After watching Ant Farm's Media Burn, I couldn't help but see the film as not only being satirical for when it was made, but critical of contemporary media culture. The "President" character, which was an obvious cartoonish impersonation of John F Kennedy, also seemed to ridicule how our current president has odd relations with media and attending public events.
Similarly, when the car drove the the mountain of televisions, it reminded me of watching America's Funniest home video's, when a group of people videotape themselves doing something stupid. After watching the film, I wondered how difficult it would be to stage my own television demolition. If I did create my own demolition display, instead of playfully acting as if it would be shown on TV, my video of the destruction could be displayed on youtube, possibly even inciting more acts of media "burning."
Media Burn of course allowed its audience to look at "media," specifically television, in quite an odd way. But after viewing their performance, I was unsure what they were prompting their audience to view, and felt that their performance was visually amusing, but not as thought-provoking as they might have hoped. However, their intervention was one of the most entertaining I've had the pleasure of viewing, since the visual destruction of a flaming television pyramid is almost impossible to turn away from.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
George Kuchar
Kuchar's films Hold Me While I'm Naked and The Inmate seemed to be an experimental documentary version of a Woody Allen narrative. A comical, self-narrated story that related to a possible interpretation of what seemed to be real events in George Kuchar's life.
The narration offered a sense of comedy to the film that seemed personal, almost like an old version of the modern web blog video or youtube video. Except in Kuchar's case, the narrative was far more experimental, forcing a sense of curiosity on the viewer. This idea of a more conceptual youtube.com video is strengthened in Kuchars prolific film making career, as he has numerous shorts on similar subjects and lengths.
One can only wonder how related the actual life of George Kuchar is to his films/videos. Does he really have a friend thats travelled the globe, but still visits with him in Oklahoma? Is Kuchar really an obsessive pervert when it comes to nudity in his films, or does he have a more artistic expression on the subject that is not as easily understood by his friends, cast, and crew?
The narration offered a sense of comedy to the film that seemed personal, almost like an old version of the modern web blog video or youtube video. Except in Kuchar's case, the narrative was far more experimental, forcing a sense of curiosity on the viewer. This idea of a more conceptual youtube.com video is strengthened in Kuchars prolific film making career, as he has numerous shorts on similar subjects and lengths.
One can only wonder how related the actual life of George Kuchar is to his films/videos. Does he really have a friend thats travelled the globe, but still visits with him in Oklahoma? Is Kuchar really an obsessive pervert when it comes to nudity in his films, or does he have a more artistic expression on the subject that is not as easily understood by his friends, cast, and crew?
The Way Things Go & Why We Keep Watching
While viewing The Way Things Go (Der Lauf Der Dinge), I was of course amazed by the technicality of the physics knowledge and time required to create such a performance. After pondering the physics behind how a tire can roll up an inclined plane with steps on it, or how a table of green sludge can possibly be used as part of a Rube Goldberg Machine. I realized that something more simplistic was the reason I couldn't peel my eyes away from the screen.
What was this reason? The filmmakers of course put hours of work into their machine, and performed countless test runs, especially since it was shot on 16mm. But as a viewer, if one watches assuming that the whole time, everything happening in the film is a fluke, what captivates the viewer. The chance physics of a candle lighting bottle rockets strapped to a tire that can climb up a set of stairs?
Maybe the fact that we are watching objects move that normally require human hands to operate them, or in the case of a tire, a motor, built by a human. Even after twenty minutes of objects manipulating objects, I did not bore of watching sludge interacting with wood and tires. The idea of the film being narrative comes from the characters of the film being the materials used in the machine. These inanimate, silent characters seem to be just as interesting as a famous actress playing the heroine role in the latest epic Hollywood drama.
What was this reason? The filmmakers of course put hours of work into their machine, and performed countless test runs, especially since it was shot on 16mm. But as a viewer, if one watches assuming that the whole time, everything happening in the film is a fluke, what captivates the viewer. The chance physics of a candle lighting bottle rockets strapped to a tire that can climb up a set of stairs?
Maybe the fact that we are watching objects move that normally require human hands to operate them, or in the case of a tire, a motor, built by a human. Even after twenty minutes of objects manipulating objects, I did not bore of watching sludge interacting with wood and tires. The idea of the film being narrative comes from the characters of the film being the materials used in the machine. These inanimate, silent characters seem to be just as interesting as a famous actress playing the heroine role in the latest epic Hollywood drama.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Sonic Outlaws & Emergency Broadcast Network
The Emergency Broadcast Network (or EBN), immediately shows its audience that it is ready to satirize what is commonly understood as "standardized" television. We've all seen testing occur while watching our televisions, but the "tests" performed by the Emergency Broadcast Network, are of a much different form.
First the EBN attempts to create "multimedia performances" by taking cable television feeds and breaking them down, then editing them to a beat of a song. The audio is broken down into split second clips to create lyrical phrases from numerous different vocalists. wikipedia.com offers an example of this:
The EBN uses this too provide their own commentary on the influence of television on it's audience's lives. The most interesting story of the EBN is explained in Sonic Outlaws. Not long after U2 sued Negativland for their album, U2 started their tour "ZooTV," which has obvious similarities to media remixing and video collages. According to tvtrecords.com, EBN was hired to provide visuals for U2's tour.
Today, EBN still exists, but the make-up of the group has changed and will change in the future. Currently they have a release online at the Eclectic Method website.
First the EBN attempts to create "multimedia performances" by taking cable television feeds and breaking them down, then editing them to a beat of a song. The audio is broken down into split second clips to create lyrical phrases from numerous different vocalists. wikipedia.com offers an example of this:
For example, the lyric "electronic behavior control system" would be created with a clip of Ross Perot saying "electronic", followed by a clip of George H. W. Bush saying "behavior", then Ted Koppel saying "control", and finally a clip of Bill Clinton saying "system".
The EBN uses this too provide their own commentary on the influence of television on it's audience's lives. The most interesting story of the EBN is explained in Sonic Outlaws. Not long after U2 sued Negativland for their album, U2 started their tour "ZooTV," which has obvious similarities to media remixing and video collages. According to tvtrecords.com, EBN was hired to provide visuals for U2's tour.
Today, EBN still exists, but the make-up of the group has changed and will change in the future. Currently they have a release online at the Eclectic Method website.
Searching for Meaning
As stated in class, sometimes film students, or anyone viewing a film, immediately look for a way to interpret the film for a "meaning." This meaning is usually some sort of not so obvious themes, symbolisms, and metaphors. However, there is no rule that says that all films must be interpreted using the same logic.
After "interpreting" Hollis Framptons lecture on the most basic expression of film, the projector, the class was offered a new way to look at films. Instead of looking for some grand philosophical theme or a metaphor for some political action, we look what is most visually prominent to the viewer. For Frampton's lecture, it was obviously the white 4x3 projection on a screen, but was that really what the film was "about?"
For me, experimental film can be extremely confusing, no matter how much audience members try to hide their confusion. For this reason, the art that is entitled experimental film may both gain and lose some of the original meaning that its creator had intended upon production. Luckily, this new way of interpreting a film offered by Frampton was discussed immediately before watching Gunvor Nelson's "Natural Features." At first this film was overwhelming to me, but I attempted to combine Frampton's method with my own way of interpreting film's. It didn't help much, but it allowed me to think about my understanding of film's in general, which could potentially allow for better understaning of art in my future experiences.
After "interpreting" Hollis Framptons lecture on the most basic expression of film, the projector, the class was offered a new way to look at films. Instead of looking for some grand philosophical theme or a metaphor for some political action, we look what is most visually prominent to the viewer. For Frampton's lecture, it was obviously the white 4x3 projection on a screen, but was that really what the film was "about?"
For me, experimental film can be extremely confusing, no matter how much audience members try to hide their confusion. For this reason, the art that is entitled experimental film may both gain and lose some of the original meaning that its creator had intended upon production. Luckily, this new way of interpreting a film offered by Frampton was discussed immediately before watching Gunvor Nelson's "Natural Features." At first this film was overwhelming to me, but I attempted to combine Frampton's method with my own way of interpreting film's. It didn't help much, but it allowed me to think about my understanding of film's in general, which could potentially allow for better understaning of art in my future experiences.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Spiral Jetty & Casting A Glance
While watching Spiral Jetty in a wide-eyed, statuelike stare, I was amazed at the film's mystery and archaic feel. As I watched, I felt as if a new door in the world of experimental film had opened. Although this may sound a bit dramatic, but Smithson's film really spoke to my interests in filmmaking on a level that experimental film hasn't ever before.
Why? I wasn't sure at first, but the beautifully crimson shot in the museum of the old bones reminded me of a personal experience I had as a child. My grandparents would take me to the Milwaukee Public Museum and turn me loose to explore on my own, at a VERY young age. The way I remember the museum from those days is completely different than it is now. I remember being afraid of the odd colored spotlights used in the various exhibits, the large Tyrannosaurus Rex eating a Triceratops with lightning in the background, and the endless amounts of taxidermy on the walls.
Of course, I haven't even reached the subject of Smithson's film, the actual earthwork. But something about the intro to the film makes it seem as if we are taking part in an archaic treasure hunt, using outdated forms of locating a specific point on a map. The shots of the truck ride remind us of a trip to the unknown. On spiraljetty.org, the long list of directions are almost alien to a world of Mapquest and google maps on our iPhones.
Once the audience, which has transformed into a group of archaeologists and treasure hunters, reaches the location of the "jetty," work begins almost immediately. But instead of unearthing the expected, the jetty turn's into a giant question mark. The following helicopter shots daze the audience with its mystery. Of course, the strongest part of the work lies in the face that the "?" remains for as long as the earthwork isn't destroyed.
Why? I wasn't sure at first, but the beautifully crimson shot in the museum of the old bones reminded me of a personal experience I had as a child. My grandparents would take me to the Milwaukee Public Museum and turn me loose to explore on my own, at a VERY young age. The way I remember the museum from those days is completely different than it is now. I remember being afraid of the odd colored spotlights used in the various exhibits, the large Tyrannosaurus Rex eating a Triceratops with lightning in the background, and the endless amounts of taxidermy on the walls.
Of course, I haven't even reached the subject of Smithson's film, the actual earthwork. But something about the intro to the film makes it seem as if we are taking part in an archaic treasure hunt, using outdated forms of locating a specific point on a map. The shots of the truck ride remind us of a trip to the unknown. On spiraljetty.org, the long list of directions are almost alien to a world of Mapquest and google maps on our iPhones.
Once the audience, which has transformed into a group of archaeologists and treasure hunters, reaches the location of the "jetty," work begins almost immediately. But instead of unearthing the expected, the jetty turn's into a giant question mark. The following helicopter shots daze the audience with its mystery. Of course, the strongest part of the work lies in the face that the "?" remains for as long as the earthwork isn't destroyed.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Coconut Performance
The concept for my 2 and 1/2 minute tabletop performance is brutally simple but connects more to me than it would to an audience. First of all, I knew I wanted to design some sort of music for my performance, regardless of what it was going to be. I began working on a sort of of island jazz composition, which I only arranged, and did not write myself. This composition inspired me to think about putting a beach atmosphere into my project, and finally the young coconut and banana.
The problem with coconuts and bananas, at least for me, is that they are some of my least favorite fruits. But a friend of mine explained how to eat a coconut properly, and due to time constraints, I used a banana instead of cracking open the whole coconut. So after the logistics had been planned, I let this assignment become more of a personal challenge than a performance. I do not eat coconuts or bananas, but for the sake of the island music that I had created, it seemed almost necessary to use the two fruits.
The performance does not seem to conclude after two minutes, except for that fact that the music was timed to end after 2 1/2 mintues. But the fruits remain in view, and still not completly eaten, so the beach environment can persist. The short duration of time that it takes to drink a coconut is just a glimpse into the leisurely beach world I attempted to create.
The problem with coconuts and bananas, at least for me, is that they are some of my least favorite fruits. But a friend of mine explained how to eat a coconut properly, and due to time constraints, I used a banana instead of cracking open the whole coconut. So after the logistics had been planned, I let this assignment become more of a personal challenge than a performance. I do not eat coconuts or bananas, but for the sake of the island music that I had created, it seemed almost necessary to use the two fruits.
The performance does not seem to conclude after two minutes, except for that fact that the music was timed to end after 2 1/2 mintues. But the fruits remain in view, and still not completly eaten, so the beach environment can persist. The short duration of time that it takes to drink a coconut is just a glimpse into the leisurely beach world I attempted to create.
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