Extra Credit Blog #2: Codes & Modes

Extra Credit Assignment #2: Codes & Modes

            On March 16, I attended the first day of Codes & Modes Conference. The three day event was organized by Martin Lucas, an Associate Professor of the Integrated Media Arts MFA Program from Hunter College. The event was also organized by Andrew Demirjian, an Assistant Professor of the Integrated Media Arts MFA Program from Hunter College and Heidi Boisvert, an Assistant Professor of the Emerging Media Technology Program from NYC College of Technology. The conference explores how augmented reality and artificial intelligence has influenced our experiences through emerging/multidimensional technologies such as VR. The first day included an opening reception/remarks about the exhibition, an introduction to Lively, and an talk/Q&A with Mandy Rose, Co-Director of i-Docs and Dan Archer, Founder of Empathetic Media. Their talk focused on Immersion, Embodiment, and Empathetic Engagement.

            Lucas introduced the exhibition discussing the individual’s desire to solve world problems, the relations between the makers of the product or platform and its users, how many visual artists are trying to re-examine the basics of documentary film-making, the context of critical thinking, and the ability to see a place in Real Time. Lively is an app created by Jonah Bricker-Cohen which explores the use of the dynamic image and he demonstrated how it worked. Once the audience texted the number on the big screen they were allowed to post comments and their comments came up on the screen along with matching pictures. Mandy’s research focuses on the theoretical aspects of virtual reality while Dan’s research focuses on print media and interactive storytelling. Mandy discussed the use of CGI and Volumetric Capture, how VR has become an empathy machine, how VR has presented the filmmaker with a new form of presence, and how VR has led to an increase in observational film-making which can be seen in such films like Waves of Grace (2015).

            Dan discussed his journey into establishing an interactive narrative through 360 degree video. Dan wanted to explore different ways on how we can put ourselves into other people’s shoes. The two most important aspects when creating these interviews was establishing an strong level of comfort on the story topic and the building of trust between the interviewer and the interviewee. Dan also discussed our desire to find out more about an situation, concept, or group. Dan is currently working on Beneath These Restless Skies; an VR/360 degree video reboot of an 50 year old series of photographs shot by photographer Gordon Parks called “A Harlem Family”. He also discussed his work in Medellin, Colombia through his piece called, Peace of Colombia which focused on the testimonials from the victims/offenders ranging from guerillas to paramilitaries involved during the conflict. He also discussed about the importance of narrator consistency when creating these interactive narratives.  

Blog Assignment #2: "What I Hear"

Blog Assignment #2: “What I Hear”

        On March 11, I decided to do my “Soundwalk” around the Hudson River Piers and focused on Pier 46 which is located near Greenwich Village during the afternoon between 2:00 to 3:00 PM. This area is very special to me because I usually go there during the summer time to clear my head or watch movies presented by the Hudson River Foundation on the pier with my family. So I took to this opportunity to explore the types of sounds I heard that day during the winter time. Once I reached the pier I heard specific keynotes such as loud rumbling noises coming from running engines of nearby cars driving vertically across the street from me. I also heard a small number of nearby visitors/tourists taking pictures on the pier hearing such soundmarks like the clicking sound that came from their phones as they took their shots. 

         I also heard such sound signals like nearby crashing waves and splashing water as a result of oncoming boats that sped by on the river. During the winter there are less visitors compared to the summer due to it being very cold down there. So during my trip there were a small number of individuals while comparing it to the large number we often see during the summer where it’s much nicer and warm. I also heard such sound signals like high pitch barking coming from nearby dogs being walked by their owners down the pier. The sounds I heard that are very meaningful to me are the sounds of the waves on the river which always made me feel at home. That sound of nearby water and animals such as birds or dogs always makes me feel welcome and at peace with nature. Also I feel walking around the pier is a good way to open up about your true desires and get rid of unwanted emotions. I found these sounds to be expected because these specific instruments or sound signals such as the constant splashing coming from the river, the cooing of nearby pigeons or barking from dogs, the constant picture taking, and a wide variety of languages from foreign tourists contributes to the Hudson River Piers popularity.                

Assignment #1: Thomas Hunter Hall Stairway (Define a Space)

Created and Edited by Kyle Farrell and Leo Lopez

Me and Leo decided to bring a scary/suspense feel to our first film project due to our love for horror films. We discovered these random black spots around the stairway located around Thomas Hunter Hall and found them very interesting so we incorporated them into our narrative. I described these spots as a gateway into certain madness and intense curiosity. The theme to our video is the ongoing cycle of the unknown. We are often curious about the things we don't understand and have the urge to find what it is as well as the true meaning behind it. I included multiple establishing shots to bring a sense of dread and intense emotion to the film. We discovered Hunter College is very large and has a lot that many of us don't know about. 

Extra Credit Blog #1: Attending Netherlands Meets New York

       

       On Thursday, February 23rd, I attended the first screening of films from Netherlands Meets New York and saw nine short films shot by students from the Hogeschool Utrecht University of Applied Sciences along with Hunter College’s Department of Film & Media Studies and the IMA/MFA Integrated Media Arts Program. The first film was titled, An Ode to Dolomitenblick and directed by Fleur Born & Layla Bil. The film was shot on a 700D Canon on an modal pod. The film shows individuals ice skating on top of an frozen lake in Dolomitenblick. She included multiple shots of the ice skaters intense faces and frozen beards. The second film was titled, A Winter Meditation and directed by Zoya Baker. Baker is an Animation major and this film was made for her Animation course. The film represents the feeling of being between projects and the fleeting feeling of our inbetweenness. She had shots of mountains, moss, ants, seagulls, and humans in slow-motion. She shot the film using time lapse while flying inside a plane. She shot the film without sound to give an unique texture to the film. The third film was titled, S.N.A.I.L. and was directed by Fatima Warsame. Warsame created this film for her Media course, she was given a 48 hour restriction on making this film, and the given prompt of the film was the word, snail. The film is centered around an man in his 20s or 30s who ends up downloading an virus called S.N.A.I.L. into his computer after clicking a Korean pop video. He runs around his house as the camera quickly follows him given an intense emotion of fear and dread. He grabs a can of salt and pours a salt circle around him stopping the virus from completely affecting his computer. A got an Supernatural vibe after seeing the shot of the salt circle. The salt circle represents a form of protection and salt is usually used to kill a sail which was the angle Warsame was trying to push.    

       The fourth film was titled, Coppersky and was directed by Hein van den Bogaert. Bogaert recorded an concert of an band form the Netherlands called Coppersky. He recorded on an Steadicam using an 700D Canon and recorded the band on and off stage as well as the audience. He described the film as an All Access Pass of the band. The fifth film was titled, Democratic Phone Bank and directed by Ana Marie Rico. Rico created this film for her Mobile Recording course and features still shots inside of an DNC VoteBuilder office and voice recordings of the head woman who works there. She addresses the negative views against Trump. The sixth film was titled, Multicellualrity and was directed by Zoya Baker. The film is completely animated and shows how billions of cells look under a microscope. These billions of cells begin to come together to form super organisms. Then these super organisms come together to form one big cell. Baker created this film to show how science has a lot of power. The film was created using a IPhone, a app called After Effects, and puppet pins. The seventh film was titled, Convent and was directed by Els Anker. The film is centered around an monastery in Norway and includes shots of the outside and inside of the church. It also includes interviews/voiceovers of the nuns and priests who work there. They address the issues of poverty, sex, and drugs in developing cultures. Anker described these women as having a very warm and nice personality. The eighth film was titled, May 22, 2012 and was directed by Samantha Farinella. The film is centered around the loss of Farinella’s mother. There are no shots of people only shots of Farinella’s parents’ home both inside and outside. The shots inside the home represent the emptiness of the home without her mother. It was shot first then the essay was written last and incorporated into the film as a form of dialogue spoken by Farinella. There is a shot of a white blurry background and a shot of white Japanese sculptures. I felt the color white symbolize death after it made me think of the phrase from the bible, “And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was death”. When I asked Farinella about the color choice she said she wanted to make the background shot black first but changed it to white after thinking about the same phrase from the bible. She took shot of the Japanese sculptures because after she studied a little on Japanese culture she discovered the color white is often associated with funerals and felt it fit the tone of her film. The ninth film was titled, VISA and was directed by Edel Garstad. Garstad created the film for her Thesis course and its centered around an Hispanic woman who just got her Visa denied and gets fired from his job due to it. Her relationship with her boyfriend begins to fall apart after he begins to consider sleeping with other women while she is gone. She begins to feel he is pushing her away. Then in the end of the film he considers marrying her so she can stay in the states because he doesn’t want her to go but she declines his offer then the film cuts off with a two shot of them staring into the camera.