Drift 3 Overview

The final project for the class is a synthesis of Drifts 1 and 2, a concerted union of image and sound. You will create an intelligent, engaging, and carefully edited sound video containing evidence of your planning and the goals you defined for your project and for yourself. The video should generate patterns, rhythms, flow, and expectation, and should make a "statement" that reflects your voice as an artist.

While you can revisit some material from Drifts 1 and 2, the majority of sounds and images for Drift 3 must be gathered on a new walk. No longer than 2 minutes in duration, the video will be posted on a new Drift 3 blog.

There are no other restrictions regarding effects, transitions, transparencies, etc.

Concept development for your sound video begins with an assessment of your experiences and reactions to Drifts 1 and 2. It continues with a detailed description of one of these experiences along with a list of ten questions, curiosities, or problems you will address in your final sound video. In an attempt to answer those questions, you will develop two strategies for capturing sound and two strategies for capturing video that will help you narrow your collection of new data, and you will formulate a well written proposal (hypothesis) for the specific content and issues you wish to address in your Drift 3 sound video.

Create your Drift 3 Blog

1. Create a new blog for Drift 3. Come up with an interesting title that best reflects the content of your Drift 3 activities. Remember that you can change (improve) the title later.

2. Use the following format for the URL (Check the Course Directory to verify your Drift 3 URL):

FirstLast0811603

3. Write a brief description of your blog.

4. Your blog shall contain the following posts:

1. Drift Assessment #1 (at the bottom of the page)
2. Drift Assessment #2
3. Drift Assessment #3
4. Drift Assessment #4
5. Ten Questions
6. Production Strategy
7. Rough Cut Sketch #1
8. Rough Cut Sketch #2
9. Rough Cut Sketch #3
10. Final Cut Sound Video (at the top of the page)

Drift Assessment

Copy and paste the following into a Word document. When you have finished answering the questions, copy/paste your answers into separate posts on your Drift 3 blog, one post per question. Make sure your answers exist as self-contained statements.

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1 or 2. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 and/or 2 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drifts and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from either of your Drifts. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.

Ten Questions

After writing and reflecting upon your assessment answers, come up with ten questions that best address the aspects of your Drift area you are most interested in pursuing further in Drift 3.

These questions must be related directly to your experiences walking the specific landscapes of your Drift 1 and 2, and should be specifically worded enough to generate possible strategies and solutions for executing Drift 3.

Here are some examples:

1. Are there any back roads that lead to something interesting?
2. Is there a house that has a very unique and interesting architecture?
3. Are there any places where sound takes on a strange quality?
4. Where can I find the strangest sight within my Drift area?
5. What differences are there on Lake Michigan between night and day?
6. Are there any places where one can make a complete 180 degree turn and only see nature?
7. Are there any buildings that will give me access to a high and panoramic view?
8. Is there some kind of elaborate garden in the area?
9. Are there any kind of monuments in the area?
10. Are there any bodies of water (other than Lake Michigan) in the area?

Publish to your blog in a single post.

Production Strategy for Drift 3

Post a Production Strategy addressing these three factors:

1. After reflecting on your experiences on Drift 1 and Drift 2, and after generating your Ten Questions, specify a promising place in your Drift area you plan to explore in more depth for Drift 3. Make sure the location is precisely identified, if not with a GoogleMaps link, then through a verbal description of what you are trying to find and where. Explain why this site seems promising.

2. Describe how you will limit your image capturing activities in order to generate enough quality material with which to work. You can use the same strategies you used for Drift 2, or pick new ones.

3. Describe how you will limit your sound capturing activities in order to generate enough quality material with which to work.

After you have made this post, go out on your Drift 3 walk and execute these strategies as soon as possible.

Drift 3 Deadlines

1. Rough cut sketches of Drift 3 sound video must be posted by your scheduled appointment time with your Lab instructor(s).

2. Drift 3 Screenings begin Monday, April 28, 3 PM. (Screenings will be chosen at random, so have your sound video as complete as possible.)

3. Final cut of Drift 3 sound video must be posted by Wednesday, May 7, 3 PM.

4. Check this list of Drift 3 Grading Criteria (PDF).