Final Reflection

Through the duration of this class I have learned more about the history of experimental films and about experimental filmmakers. I have also learned to "loosen up" and experiment more with my work. This class has gone along well with the 332 Interactive Media class and with my ART 111 class. My drawing class has helped me to loosen my grip on being a perfectionist and has helped me to incorporate that into my films for 302. While Interactive Media has helped me to understand more of the aspects talked about in our 302 class and I was able to relate things to another. I think that I've grown as a filmmaker in a couple of ways. One obviously being how I am experimenting with new ideas and ways of creating my work. During my self portrait I used different methods I had not used before and I think they turned out really well. I know I will be using some of the techniques again in future projects. I have also grown in the aspect of deciding what I want to do once in the business. When I first started the film major I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to end up. I thought maybe cinematography or editing for television shows. As I learned more about sound I became interested in that as well. Recently however, I have thought more about working with music videos. From a young age I have loved watching them. I have also been thinking about how I love watching edited clips from television shows I watch and how artists create rhythmic edits. I know that I would love to work with television but I could also see myself venture into the music industry working on music videos. In previous courses I was not able to experience other crew positions but being able to do so in this class has also helped me grow and to realize the potential I have in other positions.

Self Portrait Reflection

I started out with an idea for my self portrait that I thought could really express who I am. However I came across some challenges that made it that my idea wouldn't come to completion. I found some songs that I thought would fit me but I couldn't get them to fit the time window we were given so I was looking for a while on something that fit two minutes and also fit me. I wanted to be able to do a rhythmic edit in which the images would occasionally change where the beat of the music did. I did complete this in parts of my portrait which I am pretty happy with. Although there are small areas if given the time I would like to fix. Another problem I encountered was not having a tripod. A decent amount of the shots were not stable. The tripod would have also helped me in filming more of my art work and processes. This also would have helped when filming myself. The person I used to help film me never uses cameras and is not technically advanced, which made the process very difficult. I did however take some footage Natalie filmed of me over the summer with my camera. This was not my original plan but seeing as how I didn't have the time to film more and I needed the footage to edit, I combined the two and I think it worked. One particular instance I enjoyed how it turned out would be the moment where the waves are crashing and turns into me diving into the pool with the water splashing. Overall, with the time I had I think it turned out alright. If I did have more time I think I could have gone more with my original plan and it would have expressed myself better and I would personally enjoy it more.

Cucalorus Experience

The first event I attended was Dance-a-lorus. This particular event was an interesting way to start my experience at Cucalorus. This was my first year attending this festival and I was not sure what to expect. Dance-a-lorus started out by reminding me of my days as a dancer and having my recitals at similar stages. I even got to see one of my old school friends perform in one of the dances. Some of the dances I felt could have used more emotion but the rest provoked tons of emotion. For example, Pulse. When I saw the name in the flyer I just assumed it meant a heart pulse. I was reminded of the Pulse Room of which I did my Media Analysis on in Interactive Media. However, when the particular dance started you heard and saw the news reporting of the Pulse Nightclub. The dance provided viewers with a sense of being there during the shooting and the aftermath. Pulse ended the night in a strong, thought provoking way, leaving me speechless. As this was my first event that I attended, I was ready to explore more of what Cucalorus had to offer. Unfortunately, Cucalorus and my swim meet happened to be scheduled on the same weekend so I was rushing to get my events in so that I would make my meet on Saturday and Sunday. I decided to go to some of the feature screenings in Thalian Hall. One of my favorites that I saw was, Women Who Kill. I got to see this film with Lauren and being with a fellow student and filmmaker added to my experience. Unlike Dance-a-lorus, where I went alone, I was able to express my thoughts with Lauren about the film. We were also able to meet up with some other people like Mike, Brian, and Stan to see the following film: She's Allergic to Cats. This film reminded all of us of Holy Motors, leaving all of us confused and slightly disturbed. Each event I went to were all different and had a particular impression on me. I definitely want to go to Cucalorus again next year and hopefully I will be able to attend for more days and for more events.

Photo: Mini-Assignment

Self portrait ideas

Just like I am about some things in life, I'm still a little bit unsure about what I want for my self portrait. I went around and ask some family and friends about what they thought when they think of me. Some of them didn't quite grasp the concept but they still gave me some words that I could use in a different manner.

Here are some of the words that came up:
Organized
Money
Travel
Culturally Immersed
Beautiful
Respectful
Considerate
Patient
Kind
Creative
Artistic
Gentle touch
Swimming
Photography
Television
Individual

One thing that I was hoping to do was a double exposure. This would be interesting to do for me one, being as I have never done it before but I love the way that it looks in other people's work. I also think it would be a good thing for me to do because of who I am. I will show one side of me to everyone but very few people know the real me. In one of the exposures I would have myself in the shot and in the other I would have things that portrayed me. I really like the idea of doing something with my art supplies and having ink flowing or even having my GoPro under the water and looking up as one of the background exposures. Another thing I would love to do is have the exposure of me start out either darker or out of focus and then as the film goes on it gradually gets lighter and more in focus. This would be representing the past couple of years for me, seeing as how I went through a really rough patch and I was unsure about practically everything but now I'm finding my way and I'm seeing things I haven't seen in a long time.

Cucalorus Plan

The five events I'm planning on attending are:

Dance-A-Lorus
Fare
Women Who Kill
She's Allergic to Cats
Dark Night

There are other events I would love to attend but because I have a swim meet the 12th and 13th of November I have to plan ahead and work around my schedule.

Music Video Producer/Costumes/Makeup

For the music video assignment I have been assigned the roles of producer, costume designer, and makeup artist. As far as being a costume designer and makeup artist I am not surprised people recommended me for the job seeing as how I have a background in studio art and how I have done the roles before on other projects. However I have never done the role of producer. As I have heard, producers are the ones that secure the shooting location, determine the budget, helps set up the shoot schedule, and overall talks to the crew to decide what works best for everyone. It seems to be a very logistical position, one of which I believe I will feel comfortable in once I get the hang of it. Personally, I like to follow things by a guide and get everything completed on time. Timing to me is extremely important and I can't stand for something to be late. Most of the time I am usually well organized with multiple calendars filled with events. As producer, I will be able to set up a schedule that will accommodate most everyones needs. A problem that has occurred too often among my previous projects. I would also like to make sure that we have everything we need in terms of props, costumes, and other equipment. This will deal quite a bit with budgeting and seeing how we are all broke college students, the budget will have to be on the lower side. This however, does not mean we can't be creative and come up with a better solution.