Question 1.
There’s a particular moment where your sound helps shape the meaning of your work (describe this moment and what you think the meaning of the work is: experiencing conformity). If you agree, tell me how you came about to add this sound. If you disagree, tell me how you think the sound at that moment is functioning?
Sound was something that I’ve been particularly keen on. There’s a difference in tempo in a movie and say, a short video on the Internet. The meaning is much more direct in a movie, but built on a storyline. A short video does not. With this, I pushed for a sound that is relatable, yet has a bigger meaning. The use of Apple’s iPhone 7 trailers brought a sense of change without much ‘change’. Nothing else seemed to have the same impact as the fast, quick, repetition of beats as the sounds Apple utilized.
Question 2.
When I watch your video, I can think of it in context to Doug Aitken – Electric Earth because of the tempo in both the shots and sounds. What were your inspirations (any inspirations) for making the work?
The iPhone 7 announcement was the pinnacle for Project 2’s development. I sat down one class and thought how I could push the idea of growing up, or the experience of it, when I remembered I was to get my new iPhone that week. The tempo just naturally synced with the idea and was not your average short film. Quick transitions and shots held an essence of taking bits and pieces, not everything in one go. As much as Doug Aitken was an influence, I felt that this was something that came straight out of a desire to make a project that is different. Being a senior in college, I’m so close to entering the ‘adult world’ and from there, ideas of change and the experiences following them brought about Project 2.
Question 3.
I would describe the tempo of how you sequence clips (ie. the specific editing of your video clips in a specific order) as a rapid drumming followed by a little break. How does your use of sound add or contrast to that?
The sequence of clips is relatively synced to the tempo of the sounds utilized. Some of the sounds the camera picked up were used in “Growing Experience”, but not in “Lesson of Confusion”. There is no rapid movement in the clips, unlike the quick tempo of the sounds. This is where contrast brings in the sense of a balance in both image and sound.
Question 4.
I’m particularly interested in how you used the camera in the following way: to make center shots interesting. Can you tell me why you did this?
Without having a dead center shot in each clip, the clips worked. Using the camera as sort of a projector, each clip is different in the sense of movement that eliminates static imagery. The camera was carefully cared for so the imagery does not go blurry and the viewer cannot understand what happened in the brief clips in a rather quick sequencing.
Question 5.
How does this project relate to your previous work with the salt lamp?
This project feels like an extension of the salt lamp. The mood is hyped, as if the salt lamp film was cut short in each shot. The sense of working for a project was removed and the sense of spontaneity engulfed this project more-so. The grasp of both projects’ meanings are relatively vague. Both rely on the experience and perception of the mood in each shot.