Comments on "Gray Matter"

Ultimately, I had fun with this project. It was frustrating, tedious, challenging and many other annoying things, but for some reason I was very much invested in making this work as well as I could, given my skills and the timeframe. This certainly doesn't mean it's anywhere near perfect or that there are things I wouldn't do over (or may do over in the future) but I am satisfied with the final results, which is more than I can say for some of the other final projects I've completed over the years.

I think I stuck fairly true to my original intent, which was to create something that was simple and emotional and light. The final project was perhaps less "grand" in scope than my original intent (I wanted to have the two characters go through an entire day, rather than have it transform from afternoon into night immediately as it did in the final project) but this also stemmed from my underestimation of the sheer amount of time it would take just to get a few seconds out. It definitely makes me appreciate frame-by-frame animation a lot more!

It also challenged me in the sense of sound. In many of my previous projects I either utilized sounds that came from the environment or pre-made themes (such as the "Mission Impossible Theme" used in "Freedom"). For this one, because I wanted to do something a bit different, I decided to just create a simple tune on the piano that would hopefully add to the sweet aura I was going for. The song was created entirely through GarageBand, on TCNJ's provided keyboards. I think the final tune is decent and fits well thematically, although my meager piano skills could use a bit of work.

Because I do love to draw, the actual animation of the sequences was a great learning experience, though it did take a big chunk of time. Certain parts of the movie are better quality than others though, and it's probably easy to tell at which points I was becoming tired. All the same, I do feel somewhat accomplished for finishing it in the first place. Interestingly enough, I also feel as if this is a project I could still work on and hopefully improve in the future, as I do think it deserves fuller, more patient treatment as well.

Final Project: "Gray Matter"

Comments on "Freedom"

Of all the projects we had this semester, this one proved to be the most challenging. Being completely new to After Effects, it was perhaps a bit ambitious to have an animation project come out in the exact way I imagined it, but I would like to think that I got a crash course in the basics of the program.

My idea was to have an art piece come to life on the page and attempt to escape the confines of its paper. Initially, I wanted to have it take place on a desk but the lighting and the need for consistency made it a bit too difficult. Instead I decided to have it take pace on the face of the refrigerator which I actually thought was an improvement from the first. In regards to the actual animation, I was disappointed with some of the motions and the pacing, as things were a little too slow for my taste (going back into After Effects and changing individual things was a bit too much for my timeframe). The first few seconds turned out well though, I thought, at least the scene where she's still moving in the paper.

Overall, I think there's a lot of room for improvement in regards to some of the animation aspects and though I'm not entirely dissatisfied with it, I think that this can be seen as more of a basic outline of what should be a bigger project.

After Effects Project: Freedom

Final Project Proposal

     Looking back at much of the artwork I've done recently, one would likely envision me as some sort of gloomy, isolated outsider, as a lot of my work for one reason or the other tends toward a more gloomy atmosphere. Things are always very grungy or industrial, and there seems to be a lot of references to desires of freedom or escape. Funnily enough, I consider myself a rather cheerful, optimistic person. So why does my art not reflect this, I ask myself? In answer, I want my final project to be something happy, for lack of a better word, something that ends on an unambiguosly high note, with no anxiety-inducing cuts or mysteriously dark symbolism involved. Of course, aspects of my seeming fixation on “garbage-chic” may still permeate this piece, but ultimately I want to transform it into something lovely and simple and unburdened. The piece will follow the story of two different characters, neither of whom have a solid past or future, and a fleeting but joyous encounter that occurs when one character decides to take the other on a bit of a “journey”. I have no aspirations to change the world or totally rock the sensibilities, but perhaps it will draw out a smile.

Free Recall: Still-Frame Image Project

Project 1 & 2 Experience

Having virtually no experience with sound editing/recording, this project definitely challenged me creatively and technically. However, I did enjoy the learning experience it put me through and though my sound clip was not produced exactly as I wanted, this project afforded me the chance to make something that I wouldn't ordinarily be able to make.

One of the hardest parts was the integration of voice into the project. I'll be the first to admit that public speaking or emoting is not my strong suit, so my voice recording was not quite what I anticipated, but at the same time this allowed me to focus on ambient sound and setting. Nowadays, our minds are almost constantly stimulated by work or technology, etc., and it's hard (for me at least) to think of a moment where I was just at complete peace. Since I didn't bring my car with me to college, I am an avid user of public transportation, and one of the most hectic and wholly uncomfortable positions to be in is waiting at the bus stop on a cold, dreary day, dreading all the work that I would have to finish once I returned home.

The sounds I used in my clip were meant to evoke that hectic, urban atmosphere and the heavy breathing/coughing was included to represent my personal feelings. The latter half of the clip, with the quiet walk towards the wind chimes, paralleled an abstract desire to be away from that comfortable position, using typical sounds that remind me of being home without any pressures. Looking back, I do believe that this intent could be made a bit clearer in the piece's structuring, as I could see how it could be difficult to track the "action" of the clip.

Because there was some form of narrative and setting in the sound clip, no matter how obscure, I actually wanted to go even more abstracted in the Still-Frame Project, and got rid of almost any form of linear storytelling. The obvious characteristic that ties most of the pictures together is the focus on a circular shape, which came about when I was trying to think of things that were common in my sounds (for example, a bus wheel from the bus sounds, a clock from the ticking). I wanted to keep the pictures in full color at first, but the result was too cluttered and the circle shapes were lost (plus, I love black and white photography!). Although I did have a wide range of pictured items to choose from, many of the photos I couldn't use because they didn't fit size-wise or thematically. I wish that I had been able to get some of the photos I initially included in my storyboard (ex. police sirens, bus wheel) but for some of them I wasn't allowed or didn't have access to.

Additional Class Pieces

Anthony- I completely relate to this as a student in that I'm always losing or misplacing things; sometimes I'm able to retrace my steps successfully and sometimes I'm not. The sound quality was very clear, both for the ambient noises and your own voice, and I love the sound of snow crunching underfoot (it's hard to describe my emotional reaction to such a specific sound but there it is). Additionally, my status as a TCNJ student puts me in a position to appreciate this more than the average (non-TCNJ) person. I think you could add even more ambient sound or make the ambient sound more continuous, which would contribute to the piece's sense of movement. For example, in the beginning there's a span of narration that doesn't have any ambient noise and, though I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, going from that silence to the noise of Eickhoff can be a bit jarring.

Ryan- The inclusion of the guitar was what really tied this piece together for me. It was peaceful and and smile-inducing and, for the most part, constant, which made this piece very enjoyable to listen to. I liked the idea of fading in and out between the vocal narration and the music, so at some points I was focusing on parts of the conversation and at other points on the guitar. For me, the nature of memory and our thought processes are very sporadic and the form of your audio clip matches this. The use of the echo effect was very interesting as well, and notable since not many of the pieces we saw utilized it in such an obvious way. At the end, the echoing laughter, both eerie and happy in a way, provides a good summarization of what the piece felt like on a personal level.

Kyle- Haha, so many distractions! Using the computer typing sounds in the beginning immediately reminded me of my own time on the computer and how difficult it can be to "stay still" mentally when there's so much stuff available at the tip of your fingers (even now, in my attempts to write out this blog post, I have so many different windows open in my browser). Even if I didn't quite understand the narrative at first, I got the sense of being bombarded with so much stimuli and information from various sources, which is essentially what happens in this technology-oriented world. The music definitely emphasized this feeling, it was fast-paced and intense and I felt myself getting pumped listening to it, though not in a way that would help me get more work done. I would have loved to know if the "protagonist" of this piece actually got his work done.

Kara- Very disturbing, and I mean that in the most effective way possible. The way in which you twist voices, specifically the psychiatrist's, definitely unsettled me and I think it had a lot to do with his monotonous, echoing tone. Likewise, the heavy breathing adds to that manic feeling of being placed in a position of having to remember some sort of traumatic event but being so reluctant about it. I feel like the piece on this blog is different from the piece you presented in class because I think I remember screams and the sounds of breaking glass in the one presented in class (though I'm not entirely sure). When remembering the screams/glass, I remember being startled and quite frightened because it contrasted so much with the relatively languid, surreal feel of the rest of the piece.

Memory Project: Sound

Between You and Me, Patryck Rebisz

This video particularly stood out in my memory both because of its storyline as well as the artist's stylistic choices. In regards to such style, the still images used are brightly colored and clear, a contradiction to the rather dark climax of the piece. I liked the stop-motion aspect because it adds a layer of the surreal, where we can look through the eyes of these characters (in particular, through the girl's camera) but are unable to affect what happens. Likewise, the pictures move and move forward with the story, but they are not fluid. 

I'm also a bit of a sucker for character-driven pieces, and I see this as a video that follows the intersection of two seemingly unrelated lives. The circumstances by which they initially "meet" certainly evoke a very strong reaction, one which most women can identify with. Though it does not really present an original situation, it was needed to give us the camera as a plot point, the device by which the man finds the woman again. The man's journey to find the woman through the use of the photographs that we saw her take in the beginning is very sweet and satisfying (in a circular way).

Missed Class: Audio Sampling

David Bryne and Brian Eno, America Is Waiting, 1986

With its simple, repeated vocals and a conversely varied array of musical styles, this piece is layered and complex, but very discordant in my eyes. The shifting music styles that have been integrated into the piece make it unpredictable and even the beat seems to be slightly off; I can't mentally grasp it . In this way, I immediately contrasted it with the idea of 'pop' music, which is meant to be easily remembered and understood, appealing to the widest demographic. I am intrigued by the concept that "America is waiting..." but to be honest I'm not quite sure as to who or what we may be waiting for. Could it be that, like with this piece, we are constantly left waiting for some familiar refrain?

Emergency Broadcast Network (EBN), 1995

Unlike the previous piece, EBN is more cohesive with its included vocals and, even though the lines are sampled from various sources, they have been edited together to fit a more normalized sentence structure. The rhythm is upbeat and rather catchy, but I would not necessarily compare it to 'pop' in the way mentioned in my previous paragraph. The content, whether commenting socially or politically, reflects a culture of violence, reinforced by Mariah Carey's fervent high-pitched "alarm".

I appreciated the rather humorous use of movie/music figures, and was at the same time a bit disturbed by the violent and presumably non-fictional footage (?). Additionally, watching it with the video was very important for me because there was one moment at the end that left a lasting impression. As the edited clips get shorter and the pace faster, there begins to appear very short scenes of a man with a gun in black and white film (I don't know the origin of this clip). He is as quick to appear as he is to disappear, but at one point, the gun is facing the audience directly. perhaps it is the fleetingness of his appearance or the very clear image of a gun pointed straight at me, but I found this subtle addition to be a bit frightening.

Ubu Sound Narratives

Paula Claire, Breeze, Energygalaxy and Astound, 1971

Like the other pieces in the "Disintegrating Languages" series, Paula Claire's works have a special emphasis on words and their breakdown thereof. Her poetry is meant to reflect a sense of "mobility" (in her own words) and I certainly didn't view the pieces as any sort of structured or traditional form at first listen. Similarly, her interest in breaking down words into their "atoms", their fundamental pieces, is most greatly reflected in Energygalaxy, where the speakers are virtually unintelligible.

Initially, I wasn't quite sure what to make of her works, though I was very interested in the thematic element of manipulating language. In listening to the pieces, I had a very visceral and fearful reaction to the way they were presented. The slightly disembodied, echoing voices, along with their increasing ferocity, evoke in me some sort of foreboding. However, though I did have this very strong reaction, I do not feel as if I fully understand the pieces, even after reading the brief description of the artist on the site. While the play on language is evident, I did associate the pieces with darker themes than perhaps what they were meant for.

Kathy Acker, Redoing Childhood, Miss Savage's School for Girls, 2000

Unlike Claire's pieces, Acker's work reflects a more clear narrative, and a more direct, even blunt, usage of language. It is very much apparent that her narration comes from a book, as I could very easily compare a transcript of the piece to something bound by letters and chapters even without knowing where it came from.

In regards to the effect of listening to it as an audio piece, her integration of various music styles was particularly noteworthy. Early in the piece, the upbeat and almost peppy song in the background of the narration was completely incongruous with her statements of adolescent angst and budding sexuality, but for me it worked. The contrast served the somewhat surreal and bizarre nature of the piece.

Notes on Audio Links

WBEZ, This American Life 109: Notes on Camp (1998)


-As a noncamper, I was instantly amused by the piece's goal to bridge the gap that exists between noncampers and campers. Through the various narratives I was able to get a sense of the companionship and camaraderie that exists between people when they spend time together in this way. Even though I did not share in these experiences myself, I often found myself smiling over stories that were in turns silly and poignant.
-The use of the harmonica, an instrument often associated with camp, really contributed to that campfire setting.


Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Her Long Black Hair (2004)

-I grew up near New York City, so listening to this piece was an exercise in memory and nostalgia, at least in regards to the presence of the typical hustle and bustle of city life. I felt not so much a listener as an actual participant due to the fluid nature of the sounds' sources. For me, the piece was most successful when I was able to close my eyes and just listen (in substitute for actually being there).
-The narrator's voice was rather subdued, so I felt a sense of sadness that contrasted with the more lively aspects of the events and conversations she encountered. This dissonance presented the narrator as some kind of outsider; she's always listening and moving, but never really interfering.

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Dreams-Telephone Series (2008)


-Although it's hard to get a true sense of the piece without hearing it, the use of the telephone implies a very intimate experience. Similarly, the artist recounts a dream experience to the listener, one on one, which makes for further personalization.


Robert Ashley, She was a visitor (1967)

-The key theme in this piece is the interaction between repetition and atmospheric noise, incarnated through the phrase "She was a visitor" played against a rather creepy backing track. At first, I focused on the meaning of the phrase "she was a visitor" and formed an entire story to match the tone that Ashley presents. The noises interspersed throughout the piece definitely gave a rather dark impression, as if this visitor was something not entirely welcome.
-I was immediately struck by what seemed to be whispered echoes of the phrase that appeared further into the piece; they were ghostly and haunting and seemed to be one of the most memorable characteristics. Similarly, because the phrase "She was a visitor" was so often and regularly repeated, I began to lose sense of the word meanings, and the main voice became just another facet of this unsettling atmosphere.
-The abrupt end of it left me feeling disturbed, but I got the impression that the voice was still to remain in some capacity (like the ringing in our ears when faced with silence after being exposed to loud music).

John Cage, excerpt from Silence (1969)


-The cadence and pacing of the man's voice reminds me of documentary programs, although the phrasing is a bit too abstract to match. However, the simplicity of the recording adds weight and seriousness to Cage's words, which is appropriate considering it touches upon such subjects as greed, the destructiveness of human nature, and capitalism.
-I find it interesting that the title is Silence, as it is anything but silent. Perhaps the monotony of his voice is a reflection of this? Or perhaps it can be a statement on the subject matter of the piece, as many of the things he talks about within are often ignored or looked over, as if silent?

Orson Welles, The War of the Worlds (1938)


-Of all the pieces, this was the one I had most familiarity with beforehand. The history behind what happened after this piece aired is fascinating, so I was very excited to hear it in it's original state. Interestingly enough, I find it hard to believe it caused such an uproar (though some say the extent of this is often exaggerated), but this is predominantly due to the fact that, in today's society, we have access to multiple sources of information. This has made me rather jaded and skeptic in my approach to truth, and when researching, it is all too easy for me to refer to these multiple sources. But back when people had no such capabilities, and were reliant on the radio for news, the portrayed scene must have been terrifying for those who believed it to be true.
-Both sound effects and timing were used accurately in an effort to bring realism to a very surreal situation. It was very eerie to hear the rather abrupt interruptions of upbeat songs, to switch to a rather horrific scenario. The constant updates, presented by the "reporters" in their somber tones, contributed to the seemingly grave situation. I could easily see how people would be so confused by the broadcast if they tuned in at an odd time, as the actors never broke character, and indications that the recording was fictional were only given a few times (3, I believe, at the beginning middle and end?).