Future Machina W7

Last week I submitted my AI Mirror assignment, which I must say did go a bit pear shaped in terms of my filming. At first, I tried to get together all of the lamps and lighting I could to make a ‘set’ – it was basically impossible however with the amount of shadows. I struggled a lot with

ultra-keying, too – and getting the lighting right. I think the artificial lights were too yellow, because whenever I would put the footage through premiere it would just turn red. I found that filming with the green screen in front of a window provided the best lighting to use the green screen, but unfortunately to achieve this I was left with a fairly risky (in terms of OH&S) set-up. Two packing boxes, 4 shoeboxes, and a wooden mirror display thing (without the mirror of course), taped and pegged together. Yikes!

Overall I think the video went okay, it is just disappointing that it I couldn’t fully realise my vision without a good set-up in a studio. Still, for what it was, it worked. I definitely know now that I need to put more consideration into my green screen work, so at least I have that for next time around.

Networked Media W7

Networked Photography

Greg Williams

Greg Williams is an English photographer, born 14 August in 1972. In the mid 1990’s, Williams primarily a photojournalist, capturing war-torn Sierra Leone and Chechnya. Stating active war zones “…aren’t places for anyone who isn’t a trained soldier,” (Rufus, 2017), Williams recently discovered he developed PTSD from his time in Sierra Leone, when he was 23. Williams then moved in to editorial work, and fashion and celebrity photography, where he has worked for Vogue Italia, GQ, and Vanity Fair. He shot poster campaigns for multiple films including both the James Bond and Jason Bourne series.

In 2009, Williams used a Red One camera to shoot Megan Fox for Esquire, which was the first time a video camera still was used for a portrait in a major magazine. (Found here: https://vimeo.com/11878267). In 2011, he directed Sgt. Slaughter: My Big Brother, a short film, and then in 2013, a feature film Samarkand featuring Tom Hardy as a Special Air Service soldier dealing with PTSD. He states that a lot of his photography techniques have come from cinematographers, inspiring for example the way he shoots in “heavy and deliberate” (Rufus, 2017) light.

Currently, Williams is the official photographer for the BAFTA’s, but he also shoots for multiple award shows, including the Academy Awards. This work, along with his behind-the-scene film photography and editorial shoots, make up his body of work which is primarily seen and interacted with on Instagram.

@Gregwilliamsphotography “#DanielCraig on the Set of #NoTimetoDie” 5 April 2020

Williams, Gregwilliamsphtoography, “#DanielCraig on the Set of #NoTimetoDie”, Instagram, 5 April 2020, viewed April 28 2020 <https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kNfn1jck_/?utm_source=ig_embed>

@Gregwilliamsphotography “#joaquinphoenix who won the best actor Oscar tonight for his role in @jokermovie and #rooneymara tuck into their #montysveganburgers” 10 February 2020

Williams, Gregwilliamsphotography, “#joaquinphoenix who won the best actor Oscar tonight for his role in @jokermovie and #rooneymara tuck into their #montysveganburgers”, Instagram, 10 April 2020, viewed April 28 2020 <https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YRS9dgiS3/?utm_source=ig_embed>

How were the photos authored?

The first image, as stated in the caption, captures Daniel Craig on set for the upcoming installment of James Bond. Williams has used a Leica Q2 to take the image, and any editing is not apparent or mentioned. It has an element of that ‘heavy’ feeling lighting that he stated in the Annell interview, which helps to create a damp atmosphere. The image accords with the almost entirely black-and-white theme shown on his entire Instagram profile.

The second image sees Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara after celebrating with burgers after the Academy Awards. Again, it has the black-and-white appearance, and captures the couple candidly winding down after the ceremony, and Phoenix’s win. Both of these posts have a behind-the-scenes quality that make them appealing to an audience.

How were the photos published?

The main form of publishing of these images was via Instagram, the only social media platform Williams uses. Additionally, he has a blog, but that is more so a a way to digitally compile his works rather than necessarily share them to an audience. There is no evidence to suggest they has been physically printed.

How were the photos distributed?

Instagram being the main form of distribution, Williams is reaching an audience of 587,000. How the individual posts are received depends on his followers, however the multiple hashtags used is another method to reach a wider range of Instagram users. The use of the hashtag’s also assist in the commercialisation of the image, and in turn the platform, advertising for ‘Monty’s vegan burgers’. The second image gained more attention on social media, with William’s encapsulation of a private moment popular with Twitter users in particular. This is an example of an image becoming ‘networked’, gaining traction across multiple platforms.

References

Greg Williams 2010, Megan Fox Moving Cover HD, Vimeo, viewed April 27 2020, <https://vimeo.com/11878267>

Rufus, A 2017, Soldiers, Superstars, Coachella and PTSD: For Photographer Greg Williams, They All Intersect, Huffpost, viewed April 27 2020 <https://www.huffpost.com/entry/soldiers-superstars-coach_b_7072574>

Williams, G  n.d,Greg WIlliam Photography, Gregwilliams.com,  viewed April 27 2020 <https://gregwilliams.com/>

Williams, G n.d., Greg WIlliams Archive, Gregwilliamsarchive.com, viewed April 27 2020, <http://gregwilliamsarchive.com/>

Williams, Gregwilliamsphotography, “#joaquinphoenix who won the best actor Oscar tonight for his role in @jokermovie and #rooneymara tuck into their #montysveganburgers”, Instagram, 10 April 2020, viewed April 28 2020 <https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YRS9dgiS3/?utm_source=ig_embed>

Williams, Gregwilliamsphtoography, “#DanielCraig on the Set of #NoTimetoDie”, Instagram, 5 April 2020, viewed April 28 2020 <https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kNfn1jck_/?utm_source=ig_embed>

Future Machina W5

I presented my elevator pitch for the upcoming assignment:

In the beauty industry, certain AI technologies are in development such as virtual mirrors, where a person can ‘try on’ various makeup to see if they would like to buy it.  “In my day in the life as an AI, I work at a department store, where everyday I stare at people’s faces, get to see their confidence as they try a product they like, and how their face transforms with the application of the products in my catalogue. I wish more than anything that could be me, with a pensive eyes, soft skin, a real smile!” The AI mirror develops an understanding of human emotion, fuelling its identity crisis and desire for more in the world. 

The concept of a self-aware AI reminded me a bit of Wall-E, and how he watched human character and grew a desire to experience the same thing. For example, when he wanted to have a hand to hold, because he saw it in the old movies:

What do 'Wall-E' and 'Logan' have in common? - Go Into The Story

(Image from https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/what-do-wall-e-and-logan-have-in-common-92fb0eb70137)

Also, the idea was somewhat inspired by Westworld, and by the fact that some of them did not even know they were human. I wonder if I could explore this in my piece, but I am not sure how I would tackle this just yet.

Networked Media W6

Analogue Video

Nam June Paik

Nam June Paik has been called, ‘the father of video art’, bridging the gap between art and technology. Paik was born in Seoul in 1932. in 1950 his family fled to Hong Kong, and later Japan, after the beginning of the Korean War. Paik was always fond of music and art, and eventually attended the University of Tokyo, studying art and music history, before moving to West Germany and continuing study at the University of Munich in 1956-1958. He worked in the late 1950’s at a German Radio studio, mainly for electronic music, in Cologne. In the early 1960’s he became involved with the group Fluxus, which was a group of artists, poets, and musicians whose ‘…shared impulse was to integrate life into art,’ (Britannica, n.d.).

In 1963, Paik’s work “Exposition of Music/Electronic Television” in Wuppertal, Germany was the first time video had been used as an artistic medium. In 1964 Paik continued on to New York City, where he continued  making videos, video sculptures, and installations. In 1982 the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City displayed a large exhibition of Paik’s work. in 1988 he produced ‘The More the Better” for the Olympic Games in Seoul.

From 1979 Paik was a professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, an Arts Academy in Germany, before a stroke in 1996 that paralysed his left side and left him wheelchair-bound. in January 2006, he passed in Miami, Florida.

‘TV Cello’ – Nam June Paik, 1971

Art Gallery of NSW 2011, Charlotte Moorman performs with Paik’s ‘TV cello’, YouTube, Art Gallery of NSW, May 4, viewed 13 April 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9lnbIGHzUM>

An image of TV cello by Nam June Paik

Paik, NJ 1976, TV Cello, photograph, viewed 13 April 2020, <https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/343.2011.a-c/>

How was the video authored?

In 1969 -1972, Paik created four works in collaboration with Cellist Charlotte Moorman. The Third was TV Cello, which saw three television monitors vertically stacked with four wires, formed to mimic a cello. Footage would play on the screens as the wires, being synthesisers,  were triggered. This included live image of Moorman, and 16mm film of Moorman’s past performances interwoven with other cellists. It was constructed of 3 monitors, video tubes, TV chassis, and plexiglass boxes.

How was the video published?

The piece was premiered in the Bonino Gallery in New York City, with Charlotte Moorman performing. There was a simultaneous livestream on television in both North America and in France.

How was the video distributed?

Since the initial performance, The piece has been shown worlwide, with Moorman as the cellist. This includes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1976 (see video above).  Today, the piece is immortalised in videos shared across the internet and particularly on YouTube.

References

Art Gallery of NSW 2011, Charlotte Moorman performs with Paik’s ‘TV cello’, YouTube, Art Gallery of NSW, May 4, viewed 13 April 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9lnbIGHzUM>

Britannica n.d., Nam June Paik, Britannica, viewed 11 April 2020, <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nam-June-Paik>

IMDB n.d., Nam June Paik Biography, IMDB, viewed 12 April 2020, <https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656760/bio>

Paik, NJ 1976, TV Cello, photograph, viewed 13 April 2020, <https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/343.2011.a-c/>

Tate n.d., Nam June Paik 1932-2006, Tate, Viewed 11 April 2020, <https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/nam-june-paik-6380>

Wainright, L n.d., Fluxus, Britannica, viewed 12 April 2020, <https://www.britannica.com/art/Fluxus>

Wolf, A 2018, Life and Technology: The Binary of Nam June Paik, Gagosian, viewed 13 April 2020,  <https://gagosian.com/quarterly/2018/10/16/life-and-technology-binary-nam-june-paik/>