VISUAL NARRATIVES

Red Parasol Projects on Vimeo

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:06:25 +0000

THE RED PARASOL PROJECT
University of Minnesota Duluth digital art students collaborated with acting students in Spring 2013. The unifying constraint: each short video project needed to integrate a Red Parasol. Five project storylines went into production, each featuring 2-3 student actors from UMD's Acting for the Camera class. Each production team also included 3 students from our Digital Filmmaking class. Each small crew needed to cover all the pre-production concept development and location camerawork for their production. Students took turns directing shots and covering various tasks on location in Duluth. Each filmmaking student edited their own version of the Red Parasol Project, using the characters, settings, storyline and video captured by their small team. The resulting 15 short films were screened at our final exam.

KendraJaeger Final April from Kendra Rae on Vimeo.

More RED PARASOL PROJECTS ON VIMEO

APRIL

April by Kendra Jaeger
http://vimeo.com/66408024

April by Missy Smetana
https://vimeo.com/66374794

April by Bethany Bourgoin
http://vimeo.com/66431936

ANAMNESIS
Anamnesis by Ryan Holmquist
http://vimeo.com/66344221

Anamnesis by Sam Hagen
http://vimeo.com/66301516

MYSTERY MAN
The Mystery Man by Brady Roy
https://vimeo.com/66262320

The Mystery Man by Marissa Murdy
 https://vimeo.com/66369823

Mystery Man by Kate Bendel
https://vimeo.com/66371911

DAYDREAM
Daydream by Keri Koskiniemi
https://vimeo.com/66296021

Daydream by Sarah Heil
http://vimeo.com/66344527

Daydream by Emyli Gudmundson
https://vimeo.com/66370799

CRIMSON AND CERULEAN
Crimson and Cerulean by Rick McLean
http://vimeo.com/66343996

  Red + Blue by Brittany V. Hecker
https://vimeo.com/66314285
I am still waiting for all the links to Red Parasol Projects on Vimeo...

The Cutting Edge > Editing Plan

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:55:50 +0000

We'll be watching this DVD in class. Plan to blog about it here.
As you prepare to edit your final project, what aesthetic and technical choices do you plan to make to create a unified story? What is your plan for the use of pacing, shot types, cuts, continuity, and sound in your final edit? Use a specific example from The Cutting Edge of an editing choice you might try in your own project.

Short Film Project Reflection

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:32:17 +0000

Please post to blog by Final Exam / Friday May 17:

Low Movie

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:54:14 +0000

Coming soon... Widely acclaimed band Low will perform live on Friday, April 12 as part of the 2013 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival...
http://www.mspfilmfest.org/

Some buzz about the Panasonic Lumix GH3

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:57:53 +0000

Panasonic Lumix GH3 user group on Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/groups/gh3users

In the Digital Arts program at UMD we have invested in the Panasonic Lumix GH2 camera as a good tool for artists who want to shoot both still and video at high quality. We will be getting some of the newer GH3 cameras too. Here are some links to photographer's discussing the mirrorless hybrid camera:

http://oliviatech.com/giulio-sciorio-professional-photographer-tells-us-how-he-uses-the-panasonic-gh3-used-for-photo-and-video-at-wppi-2013

Small Camera Big Picture is the resource for everything on mirrorless-hybrid photography and the modern photographer's lifestyle. Learn how big things come in small packages at SmallCameraBigPicture.com. Giulio also contributes to the hybrid photo, video and audio site DiscoverMirrorless.com.

http://mirrorlesscentral.com/dslr-vs-mirrorless-for-premium-video-which-one-is-better/

Moviestorm announcement!

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 22:56:16 +0000

Here is a link to the Moviestorm blog, where they made the announcement yesterday:
http://moviestorm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/winner-of-moviestorm-bett-2013-future.html

So...Great News...We are going to be getting Moviestorm software for use by Art&Design students at UMD. We won educational licenses... that will be installed in the Digital Arts classroom, the Multimedia Hub, Montague Lab and VizLab.The Moviestorm software will
be good for students interested in 3d animation, digital storytelling, pre-visualization,
game design, filmmaking, and machinima.

What do people do with Moviestorm?

View Movies made with Moviestorm:
http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/community/

More info here:
http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/

elliptical editing... in a film by Agnes Varda

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:03:45 +0000

Bordwell and Thompson's textbook, Film Art: An Introduction explores key concepts in cinema--mise-en-scène, lighting, cinematography, sound, and editing--through examples. Their examples are short and to the point, here is one showing elliptical editing in Agnes Varda's Vagabond ...

More about filmmaker Agnes Varda
http://www.criterion.com/explore/178-agnes-varda

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2201-criterion-goes-to-film-school-finally

Bordwell's blog
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/
Bordwell's website
http://www.davidbordwell.net/

Early color film test

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:00:55 +0000

http://bcove.me/4mzp09b0
1922 Kodachrome Test Footage

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/02/08/early_color_film_from_1922_actresses_vamp_for_the_camera.html?fb_ref=sm_fb_plugin_activity

Moviestorm software for our labs!

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:25:51 +0000

Moviestorm is a software application that lets anyone make 3d animated movies on their computer. Great News...We are going to be able to acquire this software for use in the Digital Arts area and the Multimedia Hub. The Moviestorm software will be a cool addition for students interested in interactive storytelling, game design, filmmaking, and machinima!

View Movies made with Moviestorm:
http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/community/

More info here:
http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/

Erik Loyer Lecture > 6pm Tuesday March 5

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:40:03 +0000

Erik Loyer will be a visiting artist on UMD campus on TUESDAY...
His Lecture is OPEN to the PUBLIC Tuesday March 5th at 6pm in Montague Hall

Erik Loyer is a media artist and creative director working at the intersection of interactivity, story, music and animation. As a digital media artist he often works in collaboration on creative projects that use emerging media such as iPads and game systems for innovative digital narratives and interactive poetic works... like STRANGE RAIN:

His work has been exhibited online and internationally at venues including Artport at the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Digital Gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Prix Ars Electronica; Transmediale; and IndieCade. Loyer's award-winning website The Lair of the Marrow Monkey was one of the first to be added to the permanent collection of a major art museum, and his serialized web narrative Chroma went on to win the Best Digital Creation award at the Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media.
As Creative Director for the experimental digital humanities journal Vectors, Loyer has designed over a dozen interactive essays in collaboration with numerous scholars including the Webby-honored documentary Public Secrets, and his commercial portfolio includes Clio and One Show Gold Award-winning work for Vodafone, as well as projects for BMW, Sony, and NASA.
He is the founder of interactive design studio Song New Creative, and develops story-driven interactive entertainment under the Opertoon label, including most recently a critically-acclaimed iPhone application entitled Ruben & Lullaby. A recipient of a Rockefeller Film/Video/Multimedia Fellowship, Loyer has a B.A. in Cinema/Television Production from the University of Southern California.

View his work here:
http://erikloyer.com/index.php/projects/

http://erikloyer.com/index.php/projects/detail/upgrade_soul/

Spring 2013 Vimeo Links

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:19:47 +0000

Please set up your own vimeo account (free) to share your short digital video project.
Please post a link to your VIMEO site to the comments here.

More info here:
Sign-up
http://vimeo.com/sign_up
Basics
http://vimeo.com/help/basics
Vimeo Help Center / Frequently Asked Questions
http://vimeo.com/help/faq
Vimeo Video School
http://vimeo.com/videoschool
HD Channel
http://vimeo.com/channels/hd

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:28:53 +0000

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Beasts of the Southern Wild

http://www.zeitgeistarts.com/category/zinema-2/zin-now-playing

Anyone interested in cinematography and video editing should see this film from director Benh Zeitlin. It took home the Grand Jury Prize and Best Cinematography award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Expected to win some oscars next.

Exercise 2: Capturing the Light

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:33:20 +0000

Exercise 2: Capturing the Light
Using only natural light to illuminate your subject, create a simple narrative using a variety of visual strategies to capture and exploit the available light.

Use this second exercise to expand on what you learned in exercise one. This time push yourself to make the most of natural lighting opportunities. Look for windows, doorways and other ways that light may stream in from the outside. If you need to, experiment with ways to bounce the natural light with reflectors or light materials. You may choose to shoot outside if weather permits. Do not risk damage to cameras in snow or extreme cold. Another option is to explore the use of candlelight or fire light. (Always protect camera from flame or smoke).

Continue to use a variety of shot types and angles. Build a mood using your subject and your setting deliberately. Make every shot count.

Edit to 20-30 seconds / optional simple sound. 10%

Blog Assignment > View 5 Short Films

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:56:43 +0000

Please view at least 5 Short Films over the next few weeks and take notes using the format below. I highly recommend viewing the Oscar Nominated Shorts that are showing at Zinema. Or you may use the DVDs of short film collections (like Wholphin, Shorts!, ResFest) that are now on reserve for you at the library front desk. Or view others you find on the web (be selective, avoid youtube). If possible, find works that relate somehow to your own creative work, as inspiration for a technique or look you hope to achieve. Try to use films that are longer than one minute and shorter than 15 minutes (though the definition of a short film may vary).

Take notes while you view, type your reflection and post to the blog once you have viewed 5 shorts. Your blog must note all of this info for each film:

Title:
Year:
Director:
Run time:
Link to the film : (URL of website, dvd, tv or movie theatre)
Story Synopsis:
Location:
Characters:
Visual strengths:
Use of Light / Color:
Digital techniques:
Use of Sound / Music:

See links to Short films.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/jrock2/viznar/2009/02/short_films_links.html#more

Visual Culture Lecture > 6pm Tues Feb 5

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:12:12 +0000

Tom Jones / Artist Lecture 6pm
February 5, 2013
http://tomjoneshochunk.com/
Tom Jones is an Assistant Professor of Photography at UW-Madison. He received his MFA in Photography and a MA in Museum Studies from Columbia College in Chicago, IL. Jones' photographs examine identity and geographic place with an emphasis on the experience of American Indian communities. He is interested in the way that American Indian material culture is represented through popular commodity culture, e.g. architecture, advertising, and self-representation. He continues to work on an ongoing photographic essay on the contemporary life of his tribe, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. He is critically assessing the romanticized representation of Native peoples in photography through the reexamination of historic pictures taken by white photographers. This reassessment questions the assumptions about identity within the American Indian culture by non-natives and Natives alike. Jones is a co-author on the book "People of the Big Voice, Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1943." Jones' work is in the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian, Polaroid Corporation, Sprint Corporation, The Chazen Museum of Art, The Nerman Museum, and Microsoft.