Week 7

April 20, 2019 James Heywood Leave a comment

Hirxeth

https://www.instagram.com/hirxeth/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp2VgI1HWP6/

Who is the Practitioner?

Hirxeth (real name being Anna) is a Swedish blogger who primarily uses Tumblr for film and general aesthetic collections and listing. She is someone who I have loosely followed for the past couple of years, and within the past month or so discovered and enjoyed her personal Instagram account.

The Image

The image above is from a collection she posted 24 weeks ago from her trip to Portugal. The image itself does not have a title, but the collection’s title is called ‘Mix’.

How was the Image Authored?

The image was taken on her latest iPhone, I believe it is an iPhone 10, using the back facing camera on the device. Without any direct context, I would gather the photo is from the window view of wherever she was staying in Portugal, overlooking the town she was in. The shutters of the perched window frame the picture really nicely IMHO.

How was the Image Published?

The image above, once taken using her iPhone, was uploaded to Instagram, probably with a few manipulations as a part of a collection from her trip,

How was the Image Distributed?

The image, once posted on Instagram, was available on all her follower’s feeds, as well as most likely a suggestion tab to some through Instagram’s ‘discover’ tab, which pairs similar styles to users. Furthermore, I first encountered this picture and many of her others as shared links on her Tumblr blog.

Small Things

Idea Development // Small Things // Project

April 12, 2019 James Heywood Leave a comment

To pitch an elevator pitch.

James Heywood / s3721053

Idea

2 to 3 people who are about to commit a robbery are disguised as janitors stand idly in an elevator, waiting to reach their floor, and random, somewhat comedic things happen, like a fake moustache starts to fall off, or they drop their weapon etc. Others enter the elevator, make small talk etc. A tense atmosphere though.

Characters

Typical criminal character types, a more serious and focused one contrasted with a slightly clumsy one, maybe a nervous one if we have three.

Dialogue / Scenario Ideas

I like the idea of one of the robbers growing a conscience and getting nervous as they ride the elevator, talking to a passenger and feel for them, sweating etc. Some physical humour of disguises falling off or contents being dropped. This is still a workshopping process.

Location

I want most of it to be set in the elevator, however, there will be some shots to establish the crime such as preparation taking place in office/garage style spaces.

Sound and Music

I want there to be lots of diegetic sound effects, such as buttons pressed on the elevator, doors opening, people walking in and out, fidgeting of clothes and bags, sniffles. Really highlight the silence that comes with an elevator.

The faint background music of a tacky elevator tune will probably be the only music used, maybe some intense action preparation music at the start to comedically transition to the boppy music of the elevator.

Lighting

Pretty standard industrial blue lights, if a set is constructed, the lights could flutter and flux, if not, still lighting is all that is needed.

Props

I hope to have a small props list, maybe a matching jumpsuit and nametag, some fake moustaches and sunglasses, hats, maybe nurse masks. Incognito clothing. A couple of duffle bags and maybe some strange prop weapons like a bat or stick.

Inspiration / Framing Examples

Baby Driver – Edgar Wright – 2017

Drive – Nicholas Winding Refn – 2011

While tonally, these films are quite different to each other and what I have an idea of making, the framing, way they used tight spaces and in the case of Baby Driver specifically, the way they use dark humour are all things I want to experiment with this idea.

Feedback

Please feel free to make comments in the blog comment section below for any changes or things I could add, this is very much a work in progress.

Networked Media

Analogue Video // Networked Media // Week 6

April 9, 2019 James Heywood Leave a comment

Megatron/Matrix – Nam June Paik

Who was the Practitioner?

Nam June Paik was an American – Korean artist considered to be the pioneer and founder of ‘video art’. During the ’60s, Paik’s fascination with televisions and electronics began to incorporate with his creative side, creating many famous artworks and thinking about the ‘electronic superhighway’ in relation to digital communication before most. A true visionary, with most of his works being featured in famous galleries such as the Smithsonian Art Museum.

Background on the work:

Megatron/Matrix is one of Paik’s more famous works, being featured int he Smithsonian. The installation was created in 1995, featuring two sections of 215 separate tv monitors, that loop clips and soundbites that create a larger image when viewed together. The larger side is the ‘Megatron’, representing society and popular culture, looping cartoons and world flags. The smaller side, known as the ‘Matrix’, loops images of humans and real-world things. such as planets. It is thought that their connection is that the humans on the Matrix side are ‘plugged in’ to the digital society, which is quite a prolific and impressive concept for 1995.

How was this piece authored, published and distributed?

The piece was authored by Nam June Paik, during 1995 in his studio. By then, Paik was a well known and respected artist of the video medium, and the pieced was published and distributed by the Smithsonian Museum of art in 1998, where it was on display as a permanent exhibition until 2006. Now, the piece is moved around and set up in seasons. However, images and videos of Megatron/Matrix are distributed online via the museum’s website, various articles and YouTube for viewers to experience on demand.

References

https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/megatronmatrix-36486

Networked Media

Analogue Photo // Networked Media // Week 5

April 6, 2019 James Heywood Leave a comment

The Iconic James Dean by Dennis Stock

USA. New York City. 1955. James DEAN in Times Square.

Description

An image of James Dean, wandering the rainy streets of Time Square in New York in 1955.

Who was the Photographer?

Born in 1928, Dennis Stock was an American photographer who worked between the early 50s to late 90s. Stock worked with Life magazine for a majority of his career, branching out to more passion-based projects in the later years of his life. He was an apprentice to the prolific photographer Gjon Mili, famous for capturing famous artists such as Picasso.

Story of the Photograph

Dennis Stock was introduced to the new kid on the block James Dean at an L.A. party in the 50s, bonding over their mutual friend Gjon Mili. Dean agreed to let Stock photograph him, both while we went around New York, in which the photo above was taken, and around his family home, which was uncommon for the time.

Stock wanted to capture Dean in his natural state, going about his day and not posing for the camera, rather, observe his observations. Stock stated that Dean was more human than most, suffering from extreme insomnia and living quite a mundane life at the time.

When, Where and How was it Published?

A collection of portraits, including this picture, were published by Magnum Photos in 1955, as a collection behind the scenes images of the soon to be famous actor. Originally, these would have been printed into a magazine, and some original prints are in galleries. Currently, they are nicely digitized on their website.