This is the blog for Media Theory and Design 2 - Fall 2011 wednesday section with Andrew Oleksiuk
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Response to Video Editing for N00bs
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Response - Video Editing For Noobs
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Reading Response: Video Editing For Noobs
This article I thought was a great overview of the process of video editing and what to expect along the way, not only in learning something about the technical aspects of the software, but some basics about storyline, composition, and perhaps how the video editing means and may be influenced by other variables, for example, of what may or not be important to include in video editing.
Overall, this article points out useful tips to not only stay organized while creating a video storyline, but the article also suggests software to be used as an initial experience to video editing. Here are some good tips that this article points out: keeping it simple; compress your time and pacing; and finally to remember to give yourself and others credit.
Regarding keeping it simple with video editing, according to the article, was to focus on the goal of the video itself; keeping organized by labeling folders appropriately before getting started; and always keeping the audience context in mind. And as the result be after creating and then viewing this newly created video would be then of compositions with both A-roll and B-roll elements. An A-roll is a term meant to distinguish the primary action of the video, while B-roll are the supportive visuals within the video.
I learned while compressing time and pacing, the video editor has much control over how the video is composed to tell the story. A part of that composition is the pacing involved depending on the type of event that is shot or the emphasis that is requested for a particular segment of time. The main thing, I think, I learned is make sure enough information that is needed for the video within the composition to consider how those different variables could be represented in different ways, while at the same time making sure that there is enough possible flexibility within the composition to allow the storyline to work well.
Response to Grace Taking Form: Marey's Movement Machines
I found this article to be an interesting in-depth description of the study of Etienne-Jules Marey's (1830 -1904) measurements as a result of the machines he invested to measure what can not be perceived and actual visible movement. In a mechanical way, he proved his theories and experimented with perception to calculate movement and how it was taking shape. This article explains his study of movement and I think how one may also learn from this information to understand more about how movement is expressed.
There is various things about movement that Marey focuses on about this topic: not only the curves of movement but the curves in movement; the complexity of mechanisms of perception as linked to movement; techniques of relation and how the senses themselves perhaps can be perceived as a process coupling with the environment; the relationship of time, movement, and space; the capacity to feel movement that would be experienced as imperceptible; and Marey's machines themselves that were open to experimentation to invite a new way of thought.
Overall, I think movement, as a result of this article, shows how the details of movement and rhythm are important to show perhaps both learned and experimental ways to express this naturally and how this information could be used today as a tool towards engaging with movement in a perhaps better way and understand more about how this can be applied.
Video Editing for N00bs
This article gives several tips on basic video editing for people who haven't done any editing before, AKA noobs, to use the articles phrasing. It first went over the stuff you need for video editing, such as the correct software and some of the basic requirements for which computer to use. It then went over the importance of keeping all of your clips organized and planning out your video through the use of storyboards and such. It then went into a few tips on the timing of the video and then closed with advice on a credit roll.
I've done a little bit of video editing before, so some of this was stuff that I knew already. When I did the video editing I knew about keeping stuff organized and simple (Though I should add that this was not anything overly complicated. I think I did it with Windows Movie Maker.) There was a lot of stuff that I did not know before reading this article. One of these things was the thing with the A and B rolls.
It seems like it would be a common sense sort of thing, but with a lot of the videos you see, the editor only puts in the really important A roll stuff and leaves out a lot of the supporting clips from the B roll.
Another tip that I thought was a really cool idea was the music tip from the pacing segment. In it, the article suggested taking a piece of music with the tempo you want, and making the clips in the movie follow the beat in the music. When you are finished putting the clips together, you can then delete the music and either move on with the editing or put in music with the same tempo and beat to use as the actual music for the video. I thought this was a really cool little shortcut.
Reading Response
Response to Video Editing for N00bs by Mark Montgomery
Video Editing for N00bs Response
In the article “Video Editing for N00bs” by Mark Montgomery, it talks about the proper way of making a video. I found reading this article very helpful even though I have had some experiencing making amateur videos of my own. Even so, I know that I can take what I’ve learned and use it to aid me in making any other videos in the future. One thing I found helpful was the fact that we should make the videos simple. That doesn’t mean that it should be boring and not catch other people’s interest, but the storyline should be made clear. You should always make a video that will catch your audience’s attention, but they should also be able to understand what is going on. Things can get pretty hectic at times so it is important to keep all of the files your using organized in a folder so it will be easy to access later. It is also important to manage your time in the video. For example: very important moments shouldn’t go by so quickly so that the audience won’t be able to catch it. Leave it there for a nice period of time so the audience isn’t left wondering what just happened. Lastly, the author states that when it comes to the credit roll, remember to give yourself, and anyone else that worked on the project, the credit you/they deserve. He also gives websites in which you can have your videos seen. I’ve also done this, where I’ve made a video and posted it to YouTube or even Facebook so that I would get feedback. I found it very helpful because some people offered their feedback and some constructive criticism so that I will be able to make a better video the next time around. This was a pretty good article.
Video Editing for N00bs
Overall Montgomery's article was informative in a very general way. He outlines useful techniques without getting into much detail.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Response to Video Editing for N00bs
Monday, September 19, 2011
Response: Video Editing for Noobs
Reading Response Video Editing for Noobs
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Reading Response:Grace Taking Form
Response for "Grace Taking Form: Marey’s Movement Machines"
While I can acknowledge the importance of such study, I can't help but wonder how much time and energy Marey put into performing these studies, and how much they impacted his own life. How was he able to continue obtaining the materials he used to test and to build and design? Was it worth it to him in the end, with such a need to know and learn more and more? Perhaps we'll never really know.
Reading Response- Grace Taking Form: Marey's Movement Machines
When I read “Grace Taking Form: Marey’s Movement Machines,” I was very confused at first and throughout the majority of the text. I kind of got what he was saying in some areas, but most of the time I was quite overwhelmed by it all. What I got what that he was trying to make a machine that would allow you to see the things that were actually there but you could not see it. So I was guessing it was like being able to measure things like sound waves and the like and having it being recorded down on paper. Even though I didn’t get the majority of what was going on besides him being really obsessed with movement, I thought it was really interesting. He had a lot of determination to do what he wanted to do. I would call him very dedicated as well because he spent his life trying to make these machines that were to measure movement. What I also found interesting was the fact that, in a way, whenever he found a flaw in one of his machines or discovered something new, he would make them better. And then when something else came up, he would change it up again. He wanted everything to be perfect. Another way to say that is that it was like he was trying to make his machines to adapt to the times (if that makes any sense). It’s kind of like with businesses that sell clothes. They try to keep up with the times because if they don’t then nobody would want their clothes. In his case, he made changes to the machines because if he didn’t then they would be obsolete. I don’t know if I’m really making sense and it feels like I’m rambling my thoughts, but that’s basically what I got out of it.
In Response to "Grace Taking Form: Marey’s Movement Machines" by Erin Manning
Manning talks about the transformation in the method that Marey used to document his findings. Whereas in his earlier experiments he would record motion in a systematic and grid-like fashion, later on he was able to record motion in a more fluid and organic manner, even though the subject matter was the same, the human form. She goes on to say that grace is found in these organic motions because they tend to follow dynamic curving lines versus static jagged ones, and by virtue of being curved ones they have the unique ability to foretell a sense of direction.
The manner in which Erin Manning wrote her essay and the use of the seemingly abstract vocabulary is non-conducive to what she is trying to convey. She introduces and talks a lot about theoretical aspects that I don’t believe existed originally, at least not till after the experiments. I believe Marey had a very health curiosity and was part scientist and part artist. He followed the scientific method when it came to documenting his findings but he also just experimented like a photographer would with a new camera. All in all, Manning’s essay has difficult to read, but I was able to capture the essence of what she was trying to say.
Response To Manning's Grace Taking Form
One passage that particularly made sense to me in terms of documenting the chaos that takes place in space during movement, was when Manning describes the process of transcoding. "Transcoding or transduction is the manner in which one milieu serves as the basis for another, or conversely is established atop another milieu, dissipates in it, or is constituted in it." (p87). Which basically means the rhythm of the imperceptible chaos taking place within a movement, causes each milieu to seamlessly transition into another.
It is the rhythm of an action or movement that creates the seen perception of movement out of something that is normally imperceptible. This is precisely what Marey was trying to document in his experiments. One can look at his photo's such as the series documenting smoke rising, and wonder if they are meant to be works of art for aesthetic purposes, or simply scientific works, using scientific method, designed to show the imperceptible collective parts of movement. This is because there is a certain aesthetic gracefulness in the smoke images and Manning discusses the concept of grace in detail. "Grace is the experience of a becoming movement taking form." (p88). I immediately thought of a pitcher's windup in baseball, or a basketball player going up for a layup as an example of this. Both actions are an "intensity of process" as Manning writes of grace. Furthermore, there is an inherent grace in Marey's experiment in locomotion that documents the movement within a person's hips while walking. It is the "elasticity of movement" as Manning describes it, that shows a rhythmic force taking form.
Gabe Rosen 9/14
Response to “Grace Taking Form: Marey’s Movement Machines”
After a series of classes and research I’ve done, I’ve come to learn about ethnographers, ethnography essays and why they exist. In a strange way of describing them, one could say that the writers – ethnographers – are obsessed with their research. Why else would someone willingly study something – that to normal people would be considered immensely boring – for months on end? This has to be at least a mild case of obsession, maybe even addiction.
In Marey’s case, he was obsessed with movement. Not just physical movement – although technicallyspeaking, all movement is physical. But Marey was obsessed with movement that could not be seen. Movement in air, like that of which in gases and movement in liquid like currents and blood flow. Marey even developed machines to test his hypotheses, what more he even developed machines to react to the outcomes of his hypotheses. Marey was a man obsessed.
In my opinion, the drive Marey had towards his studies is admirable. He completed one study, which in turn would just propel him forward onto another study and so on. This definitely shows what kind of man Marey was and the amount of time and interest he placed in his subjects and his work.
Marey
“‘Science has two obstacles that block its advance, first the defective capacity of our
senses for discovering truths, and then the insufficiency of language for expressing
and transmitting those we have acquire.”
Truly, this statement is one any researcher could agree with. And surely anyone that has strived to prove something, or communicate an idea or thought has had trouble doing so. I believe that this quote can be related not only to scientific endeavors, but the endeavors of every person in any situation.
Throughout his work, Marey stressed that the senses were not capable of identifying his work, as they could only access environments whereas his work was “quasi-virtual transition states of movement.” What this means, I have no idea. But I feel as though this is relatable to everyday life in the sense that one can’t always trust their own senses.
Brad Parkkonen. 9/14/2011
Grace Taking Form: Marey's Movement Machines
Some interest and insight can be gained from Grace Taking Form, but these insights are not original ideas of the author. An explanation that everything is in motion and that the eye only perceives a series of edges, is a revelation by Marey that Manning briefly touches upon, but fails to sufficiently elaborate. The title Grace Taking Form is probably the most explained and defined portion of the essay, but the clearest explanation of grace is a quotation from Bergson, expounded on by Manning in the line "A graceful movement is one that feels like it already carries the fullness of the movement-passing within the pre-acceleration of the movement taking form." While this explanation is somewhat clear and insightful, movement-passing isn't an actual term. The correct term is motion. Additionally pre-acceleration is also a fanciful term that would indicate a grievous breach of Newton's Laws (Laws not theories). The state of acceleration is a binary term, either something is accelerating or it isn't. Marey would have scowled at the idea of pre-acceleration, as seemingly his entire life's work was to measure imperceptible forces, acceleration being one of them. However, the idea that grace is the beginning of motion that foreshadows the continuance of that motion is a useful idea and is indeed used to explain why a curved line appears more graceful than a jagged one. The curve predicts where the line is headed, and thus imparts grace.
The fundamental concept of grace is a useful one that has numerous practical applications, but Manning's paper is a failure. From beginning to end it is jumbled and unclear. The authors repetitive use of elaborate vocabulary combined with fanciful terms slows understanding, and his overall reaction to Marey's experimental machines seem to miss the mark.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Response: Grace Taking Form
After reading Grace Taking Form: Marey's Movement Machines by Erin Manning, I was slightly confused, a little overwhelmed, but overall intrigued. Just the thought of a single man going through such lengths to study, experiment, and invent equipment and machines for all things imperceptible is astounding.
Manning describes Marey's work with such detail and overly thought-out, back and forth ramblings, one would almost be suspicious that the use of cocaine may have been involved. But with all due respect, I feel that this form of thinking and explaining is close, if not identical, to how Marley ticked. Only with the kind of mind that interminably overlaps itself can one really get so deep into the theory of movement, shape, light, and the perception of all that combined that they create machines to attach to the human anatomy in order to study it; that they invent machines to study the findings based off the previous machines, and so on.
Truthfully, going into this reading, I didn't see how this would better myself as a game designer or a designer in general. But as I continued reading, I began to feel a sense of understanding. This study, I feel got me closer to the root of what movement is, which I assume will open my eyes (so to speak) to not just usual types of movements like my fingers moving around this keyboard as I type, but like the pulsing movements of my hands when they're still, or the micro-movements of my eyes as they focus on the word/letter/pixel I'm currently staring at.
Grace Taking Form Reading Response
Grace Taking Form, by Erin Manning, was an interesting read, to say the least. Etienne-Jules Marey sounds like he would've been quite radical in his time. I've always thought of things like studying unperceived forces to be a fairly recent discipline, but from this article I was clearly mistaken. According to the article, a lot of Marey's work serves as the basis for a lot of work in this field, and he even came up with a few new ways of quantifying forces during his experiments. He measured these forces using machines of his own invention. He used these machines because he believed that the human senses obstructed the viewing of these forces, which makes sense, as they are not supposed to be perceivable.
One of the interesting things about Marey's work was the fact that his machines invented new measurements which led to new machines in an odd sort of evolutionary process. Another thing I found interesting was all the mentions of curves and arcs. In another class, 2D Motion for Games, I had to read about the 12 Principles of Animation and there was a lot of stuff about how important arcs are to realistic animation. There were several connections I could see between the principles and Marey's work, especially when talking about how pretty much all organic motion occur along arcs and curves.
While some of the article didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially when phrases like quasi-chaos started popping up, I did enjoy reading it. I think the author could have worded the article a little better, as some of it came off sounding a bit odd. A major example was during quotes and sections where the author talked about movement-passing and movement-passed. I'm think I know what she meant by those, but I can also think of several ways to make those sections easier to understand.
Grace Taking Form Response
It was interesting reading this article about Etienne-Jules Marey. Knowing how he spent his life inventing
machines to measure the imperceptible, which in his definition of imperceptible that shows what the eye
can’t see that’s actually there. He soon began in the 1850s with writing machines, which I’m guessing the
writing machines were typewriters. He built a vast of experimental inventions and soon he
built a machine that focused on his practice was to “delineate the in-between movements of a
body such that it could be plotted on graph” in, which the paper says. Marey really liked testing
on the human body senses though he doesn’t trust the human senses since the human body
senses is limited.
Marey is a very intelligent person though I get lost during reading this paper since I’m not quite used to
reading these kinds of papers, but I did understand most of this paper of what its talking about.I believe Erin
Manning have to have a reward for writing this paper because I believe he’s one the few people who
actually understands Marey’s work. I think during his time people looked at him like he was nuts, since
he’s making inventions that might kill him or might hurt the people around him, but if he was during our
time scientist’s will bow down to him like a god and less of a crazy person. Hopefully soon I’ll
be able to understand most of the information that these writers write in these types of
papers, which this essay helped me extend my vocabulary by a little .
Test Post
Grace Taking Form Response
In Grace Taking Form: Mareys Movement Machines,
the author, Erin Manning, talks about Etienne-Jules Marey; a man who dedicated
his life to the inventing of machines that would measure the imperceptible (something
that can’t be seen but is actually there.)
In my opinion, Marey was a very intelligent man. To even think about something like the
imperceptible comes from intelligence.
Then to spend most of his life inventing machines to graph the
imperceptible, starting with taking a writing machine and making it graph the
invisible movements of pulse rhythms and the bloods flow. He constantly tested the human body’s
senses. He distrusted the senses,
considering them to only be capable of sensing actual environments.
“Marey’s
machines produced margins of indeterminacy that incited new processes to take form.
Machines were created for experimentation
even as experiments created new machines.”
As I stated earlier, Marey was a very
intelligent man. But at the same time,
during his lifetime, he might’ve been considered a little crazy. Someone like myself who just lives life by
the day and accepts everything as it is doesn’t know how to take in all these
theories and information. The fact that
Marey thought about this kind of stuff is putting my brain into a pretzel and
confusing me. I only hope to one day be
able to think like this and put forth as much effort into answers as he did.