Research Video

Three things I learned in class:
1. After hours of critiquing, you run out of things to say.
2. Having good video footage does not guarantee a good project.
3. Relying on music too heavily can result from poor video footage, or result in overall poor project quality.

Final Project Ideas:
1. Martial arts battle, a la chop-socky Kung Fu movies
2. Performance art involving martial arts
3. Video/Image sequence of a kata (predetermined set of movements)
4. Compare media martial arts vs. real martial arts
5. Sparring/Fighting soundscape

Image sequences

For the most part, I liked the image sequences. With the exception of a few that didn't really show enough variation in image timing, selection and subject matter, most were very interesting. One of my favorites was probably Bleu's piece - I loved the ambiguity at the beginning of the sequence which was later explained by the microphone shots later. Also his syncing of the rhythmic sound with the images was very effective. Despite using my research sound piece, I think i did a pretty good job. After comparing both my images and my research sound, I concluded that they matched up pretty well, and thus I could use them together and have an effective piece. I only wish we could have talked about the sequences in class - I felt that certain people's projects stood out, to me, and they deserved praise for it.

Performance Art

Wow, that was amazing. I didn't think I would enjoy doing that performance art as much as I did. Just seeing peoples reactions and comparing them - witnessing the moment when they realized what was going on is priceless. Being reported by DPS just goes to show how uncomfortable people can get by being reminded of what they look like. I only hope the audio and video can sync up and we can watch it, or even pull it together into some kind of documented video.

Looking back upon my blog, I have definitely improved my knowledge of listening and hearing things, and applying those skills to new works of art I experience. My answers, for example, on the 'Speed' reading seem much more articulate and organized than those for the Scott McCloud reading. After seeing Maya Lin, I understood much more how and why those pieces were effective, and saw them in a new light, so to speak. The knowledge I have acquired from this course with undoubtedly help me become a better computer artist and indeed a better artist in general.