Digital Footprint 2.0

Since my first post about my digital footprint, it has really grown. I got instagram, twitter and pinterest. Looking at my digital footprint now, it still feels weird to see me as other's see me. Previously I only used social media sites for fun, but I discovered over the past semester how useful they can actually be. A lot of my art inspiration comes from things I see on pinterest, and by following my favourite clothing brands on instagram I can get a head start on sales and promotions! I think that social media started off as being something purely for entertainment purposes, and is now a serious business and marketing machine which I think is fascinating. It has actually inspired me to go into a communications and media program in university :)

A closer look at our creative process...

I think that this photo of Rach as Twiggy is a true tribute to the work we put into these photos. Twiggy has extremely unique facial features which turned out to be a lot more difficult to mimic than we thought. Luckily Rachel was a good sport and let us really pound the makeup on. I used a lot of highlighting and contouring techniques to give Rach the Twiggy cheekbones. We also did a lot of work with filling in her brows to get the perfect Twiggy arch, and I think they look pretty darn close. Her mouth took a lot of reshaping too with lipliner to give her the Twiggy pout. He slicked side pony was pretty straightforward although it required a lot of gel. 

 I really like how we reversed the colours (Rachel's background is black and her sweater is lighter). We had to do a lot of work with lighting in these photos, especially in this one. We used the techniques we learned at the beginning of the year and had Rachel hold a white corrugated board to reflect the lighting onto her face. 

Zoe polished everything off with her amazing photoshop work. She perfected the lighting which definitely enhanced Rachel's face shape and made her look even more like Twiggy. She enhanced the shape of Rachel's eyes to make them more doe-like, and gave her even more of a Twiggy pout. Zoe also really came through on all the costumes. This thrift shop sweater she found looks so much like the one in the photo!

Individual Thematic Work

In the beginning we had no idea what mode to show our photos in. We thought about printing them out onto glossy photo paper, but decided that passing around the tiny portraits wouldn't have the same grand affect as putting them up on the big projector screen. Printing them out into hard copies might not have been as forgiving either. We edited all of the photos ourselves on photoshop so they weren't perfect (I think that's what makes them great personally!) Nevertheless, hard copies might have been little more clear in the pixelation which might have showed some of our mistakes. Since Rachel was away for the editing days, she decided to make a slide show chronicling out pictures through the decades.

For this project we incorporated lots of principles of media arts. We showed duration because we literally traveled through the decades all the way back to the 1930's. We used point of view because these photos were our take and our recreation of the iconic originals. For the most part this project focused on hybridization. We used different hair, makeup, lighting, modelling, costumes, editing and photoshop to accomplish these photos. Hours of work was put into each one whether it be hair and makeup or editing and photoshop. This project wouldn't have been a success if we hadn't used so many different techniques to make them. Anonymity was also used in this project because we gave up our own identities to step into the identity of the person we were trying to be. Not only did we change our looks, but we also changed the way we act, stand and behave in front of the camera in order to become the other person.

Even though some of the photos weren't up to the standard we wanted, I think this project was still a success because we incorporated so many of the principles of media art into it.

POV/Duration project review

Zoe and I incorporated hybridization and interactivity into this project. There were elements of hybridization in this project because we made ourselves the canvases. Instead of creating art on a separate canvas, we brought our project to life by using own bodies! It was also interactivity because without the audience, we wouldn't have even been able to do this project. The audiences participation are reactions were crucial for making ourselves the art.

Zoe and I were very organized for this project. We divided up the work and made sure to have everything we needed in advance. This project obviously took a lot of preparation and clean up afterwards. One of our biggest issues was making sure we had enough sheets to use as a back drop. Luckily my mum was happy to donate some. We also had to find A LOT of paint, and make sure it was safe to get on our skin. Tempra paint from my mum's classroom did the trick.

As for clothing and utensils, Zoe nailed it. Our all white outfits really gave us the "human canvas" feel we were looking for. She also provided spoons, ladles, sponges and paintbrushes for the class to use. Set up was easy and we were completely prepared.

(^notice Mrs Kings cameo appearance!)

Putting a time limit on our project turned out to be a great idea in my opinion. Zoe and I worried that if we didn't set a time that our project would drag out and people would lose interest. Setting the clock for one minute heightened the class's excitement because they knew they had to move quickly. 

Overall I am happy with the outcome of this project. Although it took a lot of preparation and clean up, it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the experience of creating art with a group of people instead of creating it individually. This project brought our class together and allowed everyone to let their guards down a little bit and work together. I definitely want to create an artwork with a large group of people again. 

Keith Haring

1. Keith Haring is one of the most influential street artists and social activists of the 80's. Haring captured New York City street culture of the 1980's by painting subject matter of birth, death and war. In his murals he used a unique style of bold lines, vivid colours and organic shapes. His cartoon like style is now internationally recognized. Haring began drawing with chalk in New York City subways, but later moved to painting murals on the sides of buildings.

2. Keith's Haring's work is definitely unique, but it slightly resembles the work of Andy Warhol. Like Warhol, he liked to incorporate popular cultural symbols into his art. He also used the same colour palate. Both artists used extremely vibrant complimentary and contrasting colours. However the strong social messages that Banksy often incorporates in his artwork are similar to the work of Haring.

3. Haring's most successful work is his AIDS activism. Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988. He later founded the Keith Haring Foundation, which provided funding and programs for AIDS. Many of his pieces promoted AIDS awareness. Haring was openly gay and promoted safe sex. He licensed many of his art to aids awareness campaigns.

4. Haring's work is extremely bold in his artistic style and in his messages. This is what makes street art the perfect medium for him. Street art is known for crossing the line and getting people's attention. By painting on the street Haring is also able to reach a large and diverse audience which would be impossible to reach if his work was solely in an art gallery.

Exit Thru the Gift Shop - Analysis

1. Banksy and Mr Brainwash are affected by their chosen medium of street art, because it represents a rebellious way of life. Both of them try to create art that breaks social norms and societal values. In other words, they like to go for the “shock factor”. Their art, especially Banksy’s, attempts to prove a point and get people’s attention (and what better way to get people’s attention than to paint all over public walls!). Banksy’s work features a lot of political satire in particular. Over the years his art became more and more though provoking. He went from creating art solely in England, to spreading all over the world. Mr Brainwash went from simply video taping street artists in action, to actually becoming a street artist. As an artist myself, I know how important the medium is. It sets the tone of the artwork immediately. I know from my own experiences in art that the medium and make or break your work.

2. In my opinion Exit thru the Gift Shop is real. I think that as street art gained more popularity, it lost a lot of its credibility. It seemed like anyone could grab a can of spray paint and call themselves a street artist, but the actual intentions behind the movement were lost. People like Banksy and Shepard Fairy had spent years trying to use street art to impact people and challenge society. I think that making this film was Banksy's way of reestablishing the true meaning behind the movement. He is an extremely deliberate person. Everything he puts out in the world has a purpose. I think the same can be said about this movie. The fact that he was willing to be on camera at all (even if his identity was hidden) convinces me that this movie was not fabricated.

Thierry vs. Banksy

Their role in the film….

Thierry: goes from documenting street artists, to attempting (key word is attempting) to be one himself by copying a lot of what he has seen other artists do.

Banksy: infamous street artist who's thought provoking stencils can be seen all over the world.

The effect of their appearance….

Thierry: makes no attempts to conceal his identity. Enjoys living his life in front a camera.

Banksy: wears dark clothes, hoods, darkens out his face, alters his voice.

The setting they allow themselves to be filmed….

Thierry: allows himself to be filmed anywhere

Banksy: only allows his back and his hands to be filmed, or a dark silhouette in an unknown location

The way they deal with publicity….

Thierry: loves all the attention he can get

Banksy: likes his work to be recognized, but keeps his personal identity hidden

When you look on their websites its easy to see that their personalities really do match the movie. Mr Brainwash has a flashy over the top website. Banksy's website on the other hand is deliberate and to the point.

My ideal environment to create in

It may seem cliche that my ideal place to create would be on a beach, but my reasoning is deeper than it appears! First of all, I love to create when I'm in a busy environment. I'm always inspired by the people and atmosphere around me. I like to sit quietly and take in everything around me like what other people are talking about, what people are doing etc. And there is nowhere better for people watching than a beach. Nowhere.
I'm also extremely inspired by the ocean. I can't really describe it, but something about being near water  inspires me. I'm never happier then when I'm on a beach. Maybe its because my zodiac sign is cancer- I'm a crab. I like the heat, the sand and the water.

Working alone, or working in a group?

I think that working alone and working in a group are equally challenging. Finding which one works better for you really depends on the type of personality you have. I tend to be more of an introvert so working alone doesn't bother me at all. I like to be in control of everything, but I'm not a control freak (I swear). When working alone you don't have to worry about pleasing anyone else, and when you don't have to please anyone else you don't have to worry about letting anyone else down but yourself. You also don't have to worry about other group members not pulling their weight.
Now this is not to say that working in a group doesn't have its advantages. It surely does. Group work, especially when working in a big project, makes the task a lot easier. You can divide up the work among the members so you're not trying to do everything yourself. You also have a bigger variety of ideas and knowledge to draw from. Learning how to work in a group is an important life lesson. You won't be successful in anything in life if you don't know how to compromise.

Id, Ego, Superego

If our blogs were the id section of Sigmund Freud's theory of the psyche, then they would definitely be a lot less "polished". Freud classifies the id as the area that contains basic human needs and impulses. The id does not worry about anything other than instant gratification. For the most part, the id is something that humans try to suppress. If our blogs were made up of strictly the id part of us, then they would be a lot more impulsive, without much thought for the repercussions of what we might be writing. They would simply be an example of whatever we were thinking in the moment. Tumblr is more like the id. Its full of basic human needs. You don't have to search very hard on Tumblr to find something to do with food or sex.
 The ego however, represents what may be called reason and common sense, in contrast to the id, which contains the passions. If our blogs were made up of the ego part of us, they would still be about fulfilling what you need, however the content would be a little more polite. Those basic human impulses would be a little more managed.

Martha Graham- my reaction

Due to my incredibly artistic semester I've been exposed to a lot of new artists. My appreciation for art of all types has really exploded. Up until this year I've only really been exposed to the "old masters" of art, and I had almost no idea about artists in the 20th and 21st centuries. There are so many ground breaking artists who have done amazing things in the last 100 years. In class we learned about Martha Graham and her work with modern dance. I have to say I was a little skeptical at first. Her dances have a lot going on. Because I was so confused by her work, I went out of my way to expose myself to more of it. I decided to look at her work with a more open mind. Okay first of all, the sheer athleticism of her dancers is amazing. That is something to be admired at in itself. But the way she really captures emotion through movement is beautiful. It may seem a bit confusing at first but when you actually think about why she chose choreographed each movement, it seems to all make sense. Take this clip for example;

This dance is called Lamentation. I'll admit that I had to look up what lamentation meant.  To lament is a passionate expression of grief. Knowing that definition, you can absolutely see thats why Martha is trying to express through her dancing. Its chilling.

I admire her for breaking the norm of what dance is expected to be. Her vision has changed dance forever. 

POV/Duration Assignment - We Don't Belong In The Wild

I am extremely pleased with the way my video We Don't Belong In The Wild turned out! In the beginning, I was extremely intimidated by this project. I think my group really struggled with trying to narrow down one idea. We definitely didn't lack creativity, ideas were flowing, but trying to figure out what one would really work for us took longer than any of us expected.

Narrowing down an idea was really the only part we struggled with however. We had really similar ideas when it came to filming. Despite my being away for a large portion of this project (thank goodness for my amazing and understanding group members) on the day of filming things went pretty smoothly. Shout out to Rachel Leers, who is a natural at filming and editing, and Jessie our oh so cooperative wolf. I've never been a fan of filming videos but after this project I've completely changed my mind. I really enjoyed it and would definitely do it again. I'm not much of a techy, so the editing part does't appeal to me. But I loved being in front of the camera. The thing I loved most was coordinating props and costumes and scoping out settings. I would love to do this more (hmmm... possible career idea?) I love focusing on the small details. I think having an eye for detail is the key to success in anything in life, especially in the creative process.

As for content, I think we really did a great job. Our video was our own twist on a classic fairy tale. I think our attention to detail was great. Rachel's editing was spot on. Her use of the hazy filter was was perfect for the dreamy fairy tale feel. As for costumes and props, they helped give our video timelessness. After all, aren't fair tales timeless? Instead of focusing on duration as "a set amount of time", we focused on  the aspect of "how long something lasts". We wanted to make our video feel timeless and classic.

In the future, I would like to practice more of the editing side of things. I think I've always kind of avoided editing because I never thought I would be good at it. But I want to make a conscious effort to try it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KrfgpGJLgk

STRESSSS

I'm so out of inspiration. I have so much work to do but I just can't come up with any ideas for any of it. This is one of the most frustrating feelings ever. Sometimes lack of inspiration is perceived as laziness, but its not. I'm just stuck in a rut. Summer could not come fast enough...

Nakida Catches the Light; My best shot

After many unsuccessful attempts to catch her in the air I suddenly stumbled upon this shot. I love this shot because of the lines she created with her body, the framing of the light behind her, and of course the way it looks like she is throwing or catching a ball of light. Through the off centre position of her body and the long stretching lines it created you can definitely tell she is moving. It looks like she is gracefully guiding a ball of light across the stage. It reminds me of the star, and Nakida is the centre in which is moves around. I like how you can only see her silhouette and not defined features. This is created by the large amounts of back lighting. The glowing behind her frames her shape beautifully. The only thing I would change about this picture is that I didn't get her feet in. Although this shot was a bit of a happy accident I am really happy with the way it turned out :)

Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" - Assignment

#1) This section of screenplay is almost identical to the finished movie. This demonstrates that Hitchcock had a very clear vision of what he wanted even before they started filming. It shows how much detail and planning went into every minute of the movie. The choice of music adds the the suspense of the scene. It reinforces the fact that something bad is about to happen. If Hitchcock had kept the camera stationary while filming the suspense would have been lost. If someone who had never seen any other part of that movie watched that clip they would know that Lila sneaking off to meet some sort of impending danger. Change the camera work and they might just see a girl walking up to a house.

LONG SHOT- NIGHT
The Bates house standing against the night sky.

CLOSE UP
Shadowy profile of Arbogast against side of motel.

LONG SHOT
Arbogast begins to climb stairs of Bates house, slows when reaches top.

LONG SHOT
Arbogast reaches creeps up to porch, glances back, then opens front door.

CLOSE UP
Filmed from inside of house, Arbogast enters through front door then stops.

LONG SHOT
View of the vacant Bates front hallway/staircase.

CLOSE UP
Arbogast closes front door, walks past camera.

#2) Shower Scene

1. From underneath shower head
2. Underneath shower head looking up at running water
3. Underneath shower head
4. From the nearest side of the shower (where shower curtain would be)
5. From war wall opposite shower curtain
6. From middle of tub
7. Back to same side as shower curtain
8. From the shower drain looking up (under shower head)
9. Back to same side as shower curtain
10. From far wall opposite shower curtain
11. Birds eye view from wall opposite shower head looking down on shower
12. Middle of shower
13. Shower curtain side looking down at Marion's feet
14. From shower looking into open door leading to Marion's room
15. Inside shower closely facing far wall
16. Shower curtain side
17. Birdseye view from shower head side
18. Inside shower looking up at shower curtain
19. From floor opposite toilet
20. Inside shower looking up at shower head

The camera crew would have first had to deal with fitting an entire film crew into such a tine space. The would have had to build the set with moving pieces so they could fit the camera in and get shots from different angles of the shower while still leaving enough room for the actors. While filming at those different angles they would have had to make sure they didn't get any shots of Marion in the nude. They also would have had to worry about the camera equipment getting wet and damaged. 

#3) First off the music helps to build the suspense leading up to the stabbing. As the pitch gets higher and speeds up the suspense intensifies. The high pitched shrieking sounds also correspond with the short choppy stabbing motion and help understand what is being implied since Hitchcock couldn't actually show it. 

#4) Character Emotions

1. Money on the bed

-feel guilty

2. Marion sees her boss

-feel guilty

-feel worried

3. Marion's view of police man

-feel uncomfortable

-feel like our actions are being scrutinized

4. Norman's peephole view

-fell the scandal of Norman watching Marion in private

-notice her beauty

5. Norman's view of newspaper

-feel the continued guilt because the audience know's what is hidden in that paper

6. Norman's view of car failing to sink

-wonder for a moment what Norman will do if car won't sink

-will this lead him to be caught for his actions?

-watch all the evidence of the crime slip away

7. Lila's view of Mrs Bates' bed

-assume its Mrs Bates' bed

-audience wonders if this is a proof that Mrs Bates is real

8. Lila's view of Mrs Bates

-creepy setting

-wonder why she's not moving

-could this be the real Mrs Bates?

A Deeper Look into Cinematography

Since watching Alfred Hitchcock's classic film "Psycho" in class I was reminded of my love for cinematography. As a lover of old movies I have a certain appreciation for the techniques they used for filming. There is truly something different between movies from before the 21st century. I decided to look deeper into the development of cinematography. What makes a great movie a great movie? Well of course acting plays a large roll, but camera work often takes a back seat to the glamour of having big hollywood names starring in a film. Take Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" for example. Its easy to say that is achieved its success due to the heavy hitting cast (Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, all fantastic actors). However the film would have a very different feel if it wasn't for the amazing work of Gordon Willis, the cinematographer. The use of lighting in this film is impeccable. While filming he was criticized for filming with such low light and yellow tones. However these techniques helped to shape this movie into in my opinion (which may be slightly biased being Italian and all) one of the best ever made.

This interviews with Gordon Willis explains it all!

I've been thinking a lot about my digital footprint since my last post. I think I've come to the realization that I don't really have one. Is that bad? For the most part all of out digital footprints come from social media sights. Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, they all say a lot about a person. But I've always been a little skeptical of people who post everything about themselves on social media sights. I'm a naturally shy person. This might be why I tend to shy away from posting too much about my life online. Also because I think that social media can be all about bragging which I mentioned in the post before. I think I might be a little out of date however. I think I need to boost my digital footprint. I should be taking advantage of the fact that I, as a creative person, can share and collaborate with others. I think I've been mislead into thinking that the only way I could be digitally active was through popular social media sights. And that idea never appealed to me. I need to branch out and other ways to create change. There's a big wide world of internet out there for me to discover!

Its weird to see my facebook profile now. I feel like I've spent a lot of time worrying about the way this small image looked to others in previous years. I don't use facebook very much anymore. I've almost completely forgotten about my profile since I spend most of my time on twitter now. It makes me wonder if the all powerful Facebook, a tool that was said to have shaped a generation, is going out of style. However this is still the most accessible way to find out about a person's entire life in just a matter of minutes. What does this image say about me? I'm not entirely sure. It would be interesting to show this to a stranger and ask them to describe what information they gathered about me from this one picture. Would they be accurate? I honestly haven't given much thought to this image in recent months. I think thats good. Social media can sometimes become all about impressing people by bending the truth to make your life seem more exciting than the next person. Kick this idea to the curb. I want to use my digital footprint to connect with people, not impress them with fancy Facebook pictures.

Autobiography

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