Light Post 3

For our last photo shoot, Ashley and I decided to go Downtown to finish up the last of the our reel and get some architecture and busyness that is downtown on a Saturday night. We found several cool compositions and angles on the boardwalk as well as graffiti and brick roads. Unfortunately a lot of these shots didn't turn out as well but the experience was positive and would love to do more shooting downtown.  

Light Post 2

For our second photo shoot we decided to go to the south end of Wrighstville Beach for a some night shots. There was an incoming storm and some excellent overhead light from the moon so we knew we could get some great experimental shots. We scanned the beach for interesting ideas and since it was night time we decided to leave the aperture all the way open and take maximize the light exposure. It was a lot of fun shooting a night time and really liked the composition of our shots.  

Light Post 1

For our first photo shoot we decided to venture into a wooded area to see what kind of natural shots we could find. As we walked around taking light meter readings of different plants, trees and benches we noticed they all had a very consistent light reading so we knew we wouldn't have to be moving around the aperture to much. Once we started bracketing we knew that our shots wouldn't come out as stable since we were just using a handheld method. We shot about half of our roll and decided we wanted to save the last half of our first roll to use for a night shoot.

Assn. #1b – What did you learn about sound design?

With the absence of a visual medium, sound takes on a completely different form. The same is true when combining together a collection of sounds into an abstract soundscape. The mood and tone of a soundscape can be drastically altered with just a few tweaks here and there. As a group, our first task was to identify ourselves with all the sounds in our library so that we could begin to piece together the concept of our soundscape. We process was simple, build our soundscape through trial and error, adding what we thought gave our concept life while – removing what didn’t seem to mesh with our idea. It was fascinating to hear the nuances of how each sound interlocked with another. Since we settled on the idea of marriage for our concept we wanted to include Parkers conversation with his mother since their whole conversation was about his mother and father’s anniversary. We wanted the listener to feel like they were engaged in the conversation so we added some muffled voices to other end of the phone call as well as adding in a car engine starting to create an environment around him. Since we were allowed to get abstract with the soundscape we decided to alter several of the sounds and juxtapose them together to create a sense of ambiguity. Overall the soundscape took a life of its own and it was incredibly interesting to have everyone in the class listen to it and describe what they envisioned.   

Group 1b (Danet and Walt)

Since it was only three of us we were very easily able to communicate and establish times to come in an collectively work on the project. We took turns editing and contributing ideas of where we should take the soundscape. Overall I think this was a great group to work with and would love to work with them again.

Group 1A (Nick, Parker and Christian)

This was a great group to work with. We all worked together to create the sound library and meet all the requirements for the assignment. Parker was a terrific leader as far as organizing and collecting a lot of the sound bank. Nick was excellent at keeping the sound levels correct for each sound. And Christian was very creative coming up with different ideas for sound. Overall I loved working with everyone in this group!

Jonas Mekas

Natalie did a wonderful job of showcasing the beautiful life of Jonas Mekas. Having escaped Nazi labor camps, Mekas voyaged to America in search of a better life. After washing up on the shores of New York he purchased a 16mm camera that he soon fell deeply in love with. Mekas loved the concept of catching the “snapshots” of life and soon he found himself shooting anything and everything around him. His first film “Guns of the trees” which displayed no real plot but rather a spontaneous slice of life feel to the film with an ambiguous ending. As he grew his own personal style Mekas soon started to gain a reputation and popularity for his documentary style shooting, simple editing and repetition. A tremendous experimental/avante garde community began to sprout up out of New York with Mekas, Warhol and Brakhage at the center of it all. As a self-described child at heart, Mekas saw film as a celebration of life and which often included his family, friends and loved ones in his pieces of work. In one of his most famous films “Walden” the viewer is shown a chronological home movie style film that showcases the people and places in his life. Jonas Mekas still lives till this day influencing and creating as much as his young heart desires. A special shout out to Natalie for making such a great presentation on his work and life!  

The Absolute Film

Absolute film or “visual music” is a unique form of cinema that perfectly blends together the two Medias, film and music. Dr. William Moritz beautifully defines it as,  “The most unique thing that cinema could do is present a visual spectacle comparable to auditory music, with fluid, dynamic imagery rhythmically paced by editing, dissolving, superimposition, segmented screen, contrasts of positive and negative, color ambiance and other cinematic devices.” The first Absolute film was created early in the 20^th century as artists would simply paint on the film stock frame by frame to create images that would rhythmically match the music or sounds being played. After watching some of the examples Moritz provides in his writing, it is truly unbelievable the amount of meticulous work the artist must have put in to create these films. In fact the complexity and difficulty of these films often forced artist to completely abandon this art form for example. At a large Absolute Film screening of some of the best artist, “Hans Richter’s 30-second “Film is Rhythm” had been listed on the program, but when Richter realized the scope and complexity of Ruttmann and Eggeling’s films, he withdrew his little test.” While absolute film is quite an odd genre it directly influences cinema around the world. One movie in particular that you can see direct correlation would be Disney’s “Fantasia” in particular Mickey Mouse’s sorcerer’s apprentice scene. The striking composition of the orchestra accompanied by the visual of Mickey directing a band of mops reminds the viewer how incredibly important rhythm is in not only music but also film. 

Cymatics

My first memory of cymatics was in 5^th grade when I watched Jurassic Park for the first time. We all remember the scene of the T-rex stomping closer and closer and the waves in the water in the glass cup growing bigger and bigger. When sound is given a medium, it comes alive. Whether it be water, paint, sand or any other movable mass we have come to realize that the invisible wave of sound can make art. It makes sense because we understand how sound waves work but never before have we been able to visualize it. The field of cymatics is still very green and inexperienced but the possibilities seem endless in this hidden language of nature. In these sounds waves could be patterns. Patterns we could understand and create universal understandings for communication. Through these studies we have figured out how far whale mating calls travel. That dolphins give other members of its pod names and have a unique language with each other. All of this knowledge is locked away. But cymatics can help bridge us back with the animal kingdom or make beautiful art. The amount of possibilities is only limited to the imagination. 

Sound Project 1a

Birds chirping. Air conditioning units. Cars passing by in the distance. These are all things you hear all day everyday but hardly ever notice. As our group traveled around searching for sounds to isolate and record we quickly noticed the loud drone of these sounds in the background. Things like “Wait, there’s an airplane flying overhead in this recording” or “no the AC unit is humming really loud in the background” were said many times. The trouble is not finding sounds. The trouble is in isolating sounds in nature. It became a fun challenge to see what sounds we could capture as cleanly as possible. After some trial and error, we developed a knack for what worked and what didn’t. Building a sound library is an endless task because no two sounds are the same. Every sound can be used for a different situation in film. This is project truly makes you realize that video is only half of the equation in film. 

Theory of the Film: Sound

We are never without sound. Very few times in our lives are we met with complete and udder silence. We merely slide the array of constant sounds to the back of our minds without noticing. As Bela Balazs puts it, “Our ear, however, is not less sensitive, it is only less educated than our eye.” The very power of your hearing is immense but our lack of sourcing the noises and identifying them is where the power of hearing falls subsequent to your sight. Sounds can completely change your emotions. A loud thud or scream can pump your blood and adrenaline or a soothing lullaby from a mother can calm us into a meditative peace. We never fully understand the power of sound until we close our eyes and truly try to see the world with only our ears.       

Sound Observation 2

A distant cry drones in the background. A group of birds take turns chirping and squawking as loud as they can. Their high pitches chime into the low buzz of the massive amount of traffic noise that roars from the highway behind my house. You can tell when the light turns green because of the massive increase in volume. Squealing brake pads almost resemble the bird chirps in the trees. The gears of the shifting cars sound like a singer changing octaves. A pair of crows shuffle around a tree branch creating a cacophony of wood flexing and leaves brushing against one another as reverberates off the other trees and eventually down to my ears. With your eyes closed you really feel close to the sounds but as you look around you can’t see exactly who is making the noises. 

Sound Observation

As I sit and contemplate the sounds that surround me, the first thing I hear is the rotation of the ceiling fan above me. The metal cord that controls the speed of the fan clink clink clinks against the glass light creating a rhythm. I can feel the cold air being sliced through by the blades above which creates a low hum that is naturally soothing to the ears. I can feel myself getting sleepy. I notice a buzz stirring outside my window. The sound of crickets in unison as they take turns playing their songs. Some hold long, strenuous notes like an opera singer and some ribbet back and forth like a creaky old chair screeching along the wooden floors.  

Fred Camper - What is Experimental Film?

When I think of Experimental Film, I think of the saying “moving images”. To me watching an experimental film is like walking through an art museum at lightning speed. You see images, pictures, colors as well as hear sounds, songs and voices that rarely match what you are looking at. It’s almost like a guide through the artists mind and what they see. Camper breaks down step by step of how these experimentation's are made and it basically boils down to the individual or small group. There is no studio deadline or budget, there is no exact meaning (other than your own perception), there is no box office release. It is just you and the artist. These can get extremely personal and sometimes even uncomfortable but give incredible insight into an artist true expression.  

Amateur vs. Professional - Maya Deren

This lovely excerpt from Maya Deren encourages the youth to embrace the saying “less is more” when it comes to making films. While some young filmmakers see the lack of experience and modes of production as hindrances to their success, others see this as an endless creative outlet to create something completely new and unique. The French New Wave writers and directors had minimal equipment, non-professional actors and no funds. But they never saw it that way. Instead they saw a swift and mobile camera for tracking shots, fresh young talent that would perfectly fit the roles of modern youth of their time and little need to return on investment since it was all self-funded because this was truly art for them and not a business model. What did they produce? Some of the most iconic movies that would inspire filmmakers around the world. The most genuine and unique art is created from sheer personal will; popular opinion must be thrown out the window in order to create something that is truly yours. 

Bio

Paul Sitler hails from the province of Charlotte, North Carolina where he was raised ever since the age of 4. After completing his high school requirements, he decided to take his talents to the city of Wilmington for what would become a long and arduous journey to discover his hidden talents. After some light coursework in other subjects he soon became heavily interested in video and sound production leading him to become a Film Major. With some short films projects completed and under his belt he now looks to broaden his range of film knowledge so that he may express his inner visions while also gathering enough monetary value to properly feed and clothe himself.

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