Exposed is a collection of various different media artefacts that, when compiled, depict a portrait of myself: A chaotic, yet peaceful member of a strange world.

 

Edited Media

 

Video Single Shots

 

Audio

 

Photo

https://www.flickr.com/photos/131862728@N06/sets/72157651665863751/

 

Text

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack

And you may find yourself in another part of the world

And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile

And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife

And you may ask yourself

Well…How did I get here?

Reflection

The portrayal of myself, through the use of various mediums and editing of mediums is evident in my self-portrait video. I was aiming to project the chaotic and random side of myself that gets hidden away from the vast majority of society. By using captured sounds from a number of different sources that I encounter every day and processing them in ProTools to a point where they take on a non-human like embodiment, I feel that I was able to achieve this chaotic feel; This is coupled with the captured video of things that I enjoy doing regularly (again, processed through an editing software program).

By keeping both the audio and video components relatively short, I feel that I was able to further obtain the random nature I intended to project and constantly kept the audience guessing.

The kaleidoscopic edit of the tea being poured, backed by the sounds of a vacuum being unplugged from the wall offer the juxtaposed natures of my day-to-day activities in one complete package. By distorting the mediums to a point where they are almost unrecognizable, I feel the audience is compelled to engage more attentively in an attempt to figure out what is happening. And it is this theme of compelling engagement through manipulation of the media that I try to achieve throughout the remainder of the video.

There are some obvious flaws in the editing process of the medium that detract from my desired portrayal. The aspect ratio of the tea, once the kaleidoscopic effect fades encapsulates these flaws.

Managing to get the burning teabag to float over the time-lapse of the ocean and stars was the most successful part of the self-portrait; in regards to both editing and the connotations it draws. It enables the audience to see the ‘me’ at two opposite ends of the spectrum: calm (the water and sky) opposed to the chaotic (teabag burning and dissipating).

– donandsherri