The Rest | Michael Firus

Picture = 1000 words ∴ 4 seconds of 25fps video = 100,000 words.

4’ 33″

Listeners of this track fall into 3 basic camps: the confused, the intrigued and the annoyed. I have to say I am a synthesis of all three. John Cage’s 4’ 33″ is… well watch the video: (no cheating now, all of it) So which deem are you? In 4’ 33″ the performance is the sounds…

Sound – Not Just Heard?

With all the discussion on the importance of sound, I began to wonder what a member of the deaf community could contribute to the discussion. My sister, Caroline, is 13 and has been profoundly deaf since birth. This means that she can hear almost nothing of the things we take for granted unaided. She can,…

Trailer: Holy Motors, Leos Carax’s tentatively categorized fantasy drama is one of those films. One of those films where no one is completely sure what on earth is going on. This is because the film explicitly rejects any sort of logical structure or definitive interpretation. However, my opinion on the issue of the films interpretation…

Mediated or Nay?

I’m pretty sure the notion has passed through everyone’s mind at some stage. Whether subconscious or deliberate, we’ve all made up our minds at each moment which we prefer. To communicate in front of a living, breathing human or to be on the other end of kilometers of radio waves and copper (or fiber…

Evoking Hate – Editing in Practice

“Montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent shots” – Sergei Eisenstein Editing can do amazing things. I decided to pull out some old footage (of me) and create something that explored how editing can create meaning. I decided to use footage that seems totally out of context with the main action…

Editing – Pretty Fundamental

A screenshot of part 1 of my last short film inside the editing suite. I think editing (in terms of the motion picture) is something that we all hold in great regard. I possess this rather forward opinion, because… just think about it. Wouldn’t you want your life to be edited? Get rid of your…

Here we go…

Well, my first blog post. Ever. Let’s just say I’m Michael P Firus. Oh, that’s me and my pal the sun btw. I’m not entirely sure it’s acceptable for me to say I have a connection to media in any particularly special way. We’re all pretty much media creators and indeed all media consumers so…

Focus and the Notification

I think that it’s pretty fair to say the notification tone is one of humanities biggest distractions from deep focus. Each mobile hardware and software platform has its own distinct set of chimes to let you know when the next frivolous message has reached your hand. These tones are heard constantly on the morning commute…