Crowdsourcing

My first experience with crowdsourcing was about 4 years ago on Crowdspring. I tried my best to create and design logos for a bunch of companies, but competition was fierce and sadly I was never chosen. Probably because my graphic design skills weren't very strong back then, but still. A couple years ago I found out about oDesk and tried my hand at video projects. I applied for many but it wasn't until a few months later that I finally got hired for a job: editing together phone commercials for a UK based cellphone company called TTfone. After the first one the contractor told me he liked my work and the quick turnaround and continued to send me work for a couple more months at $25 a video. It was great money as the editing wasn't particularly hard and didn't take too long. Ever since then I've been trying to find similar gigs but it seems like TTfone was a one off. Competition is crazy and there are many people out there in less fortunate countries that would be willing to work for a lot less. 

The side of crowdsourcing in these articles and videos is new to me and I've never really tried anything like it before. Connected looks like a very interesting film and after seeing the trailer, I actually really want to watch it. Also the short film that Tiffany Shlain crowdsourced from people all over the world was amazing and, the music probably added to this, super inspirational. I'm glad we're participating in the crowdsourced frame project; I can't wait to see the finished product. 

Acoustic Ecology

The first link for Acoustic Ecology isn't working for me so I'll respond to the second one. Soundscapes are something that we as filmmakers should focus on a lot more than we do. Sound is more important, in my opinion, than the visuals sometimes. It can provoke certain moods and feelings more innately than what we see. In the article, actually taking the time to sit back and listen can help give a lot of perspective. Atmosphere's song 'Sunshine' hits on this a little bit. After falling down the stairs and landing in the sunshine outside, he focuses on the sound he hears around him. His hangover fades away as he feels the warmth on his skin and focuses on the sounds of what's going on around him. I found the feeling that he described to be very relatable. Sometimes when I'm walking back to my apartment after a long day of classes, I take out my headphones and listen to what's going on around me. If I'm walking back at night, things are usually a lot more calm and peaceful, and I find that fairly enjoyable. We might be getting more noisy as a society, but you can still find the more subtle sounds if you look for them.
The thing I found most interesting about the article though was the bit about using sounds to frighten, using sounds to destroy. I had no idea that the army used heavy metal music to break down and scare insurgents before going in and rooting them out. This relates back to the point I made before though, sound is important, and sound is powerful.

Synesthesia and Cymatics

I had learned about synesthesia and cymatics last semester with Shannon, and I found it really interesting. With cymatics, I was really surprised to see all those sounds literally take the form of certain shapes and patterns. Seeing sound brought to life in that way really opened my eyes, and the TED talk was also really informative about the practical uses of cymatics. I had been a little bit more familiar with synesthesia though and I really like the idea of it. I managed to find a short film I saw a few years ago that explores synesthesia and also introduced me to the whole concept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHnnGHgeyC0

It’s worth a watch, as it’s creative and well done. Seeing or feeling the world in a different way and then sharing it is something that I think I strive for as a filmmaker. This idea of smelling colors or hearing shapes is something to keep in mind and can make it easier for me to share what I’m feeling through the medium of film. Expressing ideas in different ways and through different techniques might reach a viewer on a completely different level than just straight out showing them or telling them the general idea.

Reaction to my first class

My first thought when entering this class was that I didn't recognize anyone. Usually coming into a film class I see one or two people at least that I've been in classes with before, but not this time. It'll be interesting getting to know some new faces in the film studies department. I've had night classes before and the majority of the time I would find myself extremely tired and ready for bed by the time class was half way over. But in this class, even though it's 3 hours long and later than other night classes, I found myself surprisingly awake. Maybe it was what we were talking about or the fact that I really really needed to stay alert since I had already missed the first class due to being waitlisted. I see some similarities between this class and Shannon's 302 experimental class last semester. A LOT of focus on film! Which is great, I still feel like I don't have enough experience with it even after last semester. I'm looking forward to what this class has to offer for me.