For
Project 1 I tried to enrapture the goal of the assignment through
using both new and old artistic techniques I have learned. In project
1 of digital media last semester, glitching advertizements became a
new past time for me. Vintage commercial ads hold a significant
“vibrance” of that time period and glitching each photo at
random with modern technology is a satisfying experience. In order to
differentiate and explore new concepts I played with the idea of
animation towards the building of a collage. Another element that
separated this piece from the last was the choice to use
advertizements from World War Two. I felt it was important to place
the ads in chronological order as the war progressed, showing a
nation transforming after losing hundreds of thousands over seas. The
delivery of the theme changed after I placed the original ads into
the photoshop timeline, incorporating the glitched photos into
short, sporatic intervals. I feel the piece effectively communicates
the many emotions of the 1940's to the viewing audience.
A vast
majority of my process was finding, categorizing, and editing the
photos for proper usage in my (original) concept of the collage.
Through Google I individually typed in the years and selected various
photos based on their visual appeal and glitching ability. One of the
main sites that was helpful was the Duke advertizement collection, a
subsection off the Universities Library page. By date they offered a
variety of ads (mostly for tampons for some reason) that can be
accessed and used. After collecting a large amount of photos I began
the process of categorizing them by date and by the level of
intensity that they held. For example, the white flowing ad for
perfume in 1943 would be used before the 1943 ad for a military
marching down a road. After sorting them I began the long process of
glitching. Opening the images through text edit I would then delete
sections of code to my liking, screen caping my progress along the
way with each noticeable change. Of the 19 ads used I would say each
had 4 to 6 additional glitched photos. Finally, once I had all the
screen caps I individually cut out the images and placed collections
into a new folder, neatly labeled and clean before inserting them
into the photoshop timeline. Ironically enough, the artistic creation
of putting images into animation took me only three to four hours,
nothing compared to the time it took to simply find, sort, and glitch
the photos in the first place.
The
project took an unexpected turn once I inserted my first ad and then
my first glitch to be layered on top. Because the original image was
set for a longer duration, the glitched image made a quick flash and
disappeared. Enjoying this new accident, I added a couple more to the
timeline before showing my professor, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy
my new approach. Once I got the OK, the images began to fly;
glitching, flashing, cutting, pasting... the project became a
whirlwind of excitement that was hard to pull away from- much like
the enthusiasm I have when editing my own movies. It was sometimes
hard to judge how much or how little to glitch, along with the
frustratingly touchy timeline bar. Dragging images would sometimes
clump other images already on the timeline. Even putting a new image
into photoshop was a hit or miss since you never really knew where it
would fall on the timeline. Either way it all came together. I added
in a few fancy zooms and panning options to keep the audience more
entertained, compared to that of a static photo.
In the
end I was pleased with the final results. The piece has a smooth flow
that successfully carries the viewers across an American time period.
While I built the project listening to music I simply could not put
my finger on what song perfectly encaptured all of the visual
emotions. I also did not want to force the audience into listening
and thinking a certain way about the piece, since I believe it should
be experienced with an array of responses. Stepping back and looking
at the piece from a different perspective, I don't really feel it has
the same impact or power my last few projects did. I think it is due
to the fact that it is a motion filled animation and not a physical
art work in real time. The piece would be most effective when
projected onto a thin wall or door due to its unusual shape. While it
was well recepted in class, some believed the glitching could have
gone even farther in terms of corruptness. If anything I would have
liked to use final cut pro and see how it's many options could have
benefited the project- but unfortunately due to time constraints, I
was not able to. Over all grade wise I'd give myself a B. I put great
amounts of effort into organizing and creating the piece but I can't
help but to feel like it's missing a certain element that gives it
that extra “wow this is original” vibe.
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