FILM 116

Spring 2008
DRIFT 2

Drift 2 Overview

In Drift 1, you walked the city using a Drift Strategy to guide you in collecting sounds from your walk. You will be doing the same in Drift 2, only with a different Drift Strategy that will help you capture still and moving imagery.

Extending the idea of imposing parameters around how you navigate the landscape, you will implement two Image Capturing Strategies in order to collect a richer and smarter collection of imagery.

Back in the studio, you will import and sift through your footage to select the most interesting and promising material with which to make your first movie clips. Using basic video editing techniques, you will arrange and edit your material into three silent films that explore some of the ideas that inspired you on your walks.

Developing the raw footage by selecting, trimming, and editing, you will post five "rough cut" clips, at least one of which must be made from stills. Consider these rough cut clips as "sketches" to be polished into three "final cut" videos that improve upon the promise shown in the sketches. In both versions, only basic edits and minor effects are allowed (no wipes, dissolves, or other non-essential effects/transitions).

In short, your Drift 2 blog will be an experiment in posting different versions of your work-in-progress.

Your Drift 2 Blog will thus be organized as follows:

Post 1: Drift Strategy (at the bottom of the page)
Post 2: Image Capturing Strategies
Post 3: Rough Cut Sketch #1
Post 4: Rough Cut Sketch #2
Post 5: Rough Cut Sketch #3
Post 6: Rough Cut Sketch #4
Post 7: Rough Cut Sketch #5
Post 8: Silent Video #1
Post 9: Silent Video #2
Post 10: Silent Video #3 (at the top of the page)

Image Capturing Strategies

Decide on the two Image Capturing Strategies you want to use for Drift 2 from the following list, or design your own strategies and write them out with careful wording. You can use the phrase (or something similar): "I will generate still and moving imagery . . . "

of only extreme close-ups-- covering a distance no wider than 8."
of only objects that are blurred by any possible means.
that makes you want to see the rest of the sky (or another theme)
of only organic shapes where simplistic lines and other shapes are not apparent.
of only text but not legible.
that vibrates.
of only spaces that feel enclosed.
as if you were drifting over in a hot air balloon.
that is passing under something
of motion parallax
of only trees without shooting any leaves.
that starts and stops spinning.
of only edges/intersections of planes .
of only extremely violent, hard edged lines.
of only barely discernable lines.
of eclipses (see occlusion)
that mimics bouncing.
of only rounded corners.
with a gradient from white on one edge of the frame to a darker value on the opposite edge.
of only bright areas/spots of light against dark ground.
of a frame filled with solid colors and/or tones.
by counting from one to ten over and over (take a photograph on every number "ten" . . . whenever you feel like it, stop and take ten or more rapid photographs or video with the camera addressing one item or one direction of only shadows).
of eccentric rotations or rocking to a rest.
of motion that imitates eye movements.
of only trash/junk.
through liquid.
of only "boxes," each from at least 4 different views.
of wire-- following "every foot" where it leads you.
of water damage-- surfaces that have been affected by or water.
of mirrored light and highly reflective surfaces.
of peripheral vision.
of light shining through things.
with compositions suggesting vanishing points.
with your eyes completely blind-folded.
of only fences.
of fake nature.
to create false movement.
with a field or colors and no discernable objects.
while the camera is suspended and being moved by anything other than your body.
of glaring light. (Consider making manual exposure compensations)
from the lowest possible angle.
from the least expected angle.
of atmospheric perspective.
of small scale "scenes" chance determined by a frisbee or rock toss.
of only human-made light.
of only objects blown by the wind.
of completely arbitrary objects and each with five radically different types of movement.
of everything within your view standing in one spot for 5 minutes at time..
only when the camera is shaking.
of only walls and other flat planes.
after you have quickly blinked your eyes and composed a shot based on the afterimage.
after you have taken five steps, repeat your steps and take five shots.
where camera movement looks like object movement and vice versa.
as the camera is moving in more than one vector.
as if you were dizzy or about to fall.
of anything that looks rough.
of only geometric shapes that are changing
of impressions that are disappearing
of fragmentation
of parallax vision (see stereopsis)

You will use these Strategies to focus your attention on a particular approach to investigating the landscape, limiting the range of available material. This will force you to look with particular care at what seems to be a negatively limited approach, only to discover much more nuance than you were expecting.

You will use a different Drift strategy than the one you used on Drift 1. You can use the same Starting Point you used in Drift 1, or you can select a new Starting Point. This Starting Point, the landmarks and sites where you collected your images, and a line tracing the route you walked will be documented on your Drift Map.

Getting to Know Your Camera

Go through the "Quick Steps" and "FAQs" for your camera:

FE-100 Manual [pdf], Video Quick-Steps [pdf], Still-Image Quick-Steps [pdf], FAQs [pdf]
D-545 Manual [pdf], Video Quick-Steps [pdf], Still-Image Quick-Steps [pdf], FAQs [pdf]

Look for settings that could give you more control, like turning off the flash, adjusting exposure, time exposure, focus, image resolution, and other options that might be more helpful for our light gathering strategies.

Taking Pictures in the World

The viewfinder is the means by which you, the artist, frame your experience of the world. Through this window you can witness unique moments in time that are visually striking and engaging. By pressing the shutter, you are able to “cut” a little excerpt of that moment and “paste” a copy of it into a digital image. The reality of that moment changes instantly, and any subsequent version of that image capture is far removed from the original experience, a brief moment that is now long gone.

Don't mourn the lost moment, as the image you captured, even though it's an approximation of the original experience, can still serve as a powerful artistic statement. The rectangular scene you see through the viewfinder, the mise en scène, becomes an active (and activated) space within which you as the artist can create a highly personal statement about how you see the world, your vision made visible.

Put two or more of those images in a sequence, and you have a film, a possible narrative, a time-based statement of your take on reality.

Try to compose your shot as best you can “in camera” to avoid lengthy editing and adjustment later in the studio (remember that you cannot use Photoshop in this course. Fill the frame, keeping in mind foreground, middle ground, and background subject matter. Even though you are working digitally and you have a seemingly infinite number of shots to take at little cost to you, it’s still a good idea to imagine yourself shooting with film in order to make the best choices possible when you press the shutter button.

Before you take the shot, think about alternative angles and viewpoints. No composition “rules” are set in stone, however, so feel free to experiment with approaches, angles, and attitudes toward your subject matter. In fact, whatever Image Capturing Strategies you use will inevitably lead you to try different means of composing your shots. Remember the title of this class: EXPERIMENTATION WITH MEDIA.

Go out on Drift 2, experiment with implementing your light-capturing strategies, and have fun.

Here are some sites to further your exploration of the basic mechanics and aesthetics of digital photography:

Basic Digital Photography Composition Tips
Rule of Thirds
Mise en scène
Photographer's Rights
Why Photography?
Is Digital Making Us Sloppy?

Drift 2 "Walking Points"

Gather your digital camera, empty flash memory card, new or freshly charged AA batteries, street map, cell phone, and your two Image Capturing Strategies written in your PDA, on a 3"x5" card, in a readily available notebook, or in the easily accessible memory banks of your crystal clear mind.

Head to your Drift 2 Starting Point (it can be the same Starting Point you used in Drift 1 or a new one altogether) and begin your walk using the new Drift Strategy you chose for Drift 2.

Pursue ways to apply your two Image Capturing Strategies on a four-hour (or longer) walk.

Fill your 1GB flash card full of still and moving imagery.

Both of your strategies must be conducted entirely on foot--no cars, bikes, skateboards, snowboards, scooters, etc. (If walking presents you with a physical challenge, let us know so we can make accommodations.)

Back in the Studio

Before importing your Drift 2 materials into Quicktime Pro, use MPEG Streamclip and your default photo viewer to study your visual materials. Look for striking and unusual kinetic (motion), graphic (light/composition), and perceptual qualities.

Since you have made copies of the original files on a CD-R or DVD-R disc, you can identify clips and still photos of interest by adding words to their title, coloring their icons or sorting them into specified sub-folders. It's a good practice to retain the number string in the original title because you can trace this back to your originals on disc easier. Always retain the ".jpg" or ".mov" extension at the end of all media files.

When you find a segment of particular interest in a .mov file, use these steps in MPEG Streamclip to export the segment as a standalone MOV clip.

If you are working from home, install Quicktime Pro. You may also use Quicktime Pro on one of the computers in B-18 or 353.

Backup your raw MOV clips. Go through the Quicktime Pro tutorial. Make up some quick practice still images and Quicktime movies with your digital camera.

Save the Quicktime Pro editing session you have created. If you are working in a lab, save the session on your external hard drive and/or CD-R.

Movies from Stills

At least one of your rough cut sketches must be made entirely from still images. Using either the Quicktime Pro method or the Picasa2 method, create a Quicktime movie from at least one group of your still photos (use from 24 to 200 frames).

Quicktime Pro Method: As per the tutorial, import your digital camera still images using "File > Open Image Sequence." QT Pro will create a sequence of individual still frames in the order your digital camera numbered them. The rate at which they play will be determined with the Frames Per Second setting when you export the web-compatible movie. If you want to change the order of the stills, about the only way to do this in QT Pro is to manually rename the files in the Finder by adding "001.jpg" to the end of the file name you want to be first, "002.jpg" to the end of the file name you want to be 2nd, etc. After you have created your sequence of still frames in the QT viewer window, use these steps to export a web-compatible movie. Set the Frames Per Second at "1 FPS" unless you prefer them to be viewed at a faster rate, like 2-15 fps.

Picasa2 Method: As per the tutorial, download the PC-only freeware. Import your stills into an album or several albums. Arrange the thumbnails in an album in the order you want them in your movie. Export the whole album or selected files from the album as a large 640x480 Quicktime movie. See the AvidFreeDV tutorial for instructions on how this movie can be imported into AvidFreeDV and then exported as a H.263 Quicktime movie.

Top Five Rough Cut Sketches

Review all of your video and still-generated Quicktime movie clips.

Choose five clips (no longer than 20 seconds in duration) that best articulate your visual interests as expressed through your Image Capturing Strategies (these rough cut sketches should showcase your ability to confidently choose "in" and "out" points and to make decisive edits, and should not use any non-essential special effects).

Remember that at least one of your rough-cut sketches must be made entirely from still images. None of the rough-cut sketches may use any effects or image alterations, including adjustments to contrast, brightness, hue, saturation, time, speed, direction (forward/reverse), sizing, etc. These types of image manipulation are only allowed on the final silent videos.

Open FireFox. Drag and drop one of your rough cut sketches into the browser window. The browser window should change into a gray background with your movie in the center and a control bar underneath. Check to make sure it plays correctly. Drag in all of your movies one at a time and play them to make sure they are browser compatible.

Pick a representative still image from your clips to serve as the thumbnail "link" image. Make a screenshot as described in this video tutorial.

Your thumbnail must then link directly to the .mov file. You can add text that says "Click on thumbnail to play clip," but do not add another, separate link to play the clip.

Upload your five rough-cut sketches to the "media" folder of your PantherFile "public" folder (as well as the five screenshots of the Quicktime player to your "images" folder).

Publish your sketches as you complete them . . . remember that your Drift 2 blog is a documentation of your work in progress, a portrait of your creative process.

All five rough-cut sketches must be posted by Monday, March 24, 3 PM, when we will be going over them in class.

Final Silent Videos

After repeatedly examining your five rough-cut sketches, find the most promising moments to use in three finished, polished clips. These three final silent videos must follow through on the potential shown in the rough clips to showcase interesting and unusual visual patterns, textures, movements, juxtapositions, collisions, expectations, and narrative potential. The final silent videos should be no longer than 30 seconds in duration.

In this case, the use of still images in one clip is encouraged, but not required.

In addition to judicious editing, you may also use effects and image alterations, including adjustments to contrast, brightness, hue, saturation, time, speed, direction (forward/reverse), sizing, etc.

We are looking for unique artistic statements and meditations on the visual phenomena collected on your Drift 2 walk(s). We are also looking for continuity and connection between Drift 1 and Drift 2, and evidence of further linkage to the sound video you will eventually be producing for Drift 3.

Check your final cut clips for browser compatibility, make screenshot thumbnails, and upload to PantherFile.

Post your finished clips by Wednesday, March 26, 3 PM, when we will be reviewing/critiquing them in class.

Drift 2 Deadlines

All five rough-cut sketches must be posted by Monday, March 24, 3 PM.

All three final silent videos must be posted by Wednesday, March 26, 3 PM.

The Drift 2 blog must be finished with all clips present and links working by Friday, March 28, 5 PM.

Please review this list of grading criteria for Drift 2 (PDF).