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12 Years A Slave (2013) dir. Steve McQueen

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BAIS300: Glitch Art | Research

Following our class task, i wanted to research some more examples of how the concept of glitch could be incorporated into my future practice. 

David Szauder

“Failed Memory” a series by David Szauder

I came across this series which i found intriguing as it is a topic i often reflect on. As the title suggests, it is exploring the difference between the actual human memory and the record of the memory e.g the digital photograph which captures the moment.

He says:

“Our brains store away images to retrieve them later, like files stored away on a hard drive. But when we go back and try to re-access those memories, we may find them to be corrupted in some way.” David Szauder

I think he is implying that our memory is not always reliable and can “corrupt” in the same way that a machine does, therefore, it is not necessarily a solid fact. The way he describes memory is similar to the “Multi-store model of memory”  in Psychology which was devised by Atkinson and Shiffrin. It is a linear model which is likened to a computer, it suggests that we can retrieve information if it is rehearsed enough and enters the long term memory. Otherwise, it is forgotten. What is fascinating is that his images visually display this memory loss. When you observe them and look away you only retain the glitch detail for a short period of time before it merges into a simplified form in your head.

“In [the] long term we start to lose parts of the details and instead of these lost fragments we fill the gaps with our self-generated memories, memory fragments” David Szauder

Several studies have been done which potentially confirm this and it is the reason why there is scepticism surrounding eyewitness testimony. According to research collected by Northwestern Medicine, human memory is described as a malleable thing and upon recall the memory is distorted and altered each time. Consequently, when you think back on an event, it is implied that you are actually recalling the last time you thought about it rather than the real occurrence.

“A memory is not simply an image produced by time travelling back to the original event—it can be an image that is somewhat distorted because of the prior times you remembered it,” (Donna Bridge, Lead researcher)

In this sense, your safest memories are those you do not think about as much. This is a topic which would be interesting to explore further in relation to glitch art and how the brain can be likened to technology. I’ve really enjoyed looking at his work as the glitch serves a purpose and is representative of the human condition.

Jablotschkin, E, Unknown, Ignant, Failed Memory by davidszauder, available at: https://www.ignant.com/2013/10/28/failed-memories-by-david-szauder/

Dmitry, 2018, Design you trust, “Failed Memories”: The Superb Glitchy Digital Art Of David Szauder, available at: https://designyoutrust.com/2018/06/failed-memories-the-superb-glitchy-digital-art-of-david-szauder/

Mcleod, S, 2017, Simply Psychology, Multi Store Model of Memory, Available at:  https://www.simplypsychology.org/multi-store.html

Chant, I, 2012, The mary sue, You Remember That Wrong: Brain Distorts Memories Every Time It Recalls Them, available at: https://www.themarysue.com/memory-distortion-in-brain/

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Hiller, S, 1983-4 , Belshazzar’s Feast, the Writing on Your Wall, Tate Britain, Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hiller-belshazzars-feast-the-writing-on-your-wall-t03923

BAIS300: Specific research for our installation

I thought it would be useful to look at a more relevant example to our exhibition in order to prompt any more ideas. 

This a fairly contemporary installation which was open to the public in 1983-4 , It has quite a unique concept which is difficult to infer from just a photo without context.

The title refers to the biblical tale of Babylonian King Belshazzar. The tale goes as follows; King Belshazzar receives a punishment, in the form of a message from god written on the wall due to the fact that he served wine to the enslaved Israelites. 

“Hiller’s installation suggests that the replacement of the traditional domestic hearth with the television is an opportunity for collective engagement in fantasy, rather than a source of disconnection..”

The room itself is minimalistic and modern, there is an absence of decoration which makes it feel impersonal. Displayed on the TV is footage of flames which was shot on super 8 film by Susan herself (like a virtual fire). Her son features as the song in the background who is describing Rembrandt’s painting of Belshazzar and whispers of supernatural stories. On the walls are drawings which relate to the biblical tale and need to be interpreted.

“In this video piece, I'm considering the TV set as a substitute for the ancient hearth and the TV screen as a potential vehicle of reverie replacing the flames.”

In a way, she is implying that the TV has replaced the function of sitting around a fire in the past, both are a place where the imagination can be stimulated and elaborate on stories, whether the original story is manipulated in the process is an entirely different question. It describes on the Tate website that she had the idea for this installation following “reports of apparitions appearing on television screens after broadcasting ended”. She specifically references a woman who contacted the BBC after she fell asleep in front of the TV and woke up to visions of faces on the screen. Both the TV and old tales told by the fire have relevance to each other, they involve the excitement of being fed information and collectively discussing it. In the same way that people supposedly reported seeing ghosts on TV, a lot of people in the past enjoyed the thrill of horror stories as it was a form of entertainment- sometimes you see what you want to.

In relation to our work, it conveys the uncanny feeling we are aiming for. I think it shows how you do not have to be literal when trying to do this, the room itself is not scary, it is the subtle details which make you feel uncomfortable when examined. I think this is something we should attempt in our own installation, adding small things which make the experience more interactive and engaging for the viewer. We also wanted to include a TV in our room but it would be a live stream so the viewer would be looking back on themselves. I also like the lighting she has used, this is something we could do too as it creates more of a homely ambience. This image will be useful to refer back to when designing the layout for our set. I think our work will differ in that we want to create a feeling that the room has been lived in and belongs to a specific family, therefore, we will most likely fill it with everyday clutter. There will be less emphasis on space and more on props which are revealing of the nature of the fictional family.

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Thirst (2012) dir. Robert Carter

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Naturalism | History and Research

Naturalism is a movement which began in (Europe) in the late 19th and 20th century, it is said to have evolved due to “the newly perceived relations between human actions and material environment.”

It is a filmmaking technique which aims to replicate the mundane qualities of everyday life and depicting characters in a realistic way. 

There are 3 predominant aspects to naturalism:

Faire vrai: be realistic, as a close a study of the human condition as possible.

Faire grand: be meaningful, with each theme and occurrence of large significance.

Faire simple: be simple, and do not clutter the play with unnecessary speeches nor sub-plots.

One of the methods used is that the actor should have an understanding of the character's situation and reasoning in order to portray a truthful depiction of it. 

Some useful quotes by Konstantin Stanislavki which echo this:

“Never allow yourself externally to portray anything that you have not inwardly experienced and which is not even interesting to you.”

“... living the part helps the artist to carry out one of his main objectives. His job is not to present merely the external life of his character. He must fit his own human qualities to the life of this other person, and pour into it all of his own soul. The fundamental aim of our art is the creation of this inner life of a human spirit, and its expression in an artistic form.”

This is an intriguing idea, to literally allow the actor to “live” as the character for a while and inhabit their space might be an effective way of bringing out a natural performance. 

Examples include those part of the neo-realist such as Rossellini, De Sica, and Visconti.

Is naturalism limiting?

It is interesting to also reflect on whether naturalism takes away from performance due to stripping it down too much or limits the actor to the ordinary? Sometimes, overacting is beneficial such as in comedy or a theatre setting. Furthermore, is it boring if film is solely based on realism? For a lot of people, film is a means of exploration of a fictional world when you consider features like Star wars and Lord of the rings. 

I think it was important to briefly look at the context behind this as it is has developed my understanding of what makes a realistic performance and the subtleties behind this. It is also useful to refer back to in the future.

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Chandra, S, 2017, TheFableSoup Wordpress, The form of naturalism, available at: https://thefablesoup.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/the-form-of-naturalism/

Timoney, B, 2016, BrainTimoneyActing, Stanislavski and Naturalism – A Short History, Available at: https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/stanislavski-naturalism-short-history/

Stanislavki, K,  1995, London, An Actor Prepares, Methuen, p14 and p29

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BAIS300: Mash up  | research

What is ‘mash-up?’

The mash-up technique can be described at a basic level as “a mixture or fusion of disparate elements.” or in relation to words, “an aleatory technique in which written text is cut up and re-arranged into new text”

A unique and contemporary approach to this is Black Mirror’s latest episode “Bandersnatch” 

Slade, D, 2018, Black Mirror, Bandersnatch, Netflix, Image Source: : Everett Collection

Bandersnatch has entered a new level in viewer interaction whereby the audience is able to manipulate the plot of the film, leading to an abundance of endings depending on the route which is selected. It follows the story of a Stefan who is a programmer adapting Jerome F Davies “choose your own adventure book” into a virtual game. This is not based on an actual novel.

This relates to mash up in the sense that you are re-arranging the plot of the film yourself and there is no cohesive order, there are points in the film where you jump back to an earlier decision. Likewise, to mash up, you are constantly rebuilding and organising an existing piece of work.  

What intrigues me about this film is that the content of the narrative is also the format in which it is presented. For example, they could have easily made the exact same film but without allowing the viewer to have the interactive experience. This is more effective as you become submerged in the storyline and can relate to the main character as you are also experiencing it in real time. In the same way, If the film had been interactive for the sake of it, without any reference to this in the plot it may have lost the impact. 

The emergence of Bandersnatch has opened up the possibilities of viewer interaction in future series, the question is: How far can this go before people get bored or feel like it has been over used, therefore, reduces the hype?

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BAIS300: Recognition from Crewdson

Following our Crewdson inspired shoot, PCA Film and a few of us posted the image on Instagram. Crewdson liked a few posts from people on our course and posted this on his Instagram story. It is rewarding to know that he has looked at our photo and enjoyed it, considering the amount of effort we put in. It also means it may attract more people to the PCA page and increase exposure.

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BAIS300: Independent practice

In response to my research on the boundary between words and art, i have produced these quick “poems” which aim to explore this. They also relate to the concept of transforming an existing object into something else. By restricting yourself to a set of words, it can force you to be creative with what you are limited to. The idea is that the words were isolated with a specific sentence in mind, but can be read in whatever order the viewer wishes to produce a different interpretation.

This also relates vaguely to our mash up task since it is mixing up and putting together words in an order which differs from the original.

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Russian Doll (2019-) dir. Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne & Amy Poehler

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‘Think About You’ by Kygo ft. Valerie Broussard (2019) dir. Sarah Bahbah

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‘Hostage’ by Billie Eilish (2018) dir. Henry Scholfield

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Sex Education (2019-) dir. Kate Herron & Ben Taylor

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Call Me By Your Name (2017)

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BAIS300: Final photo inspired by Crewdson

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BAIS300: Gregory Crewdson shoot

This is perhaps one of my favourite activities we have taken part in the course, there was a lot of emphasis on lighting and it took nearly two hours to get this shot. We tried a variety of layouts but found this worked best as it filled the space in a way that looked balanced. There were a lot of things to consider such as the reflection on the mirror, when we moved this to the other side you could see us in it. Furthermore, to mimic and intensify the light from the TV we hid an LED panel behind it. We also used a little light to highlight Neil's hand but had to be careful it wasn’t in shot. I feel like this task reinforces the importance of cinematography in evoking a certain mood. I like how the props imply a narrative yet this is not an idea we have fully refined ourselves. 

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WDP FINAL FILM FEEDBACK

Following our screening we received useful feedback:

- There was some confusion over the specific narrative of the film, perhaps implying we cut too much out in the edit, this is something we need to be more careful with next time. 

- The sound in the bar scenes was inconsistent and not clear, this is due to the fact that whilst we were recording there was the hum of the refrigerator. We could do another edit with improved audio by using ADR.

- It was mentioned that the colour choices worked well as a visual cue and that the performances of the actors was strong

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Improved transcript 

Following our class discussion about the requirements of the sketchbook film, i realized i did not have analysis and i was too focused on documenting what i did. Therefore, i cut out quite a lot of the description and instead focused on what i have learnt from the project and how successful certain elements were. I have used titles to separate each section to make it easier to gather information