Family Album

Doug DuBois is an associate professor of art photography at Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. Lately I've been admiring the distinctly narrative aspect to his photographs. The quality of the work I've seen is more constructed and less invested in capturing a moment or gesture as it unfolds. It lends to a strong cinematic appeal. A great deal of his career which spans nearly twenty-five years features the transformations which have shaped his family. Doug involves more collaboration than manipulation with the members of his family, too, a process that he elaborates on further in a interview found here: Alec Soth in conversation with Doug DuBois

Here are a some selected examples of his technique:

The Eyeborg Project

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Canadian filmmaker plans to have a mini camera installed in his prosthetic eye to make documentaries and raise awareness about surveillance in society...

About:

Take a one eyed filmmaker, an unemployed engineer, and a vision for something that's never been done before and you have yourself the EyeBorg Project. Rob Spence and Kosta Grammatis are trying to make history by embedding a video camera and a transmitter in a prosthetic eye. That eye is going in Rob's eye socket, and will record the world from a perspective that's never been seen before. Via The Eyeborg Project

Earlier in the school year a lot of discussion focused on forms of surveillance and measures visual artists, designers, and architects have gone through to subvert practices of discipline technology. We have a long fascinating history of observing personal and public rituals from controlled spaces. I'm interested to see how Rob handles this technological breakthrough. As an artist it's a pretty solid gimmick that's already earning him an audience. Whether or not he can fashion an important statement on surveillance has yet to be discovered.

The Art of the Title Sequence

Via ISO50 blog contributor Alex:

"Started in December 2007, Art of the Title is a blog dedicated to the film title sequence, and is a great resource for film buffs and designer alike. They post high quality videos of each sequence they chronicle, and usually have an interview with the creators as well. It's amazing to see what can be done with little to no footage from the actual movie."

This is such an entertaining and educational blog. I highly recommend browsing the archives when you have a chance: Art of the Title

Post

Editing has been a slower process than I expected for this semester. That is changing now. I've cleared a few other linger issues pertaining to my other courses and now some extra time has opened up to devote into piecing this film together. All of the footage is uploaded and the sound synced up. Now I'm in the process of sequencing all of the scenes together - attempting to make something work, noting what shots to pick up or possibly reshoot in the weeks to come.

Editing can affect me in two distinct ways:
A.) Develop insecurity
B.) Reinforce the need to produce more projects

As expected, this is where I and most others typically go through a lot of self-doubt over the lack of footage or other technical problems, et cetera. It's a nagging ordeal, but that's the creative process, right? Constantly retooling ideas and working with what you don't have - that's where I got my start and will continue on. Despite my failures and the shitty circumstances back some months ago, this first project here in Syracuse has been somewhat of a landmark occasion. I realized I've yet to discuss the ideas of the film and what I'm attempting to do with it here on the blog. When I have a finished product I will post it along with my thoughts. The big first year defense is right around the corner so it would be wise to get outside feedback.

Speaking of video work:

I'm really enjoying the artistic direction of Andy Bruntel. His new(ish) video for the band Bodies Of Water is a cross between Little House On The Prairie, 70s horror, and dramatization clips from Unsolved Mysteries.

Drunk Goldblum Meme

Jeff Goldblum is without question one of the funniest humans of all time.

It was to my great surprise to run into this collection of viral video memes that circulated this past year featuring "drunk" Goldblum Apple ads and television appearances. How did I not discover this sooner?

The idea is simple:

• Record a Goldblum ad and/or television spot
• Slow down the speed

You will get the same entertaining effect each time. Here's an example, the one believed to have started it all:



Check out videogum for more.

We Are Wizards

Josh Koury's We Are Wizards is not simply Trekkies for the Hogwarts set. It is not so much about the obsessed as it is about the inspired; spotlighting Harry Potter enthusiasts who have turned fandom into a source of creativity. A bulk of the documentary focuses on "wizard rock", a genre of music influenced by the books and movies in which interviews alternate between the popular Harry and the Potters to the lesser known "Wizard Rock Partridge Family", The Hungarian Horntails. Somewhere in between we get testimonies from members of groups Draco and the Malfoys, Grop, The Whomping Willows, and mention of a band called The Wands, who sing exclusively from the perspective of being a wand. Roughly 300+ bands are touring or playing shows under the guise of a specific theme from the franchise.

With the exception of cartoonist/demigod Brad Neely (who i'll get to in a minute) the non-musical subjects are not quite as interesting. Koury showcases the copyright and legal battles that continue to plague Pottermania and the religious sector, represented by one Conservative christian woman who (yawn) believes the HP franchise is the downfall of society. These angles are a bit informative, opening the debate on intellectual property and fan devotion spread across the Internet, but act mostly as a slight attempt to balance the rest of the content in the film. The lack of authority figures on the subject - Warner execs, or even Rowling herself could have introduced something more substantial and are noticeably missing.

Luckily the filmmakers concentrate most of their energy on wizard rock geeks and Brad Neely who offers up his own take on legal setbacks in creating Wizard People, Dear Reader, his narrative soundtrack to be played over the first HP film. Neely confesses that a lot of his success is a direct result of people liking this project. For the bigger fan, there's a surprising amount of backstory to Neely embedded in the documentary and it is almost always the source of the film's biggest laughs. Note the short animated segment.

You can check out information on how to get the film and watch the trailer here. It's not up for DVD distrubtion quite yet, but Amazon is currently running it in their Videos On Demand section for a $2.99 rental.

Year In Videos: 2008

This has been a wonderful vacation so far. Now I'm settled in Yakima with family, every one of them present: The Winslows, Tanners, Fosters, Lamberts, and Taylors - they're all here joining in the television playbook of Christmas cliches. Meanwhile, as Mercedes burrito-debris continues to course through my veins, I thought I'd compile a short list of music videos that caught my attention this year. In the past I'd make fleeting mental notes of favorite films and videos, but for 2008 I decided to take a more active approach and actually write something down to reflect on later.

So here we go. A personal list of videos that I enjoyed this year:

M83: "Kim and Jessie" Dir. Eva Husson


MGMT: "Electric Feel" Dir. Ray Tintori


No Age: "Eraser" Dir. Andy Bruntel


Ladyhawke: "Back Of the Van" Dir. Kinga Burza


Beck: "Gamma Ray" Dir. Autumn de Wilde


The BPA: "Toe Jam" Dir. Keith Schofield


Ratatat: "Mirando" Dir. E*VAX