IMMERSION AUDIT BRAINSTORM 

 

For the upcoming project, we have chosen to do an immersion audit of laser tag arenas.

Really committing to the project, we have chosen to visit multiple laser tag arenas, including outdoor, indoor, high class and low, as well as those with alcohol and without.

We intend to fully involve ourselves in these places and commit to the immersion they provide. It will be tough, but worth it.

According to a very reliable reddit thread, Darkzone in Box Hill is the best laser tag experience in Melbourne.

 

Below is the shortlist we’ve created for potential laser tag places to visit –

 

DarkZone – Box Hill

2-for-1 Tuesday’s – $12.50 for 2 games

Student Night (Thursday) – $15 for 4 games of laser tag + 4 arcade games

 

Strike – Melbourne Central

$25 unlimited on Thursdays(?)

 

Laserforce – Ballarat

Thursday – Social Night
UNLIMITED PLAY FROM 6:00PM-10:00PM $30.00

Friday – Disco Night
UNLIMITED MISSIONS FROM 7:00M-9:00PM $20.00

 

Laserforce (Sidetracked) – Oakleigh

Happy hour – 3 games for $20

 

TunzaFun – Narre Warran

2 games for $20

 

Adrenalin Games – Outdoor Laser Tag – Skye

http://www.adrenalingames.com.au/laser-tag/

THE HORROR MONTAGE | PROJECT BRIEF 2 | AUDIOVISUAL RESPONSE

 

As asserted by academic Julian Hanich, horror is so effective in engaging and enhancing viewer absorption largely due to the ‘paradox of horror’ – horror films terrorise the viewer, and both because of and in spite of this, they are enjoyable. The horror film simultaneously suspends our functional perception of fear, whilst demanding our attention as our primal instincts refuse to let us look away. By virtue of transfixion, it may be argued that there is nothing more immersive than horror. In my piece I endeavoured to explore this. I was drawn to Ed Hirst’s audio piece, as it had the capacity to offer an immediately emotive experience, which was well suited to being guided towards horror. As the visuals manipulate and give altered meaning and context to the sound, so the sound develops the vision.

Throughout the video, I employ the tropes of horror cinema. I used the audio to enhance the visual material, set the mood, build pacing, and recontextualise otherwise harmless footage, whilst furthermore creating scaled ‘jump scares’ throughout. The sound and vision work together to build the horror world which engulfs the viewer. Moreover, I utilised visuals that were graphic or a part of classic horror iconography in order to reaffirm the video’s genre and immediately impress upon the viewer the emotions that should be felt whilst watching. Simultaneously however, testing the limits of the horror film, I included animated images and a variety of source material, which varied in style, aesthetic and texture, thereby disturbing the usual visual continuity of the horror film. Despite these potential disturbances in immersion, I believe that the viewer, in the capacity allowed by this brief video, is still allowed to believe this piece as a cohesive horror ‘world’ in which they may become immersed, as they accept, and become engaged in what is presented on-screen, despite its visual disparities. This reaffirms Hanich’s belief in the immersive capabilities of the horror genre, and furthermore supports the claim that immersion is contingent upon the suspension of disbelief; without which, horror could seem utterly fantastical, or truly terrifying. 

 

Hanich, J 2010, Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers – The Aesthetic Paradox of Pleasurable Fear, Routledge, USA.

Perron, B 2009, Horror Video Games: Essays on the Fusion of Fear and Play, McFarland & Company, Inc, USA.

 

I declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understood and agree to the content and expectations of the assessment declaration.

WEEK 4

Two systems of thought – 

System 1:

emotion, feeling, intuitive, fast, automatic, subconscious

System 2:

reason, logic

Under circumstances where there may be confusion, imperfect knowledge or multiple conflicting goals, emotions traditionally replace reason to guide immediate responses and action – filmmakers use this to manipulate their audiences.

 

• Umwelt – an organism’s subjective experience of its environment

• Perceptual apparatus doesn’t make a distinction between what’s real, or not real; in real world this is fight or flight, in fiction, this is suspension of belief.

• An objective reality is problematic if you’re thinking umwelt.

• The experience of sound and vision is different, as is mode of processing – we consciously process about 1% of the information our sensory inputs feed the brain – so our subconscious is working to process the rest.

• Misattribution – soundtrack generate emotion but you believe it’s immanent ti the screen; multimodality of cinema.

 

Frisson – overwhelming emotional response combined with goosebumps; surprise

Synchresis – the spontaneous and irresistible weld produced between a particular auditory phenomenon and visual phenomenon when they occur at the same time. (Chion, Audio-Vision, p.63)

 

Thinking beyond the dichotomy of sound and vision –

TEXTURE

Texture IN film – the presentation of soft fabric, of slime, of different textures within the film world

Texture OF film – the digital image, the film reel

Texture FROM film

 

For a film to be immersive:

• suspension of belief
• suspend interaction with the real world, and focus instead on a single image – the film on screen
• follow the narrative or surface layer presented to us
• there is something that happens when all elements of a film come together to create ‘perceptual synchresis’ = immersion – the film mediates the new on screen world for us, as we plug into the film world presented to us

 

Texture In Film 

It’s about representation and mediation, however these are different. When you represent something, you try to present its likeness; mediation goes beyond that as it imbues the likeness with the inherent qualities of the medium used to present the thing – the affordances of the recording medium effect the presentation of the thing in the film – mediation fills the perceptual gap – it allows it to be believable and guides your perception of what is being presented on screen.

These sensations, the feeling of light, weight, texture – thats created through mediation.

Texture Of Film

Dirt, scratches etc of film vs the crisp, manipulated image of the digital – does film texture effect immersion?

We can become immersed so well in the digital image as it doesn’t separate us from the screen

 

texture IN film + texture OF film = textured filmic experience = immersion

music concrete 

 

Music has a particular perspective – it may not necessarily let you know what this perspective is until later – it simply hints at its perspective – used a lot in horror

 

For music to be effective, it must fall away and meld together with the vision so that neither one appears incongruent to the other, you fail to actively notice either, but rather become absorbed in the world they present. 

WEEK 3

 

Immersion in fiction – the brain extracts useful information, allowing the viewer to play out different scenarios without diluting factual memory

When you’re immersed in a film you don’t question every factual element – we experience the action within the context of the work – suspension of disbelief.

Exploding Reality 

 

Conscious attention – very small amount of what is observed is consciously observed – the rest is taken in subconsciously by the brain

 

EXCERPTS FROM THE READING

•••••••••

•••••••••

Repetition allows the brain to derive further meaning as it moves from paying attention to one aspect of something to another.

kurt vonnegut is a star

 

audio 

• sounds which it pays to ficus on

• sounds which can be left to a subconscious subroutine – zombie agent

• sounds which can be completely ignored

the metaphoric gap between the thing and its metaphoric shadow

 

SOUND – used to;

• clarify or express an idea (often used recurrently to impress a theme or characterisation)
• describe or generate emotion
• materialise/confer authenticity on an image (makes it feel real, gives it weight – e.g fight scenes, car crashes)
• provide additional layers of information (weight, size, texture, causal listening – tapping table, you learn what the table is made of, door slam, you learn how angry a person is based on how loudly it is slammed)
• articulate structure
• accelerate or decelerate pace
• delineate genre / project a tone / stimulate a required schema

INTENTION

I was drawn to this studio as I believe that, especially moving forward in the digital age, creating immersive media (installations, spaces, or films), is more achievable and perhaps more important than it has ever been. Creating something that can envelop a person within an experience completely is an awesome task. As someone who aspires to create documentaries for a living, I hope to use the lessons I reap from this studio to enhance my films and create immersive documentaries that captivate their audience. Learning different techniques of immersion through editing, sound, movement, colour, and more, will enhance my ability to do this. Through exploring different types of immersion I furthermore hope to expand my practice and add to my repertoire of skills. I enjoy learning about and experiencing immersive art installations, and have some experience working to create such spaces, and would like to explore this further, while making any future work focussed upon my field of documentary, enabling me to explore other forms of documentary outside film. In terms of technical skills, I would like to make the most out of being in a studio with digital media students and learn more about sound, and audio editing, as I am lacking in this area and a higher awareness and level of proficiency in audio would elevate my films. In terms of media outputs for this studio, I would love to make another documentary film for my portfolio, however I am not sure what form this would take. So far I have been greatly inspired by the experimental documentary film Koyaanisqatsi, which was shown in class as an example of an immersive documentary film. I would like to learn more about other immersive documentary styles and techniques in order to apply these lessons to my own films, and create documentaries that visually and intellectually move beyond just sharing information, and truly engage the audience in an experience.

I declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understood and agree to the content and expectations of the assessment declaration.

IMMERSION

Immersion can be experience on physiological, emotional and intellectual levels.

Immersion often involves a journey:

• film
• literature
• ikea
• music
• sport
• rides
• VR & video games
• Youtube channel (& suggestions)
• our lives (narrativisation)

Immersion uses rewards to focus attention – sounds, points etc

Can combine goal based rewards with a journey – give meaning behind engagement

employ other senses to add value / percieved quality – unconsciously adding to the experience – eg influence through baking scent in new house

• sound
• light / texture
• scent
• movement
• cheerleaders, mascots, hot dogs & beer at sports

This monopolises attentionthrough bullying & seduction:

• strength of logic (pattern, form)
• intrigue (dreams, surreality)
• force (rides)
• stimulating competitive drive
• dynamic range / contrastive valence
• addiction

The Brain assesses streams of data for meaning and significance – you can coerce the audience to project importance / meaning onto the media – without having to actually have or convey meaning. Many immersive experiences draw on our evolutionary priming to trick us into particular states – emotion, attention.

 

Definitions of Immersion – Deep engagement (sensorial engulfment) with as stimulus

Often requires suspension of disbelief.

 

THREE MODES OF LISTENING

CAUSAL – listening to a sound in order to gather information about its cause (or source)

SEMANTIC – listening to a code or language to interpret a message

REDUCED – listening that focuses on the traits of the sound itself, independent of its cause and meaning – pioneered in France

Shift from semantic to reduced modes of listening – repeating a phrase again and again and again – once semantic meaning has been extracted, other things such as pattens, pitch, melody and rhythm are noticed – the paralinguistic codes of language begin to be noticed.

VISION

Same applies to vision as well as sound – film, theatre, video games.

Immersive film – the space between the eye and the screen (the void) falls away.

 

Holl Reading 

Immersion – trance like state

• Cinema is connected to the nervous system – the filmmaker can exploit this connection
• the gaze unconscouslt moves in the pictures and the shots of he photographic surface
• movements are conveyed as moments of motion assembled in the field of vision
• experimental filmmakers liberated the body from popular discourse

 

Early 50 second documentary like films 

Tom Gunning – we should approach film today as they did when it was first created – a disregard for cinematic tradition

 

EMBODIED SUBJECTIVITY 

Perspective

• a way for the audience’s perspective to be aligned with a character in the film – your perspective, reactions, physical intellectual – are aligned with what’s on screen
• BORDERS – being made aware of the distance between you and what is being viewed – does it draw you in further or separate you out?
• CAMERA MOVEMENT – the way the content of the frame is re-oriented by the camera’s movement

 

Subjectivity & situation – the situation in which you’re experiencing the film etc will effect the experience.

 

Immersion only works when everything works together.

Tactile: Reviving The Old

 

In this final project, I endeavoured to build from my previous documentary, and further explore the broader cultural framework in which creative fields reside, and the societal shifts that occur when new technologies arise. To do this, I looked towards the industry of the traditional, the analogue, and the handmade. This is a creative sector that has undergone a recent revival due to a resurgence in demand for the handmade, and the commercial popularisation of its particular aesthetics. I created a documentary to explore this revival, interviewing its participants about what drew them to their field, why their particular craft is experiencing a comeback, and importantly, why now?

 

Throughout my research, particular themes began to emerge, which established the conditions under which society will seemingly turn back to old ways of doing. Previous craft revivals – post Industrial Revolution, and throughout the 1970s – suggest that resurgences appear in response to periods of significant social, economic, and technological change (Peach, 2013). The 1990s and early 2000s marked a period of great economic upheaval, with a push towards commercialism as its consequence. This combined with milestone technological advancements, and fundamental changes in the composition of the job market, comprise some of the most prominent driving forces behind the current trade resurgence; reactions against mass manufacturing, with its alienation of the workforce, and the knowledge economy that was a product of the period.

 

The trend towards manual crafts can be explained partially by recent technological advancements, which have facilitated the mass production of goods. Global mass production has created an over-saturation of products, as it pushes commerciality upon consumers, and promotes the ‘throw away’ culture that many of this documentary’s subjects disparaged. The myriad of ethical, human, and environmental violations that large-scale production demands is a prominent reason behind the return to traditional crafts, which occur within a local model, on an ethical scale. 

 

This push for production has also created a diametrically oppositional, creative movement. As academic Susan Luckman asserts, the mechanisation of production alienates the labour force, inciting such backlash as was seen following the Industrial Revolution. (Luckman, 2013). The unprecedented increase in mechanised production with the onset of the digital realm has drastically changed the way products are developed and interacted with, as the hand is replaced by capital, disengaging the craftsperson from the process of creation. As noted by Shane Kent from the School of Clay and Art, when crafting with your hands, the tools used, and the work created becomes an extension of the body, and of the individual. A ‘bodily resonance’ is achieved when intimately interacting with a craft. In this way, the maker directly inscribes their individual cultural heritage and social surrounds onto the product, and the purchase of handmade goods is an attempt to similarly manifest these human qualities (Campbell, 2005). Unlike mass-manufactured objects, the individual craftsperson’s work is unique in its production. The separation between the human and the craft caused by commercially-driven mechanisation is thus one reason for consumers’ retreat towards older ways of making, which permit physical connection.

 

This disengagement with the physical was only heightened by the expectation of the knowledge economy which such technological advancements produced. Following the developments of the 1990s, educators prepared students for a job market grounded in an information economy. Based around the digital and the dissemination of data, this was the predicted product of the great technological advancements that were occurring at the time (Crawford, 2009). Emphasis was shifted from physically engaged, interactive learning, to programs intended to prepare students to become ‘knowledge workers,’ who would graduate from university to jobs in the information economy (Crawford, 2009). While this economy has yet to become a true reality, the outcome of perpetually non-physical learning was to steer many of this generation’s graduates to return to more haptic, tactile professions and experiences, despite inhabiting an increasingly digital world (Peach, 2013). In this way, the digital age has simultaneously facilitated a divergence from traditional crafts, and a redirection back to them.

 

More broadly, within the cultural psyche, there has been a shift away from the homogeny of the mass produced. This is manifest within the craft revival, the resurgence of the unique product (e.g. pottery, polaroid, film, analogue recordings), and the popularisation of DIY, handmade, and traditional aesthetics. Fuelled by concerns over a loss of creative autonomy subliminally caused by haptic disengagement, this resurgence is propelled by technological advancement and the mechanisation of creation (Peach, 2013). It is ultimately the combination of technology and the push of commercialism, with a disengagement from tactile learning, which drives the return to the physical, to traditional crafts and older ways of doing; and so, in the newly formed digital era, there emerges an evidently human desire for physical connection. Unlike the resurgences of craft in the past however, this time, new technologies such as social media are working together with older processes to find a potentially sustainable future. Moving beyond nostalgia for simpler times, this movement is drawing from the past to create for the future, finding an even medium between the online and the physical (Peach, 2013).

 

Regarding the film that I created; I was satisfied with the interviews conducted, and the insight the subjects were able to provide. I would however have liked to gather more, and provide a more rounded perspective from the industry of craft and old media. Furthermore, although I am proud to have organised and shot the interviews alone, in future I would prefer to work in a team, as, unfortunately, as a young woman I would be more comfortable in this environment. This became evident as not all of the people I approached for this project were respectful. As I was interviewing people alone, I limited my equipment, taking a tripod, camera and mic, while shooting minimal B-roll with the intention to use found footage – an attempt to take up as little of my subject’s time as possible. The decision to use black and white colour grading was made to blend the old, found footage with the new, and by doing so, highlight the parallels between the old and new, despite their historical gaps. It was also used strategically to equalise the interview footage. Shooting alone, I carried no supplementary lighting with me, and while most of the interviews were beautifully lit, some were only okay. The decision to make the film black and white was to allow an integrated, and unified aesthetic within the piece. This project also presented my first time combining multiple interviews, and this presented a real challenge when it came to editing. Ultimately, I decided to treat the separate interviews as one voice, and tell a story with them in this way. For a first effort, I am quite pleased with the results.

 

 

Reference List

Barton, R 2011, Maker’s Mark: a new generation of artisans are reviving arts and crafts, The Independent, web, accessed 9 June 2017,

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/makers-mark-a-new-generation-of-artisans-are-reviving-arts-and-crafts-2279607.html

 

Campbell, C 2005, The Craft Consumer: Culture, craft and consumption in a postmodern society, Journal of Consumer Culture, vol. 5, no. 1, p. 23-42, SAGE Publications, London.

 

Crawford, M 2009, The Case for Working With Your Hands, The New York Times Magazine, USA.

 

Giuffrida, A 2017, How the return of traditional skills is boosting Italy’s economy, The Guardian, web, accessed 9 June 2017,

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/01/brioni-traditional-skills-italy-small-business

 

Hunt, M 2013, Traditional skills are being lost by designers relying on computers, New Statesman, web, accessed 9 June 2017,

http://www.newstatesman.com/art-and-design/2013/11/traditional-skills-are-being-lost-designers-relying-computers

 

Kimmel, M 1987, The Arts and Crafts Movement: Handmade Socialism or Elite Consumerism?, Contemporary Sociology, vol. 16, no. 3, p. 388-390, American Sociological Association, USA.

 

 

Kokko, S; Dillon, P 2011, Crafts and craft education as expressions of cultural heritage: individual experiences and collective values among an international group of women university students, International Journal of Technology and Design Education, vol. 21, no. 4, p. 487-503, Springer Verlag, Germany. 

 

Leach, A 2014, Why careers in traditional trades are on the rise among young Britons, The Guardian, web, accessed 9 June 2017,

https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/why-careers-in-traditional-trades-on-rise-young-britons

 

Luckman, S 2013, The Aura Of The Analogue In A Digital Age: Women’s Crafts, Creative Markets And Home-Based Labour After Etsy, Cultural Studies Review, vol. 19, no. 1, p. 249-270, Melbourne University Publishing.

 

Peach, A 2013, What goes around comes around? Craft revival, the 1970s and today, Craft Research, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 161-179, Intellect, UK.

 

Poser, J 2015, Contemporary Craft: The Look of Labor, Art Education, vol. 61, no. 2, p. 80-86, Taylor & Francis, USA.

 

Traditional Craftsmanship, Intangible Cultural Heritage: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, web, accessed 9 June 2017,

https://ich.unesco.org/en/traditional-craftsmanship-00057

 

Wong, M, Escapism Through Crafts: The Underlying Benefits of Returning to Handiwork, University of Oregon, web, accessed 9 June, 2017,

http://blogs.uoregon.edu/mwong7/files/2013/10/Escapism-Through-Crafts-The-Underlying-Benefits-of-Returning-to-Handiwork-1qpskeo.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project Update 2

 

 

 

 

As it turns out, I have developed a bad cold and chest infection, and have had to postpone interviews for my project. Consequently, as my subjects are rather far away and relatively difficult to get in contact with, I have decided that I will have to switch the subject of my documentary to something closer to home. Doing this will make organising interviews more manageable and time efficient.

Switching gears meant finding a new subject for my film, as I still hoped to create a documentary. As such, I revisited my initial portrait documentary for the course in hopes of being able to draw out an idea from those discussed in my first project. This proved successful, and I settled upon exploring the idea that had most intrigued and excited me when writing the essay for my previous film. Whilst researching the mechanisation of industry and craft, I discovered that, ‘in the late 19th Century, there was a great revival of traditional crafts, which came as a direct response to the increased mechanisation of production generated by the Industrial Revolution, and the subsequent alienation of the labour force, as well as the mass-manufactured products to which it gave rise.’ I compared this information to the great revival of traditional crafts that I was noticing around me and I realised that this was coming in response to the great commercialism and push to purchase of the 1990s and early 2000s and that, as in the late 19^th Century, we were now in the midst of a similar revolt. Upon reviewing this, I decided to make this realisation the basis for my project’s new direction. I have decided to create a documentary looking into this topic, asking different young modern craftspeople just why they have chosen to return to traditional crafts. I have many different ideas in mind, as Melbourne seems to be a mecca for traditional craft revival, however have settled upon interviewing three people: a traditional men’s barber, a potter, and a bespoke shoemaker, with a microbrewer and a handcrafting jeweller as backups.

 

I aim to ask what these craftspeople believe is the reason behind the return to traditional craftsmanship and handmade goods, and if such goods are beginning to take precedence over mass-manufactured items. I aim to investigate why the clients themselves enjoy handmade crafts and are willing to pay more for them – perhaps the personable nature that breeds human interaction, or perhaps the higher quality of handmade goods. I also want to discover just why these people, who are often university educated, have decided to pursue careers that take them away from what is now the traditional job market, to instead return to creating things, interacting with people, and doing physical, involved work. Is it the modern economy? Is it the product of the current job market? Is it a pushback against modern technology, or are they reinventing old crafts, incorporating new technology to enhance it? What is it that drives this return to traditional skills, craft, and physical labour? This is the topic that I am to investigate and document in the new direction for my film.

 

References

Luckman, S 2013, The Aura Of The Analogue In A Digital Age: Women’s Crafts, Creative Markets And Home-Based Labour After Etsy, Cultural Studies Review, vol. 19, no. 1, p. 249-270, Melbourne University Publishing.

 

McCracken, D 2017, Young men reinventing the tradition of trades, Weekend Australian, AUS.

Project Update 1

 

For this final assignment I’m hoping to create a documentary film. An idea that has been on my mind since the beginning of the year has been that of modern witches. There was a witch shop down the street from me that just recently moved, so there is evident interest in the field. I am interested in looking into the practice of witchcraft in the modern day and how it has evolved over time, and perhaps changed with evolving technologies. The project will furthermore be looking at representation, and how media both shapes and documents the popular representation of particular societal groups over time. In doing this, I could potentially incorporate archival and found footage, or compare it to popular fictitious depictions from the highly stylised films of the 1920s and 1970s, and documentary interpretations seen in films such as Häxan (1922, mockumentary), and The Power of the Witch (1971), by incorporating similar shooting styles and compositions, subtly referencing the depiction of witches throughout history whilst creating this new representation, documenting witches as they are today.

 

In this project, I would also like to incorporate the use of an old DV camera, which would be intercut throughout the film, to highlight particular elements; tools of the trade etc. Using this would both create visually interesting punctuation throughout the film, but furthermore could evoke imagery of modern fictitious representations of witches on film and the horror genre with which it is commonly associated, as found footage is a popular trope of the modern horror genre, as evidenced in the popular Blair Witch Project franchise.

 

In finding witches for the project, I had a few specifications. I wanted to create a film with multiple perspectives; one that wasn’t just a portrait of a person, but rather offered insight into a broader topic and offered a wider representation by interviewing multiple people for the project. I was hoping for three people, preferably three who had practised together, as it would be great to film them performing a ritual in a group. I furthermore wished to ground the film in a specific area. I would then be able to get beautiful shots of the town and these would provide a good way of pacing the film. Use of scenic shots in this way can be seen in the 2015 horror film The Witch.

 

In my research on the topic, I discovered that many witches were drawn to the Dandenong Ranges and the surrounding area. As such, this is where I began looking for witches to contact, as it would be a good area in which to ground my film, and I could furthermore capture some cinematic shots of the woods, which directly relate to the craft and could provide the magical / witchy feel that I was hoping to create throughout this film.

 

I contacted a few people to gauge interest in being in the documentary. I accidentally contacted a group of spiritualists, who do not in fact practice witchcraft, but just talk to the dead instead, and also managed to, more successfully, get in contact with a seventh generation witch who lives near the Dandenong Ranges and owns a successful witch shop in the area. Intrigued by the idea of passing down such a craft through generations, I decided she would be the best subject for this film, and as it turns out she is happy to be in it. Coincidentally, she also has two daughters which may also feature in the film and provide the alternate perspectives I am hoping for.

 

 

 

 

Throughout this studio, we have studied specialised crafts and their techniques; from old photographic processing, to typography and modern glitch art. We wanted to pursue this theme of specialisation in our documentary; taking a look at a craft that required a carefully honed skill, and a craftsperson who was dedicated enough to learn it. Hence, we decided to interview Karl; a neon glass bender. Karl’s craft is creating neon signs and artwork. As we found out, not only is this a highly specialised skill, but it is also part of an industry which has no remaining apprenticeships or direct avenues into it. As a niche skill, we were interested to learn about the process, as well as what it was that drew Karl to the industry, and how it has transformed over the years with the advent of new technologies. In addition, we were eager to make a documentary that was aesthetically beautiful, and the prospect of being able to feature neon signs and glass bending in the film was a definite drawing card.

In regards to making the documentary itself, our shooting schedule did not go to plan, being pushed forward a day from the 25^th to the 24^th. On the morning of the 24^th, we were told we were not going to be able to film the following day as planned, and hence hastily arranged to shoot that afternoon. As a result, we were unfortunately forced to leave extra equipment behind as we had no time to leave the city to collect them. While the preparation for the shoot was a little lacking, it ultimately went smoothly and we filmed for three hours. Karl was very amenable and allowed us to shoot his artwork and film as he worked, providing us with some great glass bending footage.

The interruptions to filming meant that we had an extra day to edit the footage, and this would make up for the day of planning lost. Although we would have benefitted from being able to better plan the shoot, we were able to make better use of the footage we did have in the end. Further improvements could have been made if we had visited the workshop prior to the day of shooting in order to scout out the location and plan potential shots, as well as assess any possible issues with sound and lighting. Additionally, we could perhaps have recorded and edited the interview, and then filmed the visuals; a process that would have made shooting more time efficient, and produced cleaner, more planned shots. Although planning for a documentary is difficult, such things could have enhanced our film, and would have been easily achieved with better time management, foresight and planning. In addition to this, it would have been wise to pay more attention to recording room tone and field audio. In most of the b-roll footage you could hear us talking to Karl while we filmed – thereby making much of the audio unusable for backing the interview. In this instance, the extra time we were afforded allowed us to refine the audio we did have, and find suitable sound bites by which to enhance the film. Despite our setbacks however, we managed to create a piece that accomplished our goals – of creating a visually engaging, beautiful film, and garnering insight into the glass bending industry.

We began by asking Karl what drew him to neon glass bending, as we hoped to reap an understanding of what it is that attracts people to careers in niche crafts. In his response, Karl remarked, ‘I’m one of those people that likes things that are always challenging, and this was really challenging… you get that sense of mastery from doing it. You kind of go into a different zone. When you have to really concentrate on something like that, you lift yourself to a higher level.’ It is this combination of focus, precision, and engrossment that lends Karl’s craft to the process of ‘deep work,’ as termed by academic Cal Newport (Newport, C 2016). A defining principle of work such as Karl’s, it is precisely this which Karl remarked as being one of the most enjoyable aspects of glass bending. This enjoyment of engrossment is not particular to the crafting of neon signs however; and can been seen clearly in the work of many craftspeople. As referenced in Newport’s book Deep Work, this sentiment can also be seen in the work of blacksmiths, who work studiously for hours upon a single piece of metal. Karl’s remarks are clearly reflected in a blacksmith interviewee from Deep Work, who states, ‘it’s that challenge that drives me… the satisfactions of manifesting oneself concretely in the world through manual competence’ (Newport, C 2016). The nature of many crafts inherently demands deep work. Craftspeople must be studious in their attention, and ultimately, the deep work permitted by engrossment in tactile production is foundational for a craftsperson’s dedication to their trade. As demonstrated by the interviewees’ responses, the aspect of deep work produced by their craft is inextricably linked to their enjoyment of it.

The tactile nature of glass bending was another key principle which attracted Karl to the craft. Throughout the interview he often commented upon the particular ways of manoeuvring the body when glass bending, or detailed the coordination of movement, speed, and patience, necessary to create signs using just ‘your hands and a little bit of breath.’ Evidently, it is this physical interaction with his subject that engages Karl in his craft, and as such, we were interested to know how recent progressions in technology have affected his practice. In response to this, Karl remarked that although the advent of digital technology and mechanisation did lead to an evident decrease in traditional skills and craftsmanship, it is ultimately the creative ability of the individual that determines the quality of the sign they create; as he stated, ‘it still has to be something three-dimensional at the end, that looks visually fantastic, the digital side is just a tool… people are still prepared to pay for handmade signs, people appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into making it; that’s what they pay for.’ Indeed, amidst concerns for craftspeople regarding the current rise in automation, there is still a demand for the handmade, and this is a trend that can be seen throughout history. In the late 19^th Century, there was a great revival of traditional crafts, which came as a direct response to the increased mechanisation of production generated by the Industrial Revolution, and the subsequent alienation of the labour force, as well as the mass-manufactured products to which it gave rise (Luckman, S 2013). It appears that, following the similar trends of the 1990s and 2000s, we are currently in the midst of a similar revolt, as evidenced by the continued demand for handmade crafts, such as Karl’s neon signs. There is a value placed on the handcrafted which persists throughout history, perhaps related to their existence as a medium upon which cultural heritage and meaning is inscribed (Kokko; Dillon, 2011). The maker directly represents their individual, cultural and social surrounds in the work that is created – unlike the mass-manufactured objects of large corporations, the individual craftsperson’s work is unique in its production.

Karl’s steadfast belief in the value placed upon the skilled work of craftspeople led him to be incredibly cavalier towards the prospect of neon signs becoming automated products. Although this may be a concern shared by many of his fellow craftspeople in today’s digital climate, Karl’s attitudes are reflected in studies which suggest that ‘creativity is inversely related to computerisability’ (Bakhshi; Frey; Osborne, 2015). While many old industries die as a consequence of advancing technology (Verloop, 2004), the concerns this generates, as Karl elucidates, are often not applicable to craftspeople. This is reflected in the findings of the social welfare organization Nesta, who, while researching the effects that advancing technology has on certain working groups, found that creative professions are likely to not only be the least impacted, but furthermore, be enhanced and advanced by evolving technology (Bakhshi; Frey; Osborne, 2015). In such industries, new technologies are utilised as way of enhancing the creative process, enabling artists to pursue their craft in new ways and push their abilities to create differently. As such jobs require original thought, they cannot be effectively executed through automation (Bakhshi; Frey; Osborne, 2015). Consequently, businesses of specialised creative work will most likely be great beneficiaries of the digital age; as is already evidenced by the enhanced capabilities of design via computers, that which Karl currently uses to trial signage typography, quickly and efficiently.

Throughout this documentary project, I have gained valuable insight into the nature of creative industries, and the careers of craftspeople. Through speaking with Karl I have learnt about neon glass bending, its creative principles and trade affordances, and further, through the research this sparked, I have been allowed a greater understanding of the broader cultural framework in which creative fields reside. The ideas presented here, particularly those surrounding the societal shifts that occur when new technologies arise and threaten to supersede the old, may form the lens through which I approach the rest of this course and the final project. The technical lessons I have learned throughout the creation of this documentary will allow me to better convey the stories of my upcoming subjects, as I hope to create documentaries as a career, and engage more directly with contemporary social issues in them moving forward.

 

References:

Bakhshi, H; Frey, C; Osborne, M 2015, Creativity Vs. Robots: The Creative Economy And The Future Of Employment, accessed 29 April 2017, Nesta, UK.

http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-activity/employment/nesta/173936creativity_vs._robots_wv.pdf

 

Hayles, K 2007, Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes, Profession, p. 187-199, Modern Language Association.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/25595866?seq=1#fndtn-page_scan_tab_contents

 

Jenkins, H 2006, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York University Press, USA.

 

Kokko, S; Dillon, P 2011, Crafts and craft education as expressions of cultural heritage: individual experiences and collective values among an international group of women university students, International Journal of Technology and Design Education, vol. 21, no. 4, p. 487-503, Springer Verlag, Germany.  

 

Luckman, S 2013, The Aura Of The Analogue In A Digital Age: Women’s Crafts, Creative Markets And Home-Based Labour After Etsy, Cultural Studies Review, vol. 19, no. 1, p. 249-270, Melbourne University Publishing.

 

Newport, C 2016, Deep Work, Grand Central Publishing, USA.

 

Seidensticker, B 2006, Future Hype: The Myths of Technology Change, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc, USA.

 

Thorburn, D, & Jenkins, H 2004, Rethinking Media Change: The Aesthetics of Transition, MIT Press, USA.

 

Verloop, J 2004, Insight in Innovation: Managing Innovation by Understanding the Laws of Innovation, Elsevier B.V., USA.

 

Winston, B 1998, Media, Technology and Society – A History: From the Telegraph to the Internet, Routledge, UK.