[Jornal 3] Half & Half

 “We know now that a text is not a line of words releasing a single ‘theological’ meaning (the message of the Author-God) but a multi-dimensional space in which a variety of writings, none of them original, blend and clash” (146, Barthes). 

I’ve always been intrigued by the idea that none of our idea is fully originated by ourselves, because the fact is we gain all of our consciousness through the experience which is an interaction with the outside world. Our inner idea does not exist without the input from the outside. Since the art doesn’t start with the creator, the art doesn’t end with the artist as well. With different background, people will perceive the same art piece differently. 

This idea of a multi-dimensional space of meaning reminds me of the observation of the half a glass of water. When you see this picture, are you thinking about this as a half full glass of water, or a half empty glass of water? It is obvious that people have two options to choose based on how they view the world, but I am more curious of the reason behind their decision. If we think harder why we provide the answer, it will relate more to our way of thinking. For example, for me, I think it’s a half empty water because when every time I drink water, I like to fill up the glass and drink them all from the top. I even feel uncomfortable if I stop filling process and drink when the water only fills up to the middle of the glass. I keep thinking about why, and maybe this is an OCD, that I like the idea of a full glass of water rather than a glass with a very random amount of water inside, because it just doesn’t feel satisfying enough. Some people might also give an answer as: is this even a water, or something else?

This conversation becomes even more interesting when we talk about music, my final project. Firstly, I am the director of somebody’s story, I am telling Daniel’s story with my cinematic language, there is already a layer of my understanding to his music product. I am also one of the audiences in this show, I am just a bit closer to the artist, which make me capable of adding impact on his product and enhance the viewing experience. One of the important parts of music bring up resonation. The universal experience in the title song, Senior Speech, about a college senior’s conversation and reflection about loneliness and friendship. First of all, self-reflection is something everyone can relate more or less. By hearing other people’s reflection, it might inspire the viewer to think about their own life. However, my goal for making art is always intentionally deliver the designed meaning to the viewer, allow them to understand my perspective first, make sure they know I have a point in my work, then they can add their own interpretation later. As long as I can convince myself, I think that is a sign that other people will also be capable of understanding my message. My only concern is that sometimes I am treating artwork too much as an essay, which a clear message and thesis, and it might dim the pure perception of the aesthetic part of art. I will try to make all different styles of art and achieve different goals in different projects.

 

Project Update

I was busy last week so the project doesn't proceed a lot. For Senior Speech, my teammate Luke is making 3D modeling so we get a visual & camera movement simulation of the scene before we begin the actual shooting.

actual shooting location

3d model visualization 

Our group is also planning to film another music video during the reading period,  the location will be in a wood place 20min walking distance from campus. This music video will require less planning, but more about cool visual. It is scheduled as a 4 hours shooting commitment in one of the afternoons during the reading period.

the wood place somewhere near campus

Here is a collection of footage we shoot during the location scouting by Luke.

Location Scouts with ProRes Raw Footage: http://www.screeningroom.org/screenings/public/6086e9645753db0004151807/screeningroom