by imogentyers -

Tech Notes

In preparation for the upcoming major K-Film I will be making in a group, I have been revising some of Adrian’s notes and suggestions for using the software.

Some links that will be of use to me…

Some thoughts I have had in relation to my own film…

  • I would like a changing interface to reflect the mood of the clip being played in the main SNU window
  • I will map out my connections between the clips before I start SNUifying.
  • I will use a table to test my film before I publish
  • I will ensure I follow my notes for down-sizing files and creating thumbnails before I organise my folders for the project
by imogentyers -

Some more Korsakow Film Inspiration

The 2013 Korsakow film The Making of a King by Nicole Miyahara is the subject of this week’s interactive documentary inspiration. This film follows Drag Kings in LA and what this involves in their lives.

I will be critiquing this film using De Bono’s hats in the structure of lists.

Red

  • New concept (I did not know about before)
  • Raw and honest interviews
  • Intriguing

Black

  • There was not enough content to choose from in the preview windows.
  • The film ended relatively quickly. I felt like there were clips that I missed out on.
  • The preview clips played sound when they were hovered over which overlapped the sound from the main SNU window and was distracting
  • The talking head style interviews that I watched at the beginning were confusing as I had no background into the film (I didn’t read the description until afterward). It seemed as though I had joined in mid-conversation. Once I grasped the idea being explored, they started to make sense. This may not necessarily be a bad thing!
  • Some of the clips were too long and so I lost interest, particularly one clip where a subject was discussing one of her costumes. The beauty of Korsakow is that I was able to change clips by clicking on another preview window.

Yellow

  • Very interesting concept that I knew nothing about previously.
  • Traditional documentary style talking head interviews mixed with other footage of performances made it more engaging.
  • The preview clips only appear and play when the cursor hovers over the right hand side of the main SNU window toward the end of the clip. There is less distraction in this style of interface than in other K-Film interfaces.
  • Obvious distinctions between connections in the film e.g. preparation for the shows, show footage and talking head interviews.

Green

  • The play head was placed in an unusual position within the interface. It looked a little out of place being under the preview windows. I would prefer to see it positioned under the main SNU window.
  • The film ended a little abruptly for me. I would have preferred if there were more links in the film so I was able to explore more of the concept.
by imogentyers -

Poetic Documentary

This week’s reading by Bettina Frankham explores documentaries that are created with an open form and the ways in which this impacts a users understanding.

In a poetic approach to documentary seen in interactive documentaries, the filmmaker avoids common story form, creating an uncertainty in the user. This style opens up the opportunity for reflection on the work.

The relational aesthetic of a work provides the user to engage with the work and therefore form their initial understanding and so the connections used in a work deeply impact the user’s interpretation. When a user interacts with the work, a unique understanding is formed.

A strategy employed by filmmakers while creating a poetic documentary is the list. The list allows space for the user to engage and reflect, openness for the user to interpret and form unique interpretation of unity among fragments. Works that are structured through lists allow varied understandings to develop through relating the parts. The user has the ability to connect and form a complex meaning when a variety of fragments are engaged with. The users are the activators of the non-linear narrative.

Utilising a list allows the filmmaker to deform the narrative, the user to organise the fragments and form connections between those parts. The list does not provide a solid narrative structure, instead the fragments stimulates thought in relation to association from the users’ own memory, creating a unique interpretation of the material provided. In this method, it acts as a mnemonic device. The user chooses the form of the interactive documentary based on the content they are engaging in.

These films use theme, topic, place or concept to develop their fragments, although the connection between these parts remains ambiguous. As the user has that responsibility to form relations between the fragments, the temporal ordering is not considered significant. Within a poetic documentary ‘the facets are glimpses rather than ideal chronicles’ (Frankham, 2013). Associational form is utilised as the user is likely to create connections between fragments that are juxtaposed through their pictorial qualities and content.  Associational form is seen through the formation of fragments one after another (otherwise known as montage) through the choice of the user allowing a diverse array of combinations to be formed. Montage allows significant features within fragments to be accentuated.

The user is the activator of the fragments and therefore responsible for ‘editing’ the structure of the documentary they engage with. Frankham states ‘…material can be organised for the sake of clarity, to obfuscate, to emphasise power structures, to challenge established views or to create a particular experience’ (2013). Users are more aware and accepting of active spectatorship. The users are capable of understanding different formats for presenting information and dealing with the gaps that may be present in these poetic approaches.

Documentarians such as Philip Rosen view their role as responsible for ‘…transforming raw artefacts of the world…into meaningful constructions’ (Frankham, 2013). The poetic approach allows meaning to form through a non-linear narrative. This interpretation encourages the user to make sense of the relations between the fragments. The wider understanding that is formed excuses any gaps that may be present in the poetic documentary that are usually not present in traditional documentary.

Marks mentions there is also a potential for ‘superficial engagement over a critically engaged experience when the structure of a work permits a quick scanning to grasp its intentions’ (Frankam, 2013).

by imogentyers -

K-Film Inspiration

I concentrated on the technical elements of the K-Film I used for this week’s inspiration. I critiqued it by listing my response to De Bono’s hats.

I viewed the 2012 Korsakow film Money and the Greeks by Florian Thalhofer.

Red:

  • Highly developed
  • Overwhelming
  • Depressing content
  • Insightful
  • Observational
  • Cinematic images
  • Melancholy/pensive

Black:

  • There was too much to observe at once. I lost attention on the main window I should have been focusing on and observed the movement in what was surrounding the frame.
  • The preview windows displayed the end of the clip all had the swirly graphic and I could not remember the name of some of the titles, so it felt like more of a lucky dip selecting the next video to view rather than choosing my own adventure.

Yellow:

  • Well constructed clips
  • Numerous subtitle languages
  • Stylish interface design
  • Unique preview window design containing black and white swirl graphic
  • Well edited opening sequence
  • Continuous soundtrack of soft piano after film paused
  • Ratings were an interesting idea
  • Text appears on the preview windows when the cursor hovers over them
  • The preview videos shake and play in slow motion black and white when the cursor hover over them
  • Unique hand written opening credits and ‘full screen’ toggle button
  • Interspersed narrated clips with montage of visuals among the many interviews
  • Eclectic visuals within the clips (such as overlay of images of country side) which gave the film a travel diary/sketch book feel
  • The soundtrack that played through the whole film

Green:

  • I would suggest less content (preview windows) displayed on the interface on the screen while the main window clip is playing.
  • Remove the continuous piano music when the film is paused, as I had to keep pausing to wait for the clips to load.
by imogentyers -

Creating work in Korsakow

This weeks reading by Matt Soar provides a highly relevant description of Korsakow as a tool for creating interactive documentaries whilst acknowledging the limitations of all data base documentaries.

The uncomplicated open-source software is ideal for developing non-linear, interactive, web-based documentaries without the requirement of programming knowledge. A large number of films made in Korsakow ‘are documentary-oriented, typically small-­scale, observational, character-­driven, even meditative’ (Soar, 2014).

There are numerous changes occurring to the ways in which individuals develop and engage with media. These include:

  • Introduction of HTML 5
  • Promotion of alternative media platforms and audiences
  • Opportunities for funding and exhibition of new media
  • Introduction of rapid computer networks for high quality viewing and distribution of work
  • Broader availability to a varied audience
  • Development of ‘online read-write culture’
  • Low production costs involved in creating this new media

These developments in new media practices such as data base story telling has formed after large experimentation in combining new digital media with cinema.

With easy and affordable internet access filmmakers are presented with a new freedom to delve into specific details of stories that they were never able to due to the restrictions of filmmaking such as time constraints.

This technology is intended for filmmakers rather than highly skilled technologists as it is relatively simple to use, but offers huge opportunities to explore creative concepts.

Some issues that need to be considered when determining the sort of interactive documentary software a filmmaker will use include:

  • The Programming language
  • The platform
  • The operating system
  • The plug ins
  • The versioning

The new term ‘software salvage’ presents the dilemma of resurrecting new media works after the files are no longer viewable due to the rapid developments in technology, specifically online media. This issue is already problematic for works created on CD-ROM now that many computers or tablets do not provide a component for watching the media in their machines.

Creating a work in Korsakow allows the filmmaker to develop concepts that connect the images to form relationships. The creator can refine the presentation of their clips by determining the number of times they can be viewed and when they can be viewed through the connections made to other clips.

K-Films can be frequently altered and updated, allowing the story to evolve through time. These films require a certain level of time and consideration to fully engage and understand concepts.

There are three components of editing involved in this form of interactive documentary that provide the audience with their interpretation of the work:

  • Traditional selecting and cutting clips together (before Korsakow)
  • ‘Algorithmic editing’ (within Korsakow)
  • Viewer selection (whilst viewing completed Korsakow project)

Soar refers to ‘the process of creating SNUs -­ adding self-­identifying (‘in’) keywords and contextual search terms (‘out’ keywords)’ (2014).

The key words used to connect clips need to be clear, without being too ambiguous. To create an effective K-Film, it is advised to draw the keywords from the meaning behind the clips rather than the obvious visual elements on screen.

by imogentyers -

Korsakow Tech Notes

I developed a much deeper understanding of the technical components of Korsakow software, as well as an appreciation for developing meaningful keywords through the processes involved in completing my sketch film (and the challenges I faced in doing so).

I took to using pen and paper to map out my ideas visually, much like examples provided from Adrian in explaining how keywording works. As a visual learner, I intend to carry this process through to my final K-Film in the early stages of development.

This How to description for publishing the films on the internet by Adrian proved extremely useful. The use of screenshots made the step-by-step process easy to follow. I may try to adapt the technique of screen-shotting windows when I am learning a new technique (as a future visual reminder).

In future K-Films, I will add the folder firstname.lastname within my exports folder and relocate the ‘save’ to this location so it is ready to be added to the FTP client. I’m weary of renaming folders mid-project, I’d much rather add a new folder and save my work to that. I’m yet to make any huge mistakes in my file management, phew!

Matt Soar’s article mentioned refining the film through test screenings. Although this may seem obvious, I guess it is good practice to ensure my films (of sketch film clip size) are test screened at least 3-4 times before publishing. I can not expect to have it working as intended after the first SNUifying session. It requires finessing.

I found a table useful for testing the film. I marked each individual clip as it was played as well as noted down any other obvious errors in the interface etc. This helped me to determine whether each of my clips were being played and how easy they were to access. I also had a good idea of how my patterns were forming and if the concepts were working. Each time I tested the work, I had fewer and fewer problems listed so it gave me satisfaction knowing I was making significant progress with each viewing. I was aware that each clip needed to ‘die’ therefore I tried to make the number of lives as minimal as possible without restricting the viewer to only a small portion of my clips.

I found listing the clips were a good way to determine concepts in my work, specifically for the last task as we had to develop connections based on a series of fairly random audio-visual files.

I will utilise the VLC screen shot technique as discovered by Ren.

  • Open clip in VLC
  • Position the playhead for the exact frame wanted
  • Preferences> video>JPG>Set Folder
  • Video>Snapshot

I also discovered the importance of resizing the frames within the interface.

I employed the full screen button, the play head and a simplistic font and size within my interface which I intend to carry across to my major K-Film.

by imogentyers -

Essay Films

This weeks reading The Essay Film: Problems, Definitions, Textual Commitments by Laura Rascaroli presents the complications involved in determining this style and the ways in which a lack of a definition presents filmmakers with opportunities to experiment.

These films are thought to contain two features of reflectivity and subjectivity. They originate from the literary essay, abandon the guidelines of documentary and encourage an audience to emotionally and intellectually interpret the content.

Rascaroli quotes Nora Alter who states “… the essay film produces complex thought that at times is not grounded in reality but can be contradictory, irrational, and fantastic. This new type of film, according to Richter, no longer binds the filmmaker to the rules and parameters of the traditional documentary practice, such as chronological sequencing or the depiction of external phenomena. Rather, it gives free reign to the imagination, with all its artistic potentiality. The term essay is used because it signifies a composition that is in between categories and as such is transgressive, digressive, playful, contradictory, and political”.

The authorial voice presented in a film essay can prompt the viewer to reflect individually, rather than form an understanding based on perceptions from other viewers. This style can also establish issues, without providing a resolution.

This thoughtful and creative form of filmmaking can not be distinguished. Many have tried to categorise it, but the complicated and varied style of these films does not permit them to fit into certain genres.

by imogentyers -

Korsakow Tech Notes

I have progressed to making connections between my sketches. Some things I will need to learn/practice this week before I submit my sketch K film

  • How to change the interface
  • How to add and change text
  • Ensure aspect ratios are correct
  • Ensure all videos die
  • Ensure all clips appear in single viewing
  • Ensure ‘index.html’ is rename

A question I will investigate this week… How do I change my interface and apply it to one single clip? Should I be doing this for this assessment or should I leave it for later? Note to self: ensure the screen shots you import are around 70KB JPG files. Export your png files through preview to do this. I learn from my mistakes.

by imogentyers -

Inspiration from Student K-Film

The K-film I explored for the essay provided me with some inspirational ideas. I’m looking forward to exploring my own concept for the major K-Film.

I really enjoyed the concept behind the film Life is a Musical. I felt as though I was moving though time and space from someone else’s perspective through the observatory clips. This gave me insight into the detail of sounds provided in everyday life that I overlook. This provoked me to think about my surroundings and the sounds that occur around me, like the clicking of the keys on my keyboard as I type this post. The simplistic idea resonated with me.

I am inspired to create my major K-film based on a concept that surrounds us and is taken for granted. I also like people and find human behaviour fascinating. I think elderly people are particularly interesting. I wonder if I could incorporate these two somehow? Perhaps an old people’s activity that is under appreciated and therefore may be dying out.

These are all just ideas. I thought I better note them down somewhere before I forget.