Screen Project 2: UNKNOWABLE

What a video to conclude this semester with. From the beginning of this semester I wanted to evolve as an artist, and I think this represents that transformation excellently. For screen project 1 I was focused on developing skill and familiarity with the tools at my disposal. While also further developing the glitch-punk noise aesthetic I am interested in. It resulted in something I am still proud of. I learnt that I should focus more on high contrast imagery and could use grainy low resolution imagery too my advantage. I was trying to break out of the vision of a typical editing process.

For Screen Project 2 I wanted to build upon the foundation I built in the first half of the semester. I figured that it would not be advantageous to continue practical development, but to instead broaden my horizons theoretically. I began research into what I now call ‘Reiteration Artists’, people who take things and combine them (or alter them) in order to not only increase the meaning present in their first form, but build upon and extrapolate it into a much larger and more powerful message. The decision to research this, in conjunction with the film makers, film theories, and concepts James introduced to us through out the semester was astonishingly helpful. I’ve always been aware of the Avant-Garde, but was never confident enough to delve into it creatively. I think for a first proper attempt I did a good job.

I factor I wanted to improve on with Screen Project 2 is  that I believe I was too reliant on chaotic imagery and violent movements. I think it is a cheap way to display horror (especially Cosmic-Horror). The greatest horror films don’t need this kind of movement language, The Shining, The Exorcist, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, The VVitch, and so on. I wanted to scale it back to a more pure and stream lined audio visual experience. I cited La Jetée as a major influence. La Jetée manages to create an incredibly captivating and engaging film though a great soundtrack and just still images. It is just masterful. I wanted to make my short film as still as possible, while also having a great underlying sound mix. This led me to do something I have never done before, I created the sound mix before the visuals. When I listen to music usually I have a visual reaction in my mind, seeing scenarios play out and creating stories to go along with the track. I didn’t want to use any form of music, and decided on mostly industrial and natural sounds. I planned to recycle materials I had used in other projects too, to keep inn theme with the concept of recycling.

The last few weeks I have sprouted a fascination for poetry. I think it may be due to some research on Tarkovsky I have been doing for a separate assessment. I found this reading of Ozymandias (by Percy Bysshe Shelley). I thought it was thematically relevant to the ideas of death, hell, and chaos I am portraying in the video. A major concept I realised was consistent with recycle created artwork is a critique of the world. It may not be obvious in all creations, but it can be seen. I believe this is a direct response to an over industrialised society overrun with rapid consumerism. I tried to employ some of that concept into my video.

I could go on for another thousand words about how Jean Epstein, Maya Deren, Bill Morrison, etc. were hugely influential in the creation of the video. But I think it is just best to say that the Studio as a whole, including the creative endeavours of other students, was hugely influential in its’ entirety on me as an artist.

The reaction I got from my friends and Peers was overwhelmingly positive, I haven’t gotten such a large response as I have with this video ever. It has definitely inspired me to continue down this path over the summer, and even start filming my own footage. I recently ordered a Canon 1014-xls to create with. I think this area of Punk-Glitch-Avant-Horror is something I can continue to build upon into something great.

Screen Project 2

After all the research and course work I feel I have a better and clearer idea of what I intend to create for this Screen Project. My research prompt was focused on recycling and reiteration in art. I think another was to describe it is a memetic evolution of ideas. I think to display what I’ve learnt from this I will be taking bits and pieces from a variety of works I’ve made and combine them into the one project. This won’t be the entirety of it, but more so a way to give it another layer of depth. For the base film I will be taking heavy inspiration the films we’ve watched in class, and those I’ve seen in my personal viewings. La Jetée I will cite specifically when saying this. I want to still delve into Comic-Horror as theme, but it will be more so through the subtext. I think the distortions I made last project looked pretty cool, but the depth they lent to the overarching work was very shallow. I’m seeking to make something with meaning, which generate an emotive reaction from the audience this time. Rather than ‘oh that looks cool’. I’ll still employ similar techniques editing though.

Essentially I am going for something more simple, but more effective. I want a more pure simple experience. rather than just visuals that barely connect together. I m going to focus more heavily on the sound design too, which I feel was lacking in the last project. I have an idea I want to explore, more so an emotion I want people to feel. similar to what Jean Epstein does with his work.

La Jetée (1962)

Another favourite of mine from this semester is ‘La Jetée’. Immediately I recognised it as what would have been the inspiration for ’12 Monkeys’. The thing I really love about this film is the fact that it was made using only photographs and a great sound design. It is so unique to what we usually experience with cinema. Erratic shots and violent movement is slowly becoming more and more prevalent in films. I don’t have anything against it if it is used in the right context, but it is being used to disguise unimaginative ideas. I said during my presentation that it is a lot harder to make something still, than it is to make something that is rapidly moving. This can be applied to a variety of contexts and interpretations. Like Contemporary Horror over-using jump scares, Action films over-use of shaky cams, etc. La Jetée uses images, yet conveys an amazing sense of inertia and movement. I really do like how understated and minimalistic it is. The stuff I make is always very erratic and too busy in frame. I think I’m going to take some inspiration from this with Screen Project 2.

This is Science-Fiction at its’ best. A must see.

10/10

 

Bill Morrison: Light is Calling

Out of all the fantastic pieces, master filmmakers, and truly unique ideas I’ve gotten to experience this semester; Bill Morrison has had the most impact on me. Specifically his video ‘Light is Calling’. I’ve gone through a few recycle art pieces and artists now, but Morrison sits on an entirely separate level from the rest. His use of materiality is just astounding, mesmerising even. It immediately evolves the base film into so much more than what it was to begin with. It turns an old archive film into a fading memory, a memento of a time long past; barely holding onto the future. it’s an eight minute video with more depth than most blockbuster movies do now. A lot can be learned about portraying messages and ideas just from Light is Calling, let alone the rest of his filmography.

There is an immediate provocation of existentialism within me when I watch it, an inert feeling of dread almost. I have mentioned previously a multitude of times that I am heavily inspired by Cosmic-Horror. I think this nails that concept on the head. Cosmic-Horror is mostly interpreted as ‘space horror’ or about narratives of isolation with super-natural motif’s. It is far more than that. the full scope of it is the exploration of the ‘unknowable’, a delving into the primordial fears of man. Death is one of those fears. Of course there is a fantastical element to Cosmic-Horror, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be filled by a creature or location, it just needs to be in the idea. And a fading memory stuck between comprehension and forgotten memory fits this perfectly. An overwhelming sense of Existentialism. The fear of being forgotten.

It does fit the prompt for my research, but I am going to change the name of it. After looking through all these artists I believe a better term is ‘Reiteration Art’. I’ve found that the the themes and ideas of the materials used when making art from reclaimed things don’t go away. They merely enhance what was already there, evolving it; when in juxtaposition with the new intentions.

Knife Angel: Reclaiming Violence

The last decade has seen the United Kingdom face an unprecedented rise in Knife related crimes and assaults, as far as I currently understand. I was reminded before about an artwork created only a few years ago to raise awareness to this issue. The sculpture is dubbed ‘Knife Angel’. It was created by Alfie Bradley. The knifes were gathered from knife reclamation bins that were set up by UK police.

There is something poetic about an angel being created from the tools of death and violence. ironic in an unfunny way. These instruments could have been used to destroy many peoples lives, some may have already done so. Now they are unable to do so, distorted into something better. A symbol against the very purpose they were created for. The reason for the sculptures creation is clear enough, it’s overwhelming condemnation of the perpetual violence that is happening. In the future I hope that it will serve as a beacon and symbol of when times changed. similarly to the twentieth century tech-punk music that I’ve explored into, this too is the result of an overabundance. IT’s a surprisingly common conclusion I keep coming too. A lot of the things are only possible to be made when there is too much of something, technology, weapons, space, etc. or is it just another form of progressive consumerism, disguised under the veil of purpose. I think not with Knife Angel.

The further I research and try to define what I mean by Recycle Art, the broader the concept becomes. I’m starting to reconsider the phrasing for what I initially meant. Because I think recycle might not have the depth I am trying to discover. It’s merely just the process that is used to get to what I am beginning to understand. I’m not looking for processes, but results and impact.

The Floppotron: Paweł Zadrożniak

I have a very large passion for music. When I was younger I was pulled into that ‘Dudes only listen to rock’ mentality, but that changed mid high school for me. I near suddenly just wanted to listen and experience as much as I could; similar to how I’ve always been with film. I’ve always had a fascination with most things actually, there’s a lot to appreciate about a lot of things. A keen interest I’ve developed is the niche of people creating music using things that aren’t instruments, specifically with late twentieth century technology. There’s just something very cyberpunk about it, makes me feel like we are living in the future. Recently I discovered a YouTube channel that creates cover’s of famous songs using hard-disks and floppy readers. And it doesn’t even sound that bad.

The creator (Paweł Zadrożniak) dubs the machine ‘The Floppotron’, and I can not think of a more deserving name. Thematically this is similar to what ELECTRONICOS FANTASTICOS! does with Cathode Ray Televisions. I think I can make a lot of similar conclusions that applied to their blog post too. The over abundance of goods that society has seen with its rise in consumerism is what has made projects like this possible. People move on to what is newer, faster, better in cycles of two to five years. After a while the remnants of previous decades pile up. IT’s good that they aren’t just wasting away in some landfill, polluting the environment with the degradation of their parts. I’m hoping to see more things like The Floppotron become more prevalent in the next few decades. Culture is starting to shift into being very conscious about our impact on the world, projects like these are in direct response to this. Even if the intention was purely just to make it for fun, it wouldn’t have occurred without these factors all pushing the creator in that direction.

On a last note, I would love to see music created from all these machines used to create film scores for more tech noir based films or even a knew Tron film. I think it would really elevate the themes of technology and who society interacts with it.

Spiral Jetty: Robert Smithson

I’ve been thinking over what I want to discuss in terms of ‘recycle art’, and the boundaries I set on myself. I’ve found that I tend to always steer towards odd musical instruments when looking for something interesting. Conceptually I’ve been looking at objects being recycled, but I want to expand outwards from that. Treating Recycling as broadly as possible, though it may shift more into the field of repurposing.

I also just want an excuse to talk about interesting things I’ve found online.

A few weeks ago i stumbled across this educational video about a piece of art created in the Great Salt Lake (Utah). It was about a jetty made of stone and rocks, formed into the shape of a spiral. The comment section was full of disgruntled and bored architecture/arts students, having been sent there to the video for homework. But my fascination was immediate. I mean what was he trying to say, if anything at all. Could it be a reactionary statement to art exhibitions, or is it more than that. In terms of my research prompt I am using it in the context of recycling space. Giving meaning to a place that is barren and without meaning. The field of art it falls under is called ‘Land Art’, that being art built into the land. The concept isn’t even new either. Humans have been making Land Art for thousands of years. The best example I can think of is the Nazca lines in Peru.

I think there is something very special with bringing meaning to the meaningless. It’s almost like birthing life from nothingness, in a way. Knowing that these art pieces are going to be around for millennia to come, eventually losing their meaning; yet still drawing people to them. The Spiral Jetty is more than just recycling space to me, I think it’s more an example of exercising our base reason to create:

Simply because we can.

Poetry and Long Term Isolation

In roughly a week it will have been seven months I’ve spent in lockdown, with only one weekend in June away from my home with friends. I think after all this has gone away everyone will be irrevocably changed. When I was younger I was very introverted, but the last few years I’ve spent more and more time with friends, so this has been almost meditative to live through. Reflecting on how these two sides of my life have evolved over the years. I’ve found that I think more about the decisions I make now, recently one of these being to almost entirely cut the amount of stuff I post on Social Media. Something I would not have done if I hadn’t had the time to think about it in Lockdown, and would have been very out of character in previous years.

All the things above have also lead me down a thought path on what I want to be seen as artistically. It was only a few years ago when I started my last degree on a whim that I just wanted to make movies because that’s what I enjoyed as my hobby. Now I see it as something more, a way for me to express myself artistically. That being said there are still things I want to make for fun, but there is large general shift in my intentions. Poetry is what comes to mind when gestating on all these things. I’ve sprouted an interest in poetry, I think film can be considered poetry in a sense. As it is more focused on showing things to an audience to think about, rather than telling them what to think. With Screen Project two I’m going to create it in a way that shows rather than tells. Toning down on the busyness of my development to here. I want it to be simple, yet still hold the same tone as the last project, hopefully superseding it in some respects.

I think I might just be burned out, but I still want to make things. Hopefully it turns out well.

Artistic Statement – Zane Giernatowski 05/10/20

Currently I create short films through the digital medium, I plan to venture out into film; but those will be digitised too. I create these because I want to experiment as an artist and push my boundaries creatively, specifically through how each video is created. Using a variety of tools and techniques in various editing software. I do this to learn and discover new ways to portray visuals. another reason

I create these videos is to make people feel, I am creating something more akin to an experience. I believe the most important part of narrative is to get people to feel emotions for whatever they are seeing. I started this with heavy punk and glitch art influences, but in its’ current form it is more purposeful distortion. I have a high contrast aesthetic I am pursuing, with a filtered glitch look. I don’t think my style is overly unique, there are definitely similarities in other work on the internet. But it is an expression of me, which makes it unique.

 

/DRAFT/

I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Charlie Kaufman

I watched Charlie Kaufman’s latest film this week and it was one of the scariest experiences I’ve had watching a movie. The film is listed as a Drama, but it’s other descriptor ‘horror’ is far more accurate. I can barely begin to describe the film. It is one of the most existentially driven narratives I’ve witnessed. It is both unexplainable to me, yet so simple to digest. The only word that comes to my mind is Nightmare.

I’ve stated in earlier posts that a massive interest to me is Cosmic-Horror, despite not being defined, this I feel is beyond a perfect example of it. MY current understanding and definition personal definition of cosmic horror would be ‘the fear of the unknowable’. Which is essentially what it is, to fear what is beyond us. ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ deals with the themes of death, forgetting one’s self, claustrophobia, inevitability, emotional pain, and fear. I could list more, but these are the most relevant. And it is executed so masterfully. My biggest praise of the film is the slowness. I mentioned in my presentation that it’s easier to make something fast and erratic, than it is to slow; to really let the audience absorb and project. This felt so slow, but I love it for it. IT really gave me time to think about what was going on and project it not only onto what was happening on screen, but onto my own life. Kaufman really is a master. I think has been so educational to me, it really gives me a set definition for what I am aiming for with my next video. To take new risks. I very, very rarely get spooked like this, there’s always a layer of subjectivity. Yet this pierced my soul.

10 / 10