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hmsex2023-rorys3965039 · 1 year ago

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Exhilarating A1

This is a mind-map displaying my current understanding of exhilaration.

Here are the primary factors of finding something exhilarating:

Joy - exhilarating’s latin route meant joy or cheerful, the earliest meaning of exhilarating was “to make cheerful” (Marrium-Webster)

Excitement - This is the high energy, further extent of excitement aspect some of us may typically associate exhilarating with.

Heightened State of Mind/Flow State - Easy form of exhilaration is to watch someone who is experiencing exhilaration themselves, e.g. being in the flow state, a state of absolute focus on the task at hand through displaying impressive ability and familiarity, and confidence in ones own skill. commonly reported as being an exhilarating experience.

Some secondary factors:

Fear to Stress to Thrill - Generally speaking, there are a number of physical indicators that stress and exhilaration share; such as, increase in heart rate, dilation of pupils,

Euphoria - Fully alive

Impatience or intrigue

Invigoration

Focus

Immersion

I believe that exhilaration is always a combination of at least one primary factor with at least one secondary factor.

Personal experiences of exhilaration in the past few years are often a joy - euphoria - invigoration mix. This is what I feel when skating home in empty streets late at night with music in my ears. My recent favourite song that creates this exhilaration when paired with the night skate home is called After Dark by Mr. Kitty. I feel alive and free in these moments.

My projects will encapsulate the great diversity of exhilaration described in this Tumblr. Opposed to focusing on one or two common forms of exhilaration, exposing the viewer to the type of experiences that they may not internally label as exhilarating as well as ones they do, will provide them with a comprehensive insight into the subjectivity and interrelatedness of the many primary and secondary factors of exhilaration.

KungFu Panda

The main character initially appears goofy and is the underdog and and the climax of the narrative is truly exhilarating as we’ve:

Gotten to know Po and his upbringing as someone obviously adopted and different from all the other villagers; he has dreams but isn’t likely to become anything other than a noodle chef like his father.

We see his struggle and desire for something more in life

We see him being selected by pure luck and coincidence as the dragon warrior; the absolute disapproval of the Furious Five (his new peers) and his new sensei

We then see his hard work and effort reminding us of his impressive noodle shop table waiting we witnessed at the start of the movie.

At the climax we see him do what is meant to take one years and years to master; the underdog has triumphed and surpassed his peers who had all the more opportunities and experience in this field.

The nobody - the chosen one transformation is a great basis of many narratives. In this instagram video we see someone who looks like nobody special and then we are shocked by this huge contrast. Essentially, this video does what the above description does but to a smaller scale. Simply showing the character as nobody/underdog and then showing them as the master paired with good music dynamics can make a source of short-term exhilaration. Let’s acknowledge the major difference; will I remember this video for the rest of my life, definitely not. Will I remember KungFu Panda for the rest of my life, absolutely. Nonetheless, this was an exhilarating video by my definitions at least.

Avengers Endgame

youtube

I recall this moment when I saw this in the cinema and it is certainly an experience I’d describe as exhilarating in the sense that, I’ve seen more than 3 previous Avengers films over a number of years, I undoubtedly care about the characters and their goals. The exhilaration was more dependent on long-term narrative development both in and outside of the cinema. I believe that having cliff hangers and being forced to wait for the next movie to come out arguable keeps the story and characters in our mind over a long period of time. I’ve never been a big marvel fan but I’ve no doubt developed that care that’s necessary in providing a highly exhilarating moment in a triumphant/comeback scene like this. I’d say it’s comparable to barracking for a sports team; one doesn’t cheer, cry, or scream their lungs out in cheer or excitement for a team they don’t care about, it’s years of consistent association that creates that experience. From my perspective, the care I felt for the characters in this movie was very much sub-conscious; nonetheless, it was consistent. I believe this consistent presence was crucial for the care factor.

Back To The Future

Back to the Future has very similar climaxes in all three movies. Here, the exhilaration is from fear of the characters not accomplishing their goal. Once again it's a case of caring for the character and their goals that make the build up to the crescendo exhilarating. However, compared to the Avengers example, this one has a more detrimental time restraint. I believe time restraints are a crucial factor in exhilarating experiences; this goes for both the restraints on the characters time to achieve their goal, and the time in reality the viewer has to observe this event. For the viewer, the restraint of time may feel like "if we aren't dedicating 100% of our focus to the task at hand or the thing we're watching, we might miss the climax completely" which is almost a sense of forced engagement. This type of exhilaration is no doubt entertaining; however, the forced nature of putting the audience in a heightened focus using time constraints doesn't meet the creative standards I intend to produce my projects with.

Quantum Levitation in 60 Seconds

An animation by Eduardo Piñones

https://rmiteduau-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/s3965039_student_rmit_edu_au/Documents/HMsEx%20A1%20RORY?csf=1&web=1&e=6qOz5z

This video on a topic that the average person probably wouldn’t be that interested in by its name, includes a high quality animation with a very trendy song with a great drop (and Chinese subtitles). This video originally had a voiceover explanation but the creator on Douyin replaced that with the song METAMORPHOSIS by INTERWORLD and used a subtitle explanation instead. My Chinese isn’t at the level of understanding quantum physics terminology so I can’t understand all that much but I’ve watched these types of edits before that take a complex topic that I’d usually not wanna watch a video on and then make it very interesting.

Brilliant song choice shows primary factor excitement and secondary factor intrigue. The song’s drop at the start acts as a great hook and works really well with the time ramping down of the animation.

Displaying a phenomenon naturally causes us to focus in order to comprehend what we’re seeing; this is primary factor Heightened State of Mind and secondary factor immersion as the imagery and subtitles with the mesmerising music comes together to require all of our focus as we see that this is a video to be taken seriously.

Are you afraid, Mr White? (Gustavo Fring - Breaking Bad Edit)

This Gustavo Fring edit is purposed with showing the antagonist in his most badass moments.

We see a progression of events that are crucial in the plot. The protagonist, who was becoming very successful, is reminded of who runs the show and what he’s capable of; we feel shock and fear. This was edited in synchronism with the music which provides an audio-visual link. As the music builds up or gets silent our anticipation of what happens next is affected; I haven’t heard this song before so my anticipation of the nature of the following clips (which we can see to be linked to the tempo of the music) is inhibited, this adds to the exhilaration through thrill and intrigue of the unknown. Thus, even though I’ve seen Breaking Bad and know what happens, I was exhilarated, through the blurry nostalgia and the editing technique; I was fully focused, didn’t want to miss a single frame. I’m not kidding when I say this edit gives me shivers, even though I’ve watched it so many times.

Gustavo Fring is one of the greatest antagonists ever, played exceptionally by Giancarlo Esposito. He is the definition of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The contrast between his calm collected public persona and his monotone, impulsive, murderous, drug boss character is what strikes fear deep into the viewer’s heart.

My favourite VFX skate edit ever - @Lynnwakeup @Rogue (Douyin)

https://rmiteduau-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/s3965039_student_rmit_edu_au/Documents/HMsEx%20A1%20RORY?csf=1&web=1&e=6qOz5z

This edit shows a mix of the great skill of the skateboarder Rogue and the visual effects artist Lynnwakeup. The initial flickering between psychodelic, glitchy aesthetic clips are intriguing but what had me hooked was the final clip before real life footage comes on, where its this open hand with tiny skateboards rolling onto the palm coming from the wrist.

This eery animation had me in awe, a great prepper for the amazing VFX entangled skate tricks to come. The first trick comes, quite impressive but the beat drop is still coming and we see this freaky transition. Shown us so much so far we’re intrigued and in a heightened state of mind/focus, the beat drop is what we’re in it for and we start to feel that exhilaration as the clip comes in with this amazing transition that I’ve never seen in any VFX skate edit before.

Unfortunately, the exhilaration was slightly killed right when it was meant to be put on full throttle. The trick the skater does is very impressive however the matrix-esque background replacement was too distracting and I couldn’t focus on the trick. This may not be an issue for non-skater viewers.

I believe everything up until that point was great build up that could lead to sustained memorable exhilaration.

@A panacea ’s Thrasher: My War edits

https://rmiteduau-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/s3965039_student_rmit_edu_au/Documents/HMsEx%20A1%20RORY?csf=1&web=1&e=6qOz5z

This account uses the exact same editing format and song for the majority of its videos; using videos from Thrasher Skateboarding Magazine’s YouTube playlist “My War”. For context, the My War playlist includes the often literal blood sweat and tears behind some of Thrasher Magazine’s most amazing cover photos; viewer’s hear the skater speaking of what was going on in their mind and what the homies or filmers were feeling at the time. The documentary or biography-esque style of the videos on YouTube paired with this one song that A Panacea uses intrigues us with the information/story and then really hooks us as we start to hear the song coming to its crescendo, before it drops the music goes silent and we see the clip of the skater landing this legendary trick and that drop is so rewarding as we see the cover photo with the iconic Thrasher Magazine title.

The beat drops and I’m left staring in awe at this static photo for a few seconds with the music going, often a tear comes to my eye.

This use of having that silence before the payoff is a powerful technique as we desperately want to see the finale; its power is in that silence before, it can be viewed as a cleansing of the pallet before showing us something that demands our full admiration.

This explores secondary factors accomplishment, thrill through ability, focus, intrigue, impatience, and danger.

teamLab Borderless Shanghai

While most of the rooms in this great immersive experience were more mesmerising or calm, there was one long room that used sound, light and haze to create an exhilarating experience. The walls and ceiling was covered with these strobe or spot lights that appeared to sit on a ball joint as they could turn in many directions very smoothly. If there wasn’t the upbeat sound aspect and bass(there were massive subwoofers in this room which you could feel the vibration from), this likely wouldn’t have the excitement/heightened wakefulness aspect that differentiates exhilarating from awesome. The lights when on and off and changed direction in tandem with the rhythm and tempo; with the haze, the light beams (fully visible and distinct) often crossed each other making all kinds of incredible shapes.

Walking through the hallway to my room with the lights off at night

Guided by only the faint moonlight/streetlight visible through the translucent glass element of our front door, most nights I try to walk from the living room to my room (our house is a long rectangle haha, my room is closest to the front door and the living room is half way down the house). This is an example of very short-term exhilaration. The primary factor being heightened state of mind leading to secondary factor of thrill. The darkness creates a sense of unfamiliarity and risk; as we’re so dependent on our eyes for information. Furthermore, the lack of almost any other sensory stimulation likely adds to this sense of unfamiliarity and lack of control which gives me that thrill that leads to exhilaration. However, its worth specifying that I choose to walk through this darkness; there are lights I could turn on before walking if I wanted to. I believe the fact that I feel comfortable in this space and have voluntarily thrown myself into almost complete darkness is what allows me to find this thrilling (exhilarating) and not just fearsome and stressful.

Urban and Nighttime Environments

Feeling exhilaration or a sense of adventure during a nighttime walk is a natural response influenced by the interplay of environmental and psychological factors. The darkness and reduced visual input create an aura of mystery and novelty, heightening curiosity and anticipation. The break from daily routines and the opportunity to explore an unfamiliar nighttime environment evoke feelings of excitement and discovery. This emotional response is further fuelled by the release of dopamine, contributing to the overall enjoyable and refreshing experience of a nighttime walk.

“Given the subtle changes being made to our cities, as well as the constant demands on our attention, it may be seriously questioned whether most of us have the time or inclination to engage with a sense of place anymore. But out there beyond our homes, an alternative, liminal habitat awaits us in the nocturnal city.”

“Rather than being daunted by the penumbra of the built environment, walking into the night can be a refractory act against the restraints of daily chores; a means of dissipating the heft of familiar roles and responsibilities. Even in those parts of the city with the greatest light pollution, the absence of people can be a strange and exhilarating experience. This is when we are most able to engage all our senses with the city.” (Dunn 2016).

Main Character Syndrome and the adventure and novelty seeking tendencies

Main Character Syndrome refers to a psychological phenomenon where individuals perceive themselves as the central characters of their own life story. They tend to exhibit adventure and novelty-seeking behaviours as they seek to create a more exciting and fulfilling narrative for themselves. By embracing new challenges and seeking novel experiences, individuals with Main Character Syndrome strive to craft a unique and exhilarating life journey, reminiscent of the thrilling adventures portrayed by protagonists in stories and media.

I don’t appreciate this new term “main character syndrome” because its used too broadly; different people seem to consider different behaviours indicative of main character syndrome. For example, my ex girlfriend told me she overheard a mutual friend at a party saying that she looks like she’s got main character syndrome as she was dancing more and visibly enjoying more than those around her. Obviously, my perspective is biased but from my understanding she doesn’t try to do more or be more esctatic than others, she just feels that those around her aren’t lit and she’s doing what makes the party more enjoyable for herself which is dancing with the enthusiasm she does.

Whereas what I find indicative of main character syndrome is where someone acts in a way that is comical, laughably comical but does so unironically with full seriousness. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qk8w4sBAjhM

Works cited

A panacea (12th December 2022) ‘滑手Milton Martinez’ [Douyin video], A panacea, accessed July 29th 2023. https://www.douyin.com/user/MS4wLjABAAAAGLErKORP_fVBDpGoMuhAa05mlII7h3K0zjETnl0vHQg?modal_id=7180172916988988724&vid=7201726315202907448

Dunn N (18 November 2016) ''When streets become supernatural': the joy of walking in cities at night’, The Guardian, accessed July 29th 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/nov/18/nocturnal-night-city-nick-dunn-streets-supernatural-joy-walking-cities

“Exhilarate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhilarate. Accessed 4 Aug. 2023.

GBYANG（混剪）限流王 (23 July 2023) '绝命毒师古斯塔沃炸鸡叔：Are you afraid, Mr White、’ [Douyin video], GBYANG（混剪）限流王, accessed July 29th 2023. https://www.douyin.com/user/MS4wLjABAAAAIUzH8HcejQ3cbQT_qKoS3_bhkGXo6Pdm81J0glRF5xY?modal_id=7258153813561888040&vid=7258153813561888040

Lynnwakeup石焱磊 and Rogue (16 May 2023) ‘“回到街头。“‘ [Douyin video], Lynnwakeup石焱磊, accessed July 29th 2023. https://www.douyin.com/user/MS4wLjABAAAAwNL_jGyISIPz6b995C6zvxKcNqfT0MIYGjaH8PvY6iA?modal_id=7233727047766445347&showTab=favorite_collection

Piñones E (23 June 2023) ‘Quantum Levitation in 60 Seconds An animation by Eduardo Piñones’ [Douyin video], 阿物科普, accessed July 29th 2023. https://www.douyin.com/user/MS4wLjABAAAAYMTGo7kHhm7p06jgiKoEDbfnI6LwSO3E8QruuTyi3ZA?modal_id=7247824873161084216&vid=7247824873161084216

przmoney (12 February 2023) ‘Life is a W rn’ [Instagram Reel], przmoney, accessed July 29th 2023. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoiVmydP22d/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

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