Desert Storm

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This experiment is about manipulation to take an element from one extreme to the other. Through manipulation, the sandy desert wind becomes a tsunami of thunder and rain. Sand becomes running water helped by the motion of the camera and audio effects. Here is again the power of film/video manipulation to affect the perception of the human brain. Allies and enemies use these techniques for propaganda, war, politics, good, and evil. After watching the film The Yes Men in class, I can’t help thinking that the filmmaker is manipulating our opinions as much as “the bad guys” do. He gives us opinions supported with video and audio that have been edited (therefore manipulated) in order to pursue a political agenda. Is manipulation more justifiable when we agree with the agenda? I’m sure that another filmmaker could take that footage and turn the story around to make the “yes men” look like “crazy manipulative terrorists.” Just another example of the power that manipulation gives to filmmaking! How much of what we see on the media is real?

Ameba World

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In keeping with the theme of “distorted view of the world by Juan Santos,” I wanted to transform something beautiful into something ugly. I came across a cool effect that the sun was producing on a rainy day and I shot it to demonstrate that, once captured on tape, film or digital device, nothing is real anymore. Windows are not windows, raindrops are not raindrops and the sun is not beautiful once manipulated. The editing of this piece is minimal, but enough to make my point: nothing on film is real. Without getting too philosophical, my point is that as filmmakers, we create something new from the moment we capture it. Going back to Brakhage’s idea that we take and we give, I want to add that we have the power to manipulate. So, filmmakers have the power to create and manipulate; isn’t that a scary thought?

Eagle Animation

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As everyone knows in this class, animation takes a big deal of creativity and a bigger deal of patience and time. I started this movie with both my daughters because I thought they would enjoy the creative process as well as the out come; one lasted five minutes and the other made it to almost half of the project (they are only 10 years old). I am a bit older than that so I have no excuse for wanting to drop the project when I was only half way done. I am very proud to say that I made it through and I have gained a new respect for animators, especially those of the old times without the help of the technology of today. I can only imagine the amount of work that a little video like this would take to produce on film. I cut it with FC and that allowed me to create and see the outcome of my ideas on the spot. I imagine it would take many hours of work to do this on film, just to see if it worked or not. As with any creative process, the best part is the reaction of an audience to the final product... my daughters liked it. Thank God!

Beauty and The Beast

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Since this class is about experimenting, I am experimenting more. The idea of randomness is like a magnet for photography and music. These elements put together can result in craziness of visual interest (at least in my opinion) and fun. In this piece, the random distortions mixed with reality bring up a combination of ugliness and fun, presenting the idea that nothing is what it seems. Normal elements suffer transformation and deformity until they appear to be something else, although they have the same essence. Beautiful girls become ugly transformed by silliness and playfulness, and ugly guys become uglier for the entertainment of their daughters. The random composition of the piece also makes me wonder about the randomness of our lives and how we evolve and change as individuals influenced by the unique circumstances that we encounter along the way.

Reaction to Brakhage's article

The concept that strikes me the most in the article is that of “taking and giving.” As Brackage establishes with the story about Pathe not wanting to share his “magical discoveries” with the rest of the world, it is perverse to see film creation as a way of possessing rather than giving. As “makers” we take everything within our physical and intellectual reach to create. We take from technology and its development. We take light to create the visual outcome of our work. We take pictures in an act of freedom to accomplish the exposition of our ideas and our visions. We even take from other makers to make our own. It is amazing how an artist such as Brakhage can take from the glue on the splicing tape and create something he will give. Giving is what it is all about. Brakhage says that if he can’t share his film because of distribution problems, then it is not a film; it is more a decoration. I agree with that. We make to give, to share, to communicate, and to contribute to the development of ideas in creative ways. Creating is an act of love and as such, it could seem selfish and arrogant. However, the outcome of such an act becomes positive when it is shared and given to others for their enjoyment and gratification.

Constant Change

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I am fascinated by constant change (it could be because of my gypsy blood...) A river, ocean waves, fire, life... they all change constantly, never repeating themselves. The destructive power of fire is balanced by the beauty of its perpetual dance, never repeating the same move, never repeating a step. Fire is visually fascinating. Shades of red, orange and yellow constantly interact with each other. When I look at fire I see rebirth, beauty, motion, life... This refreshing performance invites the audience to seat back, relax and enjoy the show.

Pool Rain

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It's a gloomy day and I have been trying to come up with something bright for this post. I kept thinking about Brakhage and how I could create a movie in that style for my post. I looked around and all I saw was rain, so that was it, my movie would be about the rain. I saw it in many forms, hitting different surfaces, but the one that got my attention was the swimming pool. It looked like the motion was the same over and over, but that is impossible, water is never the same as long as it moves. I got the camera out and shot it. The slow performance of the camera and the motion of the water made it look like the same image was playing over and over again. It turned out to look cool! Call me crazy if you like, but I had a ball looking at the pool rain... that is what this class is doing to me!