I know we are suppose to hand in something by Wednesday, but I took the liberty of completing the assignment NOW. Well, the work obviously needs to be added upon, but still, it is 60% done. I know what you are thinking, "what the hell is she thinking?" Why did you do it now? Do you not have a life? These are many of life's questions I have always pondered myself, but the point is, that it is my last semester as an undergrad. I have about five huge projects due at the end of the semester, so getting a jump start sounded like a good idea. Well, I am now going to be the voice of reasoning: LISTEN TO CARL!! GOD, it was like pulling out healthy teeth in the span of two hours!! I am happy it is done, but it would have been better to take it one day at a time.
Well, here is a sample. I decided to Piece Touche by Martin Arnold. I like his work, therefore writing the ABCs for it would be enjoyable.
Here are the letters N and V (keep in mind, this is the first draft, so grammar is going to be HORRIBLE):
N is for Nihilism
Although the term nihilism was conceived by novelist Ivan Turgenev, the philosophy is often associated with Freidrich Nietzsche. Under the concepts of nihilism, it is the rejection of purpose, meaning and value. It is often used to describe the pointlessness of existence and a deconstruction of the truth. Arnold’s Piece Touché falls into this category by rejecting conventional cinematic norms and preconceived truths to reconstruct an anarchy of images. He purposely creates this anarchy in the celluloid images to expose a new experience through avant-garde methods.
V is for Voyeurism
Voyeurism is a term chosen because it relates to the act of viewing. Granted, it is often associated with peeping, perverted guys, who are supposedly named Tom, but the act of viewing and observation is the key ingredient to making Piece Touché a memorable experiencing. By abandoning classical film structures, the viewer cannot help but just sit and stare at the moving images. Their suspension of time is our suspension of time. We move with the images, dancing along through the unconventional film sequence.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Getting My John Cage: The Artist Statement
The focus of my project was to bring awareness to sound and audio production. Even though it is one of the primary senses, hearing stands in the shadow of sight’s domination over the senses. From the mundane to the exciting noises occurring throughout our lives, sound is taken for granted. It seems humans choose to listen to something that is significant to them OR voluntarily choose not to hear by wearing earphones and listening to music. Mother Nature’s acoustic “jam session” is muted as humans shuffle along through their lives. My project (and a minimal one it is) explored to aspects of hearing and sound: Audio recording and Audio editing.
First, I wrote out a statement on how people would be hearing my voice, whether I am present when you hear it or not. The statement served as a guideline because the whole thing ended up being improvised This performance would reflect on how the sound takes over, especially with the lack of visual aids. The audience would have to imagine the soundscape I was performing in. Each person will have a different interpretation of my recording as they actively listen to my voice. The second half of my dictation focuses on (in a haunting manner) the act of editing in an audio recording system. The entire dialogue was spoken with a British accent, making it sound as if I am giving instructions rather than communicating indirectly and nonchalantly. It distances myself from the listener, and with the creepy, proper tone, it will probably produce a range of emotional reactions, whether they are connected with the multitude of voices or not.
My first goal in editing was not to have one track looping over and over. I layered the same audio recording, in a linear fashion, six times in a round. At first, the editing was going to be conducted in Soundtrack Pro, but with my lack of experience, I abandoned the editing suite and moved onto Logic Pro. The only difference from the original track and from the time I transferred to Logic Pro was I tampered with with pitch in Soundtrack Pro. It produced a rather dull but echo aspect to the original recording. When imported to Logic Pro, it became the “original” track, thus changing the soundscape while I continued to alter it further. Here is a list of how the post-editing went:
Track One dealt solely rendering the audio track to make the sounds “not hit the wall” in terms of being too loud. It is the
only piece that did not have any adjustments in panning or EQ’ing.
Track Two was panned all the way to the right, with an added EQ called Fuzz-Wah. The EQ device did exactly what the title states, it created a fuzzy, low reverberation of my voice. It sounds like someone is talking out of a tin can basically. The panning actually heightens the sound experience, drawing the audience’s attention to the right amp to pay attention to that recording over the first one.
Track Three was a wavelength of volume. Starting at home base, around -19.6 for volume (zero is usually where sound is not too loud or too quiet). I started at a negative number because I recorded in stereo with the microphone close to my mouth. Since I project loud anyway, I had to minimize my voice as not to be overbearing. Anyway, it was an allegro of sounds: crescendo up to -15.4 and decrescendo to -26.9. The sound, if isolated, rolls smoothly and is not abrupt or direct like Track One.
Track Four is the opposite of Track Two. Although it does apply the Fuzz-Wah application, it pans to the left. It is quite noticeable because it fills the room with surround sound when it competes with Track Two. Also, it acts like a tag team: when Track Two is completed, Track Four will complete or fill in the gaps.
Track Five is the opposite of Track Three, but this time the panning fluctuates in sets of twenty-one. It starts at zero, pans to the right 21, goes back to zero, then pans to the left 21.
Track Six is a slow crescendo of the entire piece, starting at negative infinity. This is the only track I wanted to focus on “hitting the wall,” and the audience will notice this because I conclude with the last part of this piece with a solo, informing the audience that I hope the message has reached them well before I say good-bye. Audio fades. End Project
So, how does John Cage enter into all of this? Well, the avant-garde recording artist wanted to bring back the focus of mundane noises of the world. As the mass media drowns us with its industry produced songs and music, they create a lifestyle people now accept as the norm. For example, I-pods. People wear them to forget other sounds or help occupy their minds as they shuffle throughout the day. More than likely, when I type this, I am listening to music, and right now it is Bruce Springsteen’s Living Proof. John Cage wanted people to focus on the natural sounds that the world produces and make the audience more aware of these noises. In a way, this project tries to take those same concepts and apply them to the project. Since it was a project focused on a certain medium, I choose to focus not on audio recording, but audio editing because editing functions as a way to select sounds I or the viewer want to here. In conclusion, the project was an audio recording focusing on an audio recording, and how sounds, recorded naturally are manipulated and adjusted before people hear them for “the first time.”
First, I wrote out a statement on how people would be hearing my voice, whether I am present when you hear it or not. The statement served as a guideline because the whole thing ended up being improvised This performance would reflect on how the sound takes over, especially with the lack of visual aids. The audience would have to imagine the soundscape I was performing in. Each person will have a different interpretation of my recording as they actively listen to my voice. The second half of my dictation focuses on (in a haunting manner) the act of editing in an audio recording system. The entire dialogue was spoken with a British accent, making it sound as if I am giving instructions rather than communicating indirectly and nonchalantly. It distances myself from the listener, and with the creepy, proper tone, it will probably produce a range of emotional reactions, whether they are connected with the multitude of voices or not.
My first goal in editing was not to have one track looping over and over. I layered the same audio recording, in a linear fashion, six times in a round. At first, the editing was going to be conducted in Soundtrack Pro, but with my lack of experience, I abandoned the editing suite and moved onto Logic Pro. The only difference from the original track and from the time I transferred to Logic Pro was I tampered with with pitch in Soundtrack Pro. It produced a rather dull but echo aspect to the original recording. When imported to Logic Pro, it became the “original” track, thus changing the soundscape while I continued to alter it further. Here is a list of how the post-editing went:
Track One dealt solely rendering the audio track to make the sounds “not hit the wall” in terms of being too loud. It is the
only piece that did not have any adjustments in panning or EQ’ing.
Track Two was panned all the way to the right, with an added EQ called Fuzz-Wah. The EQ device did exactly what the title states, it created a fuzzy, low reverberation of my voice. It sounds like someone is talking out of a tin can basically. The panning actually heightens the sound experience, drawing the audience’s attention to the right amp to pay attention to that recording over the first one.
Track Three was a wavelength of volume. Starting at home base, around -19.6 for volume (zero is usually where sound is not too loud or too quiet). I started at a negative number because I recorded in stereo with the microphone close to my mouth. Since I project loud anyway, I had to minimize my voice as not to be overbearing. Anyway, it was an allegro of sounds: crescendo up to -15.4 and decrescendo to -26.9. The sound, if isolated, rolls smoothly and is not abrupt or direct like Track One.
Track Four is the opposite of Track Two. Although it does apply the Fuzz-Wah application, it pans to the left. It is quite noticeable because it fills the room with surround sound when it competes with Track Two. Also, it acts like a tag team: when Track Two is completed, Track Four will complete or fill in the gaps.
Track Five is the opposite of Track Three, but this time the panning fluctuates in sets of twenty-one. It starts at zero, pans to the right 21, goes back to zero, then pans to the left 21.
Track Six is a slow crescendo of the entire piece, starting at negative infinity. This is the only track I wanted to focus on “hitting the wall,” and the audience will notice this because I conclude with the last part of this piece with a solo, informing the audience that I hope the message has reached them well before I say good-bye. Audio fades. End Project
So, how does John Cage enter into all of this? Well, the avant-garde recording artist wanted to bring back the focus of mundane noises of the world. As the mass media drowns us with its industry produced songs and music, they create a lifestyle people now accept as the norm. For example, I-pods. People wear them to forget other sounds or help occupy their minds as they shuffle throughout the day. More than likely, when I type this, I am listening to music, and right now it is Bruce Springsteen’s Living Proof. John Cage wanted people to focus on the natural sounds that the world produces and make the audience more aware of these noises. In a way, this project tries to take those same concepts and apply them to the project. Since it was a project focused on a certain medium, I choose to focus not on audio recording, but audio editing because editing functions as a way to select sounds I or the viewer want to here. In conclusion, the project was an audio recording focusing on an audio recording, and how sounds, recorded naturally are manipulated and adjusted before people hear them for “the first time.”
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Times Two divided by Logic....all a bump in the night
Well, I think I will be adding on the tracks three more times....so it will be a round of six audio recording playing simultaneously. Also, since I have it all set up in Soundtrack Pro, I realized that this might not be audio editing suite qualified for what I need to get done. Fortunately for me, I just learned Logic Pro! Since I have been working on an audio soundtrack for a Lumeire Project (if you would like to see it, then I will try to post it online), I have neglected this project. This weekend, most likely on Friday, I will probably lock myself in Kenilworth and get the project done in one sitting.......hours may vary. I know how to EQ better in Logic than Soundtrack. Besides, soundtrack does distortion, but will not let me do track automation.....which is a huge set back for my project. Expect a HUGE blog about the exploration of the post audio by Sunday.
Happy Halloween, All Sanit's Day, and Dia de las Mortes!! I am off to sit in a cemetary to communicate with the dead or might head on down to Grant Park and the Seven bridges!!
Happy Halloween, All Sanit's Day, and Dia de las Mortes!! I am off to sit in a cemetary to communicate with the dead or might head on down to Grant Park and the Seven bridges!!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Short
My recording will not make it past a minute or two....even with the layering of three tracks. In a way, it does go on the lines of minimal, but at the exact time, I feel if it should be longer. Maybe after I experiment with it in post, I will hopefully find something I will be pleased with.
Monday, October 22, 2007
And we're off....
Audio recording is done. I was surprised that my "proper" voice just turned into a British dialect. In a sense, it is more proper than cockney, but I found the experimentation with my own dialect quite fun! It was good practice. I recorded about 30 tracks, 20 of them I was either testing the audio volume or I just screwed up. Everything was improv, but I realized after Carl mention again that it had to take about the process, that I accidentally did that! At the end, I draw focus on how I recorded my voice. The total length of the recording is about 30-40 seconds. Up next is the succession of threes in post, which will be conducted this weekend...
Okay, Ryan and Lizzie's collaboration today was the first time where I found myself saying IN A REALLY LONG TIME, "What the fuck was that all about?" It was like watching drag queens going on an acid trip while inhaling insane amounts of helium! My head hurts just re-creating the high pitch dialogue in my head!
Okay, Ryan and Lizzie's collaboration today was the first time where I found myself saying IN A REALLY LONG TIME, "What the fuck was that all about?" It was like watching drag queens going on an acid trip while inhaling insane amounts of helium! My head hurts just re-creating the high pitch dialogue in my head!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Recording this weekend
This weekend is it! I have two audio projects...both are not alike because the other one, I get to be a foley art for a Lumeire film. That is going to be fun....but back to this project! The script is set, but it is just a guidline. I love improv, so what I have written down will guide me through the first two takes before I just go off and think other creative avenues to discuss when you hear my voice. Right now, I am blah because everything I want to do will be in post. But I do have my own mono-directional mic, handmade (I am such a MacGuyver) and an NT4 stereo road mic. The latter will be tricky, but I will just pop over to K416, sit in the sound-proof box and record in there. NO OUTSIDE ELEMENTS WILL PENETRATE MY RECORDING!! I want crisp and pristine like the glacier water trickling off Mt. Rainer. Okay, I am getting carried away, so I will end this......
Friday, October 12, 2007
Dear Cris,
If you, by chance, finally get to this blog after weeks of playing tag with me, please leave a comment. And thank you for your support!
ME
ME
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
How Dumb Am I
So, while watching Ono's RAPE on monday, two things occurred that basically "raped" my performance.
One is my fault because I should have used the restroom before the movie began.....no more liquids despite for us to drink massive amounts of caffine before each viewing.
Two: How about the rape of light, including cell phones! I came in late, so I sat in the back of the theater near the door. This is probably the worst idea I have ever conceived!! I wore my sunglasses in an act of defiance to the constant opening and closing of the door. And it did not even help out, so I just acted like Jack Nicholson and tried to play it cool wearing my sunglasses in the dark! How distracting, especially with the last three rows crammed with boys on their cell phones. Sorry to Yoko Ono for not allowed to have a chance.
One is my fault because I should have used the restroom before the movie began.....no more liquids despite for us to drink massive amounts of caffine before each viewing.
Two: How about the rape of light, including cell phones! I came in late, so I sat in the back of the theater near the door. This is probably the worst idea I have ever conceived!! I wore my sunglasses in an act of defiance to the constant opening and closing of the door. And it did not even help out, so I just acted like Jack Nicholson and tried to play it cool wearing my sunglasses in the dark! How distracting, especially with the last three rows crammed with boys on their cell phones. Sorry to Yoko Ono for not allowed to have a chance.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Working Script One
Hello
This is an audio recording.
Notice the round tones and articulation in relation to the pronuncation of these carefully choosen words.
Also, my presence is absent
Funny how you can hear me speaking to you, and I am not there
Just my voice and nothing else
Please take comfort in this soothing moment
For it is fleeting
Good bye
I will probably keep amending this, but the script above is basically the general concept of what I want to say.
Also, I am struggling with the idea to do an accent....something proper obviously, but I do not want to do a full blown British accent. Proper should be the key idea though....something distinct, clear and rational in relation to the alteration of pitch...
Oh, the endless possiblities!
This is an audio recording.
Notice the round tones and articulation in relation to the pronuncation of these carefully choosen words.
Also, my presence is absent
Funny how you can hear me speaking to you, and I am not there
Just my voice and nothing else
Please take comfort in this soothing moment
For it is fleeting
Good bye
I will probably keep amending this, but the script above is basically the general concept of what I want to say.
Also, I am struggling with the idea to do an accent....something proper obviously, but I do not want to do a full blown British accent. Proper should be the key idea though....something distinct, clear and rational in relation to the alteration of pitch...
Oh, the endless possiblities!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Damn that Michael Snow
After watching Wavelength....actually hearing it because the sound was much more entertaining than the images.....I realized that he has my idea. I would just be copying Snow's use of pitch, which starts out really low then high....really emphasizing on the wavelength of sound. Damnit. Back to the drawing board.....but the narration stays!!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Diary of a Film Student
Soon, the chronicles of my project, entitled GETTING MY JOHN CAGE ON, will be begin its web broadcast starting October 4th. I will be making a project through audio recording and editing that discusses audio recording and editing. The theme is minimualist because Carl said so. First, I will complete a narration, similar to the Singin' in the Rain performance when the talkies are introduced, in the first week of the assignment. Second, the recording will be streamed into the computer where, with either audacity, Soundtrack or Logic Pro (I cannot make up my mind!), I will manipulate the recording through the use of the pitch, highlighting the aspects need to give a clear, distinct sound through the derangement of the hearing senses. Basically, by highlighting one aspect of the audio recording, I will be creating anarchy. It will be like Gehr's SERENE VELOCITY, but for audio recording. Hopefully, I will be able to upload the recording by October 24th, 2007.
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