John Cage An American composer most famous for his composition, 4’33”.
“4′33″ challenges, or rather exploits to a radical extent, the social regiments of the modern concert life etiquette, experimenting on unsuspecting concert-goers to prove an important point.”
Due to the concert location and the setting of where the piece is played, the audience would already have a high expectation for the piece. Hence, they would be more focused, and would listen to it as intently as they would with any of the other compositions played during the performance. The audiences are also restricted by the rules of being in a concert theatre, and are kind of forced to listen to the piece quietly, as it is part of the concert etiquette.
The piece also causes the audience to behave in a certain manner. After listening to the piece, the audience could possibly feel cheated, having listened to nothing for the entire duration. The irony is that the audience are also part of the piece, since it consists of environmental noise and silence.
An installation designed for the piece that is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, 4’33” (In proportional Notation) consists of “three pieces of 11-by-16-inch paper that Cage folded in half. Then he drew a single (sometimes a double) vertical ink line descending down successive pages. The vertical line is an instruction that describes an “action” that consists of doing nothing. The action is “performed” by having a pianist (or any other instrumentalist or any combination of instrumentalists) sit silently during three “movements” totalling 4 minutes and 33 seconds, the duration specified by the ink lines. The intention, clearly articulated in Cage’s writing, is that each performer will quietly listen with full awareness to the sounds audible at that moment.”
This piece is controversial because it defies the essence of music. It is a participatory form of endurance art, where it not only engages the public as an audience but also as part of the art. It also provides them the time to reflect and think about themselves and the environment around them for the entire duration.
Emma Sulkowicz A young art student most known for her performance piece, Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight) (2014-15), which contributes to a national conversation about rape on college campuses. The basis of the performance stemmed from being sexually assaulted during her first year in university. After filing a complaint and having investigations done by the school, the man was found not responsible. The performance is a protest on what she describes as “Columbia University’s mishandling of her sexual assault complaint”. The performance was done as part of her senior thesis, where she carries a mattress with her everywhere she goes within her University campus until the man who raped her gets expelled from her school and leaves the country.
In her performance piece, she sets a parameter for herself: “One of the rules of the piece is that I am not allowed to ask for help in carrying the mattress, but others are allowed to give help if they come up and offer it,”. I interpret this in the symbolism of people coming up to offer help to a rape victim, to help lift up some of her burden (aka the mattress).
Sulkowicz told New York magazine:
I thought about how … the mattress represents a private place where a lot of your intimate life happens; and how I have brought my life out in front for the public to see; and the act of bringing something private and intimate out into the public mirrors the way my life has been. Also the mattress as a burden, because of what has happened there, that has turned my own relationship with my bed into something fraught.[
This performance work is an optional participatory form of endurance art, where it engages the public to question her actions and encourage them to willingly be a part of the performance. The unusual performance also piques curiosity among the audience and brings about awareness of a cause to the public.
Ai Wei Wei A Chines artist-activist famous for using highly political art to denounce his country’s oppressive government. His works are often related to the society, politics and economy in China. He has produced many controversial works, such as Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995),Study of Perspectives (2017) and Sunflower Seeds (2010).
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 11: Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei holds some seeds from his Unilever Installation ‘Sunflower Seeds’ at The Tate Modern on October 11, 2010 in London, England. The sculptural installation comprises 100 million handmade porcelain replica sunflower seeds. Visitors to the Turbine Hall will be able to walk on the work – which opens on October 12, 2010 and runs until May 2, 2011. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
‘Sunflower Seeds’ is a commentary on globalization, mass production and the cheap labour industry in China. It consists of a piece of art that is made up of many pieces of tinier art. “As a singular tiny sculpture, every seed is submerged by a hundred million ones with subtle nuances, similar yet each unique, just as 1,600 workers in Jingdezhen performing repetitive duties… Through a sunflower seed, Ai Weiwei triggers a Domino effect, enlarging the lengthy, complicated and exquisite process by 100 million times. Devoting unimaginable patience, time and energy, he brings into focus the significance of individuals, and the imposing strength when they gather together.”
As ironic as it sounds, ‘Sunflower Seeds’ provided work for 1,600 artisans in Jingdenzhen, which is actually a reflection of reality. “The layers of seeds, though simple in form, embody multiple meanings. The sunflower seed is a common street snack in China, an everyday object from the artist’s childhood. It evokes the memory of hardships and hunger during the Cultural Revolution, and the era of socialist planned economy with the collective worship of the ”sun” – Chairman Mao.”
I like that this piece of art is interactive in the sense that the audience can engage in the artwork, and take on the role of the consumers of this mass production. By looking at the audience engage in the work, it really shows how consumers literally get to enjoy the fruits of the labourer’s labour. I also love the idea of it being a tiny piece of art that forms up to a larger whole, encouraging viewers to look at the bigger picture. Initially, I thought that this work was meant to be something purely out of aesthetics, little did I expect that it would mean something on a much deeper level and very relevant to the current world we live in. The controversy in his work, unlike the other two, is not in the execution of the art, but rather the connotations and meanings that it represents.
Please do the following before you click the play button below:
1. Don’t read the artist’s statement yet.
2. Plug in your earphones.
3. Press play.
4. Close your eyes.
Faint is a transient sound piece revolving around the perspective of the experience of a fainting episode. It is based on a recent personal experience, and one of the rare occasions of alertness during a time of disorientation. The sound piece ignores the daily human conversation and instead brings to attention our sense of awareness of not only what goes on around us, but also within us, in a diluted environment. The switching between the diegetic sounds and the panning of the soundtrack takes the viewer into an immersive 360-degree experience of a first-person perspective within the represented space.
Sound is probably one of the hardest mediums to work with because of its limitations, and the risk of having some sounds sounding like other scenarios/situations instead. I started off doing some basic research by literally googling “sound story“. I thought it would be interesting to do something alone the lines of this audio, where the sound is a direct representation of the situation/characters involved in the story.
However, I felt that the experience was not there as all the sounds were very segmented. It was a direct translation of using sound effects and putting them together and didn’t really play with the panning of sound, though it definitely does tell a story that one can immediately visualise.
I had many ideas along the way from the philosophical “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” to the stupid “sonic portrait of ghosts from their perspective” (to give you an idea of the kind of stuff that was going on in my head LOL).
But I knew for sure that I wanted my sound to be something that is experiential for the viewer, that they can place themselves in the perspective and feel like part of the story (after thinking about it, I guess that’s what a sound story is supposed to do, but anyway). I thought this scene from Ant-Man was a very interesting form of perspective:
While thinking about the project, I was reminded of a recent incident that happened to me while it was my family’s first time at Swee Choon (super famous dimsum place, highly recommended!).
So basically, I fainted.
If you were expecting some long story I’m sorry to disappoint HAHAH. I’m quite amazed that I actually remember that my hearing was quite affected when I was at my pre-fainting stage, 1 hour before the incident. Anyway it was quite an experience for me, albeit unpleasant, but yes I would like to bring you into my personal fainting experience.
This was what I experienced:
1. Bubble blocking right ear 2. Rubbed ear
3. Stupid bubble still doesn’t disappear
4. Hearing slightly blocked
5. Adapted to it
6. Gradually resumed to normal hearing
7. Right ear got blocked first 8. Followed by ringing
9. Repeat on left side 10. Light beeeeeep sound
11. Told my mum: “mum, I’m gonna faint”
12. Fainted
13. Woke up to muffled sounds
14. Can’t register anything around me
15. Slowly gaining back hearing
16. Very disoriented 17. A lot of chattering around
18. Resumed to movable/walkable stage after 15-20mins
There are more in-between but those are more of the visual elements, so I’ll leave them out.
I got a few friends hear my audio and one of them suggested that I watch this video, which I thought was really funny (i still think its funny) and I can’t stop laughing hahahahahahahahhahah
I thought this was a really creative idea, using sounds that can represent something because of their existing function (in this case the windows start up and shut down sound). I’m not sure if this sound only works just because there is a visual to accompany it. I don’t think I wanna take the risk to over complicate the sound that I’m focusing on since it’s supposed to be something experiential.
Anyway this was the sequence that I settled for, for viewers to immerse in the fainting experience. I only used the key elements of my actual fainting process to relate it to what I’ve gone through.
SEQUENCE:
Hears normally Surrounding sounds One side gets blocked off Rubs ear Clears slightly Slowly blocks again
Rubs ear again Surrounding sounds Ringing in the ear Hearing starts to fade off Silent single tone beep noise Thud (could end here?) Slowly gains back hearing Very muffled and dreamy-state sounds Gains back hearing
Just some thoughts,
Contrast –noisy + loud surroundings and quiet + softsounds in head Both could have similar effects – fading + unclear Could play with difference of hearingin left and right ear Maybe a looooooooooooooong silence before regaining consciousness How to make it distinctively fainting sounds only?
PROCESS:
I recorded a single sound and edited it since I wanted the focus to be on how the effects affect the listener. Using a H2 zoom recorder, I stood in the middle of marina bay (not in the water) for about 2 minutes. I recorded my surroundings, of people walking by and of distant noises in the background. The main point of this was for the listener to be attentive to the movement around him/her and to not be able to form any context in their head with any ongoing conversation (since in class we learnt that people tend to hook onto audible and understandable words first). In the sound piece, we will be able to hear bits of conversation, but not being able to put them together and understand them coherently, since they all do not form any link with one another.
Since I was recording around the area where the iLight exhibition was taking place, I did consider using the context of the space (there was a carnival there). I thought it might be a possible direction where the idea of the horror ride being scary triggered the person in perspective. However, I wanted to show the vulnerability that I experienced, that the reason for fainting was not caused by my surroundings, but from within myself, or the consequence of my pre-incident actions.
The sound piece required some editing, mostly with the panning of the left and right, to bring up the idea of blockage in hearing, as well as the timing for the internal and external experience. There were three royalty free sounds which I found online, ear rubbing (5:231 to 8:242), ringing in the ear, and body dropping.
For me, this project had quite a few takeaways. From Lei’s presentations, I was already learning a lot about how sound artists/producers/directors have different approaches to sound and the kind of experience that they achieve with the use of this medium.
After working on my project, I now have a heightened awareness of sound, both internally and externally, since listening to my classmate’s audios showed me that there are more things to pay attention to than the common sounds we hear daily. As mentioned previously, sound is quite a difficult medium to work with because of its constraints. However, I feel that sound does play a very important role in changing the mood or bringing about focus to something. It also stirs a lot of emotions in the listener, and is definitely more immersive than visuals.
In the technical aspect, I kind of have an idea of how to do basic stuff on Premiere Pro (instead of using imovie all the time), which I think will be very useful for me in the future.
1 Ellen Degeneres 2 Troye Sivan 3 Jennifer Lawrence 4 Cara Delevingne 5 Justin Trudeau
Task 3 –People I know
1 Caroline Lim 2 Bertram Yeo 3 Leong Charlie 4 Hunn Wai 5 Olivia Lee
Task 4 – Description of top 2 in each list (*decided to pick the characters which I felt I could really relate to instead)
SNAPE –
Selfless double agent who sacrificed his life out of love. May appear to be cold and unfeeling on the outside but is actually caring on the inside. Loyal and never faltered at the expense of his promises.
Ideas: Don’t judge a book by its cover / Plot twist Starts off with doing evil things but turns out his actions are for the better good
DORY –
She is forgetful, always there to help a friend, makes new friends everywhere she goes, finds the fun in everything, likes cute things.
BELLATRIX LESTRANGE –
Paranoid Loyal Ruthless Firm believer Devoted to a cause she believes in Willing to sacrifice anything for her beliefs Actively volunteers to do anything for the benefit of the cause
ELLEN DEGENERES –
She is goofy, hilarious and not afraid to be herself although she’s a celebrity. She uses her power to spread awareness for causes / help people realise their dreams (youtube sensations/viral videos). She reaches out directly to people through media (tv/videos/book), and is everyone’s friend.
FINAL ALTER EGO –
I decided to choose Dory as my alter ego because I find some parts of her characteristics in myself, and sometimes I aspire to be like her in terms of her optimistic and carefree self. However, I relate most to her easily distracted, naive and oblivious self.
Dory is always on the search for someone in Finding Nemo/Finding Dory, and her characteristics shows itself the most during this period, often hindering the searching process. Taking these parts of Dory and merging them with my own character, I don’t know what will come out of this, but I look forward to it!
Here are some reference videos that I found online that kind of show the effects that I was going for, though I have yet to find one that really expresses the style I want where the effects show the current state/emotion of the character 🙁
1:37 – 2:03 The main character feels the after effects of smoking a substance that causes him to trip, and affects the way he views his surroundings.
1:10 – 1:56 The main character is brought back in time to her younger days, and the effect is used to differentiate between reality and flashback. One thing that really appealed to me here is the camera angle of her flashback, which is lower to show her POV as a kid.
The entire film is relevant to the whole first person POV that I wanted to go for but some parts really caught my attention:
Overall I felt that the way the music was in sync with the speed of the car, was rather interesting. It’s almost as if one could tell the speed at which the car is going just by listening to the audio.
02:34 – 02:46 I thought it was interesting how in pure darkness, the lights are used to suggest a direction or movement. 02:47 The sudden increase in the number of lights suggests that we are moving to a different place/time, possibly from country to city, where the roads are busier. 03:28 – 03:33 The sudden change in angle from front view to top view could possibly suggest that the character was engaging in another activity, apart from driving, or distracted by the lights overhead. 06:05 I really appreciate how the end of the story was determined by just this one scene, which suggests that the character passed away after his car accident and gives a nice conclusion to the entire film.
Concept Development –
At the start of this project, the first thing I did was to set some parameters as a challenge to myself. In true spirit of what I wanted for myself from this class during our first lesson, I wanted to have no obvious human characters (personally, having humans in photos/videos feels like a distraction and takes away the focus on other areas that could be more prominent in the different forms of media). I also decided that the film would be in first person perspective – like that of a live blog – since I have never tried this kind of film (especially without a go pro) before. Initially I also considered having a dialogue that was not a real conversation, but rather represented by sound. However, I later scrapped the idea because it would make the film too ambiguous.
Some other initial ideas were to film a “ghost story” where a ghost with short term memory scares cute things repeatedly, or the life of a dementia patient, or even a collage of random things that displays Dory’s thoughts. I eventually settled with the idea of searching for someone. Since the character I chose was always on a journey of finding someone in the movies she starred in. Since I decided to film in first person perspective (quite literally), I thought of using the effects of visuals to show the emotions/thoughts of the character, which could be further enhanced through the modification of sound effects as well.
More ideas started coming to me as I was listening in to the presentation on Sound. Many of the films had an interesting concept and the effects were what really stood out to me the most. I thought of modifying the sound to be reverberating or to recreate muffled sounds by playing the sound underwater. I also considered the possible use of sound to express a dreamy state, where the viewer experiences what is going on in the character’s head. Since this is a project that is mostly about ourselves, I felt that it would be best to display our characteristics in a style that was mostly “ourselves”, so I thought of going ahead with the filming without any knowledge or prior research (which I should probably get down to doing).
Some ideas I wrote in my notes:
Possible ideas – Ghost with short term memory accidentally scares cute things repeatedly? Dementia patient? Object that physically demonstrates the characteristics? Video that demonstrates Dory’s thoughts? (video collage of random things) Film in first person perspective, messy live blog? Finding self? Empathy
Sound – Reverberation / sound playing underwater Dreamy state/viewer hears what is going on inside character’s head
Visual – Edit like “Never be like you” flume video – water effects? Environmental scenes explain characteristics? Video blur/out of focus? (can follow through with sound) Location outdoors?
Initial Sequence –
1 Smiling photo of self 2 Grabs photo & walks off 3 Black Screen 4 Leave + enter room multiple times + forget different item each time 5 Finding someone – running motion (sense of urgency), confusion (spinning – on rotating chair/looking left to right) 6 Collage of distracting/fascinating things along the way 7 Slows down – Stops – Fades out 8 Fast cuts of photos that lead to place to find self 9 Slowly remembers a door (unfocus + focus of lens to show “re-memory”) 10 Black Screen 11 Runs & dashes into location 12 Compares photo to reflection 13 Stares at reflection, touches mirror & smiles 14 Monologue – “Oh, there you are.”
The sequence ended up changing quite a bit as I felt that some scenes were unnecessary and would take up extra time in the film. The essence of the film was still kept as planned, but some of the shots were shifted around to suit the overall story/message I was trying to convey. While editing and filming the video, some scenes had to be cut shorter or sped up and slowed down to express the emotions of the character and to hopefully put viewers in the character’s perspective.
Updated Sequence –
1Smiling photo of self
Photo placed among other daily essentials.Shot starts off blur but starts to focus on the smile, forms the image in the viewer’s mind that this is something of importance to the character.
2Grabs photo
Suggests a follow-up action that will be done with the photo or what is shown on it.
3Black Screen Transition from title sequence into actual storyline
4Leave + enter room multiple times + forgets an item Display of character’s forgetfulness. Takes watch instead of phone to show how character forgets important things.
5 Finding someone – lost Character is unsure of which direction to head towards because both sides look similar. Display of character’s anxiousness, looking left and right multiple times.
6Running motion + Collage of distracting/fascinating things along the way Suggests that character is displaying a sense of urgency in trying to find someone. The increasing speed of running shows character’s desperation & anxiety. However, shots of things that attract the character’s attention cut in after every speed increase to show the idea of distraction. It also serves the purpose of throwing viewers off, leading them to the next emotion.
7Confusion (spinning – on rotating chair) The character is overwhelmed by a mix of emotions, lost and anxious.
8Suddenly remembers something (Slows down – Fades out) + White Screen Amidst the confusion, a faint memory suddenly appears in the character’s mind.
9Faint memory – Fast cuts of photos that lead to place to find self
A series of out of focus shots that show the idea of unclear and vague memory of how to get to the location.
10Slowly remembers a door (unfocus + focus of lens to show “re-memory”)
Character slowly starts to make sense of the door. Suggests that the character might have been there before.
11Black Screen
Shows that the character has snapped out of her thoughts.
12Runs & dashes into location
Displays character’s desire to find this thing (related to the photo) very badly.
13Frantically looks around + white screen Validation that it is the correct location. A mixture of excitement + anxiousness.
14Smile + Monologue – “Oh, there you are.” Character finally finds what she has been looking for, which turns out to be herself/her smile.
Storyboard –
I realised that since most of the scenes in my film are visual effects and transitions, it would be very challenging for me to storyboard it. Hence I only did the storyboard for the starting and ending scenes (please pardon my horrible drawing):
Process – more process videos otw
Testing out different lighting with the dark corridor for the first confusion scene, because it was really grainy when it was dark. However I felt that since the focus was more on the lighting and the movement than the graininess (which might not be as obvious when seen on screen), I decided to go ahead without lighting instead.
A video compilation of the things that really caught my attention as I was aimlessly walking around NTU attempting to begin shooting for my film. I felt that since I was kind of the main character, I had to play the role of my alter ego, as well as myself, since I tend to have this habit of observing random things from my surroundings as well.
This was how I filmed the rotating confusion scene! Initially I placed the camera on the chair and spun it, but I always ended up in the shot somehow, and the chair didn’t spin as much as I wanted it to. With me on the chair, I was able to control the amount of spins (although I was really giddy after that), and also the camera angle at which it would still feel like a first person POV.
Reflections –
Upon starting on the actual filming, one difficulty I had was visualising what I wanted to film since I did not have a fixed storyboard. Due to the nature of the film that I wanted to produce, I felt like impromptu shots would feel more natural and planning it out seemed forceful. For example, the shots that showed the idea of “distraction” may seem really random to viewers at first, but these were actually all shots of things that really caught my attention.
I am not a person that usually plans out her things well or organise them properly before embarking on projects so it was really quite an eye-opener to have to learn quite a lot about structuring and sequencing my film such that it would make some sense to the viewer. I also learnt to be more observant to some technical aspects of film editing because it can affect the look and feel of the film quite drastically. For this project I went really experimental and pushed the limits of how the visuals and sound of a video could play an important role in setting the overall mood as well as displaying the meaning/hidden message behind the film. The greatest challenge for me would be to film while acting at the same time, since it was from my point of view, and also because I was the character in my film. Overall, creating this video was a really fulfilling experience and I’m really glad that I managed to push myself and my limits, as I promised to myself for our first lesson.
There You Are is a film about the arduous search for oneself.
It is a constant struggle that one would experience at some point of time in their lives, when they start questioning their purpose. For some, it comes when they least expect it; for others, it comes with the transitions in life. There You Are serves as a reminder to not be too caught up with the hectic lives we lead, that we lose sight of the one thing that is most important – ourselves.
It is about the process of being lost and distracted by external factors while embarking on this journey, as well as the anxiety and uncertainty that comes along with it. At a point of desperation where everything seems hopeless and helpless, one should not forget that all of these would eventually lead us where we want to be – the answer is always within ourselves.
For me, this answer is happiness.
Comments after presentation –
It would work better as an installation than in a cinematic style. It could be better as an installation of different parts of the video so that viewers can fully immerse in the experience. I could consider taking longer shots of the “distraction” part for audience to relate to the change in scenes better.
Thoughts –
I felt that the film may have been better presented in cyclic time, where the character never finds her happiness, but is constantly lost in the cycle of searching for oneself instead.
Time progresses, and so do we. Being caught in the vicious cycle of life, we often fail to appreciate what is around us until they disappear. Time and life run parallel to one another, yet we can only focus on one at a time. Life / Time is a time for reflection, a reminder to live in the moment.
Life represents the flow of life, shown by a body of water in constant motion, which is occasionally interrupted by external movement. The sudden presence of a man represents volatility – how some things come into your life and leave when you least expect it. Time represents being caught in a fast-paced environment, shown by ever-changing blurred lights moving around the screen.
The duration of both videos were deliberately made to start and end at different timings. Life and Time run parallel to one another and may meet only at certain intervals. Time is shorter to literally show how time passes by quickly. Both videos were supposed to be played in a loop to show the cyclical nature of life and time.
The films were projected at two separate ends of the space, forcing viewers to turn their heads left and right in order to watch, and missing out footage of the other in the process. This experience emulates missing out in life or losing time if we focus too much on the other.
Time progresses, and so do we. Oftentimes, we do not appreciate what is around us until they disappear. We tend to forget to live in the moment, and only realise it when it is too late. This is meant for that moment of reflection, a reminder to pay attention to our surroundings.
Thought process:
My final concept is to have two separate videos playing concurrently, with the projections overlaid, to represent the element of time and life running parallel to one another. With two projections going on at the same time, it limits the viewer to focus on only one projection but not the other, hence missing out on what is happening in the other.
Time will be represented by a running motion, to express how people are caught up in a fast-paced environment. Life will be represented by water, to express the flow of life and how it is something that is constantly moving. The video would ideally be looped, to express the idea of time and life as a cycle and how people will notice something different with every loop.
My initial idea was to film this refraction of water and light in a time lapse, that ends with the refraction disappearing. I wanted to show how we tend to not notice the things around us and only realise it when it is too late. However, I realised that it was impossible to control the timing of which the refraction appears and disappears, because it is entirely dependent on sunlight.
On the bus ride to NTU, I noticed that there were two different things going on through the window – the scenery on the exterior and the activities happening in the bus through the reflection. I realised that I could only focus on one thing at a time, missing out on one when I looked at the other. It gave me the idea of using dual projections for my project.
I chanced upon this video while attempting to research on projection overlay. I love how the out of focus effect masks our ability to recognise anything in the video, leaving it very open-ended and ambiguous.
I may strongly consider changing my concept to something related to duality and overlay, but I definitely have to further develop it. *excites*
My 50 word statement for this project:
“Time progresses, and so do we. Oftentimes, we do not appreciate what is around us until they disappear. We tend to forget to live in the moment, and only realise it when it is too late. This is meant for that moment of reflection, a reminder to pay attention to our surroundings.”
Upon realising that the common theme for my first two projects deal with photo outcomes that have some form of effects that include distortion/manipulation/ambiguity, I was reminded of a music video concept that really blew me away. I was amazed by the use of distortion from first person perspective and how the effect imitates the fluidity of water.
This distortion is used throughout the entire video as a form of transition that flows with the storyline. It gets more heavily distorted as the video progresses, leaving the viewer in a state of curiosity at the end.
The concept behind the video is pretty interesting as well:
“blurs the boundaries between reality, sensation and perception. In the video we watch the visual manifestation that evokes what director Clemens Habicht calls, ‘the delicious euphoric pleasure that motivates the sort of mistakes that precede remorse.'” (http://www.wizz.fr/news/clemens-habicht-directs-flumes-never-be-like-you)
“After a breakup, the memories of your former lover can often feel otherworldly. They’re distorted and distant, like you’re not sure they actually happened. That disjointed reality is exactly what director Clemens Habicht tries to capture in Flume’s new video for his Kai-featuring single “Never Be Like You”. In the clip, Australian actors Sophie Lowe and Sam Reid swirl in the wavy memories of a romance freshly ended. Though the moments are romantic and tender, looking back on them from the point of being wounded isn’t the prettiest vantage point.” (http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/02/memories-are-wavy-in-flumes-video-for-never-be-like-you-watch/)
Distortion is used here as a representation of time and emotion in the situation. After sharing my concept with the class, Robert suggested that instead of distorting the video digitally, I could try using a medium that could distort the video (aka water). How can I use distortion as an expression of a situation? #thoughts
Failure is unintentional. It conveys the idea of process and progress. The beauty of failure is often overlooked, and is considered worthless. There exists the perfect imperfection of the human condition, evident in failure. This idea is expressed through a series of mistakes and miss-takes that are subtly connected with one another, bringing attention to the unnoticed.
