I wish I had thought of this sooner, Time art multiscreen idea

When watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer earlier on this week, one episode; Restless stuck out as it is known for its film making and the techniques in it. This gave me the idea to look into daydreams when you are waiting for time to pass and how the mind wanders when you aren't concentrating on anything.

The footage I already had for the project was the basis of my idea when I had the brainwave however instead of the bus stop and me being the focus I thought the things around it could be the focus of the piece so it shows what happens in a split second whilst you are waiting.

The loop is triggered by birds flying from the left screen to the right screen. So that the screens would have some connection they would fly across all 3. I then thought as the left screen has the person on their phone the birds could be the twitter birds, I then thought the sky could be a Facebook feed as that would be all the person is concentrating on and this would highlight that at that point in time that is all their world is focused on.

The dreams come in in the far right screen where the background would be completely different to the actual background and brightly coloured and magical (if you could call it that) and there would be leaves falling off the trees and blossom fluttering everywhere, highlighting the exaggeration in someones mind when they're dreaming as the surrounding area would not be where a bus stop would be. The blossom from the tree's would float over to the middle screen connecting that screen with the others.

I thought then about making it a stop motion and having the person in the shot moving in and out, however when testing this it all looked too busy and took away from simplicity of it and distracted from the point I was trying to make. It would also mean I would have to go and photograph some more and with what I already had my first idea seemed okay.

Prompts for presentation - Sound Design

PLAN OF ACTION

NEXT WEEK RECORD ACTUAL SOUNDS!!! 

FOR ATMOSPHERE - FENSHAM(?) LAKE/POND

- IN STUDIO WEDNESDAY TO RECORD GUITARS/BASS/SOUND FX

-EDIT THURSDAY 

Ideas for Visuals

This is my first idea of how it will look, just a sign in the centre and the two characters each side. It will be like the work of Roz Mortimer in that it will be really still and nothing will really change.

This is my second idea, the bottom halves of the left and right screens will change to images that reflect the moods of the people ie. the person using all the technology could be considered to want a busy life style where as the person on the left doesn't mind waiting for the bus and maybe wants a slower life style hence the fields.

OR

The bottom screens could show the POV of what each person is looking at, for example on the bottom right we would see the persons view of their phone, and the ground as that is where they're looking, potentially missing what is going on, and then on the left the view would be of the street/ city and everything going on.
 



Left POV

Right POV

 I think to make it more personal to me I might be the person in both the shots, to reflect how some times I like time to go faster and other times I prefer it to go slower.

Time Art - 3 Initial Ideas - part 3

As I really like the work of Roz Mortimer and her still video type art... I wanted to do something similar to that but maybe involving people. 
I was thinking of having a camera set up observing what people do, obviously it might be bias because thy would know they're being filmed/ I was thinking of tasks that are quite still like reading a book or sleeping and if I filmed from quite far away any movement would be minimal anyway.
AS it would be good to make it personal I could always film myself?
Even if the movement is quite quick I could slow it right down to show how time goes slow when you're not having fun? maybe the three screens could be slow - for bored, normal - for day to day then fast - for fun? Or they could be representative of the past present and the future (probably not though)

I might link the tasks to modern day such as how we pass time,  so it could be related to technology for example so one could be me stood playing on my phone waiting for something, maybe sat on the computer scrolling through a page, listening to music, watching a film, something along those lines, either way I think the subject (me probably) should be still and hardly moving and everything else can be moving. The set could be called Bored or Time Flies.

As the minute goes on it could slowly zoom closer in to the object taking up the tim? I'd quite like the object to be covering my face but then that would limit what objects I could use as they would have to be a certain size. 

I think the message behind it would be how nowadays everything is done for us, or we constantly feel the need to be entertained, and because of the vast amount of technology it means we pass time by checking our phones or updating or Facebook... 

I could think of a way to link it into how things used to be but that would involve a lot more set design than if I used this idea. 

The three screens could be in different places so the first one could be in a bedroom, then second one could be at a bus stop and the third could be somewhere else that I can't think of right now, perhaps if I change the places I could keep the item the same, so it could be me in the same place but just always on my phone?

This I think its my strongest idea it's just difficult to get it into words. 

Time Art - 3 Initial ideas - part 2

I don't think this is my strongest idea for this project however I will try and explain it in the best way I can

The idea links to memories and how they change and fade over time. My idea is to have 3 different memories of mine on the screens and they would always be changing. To do this I think I would have to once again take photos then make them into time lapse or I could re enact them with film.
In certain parts the stronger elements would come in and out of focus highlighting what part of that particular memory are strongest in my mind.
This could be done with images but it may just look like a slide show of images or with photos form the past but I think it would be better to recreate them to have the most control.
The images would slowly fade over the 1 minute like they're fading from my memory and I am forgetting them.
Things could be added and removed to show how over time you can manipulate your own memory, maybe combining images it would represent how some thoughts merge into one over a certain period when recalling them.

From writing this post I think this would actually work better for the other side of the course, but as it still links to time I will leave it on here. I am going to try and think of another 2 just to be on the safe side.

Time Art - 3 Initial Ideas - part 1

Idea 1...

Reflecting on the concepts or ideas of time, how things change over time...

From looking at the work of Sam Taylor Wood in her piece Still Life, i got the idea to do something similar but with items more personal to me. 

Sam Taylor Wood - Still Life

By having 3 screens it gives the ability to move the elements through them (potentially).

My first idea was to have different items from each stage of my life and take a time lapse of them decaying over time (obviously I would have to manipulate them for it to be able to fit into 1 minute).

The Idea

My original idea was to have something obviously related to childhood like a teddy bear, but then I thought that wasn't specific to me. As I have always been quite musical I was going to use my guitars. 

So the first screen would be my first guitar, the second my second and the third my current guitar. As all three are very different it would not only show how they have worn over the years but also how I have changed over time. 

At first I thought of walking through the screens and that would trigger the aging of the guitars but to keep it simple I would leave that part out.

However I want the first screen to start fading away and they would then all slowly fade and once they have all gone it would start the time lapse again. 

How it would be done

The shot of the guitars would be close up so you could see the detail.

I wouldn't set it to be a time lapse as I would have to manipulate the guitars as I don't have enough time to watch them age. This would mean breaking strings, making them dirtier and making them look older. The only one that wouldn't change is my current guitar as that represents the present and the older ones obviously represent the past.

I can also change the images in photoshop afterwards so that I don't have to damage my guitars too much! After I had put the time lapse together I could then animate the image to make it look more 3D.

At first I thought a close up like this would work well but as I am not showing that much of the guitar it would limit what I could do with the surface area.

So I thought maybe an angle like this so I have more surface area. I would crop it so it lands on the top string making it more of a tight shot. 

I would then cut the strings and leave them slowly making it look older (not this guitar however as its my newest) I would also place it somewhere that has an interesting background so I could animate it... maybe if I left it on a blank background it would make it easier?

That was my first idea... probably would need alot more development... 

Time Art - How time affects me and what it makes me feel...

Like a continuation from my last post but maybe more personal to me... 

By separating this into past preset and future again it is easier to see how time has affected and continues to affect me.

PAST 
With the subject of the past there have been things in everyones lives that has changed them for the better. Whether that has been a positive experience or a negative one, the past is what makes us who we are today.
I think that with time comes wisdom, which doesn't necessarily mean intelligence because there is no way I would consider myself extremely clever, however I am in respects when it comes to people and peoples attitudes towards others.
As you get older you encounter different people and your knowledge of who you like gets narrowed down to who you want to be your friend and who you don't at the end of the day. 
When I was younger (this even counts a couple of years ago) people stepped on me, messed me around and pushed me about. Up until 4 years ago when something happened within my family I took the bullying and didn't let it get to me, however I have since then "grown balls" and don't take anything I don't like. 
Without my experiences in the past I would not have gained the knowledge of this and even though it took almost 10 years for me to realise I am glad I know now, how to stand up for myself.

PRESENT
I take every day as it comes, and if something or someone doesn't make me happy I don't let them in my life (sounds harsh but life is to short.... NOT ENOUGH TIME!!) 
I love being at uni because it has  given me 3 whole years to focus on a subject that I love and only that.
I know that what I do now will effect my future thus leading very nicely onto the next point...

FUTURE
I don't know how much time I'll have, sounds morbid but no one does, that scares me but at the same time, it means i'll just have to do more things I love sooner so that I don't have any regrets... 

Time doesn't really affect me, its me that affects the time I have, and if I don't use it wisely and properly I will be the only one that will be annoyed by this. 
I don't know how to feel about it, but you have control over your time and I can't stress enough that life is too short to waste it spending time with people you don't like or are mean to you, its too short to do things you don't want to do...

once again another tumblr styled post that is annoyingly hipster but its how i feel so there we go. 

Time Art - What time means to me..

Time isn't an object to me, it is how we measure the age of things... 
I am an easy going person and I don't like to rush things and if I need to be somewhere on time I will leave plenty of it so I have enough to get there.
I like to take my time when doing anything and if I'm enjoying what I'm doing then I will take even longer to do it. 

The only thing that worries me is that sometimes there isn't enough of it. 
Time goes fast. To quote Ferris Bueller; 

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." 

Therefore I like to do what I want when I want. Within reason.

Time means an opportunity to enjoy myself, if I have spare time I take that to better myself whether its doing something fun, or adding to my portfolio... either way I think you're given time to do what you want.

Customary question - well why did you go to Uni then?

BECAUSE THATS WHAT I WANTED TO DO!!! duh.

The past is in the past and it can't be changed, mistakes you've made have got you where you are today and have influenced who you are as a person, the future is what you make it so don't mess up, you've only got one chance. 

So to sum up... time an opportunity to do whatever you want with it, and its to precious to waste so don't waste mine.  

Here ends the very tumblr hipster like post. 

Time Art - How time will affect my future...

When thinking about this question it is difficult to think about the future as it is usually uncertain. 
Unless you have a time machine you literally don't know what is around the corner.
I take the approach to take every day as it comes and try to live to the fullest the best you can, and whats the point in worrying when you can't do anything about it. 

I do think however that you have complete control over your future and how things turn out. You get out of life what you put in and if you work hard you will eventually get what you want. 

In the future I would like to travel. I know that this will be an expensive venture, therefore to be able to do it, I will have to work to save money. This alone will take time. However it will seem like minutes compared to the amount of time I will spend enjoying myself in different countries.

As you get older, years seem shorter as for example a year for me is 1/19th of my life where as when I was 6 a year was 1/6th which is a lot less time. People also say that time flies when you're having fun so technically the years should whizz by if I manage to travel how I want to. 

I always think its sad that time machines will never  be invented as I'm pretty sure we would have found out by now as people from the future would have gone back in time. However the ability to see into your future or change the past I feel isn't what life is about. The uncertainty of life is what makes it fun and if for whatever reason I don't get enough money to do what I love in the future than that means I will have enough time to spend with the people closest to me because as long as I'm happy I don't care. 

Time Art - Time in Film Art - How it is explored

From looking at Roz Mortimer’s work, it shows a different example of how to explore time. When initially thinking of time within film it is usually a long period that you think of. However Mortimer has taken a short amount of time (1.30) and filmed a place with significant history in the present time. Allowing the audience to think of way happened in the past and allowing there to be more detail than just a minute and a half of landscape video.

This shows that however simple the shot maybe it will always have a story behind it, and in this example it is the history. It gives the pieces a timeless element and captures the subject in that exact moment without manipulating anything.

Marias

Wash

Yellowstone

Quake

http://www.opengallery.co.uk/video-art/roz-mortimer

These are screen shots from the films, when watching them you don't realise they're film till there is a small movement. They are extremely effective as it gives the person watching them time to think, whether it is about the art piece or other things, Mortimer has provided time whilst showing the effects of time. 

Following on from this I decided to look into other ways time periods have been explored and weaved into film art. 

I came across an artist called Hyunjoon Yoon, (from South Korea now living in New Jersey) who specifies in video sculpture.

In 2011 he made a film looking into the cubism of time. Blending together film from the present (2011) and past (1903) of the same place to show progression over time. 

http://hyunjoonyoon.com/Site/Video_Installation.html


As he looked into cubism I decided to research into the different perspectives of time. 

Through reading this article "The Time Paradox|An Overview of Time Perspective Types" it states how there are different ways people see time and how it orientates people in different ways - this is why people rush and don't like being late etc. 

http://www.thetimeparadox.com/2008/08/03/an-overview-of-time-perspective-types/

The psychological theory behind it all says that through taking a certain test you are able to see whether people are focused on the past/ present/ future, and the results would then be used to tackle problems people have had or feel like they will have. However I won't be using it for that... just to see what it does and how it works. 

From taking the test it shows these results, it shows the amount of positive and negative thoughts towards past, present and future. The numbers don't make much sense but the questions they asked related to how you approach certain situations and memories. From taking the test it has shown me that I look more to the future and think of the present more than the past. 
I will potentially use this to influence the way I compose my film and make the three screens for past, present and future. I may use my test results as a basis for the mood of each screen. For example the past may be a darker and blurrier as memories have been forgotten and then the future would be bright maybe even dream like to represent the ideas I have as a person towards my future. 

By looking into the past, present and future as categories of time, it is easier to section memories and thoughts. This will make it simpler to come up with ideas for the project. 
I think I may use my own experiences to influence the art I produce and by keeping it simple like Mortimers work make it relatable to the audience watching. 

Time Art - Time within Film art - How it is represented and shown.

In film a common way of showing time is a time lapse. This is a series of photographs that have been taken over a prolonged period of time with short intervals in between then put into a film. It is a sufficient way to show time passing. If done well it creates a video like effect where it looks like there has been a video taken over a long time and sped up. It is more practical than using video as it will take up less space on the camera. 

An example of a time lapse with a narrative:

This is about a man who walked for almost 5000km (not all at once) but wouldn't cut his hair till he had finished. It combines the use of time-lapse photography and montage to show the time passing and what can happen in  a year. 

An example of another time lapse: 

This was filmed for national geographic, and it is a combination of a time lapse on a dolly that creates the smooth movement and simple but amazing shot. 

One way I like during film is when it is stated clearly on screen by a title. This happens a lot in film with a strong narrative and thus wouldn’t really be used in art pieces as it helps assist a storyline.

This screen shot is from the film Les Misérable (2012. It uses these titles to show how much time has passed to set the scene and create context for the audience to follow along. 

It is easier to portray time within a film that has a narrative. A powerful tool is the arranging the narrative and creating something non-linear this enhances and underlines the time within the plot.

An example of a non-linear structure:

This student film is powerful in that the enigmas created throughout use the tool of a linear narrative but by reversing it. This is effective because it has a narrative whichever way you watch it. By reversing it, it seems to slow down time, and by slowing it expresses the main characters feelings of how he doesn’t seem to have much time left, highlighting that time is precious.

Through these different formats it is clear that there are creative ways to show how time can be represented and also how time has passed. The ideas within these examples are usually that time is precious and valued by everyone. However it can be shown to be a burden and that against some people, whether thats in that they do not have enough or they have to much time and don't want to wait around. 
These different ideologies however are usually expressed in the examples shown.