estherhjleung-blog

[estherhjleung-blog]

ADAD002, Assessment 3 “Lost In Transition” (2017)

By Alice Nguyen, Esther Leung, Sarvika Mishra, Katarina Trgovcevic

All images are shoot and taken by the team.

[estherhjleung-blog]

Group inspiration #4

The xx - I Dare You (2017) music video.

Tying into the theme of subtitles and dialogue in film based productions, part of our inspiration comes from popular culture and the music industry that continually seeks to stretch the boundaries with visual translation and documentation of their unique sound.

Sometimes the visuals tie in with rhythm and the beat, sometimes it is the emotion they want to express, sometimes the moment within time that they wish to capture and replay over again.

Nonetheless it is these precise memories that allow us to creatively preserve a thought/feeling/emotion/atmosphere that brought us there.

-

[estherhjleung-blog]

Group inspiration #3

“It’s interesting what themes and patterns emerge when assembling compilations of an artist’s work. Jacob T. Swinney previously examined the roles that sound effects play in Tarantino’s films and how those can tie together a diverse filmography.

As Swinney puts it:

What defines the Sofia Coppola aesthetic? Is it the sublime use of soft and natural lighting? Is it the subtle pastels of the color pallet? Maybe the handheld camera that dizzily floats around the characters? All of these visual characteristics work together harmoniously to create Coppola’s distinct dreamlike atmosphere. However, the aesthetic reaches far beyond the idea of a visual trademark—Coppola’s atmosphere seems to mirror the inner workings of her characters. As Charlotte ponders a fully-realized life in Lost in Translation, the camera stutters around her in a circular motion. She is washed away, her clothing blending into the matching surroundings. In The Bling Ring, the silhouetted bandits streak across the glittery horizon as they chase their gaudy and tainted desires. In Marie Antoinette, the fanciful nature shots portray a longing for freedom and self-fulfillment. Coppola crafts these dreamscapes to show us not only who her characters are, but who they want to be.

The video is aided by music used in Coppola’s films that underscores that dreamlike quality and fascination with characters wandering seemingly aimlessly trying to find their role in the dramas unfolding around them.”

source: https://news.avclub.com/let-s-examine-the-visual-aesthetic-of-sofia-coppola-s-w-1798277936

[estherhjleung-blog]

Group inspiration #2

Wes Anderson: American director, producer, screenwriter and actor.

Wes Anderson’s colour palette and stylistic approach to big-budget hollywood films. There is a noticeable distinction in framing (ie.- predominantly symmetrical, rule-of-thirds) and camera movement that uniquely presents each story narrative.

Film examples shown: Moonrise Kingdom (2012) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Hotel Chevalier (2007)

[estherhjleung-blog]

Drafts

Some draft copies presented on Wednesday’s tute class.

Each of us has discussed and agreed on arranging and presenting 4 groups of 4 spreads to share and further develop as we see them. 

Our group has decided that the two main elements to tie our 12-page creative piece is: 1.subtitles that describe thoughts/feelings/emotions/physical environment in a moment of time and ‘NOW’, and 2. images of the visual representation of these effects in one’s mind.

The ‘NOW’ is temporary.. but over time it may stick in a person’s mind who’s memory is made of thoughts, feelings, emotions and the physicality around them. A lucid memory like a loop with no beginning, middle or end..��

-

[estherhjleung-blog]

18.10.17

In-class brainstorm and discussion.

[estherhjleung-blog]

Group members: Alice, Katarina, Sarvika, Esther

Group Inspiration Gucci Fall 2016. Photos by Glen Luchford.

“Alessandro Michele has excelled at cinematic — and subtly surreal — ad campaigns since he became creative director at Gucci early last year. He's captured his hip crew of young models everywhere from a crowded street, to a public bathroom and metro station in Berlin (alongside an actual peacock), to a tropical aviary with flamingosprancing about; and for fall, he headed to Tokyo, where the bright lights and chaotic cityscapes prove to be a dazzling complement to the colorful, busy, Eastern-influenced collection.

The feeling that these images are stills from a movie is exaggerated by the descriptive subtitles, allowing viewers to imagine the clamor (or, in some cases, singing and music from a boombox) of the environment depicted.

The whole thing gives us major "Lost in Translation" vibes, especially the images of an isolated model brooding as the world hums along behind him or her. We're thinking Sofia Coppola would approve. Plus, the combination of psychedelic lights and the more serene spaces (like the softly painted tea house) make us want to book a flight to Japan ASAP.”

source: https://fashionista.com/2016/06/gucci-fall-2016-campaign

[estherhjleung-blog]

Park Chan-wook’s “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK”, movie stills (2006, 105min.)

“Young-goon is admitted to a mental institution. Believing herself a cyborg, she charges herself with a transistor radio. Il-soon, a fellow inmate, steals the other inmates’ personality traits and believes he is fading and will one day turn into a dot. When Young-goon refuses to eat, Il-soon decides it’s his job to get her on her feet again.”

some inspiration has come from film subtitles whose character’s thoughts and options are expressed through voiceover and with written words on screen

facial expression tied in with open-ended words

[estherhjleung-blog]

What’s a ZINE?

“A zine (an abbreviation of the word magazine or fanzine; pronounced ‘zeen’) is most commonly a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images…”

 https://www.mca.com.au/media/uploads/files/170326_MCAZineFair_Program_V5.pdf

Keep reading

[estherhjleung-blog]

Group members: Alice, Katarina, Sarvika, Esther In-class brainstorm of ideas!

[estherhjleung-blog]

ADAD1002 ASSESSMENT 2

MELODIES OF GLISH Sound and video installation.

by Esther Leung, z5165680

(700w statement)

Continuing from my goal to replace negative connotations in the nature of glitch, I wanted to approach this challenge in a different way as oppose to a physical piece. This will be move away from using ‘hand-made’ glitch, such as glitches made of raw materials (paint, drawing, collages, etc.) So my other option was to give the digitally manipulated glitch effect approach a go in order to tackle and change popular images of glitch that most people have constructed in their mind.

Most people would encounter glitch occurrences by popular old films, silence films, home-made videos, music videos on MTV, bad television signals due to living in rural areas; and with the growing use of vintage-fying photos and videos on social media and advertising campaigns utilised by big and small brands throughout the years, our exposure to the glitch effect has now formed into a love-hate relationship. But let’s be honest, we are generally more annoyed with interrupted digital signals and would appreciate a nice, clear image.

However, artists in contemporary art culture have made glitch as part of their limelight through remixing it to forge distinct personalities and/or identities within the glitch. In particular, they construct the glitch in a way that associations it with music, abstract sound, people, and the natural world around us in order to ‘breathe life’ into what used to be an interruption to a system. One of the first artists that have inspired me into making my end product is New Zealand-born artist Len Lye, who have utilised old film negatives by deliberately scratching and drawing on them with marker pens, playing the film over together with a cheery energetic soundtrack playing throughout his piece. In doing so, he has orchestrated a moving picture with bright colours resembling blotches of glitch, whilst allowing its background music to play a large part in constructing a happy-go-lucky, fun-filled, impromptu image of what old film glitch can be. In the process, he pairs and remixes together a spectacular of an action film, with its protagonist as the glitch itself. Viewers will find it to be visually engaging and a learning experience to not judge a book by its cover.

As contemporary art practices can many times be seen as psychologically and emotionally prompting, I wanted to create the glitch effect as a representation of visual aesthetics with more emphasis on its psychological side. Through learning psychology as a subject in high school, one theory stood out to me which titled itself as ‘classical conditioning’, a theory used to describe learning a new behaviour or response that involves linking two stimuli via the process of repetitive association. Proven to work in experiments conducted by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov, my aim of associating the glitch effect with outlooks of positivity shifted gears.

Through my own experience of feeling relaxed and drowsy whenever rain started pouring outside my window, as well as the atmosphere it builds when in cold seasons, I decided to do more research on way this was so, what other sounds could be relaxing, and whether I can use this to associate it with the glitch I have created already.

The title of this assessment is ‘MELODIES OF GLISH’ in relation to easing and manipulating the image and sound of glitch for a new, easier image of ‘glish’ to occur. The outcome of this assessment consists of three frames of glitch created distinctively different between each other. The first brightly coloured borders of VHS glitch represents what we commonly see when our televisions from the 90s and 00s, and even today, start ‘glitching’ out. The second, a more solemn blend of blues. The third, a brown-ish blend of glitch tied with my bathroom tiles that was first paved in during the 50s. That, in turn, represents the sort of glitch people see in old, silent films. Through its repetitive playback paired with both rain noises and white noises, whose sound resembles much of what glitch actually sounds like, except with a softer tone to the ear, my goal remains that these popular images of glitch get’s associated with the feeling of relaxation and its effect on better focus and memory. All throughout, the glitch is slightly blurred, yet does its best to retain its natural form.

-

Sources

Betancourt, M. (2013). Critical Glitches and Glitch Art. H-z Journal. Retrieved 11 Sept 2017, <http://www.hz-journal.org/n19/betancourt.html>

Macdonald, C. (2016) Why the sound of water helps you sleep. DailyMail. Retrieved 17 Sept 2017, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3405747/Can-t-sleep-Listen-sound-WATER-Study-reveals-non-threatening-noises-help-brain-switch-off.html>

Manon, H. S., Temkin, D. (2011) Notes on Glitches. World Picture Journal. Retrieved 11 Sept 2017, <http://worldpicturejournal.com/WP_6/Manon.html>

McLeod, S. (2014) Classical Conditioning. Simply Psychology. Retrieved 17 Sept 2017, <https://www.simplypsychology.org/classical-conditioning.html>

The Len Lye Foundation (n,d) A Colour Box, 1935. Retrieved 11 Sept 2017, <http://www.lenlyefoundation.com/films/a-colour-box/21/>

Willgross, R. (2012) International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music. JSTOR. Vol. 43, No. 2 (DECEMBER 2012), pp. 423-437. Retrieved 11 Sept 2017, <https://www.jstor.org/stable/23342830?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>

Williford, T. (2012) White Noise and Your Brain: The Science of Sound Machines. Apartment Therapy. Retrieved 15 Sept 2017, <http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sleep-better-the-science-of-sound-machines-168208>

-

Sound sources

Raindrops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMBSMPqbMTI

White noise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Nj8jtEr74&t=14s

[estherhjleung-blog]

Analysis: Untitled #249 by Francisco Lopez (2011), Video installation (7 minutes 57 secs). http://www.franciscolopez.net/

Francisco Lopez is a Spanish avant-garde experimental artist whose work in soundscape and ‘noise music’ has been exhibited across international galleries, museums and music festivals. His work has been described to be deeply immersive, drawing in psychological and emotive approaches to his audio-visual style.

In this instance, Lopez’s approach to digitally manipulating landscapes of overexposed greenery and contrasting shadows together with a HTML/written code inspired colour palette, brings together a mysterious, uncanny effect to it. Juxtaposing this is a stream of light beginning on the top of its frame giving an ‘aurora’ effect that, again, collides with its hollowed-out-steel-log background sound.

In an interview with BBC Radio 3, he says: ‘I had an intuitive response to listening back to recordings, somehow they revealed a different reality, the way sounds are translated by a ‘listening’ machine alters them, captures something we otherwise miss, makes different connections between the listener, the listener’s memory and the world.’

The feeling it gives me is one of curiosity, relaxed yet mystified of what is to come. As someone who is terrified of the thought of being alone in the woods, this reverses its connotations slightly, given its almost natural, slow-moving, green aurora light and monotone sound that seems to override the noise around me.

sources

Wallace, H. (2015) Francisco Lopez. BBC Music Magazine. Retrieved 17 Sep 2017, <http://www.classical-music.com/article/francisco-lopez>

[estherhjleung-blog]

process observation

It has occurred to me that across the blocks of video files and glitch overlay, it seems to have formed ‘holes’ within its repetitive playback- a bit like a glitch in a system..

[estherhjleung-blog]

experiment 3

Testing out on visuals + aesthetics, which glitch imagery suits the accompanying rain sound etc. May add white noise in between cuts, or try extending each frame and transition by adding the same visuals repeatedly to emphasise on the nature of glitch itself.

Rain sound credit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMBSMPqbMTI

[estherhjleung-blog]

Thoughts: sounds / noise that calms the mind + ‘classical conditioning’ for glitch to be a good thing

-

WHITE NOISE

Tends to muffle or drown out sound surrounding our environment

Proven to help with sleep

Shown to help babies fall asleep and stay sleeping longer

Neurologist Dr. Ralph Pascualy says: “(Constant white noise) gives the brain a tonic signal that dampens its own internal systems."

-

RAIN SOUNDS

Since white noise masks out background noise, the sound of rain brings a set of rhythm and ‘music’ to our ears

Also proven to help with falling asleep faster

Rain tends to be associated with romance or contemplation

We are able to easily fixate our thoughts on its ‘monotone’ sounds

-

c l a s s i c a l   c o n d i t i o n i n g

During my final year in high school I studied psychology and learned many things about how the brain works in different situations that tested on learning and adapting abilities. One of the things I remember studying about was ‘classical conditioning’, a term used to define a learning theory that involves acquiring a new behaviour via association through ‘two stimuli linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal.’ 

Terms: unconditioned stimulus (UCS) unconditioned response (UCR) neutral stimulus (NS) conditioned stimulus (CS) conditioned response (CR)

For example: 

pt.1 ‘A stomach virus (UCS) would produce a response of nausea (UCR). In another example, a perfume (UCS) could create a response of happiness or desire (UCR).

pt.2 ‘A person (CS) who has been associated with nice perfume (UCS) is now found attractive (CR). Also, chocolate (CS) which was eaten before a person was sick with a virus (UCS) now produces a response of nausea (CR).’

In relation to this theory, I want to create a learning association between rain or white noise with visual glitches on a screen. If the theory of classical conditioning is effective, it could potentially help transform typical associations with glitch (i.e.- hurts the eyes, high-pitched, noisey, annoying, make-it-go-away) into new neurological pathways that changes the way we view the nature of glitch.

Sources

Williford, T. (2012) White Noise and Your Brain: The Science of Sound Machines. Apartment Therapy. Retrieved 15 Sep 2017, <http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sleep-better-the-science-of-sound-machines-168208> 

Macdonald, C. (2016) Why the sound of water helps you sleep. DailyMail. Retrieved 17 Sep 2017, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3405747/Can-t-sleep-Listen-sound-WATER-Study-reveals-non-threatening-noises-help-brain-switch-off.html>

McLeod, S. (2014) Classical Conditioning. Simply Psychology. Retrieved 17 Sep 2017, <https://www.simplypsychology.org/classical-conditioning.html>

[estherhjleung-blog]

experiment two - cont.

[estherhjleung-blog]

experiment two

(stills)

Playing around with hue, glitch and variations of blur, results from this so far have been unexpected! Part of my aim was to disassociate bad connotations of glitch, and in making it look visually aesthetic with different RGB combination and letting the glitch do its own movements for now, has made it look like unique still images of paintings OR wallpaper!

As a matter of fact, I don’t quite know where this is heading yet, although I do plan on putting a background (abstract) soundtrack to make each glitch movement become alive in the moment (?)

For now, these stills are giving me a modern-vintage feel! It’s colours still resemble the neon green/purple/blue/red that is typical of a digital glitch, whilst turning up the red on the original footage has made each frame look like an old photograph that has begun to brown in its edges..

It could also have just created cool moving patterns!