Sound is important!

Projections of Sound on Image

I knew that sound was important, but this article explained more in depth than any other that I have  read. It taught about the senses and how they work, most specifically that ears work faster than the eye. Wow, I guess I never really thought about it because the added value is so involuntary. The visuals in cinema takes all the credit for what the sound helps direct the eyes to… according to the definite impression. I had never heard the words “vococentric” or “verbocentric,” so now I know that we are used to focusing on the verbal sounds of communication in our everyday lives. Sometimes we neglect to recognize the sounds of our natural surroundings because we are caught up in our own thoughts or small talk. I always knew that dialogue could sound cheesy in movies sometimes—I  think that in student films it would be much more helpful to focus less on dialogue and more on sound design. Not only because it takes a lot of practice to write natural sounding dialogue, but because sound has a huge impact on the way we process and remember what we see on the screen.

Acoustic Ecology

It’s so nice to read an article that isn’t written in film theory or critique! It is so important to be knowledgeable of all different subjects when filmmaking. I appreciated the scientific nature of this article. Reading about re-training our ears reminded me of my experience as a camp counselor this past summer. We all participated in exercises that helped the kids learn to listen to their surroundings in nature. When I closed my eyes and listened with them, I was somewhat surprised by the sounds I noticed. Even though we were out in the wilderness and next to a river, I was incredibly distracted by the sound of an airplane flying above us. Even though it was far away, it was really difficult to tune out. The way humans listen has definitely changed over the years/centuries. The kids noticed a lot of different sounds though, like leaves rustling, the dogs barking, the donkey neighing (it was on a farm). It’s great that we have programs like this that help people become reacquainted with things like this.

This article reminded me of another memory I have as well: One day I was walking downtown when I heard a bird… this particular bird was making the EXACT same sound as a siren or car alarm. I was amazed that it did such a specific pattern of annoying whirling noises, speeding up and slowing down. It definitely made me laugh. This probably affected his success with his mating call... as mentioned in the article.

Welles animation theory

I’m not sure if Welles is arguing that orthodox animation is boring, but I think he is mainly just drawing a comparison.I think that the younger generation is ready to see experimental brought into the “mainstream.” A good way to initiate this is through experimental animation. I think that experimental animation is a great way to cultivate an interest in film. I think that kids appreciate experimental techniques more than adults do, because they think in terms of abstract imagination. This is especially true in recent Internet generations where young people have the world at their fingertips. By exposing kids or an audience to animations that are self aware, their understanding of shapes, colors, rhythm, sound, music and movement is being cultivated in a uniquely entertaining way. Drawing attention to the process can provoke a curiosity that will lead to countless new and exciting techniques.  Narrative cel animation can be appreciated for what it is, but just like with the Hollywood formula, newer audiences may begin to crave something more involved and less predictable. Disney is distinct for its narrative of a realistic fantasy, and Warner Brothers is distinct for its specific humor based on character conventions. Duck Amuck was an important crossover that played around with the idea that there is a person controlling the fate of Daffy Duck. I always thought this was clever, even if they just did it for a laugh. I think it’s great for the audience to feel included and people to walk away from a short film or animation feeling inspired, looking at everyday objects in different ways. I think it’s great when the viewer can experience the film along with the filmmaker. The animation that Welles talks about can transcend conventions and stand on its own.

film manipulation thus far

 

It is very liberating to know that imperfections can make a film strip aesthetically pleasing. Spilling and splattering oils liquids inks and paint all happen to be part of something I am pretty good at: making a huge mess. Only in this case, it involves doing something productive! How wonderful. Gathering little knick nacks for rayograms was really neat. I tried little nails, staples, a comb, ribbon, paperclips, beads, glitter, sugar, bobby pins, toothpicks, safety pins, clothes pins, rocks, bolts, hair clips, etc. After exposing and developing the film strips in the dark room I noticed that the smaller and thinner objects like the staples, nails, and glitter all turned out looking the best because the closer the object is to the film the more distinct the shape. The paperclips were noticeable as well. I think my favorite things were the staples that I used were the staples though, because you can arrange them in rectangular patterns that sort of give an impression of square shaped pixels. The sugar I used turned out looking interesting as well, it was sugar in the raw so the grains were bigger and more see through. I wonder what it would look like to use little tiny magnifying glasses on the film. I'm interested to see how the last batch with the sprocket holes turned out.

I'm thinking that the manipulation I work on will end up being pretty abstract, since it is our first time doing this. Making an animation like the one we watched on the first day must have taken forever! Something like that must be very tedious so I admire anyone who has the patience to do such a thing. Who knows, it could be like a meditation, drawing and scratching so many similar shapes over and over again. I look forward to trying to create a method to the madness. I’m going to take all the information I learned from an art teacher I had about a year ago. She was the one who taught us to really work on a painting by working the layers over and over again because it is the only way to make some really interesting colors and effects. So to start off we plan to use paint on our clear strip and show some gradual changes in colors. Once we have an interesting back drop we are going to start scratching, chipping, and bleaching, using the method of subtraction. I love that we won’t be able to see it until after we finish everything. Hands on contact with film is so intimate! Happy Vday to us.

Synesthesia and Cymatics

If the lines between senses are obscured it allows for creativity to flow more freely. It is hard to believe that there are 60 or greater types of synesthesia, meaning we all perceive things in vastly different ways. The artwork of a drug user, a stroke or seizure victim, or a blind/deaf person would all create impressions of vastly different stories of what exactly is occurring within their psyche. It makes you think, because to a certain extent we could all have a type of synesthesia. I think everyone has experienced involuntary experiences based on a certain smell for example. Associations with objects or a certain environment can take you back to a particular time in your life, causing a whirlwind of numerous sensations that can be just as vivid as they were when you first encountered them. If we train ourselves to draws more freely cross the boundaries of sensations that are thought to be separate from one another, we can learn more about the way our minds work, the way we perceive memory, and the way we create art. I love that synesthesic art specifically points out art making as a process and not a final product. It provides clues that are self aware, and draws attention to the medium. Also, it allows for more innovation since it is not forever bound to one medium. It crosses over to music, audiovisual, and all sorts of intermedia. If we start to think of motion as sound, as filmmakers we can more easily extract audio from various locations that we normally wouldn't have even imagined. As far as science goes, synesthesia investigation takes it  to a whole new level. Sound affects matter, sound has form and causes form within matter. The concept is timeless. I immediately thought of Om, meaning "everything manifest comes from primordial vibration," and all of us are beings of energy vibrating at numerous frequencies.