FINAL source Statement

Matt Howley
Visual Language II Final source Statement
4-30-09
Throughout this semester, I have adapted and changed my source idea to match the requirements of the current project. What I began with was a simple idea of a personal journey. In my initial photos, I interpreted this source in a very literal fasion: my photos were of pathways around the city. As time went on, my method of documenting my source through photography changed very little. However, I was still learning about how to draw upon internal inspiration for artistic purposes. Essentially, there are many different levels upon which a source idea can be represented. As I first demonstrated, one can create art that is ‘literal’ in a sense that the art stands for itself and it is what it is. When it came to my artist book project, I had already begun to move my source in a new direction. As an illustrator, I was eager to create a series of drawings to represent my source of a journey. But this time, my source had significantly changed. I was taking into account the ‘broader scheme of things’ involving seasonal change, life and death, and humanity.
The idea that I had began with was very simple and concrete, but after making the artist book, I tried to not be a slave to my source and instead create something from whatever my current inspiration was. In this way I could enjoy the process of art-making much more than I previously had. Ultimatly this is my goal whenever drawing or painting or creating. In order for me to reach peak success in a work, I must learn to enjoy it. And that seems to be what the video project was all about. I took footage of what amused me while still maintaining adherence to the project guidelines. Because of this I allowed myself room to enjoy my work while still completing the requirements. My source changed drastically in the making of my first video, from cyclical changes in pathways to the subjection of one’s path to greater forces of nature. In my video I represented this by playing god with the motion of different subjects in the video. The editing techniques I used to accomplish this goal I thoroughly enjoyed. Nearing completion of my final video project, I have been forced to balance meeting the requirements while still enjoying and exercising my creativity. This has been a difficult task, yet it is one that has taught me a profound lesson in art making.

Source Statement - 4/23

Throughout the beginning stages of my video, I have been very focused on the execution of my idea rather than the idea itself. I feel that I have already created a cool concept for editing together audio and video, but now it is time to take the whole project a step further. Much of this would have to deal with the progression of movement in the video in accordance to the music. Towards the end of the video, I plan on using multiple figures to move in time to alternate tracks (sounds) in the music. This way, I plan to illustrate how different people affect one's journey, and how meeting a brillinat person is like adding a new measure to a piece of music. It creates harmony.

Another aspect of the video that will be modified is the time of day, this is already apparent in the video I have, but the final sequence will take place in a night setting, as to effect the time progression element in the video.

Final Project - Progress Journal

As it stands I am roughly halfway completed with my video. I have shot and edited the first quarter and third quarter of the film, but still have much more footage to capture. What I am posting now is a quick 20 second segment of the concept I am working with. I am editing and layering my footage in tune to music to reflect the rhythmic quality of running and traveling. My source statement will further describe the context in which I am creating this video.

Visual Language Project

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Final Proposal - Music Motion

My primary goal for my final project is to create a video that functions as a visual depiction of a piece of music. I would like to use music that is very progressive in nature and that allows me to enjoy the act of creating this project.
For my first option, I will create a twenty to thirty second animation of a piece of music that I enjoy. Running at around 15 frames per second, this animation will consist of several hundred frames, mostly black and white. I want to focus on how audio is supposed to move a listener, and also how video can aid the movement of music. Because it is a video, the final result should be projected or displayed however is most efficient. It does not need a large space to be projected on, it can be all sizes, as long as it is on a flat screen or surface. There are several methods at my disposal to create this animation. It will be hand-drawn on the computer, as to avoid scanning and or digitizing.
My secondary option is geared towards the above goal, but instead the material for the video is actual footage instead of hand drawn animation. I want to use footage of people or things in motion, and edit that footage in a unique way that moves with the motion of a song. I will experiment with video speed, reversal, and layering in order to achieve a desired result. Because this would take much faster than hand drawn animation, the running time for the final result would be somewhere around 90 seconds to two minutes.
Finally, I will combine aspects of the previous two ideas into one unified project. Using editing techniques, I will layer hand drawings on top of video and create interaction between the two. Because it involves a degree of animation, the video will once again be around 30 seconds. The topic is the same as the above two ideas, animating the motion of music.