Fictional Documentary: Chess

Statement:

This documentary follows a middle age-man who is known as "Creepy Carl" to the Lower East Side locals in New York City. "Creepy Carl" was once the winner of the World Chess Championship and genius.  We follow his daily routine at Washington Square Park and discuss his journey from prodigy to a naive people watcher. 

Priority Elements:

1. Opening: Close up shot of a chess board

2. Context of theme: Zoom out and show first chess players playing and then Washington Square Park.

3. Environmental background shots: His apartment, Carl's watching spot in Washington Square Park, 

4. Transition Shots: Movement of hands on chess board, Newspaper clippings of Carl's World Chess Championship, Newspaper articles about his disappearance

5. Visual Texture: Close up shot of chess board

McCloud Inspiration

• The idea of the mind finishing an action. 
• Letting the reader know what happened but giving his imagination room to fill in the blanks of how the action was done. 
• Showing very few clues triggers the reader to have images and use his imagination
• One panel operating as several panels can depict a single moment
• A single moment can be held or elongated by a silent caption that cuts off
• The shape of the panel or how many panels there are can also represent a longer period of time
• Borderless panel can be considered timeless
• When the panel is silent then it can create a sense of timelessness
• Able to show movement through static medium
• Showing emotion through certain drawings  

Banksy's Fiction Documentary

Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop was a great example of a fiction documentary. The documentary's purpose seems to change as it progresses. This shifting purpose is a great example of a fictional element because the majority of documentaries have a set purpose or message that they want to give to the audience. Also, if their message changes while they are making the film then they usually edit out the extra parts. The things that made the documentary more credible was the fact that they interviewed experts in the art industry. For example, they had interviews with an art collector, graffiti artists, and Banksy himself. Another thing that made the documentary more credible and believable was the fact that when Thierry gave up his filming to become an artist he made a full show. He showed a team of workers who were working on the production of his show. However, Thierry's art did not seem legitimate. The Campbell's spray can seems to be copying Andy Warhol. Another thing that was completely absurd was when Thierry injured himself. Although they filmed an interview with a doctor it is highly unlikely to get an actual injury on tape. It seemed like there was some major acting going on there!

Graphic Novel

Time Lapse Video

I have never made a time lapse video until this project. I took around 200 pictures of traffic on 13th Street and 5 Ave. I decided that it would be an interesting angle to take pictures from up above of the traffic. I went to the highest place that I had access to and took pictures from the 7th floor of the University Center. I got as close as I could to the window and angled the camera downward. However, I also got some of the window reflecting back at me so you could see my feet in the photos. I thought that the reflection gave an interesting effect to the pictures and made them more interesting. I also enjoyed that you could see my feet moving throughout each shot as I repositioned the camera. I have never used Adobe Premier before so I experimented with different effects. I made the video have a two tone red and white effect. I enjoyed the color changes because it reminded me of a graphic novel and comic book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4fVFMEW6JM

Click the link above to see the time-lapse video! 

Ancient vs. Modern

The assignment was to create an art piece that represented the joining of the ancient and modern. I found this task to be difficult because the assignment was so open. I started off by sketching various ideas into my sketch book. I imagined what the future would be like and the role nature would play in society. I imagined that nature was something that did not exist except in an artificial way. I drew sketches of families sitting around and watching trees on TV to portray this message. I also thought about nature and technology in a way that was more literal. I drew a giant tree but the bark as a hard drive of a computer. However, I ended up taking my art piece in a more comical direction. I drew a rock plugged into an outlet. I came to this idea by thinking about something that would seem wrong to try to combine it with technology.

I decided that it would be best to physically put a cord through a rock. I did not think that it would be as humorous if I were to paint or draw a cord through a rock. I drilled two holes into the rock and then put the cord through it. I made sure that the cord was secure by using JB Weld epoxy. Unfortunately, I was unable to plug the rock into an outlet because it would be dangerous. I think that if I had more time to work on the project then I would have incorporated a switch onto the rock. I also think that I would have chosen a larger rock.

Time Map

The Time Map was an interesting assignment for me because it was a challenge to find a creative way to measure time. I decided to examine how long it would take to tie a person's shoe laces. I decided to choose this action for the time map because I liked the idea of photographing an everyday process. I also like the idea of lacing something up because it reminds me of corsets. My suitemate has a pair of combat boots which lace up so it was the perfect fit. I preferred combat boots over gym shoes for example because the process of lacing up boots is much longer. I photographed the lacing of the boots and printed them out. I decided to run twine through each photo. I chose yellow twine to match the yellow shoelaces in my suitemate's combat boots. I also made sure that the time map was split into two one representing the time it takes to lace up a left and right boot. I also made sure that the string had a criss crossing laced up look to it.