Viewed:
Various internet video applications
It was good to get on the internet to watch some videos. I like to browse YouTube and Google video, so this screening felt a little more like home to me. I also like to put my own videos on my myspace page so I know a little bit about the process. I usually sit for hours and hours just watching little video clips. I know I could probably have more time to do my own videos if I would just get off the computer, but I can't seem to get enough. :)
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
April 16, 2007
Viewed:
Hamilton (Matthew Porterfield, 16mm, color, sound, 65min, 2006)
I'm not really sure what to think about this film. The whole film I was waiting for something big to happen and it never did. It seemed like a film with no climax or event of any kind. After a while, I started to wish that something, anything, would just blow up. It never did though. I can't say that this is the worst film I've ever had the chance to watch, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I need a little more action than this.
Hamilton (Matthew Porterfield, 16mm, color, sound, 65min, 2006)
I'm not really sure what to think about this film. The whole film I was waiting for something big to happen and it never did. It seemed like a film with no climax or event of any kind. After a while, I started to wish that something, anything, would just blow up. It never did though. I can't say that this is the worst film I've ever had the chance to watch, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I need a little more action than this.
April 2, 2007
Visiting Artist:
Jackie Goss
Viewed:
Stranger Comes To Town
I have had the chance to play World of Warcraft, so this viewing was really neat for me to see. It was kind of a weird theme, but I guess I can understand, sort of. I like the way she uses Google Earth and a little bit of the World of Warcraft shots. I think this all relates in a way because it must feel very strange to enter a new country and try and find a way to live. The World of Warcraft might be there because it's so hard in real life to become accustomed to a new place. WOW is much the same way. It's such a big place that you have to ask for help and it's very confusing and different at first. Maybe Goss was trying to relate the two. Also, the use of Google Earth is another way to show the vastness of space and perhaps helpless feeling of the strangers in town.
Jackie Goss
Viewed:
Stranger Comes To Town
I have had the chance to play World of Warcraft, so this viewing was really neat for me to see. It was kind of a weird theme, but I guess I can understand, sort of. I like the way she uses Google Earth and a little bit of the World of Warcraft shots. I think this all relates in a way because it must feel very strange to enter a new country and try and find a way to live. The World of Warcraft might be there because it's so hard in real life to become accustomed to a new place. WOW is much the same way. It's such a big place that you have to ask for help and it's very confusing and different at first. Maybe Goss was trying to relate the two. Also, the use of Google Earth is another way to show the vastness of space and perhaps helpless feeling of the strangers in town.
March 28, 2007
Visiting Artist: Vladimir
Viewings:
Lucifugia Thigmotaxis
The Public Life of Jeremiah Barnes
Frear and Trembling
Actaeon at Home
I particularly like this screening. I liked seeing the Viewmaster again. I haven't seen one in years! I also liked the way that everyone clicked the trigger together. This was quite the Communal viewing experience. My favorite story was The Public Life of Jeremiah Barnes. I like the way she used toy trucks and little action figures. It enhanced the nostalgic feel of the whole experience.
Friday, March 23, 2007
March 14, 2007
Visiting Artist: Ethan D. Jackson, camera obscurist
I actually went to the viewing on March 16. When I arrived, it just looked like a construction site, but when I went into the camera obscura display room, I was pretty amazed. At first I wondered, why is everyone staring at this upside down wallpaper. I've seen camera obscuras in a box before, but never even thought about one this size! I noticed that the wallpaper moved and realized what an idiot I am. I thought it was really cool. I might have to experiment with this some time. I really liked the videos he showed with the old house. It reminds me of Cesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They have the fake clouds on the roof to make it always seem light out. Except Ethan's clouds move! I bet he could hook up famous people's houses like that and get rich! I wouldn't mind having something like that in my house every day. Anyway, I really enjoyed the display and hope to see more examples of other artist's work in the future.
I actually went to the viewing on March 16. When I arrived, it just looked like a construction site, but when I went into the camera obscura display room, I was pretty amazed. At first I wondered, why is everyone staring at this upside down wallpaper. I've seen camera obscuras in a box before, but never even thought about one this size! I noticed that the wallpaper moved and realized what an idiot I am. I thought it was really cool. I might have to experiment with this some time. I really liked the videos he showed with the old house. It reminds me of Cesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They have the fake clouds on the roof to make it always seem light out. Except Ethan's clouds move! I bet he could hook up famous people's houses like that and get rich! I wouldn't mind having something like that in my house every day. Anyway, I really enjoyed the display and hope to see more examples of other artist's work in the future.
March 7, 2007
Viewings:
Live to Tell (Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay, video, b&w, sound, 6 min, 2002)
The Lace of Summer (Storm De Hirsch, Super8, color, 4 min, 1973)
Third Eye Butterfly (Storm De Hirsch, 2x16mm, color/sound, 10 min, 1968)
Available Light: Shift (Luis Recoder, 2x16mm, color, silent, 12 min, 2001)
night flight: transmissions (Brent Coughenour, comporsit video of 2 monitor installation, looped dvds, b&w, sound, 2005)
Luminous (Alexi Manis, 16mm, 3.5 min, color/sound, 2001)
The Dark Room (Minyong Jang, 16mm, 4 min, 2001)
Live to Tell (Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay, video, b&w, sound, 6 min, 2002)
The Lace of Summer (Storm De Hirsch, Super8, color, 4 min, 1973)
Third Eye Butterfly (Storm De Hirsch, 2x16mm, color/sound, 10 min, 1968)
Available Light: Shift (Luis Recoder, 2x16mm, color, silent, 12 min, 2001)
night flight: transmissions (Brent Coughenour, comporsit video of 2 monitor installation, looped dvds, b&w, sound, 2005)
Luminous (Alexi Manis, 16mm, 3.5 min, color/sound, 2001)
The Dark Room (Minyong Jang, 16mm, 4 min, 2001)
February 26, 2007
Viewings:
Vacuum (Adel Abidin, Iraq/Finland, video installation [excerpt], 2005)
Les Egares (Mounir Fatmi, Tunisia/France, video, color/sound, 9 min, 2005)
Allahu Akbat (Usama Alshaibi, Iraq/United States, video, b&w/sound, 5 min 10 sec, 2003)
In This House (Akram Zaatari, Lebanon, video, color/sound, 30 min, 2005)
Sad Man (Lina Ghaibeh, video, sound/color, 4.5 min, 2001)
Dead Time (Ghassan Salhab, Lebanon, video, 6 min, 2006)
We had a guest appearance by Laura Marks. She talked about the whole independent and experimental culture that the countries in the middle east have. These experimental films were pretty good. Some of them have very deep cultural undertones in them that I don't really understand since I don't know enough about their culture. These films also give me an uneasy feeling. I'm not really sure what it is, perhaps it's just the terrible experience of my time spent in the middle east. These films do show the culture though, and even show it with a sense of humor. One example of this is the belly dancing song, played to the religious symbols. Another example is the guy vacuuming up the snow. Another thing I noticed from these films is the overall pride for country and religion. I think religion is a big part of their culture, so they include it in their films. In the United States, we are of mixed religions and cultures so we don't really see an abundance of religious films. Or maybe we do, and I just don't know where to look...
Vacuum (Adel Abidin, Iraq/Finland, video installation [excerpt], 2005)
Les Egares (Mounir Fatmi, Tunisia/France, video, color/sound, 9 min, 2005)
Allahu Akbat (Usama Alshaibi, Iraq/United States, video, b&w/sound, 5 min 10 sec, 2003)
In This House (Akram Zaatari, Lebanon, video, color/sound, 30 min, 2005)
Sad Man (Lina Ghaibeh, video, sound/color, 4.5 min, 2001)
Dead Time (Ghassan Salhab, Lebanon, video, 6 min, 2006)
We had a guest appearance by Laura Marks. She talked about the whole independent and experimental culture that the countries in the middle east have. These experimental films were pretty good. Some of them have very deep cultural undertones in them that I don't really understand since I don't know enough about their culture. These films also give me an uneasy feeling. I'm not really sure what it is, perhaps it's just the terrible experience of my time spent in the middle east. These films do show the culture though, and even show it with a sense of humor. One example of this is the belly dancing song, played to the religious symbols. Another example is the guy vacuuming up the snow. Another thing I noticed from these films is the overall pride for country and religion. I think religion is a big part of their culture, so they include it in their films. In the United States, we are of mixed religions and cultures so we don't really see an abundance of religious films. Or maybe we do, and I just don't know where to look...
Friday, February 23, 2007
February 19, 2007
Viewings:
D'Est (Chantal Akerman, 16mm, color, sound, 110 min, 1993)
This film was very different from anything I have really ever seen before. I have never been to Europe before and couldn't really recognize the places shown. As we talked about in the discussion on Wednesday, this was rather a frustrating viewing experience for me. There were shots in this film where a single person was shown in a room. Most of the time the person didn't move. I sat there wondering if someone had hit pause or if it was just a still shot that was used. But then I realized that the curtains moved or something else moved. The part that was so painful about this, is that each time this happened, it seemed like eternity. This created some real suspense for me. I kept waiting for something to happen or develop during shots like these but nothing ever really happened. The next shot would simply appear and I was left wondering why that shot was included or what the point of the previous shot was. I found this took away from the following scene because I was still immersed in the previous one. This made me search for an explanation to myself, but not ever finding one. Carl explained to us during discussion that he was deeply offended by a student who walked out right past him saying "I don't think I can take anymore of this." I can relate to this student in a way, because of these painfully long, waiting scenes that produce this suspense that never really gets resolved. The difference between him and I though, is that I kept believing that if I kept watching it would all make sense in the end. This is partially true I guess. The conclusion that I came to was that it was all about the culture, the experience of being there, and the reality of being in a foreign land. The people in this film seemed sad or scared of something; I'm not sure what. No one really looks at the camera. In this country, I think people would have flocked to it to see what was happening. I really really like the concert experience at the end with the cello(?) player. I thought it was performed very well. I have an interest for live music and even music on film and this scene was one that I would like to see more of, and actually film a lot more of myself. I'm glad I viewed this film, but like I said earlier, the waiting scenes created such a suspense in me which was never really resolved. Honestly, this really got to me for some reason.
D'Est (Chantal Akerman, 16mm, color, sound, 110 min, 1993)
This film was very different from anything I have really ever seen before. I have never been to Europe before and couldn't really recognize the places shown. As we talked about in the discussion on Wednesday, this was rather a frustrating viewing experience for me. There were shots in this film where a single person was shown in a room. Most of the time the person didn't move. I sat there wondering if someone had hit pause or if it was just a still shot that was used. But then I realized that the curtains moved or something else moved. The part that was so painful about this, is that each time this happened, it seemed like eternity. This created some real suspense for me. I kept waiting for something to happen or develop during shots like these but nothing ever really happened. The next shot would simply appear and I was left wondering why that shot was included or what the point of the previous shot was. I found this took away from the following scene because I was still immersed in the previous one. This made me search for an explanation to myself, but not ever finding one. Carl explained to us during discussion that he was deeply offended by a student who walked out right past him saying "I don't think I can take anymore of this." I can relate to this student in a way, because of these painfully long, waiting scenes that produce this suspense that never really gets resolved. The difference between him and I though, is that I kept believing that if I kept watching it would all make sense in the end. This is partially true I guess. The conclusion that I came to was that it was all about the culture, the experience of being there, and the reality of being in a foreign land. The people in this film seemed sad or scared of something; I'm not sure what. No one really looks at the camera. In this country, I think people would have flocked to it to see what was happening. I really really like the concert experience at the end with the cello(?) player. I thought it was performed very well. I have an interest for live music and even music on film and this scene was one that I would like to see more of, and actually film a lot more of myself. I'm glad I viewed this film, but like I said earlier, the waiting scenes created such a suspense in me which was never really resolved. Honestly, this really got to me for some reason.
February 12, 2007
Viewings:
I learn Something New Every Single Day (Renato Umali, web)
Fist Fight (Robert Breer, 11 min, color, sound, 1964)
Gently Down the Stream (su Friedrich, 16mm, b&w/silent, 14 min, 1981)
More than Meets the Eye: Remaking Jane Fonda (Scott Stark, video, color, sound, 20 min, 2001/2006)
I learn Something New Every Single Day (Renato Umali, web)
Fist Fight (Robert Breer, 11 min, color, sound, 1964)
Gently Down the Stream (su Friedrich, 16mm, b&w/silent, 14 min, 1981)
More than Meets the Eye: Remaking Jane Fonda (Scott Stark, video, color, sound, 20 min, 2001/2006)
February 5, 2007
Viewings:
Theme Song (Vito Acconci, video, 34 min, 1973)
If Every Girl Had A Diary (Sadie Benning, pixelvision on video, 9 min, 1990)
Birthday Suit - with scars and defects (Lisa Steele, video, 13 min, 1974)
Children's Tapes (Terry Fox, 29:36 min, 1974)
Selected Works Reel 6 (William Wegman, video, 19:38 min, 1975 - 1976)
The Amateurist (Miranda July, video, 14 min, 1998)
Everyday Bad Dream (Fred Worden, video, 6 min, color, sound, 2005)
I have had the opportunity to check out "Theme Song" by Vito Acconci (video, 34 minutes, 1973, Black and White w/ sound). I found this video rather unsettling. I realize that Acconci is just experimenting with a type of media. He uses the frame of the video as if he was right next to us, curled up with us. He keeps talking about this as well. When I first saw this, I remember thinking that this was a "digital letter" to an ex-girlfriend or maybe a wife that left him. I think this film is a little over the top though. He reminds me of a person at the end of a drug binge, teetering on the edge of sanity. It does have that raw feeling to it, it's just a little weird. There were times when I just wanted to say "Dude, could you scoot back a bit?"
I have also spent some time checking out some of the films from the Cog Collective cogblog. These films look like they are fairly bare and simple films, much like I have seen in class. I like them because they make me feel like I could make one. There are lots of different films on this site that one can view. There were a couple that I particularly like. One of these is SadEyedAnimeGrl by Brookers. I just like the way her eyes look so big. The film looks kind of like an anime or cartoon. The eyes must have been the reason this was called Anime Grl because anime eyes tend to be pretty big for the most part. The film called "2 minutes of noise" by louisunderwood is another one I like. It's a simple camera set up, an amp, some other machine, and an occasional arm. I like any kind of experimentation, and this is just that. It's an experiment with sound and it is all original with elements of being "live."
Theme Song (Vito Acconci, video, 34 min, 1973)
If Every Girl Had A Diary (Sadie Benning, pixelvision on video, 9 min, 1990)
Birthday Suit - with scars and defects (Lisa Steele, video, 13 min, 1974)
Children's Tapes (Terry Fox, 29:36 min, 1974)
Selected Works Reel 6 (William Wegman, video, 19:38 min, 1975 - 1976)
The Amateurist (Miranda July, video, 14 min, 1998)
Everyday Bad Dream (Fred Worden, video, 6 min, color, sound, 2005)
I have had the opportunity to check out "Theme Song" by Vito Acconci (video, 34 minutes, 1973, Black and White w/ sound). I found this video rather unsettling. I realize that Acconci is just experimenting with a type of media. He uses the frame of the video as if he was right next to us, curled up with us. He keeps talking about this as well. When I first saw this, I remember thinking that this was a "digital letter" to an ex-girlfriend or maybe a wife that left him. I think this film is a little over the top though. He reminds me of a person at the end of a drug binge, teetering on the edge of sanity. It does have that raw feeling to it, it's just a little weird. There were times when I just wanted to say "Dude, could you scoot back a bit?"
I have also spent some time checking out some of the films from the Cog Collective cogblog. These films look like they are fairly bare and simple films, much like I have seen in class. I like them because they make me feel like I could make one. There are lots of different films on this site that one can view. There were a couple that I particularly like. One of these is SadEyedAnimeGrl by Brookers. I just like the way her eyes look so big. The film looks kind of like an anime or cartoon. The eyes must have been the reason this was called Anime Grl because anime eyes tend to be pretty big for the most part. The film called "2 minutes of noise" by louisunderwood is another one I like. It's a simple camera set up, an amp, some other machine, and an occasional arm. I like any kind of experimentation, and this is just that. It's an experiment with sound and it is all original with elements of being "live."
January 29, 2007
Viewings:
Munich-Berlin Walking Trip (Oscar Fischinger, 16mm, b&w/silent, 4 min, 1927)
Commingled Containers (Stan Brakhage, 16mm, color, silent, 5 min, 1997)
Market Street (Tomonari Nishikaka, 16mm, b&w/silent, 5 min, 2005)
Wot the Ancient Sod (Diane Kitchen, 16mm, color, silent, 17 min, 2001)
Clear Blue Day (Tomonari Nishikawa, miniDV, 4 min, 2006)
Color Study (Vincent Grenier, miniDV, color/sound, 4.5 min, 2000)
Variations (Nathaniel Dorsky, 16mm, color, silent, 24 min, 18 fps, 1992-1998)
Variations
This film has lots of different images that move fairly quickly. I like the huge shot of the ocean with a single wave underneath it because it shows the vastness of the ocean. It's just a nice shot, in my opinion. Dorsky uses lots of balance in this film. He also shows some use of daring camera play.
Commingled Containers
This silent film has flashing pictures of nature. Some of the pictures include plants, sand dunes, water, and ice. I prefer this style of editing to Variations.
Wot the Ancient Sod
There is an overwhelming amount of leaves in this film. There are close - ups and wide angle shots of leaves. I like the way that she uses a lot of partially blurry pictures.
Clear Blue Sky
This author also uses blurry images. This video reminds me of the treks that I did for Film 116 last semester. The audio is of the city, but not always related or the sound of the picture being displayed.
Market Street
Nishikaka uses many still photos for this film. It's black and white but I think it looks fabulous. There is also use of lines and circles. The shapes move on screen and get bigger and smaller. This film also seems to remind me of Film 116.
Munich - Berlin Walking Trip
This film is of black and white images that Fischinger composed during a walk. I like the design and the simplicity of the idea, while being complex with the editing.
Munich-Berlin Walking Trip (Oscar Fischinger, 16mm, b&w/silent, 4 min, 1927)
Commingled Containers (Stan Brakhage, 16mm, color, silent, 5 min, 1997)
Market Street (Tomonari Nishikaka, 16mm, b&w/silent, 5 min, 2005)
Wot the Ancient Sod (Diane Kitchen, 16mm, color, silent, 17 min, 2001)
Clear Blue Day (Tomonari Nishikawa, miniDV, 4 min, 2006)
Color Study (Vincent Grenier, miniDV, color/sound, 4.5 min, 2000)
Variations (Nathaniel Dorsky, 16mm, color, silent, 24 min, 18 fps, 1992-1998)
Variations
This film has lots of different images that move fairly quickly. I like the huge shot of the ocean with a single wave underneath it because it shows the vastness of the ocean. It's just a nice shot, in my opinion. Dorsky uses lots of balance in this film. He also shows some use of daring camera play.
Commingled Containers
This silent film has flashing pictures of nature. Some of the pictures include plants, sand dunes, water, and ice. I prefer this style of editing to Variations.
Wot the Ancient Sod
There is an overwhelming amount of leaves in this film. There are close - ups and wide angle shots of leaves. I like the way that she uses a lot of partially blurry pictures.
Clear Blue Sky
This author also uses blurry images. This video reminds me of the treks that I did for Film 116 last semester. The audio is of the city, but not always related or the sound of the picture being displayed.
Market Street
Nishikaka uses many still photos for this film. It's black and white but I think it looks fabulous. There is also use of lines and circles. The shapes move on screen and get bigger and smaller. This film also seems to remind me of Film 116.
Munich - Berlin Walking Trip
This film is of black and white images that Fischinger composed during a walk. I like the design and the simplicity of the idea, while being complex with the editing.
January 22, 2007
Viewings:
So Is This (Michael Snow, 16mm, b&w/silent, 49 min, 1982)
There There Square (Jackie Goss, video, 14 min, 2002)
So Is This
I like the idea of the way Michael Snow set this film up. He uses different colors for lettering and by doing this, he adds a certain feeling to each of the words. I felt like this film was a little long and tedious, but for some reason I just kept watching it. When I first read that the film was about two hours long, I immediately became restless. It turned out though, that he was lying just like he said he was. It was only 49 minutes long. Snow also uses different lengths for certain words to apply effect. By doing this, he brings up some critical ideas and issues, as well as pushes against censorship. I think by using words on screen, he presents a sort of subliminal message. He flashes provocative words across the screen. Towards the end of the film, he gives the audience ten solo words, which are left for the audience to interpret as they wish. I found his frequency of the word "this" rather distracting. Michael Snow's goal is to create a type of interactive communal viewing experience.
There There Square
This video is predominantly a map of the United States. The main color is blue. I like the historic dialogue in this film. Goss uses different size fonts and color in her dialogue. This isn't a very long film. I really like the shots of the different hand drawn maps of the United States. Some of them are pretty funny.
So Is This (Michael Snow, 16mm, b&w/silent, 49 min, 1982)
There There Square (Jackie Goss, video, 14 min, 2002)
So Is This
I like the idea of the way Michael Snow set this film up. He uses different colors for lettering and by doing this, he adds a certain feeling to each of the words. I felt like this film was a little long and tedious, but for some reason I just kept watching it. When I first read that the film was about two hours long, I immediately became restless. It turned out though, that he was lying just like he said he was. It was only 49 minutes long. Snow also uses different lengths for certain words to apply effect. By doing this, he brings up some critical ideas and issues, as well as pushes against censorship. I think by using words on screen, he presents a sort of subliminal message. He flashes provocative words across the screen. Towards the end of the film, he gives the audience ten solo words, which are left for the audience to interpret as they wish. I found his frequency of the word "this" rather distracting. Michael Snow's goal is to create a type of interactive communal viewing experience.
There There Square
This video is predominantly a map of the United States. The main color is blue. I like the historic dialogue in this film. Goss uses different size fonts and color in her dialogue. This isn't a very long film. I really like the shots of the different hand drawn maps of the United States. Some of them are pretty funny.
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