Final Project

Binding Empathy Series –
A series of images that are of my husband and I superimposed together into individual photos. This concept was influenced by a car accident my husband Ricky was in about a year ago. He suffered a concussion and the left side of his face was torn by shards of glass from his driver’s side. As I cared for him at home I began to feel pain pressure on the left side of my face as well. This was the first time I had experienced any kind of physical empathy with someone.
In order to mesh still photography with a time-based format such as video my plan for my final goes as follows: 
Setting – (taken with still shots) Ricky and I are standing facing each other in front of a wall of white linen. The white linen symbolizes the fabric bandaging that was used for his injury, as a sort of backdrop to the setting. We are both wrapped in white linen, which further displays the injury that took place.
Motion - At this point neither of the left sides of our faces are directed toward the camera because at this point the accident has not happened. We face each other in front flashing projected imagery. We are viewed in a wide shot point of view (from ceiling to waist level). This action of the projected images over us represents the accident occurring. The whole reason for superimposing each other’s images on one another is to help further emphasize that we are close and very much connected, even in a psychic physical way.
As the projector covers us with these images the camera slowly gets closer and closer until the camera is a medium shot (from shoulders to head). As the camera comes in for the medium shot I turn around facing in the other direction from Ricky. Then I start to move back towards him and then he hugs me, holds me and then we are cheek to cheek. At this point in the medium shot both of the left side of our faces are facing the camera. Sound – As far as sound I plan to compose a score of light airy ambient music. This will resonate from the beginning of the first projected images and the point where the wax breaks from our faces. The reason for choosing a lighter soundscape is to keep the focus on imagery. 
This piece is approx. 3mins and 4 sec. in length.
-Cecilia Sewell-

final proposal

Empathy Series – A series of images that are of my husband and I superimposed together into individual photos. This concept was influenced by a car accident my husband Ricky was in about a year ago. He suffered a concussion and the left side of his face was torn by shards of glass from his driver’s side. As I cared for him at home I began to feel pain pressure on the left side of my face as well. This was the fist time I had experienced any kind of physical empathy with someone.
In order to mesh still photography with a time-based format such a video my plan for my final goes as follows:
Setting – (taken with still shots) Ricky and I are standing facing each other in front of a wall of white linen. The white linen symbolizes the fabric bandaging that was used for his injury, as a sort of backdrop to the setting.
Motion - At this point neither of the left sides of our faces are directed toward the camera because at this point the accident has not happened. As we face each other still shots will be taken from a wide shot point of view (from ceiling to waist level).
Then the lights darken and a projector displays the superimposed images over us. This action of the projected images over us represents the accident occurring. The whole reason for superimposing each other’s images on one another is to help further emphasize that we are close and very much connected, even in a psychic physical way.
As the projector covers us with these images the camera slowly gets closer and closer until the camera is a medium shot (from shoulders to head). As the camera comes in for the medium shot I turn around facing in the other director from Ricky. Then I start to move back towards him and then he hugs me, holds me and then we are cheek to cheek. At this point in the medium shot both of the left side of our faces are facing the camera.
Then the projector switches to moving images of hot wax being poured. The water like projection over our faces cascades and causes a glistening shimmer of light. The pouring of the wax over our faces further represents our melding of my physical reaction to his experience with mine.
Then in the melted wax starts to become more solid as it cools in the moving projected image and the moving image slowly stops and hold still frame over us. In a time lapse partly warm pieces of wax start to little by little cover our face, until finally covering both of our faces together. This represents an even more connection and melding of this experience we shared.
End – After the wax has joined the left side of our faces together, we are both left with memory from this experience. The camera pulls back in still shots of us breaking apart the wax from our faces, ending in a still frame of us still in an embrace but with red skin from the hot wax. The redness of the skin has the meaning of the mark of memory.
Sound – As far as sound I plan to compose a score of light airy ambient music. This will resonate from the beginning of the first projected images and the point where the wax breaks from our faces. The reason for choosing a lighter soundscape is to keep the focus on imagery.
This piece should be approx. from 3-5 minutes long.

3rd essay

(I read this on the day it was supposed to be done, writing about it has come late)

This article was very intriguing and brought many points up that really hasn't occurred to me. I consider myself a "multimedia artist", I love that this essay challenged that label by saying "what is multimedia?" It also asked artists to question this label and is it really what they want to adopt.
At the end of many points made I came to the conclusion that this word of combining different mediums together is what art, "modern" art has evolved to so far, these labels will evolve as we progress. Do we need to keep defining ourselves?

These are some images from my midterm
top is the same image but floating in wax
bottom image is without

proposal/final

Ok, I'm going to try a different route on the wax aspect of my project. Its really funny how some things can be right in front of you and not even realise until someone points it out. This is apparent in everyday life, but in my art it is alot harder to see. In this case I am really glad that I am school to really get that constructive criticism that is really needed in order to develop certain skills. Ekks! what will I do when I am no longer in school! I just hope that I will gain that skill of being able to look at my work in a detached way in order to improve it. As well as really really, consider each element in my work, what does everything mean. I think I have grapsed how to create an idea, I just need to work on the elements that follow...

just for fun

This is an interesting use of flash and illustrated images. I thought would be a good source of inspiration if anyone is having any creative blocks.
It makes me want to try learning flash.
heres the url:

http://www.bornmagazine.org/projects/bewild/bewild.htm

Project: start

Ok, so I've got the offical go ahead to start fiddling around with this project idea. I'm really anxious and excited to see what my outcome will be, hopefully resembling what I have dreaming inside my mind...
WAX, is going to be a big part of this project, I will HAVE to do some tests! experimentation here I go! With this in mind I will definately have to make enough time to do this!
SPLICING is another big part, but in the editing process of this project. Like sama said "Zen out" this is really great advise. I encourage anyone else to do this if you have alot of splicing ahead of you. Just take it one step at a time. Since I have had experiance doing this for a previous photo/final cut project I pretty much know what I have in store. This time though I plan on mapping out what excatly should and should not be spliced. As well as how long each sequence of splices. (hehe tired of the word splice yet?)
So HERE I GO!

tHoUgHtS

Since the begining of the semester... I have been pondering on what I want to do for my final project. Ideas would come and go, then would be scrapped. This weekend I finally decided exactly what I want to do: Contextually I want to continue a subject I have been focusing on in my art for about a year. I have represented this subject in 2D/multi 2D media form... But I feel it is time to try and bring it to the 3D motion form. I will intermix live video with still photos that create a stop-motion kind of feel. This will also add to the displacement of my feelings from the subject. I will not disclose any visual details.. that will be for the propsal. But I do want to say that I will start my project NOW, because of how extensive it will be. I will have to do test shoots to get the actual effect and look I want, to bring the movie I have in my mind to the reality; well, as close as possible...

Mon 1.29

RJD2 Vid-
This video was extemely effective in making the point of matching images with a musical beat. It did have a music video quality feel... but, that was not a problem considering the imagry shown in the mini montage, was of politcal and social sustance. Which gives the musical video an added layer. The quality of this vid was well done, it takes alot of work to make images in such a timed format and to blend them in well with the backgrounds. I'm assuming that this was created in adobe after effects??? If not after effects then some other program that uses motion capabilities.

wed 1.24

"a picture tells a thousand words" chris justus
This was well done film that used a time based photograpic moving format. I really appreciated how personal this piece was, it really peeled layers off the artist and displayed who he really was. I would have to say that he should have tried to experiment more with other ways to voice himself besides using voice over. I found his voice to be distracing at times making the pacing of the piece lag. Or he could practice more with his voice over and make it with more clarity and annuciation.

mon. 1.22

DjRabbi: The overall message in this video was a big hard to evaluate. This is mainly due to the subtitles on the bottom screen. There was so much information displayed all at once, it was hard to concentrate on what was most important. I think that if there was a voice over with text that displayed main issues of importance within the text. The voice over would help the flow of the piece, creating a more tangible experiance for the viewer. Otherwise, the message I did gain from this video was very informative. I really enjoyed the sound score.

a print from a series I did last year

digtal print
8x10
beeswax coating
2006

hello

hello hello hello hello
my first blog blog
I feel sick
My love has the flu
I am taking care of him
my stomach hurts too
I hope I don't catch this flu