Critique

In other studio classes I've had, we have looked at our work halfway through our process to get feedback and help from professors and classmates. In our Video I class this was not a technique that was ever used, as in most classes we just viewed our final piece. There are some definite pros to doing an in-progress critique.

Doing an in-progress critique can help the artist see their work in a new light that they previously hadn't seen. This can help them continue on in their original path in a positive way, or it can steer them in a totally new direction than they had originally planned. I also think that the critique will make the work stronger with the feedback from peers.

I felt really great about the feedback I received from my in-progress critique. Larger scale things such as my aspect ratio of my various videos needed to match up, which is a pretty important thing. I most likely wouldn't have noticed it on my own. Smaller scale things such as slowing segments down were also pointed out. The combination of all the things can make the piece as a whole so much stronger.

Any chance an artist can get to have their piece critiqued can be beneficial. Even if the comments are negative it can help the artist build emotionally. Critique can be hard to handle, especially that first project of the first studio class freshmen year. Overall it is vital to the arts and to learning in school. We are here to be the best and take the most out of our experience.

Silly Bears

On saturday morning I took my mom to Ann Arbor to see Films in Competition 5. We were one of the first ones there, but as people began to fill in we noticed they were mostly young children with their parents. We laughed and thought it was funny that we ended up at the only 6+ appropriate screening.

The first film was UFOs and was made in 1971. Once it had been restored years after, they discovered it had stereoscopic qualities, and they made it into a 3D format film. It still amazes me how much technology there was in the 60's and 70's.

Another film that I really enjoyed was called Silly Bears by Matt Brunson. Visually it appealed to me because of the audio he used and there was a lot of bright colors (I am such a girl lol). It was just an entertaining piece to watch for all ages. It shows teddy bears and life size bears and a young man flying a plane in this alternate universe.

August Song was another film that I really liked. It was a collaboration with Jodie Mack and Emily Kuehn. It follows also follows an animal around an alternate space or universe. This video follows a cat and has a lot of cat imagery. It also appealed to me in the visual sense with the colors and imagery they used.

Both artists were there at the film festival and went up onstage to answer questions after the screening. It was cool to be able to see them and hear them talk about their work. I really enjoyed myself at the film festival and can see myself going back in years to come. As an artist I think its important to see and support other art forms.

Gerry & Marshall

On Thursday we had special guest Gerry Fialka visit Oakland. You never really know what you're going to get at these lectures, but we had been warned it was going to be entertaining. Upon entering the room, Gerry approached me and handed me a flyer and asked what I was going to school to become. As I told him I wanted to do graphic design work and editorial things for magazines he said he was impressed and asked me several questions. I've never had such a personal contact with a guest speaker or even a teacher be that interested in such a short amount of time.

Gerry got right into the lecture on Marshall McCluhan, who I knew very little about previously. Gerry had us answer several of his questions such as 'what was the first human invention?' and each person in the room had to answer. Although there was no visual aids to his presentation, that definitely kept me engaged.

Gerry talked about 'media theorist' Marshall McCluhan. Gerry stressed that Marshall was an innovator because he always answered questions with another question and brought out a lot of ideas and theories to the surface. One thing Gerry talked about, which he said to make sure to mention to our professor, was how Marshall believed that we shape the tools, and then the tools shape us. The first thing that came to mind when I heard this was Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg and friends created Facebook which was a tool to connect with friends and see a new side to people and their lives. Since its creation Facebook has shaped society. People are able to connect and communicate in ways never before possible. People lay out their personal lives for their friends to see.

Gerry also talked about seeing both sides to objects and situations. There are advantages and disadvantages to almost everything. He said that he gets distracted when students text in class and most likely the student isn't even paying attention but there is that possibility that they are taking highly detailed and diligent notes by using their phone. It really got me thinking about seeing situations from that kind of perspective which is interesting.

I Am Me

Kayleigh Joyce McWhinnie. Named after my Grandmother and a horrible 70's song. I can be loud obnoxious, and sassy. Compassionate and bubbly. I love to work. I am creative and artistic. I still read actual books and buy actual CD's. My dream job is working as an Art Director for a magazine. I love my puppies more than its healthy. Photography, U of M hockey, and sleeping are my passions. Tumblr obsessed. Spoon rings, converse and V-necks. Yes, I am short, thank you. I have awesome friends, family, and coworkers. I also really love history and art history. I could live off potatoes and Coke.

60 Second Shot

Doing a video that is only 60 seconds can be easy, but also have its challenges. As an artist you want to convey your intent or message in a short amount of time. Composition was really important when planning my 60 second shot. An interesting composition can make a world of difference in a video so short.

Doing this project, I learned that the camera's quality really does effect how the video looks. I used my phone for this project, when didn't allow for a nice steady shot since I wasn't able to use a tripod. The camera also learned that the camera can really change the color from what it is like in real life, which is what I experienced when filming this video.

During the critique in class I learned more about narrative in videos. I always thought of narratives as a dialogue and so much in terms of a beginning, middle, or end and how the mixture or lack there of can effect the video. With Meghan's video, we come into it right in the middle, and the piece stops before there is an end or any kind of resolution. This makes the viewer question and try to analyze the whole story since we are not given all the information.

Another thing I really paid attention to and learned more about was the space that exists out the camera lens and the scene. It can really make the viewer question the ambiguous space and what exists in it. Are there more people? What is out there that we can't see.

Why I Love Video Art

Video Art was recently introduced to me as an artist. During Video Art I we did screenings of pieces from the 1970's and 1980's so as revolutionary as they were, some of them were a little too out there for my taste. I did see a couple pieces that I really loved and came to form a better of opinion of this art form. Vertical Roll by Joan Jonas was a great piece and really enjoyed it. It really shows what an artist can do with audio, editing, and using video to make a message.

I love video art because it comes with endless possibilities. As long as one can dream it up, has access to equipment and can figure out a way to execute their ideas, they can create it. Yes it is a more pricey and technology based art form than say drawing is, but that is the way society and culture is moving.

Also part of why I love video art is editing. That is the most enjoyable part of the video making process for me. Its rewarding for me as an artist to take footage that is so ordinary and simple and take it into final cut and make something worth watching. This also goes the same for me as a photographer, part of what I love most is seeing the images I've taken and editing them in Photoshop.

Being new to Video, I still get a little frustrated figuring out how to execute my ideas and getting the footage that I want. It's so different than drawing, painting, and photography. It is still a form of expression but has opened up a whole new door for me as an artist, which is another reason why I love video art.