Review 2 :)

I then watched another two experimental videos. I had to analyise these and write about how they affected me, and what I thought of them.
My first choice was Telling Lies made by Simon Ellis. This video was very amusing to watch as it was shown in such an unusual and clever way. The background was black with a textually based theme. The letters and words flashed quickly in different colours. The plain background made it easier to read the words that came up as they stood out more. The pace of the words is inline with the audio apart from when the characters are lying and the text cleverly changes to what their thinking rather than what their saying. This piece is non diagetic and diagetic. Everytime the phone rang, the screen would crackle slightly or flash, the sound fitted the imagery. Even though you cannot see a phone or the characters, you can hear the dialling tone and conversations. With each character there are different tones, pronounciation on words, agressive, high pitched etc. The premise in this video is about people lying to each other. The artist is making a point of how nothing is ever proved, its easier to mask your true thoughts rather than look someone in the eye and tell the truth. The main point behind this video is how we all believe what we read rather than what we here, thus why the text was typed up on the screen while the characters spoke the lies. After watching this video i was very engrosed in the characters story. It was very amusing and didnt hold back at any times which was very good as its more realistic and believeable. Its easier to relate to. The whole piece wouldnt have even had a point if it didnt have the text, as it tells the truth and proves the artists point/theory.

The second video I watched was 'The Girl Chewing Gum' by John Smith. The video was made in 1976. It was a real video with real people which was good as it was believable. The set was in a town centre outside a shop. The artist, John Smith was narrating the fim but made it look like he was directing the people in the shot. This worked well, in a humourous way. It was mainly non-diagetic because of all the commentry. The video was all in black and white which was a bit boring to watch because it was so long as well. I liked the way the video was un edited as it made it more real. The way John began to joke after a while about certain people made it more interesting, for example when he spoke of the man who had a gun in his pocket. The video became more exciting. It was a bit too long, and didnt seem to have a strong point at first, until you look further into it. I think the premise is about getting lead to believe things that are untrue and the concept that theres control in the world and that we are being controlled without realising. John's point is that you can always be fooled with the help of audio or visual.

Review 1 :)

In class I had to watch two Experimental Videos and comment on how they were presented, what points they made and how they made me feel.
The first film was '1001 Nights' made by Jananne Ali-Ani and lasted for six minutes.
Her video was very simple, and consied of five female actors in a row with their eyes shut and facing the camera. The background was black and this worked well as it made me focus more on the actors rather than anything else occuring in the background. Many visual images were created when the women spoke. They described in such detail that any other effects wernt necassary. The way they were all positioned gave off other emotions like vulnerablity and loneliness. The audio was Diegetic and each actor had a small monologue. I think the premise of this video is womens dreams or experiences of war. After watching the film i was intrigued to find out what happened to some of the actors and whether it was true or not. For example, one woman spoke of how she got in the car but then couldnt drive and soldiers were approaching her. I think the piece would have been better if it had sound effects so it would seem more real.

The second video I watched was Godery Reggio's piece, Koyannisqatsi and lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes. I liked the way the film stayed on one particular shot as it gave more emphasis. The images were very distructive and shocking and each frame sort of drew me in because they were shown for such a long period. The pace of images linked with the pace of music and was very repeatative, especially at the beginning and end when the film's title is repeated in a sinister chant. It was almost like watching history occur, and was educational as it started from cave drawings and proceeded to wars and rockets. Reggio cleverly finished the film as it started almost making the point of how we are in a viscious circle. By speeding the footage up and changing the music to a more upbeat sound, it made the people in the vide almost look like machines themselves which I think was also a point Reggio was trying to make clear. I think the premise of this video is to educate people on real events, almost like a warning.

Brighton Trip 08 :)

This is the first image I have chosen. I chose it because firstly, it shows how neglected Brighton Beach has become. The fact that half of West Pier is hanging off ready to fall into the sea shows that it isnt cared for and eventually will all collapse. It also shows a lack of respect from people these days as nothing has been done to demolish it or fix it, it has just been left there to naturally crumble and pollute the sea. It shows how the history of Brighton has just been forgotten which is a great shame. This picture is also very dark and almost scary as it captures certain parts of the old pier, such as lights still left hanging off parts of it. This picture makes an interesting point as it shows how ruined parts of the Pier and beach are and because its just been left its a good argument for the way the beach is and should be percieved.

This is my second chosen image. I picked this picture because it shows what people use the beach for nowadays. Now, the beach is a place to get drunk with your mates or just muck around whereas when people used to go to the beach, it was a place for family time, relaxing and swimming. In a way it still is however, more people use it in a more recreational way which is ok to do, however what most postcards, magazines and telivision programmes dont show are the dangers and mess left behind, like broken glass bottles, ciggerete butts and other things that pollute the beach.

What Do I Think An Experimental Video Is?

I think an Experimental Video is a form of art expressed through the use of a video camera. It consists of lots of things such as :video art, electronic art, alternative TV, community video, guerrilla television and computer art. It uses an artist's imagination and the inner logic of a T.V to express a certain point. Many artists use this technique to express their views as it is a more interesting way to see it and a larger audience are more likely to take the time to watch it as its shown in an different form .I expect to create our own experimental videos using ideas from our little trip down to Brighton or from ideas we learn in class.
:)byeeeeee!

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/E/htmlE/experimental/experimental.htm