Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Video Installation Evaluation
The project we were given was to make a video installation using our own style which could be about anything, I chose to do mine about dreams. The reason I chose dream over other subjects is because its a strong subject and connects to a wide rang of people and it will form a great visual piece that can show how different dreams can be interpreted and what they mean to different people.
First thing I did was arranging the models and locations I was going to use in my video so that there would be no time wasted on the days of filming, I then began on the paper work and research which would give me a few ideas of what I was going to do, whilst I was researching I liked the works of Bill Viola and decided to use him as a guide for some shots in my installation, just like Bill I used I had still shots where the image would move.
After that I booked the studio and confirmed it with the models, I began to make a mind map of different dreams deepening on what people told me they dreamt about and to help me get more ideas for the shots I wanted so that I would have a idea of what I was going to do because I didn't want to wast time in the studio. I decided to go for a mixture of vintage, abstract, ambient style all shot in black and white.
On the day I was going to film I started off by setting up the main filming location then would move on to other sections. When the models came I briefed them on what they to do, after I was done filming I took the clips and sorted them into a rough edit, when I was done choosing what goes in which order I began work in Final Cut Pro which allowed my to play around with the clips, the color, effects ect... and when I was done editing I began to add effects, music and polish it off.
Overall I am happy with the outcome of the video and if I was going to change somethings I would have used some props and used more locations not just the studio because it would have made my video better because it would have given me more to work with. I really loved doing this project and found it very enjoyable and learnt new things that I can use in the future projects.
First thing I did was arranging the models and locations I was going to use in my video so that there would be no time wasted on the days of filming, I then began on the paper work and research which would give me a few ideas of what I was going to do, whilst I was researching I liked the works of Bill Viola and decided to use him as a guide for some shots in my installation, just like Bill I used I had still shots where the image would move.
After that I booked the studio and confirmed it with the models, I began to make a mind map of different dreams deepening on what people told me they dreamt about and to help me get more ideas for the shots I wanted so that I would have a idea of what I was going to do because I didn't want to wast time in the studio. I decided to go for a mixture of vintage, abstract, ambient style all shot in black and white.
On the day I was going to film I started off by setting up the main filming location then would move on to other sections. When the models came I briefed them on what they to do, after I was done filming I took the clips and sorted them into a rough edit, when I was done choosing what goes in which order I began work in Final Cut Pro which allowed my to play around with the clips, the color, effects ect... and when I was done editing I began to add effects, music and polish it off.
Overall I am happy with the outcome of the video and if I was going to change somethings I would have used some props and used more locations not just the studio because it would have made my video better because it would have given me more to work with. I really loved doing this project and found it very enjoyable and learnt new things that I can use in the future projects.
Monday, 10 June 2013
Photography Evaluation
The project we were given was to take 10 pictures in the style of one or two categories which ranged from music to war, I chose Fine Arts and Fashion. The reason I chose Fine Arts & Fashion Photography over the other categories is because they can be combined to form a great visual piece that can show off a product but at the same time be a piece of art.
I started off by arranging the models I was going to use in my photos so that they would be free so that no time would be wasted on the day of shooting, I also did the same for the make up artist so that everyone would be available on the day. I then began on the paper work and research which gave me a few ideas of which direction I was going to head in, while researching I came across the works of Paul Biddle and Brian Duffy which I really liked and decided to use them as guide lines to what I want to achieve from my photos, just like Paul I used photo shop to edit the photos I took and like Brian I captured a image which stood out.
After that I booked the studio and confirmed it with the models and make up artist, later I decided to make a mind map of the style I could go for deepening on what each area related to and also help me get more ideas for the shots I wanted so that I could have everything ready because I had a limited amount of time in the studio. The style I decided to go for was a mixture of vintage, abstract, retro, ambient and magazine with inspiration from photos from brands like Rick Owens, Prada, Kanye West and Versace.
On the day of the shoot I started off by setting up the lights and tri-pods. Then the models and make up artist came and I explained to them what I was going for and briefed them on what had to be done, after I was finished I took the photos and sorted them into a 'no' and 'maybe' pile and sorted that out to keep the ones I wanted to use, when I was done choosing which pictures I wanted I began work on them using Adobe Photoshop which allowed my to play with the color, quality, depth of field ect... and when all the editing was done I began to choose my top 10 for my project.
I chose the photos I chose because I believe they are very similar to the people I was aiming to be like yet they came out very unique and different.
Overall I am happy with the outcome of everything and if I was going to change somethings or things I would have done differently would have been to experiment with black and white more and use some props in the photos and also do some landscape photos not just people and I would have liked to had more time so that I could have gone to different locations which I believe would have made my photos even better because it would have given me more to work with.
I enjoyed this project and found it fun and learnt a few new things that I can use in the future.
I started off by arranging the models I was going to use in my photos so that they would be free so that no time would be wasted on the day of shooting, I also did the same for the make up artist so that everyone would be available on the day. I then began on the paper work and research which gave me a few ideas of which direction I was going to head in, while researching I came across the works of Paul Biddle and Brian Duffy which I really liked and decided to use them as guide lines to what I want to achieve from my photos, just like Paul I used photo shop to edit the photos I took and like Brian I captured a image which stood out.
After that I booked the studio and confirmed it with the models and make up artist, later I decided to make a mind map of the style I could go for deepening on what each area related to and also help me get more ideas for the shots I wanted so that I could have everything ready because I had a limited amount of time in the studio. The style I decided to go for was a mixture of vintage, abstract, retro, ambient and magazine with inspiration from photos from brands like Rick Owens, Prada, Kanye West and Versace.
On the day of the shoot I started off by setting up the lights and tri-pods. Then the models and make up artist came and I explained to them what I was going for and briefed them on what had to be done, after I was finished I took the photos and sorted them into a 'no' and 'maybe' pile and sorted that out to keep the ones I wanted to use, when I was done choosing which pictures I wanted I began work on them using Adobe Photoshop which allowed my to play with the color, quality, depth of field ect... and when all the editing was done I began to choose my top 10 for my project.
I chose the photos I chose because I believe they are very similar to the people I was aiming to be like yet they came out very unique and different.
Overall I am happy with the outcome of everything and if I was going to change somethings or things I would have done differently would have been to experiment with black and white more and use some props in the photos and also do some landscape photos not just people and I would have liked to had more time so that I could have gone to different locations which I believe would have made my photos even better because it would have given me more to work with.
I enjoyed this project and found it fun and learnt a few new things that I can use in the future.
Sunday, 9 June 2013
Is DVD Dead???
For about 18 years now we have had the privilege of watching our movies in the comfort of our homes thanks to the Digital Video Disc or DVD or Doovdé (sometimes pronounced 'doovd' is the erroneous pronunciation of the abbreviation DVD, you can thank Kayvan Novak), which had revolutionized how we watch movies instead of using VHS or film itself.
The DVD comes from the compact disk (CD) family, Just like the CD it can store data which the user can access when they want but with nearly 7 times space and a different way of writing information on a disk. A normal DVD is a shinny disc that has a Menu, extras like deleted scenes, director's Cut ect... the movie itself, subtitle and language features and some other extras which are optional like games, pictures and many more, it also gives you the power to fast forward and rewind a scene or skip it with just a touch of a button and all these features made it the perfect gift for every movie lover because it gave them more than just the film like you would get with VHS, you were getting more of a incite to the making of the film, the actors and many other features movie buffs would love all in one disk.
As awesome as the DVD was it had its pros and cons, here are some:
Pros
Cons
As you can see there are many pros and cons to The DVD which make it a unique product but some may argue that the DVD is dead, lets take Block-buster or HMV as an example. They were both very popular providers of films, music and video games but since the internet is getting stronger over the years it has caused Block-buster & HMV to be bankrupt due to the lack of sales in recent years because more and more people are accessing media online.
I remember when I was a child and would go to Block-Buster with my parents to get a film for the weekend I would be so happy and filled with excitement when I was surrounded by mountains of films, surrounded by different colors, faces and the sound of movie trailers and latest movies playing throughout the whole store with the smell of popcorn and brand new cardboard waited around every corner I turned...sorry I got carried away but as I was saying; it has become easier and more common for people to watch movies online whether its legal via Netflix, Love film etc... or illegal, film websites have made it more convenient for people to quickly find to the movie they want and watch it without the hassle of going to rent/buy a DVD and if they want the bones stuff they can find it and more on the internet thanks to sites like YouTube and IMBD.
As awesome as the content in the DVD may be it wont be much without the way it is packaged, from art work and pictures to minimalist and creative designs on the outer packaging and disk itself, the packaging is very important in order to sell and in some cases give a message about the film.
Some covers have even become iconic and have been made into posters or art work by different artists. A normal DVD will have a picture of what its about and the actor(s) (the legendary Tom Hardy for example) on the front with art work which shows us a little about what the film is like, for example BRONSON written in bold so we know the name of the film along with that is the picture of the man himself surrounded by guards which gives us a little insight to the content of the film and its style which looks gritty, British and biography like, also some screen shots can be seen on the back along with a blurb/synopsis like on a book to help sell it while informing you about the film and legal stuff but it can vary depending on what they company want the style to be.
For example here we see the same movie but it has different covers but same content, this is all due to the place its sold and what the company thinks will help make it sell according to that country.
The same also applies to the disk its self which also gets artwork on it just like the cover which is very useful so you know which disk you're inserting.
At the end of the day just like the CD replaced the cassette the DVD replaced VHS and now its in danger of being replaced too and maybe even Blu-Rays soon! Some people are happy with this and some (mainly people who collect DVD's) are unhappy by this and some simply don't give a...
But no need to panic as there are still people who don't know how to use the internet meaning they don't really know how to or its too complicated for them to watch films online or simply don't have internet access like LEDC's, so DVD's will keep being made for many years to come but will die out eventually because the internet will keep getting stronger and streaming will be made even simpler.
Overall I think the DVD is nearing its end and has served its purpose extremely well and will always be remembered but I'm a person that is on the streaming side when it comes to watching film or even downloading them (legally obviously) in great quality which is much simpler and faster also I'm only going to watch a film once or twice so this way I wont have to have stacks of unwanted DVDs which is also good for the environment but no doubt I will buy a DVD if I love a film like BRONSON which I can watch many times so at the end of the day (yes I know I'm repeating myself) it just comes down to personal preference of what you prefer to have, a DVD collection or a hard drive full of movies.
The DVD comes from the compact disk (CD) family, Just like the CD it can store data which the user can access when they want but with nearly 7 times space and a different way of writing information on a disk. A normal DVD is a shinny disc that has a Menu, extras like deleted scenes, director's Cut ect... the movie itself, subtitle and language features and some other extras which are optional like games, pictures and many more, it also gives you the power to fast forward and rewind a scene or skip it with just a touch of a button and all these features made it the perfect gift for every movie lover because it gave them more than just the film like you would get with VHS, you were getting more of a incite to the making of the film, the actors and many other features movie buffs would love all in one disk.
As awesome as the DVD was it had its pros and cons, here are some:
Pros
- Quality is great.
- It helps the film makes for there work.
- They can be cheap to buy now.
- Its a physical product.
- You can make a collection out of them.
- You can watch them as many time as you want.
- They can become of great value after a while.
- Offers features all on the disk instead of you having to track them down one by one.
Cons
- It can break.
- It can get scratched.
- They can be expensive to buy.
- You will always need something that plays a DVD e.g. DVD player.
- They take up space.
- Not really eco friendly.
- Can take days to come in the mail.
As you can see there are many pros and cons to The DVD which make it a unique product but some may argue that the DVD is dead, lets take Block-buster or HMV as an example. They were both very popular providers of films, music and video games but since the internet is getting stronger over the years it has caused Block-buster & HMV to be bankrupt due to the lack of sales in recent years because more and more people are accessing media online.
I remember when I was a child and would go to Block-Buster with my parents to get a film for the weekend I would be so happy and filled with excitement when I was surrounded by mountains of films, surrounded by different colors, faces and the sound of movie trailers and latest movies playing throughout the whole store with the smell of popcorn and brand new cardboard waited around every corner I turned...sorry I got carried away but as I was saying; it has become easier and more common for people to watch movies online whether its legal via Netflix, Love film etc... or illegal, film websites have made it more convenient for people to quickly find to the movie they want and watch it without the hassle of going to rent/buy a DVD and if they want the bones stuff they can find it and more on the internet thanks to sites like YouTube and IMBD.
As awesome as the content in the DVD may be it wont be much without the way it is packaged, from art work and pictures to minimalist and creative designs on the outer packaging and disk itself, the packaging is very important in order to sell and in some cases give a message about the film.
Some covers have even become iconic and have been made into posters or art work by different artists. A normal DVD will have a picture of what its about and the actor(s) (the legendary Tom Hardy for example) on the front with art work which shows us a little about what the film is like, for example BRONSON written in bold so we know the name of the film along with that is the picture of the man himself surrounded by guards which gives us a little insight to the content of the film and its style which looks gritty, British and biography like, also some screen shots can be seen on the back along with a blurb/synopsis like on a book to help sell it while informing you about the film and legal stuff but it can vary depending on what they company want the style to be.
For example here we see the same movie but it has different covers but same content, this is all due to the place its sold and what the company thinks will help make it sell according to that country.
At the end of the day just like the CD replaced the cassette the DVD replaced VHS and now its in danger of being replaced too and maybe even Blu-Rays soon! Some people are happy with this and some (mainly people who collect DVD's) are unhappy by this and some simply don't give a...
But no need to panic as there are still people who don't know how to use the internet meaning they don't really know how to or its too complicated for them to watch films online or simply don't have internet access like LEDC's, so DVD's will keep being made for many years to come but will die out eventually because the internet will keep getting stronger and streaming will be made even simpler.
Overall I think the DVD is nearing its end and has served its purpose extremely well and will always be remembered but I'm a person that is on the streaming side when it comes to watching film or even downloading them (legally obviously) in great quality which is much simpler and faster also I'm only going to watch a film once or twice so this way I wont have to have stacks of unwanted DVDs which is also good for the environment but no doubt I will buy a DVD if I love a film like BRONSON which I can watch many times so at the end of the day (yes I know I'm repeating myself) it just comes down to personal preference of what you prefer to have, a DVD collection or a hard drive full of movies.
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Video Installation Nasties Thingy
Video installation is a contemprary art form that combines video technology with installation video, making use of all aspects of the surrounding environment to affect the audience.People are sexually aroused by pictures, videos and sculptures, they break pictures and sculptures, they mutilate them, kiss, cry before them and go on journeys into them, they are calmed by them, hypnotized by them, influenced by them, elevated by them and are moved to the highest levels of empathy and fear by them.
Bill Viola
Bill Viola is a contemporary video artist and is considered a leading figure in the generation of artists whose artistic expression depends upon electronic, sound, and image technology in New Media. His works focus on the ideas behind fundamental human experiences such as birth, death and aspects of consciousness. The Messenger is one of Bills works that has caused controversy it shows a image of an naked man. It is the images that are argued about in the Church not only because of what he shows, The video shows a man in deep water with the water being the background as the man emerges from the depth of the water and rises to the surface, as this happens you are almost hypnotized by the simplicity of the man emerging from the water, the man looks blue and as he comes up you can see the pattern of the water caused by the light on him, this then suddenly turns half into red/orange color which almost shocks you which I found made me sit up while watching it, the message can be interpreted in different ways one being that the man is pure in the water (the water representing the womb) and when he comes up for air (coming into the world) he doesn't look as pure and almost satanic, then after he slowly goes back to the bottom of the water (representing death). Over all I liked this piece and thought it was very powerful and can see why the church would be unhappy with it.
Vito Acconci
Vito Hannibal Acconci is an American design,landscape architect, preformer and installation artist. He began as a poet in the late 60's then he transformed himself into a performance and video artist using his own body as a subject for photography, film, video and performance being known for some works being extremely controversial, transgressing assumed boundaries between public and private space, and between audience and performer. One of his works that I liked 'Seedbed', In the piece there is a wooden ramp that has merged with the floor. The ramp extends across the width of the room, beginning roughly two feet up the side of one wall and slanting down to the middle of the floor. In is believed in his original performance of the piece Acconci laid hidden underneath the ramp at the Sonnabend Gallery and masturbated. Acconci's spoken fantasies about the visitors walking above him were heard through loudspeakers in the gallery. I found this disturbingly interesting and showed some of the things that goes on inside Vito's head, most of which very controversial.
Dan Graham
His work often focuses on cultural phenomena, and incorporates photography, video, performance, glass and mirror structures. He lives and works in New York. In his performances and the videos, he explores the relationships between bodies, language, and subjectivity, often manipulating the temporal experience of space. A work of his that caught my eye was a fifty-two minute video that explores the religious and spiritual tendencies underlying the American obsession with rock music, this was called 'Time Delay Room', The video is a present-time medium which has images that can be simultaneous with its perception of or by its audience. Its not like film which has to be edited in a way and doesn't represent something in the past but something happening in the present, this keeps the viewer in present reality and makes them a spectator instead of making them feel detached and this is one of the things which I personally think makes this piece stand out and separates it from other installations. The use of the cameras and screens is very smart in order to achieve this effect or experience I should say.
Vito Hannibal Acconci is an American design,landscape architect, preformer and installation artist. He began as a poet in the late 60's then he transformed himself into a performance and video artist using his own body as a subject for photography, film, video and performance being known for some works being extremely controversial, transgressing assumed boundaries between public and private space, and between audience and performer. One of his works that I liked 'Seedbed', In the piece there is a wooden ramp that has merged with the floor. The ramp extends across the width of the room, beginning roughly two feet up the side of one wall and slanting down to the middle of the floor. In is believed in his original performance of the piece Acconci laid hidden underneath the ramp at the Sonnabend Gallery and masturbated. Acconci's spoken fantasies about the visitors walking above him were heard through loudspeakers in the gallery. I found this disturbingly interesting and showed some of the things that goes on inside Vito's head, most of which very controversial.
Dan Graham
His work often focuses on cultural phenomena, and incorporates photography, video, performance, glass and mirror structures. He lives and works in New York. In his performances and the videos, he explores the relationships between bodies, language, and subjectivity, often manipulating the temporal experience of space. A work of his that caught my eye was a fifty-two minute video that explores the religious and spiritual tendencies underlying the American obsession with rock music, this was called 'Time Delay Room', The video is a present-time medium which has images that can be simultaneous with its perception of or by its audience. Its not like film which has to be edited in a way and doesn't represent something in the past but something happening in the present, this keeps the viewer in present reality and makes them a spectator instead of making them feel detached and this is one of the things which I personally think makes this piece stand out and separates it from other installations. The use of the cameras and screens is very smart in order to achieve this effect or experience I should say.
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