Digital Media Review #1

(WAKE UP)

08:30 -- Check phone alarm.

08:45 -- Check phone alarm. Check texts.

10:00 -- Watch YouTube + Play WarFrame + Watch League of Legends stream.

12:33 -- Browse 9Gag on phone.

01:08 -- Listen to music playlist on YouTube + Play Destiny.

02:52 -- Check phone alarm. Check texts.

04:12 -- Listen to music playlist on YouTube + Play Bloodborne + Watch/listen to Bloodborne stream.

05:24 -- Check texts.

05:30 -- Browse 9Gag during dinner.

06:48 -- Play Destiny.

10:03 -- Watch YouTube/browse internet and read book.

02:23 -- Call girlfriend. Check texts.

(GO TO SLEEP)

I chose my typical Friday as the day I would record my activity, mostly because it is where I'd ordinarily have the most electronic interaction. The pattern I noticed in my lifestyles is that it's always my way of both preparing for and de-stressing/unwinding from a class. I hardly ever check Facebook, and spend most of my time perusing Twitch or YouTube. As far as logos goes, I see a LOT of them all over the internet. Pretty much every website has its own. YouTube, Twitch, 9Gag, Yik Yak, Destiny, Bloodborne, Warframe, World of Tanks/Warships/Warplanes or whatever game I even decide to play has a unique logo.

YouTube and Twitch eat up a lot of my internet time, more than others due to my interest in enjoying the experiences of others, as well as being a part of a community. With Twitch I can do both, and do so live. I've learned I should probably go outside more.

Dance Parties and Tangled String

My final project experience was interesting. I found we had to compromise a lot - which was frustrating at points. Most of it was filmed in the commuter lounge so there are random vending machines in the back which seemed odd to me with some lines. Two people having a dance party in front of vending machines?
We had the first intro: that one was fun but difficult at times. There were lights and stones and plants in the way of us running backwards (both of us in flip-flops) so we had to practice a few times.
"Can't see these strings" was fun because my partner got to run around me with a ball of yarn as I stood, getting tangled. Getting out of it was an adventure, too.
"There's no flair" was something that we compromised on. Or rather, he hated my idea so I gave in. The day we were able to get together and discuss ideas, he was absent and so I told him my ideas and he liked them at the time. So it was frustrating that he wanted to change them. But in the end, I think this was the better route.
"If I left me on my own" was great: I was sad just filming it. It was almost tear-jerking; complete silence, darkness, sitting beside a vending machine in a corner all by himself.
"I'll be the smoothest dancer" was fun because we got to dance. A lot.
"Someday I'll know" had the most re-takes and compromise. The original idea was to have one person thump another in the head with a dictionary as if the person was absorbing information that way. So I was doing that to him - and then he wanted to act like I was beating him to death with it. And then we switched places. And then it wasn't just hitting the head, it was taking the book and reading it -which was different from absorbing it. So that became really confusing at times. We spent most of the time we had working this one section. But we got it and it looks good.
All and all, I enjoyed the experience. There were some frustrations but I think the collaborations all worked out in the end.
I was a little disappointed that it didn't show at the showcase, though.

Super Hero in the Making

The idea behind my instagram project was that my stuffed Baymax and I switched places for a day - he went to classes and took tests and I became a superhero for the day. But the thing is, where Baymax excelled in everything he did as we was me, I was a REALLY BAD superhero. There were a couple of short videos that wouldn't post so the story seems kind of incomplete. None of the pictures seemed favored over the others as there was no reaction to any of them on Instagram. Granted, I have about two followers.

This is Baymax waking up as me. He's ready to start the day. He woke up right on time and is ready to take an exam for me.

My first act of saving the world was to "save" this ice cream from melting (the mission was successful). I'm being selfish rather than selfless as I'd rather eat ice cream than actually do my job.

Baymax taking that exam for me - which he aced, of course. Still excelling at this whole student thing.

Me still trying to decide what my super suit should look like. I'm looking at all of the inspiration I can find but still coming up with nothing. The day is wasting away....

Baymax doing my job. He's creating those costumes rapidly for Romeo and Juliet! The adviser of the costume shop wishes he'd come in more often.

Time is still passing by and I'm just now getting to creating my super suit. For shame.

While I'm trying to figure out my alias, Baymax is in Lit learning about persona. He proceeds to tell the class about his persona and how they can find the persona of the poem they were studying.

Tape and tissues later and many mishaps later, my emblem is done. But most of the day has wasted away. I have still accomplished nothing as a superhero.

Baymax is rocking this student thing. Before his next class, he starts doodling Jayne from Firefly. For never having drawn before, he's not bad at it! He even excels at that.

Finally ready to get my day started (in the late evening), I take a shower so I look my best as a superhero.

Baymax goes to rehearsal for me (no cameras allowed inside the studio). Everyone wishes Baymax would have been casted as Captain of the Guard instead of me for he is truly an amazing actor.

Still not ready to go out until I have properly accessorised. These comic book earrings do the trick. This is taking FOREVER.

Baymax getting along with cast members better that I ever could. Nobody is allowed to touch Nate's hair!

Finally, I put on fake glasses to protect my identity. It's already 9pm. How much saving the world can I do by now?

This is where videos are missing. I try to save my roommate from DC food but she doesn't want saving and I end up getting attacked.

Finally, the day of Baymax and I switching places has ended. It's a good thing, too, because I was an awful superhero.

midterm

For this project I chose to instagram a day in the life of my junior film project. My film is about an ancient Japanese ceramic technique. For this day I had a very early start in the morning, so early in fact that I needed several cups of coffee before I was ready to go. Once I got to the studio I began preparing clay. Today would be a throwing day. Basically the entire day was spent in the art studio creating several pieces for my documentary. As the day came to a close I realized that I had been in the studio far longer than intended. While I think my narrative is a simple one I like it because it is a process that most people know very little about, and my project may have helped people understand what all goes into the pottery they encounter.

Final

For this project I really wanted to keep things fairly simple, yet still leave some room for fun shots. This project provided some unique challenges, the clips are so short that a lot of work had to go into them to make sure that not only did the fit for length but that the visuals were also complementary to the song clips. We initially had many more complicated ideas, but found them too complicated for the short amount of time that the song allowed. So we really strived for shots that provided a bit of depth, while also being simple enough to be understood in the short time span. Due to the style of filming we wanted, and also the availability of equipment in the equipment center we ended up filming on our phones. This allowed for a faster workflow and forced us to really put all of the action right in front of the camera since our phones have such a broad depth of field. My favorite section is the “ When Will I Find Me” line, for this I really wanted to film in a way that would somewhat disorient the audience and make them really feel somewhat lost as to what just happened. Filming through a mirror and ending on a reveal came together really naturally and I am very pleased with the final result. I feel it is disorientating enough to express the lyrical meaning, but simple enough that the audience doesn’t have to dwell on it and miss the rest of the video because of it. All in all this project was really enjoyable and far more challenging than I originally imagined.

Digital Media Consumption

11:00- Alarm- Holy diver- Dio

11:12- facebook

11:15 – shower- various music

11:45 text

12:00 – drove into fort wayne, various billboards including two EE’s and local news stations

12:05 – NPR

1:00 comic book store- TONS of advertisments

1:02 text

1:05 text

1:11 text

2:00 saw a back to the future shirt

NAP

5:15 watch the news and see many commercials

5:17 text 9 times to 5:30

5:40 walk to dinner, see t shirt with the hulk and superman

7:00 homework- lots of music and texting until 12

This assignment really showed me just how much I text and how much media I am around. Honestly I expected more, but with it being such a busy day of homework and assignments I wasn’t exposed as much as a typical day. Primarily I was exposed to digital media ads and text messages.

Elliot The Bull - Colourblind

This music video opens on a world of small blocks, both light and dark colored. From a light block comes a bull like creature that discovers an ability to create other shapes from the blocks around. This continues until he seems to have build quite an empire. All of the sudden the dark blocks stack up and create a dark bull creature that discovers an ability to break down the block shapes of the light bull. The two struggle against each other and ultimately the dark bull destroys the light.

I think understanding this music video requires one to first take into account the title, colorblind. As a colorblind individual this really struck me. I am often asking just how different my perspective is compared to others. I think a basic reading of this video would show that the light creature is good and loses a battle against the evil dark bull, however this reading disregards the title. If we take color out of the mix and view the two creatures as the same we find one of them changes the things around him and makes buildings and telephone pole shapes, whereas the other bull “fixes” those shapes by returning them to their original state. If read in this way the dark bull becomes a hero, a sort of environmentalist, and the light bull is a capitalist pig exploiting his surroundings for his personal gain. I think the title is the key to understanding this video. I also think the goal of the artist was to make a seemingly simple good vs bad story that can be interpreted in many ways.

            Alternatively yet again these two creatures could represent life and death, neither good nor bad. The light bull creates and the dark bull destroys, not out of anger or malice, simply because all things must end, except death itself. This reading could still lend itself to the title, if we were truly color blind in this situation we would find that the two bulls would appear almost identical, 2 sides of the same coin as it were. I do think it is important for people to realize death is a part of life and it is just as important as anything and not to vilify it.

            Finially after repeated viewing I don’t think this video can have one true interpretation, this is truly a video that can be understood in a great many ways. I often think this is cheap and a way for artists to make statements without really saying anything, however with this video I find that I appreciate its multiple readings. Mostly because it is so easy to see so many different interpretations it can serve to remind people that life is not always black and white, and even when it is black is not always bad and white is not always good.