Follow Up to Class October 29

Dear class: 

We covered a lot in class this week! You do have a project due, next week, at the start of class. Please refer to the assignment sheet I handed out in class. This is also posted to the blog, as well as on blackboard under "assignments."

Under "readings" in blackboard, you will find .PDFs of the handouts we covered in class, as well as some other items. There is the TASCAM Manual and the Audacity overview. 

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ISSUES, PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP.

Some other reminders:

1) Be sure to make a reservation for the TASCAMs at the cage. Be sure to check them before you leave the cage (batteries, turns on and off, etc.). You will also need an SD card of your own to record your files onto. Make sure it is backed up, because you will likely need to format it. 

2) When Setting the setting on your TASCAM, go to: MENU> REC SETTINGS> WAV 24bit. This will ensure the highest quality audio recording.

3) In audacity, be sure to save often and frequently. As is always the case, save immediately, in your TRM 153 folder so you know where it is. Audacity does NOT autosave. Save often and frequently.

4) Once you finish your final edit, save a duplicate of your file under "FILENAME_mixdown.aup" This will collapse all of your tracks into one. Saving a duplicate file means that you can still go back and edit your original, which is important, while also having a saved version of your mix down. To do this, Select all (Command+A)> We will export to MP3 from this file at the beginning of class next week to upload and embed into our blogs. 

BEST OF LUCK WITH EVERYTHING THIS WEEK! And please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any issues. 

I also realized I forgot to hand you back your feedback for class. My apologies, I have a little page for each of you, and will give it to you in class next week. 

Best,

Jessica

SOUND/VOICE

VOICE/SOUND

CRITIQUE 3

Due: November 5, 2013

For next week, you must create a 3-4 minute audio piece to be presented in class on Tuesday November 5. In order to create this work, you will:

1. Create a library of 30 sounds and/or clips.

At least half must be originally recorded by you. Up to 15 clips may be appropriated.
Make a companion text document with the file name, description, and duration of each of these clips. Please note the appropriated clips. Title your clips like this: Lastname_00_description.mp3 (Example: Cage_34_drip.mp3)

2. Create a 3-4 minute audio work that responds to rhythm, narrative, or space. We will screen these in class.

Your audio work must include:

At least 15 of your 30 clips. No more than half of your clips may be appropriated. Bold all of the clips you used in your text document.
The work must include three distinct sections, chapters, or movements.

3. Create a folder with your final audio work, your text file, and library of 30 labeled sounds. Back up onto a thumb drive or hard drive. Please email this directly to your instructor, before the start of class. The file will likely be too big for regular email, so export it as a .zip file, and use wetransfer.com. Bring your computers, with your files to class next week.

SOUND/VOICE EXAMPLES

Rhythm
Steven Reich, Clapping Music

Narrative
Kathy High, Hospital Visit

Space
Quiet American, One minute vacations 
Ultrared, Transistors
Janet Cardiff, Walks (Louisiana, Alter Banhof)

Some Other Examples
John Cage, Radio Music, performed by ICE 
William S. Burroughs, Tape Cut Up and Calling All Reactive Agents
Stephen Vitiello, Tetrasomia

Ultra Red The Public Record: http://www.publicrec.org/directory.html
UBUWEB mp3 archive: http://www.ubu.com/sound/
((audience)): http://au.dience.org/

The Books, Take Time
Prefuse 73, Pagina Dos

Artist Presentations

TRM 153: Studio Concepts

Artist Presentations

Due November 12, 2013

Each member of class will be conducting independent research on a selected or assigned artist or filmmaker. You will present this research to the class on Tuesday November 12, 2013. Presentations should be between 7-10 minutes long. You may choose to write out your presentation or not, but you are required to turn in an outline and a bibliography at the time of your presentation. Please bring a hard copy for your instructor. For reference, it takes around 4-5 minutes to read one page of single spaced text at a slow pace. Be sure to practice.

Each presentation and outline must include:

1. Short biography of artist
2. Historical/social/political context of where and when your artist lived and made work
3. Major themes your artist addresses
4. The conceptual, technical, political, or other impact you think your artist had on their chosen media and/or society
5. An analysis of one work* or body of work* that you find reflects (3) and (4).

For photographic work: Choose 3-5 images from a series to analyze for the class.

For video/film/sound work: Select a 2-3 minute clip to view in class and analyze.

*These cannot be clips or images viewed in class.

Your bibliography must include at least 3 sources, cited MLA style:

1. A book OR academic article accessed via JSTOR (or similar)
2. Full Citation of the work you presented (this counts as one). Make sure to include the Title, date, and original media of the work. Also include where and how you accessed the work (DVD? Book? Slides? ArtStor? Ubuweb?).
3. Reputable Internet Sources (They count as one, but include all. Wikipedia does not count: any information you find here MUST be cited from a second, reputable source.)

Presenters and Artists

Sorenna	Andy Warhol (focus on time based media)
Sahan	Bill Viola
Lindsay	Vivian Maier
Eva	Vera Chytilova
Sarah	Dara Birnbaum
Anna	Carrie Mae Weems
Henry	John Cage
Matt	Francis Ford Coppola
Xizhe	Lars Von Trier
Erin	Nan Goldin

Vimeo Test Embed

hsieh from jessica posner on Vimeo.

Embedding Vimeo Videos Into Blogger

1. Export file from Adobe Premiere Pro to Vimeo Specs: H.264, choose appropriate Vimeo Preset

2. Sign Up: https://vimeo.com/ (You will only need to do this once. After this, you will just log in).

3. Upload your Video. Follow the prompts and wait. 

4. Once upload is complete, go into settings. Under "Privacy," make your video available to be embedded.

5. Once your video loads, click on the "share" icon in the upper right hand corner of your video.

6. This window will pop up. Select and copy (command + c) the "Embed" code. 

6. Begin a new post on blogger.

7. Select the "HTML" tab in the top left corner of the composer. Paste your code here.

8. Publish. CONGRATULATIONS!

Critique 2 Twist: Montage

REPRESENTATION/VIDEO/NARRATIVE
MONTAGE (WEEK 8, October 15)

ASSIGNMENT:

CRITIQUE 2 TWIST:

Include a montage in your CRITIQUE 2 video, due next week October 22.

The montage must:

• reveal a complicating piece of information about your main character
• include new footage (can be original or appropriated)
• be at least 15 seconds*
• use an instrumental, original, or experimental soundtrack (if any). This is not a music video.

*Your video must still be within 3-5 minutes. You must also still meet all of the requirements on the first assignment sheet, though they may overlap. Be bold in your decisions.

MONTAGE RESOURCES

Hitchcock on Montage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruoPT9JeYHA

SOVIET MONTAGE

A Dialectical Approach to Filmmaking

Metric: Measured number of frames, regardless of action in shot (mechanical):

example: Scene from Eisenstein's October

http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T112/EditingIllustrations02.htm

Rythmic: cutting for continuity (aesthetic, narrative)

example: Eisenstein's Odessa Steps Sequence, Battleship Potemkin, 1925

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps-v-kZzfec

Tonal: taps into the emotional quality of the shots to create a complex emotional landscape

Overtonal/Associational: combination of all of the above, moving towards abstraction to illicit emotional reactions

example: from Pudovkin's Mother, 1926

http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T112/EditingIllustrations05.htm

Intellectual: when shots combined, viewer forms intellectual meaning

example: Eisenstein, Strike, 1925

http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T112/EditingIllustrations06StrikeBig.htm

Apocalypse Now,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSWtc01BlqM

SURREALIST MONTAGE

Metropolis, Fritz Lang, 1927

Maria's dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0D4fHieW8o

Moloch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPNaaogT8fs

Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali,Un Chien Andalou, 1929,

https://vimeo.com/18540575

Maya Deren, Meshes of the Afternoon, 1943

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S03Aw5HULU

Vera Chytilova, Daisies (Sedmikrásky), 1966

https://vimeo.com/63689570

Opening Credits, 53:30, 60:00, 65:00

ART VIDEO

Tracey Moffatt, OTHER, 2009

Dara Birnbaum, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION WONDER WOMAN, 1978-79

Bill Viola, Anthem, 1983

POP CULTURE

Team America: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU9Uwhjlog8&feature=youtu.be

Forrest Gump: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgnJ8GpsBG8

Ferris Beuler's Day Off: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubpRcZNJAnE

Snatch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mezD2j-R2Y

Footloose: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8XGmZ8HDIU

Trainspotting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Naf_WiEb9Qs

Up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHMD_EqM61I

Clueless: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJQPpD4EN00

Follow Up to Class October 8

Dear Class,

Please find your assignment for the next two weeks in the post below, and under the "REPRESENTATION/NARRATIVE" page.

As a reminder, you have a rough cut due in class next week (October 15). Please come to class with your rough cut exported as an .mp4 (to specs for vimeo). We will upload and embed the videos in class, as well as offer in progress feedback.

Critique 2, featuring a final cut of your video, is in two weeks (October 22). 

If you have any issues or questions about anything we covered in class, please do not hesitate to email me. 

As a reminder of the equipment shown in class:
Canon Camcorder (Ask for the one available to TRM 153 Students)
SD Card
Tripod
Sennheiser Shotgun Microphone (powered, with a battery)
XLR cable
XLR to mini adapter
Boompole

Remember to always check your settings before you start, white balance, check your audio levels, set your lighting, and plan out everything you do. More time on the front end always translates into less time, frustration, stress, and re-shoots later on.

BEST OF LUCK!!!

Jessica Posner

Critique 2 Project: Due October 22, 2013

CRITIQUE 2: DUE OCTOBER 22, 2013

REPRESENTATION/VIDEO/NARRATIVE

A fictional, narrative video 3-5 minutes in length. Must be fictional, but based in a reality you have experienced. Be creative, but grounded. (Some examples of scenarios that are probably not be grounded in your reality: drug busts gone wrong, armageddon, attacks by zombies and/or bears, alien abductions/surgeries, etc. Some examples that might be: making a difficult decision, a turning point in a elationship, receiving an unexpected message, getting lost, subtle supernatural experiences, etc.). As with all narratives, you must include at least one main character, and an inciting incident that marks a clear change in your character. Establish a clear beginning, middle, and end.

For your critique on October 22: You must edit your video in Adobe Premiere, export it, upload it to Vimeo, and embed the vimeo video on your blog.

Your videos must include the following components, and they can overlap:

1) A single shot sequence of at least 30 seconds.

2) A continuous action sequence. Minimum: 3 shots edited together to form continuous action. Example: Imagine three different potential shots of a car pulling out of a driveway. You might include (1) an establishing, exterior shot of the car in garage while the driver enters (2) close up of the driver inserting keys and starting ignition, (3) an over the shoulder shot of the driver backing up, and (4) a panning, wide shot of the car backing away from the perspective of someone standing at the front door of the house.

3) An establishing shot followed by a medium shot and/or a close up

4) A close up of your main character

5) An over the shoulder shot of or over your main character

6) A static (tripod) shot

7) A dynamic (handheld, steadycam, pan, tilt) shot

8) Titles

9) Use Diagetic sound. NO MUSIC SOUNDTRACKS (unless it is diagetic).

10) Apply Room Tone layer for all audio

For Next week (October 17): bring a rough cut of your video to class.

This means:

1. You must have all of your footage shot
2. You have imported everything into Premiere Pro
3. You have structured your timeline
4. You have titles including your name, any working title, “rough cut,” the date, and duration
5. Exported your video using vimeo settings with a file name that includes “rough cut” and date

We will screen your in-progress videos in class and offer feedback. You will be expected to include the feedback in your “final” video for the following week. Time allowing, we will work in class.

Your final, completed videos are due at the beginning of class on October 22, 2013. They must be finished, uploaded to vimeo, and embedded on your blog. This will take time, so you must plan ahead and not wait until the last minute.

You will be evaluated based on exemplary/satisfactory/unsatisfactory use of everything in this document in bold. 

Follow Up Oct. 1

Dear Class,

Some reminders for you:

Please post re-edits of the photos that you submitted for your critique onto your blog by Friday at midnight. I am asking you to do this for two reasons a) the best way to learn photoshop and photo editing is by doing it, and b) to give you an opportunity to improve your mid-semester review grade. Do not stress out about this. Take a deep breath, and let the photoshop force be with you.
Remember: subtleties. If you initially did something in b/w, try it in color (and vice versa). Experiment. Trust your viewer. Question yourself on what tricks you may be using to make your image more compelling, true, emotional, etc. Your images and decisions carry their own weight already. Photoshop is a tool to help. Try not to push anything over the edge (unless that's your intention). Notice how subtle changes can make a big difference.

Please see the below post, or the Representation page for your assignment DUE IN CLASS NEXT WEEK. Next week, you must bring all of your files for your 1-3 minute single shot video (3 takes), memory cards, laptops, and Adobe Premiere. We will be doing in class demos.

I am out of town for the rest of this week for a performance in NYC, and will therefore not be having office hours on Thursday. However, I will be available to meet with you on Monday if you would like to schedule something. You can also reach me via email, but expect a delayed response.

Best of luck with your shoots! I'm looking forward to seeing your videos.

The Single Shot

REPRESENTATION: WEEK 1

The Single Shot

Homework due NEXT WEEK (October 8):

Shoot a 1-3 minute, single shot video. Your video must include at least one character and an inciting incident. You must be prepared to talk about what/who this character is, and how the inciting incident relates. These can be as simple or as complicated as you'd like, but it must be thoughtful and well planned.

Your video can be a static shot, or you may experiment with handheld/steady cam style videography. Please only use diagetic sound (only audio that is shot in the camera). You may use whatever camera you would like: cell phone, webcam, cannon camcorder from the cage, etc.

This assignment is more daunting than it sounds, as you are responsible for developing a character, a narrative, and planning out an entirely in-camera sequence. You must think ahead, plan it out, and take multiple takes. Please come to class with your preparatory notes, sketched, and at least 3 takes. The purpose of this assignment is to challenge you to both experiment and simplify. 

For next week: Bring your files (all of them!) any memory cards you used to shoot, and your laptops with Adobe Premier. We will process these files, together, in Adobe Premiere during class. Please be sure to bring your laptops with Adobe Premiere, and all of your files, next week in class.

Next week we will also talk more specifically about the Cannon you will be required to use for your next assignment, as well as other video basics.

SCREENINGS:

Edison Kinetescope FIlms (1894-189^)

Barber Shop, Feeding the Pigeons, Seminary Girls

Lumiere Brothers, Exiting A Factory, 1895 

Lumiere Brothers, L'Arroseur Arrosé, 1895 

Alice Guy Blache, Cabbage Fairy, 1896 (0:51)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbQO6pwuNs

Georges Melies, The Vanishing Lady, 1896 (1:11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7-x93QagJU

Georges Melies, After the Ball, 1897 (1:06)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYYdTAuGm34

Martha Rosler, Semiotics of the Kitchen, 1975 (6:09)

http://www.ubu.com/film/rosler_semiotics.html

Adrian Piper, Cornered, 1988 (16:42)

https://vimeo.com/10547710

Alex Bag, Untitled Fall '95, 1995 (1:16)/ (6:21)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S75oLIYbWc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO63MKw9fu8

Fishli and Weiss, 1987 (29:39)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF1fh7V5ivY

Honda, The Cog, 2003 (2:01)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ve4M4UsJQo

Panera, 2013 (3:55)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=01kQH-8Yp3U#t=220

Children of Men, 2005, Directed by Alfonso Cuarón (at 3:35 mark) (3:58)

https://vimeo.com/41218073

Nine Live, Diana, 2005. Directed by Rodrigo Garcia (14:21) at 12:30 in film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-13HRrfX_7k

Russian Ark, 2002,  directed by Alexander Sokurov, Final Scene (5:21)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0KRRgzZvHk