New (To Me) Concepts

Interesting ideas that arose from the brief two readings and class discussion today:

• When you use multiple screens in a gallery space, the viewer becomes the editor. They put things together in their own logical order. They have control.

• Relation theory. Entaglement. Everything is connected. Everything affects everything else. For example, the students in a classroom and their engagement (talking, eye contact, nodding, making notes) impacts the flow of discussion from the tutor. Environmental factors such as room temperature influence how well the students can concentrate.

• The idea of post-human. Before, there was only the singular human perspective. Now, we can look outside ourselves. What possibilities does this open up? How will this go further in the future? 

The Challenges of Being a Non-fiction Writer

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters

After writing my response to a submission for brief one, I’ve been thinking about the limitations of being a non-fiction writer. Looking at the small number of videos that I could choose to respond to was a bit daunting at first. My preferred style of writing is review but we were specifically asked to respond to—not analyse or critique—the work so I had to think more loosely about how I could apply my skills to the task. I chose to follow a thread of memories that the emotion of the video brought to my mind.

I found this somewhat challenging until I started writing and found a flow. But I couldn’t help but wonder whether students who preferred to write fiction or poetry found this task easier. Rather than trying to relate what they saw to something else that already exists, they could create something entirely new. This made me curious about other ways I could respond to the videos while still staying in my chosen field of non-fiction. I’m interested so see how other students have responded to the videos and to challenge myself to respond in new ways in the coming briefs.

Brief 1 Part 2 - Response to Student Submissions

Link to the video I am responding to: https://vimeo.com/282659852

This short film prompted my memories of a particular feeling. I have felt it a few times in my life, but not often. It’s saved for the most unexpectedly happy occasions — times when everything feels simple.

My chest feels light and tingly. The usual weight of my body and mind — the tension in my shoulders and coiled around my spine, the ticking of my mind as it evaluates its present anxieties — is gone, not a flicker of it in my consciousness.

It feels like I could float off the edge of the earth at any time, despite being firmly detained by gravity.

I felt it when I was 11 years old. I lay on the floor of my lounge room, my back flat against the carpet and limbs sprawled out. The room was dark, save for the twinkling of the string of rainbow Christmas lights I had just hung around the border of our front window. It was December 1^st. I watched the lights in awe as they changed patterns—alternating blue and yellow then green and red, then all flashing wildly at once—my own aurora borealis. Despite their constant movements, everything else in the room was still and silent. I was pleasantly alone.

I felt it when I was 13 years old. On my birthday, I sat at the dining table, cutting slices of Freddo Frog ice-cream cake and passing them to my family members: one for my mum, one for my Nona and one for each of my two older sisters. This was the same ice-cream birthday cake that my mum bought me from the supermarket every year, but I appreciated it more this time than any other. The layers of white, pink and green ice-cream with cheap-tasting rainbow sprinkles on top were comforting . My family was sitting at the table, happily talking and eating cake. They were all here for me and no one was fighting.

I felt it when I was 18 years old. I sat cross-legged on a deck chair on the balcony of a hotel room in Coolangatta, talking to my boyfriend about anything that came to mind. I wore nothing but a bikini but the night air blanketed my exposed skin in both humidity and privacy. Flying foxes flew above us, their wings making swooping and flapping noises as they passed by. A flock of lorikeets nestled in the trees across the street, adorning the branches like brightly coloured Christmas ornaments. Having just graduated from high school and being far away from everything that I knew made everything feel uncomplicated and limitless.

This short film made me wonder how the dancer felt as she floated around the frame. Did she feel light and happiness in that moment? Or was it purely a performance?

Brief 1 Part 1 - Framing Figures Short Film

by Elizabeth and Christie

Here is a link to our submission for Brief 1:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=1_ziX_CL2vM&app=desktop 

We hope you like it! 

First Thoughts on Collaborating

Photo by "My Life Through A Lens"

-what are you most excited about?

I’m most excited about working on film projects, even if they’re small, because I’ve always been curious about the processes behind creating video content but never felt like I had a good enough opportunity to pursue it or that I knew enough about it. Last semester I created a vlog for one of my classes, which I found enjoyable because I had never worked with video editing software before. I’m keen to see what more I can do with it beyond just the basics.

-what are you most nervous about?

I’m nervous about working in a completely different field than I have before. I’m hesitant about casting aside the one area that’s my strength and that I’ve spent years studying to hone: writing. It’ll be interesting to push myself beyond my comfort zone and explore new types of language—indirect ones.

-what do you want to explore/find out/discover?

I’d love to learn more about the basics of creating video projects and see if I want to pursue creating them in my own time. I’m also keen to explore new ways of presenting a narrative. I write non-fiction and while I use a lot of fiction techniques in my writing, I find it difficult to make something out of nothing—so to speak. I’m interested in how it might be possible to presenting a narrative, particularly a non-fiction one, without any traditional techniques or language.

-reflect on previous collaborative projects: what have you found difficult? What skills have you picked up from those experiences? And tips or pointers?

The number one thing that I find difficult about collaborative projects is the possible difference in commitment and intention for a project. For example, I’ve worked in teams of four or five people on projects such as organising an RMIT event or writing, editing and publishing an issue of a newsletter and I found that those numbers left room for people to slack off. This is usually more of a problem with a team rather than a pair but it can be really difficult when someone doesn’t put as much into a project as you do. Working in a pair holds you both more accountable. However, in a pair you can still have an issue with not wanting the same thing for the project. I think communication is key to solving both of these issues. If someone isn’t putting enough into the project you need to address it directly and give them a chance to explain and improve upon it, rather than jumping straight to more dramatic measures. Communication also allows everyone to get what they want out of a project.

An Experiment in Explanation

Photo by Jo Hilton

By Elizabeth and Christie

Method:
1. Find a participant
2. Find a location
3. Ask them to charades a concept (explain it with their hands or body)
4. Film their actions at different angles (could be above, side etc.)
5. Experiment with lighting as you shoot
6. Compile footage and upload to editing software
7. Experiment with different effects and cuts
8. Upload your final product

You've completed your experiment in explanation!