The pieces aren't completeing the puzzle...at least not tonight

So, its late and it's the night before the final is due. I officially hate iMovie and its ghetto-ness. I have finally figured out how to adjust the times of all the images I've place in my work at once; however, now it seems that they're not all showing, and not showing for the designated time I've set for them when they actually do show.

I was happy to finally receive my dad's voice over today which I'm including in my piece; however, the 3 hour process it took to get him and my mom to send the file as an attachment through an email was quite the production. Its here and on my laptop now, so I guess that's all that really matters.

As for my own screw ups, I legit forgot to get the cord I need to attach the camera to my laptop. Now I have footage on tape to watch as many times I'd like via video camera; yet, no way at all to place it on my laptop and edit it into my project.

This night has been an epic failure. I had really expected all the pieces of my project to come together tonight but I just don't see that happening anymore. In order to make my project work I honestly think I need to use Final Cut, in order for it to come out the way I want it to. I'm heading into class tomorrow with what I have, even though its not much, and seeing if I can salvage what I do have onto Final Cut in order for it to actually fit the vision I had planned.

Final Projects and such

So, this Wednesday we had a class of final project critiquing. It was a little discouraging to see people finished with their projects while I was back at square one with mine; but nevertheless, I found a lot of peoples projects really amusing. People had really unique ideas and stuff. I really did love all of them. Its just cool to see what people can do when they get the option to choose whatever they like as a final project.

Anyways, back to my fiasco. After talking to Gokey I really came to the terms that the whole portable N64 project was out the window. I declared Mission Impossible on it after Texas Instruments decided to be a lame-o. Then it was time to figure out a whole new idea.

I'm going to admit. I was a stressball and a half on Wednesday. I didn't even want to call my parents because I knew that talking to them about this, along with all the other stuff I had to work on, would just make me cry or something. Then again, it always clears my head when I just kind of can vent about everything to my dad and he's there to pick up the pieces and put it all into a new perspective for me. Then, thats when it all hit me.

I started to connect my dads advice to the whole controversial Tiger Woods add for Nike. I decided it'd be cool to reflect on my own life at the time in a voice over of old images of me and my dad from when I was little. Then, following that, I would do that same still headshot of myself like Tiger Woods has and do my father's advice over it. This piece would be a reflection on my own life, sort of mock the way in which celebrities go about solving their scandals in the public, and also humanize the whole status of celebrity. I've already told my parents to overnight the pictures I want to use. I'm renting a camera and filming Monday, and if everything works out, my project will hopefully be ready in time for Thursday so I won't need the extension. Life is getting better and I'm feeling a lot more confident about getting my work done now. Summer is so close, yet seems so far away at the same time.

The Class Before Last

Ok, so the class before last was focused a lot on our own projects. We went through the hourclass blog as usual though.

We watched a video of guys running across and getting stuck in that gloop stuff. It was actually really amusing. It was not only a childhood dream come true to see a whole pool of that gloop stuff actually exist, but it brought back old memories of me making it in my Nana's kitchen when I was little, with my cousin.

After that, we pretty much worked on our final projects. I figured out all the parts and everything for the portable N64 project and even found a decent video to guide me through all the steps. I planned to meet with Gokey later that week depending on when two more of the parts came in and I felt like I was pretty much set.

Over the weekend I went out to Best Buy to try to buy the random batteries, transistors, resistors, capacitators, and so on, and so on. Upon asking the guy at Best Buy for parts he looked at me with eyes bugged out of his head and asked "Are you building a time machine?". So after that fiasco, I headed to Radioshack, where I luckily found most of the random electronic shindigs I needed. The only thing I was missing that was on my "to-buy" list was the special batteries I needed that are typically used in portable DVD players. So that's when I headed back to Best Buy. I made buddies with a guy named Tom who gave me what I could and told me if that didn't work then he would order another kind. He was really helpful and I was starting to really look forward to my project.

Then, everything kind of came to an awful halt. My screen still had not come in and the Texas Instruments company decided to notify me that my piece would be backordered until July 22. So as a back up I researched every nerdy website after that only to find out that they were all in the same position- there was no chip PTH08080WAZ that would be available for me to use anytime soon. I basically hated my life for a while when I realized I had to accept the fact that I would not be able to complete this project in time for the deadline. Then it was time to figure out my next project. To be continued...

Response to Kohn reading, "Studies Find Reward Often No Motivator"

Kohn's article, "Studies Find Rewards Often No Motivator" goes into great detail about how rewards often provide us with more consequences than benefits in the long run because they lead to bad quality, less creative, and less enjoyable work. Studies have found that rewards are actually more discouraging than helpful because they lead one's eye to be set on the prize rather than the actual work because than the work is viewed more as an obligation. Rewards only seem to work if they are restricted to to simple tasks that aren't apart of a continuous routine and not based on performance. The more complex a task is, the more it is hurt by the effects of a reward system. Even verbal support can be harmful and have the same consequential effects as any other form of reward. Human beings simply become uninterested in any task when there is a reward as an outcome because then the task is all about what one will receive after they get the job done and not doing the job itself. Rewards act as a destructive distraction.

Personally, as an art student, it is easy to agree with and understand the ideas behind the destructiveness of using reward systems. Its really hard to try to be creative as an art student when you are trying to follow so many guidelines and instructions to a project or artwork established by the teacher because they're the ones who grade you. It is hard to distinguish when I should go out on a limb and when I should strictly follow the guidelines because it can either have a really great outcome or destroy your grade in class. Personally, I feel that all the freshman foundation classes should follow a pass/fail grading scale simply because they're required courses to help prepare you for the ones a student will be taking in their future to actually pursue their major. The courses you take following those though, will use the average grading system. I feel that the freshman foundation classes should be more focused on experimentation in specific mediums then handing in projects and drawings for a grade. Freshman foundation classes are all about being a learning experience and not necessarily about creating flawless drawings and projects; therefore, having pass/fail grades for these classes will open up students minds and allow them to comfortably get more creative with their artwork.

A class of final projects, educational drunk histories, and critiquing animation projects

Ok, so basically yesterday I finalized decisions on my project. After hours of digging through Youtube and nerdy websites I decided that I didn't have too many references, or really any good ones at all, when it came to circuit bending the old N64. I just feel like there was too much of a chance of either nothing happening at all or just screwing up completely and not having anything to show as a final because the gaming consul broke or something during my test jobs. I considered circuit bending the cartridges instead but actually ended up deciding on changing my project into building a portable N64 instead. Today I'm going to look up what other parts I'll need and start figuring out how to go about it by going through blogs, websites, and more Youtube videos. I'm crossing my fingers this all works out and starting as soon as I can just in case all this backfires, which I won't let happen anyways, so I guess thats not a real concern.

In class we watched Drunk Histories on Youtube. I have no idea how it even came up or what lead us to watch it but I found it absolutely hysterical. I was telling people to watch it for the rest of the day. A majority of people I told about my new little Youtube kick already knew about it so I kind of ended up sounding outdated to all those people who are so up to date on what's cool on Youtube and stuff, but hey, its all good.

We also critiqued the animation videos in class. I feel kind of inspired to create a sequel to my Bunnies vs. Dragons video now that I heard all of those ideas that people in class threw out there. People had a lot of good ideas involving Peeps getting enlarged in microwaves, getting revenge on the dragons, and using more dragon fire. Perhaps you'll see Bunnies vs Dragons II: The Struggle Continues come out in the near future. Cross your fingers!

So thats about all, we watched some other cool videos too and stuff but I honestly can't remember specifics. I feel like there was something else that really stood out to me in class but I'm totally blanking out on it. Oh well. Check ya later.

Response to Vanderkam article "What Drives Us"

Vanderkam reviews Pink's book, "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us", and thoughts in her own article "What Drives Us". The old motivation system, of working for a reward, was successful back in the day when a majority of jobs were simple factory jobs where no thought process needed to be used and muscle memory could perform assembly line tasks. However, in today's day and age, it has been discovered that intrinsic motivation, which is when people are motivated to do their work because it is fulfilling to them, is the most productive for workers. Intrinsic motivation not only takes an employee's thought process off of the money they earn per task or hour, but also allows for people to be more creative and productive because they are working in an environment that encourages them to do their personal best. Yet, even though intrinsic motivation takes some focus off of the factor of money, money is still considered an external factor. Therefore, external and intrinsic motivators have to balance to some degree. For example, Google has "20 percent time" program in which its employee's have the right to work on a project of choice one day a week. All in all, people need to be placed in a motivational environment where they can feel free enough to come up with organic, creative, ideas, and where they don't feel the pressure of a reward being at stake, in order to be the most productive.

Last Class

Last week's class we had a guest artist come in to speak. I honestly don't remember his name, but his work honestly amazed me. His videos were made of different layers of objects in order to create one specific scene or representation of a work of art in which people could pop in and out of, walk through, and even move the objects around in order to strip the scene in which they were originally in. The whole process of his video and installation art was really interesting because I honestly just could not imagine my mind ever working the ways his did. I could never picture myself being able to build a scene made out of found objects, and place them as perfectly, as he did in order for my idea for work, which is the factor that made me truly admire him as an artist.

Following that, we started figuring out our final projects. Its been difficult to find instructional videos or even instructions at all for doing what I had planned on with an N64, most of them are geared towards the original Nintendo. I'd be willing to give the N64 my own try based on viewing videos for the original and figuring it out on my own. I feel bold and brave enough. The only concerns about this though involve safety being at risk or even having it not work at all. Another option for my project now is ROM hacking but, for some reason, it just doesn't seem interesting enough. Finally, another idea was to create a portable N64, which has multiple instructional videos all over the internet. I'll figure it out soon, I only have a couple of weeks left after all.

At the beginning of last class we talked about the negative effects of grades on students again. Statistically, students are more productive and creative with their schoolwork being graded. I can imagine art students even being a lot more daring with their projects if grades were not a concern. The next post will explain the details of Vanderkam's article "What Drives Us", about the excerpt from Daniel H. Pink's book "Drive, the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us", in which Vanderkam and Pink examine the ignored issue.

My Animation Proj, The Next Possible Youtube Sensation?

Bunnies vs. Dragons: The Ongoing Struggle from Liz Kenny on Vimeo.

Animation and Last Class

So, I went to a little makeup sesh to catch up and figure out the whole animation project process. I learned all about the frame by frame type of filming. The program, Frame by Frame, is really helpful when it comes to stop motion animation because it gives you that whole onion shell view of the frame previous to the one you're filming. I also learned about how to go about retroscoping on Photoshop which I thought was mad cool. I really would like to try that out but I don't think it works into my idea for my animation project. Maybe I could use it on another project I guess. Also, I learned that whole trick to make little repetitive tasks go a lot faster, props to Gokey when the time comes to use that.

During my catch up sesh we started looking for videos of people messing around with N64 visuals, which is what I plan on doing a project on for my final. Most of the videos were for the original Nintendo though so I learned I'm going to have to start doing my research if I want to get this project done right. I just really want this project to work out because I think it would be super cool.

In actual class we watched some animation videos, covered the topic of chat roulette after watching Ben Folds and a Ben Folds look-a-like freestyle via piano about the random person who popped up on their vid chat. It was funny. The whole concept chat roulette thing is just amusing though because people go on it to talk to random people they don't know. I feel like chat roulette will be a mega topic on Oprah or something in the near future. I'll be on the lookout for that for sure. Oh, I also learned about how I can apply that whole disappearing image thing, like the one the guy used on bball videos, to my animation video which gave me inspiration for a story idea. I guess that made me more excited to work on the project and get it done since now I have an actual idea.

Its gorgeous out though, I'll be on my way to dance class soon, and then I'll be done with classes for my week. Sweet life. Check ya later.

A Trip to Spark and "Acting Out" = Good Stuff

So, Thursday night I made the trek to the Spark building to catch a video installation made by the artists I was sorry to have missed seeing in class on Wednesday. After choosing the wrong bus to start with, we eventually hopped onto the Connective Corridor bus and made it to the Spark building. After two bus rides, the guidance from a call to my friend who actually lives in the city of Syracuse, and a short walk in the rain, we were there.

Upon arriving into the tiny room that the video installation, "Acting Out", by Austin Shull and Chelsea Knight, was playing in, I sat down in a fold up chair and watched a screen filled of people rehearsing and acting out a play in a jail. I'm not going to lie, I was really confused. Thats not a bad thing though, I get confused easily. Upon seeing Avatar over winter break, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I think I asked the person sitting next to me "I don't get it, what's going on?" every five to ten minutes. Needless to say, I will never be seeing a movie like that with that person again, they didn't appreciate my curiosity about a world a blue people speaking, what I thought was, pure gibberish. Anyways, to get back on track, I was both confused but yet totally intrigued and interested. Confusion always leads me to investigating what something really is about though, so it was all good in my book. In the viewing room, I sat there as I watched actors bang upon walls and windows trying to escape the dismal looking, white walled, jail, and then rehearse acting out a play while laughing with each other, swapping roles, and testing different voices. It was so different, so unique, and I knew there had to be good meanings and points behind it all. I knew from the second I started viewing "Acting Out" that this was going to be a cool learning experience.

After viewing the film I headed downstairs where I actually got to question the filmmakers themselves about their project. (Thank you for introducing me, Gokey.) They were really chill and cool people. I knew they knew their pop culture and film when they were familiar with David Lynch. I was, honestly, a little nervous around them but I don't even care. I get nervous around artists all the time, I think its just because I admire artists for doing what they love and making statements through their creations. They explained their video to me and I was actually really impressed.

The scenario behind it was that they found local actors to rehearse and perform the play "Ubu Roi", by Alfred Jarry, in an old, abandoned, prison. Their piece was not only a mockery of our prison system but also made the point that a person's behavior relies a lot upon the environment in which they live/are in.

Upon researching the play "Ubu Roi", and by researching, I mean looking it up on Wikipedia (I have no shame, and I'm an honest person), I figured out that this play was strategically chosen by the artists to get their point across. The play itself is all about being a "[satire of] power, greed and their evil practices". In conclusion/to connect the two pieces, prisoners today are placed into corrupt environments that only damage their mentality and keep them from actually pulling themselves together while they are forced into isolation. It is their surroundings that unfairly keep them from bettering themselves. These people, who have been caught making stupid mistakes, or even wrongly convicted, aren't given the chance at a-new-and-improved-them because of the way society handles them.

I actually mentioned to the artists how, if I was ever hired, as an interior designer, to design the inside of the prison, I would make it a cheery place. You know, like, use lots of fun patterns, bright colors, and try to emphasize windows and sunlight as much as possible. However, a big part of me felt that that idea would be all wrong. Aren't prisoners supposed to suffer when they're incarcerated? Wasn't the ugly, plain, bareness, of the inside of prisons supposed to be that way as apart of their punishment? Don't they deserve to be put into that dismal building because they are reckless people to our society? Then, Chelsea informed me about the Quaker's view of the idea of prison and a light bulb went off in my head. She told me that the Quaker's actually believed that a prisoner's only punishment should be isolation. Other than that, the surroundings of a prison should help them improve themselves mentally in order to better themselves. Quaker's emphasized that prisoners meditate while they are incarcerated and only suffer by being away from others.

The information Chelsea gave to me made me think a lot about the media and how it effects how we view our society's systems. The prison system is just one of many that we have come to view in completely uneducated, and wrongful, ways. All in all, I think there is more to learn from our history than what certain media feeds into our heads today and it is up to each individual to do the research and find truths.

Btw- That film about an interior designer, or something like that, that was made by Woody Allen is, I think, called "Interiors". I don't know if I'll be watching it anytime soon though, "Annie Hall" is and always will be my favorite Woody Allen film. I know its cliche, but its completely true and makes it really hard for me to watch any other film directed by him.

So thats that about "Acting Out". I was told its not a finished piece yet but I'll be keeping a look out for when it is. I liked the message, it was good stuff, and I hope Chelsea and Austin keep doing what they're doing. Check ya later.

My "Sick Day" Blogpost

So, technically I wasn't in class last Wednesday due to my awesome allergies attacking me as spring is pleasantly arriving to the city of Syracuse; however, between checking up on the "Hourclass" blog and attending Spark for a video installation, I still feel like a learned a lot of little tidbits and stuff.

First of all, an animation project is next. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous about it just because I really truly cannot come up with a cool concept for this project. Its just hard being an art student and being assigned projects where your forced to come up with ideas to fit the instructions and have a deadline. I'm one of those people who will come up with something at a random time. Deadlines intimidate me, but then again I guess thats one of the ways in which college prepares you for the real world. Like you can't just tell clients who are expecting things from you, "oh, sorry, I just didn't come up with anything for you, try back next week". Then again, I guess you could, but that would just be rude. Anyways, I guess my point is that I watched all the videos on the blog and they were mad cool. I just hope I can come up with an idea just as original and as interesting as those. Props to the Animal Collective vid too, I'm a sucker for cool, artsy, music videos.

Also, I watched the SXSW 2010 talk thing and took notes on it because I'm nerdy like that. I even wore my cool new clear framed reading glasses as I watched it too, I guess just to feel more sophisticated as I joted down notes of Douglass Rushkoff's speech. Anyways, I'm going to be honest, a lot of his vocabulary was a little "over-my-head", if you will, at first but I got the hang of his message. I got his whole point and agreed with the fact that society needs to be more upfront about learning about programming instead of just going with the flow and following along steps behind. I totally agreed with his point that we've become a "nation of bloggers" and not the programmers we should and have the access at becoming. His conclusion was a little blunt and kind of scary though. The whole idea that if you're not a programmer then you're a user, and even worse- "the used", kind of freaked me out and got my mind thinking like a hamster on a a wheel. Thats a good thing though. I'm glad I watched it and that Mr. Rushkoff got me to think about things I never really considered. I have a new desire to take more initiation to be one of the programers now, I'll get there in baby steps though, I mean I don't even have an official blog yet, you know.

Lastly, I went to Spark and its actually really cool there. I walked in and was like "oh hey, I'm an art student", I like that feeling. Anyways the whole trip to Spark itself, looking at the artwork, and not only viewing "Acting Out", but also talking to the actual artists, taught me a lot and got me thinking about a lot. Thats all for the next blog post though. So check that out.

That's about all for now. Soooo yah... Oh, btw- I just bought a N64 on amazon for like $35 so I can mess around with that for my final project. I'm pumped. : )

Recap of Last Class

Ok, so to begin with, I think that whole concept of "The Unschooled Life" is really cool. I totally understand how living without a forced structure to an education can lead to one wanted to discover the world and all it has to offer on one's own. I personally hate feeling obligated to look up certain information I have no interest in, I like the whole idea of being able to wake up and think "What would I like to learn about today?" and then just being able to spontaneously look up and learn about whatever I'm interested in. I haven't actually watched Astra Taylor's video yet but its definitely on my list of things today after I'm done with my classes. The whole Pink Terror Hawking video was super cool too, definitely something I'm going to show to my friends when we're sitting around sharing the latest Vimeo and YouTube videos we've come upon.

So last class we learned about John Cage, who I totally respect for being so bold and original in music and art combined. He did his own thing but yet still had a structure to it. I feel like that fact that he did the most random things in the world to make his music but yet still used a stop watch to make sure everything was done as planned makes it hard for one to just judge him as a crazy artist because instead the viewer thinks "Oh, this man has a stop watch, he has a plan, he is a respectable artist for being so organized while doing such obscene things", well at least thats how I see him. His sheet music was really really cool to look at. It was like random charts and lines and dots and boxes; but yet, it all had structure. There were rules to how to play every part of it. It was actually really hard for me to understand anything he meant which either means he was in his own world and the only one who really knew what he meant or he was so clever when it came to music and art that it just went right over my head. I guess it could probably be a little bit of both too though.

Finally, we got our assignment for our next project on making totally original music using the tracks everyone created for our previous project with our sculptural instruments. We learned more about audacity and how to cut music. As of now, I think its going to be cool to try to mash-up the totally organic sounds we made. I just hope I'll still feel the same when I actually start working on this project though, I seem to go through cycles with programs where I get excited about learning how to use a program, then get totally and utterly frustrated with it as I dive deeper into my project, and then in the end I feel accomplished for figuring it out and finishing my work. We'll see how I feel about audacity in my next post.

Anyways, spring break is calling me and I cannot wait until I can officially say that I'm on break. I have lots of drawing, studying, researching, and a project to do over break; however, between playing frisbee with my dog in my backyard and my trip to Utah and Vegas with one of my best friends, I think I can still find a good time and a good balance between work and play. Check ya later.

Video for Amplified Assemblage

"Happiness" poem by Raymond Carver from Liz Kenny on Vimeo.

My instrument was created on the basis that is would not only make sound, but also act as a social tool. The numerous different knobs on top of the basis allow more than one person to participate in playing it at once. It could even be passed around by a group of people for one person to play at a time, almost as if it were a Bop-It or the game Simon. In the video, multiple hands are pressing, rubbing, and playing with the different knobs upon the instrument's discus; therefore proving that this object is not only a newly created instrumental sculpture, but also an object that can be used for entertainment at social gatherings too.

Brainstorming for ze Final

So, as our final for Time Arts we need to come up with our own project. The whole idea of making up a totally original idea for a project is actually somewhat intimidating though. I just want to come up with something that will interest me so here are some ideas. I’m still trying to brainstorm more though.

The whole concept of being able to warp the sounds of electronic toys and warp the images of electronic gaming systems with cartridges was very interesting to me. I’m really interested in manipulating the visuals on an old N64 game. I looked up the information about how to go about it and found ended up learning about the term ROM hacking. ROM hacking is when a gamer changes a games graphics, levels, game play, and even more. As of now the websites I found on it only seemed to show examples of hackers using it to make game play easier and get to the levels their amateur gaming skills couldn’t reach on the regular. I really want to master warping the visuals of one of those old cartridge games though so the research continues.

Upon looking up how to hack into an N64 game in order to alter its visuals, I found numerous videos on making a portable Nintendo, which allows one to play their favorite N64 games on the go. Golden idea- I think so. I thought that whole concept was really cool, partially because I could get a portable N64 out of it. Anyways, if its possible to find an old console and screen to use for this off of Amazon of one of those sites then I would be really interested in trying this out too.

Lastly, this is totally random and out of left field, I was thinking of doing a project involving participation from homeless people. It sounds really weird but they really do fascinate me. I always wonder how they got to be where they are today, what is their background story, what is an average day like, do they do whatever or do they actually have a schedule, what do they truly value, and just random other things. My friends and I are oddly obsessed with YouTube videos of homeless people and one of my best friends always brings smiles to their faces by offering them cash and talking to them a little. So I don’t really know where that would go but I just know that homeless people interest me.

Fun with Toys

So, class began with news that we have nothing due next week and we were going to play with toys for a majority class… jackpot? Yes! So anyways, as we played with toys, and by play I mean ripping them open, we got to learn how to manipulate the sounds the toys made by clamping alligator clips to metal areas inside the toy. My car sounds, songs, and up beat beeping noises from my toy turned into a deep sorts of thump sounds on all the buttons after clipping two alligator clips to a random loop of wire on its little microchip base part.

After adjusting the sounds of our toys with alligator clips we got to learn how to solder the insides to permanently change the sound. It was really cool to watch. You have to like melt a special piece of wire (I forget what its actually called), wait until there is like a liquid ball to form, then put the liquid ball onto the wire that’s been wrapped around where the alligator clips once were, and then you’re done. It’s just really cool to see how you can manipulate the sounds of an electronic so easily.

Finally I thought it was even cooler to find out that not only the sounds electronic toys made could be manipulated, but also the visuals of video games. By opening up the insides of old Nintendo games you can warp the visuals by messing around with the chip inside of the game cartridge. I thought that sounded pretty sweet. I kind of want to try it for myself now.

Poetry Video

Music Vids, a Nasty Camera, and the Legendary Michel Gondry

I was excited to watch the Bat for Lashes music video in class and very amused by the Avalanche’s video. The Avalanche’s video was like nothing I have ever seen before and it amused me by being so obscene that I felt like it was amazing. I feel like a lot of videos become popular because of the “its so bad its good factor” and the music video we watched with the shoes, after watching the shoes video, was a perfect example of that.

The videos the fast speed camera was able to take were really cool. For some reason I expected the videos to play almost as if they were in fast forward mode, but the result of the video is actually the total opposite. Watching the dog run in a smooth slow motion was almost hypnotizing, especially when playing Godspeed you Black Emperor as we were watching it. I really liked the way the camera worked and I plan on trying to use it at least once this semester.

It was cool to learn about Michel Gondry, he has really cool music videos. The Oui Oui video really amazed me. The success of the Oui Oui video relied on Gondry timing everything perfectly and staging everything perfectly, which he did. I’ve made films for film festivals in high school and realize how complicated making a video like that it when everything depends on the timing and staging of the actor in the video. I honestly can’t get enough of Gondry music videos, or even just his films in general.

Frenemies Vid Project

TimeArts Frenemies Video Project from Liz Kenny on Vimeo.

The Most Obscene Movie Trailer Ever

House Trailier

Yesterday's Class

1.) Watching the Persuaders was pretty interesting in the end and kind of freaked me out about all of the random research they do and have on consumers. The reptile guy freaked me out the most. He seemed like he was psychic, or could read minds, or something and had all these weird tests he did on consumers. His tests left both them and me confused. How did he even come up with the tests that he ran? I would seriously never be able to come up with the idea of testing people by taking away their chairs in between breaks, leaving them with pillows on the floor, shutting off the lights, making then rest, and then having them write. Like really, who would think of that sort of tactic? He gave off the impression that he knew how to sell anything in the world, I'm pretty sure he could too. The other guy on the documentary also seemed clever. He changed words in order to get certain ideas to appeal to consumers. The whole Song company though just seemed stupid. They used the most random things to try to market their airline. No one could tell they were an airline by their marketing strategies though so they ended up being totally unsuccessful. It wasn't too surprising that Song failed.

2.) The whole remix culture video made me think about being an artist and trying to keep your own individuality. I actually think about that a lot. So many things in our media today are just people copying what they thought was cool and then trying to claim it as their own. Today it is as if the line is being blurred between plagiarizing and simply just being inspired by another person’s work of art or form of media. I think the biggest struggle as an artist is trying to be original and keeping your own voice while still allowing the pieces that inspire you contribute to your work without allowing those things to take it over.

3.) Finally, we learned how to import videos from a video camera onto iMovie and how to add text during the editing process. All of this information will be helpful towards all of our future iMovie projects.

3 Things from Last Class

We learned a lot about videos and how files and pictures on the computer work.

1.) I was fascinated by how we talked about the new iPad and where technology was going while we downloaded the older version of iMovie because the newer version was too dumbed down for us. The whole idea of technology getting easier and easier to use as we get more and more comfortable using complex technology just seems like an oxymoron to me. I don't see anything wrong with programs being intricate and complex as long as you can learn to use them and they do all the things necessary to create a strong final product. I just don't like the idea of dumbing things down and programs being made simple for us because I feel like thats just a companies way of saying their consumers a lazy and dumb. I just have the attitude that I would rather take on a program like final cut, or even just the older version of iMovie like we are in class, and learn new things, then use the new, simplified, version on iMovie because its easier, but maybe thats just me.

2.) While making my last project on iDVD I moved all of the pictures I had used on it from my desktop and into a folder. After moving the pictures into a folder and returning to my project I realized all of the pictures I had just put in had disappeared. Luckily, in class, we went over why that happens. Now I understand that moving those pictures to another location made them disappear off of the radar of my project. My project only recognized them as desktop photos and by moving them into a folder, they were gone from iDVD because iDVD was simply copying what images had been placed on the desktop.

3.) Finally, I learned that its possible to take videos offline in order to re-edit them yourself if you simply just download the proper programs. If you're on youtube and you see a video you would want to alter or mix with another, then you just click the button on the toolbar. Then you can move the file to a program, such as iMovie, and do whatever, well almost whatever, your heart desires with it.

Credit-card Reading Response

The Situationists would be appalled by the way credit card companies are psychologically taking advantage of their customers today. They probably would not be surprised by the current actions of the credit card companies; however, they would certainly be angry and take a stand through the act of a spectacle.

Even though credit card companies now have the ability to psychoanalyze their cardholders, people can still hold true to their personal values and personality; however, they must be aware in situations involving banks and/or credit card companies that they can easily be taken advantage of. With all of the data and expectations credit card companies have set up for their clients its effortless for them to see what angle to come at a person with in order to get the most money out of one as they can. That is why it is important to be an educated cardholder. Naïve people who are unaware of all the new techniques that companies are using to manipulate their customers are the ones who are going to be the suckers, but that does not mean everyone has to be.

Learning about the new approaches credit card companies are using in order to benefit themselves, in every aspect possible, disturbed me because they are taking advantage of unassuming people, and not only investigating their personal lives, but also, immorally using that private information for their own gain. In conclusion, I do not feel as if I would use my card any differently now than I have in the past just because I am not concerned about being in debt and having to deal with the people so well trained in convincing others that they truly care about them.

Class #2- Fun stuff and what I learned

1.) Before last class, I had never taken the fact that Los Angeles does not have a real form of a public transportation system into thought. It is an interesting chain of events when one really thinks about it. With no public transportation system, the only real way to get around the city is by car; however, not everyone has or can afford a car. By ridding themselves of a public transportation system, Los Angeles sneakily makes itself a place where only those who can afford it can live and play there. People who cannot afford a car would most likely choose to live in a more convenient city for them, where buses, cabs, and trains are available at all hours. Therefore, Los Angeles has limited itself to people who are well off and can afford to pay for their own car, and gas to fill the tank up with, before they go shopping on Rodeo Drive. I just thought it was interesting how, if you really think about it, the lack of public transportation provided by the city of Los Angeles makes it the upscale city it has come to be.

2.) I had never heard of the Situationists before last Wednesday. They were people who fought against the ideas of capitalism who also inspired punk music though their message and look. They were rebellious and out there in order to escape the order of capitalism.

3.) Finally I learned how to go about making an interactive flow-chart on iDVD. The tricks we were taught were also helpful; in order to stick to the plan of my original flow chart I had to use some. The iDVD program worked well for our specific project, although there were a lot of times when I got annoyed with it.

Flow Chart

First Time Arts Blog of the Semester

After watching videos of the French choreograph Star Wars dances, and Mario's take on the value of transportation and his attempt at being "green" by purchasing a frog outfit from H&M, we watched and even participated in videos to inspire our first project "The Invisible Labyrinth of Time". So here is what took my interest, taught me something, and even inspired some new ideas.

1.) Even the most simple appearing videos done by artists actually involve a lot of work. When first watching "Walking Crowd", by Alex Delany, I just saw it for what it was- a crowd of people, walking at the same pace, with a camera panning over them. After it was pointed out that the color between the gaps of their bodies changed it was clear that a green screen had to be involved. Also, the fact that they all face the same way and walk at the same pace prove that their walk was highly controlled. Gokey cleverly speculated that they had all been filmed while walking on a treadmill and then digitally placed all together. Watching the video now, knowing that so much effort was out into such a simple piece, made me appreciate it a lot more and realize to think deeper about the hard work put into pointless looking videos like "Walking Crowd".

2.) I learned that the simple idea of the flowchart can be applied to almost any type of media, they aren't just a boring visual tool used for intense board room meetings. Flowcharts can be seen in movies, Youtube videos, online games, and even just a plain old chart form. They can be made as interesting as the creator wants it to be.

3.) The examples of flowcharts shown to us inspired me to make up the craziest story possible to create my own. I'm not exactly sure what it will be about but I am going to try to use all of the different methods of creating a flowchart, involving certain boxes to lead to the same place, circling around, and even getting stuck.