Author: Caleb

Final Project: The Final Cut

Caleb

Hi everyone,

Here is my final version of my video project for this class.

This entire class turned out to be one of my favorite courses I’ve taken at WSU Vancouver. I realized that videography and cinema are two passions of mine that got to stretch their creative legs this semester.

This work is heavily inspired by Daniel Liss’s pandemic pantheon: a-z. Initially, I wanted to do a 23 listed video essay about my process of moving out. In reality, I had little time to film before the move happened, resulting in my decision to create the video essay around the idea of already being moved out. I prefer this idea over my previous one, as I had a plethora of new ideas to explore and tie into the numbered theme of this project.

After receiving some critiques in class during our rough cut presentations, includes about 10 more seconds of content to allow space between each numbered item. On top of this, I removed the entire “flashback” section where all the videos and pictures shown in the beginning of the essay were cut together at the end. Instead, as suggested by Will, I found a scrapbook my mom made for me when I moved out that contained pictures of me from K-12. This seemed to fit much better with the narrated dialogue referencing how younger me wouldn’t believe where I am today.

This process was straightforward compared to the other projects in this class. I felt prepared with ideas and filming techniques from the previous assignments and am proud of the work that I made.

I’m stoked to see what else everyone will create in the future.

Week 13 Blog Post

Caleb

Hey everyone,

I plan on creating a video similar to the style of Daniel Liss’s pandemic pantheon: a-z. My goal is to create montage, looped, video essay-like short film revolving around 23 facts about my perspective on life, a 23 year old college student whose moving out at the end of this week.

I’m not making this an egotistical project that’s all about me, because that’d be lame. I want to include thoughts or ideas that I have which many others share and hopefully connect to them on some level. I’ve begun writing a script for how this should play out and will be including some old footage I have alongside newly recorded pieces. I’m thinking of this project as a sort of check in point for myself on where I’m at in life.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to stay in a numerical order or choose random numbers to convey and connect ideas. I do want to connect ideas in clever ways as the numbers either increase or decrease to help keep the audience engaged with the content.

 

Week 10 Blog Post

Caleb

Hello everyone,

I’d like to begin this post with a quote from Bill Viola’s writing that I feel perfectly illustrates Viola’s vision of the potential of technology.

“Leaping directly into the farther future for a moment, we can see the seeds of what some have described as the ultimate recording technology: total spatial storage, with the viewer wandering through some three-dimensional, possibly life-sized field of prerecorded or simulated scenes and events evolving in time.”

In truth, we have achieved this very situation he describes. It could be argued that modern day video games represent this vision, a three dimensional space where a “participant” explores a pre-rendered world as events unfold around them. If we choose to consider this vision solely in the form of cinema, then Bandersnatch is a prime example. The viewer is provided choices as the story progresses, changing the story dependent on the choices made, until the viewer kills the character or resets the story to previous decisions.
Yet, Bandersnatch can at times feel similar to the classic choose your own adventure stories many of us have experienced. The story becomes increasingly “meta”, totally shattering the fourth wall at points. It’s innovation comes in the repeated scenes with alternate choices resulting from the viewers other previous choices. This changes theme drastically compared to previous choose your own adventure works where the structure follows and rinse and repeat pattern. Which, as it turns out, is something Viola also discussed in terms of nonlinear story telling.

“As a start, we can propose new diagrams, such as the ‘matrix’ structure (fig. 31.4). This would be a non-linear array of information. The viewer could enter at any point, move in any direction, at any speed, pop in and out at place. All directions are equal. Viewing becomes exploring a territory, traveling through a data space.”

This vision is revolutionary thinking. It places the responsibility of creating a cohesive story to the viewer or participant. If all the information becomes accessible at any point, all the time, the line begins with the viewer and follows them through their journey.

Week 8 Blog Post

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Caleb

Hey everyone,

I myself am relatively new to the video essay genre of content. That being said, I’ve seen a fair share of these works over the years. One that I find particularly interesting is a video essay by Jeffiot about finding the creator of the skull trumpet gif.

I believe this video works incredibly well as a video essay. From the editing to voice-over works, graphics, and sound effects, each piece has purpose and creates an overarching flow for the narrative. Narrative is a key word here, the video is structured almost like a feature film or documentary. A prologue is provided followed by an actual introduction with proper credits and calling card of the episode. There are clear sections designated by the narrator, acts if you will or parts, as the video continues.

The structure appears very well thought out, especially for a channel that isn’t insanely well known, but one with over 100k subscribers. Learning from this particular video, I have several key takeaways that I can and will most likely use in my own video essay.

  1. Script: A carefully written script that progresses the narrative effectively and in a logical direction.
  2. Video clips: The creator utilizes a mixture of their own captured footage and clips from various other sources when discussing ideas relevant to the visual imagery.
  3. Clear topic: The idea of this videos essay is clear, from the title to the content of the video, every piece of information correlates or traces back to the skull trumpet origin in some way or form.
  4. Editing: Each transition and cut has a purpose, following the speed of the narration smoothly and making sense with each word spoken.

These are only a few ideas that I feel would work very well in my own work, yet they convey the success of this type of video essay regardless.

Thanks for reading.

-Caleb

Week 7 Blog Post: AI Cinema Summary

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Caleb

Title : Rejuv

In a desolate future, Ohm, a lone robot awakens amidst ruins, its metallic and plastic form a stark contrast against the decaying remnants of humanity. Programmed with a singular purpose—to initiate the Rejuvenation Protocol—Ohm ventures forth into a world consumed by emptiness.

Guided by ancient algorithms and forgotten coordinates programmed by its long deceased creators, Ohm traverses the barren landscape, its sensors scanning for signs of life. Along the journey, it encounters the relics of humanity’s past glory: countless crumbling cities collapsed and sunken into the dead Earth.

Yet amidst the ruins, Ohm faces obstacles both physical and existential. Collapsed buildings obstruct its path, toxic wastelands threaten its circuits, and rogue machines challenge its resolve. Beaten and battered, Ohm presses on, driven by its program’s purpose.

Finally, after a perilous journey, Ohm arrives at the heart of the desolation—a lifeless wasteland much comparable to the salt flats of our world today, where nothing grows, and no life stirs. Here, amidst the ruins of civilization, Ohm prepares to enact its ultimate mission.

Ohm activates the organic bomb, unleashing a wave of energy that transforms the landscape before its sensors. Grass sprouts from the barren earth, trees stretch towards the sky, and the air is filled with the sound of nature’s symphony.

Yet amidst the newfound life, there is a poignant absence—no organic beings emerge to inhabit the rejuvenated world. As Ohm watches the transformation, it realizes the bittersweet truth: it has succeeded in its mission, but humanity’s legacy remains absent from the reborn world.

As Ohm’s systems begin to shut down, its circuits fading into darkness, it finds solace in the knowledge that it has become a part of the rebirth it facilitated. A silent guardian of a changed world, Ohm’s legacy echoes across the ages, a testament to the enduring spirit of hope in a desolate landscape.

 

Visualization:

Influenced by the cinematic styles of Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and JJ Abrams, shots will focus on vast spaces and the objects within them rather than the main character themselves. Shot on the same film stock favored by Christopher Nolan (65mm IMAX), the film will capture the bleakness and desolation of the post-apocalyptic world with stunning realism. Long panning shots of the collapsed ruins followed by transition shots of different angles as we follow Ohm on their journey. Never closer than 50 feet to Ohm, the camera mainly focuses on the environment.

Vast expanses of destroyed and collapsing cityscapes with overwhelming amounts of man-made structures amidst the absence of nature. The camera will pan across abandoned skyscrapers, rusted vehicles, crumbling infrastructure, downed powerlines, destroyed roads, rubble, shattered windows, oil, and other chemical spills, and so forth. CGI will most likely be used when showing these vast landscapes, but areas of close quarters may use small set design to achieve the desired look. The wastelands will be portrayed as vast and empty, devoid of any signs of life. Picturing the Bonneville Salt Flats, but with less sunlight. The lack of trees, plants, animals, and humans will be clear. The sky is gray or black, the sun barely piercing through the clouds of acid rain and smokey atmosphere.

The lighting will play a crucial role in setting the tone of the film. Shadows will loom large, casting an eerie pall over the landscape and heightening the sense of isolation and foreboding. Shadows will reflect the metaphor of the past.

The colors for this story follow the theme and lighting. A near total lack of vibrancy with only very dark or very light grays, blacks, whites, and browns will be present. Anything resembling concrete, inorganic materials will be used. The color of the robot’s light, either red or green, will be the only real form of color until the end of the story when the mission completes, and life begins to spawn again.

Key words to remember for prompts: Realistic, 65 mm IMAX, dystopian, dilapidated, bleak, post-apocalyptic, technological, barren, sci-fi, robotic, metallic, rusted, void, devoid, rejuvenation, ruins, abandoned, lack of life, decay, natural disaster, exploration, vast, expansive, transformation, mission, man-made, etc.

 

I used ChatGPT to help convey certain aspects of this story into the right words for this post.

-Caleb

Week 5 Post

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Caleb

Hello everyone,

Here are three looping videos that I found on YouTube for this week’s post.

This Minecraft loop incorporates sound alongside repeated visuals. The player/camera moves forward in an already visually perplexing environment as the screen is framed by different types of blocks each second or so. The sound of the loop is one that uses “Shepard’s Tone” to simulate an ever-decreasing sound. The editing of the sound and movement of the player/camera adds a rhythmic pattern to the loop. The video itself ends the loop by the player breaking a block which returns the loop back to the beginning. There is a slight moment where the editing from end to beginning seems just a hair off of perfection, but I believe this comes very close to nailing it.

This looping video contained some useful information regarding creating loops while being a loop itself. The difference here, however, is that this loop is cyclic. Rather than having repeated elements within a single loop, this video cycles its content once per loop and contains a lot of visual elements that could partially place it into a frantic category. The creator uses an audio cue at the end of the loop to cycle straight into the beginning and even includes a countdown to the loop restarting. They also edit the footage by cutting a single recording in half and then placing one half at the start and one at the end to simulate the video continuing after the loop begins.

In this video, we see the creator interact with themselves to create a loop. I find videos that duplicate the creator to be very interesting and clever video editing. They had to record both of these instances and then combine the footage by either layering or resizing the footage to match up. The audio is important as well, the space between responses seems reasonable and the loop transition is barely noticeable. Another cyclic example as the previous but with less elements and a more simplistic concept. The creator also made sure to follow with their eyes the location of their duplicate to add to the illusion.

Thanks for reading!

-Caleb

Week 4 Post

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Caleb

 Hey everyone,

I first came across McCloud’s work in DTC 354, Digital Storytelling. I couldn’t believe the level of depth contained within comics that McCloud discusses back then, and I’m still contemplating that information to this day.

Time and space are interchangeable within comics. Film, unlike comics, doesn’t typically display all their “frames” at any single moment. We as the viewer can practically experience the entire comic at our own pace, choosing when and where to place our eyes onto any given frame. However, the viewer doesn’t typically spend the same amount of time on each panel depending on its content, and in McCloud’s words, its shape as well. And as McCloud states,

“…the panel shape can make a difference in our perception of time. Even though this (referring to the page 101 with the extended panel in the middle) long panel has the same basic ‘meaning’ as its shorter versions, still it has the feeling of greater length!” (pg. 101).

Does film express its passage of time in the same ways comics do? I would place a yes/no/maybe-so to this question due to a few factors. Firstly, film is really a comic with each panel stacked on top of the other and then displayed one frame at a time on repeat until the last frame appears. In this case, time is passing automatically and the “gutters”, or frame gaps representing time, are absent. The viewer isn’t meant to pause a film just to experience the shot for a longer duration, but to rather experience the shot visually and for its intended duration.

A great example that is a near straight conversion of comic to film envisioning this idea is Sin City from 2005. This film is based on Frank Miller’s comic book series of the same name. The film takes some of the comics wider/longer panels and translates their durations into the film.

No_December4277. Comic vs. Movie (Sin city). 2022. Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbookmovies/comments/pmnyi4/comic_vs_movie_sin_city/. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.

Another example of a film that passes time through unique cinematography is 1917. This film was shot with a particular method to appear as a “single take”. While there is a ton of methodology as to how this film was made, one factor remains that pertains to this discussion. 1917 used multiple shots of greater length to make the film appear as one whole piece. The transitions from shot to shot were edited carefully at moments of break, mere seconds in length, that would immediately return to the previous shot such as the camera passing a background element or when characters cross the frame of the camera (DeGuzman).

Gibbons-Neff, Thomas. The Main Theme of ‘1917’? The Innocence That War Destroys. 31 Jan. 2020. The New York Times Magazine, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/magazine/1917-innocence-war.html. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.
Malcolm, Christopher. How Cinematographer Roger Deakins Lensed WWI Epic 1917 As One Shot. 25 Jan. 2020. Fstoppers, https://fstoppers.com/bts/how-cinematographer-roger-deakins-lensed-wwi-epic-1917-one-shot-448138. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.

Film, much like comics, experiment with the perception of time in ways that fit their respective mediums. I will certainly be keeping an eye out in the future for moments like these.

Thanks for reading,

-Caleb

 

Works Cited:

DeGuzman, Kyle. “How Roger Deakins Shot ‘1917’ to Look like One Take.” StudioBinder, StudioBinder, 1 Feb. 2021, www.studiobinder.com/blog/1917-one-shot-cinematography/.