Blog #9: What I Leaned In This Class

I vacillate between feeling I learned a lot and learned nothing in MedP160. I think the class was overly ambitious. This was borne out by the fact that we didn’t get through everything on the syllabus, as well as had to expand the deadlines on a couple of projects to be able to finish them.

I did learn something of the nature of Digital Media

(modularity/reproducibility/interactivity) and something of the World Wide Web (protocols/user centered design/meta data). Our foray into creating a short video introduced me to the various pre and post-production skills that go into filmmaking (concept/proposal/treatment/storyboard/outline/screenplay). That project also effectively made us actors, directors, cameramen and editors. I learned how films are structured (narrative/inductive or deductive reasoning) and put together (continuity/match cuts/montage). We also learned a bit of the history of the aforementioned areas.

Where it all went south for me was in the technical areas, specifically Final Cut Express and Flash Animation. It often seemed as though there was a built in assumption that I would be familiar with these programs or that they were very simple. For me they were not and I struggled mightily with them. Due to the size of our lab it was next to impossible to get any one on one teaching, which is where I benefit most. In retrospect, Final Cut Express was somewhat easier to understand but Flash was next to impossible, which is evident by my attempts.

In conclusion, it was an interesting class but there simply wasn’t enough time and personal instruction to benefit me.

Blog #8: Animation

I viewed an animation by Norman McLaren titled “A Phantasy”. One of the definitions of phantasy that I found is “imagination unrestricted by reality” and the pretty much sums up this piece for me.

This film is nearly 60 years old and seems old-fashioned in comparison to what we see today. I’m not sure it would hold the interest of young viewers as it takes its time to unfold and doesn’t really seem to ‘go’ anywhere. It is composed of additive and subtractive animation and has a very simple soundtrack that utilizes a saxophone and some sound effects. The music helps set a light, whimsical tone that is in contrast to the dark and moody images.

This composition appears to be more an artistic expression than any kind of discernable narrative, at least to my eyes. I found it reminiscent of a Salvador Dali painting come to life. The entire frame is well used and the color palate is rich but muted and there are no characters per se. It opens onto a landscape dotted with some large rock-like objects in the foreground. Action is introduced via shapes that enter from the sides. These shapes continuously morph and supply all the action, sometimes producing recognizable objects; a bird, a clock, or a butterfly. The middle portion is devoted to circular objects that fluidly move in and out of formations in space, not unlike a Busby Berklee or Rockette routine. Ultimately these shapes settle back into the landscape below to complete this surreal piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjl0i_p_pow