Lotus Ingenuity

and so it begins...

2010-06-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't dont any film work in a while and i am starting to feel stupid. I look at my past projects and realize that they are all shit. Of course i am overly critical of my own work, but i just see that there is tons of room for improvement. So i decided to use this blogspot to show new works that i have created and comment on my interests. I am currently in Japan, and finding it to be very expensive, especially cameras. I want to buy a new one, but right now they are around 500 dollars to start. So instead i will borrow my boyfriends and make mini movies. Cant wait to get started on the first one.

Project 3 comments

2009-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

The film shoot that we did about three weeks ago went very well. We had the artist come in from Charlotte and he stayed in my apartment for two days, highly economical if I must say so myself. But I was quite nervous at first because this was my first time directing something so important on my own. I admit I started off a little rusty, but once I got in the groove of things it felt natural to me. My issue was whether or not anyone would even listen to me, because for one I was the only female in my group and I have a loose and not so abrasive style of directing. I enjoyed the idea of my team working as a collective whole and me not being a tyrant. It was a lot of fun and I would love to do it again especially when not bombarded by other assignments from other classes, because I want to give my full attention to it. I can truly see me loving my job, which isn't a luxury that everyone has.

Cucalorus

2009-11-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of films that i plan to see at Cucalorus , there are only three that are off campus and the majority that I want to see are primarily at Lumina. It is a great convenience. But the films that I will see are as follows, Timer, Precious, The House of the Devil, God Went Surfing with the Devil, Fish Eyes, Currently Untitled, and maybe All Tomorrows Party. The main reason why I want to see Fish Eyes is because of the foreign director from China. There is a QandA available that I would like to participate in if the Director is here; seeing as my aspirations lie in Eastern Filmmaking.

2009-10-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

What is considered art cinema has been toggling in the art houses and in the multiplexes more recently. Documentaries, foreign films, and some experimental films are being shown in these venues because of low budgets and because of the appeal of such small audiences. You are able to to discuss and get a more intimate experience that is not often given in mainstream films. One of the great things about this is that the director often makes appearances and therefore is able to give his or her idea of the film.

Being a director

2009-10-14T08:23:00.001-07:00

Hmm. What can I say, so far all i can think about is the cinematography and the editing i want for this music video. I took some photographs of the locations that I would like to use and asked one of the managers to allow me to use there club as a part of my misenscene. It was actually easier than I thought. Maybe because I was cute that day, lol. But I understand that in order to make this video look as professional and easily produced as possible, the pre-visualization must be executed with meticulousness. I am really enjoying this and it makes me have to be more decisive about what i want. Not to mention I feel more confident about delegating and pushing for what i feel is best for the video.

2009-10-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

I think that for my portrait, i will focus on my obsession with other cultures mainly focusing on japanese culture. I will also like to incorporate ideas about my psyche and its abnormalities. I want to use rotoscoping, footage that I shoot myself of various activities of me and others. I don't know exactly how I want to order it, so that is still a work in progress.

Check Your Work Thoroughly

2009-09-09T08:44:00.001-07:00

The one thing that I really learned from project one is to back each other up in a project. I feel that I should have checked the sound that was recorded from the other members of the group more thoroughly, if I had done so then I could have avoided embarrassment and reflected better results. It's not that I don't trust the members of my group I just feel that it is necessary for the sake of the project as a whole, to ensure the success of whatever it is that we work on. Being a filmmaker requires for one to be absolutely rigid about some things and more loose on others. That is part of the dynamics of a director and it is important as students to understand that it is a group effort and everyone must contribute and effectively execute their required task.

2009-09-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last night I was outside of my apartment around 9 at night, the sicadas were no longer making a racket and there was the calmness of the crickets chirping and a few frogs. The rustling of the trees when a strong wind blew was an endearing experience. I felt that when I ventured into the forest a bit that the sound changed and i realized how dense the atmosphere was. I could hear life, as if the trees were growing and the animals sleeping. At that moment I knew that, that geographical space was definitely a place where great sleep could come.

2009-09-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

I was outside of the library in the late afternoon, and the symphony of sounds was compelling. I noticed however, that there weren't any birds singing which is something i never noticed before. But i did hear the rustling of the leaves and the sound of bicycles clicking by. I heard the sound of the yellow jackets buzzing near me and the conversations that past by. It was quite serene and endearing, the atmosphere was so calm and inviting. It is amazing what you can notice when you stop and listen to the ambiance around you.

2009-09-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

This article is very interesting because it approaches the science behind sound. The equations that justify the rise and fall of the variety of wavelengths gives a better understanding of the uniqueness of this sense. When applying them to cinematic sense it is a vital part to the post production of any film. It can make or break a movie depending on the association to the scene.

Introduction to Avant Garde Film

2009-08-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

Avant Garde to me has always seem like an artistic approach to a mainstream entity, whether it be fashion, music, or film. It is always an interesting approach to the norms. There are often times when a new conventional art is dominating, resulting in individuals who seek to break the dominance and look back to the source. The source is where often times inspiration is found. It is obvious that what the Lumiere brothers and Muybridge were trying to accomplish had little to do with conventionalizing their new discoveries. They both had similar goals that were more scientific or rather and exploration of something. The fact that people saw it as a form of avant garde is entirely induced from public opinion. Which seems to be the case with art in general. Often times artist display their various works of art not necessarily having any particular purpose or goal in which they want to accomplish. It was purely induced off of emotion, but because someone else viewed it they discovered something other than the artists intention. The public eye is essential to an artist, and the avant garde film explores the unconscious faculties of such. Perhaps there is more to be had in looking to the past.

The Experimental Film in America

2009-08-25T17:46:00.001-07:00

People have always tried to define art or preset it in categories to discern meaning or context. But truthfully art can be simplified to human expression and its variety of forms. Narrative, Documentary, and Experimental films are all qualified to be art, they are mediums of expression. To say that Documentary and Experimental films are the only ones to qualify as art would be hypocritical. D.W. Griffith may have staged actors to tell a common story, but don't people often find multiple ways to tell the same story. That in itself can be considered art, the ability to take something generic and turn it into something fascinating. The resources that a filmmaker uses are tools, the paint and the brushes, to produce something on the blank canvas that mesmerizes its audiences. Often times causing or inducing emotions not often explored. All forms of art are entities of this. In my opinion I enjoy narrative films the most, because the story can be the same but the artist behind the camera can evoke a different emotion from its audience depending on how it is filmed. Essentially experimental and narrative film often go hand in hand and because of the experimental filmmakers exploring different ways to display their art, it helped for narrative filmmaking to have more options in its construction.

Manifesto

2009-08-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Reality in todays world seems to be bleak and often misguided, filled with pitfalls of societies and monotony of the heart. But a savior is amidst the fog of misfortune, creating new realities and challenging the untouched markets of the brain. Film is that savior, within two hours you formulate friendships, fall in love, battle against the evils of the world, and discover lost treasures. But when the credits start rolling you realize that the fantasy world you were living in was but for a moment and you are forced to again to live in monotony. Yet in the small percentage of the audience there is someone who felt that there was something more, and they will not, no cannot, go back to the world that wants change but never seeks it. Instead they find an intangible stimulant called inspiration. Which can lead to aspirations that could change the world. For the next generation to even have an ounce of hope it is my life's endeavor to provide the necessary stimulation to the younger audiences. So that race, religion, and sexual orientation become insignificant differences that are indeed insignificant to the well being of humanity.