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.
Friday, February 23, 2007
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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