The Art of Persuasion – Assignment 1

Can something be both political and poetic? What is the role of formal experimentation in political documentary?

When first approaching the world of documentary in this studio, the words “political” and “poetic” seemed strange to me as they did not seem to fit together. Yet through class discussions over the first couple of weeks my perspective has shifted dramatically, and my mind has opened up to the possibilities of what it means to make a documentary. I’ve begun to question why politics and poetry cannot overlap, and question the strength of a message when these two elements are put together in a creative manner.

When I started to consider what these two things meant when they worked in junction with each other, the documentary ‘Home’ immediately sprung to mind. It explores the negative human impact occurring on the environment alongside the evolutionary journey we have had as human beings, but does so from the most beautifully poetic manner through it’s narration and aerial footage.  Rather than appearing preachy on it’s political elements, the poetic elements it holds allures the viewer and builds a sense of urgency through the feeling of connection it creates. It left me feeling a call for action on human behaviour on earth, our home, through the poetic nature it held whilst containing an underlying political message.

Alongside this, the chance to explore formal experimentation within political documentary, gives the opportunity for a message to be communicated in less obvious, yet often more effective manner, and this too can often be poetic. It can allow a barrier to be broken down between the viewer and the subject or content, and share a message in a way that is not confronting. The experimental documentary ‘Black Men Dream’ is a fitting text to demonstrate this idea. This documentary is presented upholding many typical conventions of other documentaries. It comprises entirely of interviews with 9 men, yet it’s experimental factor is that all of the men are turned away from the camera during their interviews and are either partially or completely naked.

This experimentation allows the subjects to be understood in an intimate way, which can feel uncomfortable at times. The topics they discuss are somewhat taboo and often perceived as being too uncomfortable to ask, yet the feeling upon viewing it for me was as if I was a friend and that they were safe speaking to me.  It didn’t feel strange for them to be faced away, rather it highlighted the beauty in their words and broke down the awkwardness in confronting these serious topics. As they were not made to face anyone they could truly be themselves. For myself as the viewer and for these men as the subjects, the role of formal experimentation produced a documentary that had the intimate feeling towards serious topics in a natural way, that would not have been as impactful if presented otherwise.

‘Home’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

‘Black Men Dream’: https://vimeo.com/112888005

 

Work In Progress Reflection 2 (PB4)

I am currently about halfway through shooting and editing my production (production photos below), and have finalised all of the planning and research involved. All of my ideas have been solidified and I have a clear direction of where my final project is going to end up. My stop motion animation will incorporate photoshop over particular shots, which will then allow me to incorporate short videos into the frame. This will allow for a smooth flowing integration of these mediums to be created, and a unique style beyond what stop motion alone or film alone offers.

The idea of incorporating photoshop over frames, and additionally videos overlaying some shots, was inspired by the work of creative advisors Toby and Pete, particularly on their work for Chet Faker’s video clip “Talk is Cheap”. In this work they heavily alter the subject of the film through make up, and then photoshop onto the shots once they have been taken. They also incorporate time-lapsing to create a unique and authentic appearance. These extra elements and extra steps they have taken in addition to stop motion alone, opens up so many more possibilities and these are things I will take on in the rest of my shooting and editing. Even in the post production stage I will push it as far as I can in terms of editing as smoothly as possible, particularly through incorporating extra photos onto existing frames through stop motion. This is a concept that has been completely inspired by the work of Toby and Pete, which pushes the boundaries.

Whilst Toby and Pete’s work inspired me in terms of incorporating technology, Honda’s “Paper” commercial highlighted the importance of the hands on approach that animation allows and requires. The best stop motion films in my opinion are those with a careful hand touched approach. One of the producers of this commercial outlines that “We devised it in CGI but the intention was to rip it out of that world and do it practically”. For them it was all about the hand drawn technicality, and this precise workflow is something I have taken on in my production so far. So much time has been spent carefully moving my subjects around within the frame, and ensuring that everything is perfectly in place. Whilst editing allows some production errors to be fixed, it is so important to be precise and know exactly what I am doing with the end product constantly in mind with everything I do.

Since I carefully planned my project before I started production, I have not yet had many issues in actually bringing this to life. The only thing I have struggled with is that I am shooting it entirely on my own, which has made it much more time consuming because I need to move the subjects in the frame, and then take the photo as well, where these would normally be separate jobs. This is a challenge that I am enjoying though, as it pushes me to thinking about how certain objects can be held, suspended or moved without another person being able to be involved in any frames. I look forward to what I have left to shoot and edit for this project, and am hopeful that the final product will come out the way I have envisioned.

References: 

Chet Faker- Talk Is Cheap [Official Music Video], YouTube, Future Classic, viewed 25 May 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP_-P_BS6KY>.

Honda “Paper” – Behind the Scenes with PES 2015, YouTube, PESfilm, viewed 25 May 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tpBc8kmuJY>. 

Toby and Pete 2014, Chet Faker – Talk Is Cheap, Toby and Pete, viewed 25 May 2017,  <http://www.tobyandpete.com/chet-faker-talk-is-cheap/>.

 

   

Work in Progress Reflection 1 (PB4)

Coming out of project brief 3, many ideas had come forward as potential areas that I could explore. I was still uncertain on how to use them or where to go with the next project, but there was definitely a basis of ideas that I could use. The main things that I wanted to explore further were the ideas of nostalgia in media, particularly the way media can document a person’s life and memories over a period of time. I found this idea extremely interesting when we touched on it earlier in the semester so I want to find a way to incorporate this into my project. I may do this in a way that uses my memories and my nostalgia as a focus, but this is something I still need to work out and decide on.

I was also interested in the connection that different mediums continually have over time. Essentially the fact that just because a medium has evolved or become more advanced in some way, there are always things within them that remain the same and as a constant. This can be about the physical medium and how it looks or what it makes, or the use and meaning of the medium to the user.

Prior to this studio, I have been very interested in stop motion animation, and previously have made a few short stop motion films in high school, so I would love to explore this style further. I’ve had a few ideas of how this could be portrayed, but I think the best way to do it whilst incorporating the rest of my ideas would be to explore the evolution of a particular medium over time. This could show how a medium has changed alongside someone’s life, so to show how the changes have directly affected or influenced a person and how their use of the medium has stayed similar in some ways and changed in some ways too. This incorporates both of the ideas I had in a way that also lets me grow my interest and skills in stop motion.

So far the way I think I want to explore this is through focussing on photography as the medium. My rough idea dabbles in showing how we view and interact with different forms of photography and how this has changed through out time, particularly through my childhood, as in the last 20 years photography and our storage of photographs has changed so much and so rapidly. This means I am able to further explore an interest that I previously had in stop motion and do this in a way that explores my ideas and interests I have gained from this studio. Now that I have this idea there are many technical aspects I need to figure out to ensure it runs smoothly as stop motion requires extremely precise and careful planning. I look forward to the challenge that this brings though, and will now begin story boarding and working out exactly how I can bring these ideas to life.

‘The purpose of media use remains a constant’ (PB2)

‘The purpose of media use remains a constant’

When at-home media technology become accessible for users, it became a revolutionary way to capture a fleeting moment and remember poignant moments in our lives.Whilst the advancements that media has had have been revolutionary in so many ways, and completely transformed what we can do with media, has this meant that our reasons for using media have changed? Has the change in medium meant a change in purpose? Do more advanced mediums mean we represent ideas in different ways? These questions regarding our purpose of media use at this point in time are what I am exploring through this piece. I used this series of photos to display different ways that we use the media available to us.

In a world where there is no escaping the media, what we are putting out there as media users is extremely important in reflecting our personal ideas as well as reflecting why we are turning to media. The idea of “reconstruction of reality” is extremely interesting to consider when evaluating why we turn to media, and understanding that so much of what we understand about the world can be attributed to the media we consume (Weimann, 2000). This made me see that we use this idea of attempting to reconstruct reality and something we have experienced, to paint a picture to those around us what it felt like to be in that situation. New media has allowed us to use media in a way to creates an understanding of scenarios that we may necessarily get to experience ourselves.

The latest way of doing so, has become so easy due to the rise of smartphones. Whilst the intentions and reasons for capturing these images appear to be much the same, the means of doing so is so much simpler. The difference in medium does not appear to make a difference, as the rituals of taking images and the themes of how and why we are taking them appear to be timeless (Chesher, 2012). For example, the ‘selfie’ is just the evolution of the self-portrait, and has the same intention of capturing a portrait of an individual at a certain moment in their life. The removal of limitations of the shots we can take when using cameras with film due to digital photography, means that using there is less hesitation and risk in capturing a moment, and a more likely chance we will capture it in the way we envision it.

Ultimately our media use lies in our hands, and whilst how we capture things over time may have changed, the purpose appears to always be a constant. No matter how technologically advanced media may get, it would be useless without the individual’s purposes and attempt to capture and share an idea or moment (Jenkins, 2006). Whilst attempting to capture something for artistic purposes and social purposes may differ, essentially our purpose defines the media and how we use it. My photos attempt reflect this, and reflect the intent in users when capturing moments with their camera, and sharing them using their computer.

References: 

Chesher, C (2012). Between Image and Information: The iPhone Camera in the History of Photography. Available through Research Gate at <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259255900_Between_image_and_information_The_iPhone_camera_in_the_history_of_photography>.

Jenkins, H (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press. Pages 1-12.

O’Hagan, S (2016). ‘The digital age reshapes our notion of photography. Not everyone is happy…”, The Observer, available at <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/02/photography-no-longer-just-prints-on-the-wall>.

Weimann, G (2000). Communicating Unreality: Modern Media and the Reconstruction of Reality. California: Sage Publications. Pages 3-15.

‘New media has transformed the way we connect’ (PB2)

Link to collage: https://www.flickr.com/photos/152712814@N04/33652793895/in/dateposted-public/

‘New media has transformed the way we connect’

Through this collage I am attempting to represent the way in which media has evolved, and how we currently use it to connect with one another. I collaged the last 6 months of my Instagram photos into one, displaying the amount of likes and comments on each one. This attempts to outline that the likes are used as a means of communication, and to numerically indicate how many people I know connected with what I was sharing about my life.

The way in which media has evolved to become what we know it as today, has revolutionised communication as we know it. Social media and the internet have completely changed the way we reach out to people, and “human communication” as a whole (Langmia, 2016). It gives us the opportunity to share information or messages to a mass amount of people with the click of a finger. The key idea I am trying to communicate regarding this, is that if you are interested in keeping in the loop with a friend’s life, social media will effortless allow you to. The idea of “casual observation” means that you can non-intrusively be connected to your friends all the time, and informed on anything you would like to be (Qualman, 2011). I have chosen to feature Instagram’s ability to do this by presenting my images side by side, much the way profiles appear on the application with a chronological display of significant moments in a person’s life.

I was also interested in exploring the idea of the construction of identity through media, and the social media profile that as users to naturally must establish. Communication through the internet is “the new norm” and the way we appear online is completely in our own hands (Langmia, 2016). This is why I chose to present my own online profile, as I am extremely selective about the types of things that I present on social media, as I am aware of how much this reflects on who I am.

New media itself can be seen as more than just a representation of reality, but a platform in which it is constituted. The idea of the socially constituted self has become a normal and expected aspect of what our society has evolved to be about. It is all in the hands of the user, and has revolutionised communication as we know it (Zemmels, 2012). Where many might argue whether or not this is positively impacting us, I truly believe that it is. Social media platforms such has instagram mean that I am constantly connecting to family and friends around the world, and never feel the discontent that the distance has on us.

Essentially these ideas are what I am attempting to explore, and just how easily I as a user of new media can share my life with those around me, and likewise how easily they too can respond and connect with me due to this.

References:

Langmia, K (2016). Social Media: Culture and Identity. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. Pages 1-20.

Qualman, E (2011). Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Pages 5-14.

Zemmels, D (2012). ‘Youth and New Media: Studying Identity and Meaning in an Evolving Media Environment’ in Communications Research Trends, Santa Clara.

‘There is no memory without media’ (PB2)

Link to video is in our shared google drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B6SonqRC_ZiyNm91WTkzV0Y1NlE

‘There is no memory without media’

Through this short video, I attempt to represent the memories of my childhood, that without being captured with media, I would not have. The early years of my life are marked by various blurry moment here and there, mostly insignificant. Yet the opportunity to view these years and see how I was experiencing them through home videos, is an experience like no other. These memories are present within us, but through the media’s technology they are able to be remembered  (Van Dijck, 2007). A picture of a scene I otherwise would not have known is painted, and the warm feeling built inside me that I feel when viewing these videos is ultimately what I am attempting to express through the compilation of them into one video.

An overwhelming sense of nostalgia fills me when viewing myself in these scenarios with my family, yet it is nostalgia for memories I otherwise would not have had. The presence of the media at this point in my life, means that nothing is forgotten. For those filming it you can see the attempt of capturing a memory to never forget it. There is no doubt that the presence of media in our lives has allowed people to forge memories in such a unique way, as Plate & Smelik outline “home videos [have] transformed the way in which people shape their personal memories”. They go on to explore the idea of mediated memories, and dealing with representations through our media. In the world we live in, memories are inevitably mediated by the technology available to us, and we are almost reliant on using it in order to capture our memories.

I particularly enjoyed the documentation present in the videos, most notably my dad announcing certain dates or special occasions, such as my first steps. This attempt to capture a fleeting moment, and knowing that it will last forever through media is something quite beautiful. It means that for me as a one year old, I can go back to these proud moments in my life and fill the gaps that my young mind wasn’t able to. It becomes a means to which I am able to imagine myself in relation to the past, and what I know happened, yet through media connect this together (Church, 2014).

Probably my favourite clip that I included, and I did so very intentionally, was the clip of us in the park in which my mum is first holding me, and she swaps so that she can film my dad holding me. The transition they have over the camera and the soft “is it still on?” that you can hear, display the true rawness and authenticity of the scene. It makes me feel like I am reliving it, the shakiness of the camera and the complete lack of care over aesthetic. This clip was crucial in my attempt to represent the the strive to capture exactly what is happening, and ultimately was my attempt to show the reality that users face when recording home videos.

References: 

Church, D (2014). Retrosploitation: Cultural memory, home video, and contemporary experiences of exploitation film fandom. Indiana University: ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Plate, L, Smelik, A (2009). Technologies of Memory in the Arts. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Pages 1-9.

Van Dijck, J (2007). Mediated Memories in the Digital Age. California: Stanford University Press. Pages 1-15.

Wilson, S (2011). ‘Remixing Memory Through Home Movies’ in Image & Narrative (Volume 12 No.2)

Music: ‘To Build A Home’ by The Cinematic Orchestra, released 2007. Licence held by TSM.