Response to 1B

The objective of assignment 1B was to take the classes collective sound bank and create a two minute soundscape. The soundscapes design was to be inspired and crafted after a sentence selected at random from a book.

After the groups were assigned, we gathered and awaited our fate. My group was made up of Porshia, Ashley, Nick, and myself. We were the first to flip through the book and the fateful finger struck gold. Our sentence was “a cinematographer famous for terrible films with great cinematography.” We were excited from the start. Once we got together and began working on creating our soundscape we were optimistic about the project. It only took two sessions to finish our project.

The experience itself was very interesting. The first task that was evident was scanning the entire sound library to try and find items that would fit into our scenario or otherwise be altered and used. The sounds were definitely going to need some work to meet our needs. The experience of listening to a singular sound so precisely was amazingly eye opening. One notable sound we created was the starting of a projector. Knowing by heart the whirls and hisses of the machine made it easy to know the sound we wanted to create. More or less, we found the sound by altering and compiling a car, air conditioner, bicycle, and fan. This interesting process  went on to create a flow of sound that lasted for two minutes. Along the way there were some happy accidents, as some sounds came off sounding more like other sounds we had no intention of creating but could still use.

I really enjoyed this assignment and found inspiration to further develop abstract soundscapes in the future. My group worked together very well, although Nick was partially absent. In the end, we were happy with our project and the soundscape was well reviewed. The other soundscapes created in the class were also great. The next step in this process will be interesting as abstract images collide with these soundscapes.

Absolute Film

Absolute film stems from the idea that there is a sect of film art that, when united with a musical piece, can create a captivating experience with no equal. Absolute film is created when the a visual piece and a musical piece flow together rhythmically, lyrically, and at the same pace. The original, and still preferred method, for creating absolute film was to create a visual component and then build a soundscape to match it. Some artists, like Walther Ruttmann, had live music performed alongside their pieces to create a more extravagant viewing experience. However, since absolute films were traditionally hand-made pieces, a large number of films never saw completion. The advent of sound on film created a new obstacle for absolute filmmakers. Meeting the creative requirements needed to create film that could have music simultaneously recorded alongside it, absolute filmmakers continued to perfect their craft. Interest in absolute film grew over the years as more and more artists began to experiment with the medium. Absolute film is still a growing and captivating area of filmmaking.

In Response: Natalie on Mekas

Through  a very detailed and well put-together presentation by Natalie, the class was introduced to Jonas Mekas. Mekas was a filmmaker whose works found form after he moved to New York City and purchased a Bolex 16mm film camera. Mekas developed a great interest in capturing documentary styled pieces using defiant amateurism. Showing great potential, Mekas burst out of the gate by first making a feature film. His works would continue to grow in complexity while maintaining his amateur style and "snapshot" philosophy of filmmaking. Mekas’ style became very influential, even inspiring artists like Andy Warhol to make films. Mekas makes films to this day, showing that the art of filmmaking is a lifelong practice.