Week 9 and Week 10
-Transferred Pal tapes and began transfer of mini DV tapes to DVD for logging
-Watched "Wild life"
-Worked on and finished reverse storyboards for Benjamin Smoke and "Trembling Before G-D."
-Met with film team to discuss and interview new co-producer and interns. Also met to discuss time line for the project, roles and new grant opportunities.
-Wrote two drafts of self evaluation
-Met with tutor to clean up audio in the extended trailer and worked on posting it to You-Tube
-Talked with animators about getting sketches to me by January deadline
-Brainstormed fundraisers to have for TQ this next year and drafted new budget for grants.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Film viewing notes on "Wild Life"
-Normalization of these queer Latino young men.
-What is being gay? “There is no difference between us and heteros, I was born like this.”
-Theatrical set up, a separation of reality, acting out the steps of there interactions as gay people, IT almost seems fake, This reminded me of Brecht plays in showing the falseness of this “Reality.”
-What makes it a documentary is maybe that they are not actors?
-Sneaking around, changing into gay clothes on the street
-Dressing wild, being wild= gay
-Very intimate but also very surface, here are the signifier's of these people who are very aware of being watched and performing for the camera.
-I imagine this as a good educational video for allies about the inside life of queer folk.
-”We are exactly the same, were 100% gay” One of the boys says this about his friend while putting on neon makeup.
-”Love is knowing that you'll never be lonely again.”
- The film ends with an audio description of why the filmmaker made this. I both like and dis-like not knowing till the end why he chose to shoot in this style. It was a cool set up to dive into this world of these boys lives, it was also a little hard to follow without knowing the intention behind the film.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Notes on Trembling before G-D
-I like the beginning in silhouettes, showing Jewish culture in shadow, a culture that is often not
to open to displaying itself. It is also a good symbol of the invisibility of LGBTQ Jews in the Orthodox community.
-Nice use of B-roll in showing place and culture, each place we travel to has a section of B-roll and a piece of what that culture is like.
-The art of hiding someones identity when you are interviewing them
-I like the traveling style to the editing of this film, how they hop from place to place without making the place the theme. this will be useful in thinking about editing Travel Queeries.
-"We are not advocating for gay rights, we are just showing this is something we have to deal with." this was said by an Orthodox Jewish woman who was in the closet. I liked her frame work for how to deal in a religion that does not allow you to be yourself.
-"Just being Jewish is a gift from G-D." this was said by an out Orthodox Jewish man who is HIV positive.
- The follow up documentary was even better then the movie and very touching. It was fun to see the transformations of the characters as they toured the movie and opened up dialogues in many communities. It was inspiring to see how openly this film was received, I liked continuing the story of the people and watching how things are shifting in the Orthodox community because of this film. it was very hopeful.
to open to displaying itself. It is also a good symbol of the invisibility of LGBTQ Jews in the Orthodox community.
-Nice use of B-roll in showing place and culture, each place we travel to has a section of B-roll and a piece of what that culture is like.
-The art of hiding someones identity when you are interviewing them
-I like the traveling style to the editing of this film, how they hop from place to place without making the place the theme. this will be useful in thinking about editing Travel Queeries.
-"We are not advocating for gay rights, we are just showing this is something we have to deal with." this was said by an Orthodox Jewish woman who was in the closet. I liked her frame work for how to deal in a religion that does not allow you to be yourself.
-"Just being Jewish is a gift from G-D." this was said by an out Orthodox Jewish man who is HIV positive.
- The follow up documentary was even better then the movie and very touching. It was fun to see the transformations of the characters as they toured the movie and opened up dialogues in many communities. It was inspiring to see how openly this film was received, I liked continuing the story of the people and watching how things are shifting in the Orthodox community because of this film. it was very hopeful.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Notes on "The Gleaners and I"
I had mixed reactions to this film. On the one hand I really liked the anthropological look at the culture of gleaning and the creative interviewing style of Agnes Verda; on the other hand her sub plot of noticing her self within the piece I found hard to follow and less engaging.
-Cool use of B-roll to show culture through art pieces about gleaning
-Nice quick shots of urban and rural gleaning with contemporary french rap over it.
-I like the feel of modern and historic France colliding in this activity of gleaning.
-A document of french sub-culture and society
-We meet the filmmaker intimately and somewhat cheesily using the camera as an examining device.
-Defining the word gleaning verses picking, what it means to glean vegetables, fruits things relation to being poor and or resourceful.
-A retriever making art from salvaged materials
-The movie starts to get more into theory "It is full in here, to relive you of emptiness" looking at the concept of gleaning in a house made of gleaned materials.
-Louis Pans-Junk sculpture artist, cool stuff!
-"It always comes back to the gleaners, trying to win there confidence, listen to them, converse with them rather then interview them and film them."-Agnes Verda
-Cool use of B-roll to show culture through art pieces about gleaning
-Nice quick shots of urban and rural gleaning with contemporary french rap over it.
-I like the feel of modern and historic France colliding in this activity of gleaning.
-A document of french sub-culture and society
-We meet the filmmaker intimately and somewhat cheesily using the camera as an examining device.
-Defining the word gleaning verses picking, what it means to glean vegetables, fruits things relation to being poor and or resourceful.
-A retriever making art from salvaged materials
-The movie starts to get more into theory "It is full in here, to relive you of emptiness" looking at the concept of gleaning in a house made of gleaned materials.
-Louis Pans-Junk sculpture artist, cool stuff!
-"It always comes back to the gleaners, trying to win there confidence, listen to them, converse with them rather then interview them and film them."-Agnes Verda
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Notes on Jem Cohen Films
"Talk About The Passion"
- A good example of camera movement vs. person movement with the camera. It was as though the camera was taking you on a journey.
"Blood Orange Sky"
-It was like going on a trip with Jem and seeing through his cameras eyes. His camera found the things for us to peer at.
-The modern and the ancient living next to each other, he shows this skillfully. The modern ends up looking ancient.
-Audio: Use of filed recordings and traditional music to set the ambiance, sometimes-sound b-roll going over long shots.
- The only thing missing is the narrative, the conversations he had with these people. What is his relationship with the people he documents?
-He waits till the end to bring you indoors to maybe show you a little of the interior and a little of the space he took up while filming. It is not just the pure surface of Sicily when we are brought inside and shown his bed. I like that this does not come about till the end.
-The sound b-roll of waves leads you out, I like this, it is as if the movie is washed over you.
"Buried In Light"
-Much more abstract then "Blood Orange Sky"
-Transportation shots to signify travel and place I like this method
-He separates images with words "Signifiers" of place like "Berlin, South wall" this makes his ideas come across to easily, I prefer just seeing the images and coming up with my own story.
-How do you show a place? Really show the soul of a place.
-I really like his people sped up shots and night shots; he inspires me to work with low light.
-It would be a fun project to try and emulate one of his films in Brasil or San Francisco
-I liked the smudged surface of Krakow as if you are walking into a dream; He often uses reflection or pre-muddled surfaces to add drama to a shot, good technique.
-I like the travelers notes as filed recordings, how he follows strangers and watches how they interact with the camera.
- His personal journey into Jewish and Holocaust history was heart breaking and well done.
-The use of vintage footage to really show the "then and now."
-I like the lowering his sense of gravity shots, below the belt
-I like his documentation of plants in each place as signifiers
-"Seven possibilities for color beyond advertising" this was really well done a fun and unique form of activism.
-His postscript was a nice ending
- Approachable Travel Documentary, I like this, I want to write him.
- A good example of camera movement vs. person movement with the camera. It was as though the camera was taking you on a journey.
"Blood Orange Sky"
-It was like going on a trip with Jem and seeing through his cameras eyes. His camera found the things for us to peer at.
-The modern and the ancient living next to each other, he shows this skillfully. The modern ends up looking ancient.
-Audio: Use of filed recordings and traditional music to set the ambiance, sometimes-sound b-roll going over long shots.
- The only thing missing is the narrative, the conversations he had with these people. What is his relationship with the people he documents?
-He waits till the end to bring you indoors to maybe show you a little of the interior and a little of the space he took up while filming. It is not just the pure surface of Sicily when we are brought inside and shown his bed. I like that this does not come about till the end.
-The sound b-roll of waves leads you out, I like this, it is as if the movie is washed over you.
"Buried In Light"
-Much more abstract then "Blood Orange Sky"
-Transportation shots to signify travel and place I like this method
-He separates images with words "Signifiers" of place like "Berlin, South wall" this makes his ideas come across to easily, I prefer just seeing the images and coming up with my own story.
-How do you show a place? Really show the soul of a place.
-I really like his people sped up shots and night shots; he inspires me to work with low light.
-It would be a fun project to try and emulate one of his films in Brasil or San Francisco
-I liked the smudged surface of Krakow as if you are walking into a dream; He often uses reflection or pre-muddled surfaces to add drama to a shot, good technique.
-I like the travelers notes as filed recordings, how he follows strangers and watches how they interact with the camera.
- His personal journey into Jewish and Holocaust history was heart breaking and well done.
-The use of vintage footage to really show the "then and now."
-I like the lowering his sense of gravity shots, below the belt
-I like his documentation of plants in each place as signifiers
-"Seven possibilities for color beyond advertising" this was really well done a fun and unique form of activism.
-His postscript was a nice ending
- Approachable Travel Documentary, I like this, I want to write him.
Monday, November 19, 2007
"Queer Theory An Introduction"
Queer: 1: questionable, suspicious2 a: differing in some odd way from what is usual or normal b (1): eccentric, unconventional (2): mildly insane: touched c: absorbed or interested to an extreme or unreasonable degree: obsessed d (1) often disparaging: homosexual (2) sometimes offensive: gay 4b3: not quite well -Websters Online Dictionary
I found “Queer Theory An Introduction” to be a great crash course lesson in queer history with many insightful looks into how the queer identity came to be and how gay has changed alongside our capitalist society over time.
“One of the ways in which the gay liberation movement of a decade ago differed from most of its predecessors was in its insistence that only radical change to society could bring about genuine acceptance of homosexuality. The thrust of the gay movement over the past decade has been away from this perception toward the idea that all that is involved is the granting of civil rights to a new minority.” –Altman.
As a queer person reading this I got to look at where this identity I chose for myself started and what were the steps leading up to its emergence from the gay and lesbian identity. I could reflect upon my own experience in Jan Clausen’s quote: “I do not want to become an identity junkie, hooked on the rush that comes with pinning down the essential characteristic that for that moment, seems to offer the ultimate definition of the self, the quintessence of oppression, the locust of personal value—only to be superseded by the next revelation.” I have often felt when reading Queer theory or talking with fellow queers about identity that it can become an obsession to see who is the most oppressed, the most original, the most “out there.”
I read this book in combination of watching “Before Stonewall.” The two together gave me a real sense of the foundations of identity politics in western culture. It was fun to read about the start of the Mattachine society and then watch the founders in a documentary. Annamarie Jagose lays out a clear path to understanding the steps to the making of this complex identity and in the process shares all angles on the debate beneath this controversial word “queer.”
“Instead of assuming that collective identities simply reflect differences among persons that exist prior to mobilization, ‘ writes Stein, ‘we need to look closely at the process by which movements remake identities.” I liked this perspective on how an identity is made by a group coming together. A lot of my reading in this book was referencing the community I belong to.
In the Production of Travel Queeries a few of our interviewees cited Queer theory when talking about what this word means to them. I believe this subject has given people a vocabulary to use when discussing their personal identity. At the same time it seems this “language” has alienated many people who live their lives in a queer way without labeling it as such. I have gained more perspective on this identity and on my own community.
I found “Queer Theory An Introduction” to be a great crash course lesson in queer history with many insightful looks into how the queer identity came to be and how gay has changed alongside our capitalist society over time.
“One of the ways in which the gay liberation movement of a decade ago differed from most of its predecessors was in its insistence that only radical change to society could bring about genuine acceptance of homosexuality. The thrust of the gay movement over the past decade has been away from this perception toward the idea that all that is involved is the granting of civil rights to a new minority.” –Altman.
As a queer person reading this I got to look at where this identity I chose for myself started and what were the steps leading up to its emergence from the gay and lesbian identity. I could reflect upon my own experience in Jan Clausen’s quote: “I do not want to become an identity junkie, hooked on the rush that comes with pinning down the essential characteristic that for that moment, seems to offer the ultimate definition of the self, the quintessence of oppression, the locust of personal value—only to be superseded by the next revelation.” I have often felt when reading Queer theory or talking with fellow queers about identity that it can become an obsession to see who is the most oppressed, the most original, the most “out there.”
I read this book in combination of watching “Before Stonewall.” The two together gave me a real sense of the foundations of identity politics in western culture. It was fun to read about the start of the Mattachine society and then watch the founders in a documentary. Annamarie Jagose lays out a clear path to understanding the steps to the making of this complex identity and in the process shares all angles on the debate beneath this controversial word “queer.”
“Instead of assuming that collective identities simply reflect differences among persons that exist prior to mobilization, ‘ writes Stein, ‘we need to look closely at the process by which movements remake identities.” I liked this perspective on how an identity is made by a group coming together. A lot of my reading in this book was referencing the community I belong to.
In the Production of Travel Queeries a few of our interviewees cited Queer theory when talking about what this word means to them. I believe this subject has given people a vocabulary to use when discussing their personal identity. At the same time it seems this “language” has alienated many people who live their lives in a queer way without labeling it as such. I have gained more perspective on this identity and on my own community.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Week 7 and 8 learning post production skills and DVD studio pro
-Finished reading Intro to Queer Theory
-Learned DVD studio pro and made a opening page for TQ DVD
-Sent off extended trailer to "Threat Level" film festival
-Kept in touch with animators and started to get ideas from them about the work they will produce for TQ.
-Watched "Before Stonewall" with group of queer folks and discussed the history of LGBTQ people afterward
-Went to Feminist video art at the Capital Theater learned about the history of feminist video art with all women production teams as well as different video techniques and artists.
-Put final touches on Soiree, getting donations for event and finalizing guest list
-Had a successful Soiree showing the extended trailer to donors and eating good food
-Logged footage of Serbian interviews and b-roll
-Had meeting with mediator on personal issues in the project
-Began research for Reverse Storyboard final project
-Learned DVD studio pro and made a opening page for TQ DVD
-Sent off extended trailer to "Threat Level" film festival
-Kept in touch with animators and started to get ideas from them about the work they will produce for TQ.
-Watched "Before Stonewall" with group of queer folks and discussed the history of LGBTQ people afterward
-Went to Feminist video art at the Capital Theater learned about the history of feminist video art with all women production teams as well as different video techniques and artists.
-Put final touches on Soiree, getting donations for event and finalizing guest list
-Had a successful Soiree showing the extended trailer to donors and eating good food
-Logged footage of Serbian interviews and b-roll
-Had meeting with mediator on personal issues in the project
-Began research for Reverse Storyboard final project
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)