videos that were completely silent it was easy to stop thinking about the silence but the laughter gives a sudden reminder to the viewer that the video had been completely silent. The fast pace of the movements also added drama. The video has a very excited and playful mood which makes it fun to watch.
ReplyDeletefor four minutes, I thought there was no sound, AGAIN. Then, as I was turning my sound all the way up, just to check, BAM. Caroline's face was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI like the scenes so far, it may be kinda cool to try to work some color into it. Idk how stuck you are to the idea of a B&W film, but it might be worth experimenting with.
It seems very themed, just the way everything is in the arts school, y'know? Just another idea to maybe narrow a few things down.
Meredith,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I can be as generous as your peers. While I appreciate your experimentation with the shooting process and exploration of the neglected elements of the foundations room (totally an interesting subject), I don't feel like your editing is building a coherent composition. Neither the editing nor the shooting feel very intentional, but I think they could be tightened up through editing and some re-shooting to feel a bit more planned, even if the process remains improvisational. I don't feel like this needs to be black and white. I don't necessarily see what it gains, particularly when the coloration of some of those paint blotches and marks might be really nice in the right context. I think you could really benefit from using a tripod and taking your time exploring that space. There are many wonderful films that use a similar strategy of making a portrait of a space or set of objects, so you're not in uncharted territory. A few to take a look at might include Marie Menken's 1945 film where she makes a portrait of Isamu Noguchi's studio, and Brakhage's Wonder Ring documents the 3rd Ave El in New York and features some pretty adventurous camerawork.
I'd really like to see you re-edit this. I realize I left the description of the assignment fairly vague, but this video, as it is now, strays from the assignment a bit too much. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to talk to me in class or e-mail me and we'll try to work things through.