Lights, Camera, Action!

Prior to making this short video, my only other experience was the last video we created of ourselves doing our artwork. Therefore, I am still new to moviemaking. I had no idea how to go about getting my voice on the video and I had no idea what software I was going to use. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming to have all those links to outside resources, yet I did end up using one particular website called BeFunky. I was able to do a pick-stich kinda thing where I incorporated multiple photos within frames.

I ended up using iMovie and it was quite simple. I used the photos that I made on BeFunky and iMovie came with built in effects so I didn't have to do much changing or arranging. Once I got the photos in the right order and iMovie told me I had 32 seconds, it was time to incorporate my voice. I thought that I was going to have to use a whole other application to add my voice to the clip. It turned out the little microphone button was what I was looking for. iMovie is extremely user friendly and I am thankful for that!

After multiple trial runs of recording my voice, it was time to write a script. This was perhaps my favorite part of the process. I missed my calling, I should be in the film school writing scripts. Besides that point, I got pretty lucky, my script fit pretty much perfectly in the 32 seconds. Actually, I got cut off at the end, but I think the viewer can tell what I am trying to say.

All in all the process was harmless, but I mostly defiantly have more to learn. If I am ever truly in trouble I will get a film student to help me.

CopyRight vs. CopyLeft

It is hard to believe that copyright was created to encourage creation. Copyright is essentially an automatic (exclusive) right that goes to the author or artist and it does not require them to file special paperwork. Yet it is much more restrictive then it sounds. The universal rule is that you cannot use a copyrighted work without consent from the owner. The documentary by Brett Gaylor titled RiP: A Remix Manifesto follows the musician Greg Gillis, also known as Girl Talk. Girl Talk creates Mash-ups in other words he manipulates the classics. This can be extremely dangerous, even playing a single note of another song is justification for a lawsuit. Which is utterly ridiculous in my opinion. Gaylor came up with a four-part Remixer’s Manifesto with lawyer Lawrence Lessig.

The first of the four is “Culture always builds on the past.” As previously discussed our generation is with out a doubt a media literate generation and the creative process is more important then ever. Some would go ever far enough to say that the creative process is more important than the product. This first manifestation reminds me of an Art History course I took where I learned that practically every artist from Da Vinci to Dalí learned to paint, draw and sculpt by copying the artist before them. Copying is usually frowned upon in our society, but in some cases it is necessary and effective.

The Staple Singers recorded a traditional folk song called This May Be The Last Time in 1959. Six years later The Rolling Stones recorded “The Last Time”; it was basically the same song just a little bit more upbeat and rockier. Andrew Oldham Orchestra then came out with “The Last Time”(instrumental) in 1966. Finally in 1997 The Verve came out with “Bittersweet Symphony” which had an extremely similar tune to Oldham’s instrumental recording. The Rolling Stones’ publishers sued The Verve for 100% royalties. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger took all writing credits and eventually ended up selling the song to Nike for a TV commercial! Go figure.

Gaylor believes that artists’ build on work that came before them, which is the example described above. He says that this is crucial for a healthy “public domain” as well as creativity. The second manifesto is “The past always tries to control the future”. In this public domain that Gaylor speaks of he considers it to be a safe place to freely build on others work, but is it really if we are constantly monitored by copyright? Walt Disney is a prime example of an artist who “built on the past.” Most of the movies that he made where based on books and fairytales that already existed. For example, “Alice in Wonderland” was originally by Lewis Carroll, then there’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” which was part of the collection of the Brothers Grimm. Did Disney ask for Carroll’s or the Brothers Grimm’s consent; no they were long dead. The Walt Disney Company changed the law to make sure that no one else could do what Disney had done. Therefore as coined by Gaylor, “if you want to be a mash-up artist like Walt Disney, you need to work outside the law.” If you ask me the past is doing a pretty good job at controlling the future.

A member of Negativland, which is an experimental music band, said the following at a lecture: “Cooperation’s are completely taking over our culture and we can only consume it. But we are saying no. You don’t ask us if I want to see your Nike logo everywhere I go. You don’t ask me if I want to hear U2’s music when I go shopping or in a restaurant. So why do I need to ask you if I can take a little bit and make something out of it make fun of you critique you. Why do I need to ask?”

Thanks to organizations such as DRM (Digital Rights Management) “Our future is becoming less free”. This is the third part of the manifesto. Record and Movie Companies prevent us from copying CD’s, DVD’s and files to our computer. So now rather then the law deciding what we can and can not do, a cooperate software decides for us. There is nor free speech or fair use here!

In 2004 Lawrence Lessig traveled to Brazil and created Creative Commons, and alternative copyright system. Lessig said the following at a Creative Commons meeting, “Creative Commons was born to set culture free, a license that says I as a musician give you the right to sample my work take and build create, remix and the most important place were that conversation began was here in Brazil! I come from a land where we talk about being free; I come from a land where we are lost. You are our brother in this debate you must remind us of what we have lost.” 

I’m thinking… I’m thinking…

I think a “good idea” is a thought or a proposal that is progressive and most especially beneficial in some way. When I see a good idea, I get excited and the wheels in my brain start turning, and I think to myself how can I add to this or make it even better? I know it’s a good idea because it just makes sense and everything falls into place.

My thought process is an organized mess; kind of like my room. Everything is scattered all over the place, but I know exactly where to go when I am looking for something. I have a number of ways to come up with new ideas, but I wouldn’t say that I have one specific process; therefore my method differs from James Webb Young’s process. Webb has a five-step process that the mind follows in order to come up with an idea. It goes like this:

1. Mind gathers raw material
2. Mind masticates the material
3. Mind drops the subject (DON’T THINK ABOUT IT)
4. Idea will appear!
5. Bring the idea to world for criticism and development and eventually “practical usefulness.”

To a certain degree I search for new relationships and connections during my thought process, but they just come together, I don’t force them. Webb’s process is most defiantly a combination of creativity and intellect; for both go hand in hand in order to spark the light that will create the eureka effect. I believe that I use my intellect as well as the background information I have stored and I then attempt to turn that capacity into something innovative.

The first “step” of my process to come up with good idea is brainstorming. I recall in elementary school I was taught to make brainstorm clouds or bubbles. You start by making one big main bubble and then little bubbles would branch off the main on and lead you to a whole other idea. I still use this method from time to time; though it seems elementary I actually works! After brainstorming I usually have an idea of where I am going with the idea. The next “step” includes siting down at my desk and listening to the Beatles with a notebook in hand and making a bullet point list of fleshed out ideas. From there I deduce which one is the best for the specific purpose.

It is in the realm of possibilities that my thought process is too simple. Therefore, I will occasionally ask a parent, friend, or teacher for advice. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. If I find their advice to be helpful I am easily swayed and I change my idea when perhaps I should have stuck with the original. Other times I totally disagree and keep my thoughts to myself. I would refer to Google as a secondary source in my course of action. This is where the intellect part of the process comes into play. If I am not familiar with the subject I am dealing with then I will turn to Google and look up the information I feel I need to know in order to proceed with the process.

My notebook is my idea dock. All my little scribbles, notes and doodles are harbored there. I actually have multiple notebooks and I try to always have one with me incase I have a eureka moment. Notebooks are wonderful things to have on subway rides in New York City. On the way to school in the morning I would jot down all the random things that were floating in my mind. I later turn to all my notebooks when I am in search for a good idea.

Something that has been of relevance lately especially in my world is actively contributing to the fight against cancer and working towards a cure. My uncle passed away recently after battling cancer for a year or two. At my dance studio, Manhattan Youth Ballet, two of my main teachers named Erin Fogarty and Daniel Ulbricht produced an organization called Dance Against Cancer. Here is a little blurb and a video from the Facebook page and the website:

“Dance Against Cancer brings together top dance companies from New York City and beyond for a night of beautiful performances, world premiere solos and great company. Since its inauguration, Dance Against Cancer has raised over $60,000 in support of the American Cancer Society.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwv1OEs0RI

For the past two years I was able to volunteer, which entailed that I help set up, work back stage and of course watch the spectacular show! Some of the performers include NYCB’s Ashley Bouder, Maria Kowroski, Wendy Whelan, Tiler Peck, Lauren Lovette, Robert Fairchild, Tyler Angle, Gonzalo Garcia and Daniel Ulbricht, American Ballet Theatre's Misty Copeland and Herman Cornejo. And that is just naming a few.

This got my idea juices flowing and I decided to go with the social category. I am interested in exploring how organizations like Dance Against Cancer can sell them selves out in order to raise awareness and I am positive with the help of new-media it is possible. I want to find other groups like Dance Against Cancer, and I want to see how they get their name out in the open and make their art form accessible to the public. I am sure that many people want to help the cause, but they are not aware that there are associations such as Dance Against Cancer.

I am going to do some research looking for other organizations that use not only dance but also drama and visual arts to raise awareness not only for cancer, but other major causes. I want to learn how Dance Against Cancer can work on their publicity. So far they have a website and a Facebook page that only has about 144 likes. How can we double the likes and get the name out there?

NEW-MEDIA ARTISTS

Prior to entering this class, I was not completely sure what exactly the role of a new-media artist entailed. I knew that they some how incorporated media in a new and innovative way. After investigating and combing through the list of new-media artists, I found that I in fact was familiar with quite a few of the artists! For example, I had learned about J.R. though Mr. King in our face to face class. I was also familiar with Banksy and some of his work. DJ Spooky and Christo and Jeanne-Claude were the only other new-media artists that I was familiar with. As I also looked though the "Digital Media and the Arts: student showcase" website, it was interesting to read about and see how dance companies are incorporating new media. I mostly focused on the dance companies, but its not just dance; musicians, theatrical companies and visual artists are all on board as well.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude were artists that I enjoyed learning about. Perhaps I found them the most intriguing because I am familiar with one of their most well known pieces: The Gates. The couple is known for creating "environmental works of art" as well as wrapping things. And that is exactly what they did with The Gates. 7,503 vinyl "gates"were installed along the pathways of Central Park; and from the gates a piece of saffron colored fabric was hung. I remember walking through Central park with my parents on one of the last days of the exhibit and I thought that The Gates were exquisite! According to the documentary made on The Gates the art work "brought over 4 million visitors from around the world to Central Park."

The 5 Principles

Like many of the articles and videos that we have watched, Lev Manovich's "The Language of New Media" starts with the classic question in this Digital Media class: “What is New Media?” Is it solely the Internet, websites, computer games and DVDs? Manovich offers the suggestion that texts that circulate on a computer can also be considered new media. He says, “We are in the middle of a new media revolution.”(p.43)

Manovich's five Principles of New Media are as follows:

1. Numerical Representation
2. Modularity
3. Automation
4. Variability
5. Culture Transcoding

Numerical Representation is the first principle and the way Manovich defines the concept, is anything that is created from scratch or transformed form analog. He sees Numerical Representation in two ways, both mathematically and in media. He speaks of algorithms and digital media that is programmable. This reminds me of when I first seriously started doing ballet. When I reached a certain age, I finally realized that each and every technique class that I take will include plies, tendus, jetes, and so on. And every technique class with out fail will include a barre, center, adagio and allegro. A dancer always knows what is coming next during class; though they wont know the specific combination, which brings us to modularity.

Modularity: noun. employing or involving a module or modules as the basis of design or construction. This is the New Oxford American definition, but Manovich considers modularity to be components that assemble into large-scale objects but proceed to keep their separate shape/identity. His examples are the following: pixels, polygons, vowels, characters, and scripts. As previously described part of taking class, and not just ballet class any form of dance, one must learn and pick up the combinations. When we go to the center the combinations become a little bit more complicated and they are made up of different steps. A grand allegro for example can have as many steps as the teacher pleases; but I would say an average grand allegro is made up of roughly 12 steps. A simple grand allegro is: tombe, pas de bourree, glissade grand jete. These are four separate steps, but when a dancer connects the steps it becomes one long phrase. It is almost like connecting the dots in a coloring book, but instead of finding an image, we find a movement, a dance.

Automation: noun. the use of largely automatic equipment in a system of manufacturing or other production process. Both numerical coding and modular structure allow for automation creation. There are two levels of automation low and high. A couple examples of “low level” automation would be image editing, 3D-Graphics and word processing. “High level” deals with semantics as well as artificial intelligence. “Finally, in what maybe the most familiar experience of automation of media generation to most computer users, many Web sites automatically generate Web pages on the fly when the user reaches the site.”(p.53) This is most similar to the way a teacher works in class. Though there are a small percentage of teachers that come to class with notes and a class already written out, I would say that the majority of dance teachers out there come up with their class on the fly.

Variability: noun. not consistent or having a fixed pattern; liable to change. Manovich believes that a variable can be “mutable” or “liquid”. Variability is close to automation as well as modularity.  Variability is Manovich’s longest and most detailed principle; there are a total of seven sub-sections, ranging from media database to periodic updates and hypermedia. “A new media object is not something fixed once and for all but can exist in different, potentially infinite versions.”(p.56) Due to the fact that the teachers come up with classes on the fly means that they vary. No two classes are the same. Even is the teacher gives a similar class, your input is different from day to day, therefore it is literally impossible to have the same class.

Finally we come to transcoding. Transcoding: verb. convert (language or information) from one form of coded representation to another. Transcoding is what Manovich considers to be the “most substantial consequence of media’s computerization.”(p.63) A computer image is part of both the human world as well as the computer world. This is perhaps the most difficult principle to grasp and the most difficult to relate to my art form.  I think the best association that I can think of it that when I do a dance performance, I am dancing for the audience of course because they are the ones who come and pay, but I am also dancing for myself. Which is the way it should be!

Empathy and “Star Wars”

The Empathic Civilization is a video narrated by Jeremy Rifkin. In the clip he speaks about Empathy, in other words the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Rifkin states that the human race is soft wired to be empathic, social and affectionate, and yet at times we are aggressive, violent and selfish. Selfhood and emphatic development go hand in hand. Speaking of hands, in the video there are little doodles made on a dry erase board while Rifkin speaks; and at one point he says that “Empathy is like an invisible hand” and then there was a sketch made of a big hand holding onto the world. The visuals were defiantly intriguing and if anything added to the presentation.

The second video is by Michio Kaku: Will Mankind Destroy Itself? Kaku has very interesting ideas on development of civilization within the next 100 years. According to Kaku we are a type zero civilization at the moment, but we will be able to transition and transform into a type 1, 2, or even 3 civilization. A type 1 civilization is planetary and described by Kaku as something out of Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon. A type 2 civilization is immortal and he related it to “Star Wars.” Finally a type 3 civilization is galactic like “The Empire Strikes Back.” Kaku is convicted that he sees the beginnings of a type 1 culture all around us. Kaku sees the Internet for example as a telephone system, and he even sees English as a type 1 langue.  

As previously mentioned, Kaku sees the birth of the Internet as a telephone system. My parents remind me only a weekly basis how lucky and spoiled my generation is because of our access to the Internet. They’ll say something along the lines of “back when I was your age we only had books and the librarian was our best friend.” How quickly they forget that the World Wide Web was not put into place until 1993, just two year before I was born. In fact, I practically grew up with no Internet. I don’t remember the very first time I used a computer or when I first went onto Google or Yahoo, but I think I was around nine or even ten. Therefore, I have only really been using computer and the Internet for about half my life. Now I cannot imagine life with out the Internet, which is sad but true. It is a truly magnificent invention. I can speak to friends across the ocean; I can buy a dress from California and have it delivered to my doorstep with out making a single human transaction. I can share photos with friends and family and watch millions of videos all in one place, the Internet. And who knows where it will bring this type zero civilization next!

“Art is anything you can get away with…”

Marshall McLuhan’s "The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects" written in 1967, is a graphic novel that explores new-media and technology. McLuhan emphasizes the fact the “electronic technology” as he refers to it, is reshaping our lives. Granted this was in the late 60’s therefore we must keep in mind that there have been a great may changes since the 60’s. McLuhan’s strong ideas and ideals about new-media mirror the author’s of the other articles we have read thus far. For example, on page 6 he said, “It is impossible to understand social and cultural changes without a knowledge of the workings of media.” If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought that this sentence came from “Critical Media Literacy, Democracy, and the Reconstruction of Education”.

The novel is divided into a number of sections beginning with: you, then your family, then your neighborhood, your education, your job and so on. In each section McLuhan analyzes the role of media in each aspect and when/how it originated. An important notion that he brings up through out the novel is the exchange between old and new environments, which in the end results in confusion and difficulty.    

“We have to find the environments in which it will be possible to live with our new inventions.”p.124 The age of information or the Television generation, which ever you prefer, has in reality made the world a harder place to live in, contrary to popular belief. Are we able to live side by side with these new inventions that are brainwashing our students as well as our instructors? The classroom has become an endeavor to survive all thanks to media.

When I was first flipping (well scrolling) through the graphic novel, I thought all of the drawings, cartoons and different fonts where placed there randomly. Yet, after reading and re-reading sections of the novel some of the ‘medium’ that McLuhan chose was truly connected to the ‘message’ he was putting forth. There was most definitely a thread that McLuhan weaved through his book regarding the images he chose. For example there are multiple Alice in Wonderland references, also there are a couple of pages where the writing is upside down of backwards. Earlier on in the novel McLuhan says the following, “The phonetic alphabet forced the magic world of the ear to yield to the neutral world of the eye. Man was given an eye for an ear.”p.44 When I read these words I tried to put an image in my mind, but the image was not entirely clear. Finally pages later toward the end of the book, an image appeared and it looked like this:

 

To a certain degree, McLuhan's picture of contemporary society is still relevant in today’s standards. He said, “Our official culture is striving to force the new media to do work of the old.”p.94.I feel that this statement is still true; society comes up with new gadgets and inventions to make our lives easier so that we wont have to lift a finger.