The Real Me: My Reading Response To Scott McDonald

I have recently read to the article "Introduction to Avant-Garde Films" by Scott McDonald and I found it very enlightening and interesting. Why read an article such as this? Well I grew up watching a lot of weird films and out of this world animation so what isn't normal to someone else is actually sometimes a walk in the park for me.

Scott McDonald talks about how mainstream audiences dislike avant-garde films because they've grown up watching Hollywood movies and feel they know how a movie must structured. People will see an avant-garde film and be confused and sometimes frustrated, but who is to decide what is considered good cinema? He then goes on through a rather exciting (I thought) history of avant-garde films from the 20's to modern day.

As a media artist though I found it an inspiring article on the grounds of how I want to incorporate this feeling of surrealism into my movies that avant-garde has to offer. Breaking some boundaries in mainstream cinema is one of my goals and having seen a few of these films myself, I know it will be fun to fuse structured cinema that has a good foundation with avant-garde which would almost have a round and flowing air-like texture to it. If it were an object.

A Quick One (While He's Away): My Video and Editing Software Response

Well the time has set ladies and gentlemen. A project that I have been working on is nearly complete and now it's time to be interviewed on how my work is going. I've selected two question out of the interview to show you how it all went down. Here we go.

1. How was your experience with the Olympus digital camera? How did it compare with other still or video cameras you have previously used? Were you able to successfully implement your Image Capturing Strategies using the features of this camera? In an ideal world, how would your still/video camera of choice function?

-It was actually an experience, I've never used the video selection on a digital camera before. I think that's because I kinda find it pointless to when I could just use a camera. But now that I've used it it seemed to work just fine just no audio. I still think my JVC vido camera does better quality work, but I don't think that that was the point of this. I was able to capture a lot of material on the camera but I wish it had better battery performance, the video would just drain the batteries so fast. All my footage came out pixilated too so I had to corperate that with my movie. I guess if I had to have a choice of function, we could totally use very inexpensive video cameras, but I think I'm just saying that so I feel more as a filmmaker instead of a photographer. I don't know.

2. Discuss your choice of video-editing software and describe your history with this software. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?

- I used regular iMovie because I was familiar with it and had really no other editting software to use. I could have used Quicktime but.......well no. I did my highschool film thesis (I guess you could call it that) on iMovie and as of right now I trust it the most. I don't have money to invest in Fianlcut Pro or something. I think I will plan to keep using iMovie unless I have easy access to a computer that has otherwise because it would be nice to know how to make movies using finalcut Pro before I go out and waste 300 dollars. iMovie is easy and very generic and I'm not a fan of too many special effects so I'm not tempted on fancy techniques.

Pure and Easy: Reading Response #2

The article of which I have chosen was in fact an interview between Frank Bures and Will Self on Self's new book entitled "Pyschogeography". The book encourages people to think outside of our automobiles and airplanes and take minute to actually realize where we are in this world and not take the small things in life for granted.

Will Self was used his method to deal with drug problems he possessed. He grew up walking with his mother and father and after having an epithany in 1988 he's been walking some 26-30 mile walks. Walking soothes him and you feel one with nature separating yourself from the urban life of city sidewalks and automobiles.

The article spoke to me in the sense that I do love to walk for long extended amounts of time with my ipod and just feel the world around me. Another special thing for me is when I'm out and about with my girlfriend and we can walk for hours just talking and thinking and holding each other. Just today we braved the windy weather and walked out on the beach, and it was extremely romantic and memorable.

As a media artist I have always been interested in the things that are real and full of life. Cities and towns may have been built around it, but nature lives on in a wonderful way actually growing up around the buildings and accepting them as the background. No matter waht happens in the world I feel nature spiritually is smarter then us. (Listen to me, I sound like I work for greenpeace........ah, whatever.)

So I have plans of using actual scenery in my projects in the future and instead of it declared as background, I want the trees and flowers and leaves all around to be in way characters themselves, so that my movies have good story and breath-taking scenery. My goal: a visual genius. (Someone sounds egotistical.)

I Can't Explain: My audio/software response

1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.
- My experiences with the microphones were overall very good. The mics at first were malfunctioning because I hadn't soddered them on right, but after a good four hours, I managed to get them to work. On my drift walks they were amazing. I really feel they were super cool, and I was able to carefully collect sounds may it be the outer noises or the close up sounds I was trying to get. My IDEAL microphone would probably be one I could use with a boom stick. I would be comfortable lugging this around because my girlfriend came along with me and she could help carry the equipment. And for recording, I was actually okay with the mini discs but It would be nice to use something more professional. But I'm not picky.

2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?
-The minidisc recorders were great. It organized my sounds well and I could erase them if I wanted to. Compared to the rest of the recording stuff I rank it 2nd place below the headphones because those headphones are amazing. My ideal recorder though would have the same features of a Minidisc but I don't know. More professional probably. I know that's wrong to think like that but yeah.

3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?

- I chose audacity because it was recommended for the class. It was confusing at first but I managed to get over that and work well with it in the end. Trial and error was the basic strategy, not much to really it was self explanatory. My biggest problem is my conversion to Mac, because I'm not used to Mac, so I still need to figure out how it works and such. It helped achieve my goals not only in the first draft but it will be much easier in the second one as well. I actually look forward to using audacity to mess with sounds again for future projects.

Is It In My Head? 10 questions I should ask myself in Drift 2

#1:Should I explore place outside my drift strategy?
#2:Does it help to go on a drift walk by myself, or is a partner necessary?
#3:Will I hear different noises in the city in the day compared to the night?
#4:Should I approach these sounds more as an improve, or should I plan ahead what I'm looking for?
#5:Should I except distraction or avoid them while I record?
#6:Should weather be a priority?
#7:Should my sounds have a concept, or all completely unique in every which way?
#8:Is note taking really beneficial at all for me?
#9: Is it possible to capture the same type of sounds I had in my previous drift in my second drift?
#10: Where might I find the most unique places in my drift area, and will I have to improvise in order to get them?

Thank You

The Amazing Journey

Here's a brief overview assessment on the startling heroic adventures of my drift 1 starring me! Andrew Megow!

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)

- One of the biggest struggles with a drift like mine that was basically animal noises, was the art of getting the damn animals to cooperate. I recorded at a really bad time which was after lunch for the animals in the zoo, so naturally most were taking their afternoon naps. So I was lucky to get what I had. Another issue which is probably apparent in my sounds is rain. It really started to pour on us for a good 20 minutes during the soundwalk and I was scared most of my sounds would be fixed with rain. Luckily though, the rain let up and it was business as usual. I usually tend to have an aura of luck surrounding me when I do my projects.

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

- Anytime an animal cooperated and let me record it was awesome. It made me feel good inside and I felt very productive. The peace part was using the soundwalk as an excuse to go on a walk with my girlfriend. It was a very relaxing experience before and after the actual recordings.

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)

- 3!? hoo boy... let's see:The hard thing about this is that the technology bit was the real surprising moments. Unexpected was definitely a porcupine recording, I was not expecting that scenario at all. I was not expecting to have this project done a class before it was due, I literally thought it would run til the day of. Lastly, I'd say was the idea that there were so many kids having problems with their equipment. When I had my first few days I was intimidated by some students, but it was through this first drift that I learned we're all human.

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.

- It was definitely recording two porcupines fighting over a piece of lettuce. We had just finished failed recording of a badger and we tried the porcupines because they were eating lettuce very loudly. At most I was hoping for some munching sounds but instead I got a story between two porcupines. They began to fight and push one another and we had to restrain ourselves from laughing or we would ruin the recording. My girlfriend in fact left for a while to regain her breathing. We had a good four minutes where they fought and one climbed a tree in their pen and yelled at the other from above. It was a classic memory that I'll keep in my memory bank for the remainder of my filming career.

The Punk & The Godfather: My Reading Response to Guy Debord's "Theory of Derive"

+Note: please excuse the fact that the word derive has a fancy 'e' in it with a dash above it, and the fact that I chose to skip that for the sake of getting this blog through in time. Thank you.

Guy Debord's "Theory of Derive" spoke to me.

In a derive, one or more persons during a certain period drop their relations, their work and leisure activities, and all their other motives for movement and action, and let them be drawn to the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there. (- Debord)

I find this entire concept of derive to be extrodinary because it happens in all of us. When we need something done most of us possess this sort of extra passion to get it done. Some people even go completely out of their way to complete the task at hand. In the idea of using Derive for a soundwalk, the concept becomes it's full blown definition. One of the things Debord mentions in his essay, is the fact that cities are a bad place to develop derive because of city limitiations and building zones and restrictions. One with derive will eventually become creative, and be "forced" to take matters into his/her own hands. This will cause trouble in some cases forcing the deriviter to talk to the law or even get mugged, and in the end that person is obligated to have derive in future situations.

I'm going deep into the idea I know but at a personal level a lot of my derive actually comes from obligation. The idea that if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it right (and good) comes into the game involvement everytime. Most derives are obligations for me but if I look in the past from other moments where derive has taken place, I remember mostly positive situations.

Am I obligated to go out and do a soundwalk? You bet your sweet bippy I am.

Why you ask? Because I'm a lazy college student.

Then what's going to happen? The same thing that happens everytime. I will force myself to get off my keister and derive will evetually kick in. I will want to go on a soundwalk, no I need to go on a sound walk.

Debord also said the derive will most likely not work early in the morning nor at night, and it really only lasts a few hours. This in my opinion is all true. In the morning, people are usually too groggy to even think of the idea of putting in effort. Most people need to be really motivated to derive in the morning. Same at night, people are tired and they are less motivated and to some degree crankiness kicks in and that's no fun. True as well derive only lasts a few hours, but hey for those of you with derive, look at what you did in those hours.......A statue of liberty designed out of cheese!? Wow, motivation's a crazy thing.

My motivation comes from purely derive. If I (Hypothetically) become a world famous director and I'm shooting a movie, bygonit I'm not gonna want to shoot every day, I'm a lazy person. But There's millions of dollars, hundreds of people, and set galore all waiting there for me. Skipping would be disastrous. That's when obligational derive will take it's form, and I will remember why I come to the studio from 6AM-10PM each day. Derive is a crazy concept, but it fills our hearts with joy at the fact that we accomplished something that day. And we were a little creative along the way. Thank you