Video Installation Evaluation

Firstly, I researched and briefly explained the controversy that surrounds video installations. I looked at the work of various video installation artist, but the three artist that caught my attention were Bill Viola, Mathew Barney and Marsia alexander clark because of the different techniques they used in the creation of their video installations. They all had there own way of illustrating their creativeness throught the work they've done. I was inspired and motivated by their methods of crafting and unique techniques used to produce quality pieces of Art.

As we all know pre-production is a valuable asset when making videos. This is where all the ideas are created and amended (if needed). For example, creating storyboards, mind maps and so on forth.  Going through the pre-production process made it much easier for me to produce such outstanding craft. This process gave me the opportunity to bring forth to life my aspirations and creativeness. I also followed the set criteria that has been broken down into managable chunks on the assignment brief, this made it coherently about the requirements.

I believe my video installation looks professionally created because of the methods and techniques used. It was captured with a camera, it was in focused and the shutter speed was set to around 30. A professional insatallation artist would probably used the same techniques, if not similar to capture their video installation.
My installation differ from that of the artist that i've reseached, but is similar in terms of the fact that it is interesting because of the way it has been edited.

I'm quite happy with my installation because it's simple yet meaningful. If I was to to this task again, I would capture more images, explore other backgrounds and probably mixed more colours together in hope for a better outcome.

Brief Report

                                              Working to a brief

Introduction

The following report will provide in depth understanding of the different types of briefs available in the video production industry. For this task I have chosen to go into more details into the competition brief.

A brief is a document that gives clear instruction that requires you to do a specific task.

It usually provides an objective advice and in depth knowledge as to what is best for the recipient. It also explains the criteria’s needed in order to meet the requirements of the brief. A brief is basically what the client or the commission editor wants.


   
ucture of briefs:

There are various numbers of briefs that are available within the video production industry. These can vary from that of a competition briefs open to the general public to commissioning briefs for large TV channels. See below

Competition Brief:

A competition brief is document that provides all the instructions need for the those participating in the competition. These instruction/ information include:

· What the competition ask you to produce
· What style it can be
· What will happen if you've met the requirements ( the prizes that can be won)
· The deadline for the competition
· What the judges are looking for in the winning entry
· The length of the video
· What prizes can be won if you enter individually or as a group

 Contractual Brief

- Non- disclosure agreements

· It have financial implications/ legal implication attached
· Pricing listed
· Schedule/ deadline
· Agreements
· Legal ownership

Formal Brief:

-Written documents

Typed

· Documented using a cell phone/ supporting emails
· There is a technical and specific language

-It is focused and attentive

· It gets straight to the point, it does not contain any unnecessary detail or information
· Detailed/budget/ deadlines
· Not a legal document

-Most briefs are written with this style. It is mainly aimed at industry sectors or a group of people.

Not usually available to individuals.

Informal Brief:

 Is a brief that can be done either during a face to face conversation or

-Can be straight forward with no documentation to support it.

- No direct contractual agreement, however this can be drawn up at a later date
- Generalised, but also could be expanded/elaborated at a later date.
- No specific requirements needed.

Commissioned Brief

- Specific variable given
- Public procurement
- Outline given to complete the task
-formal in structure
- Not much guidance is given
- must be related to the subject area

Tendered Brief

-A brief that is delivered to meet a specific demand or requirement.

- Usually drawn up for government or business purpose
-Potential contractors bid for the contract.

· The government or business would hand this type of brief out if there are a lot of people applying for the same thing.

- handed out mainly to meet demand
- Once issued it is outlined in a formal standard.

Reading a brief
Reading a brief instruct/ informs you on exactly what  you're being asked to do. When reading a brief you shoud concentrate on these five aspects; What is required of you? Who is asking you to meet these requirements and why are you doing it? where can you meet the requirement of the brief? when should this task be completed ?. Following these five w's will inform you on exactly what is required of you in order for you to complete the task.

Please see apendix 1and 2for example of competition and tendered briefs

On a competition brief  for video production it will specifically instruct you on how to enter the competition; the length of the of your video; the closing date; the prizes to be won and what the judges are looking fo etc... A competition brief could be for marketing purposes or finding new talent and is also available to the general public. In comparison to that, a tendered brief is only available to a particular sector and is different in terms of it's purpose For example, if a business or governing body wanted to make a video they would hand it out to  say three different production team and then they would choose the best idea presented to them.

The competition brief is requires a 60-second video about a subject you love. If your video is successful then you could win £ 9, 000 towards your education, Three runners up will recieve £250s worth of OUP books. The competition however does not  specify a particular subject area.  You'll be judged on your passion for the subject, your ability to convey complex ideas in a short period of time and also giving interesting angles on your chosen subject.
The deadline for entries is 31 December 2012. The competition is open to any UK student who is enrolled on a full-time, fee-paying higher education course, and to any Uk students apply for higher or further education in 2013.


The common factors of a brief:

• The start date
• Deadline- This is the specific date in which the project should be done. There will be no extension, so it must be done and handed it by the date required.
• Project Title
• Assessment date- This is the date in which your receive your feedback based on the finish product.
• The criteria
• Commission Editor

Negotiating process of a brief:

First and foremost not all briefs can be negotiated seeing as some briefs will be quite stick and rigorous on the demands. Below is the process in which a brief can be negotiated.

The process of negotiation

• The pitch
• The proposal
• The development of the original idea by using the feedback given from the client
• Finalization of idea

Consultation with the client in order to find out if there has been any changes. For example, is there any issue with the demands?
- do you need clarification based on what has been required of you?
Discretion
You may have questions that needs an answer before taking the next step.
- Is the budget opened for discussion?
-Can changes made to minor details with the clients permission?

Constraints:
You have to take into consideration the ethical, the regulatorys, copyright and the localization of the brief. Knowing this tells you how much limitation and restriction one has on the solution.

Amendments:
This is the stage where changes can be made. An alteration of or to the solution can be made throuht this processing stage.
Budgeting- Has there been any changes due to the demand or requirement of the brief.
- Has there been any unplanned circumstance or requirements that may affect the budget.
If so, what can be done?
- Has the been any unforseen development issues?

Conditions
Is there any suggestion or request for improvement or changes by a governing body?
Have the regulations changed? Has there been any changes in the components of the brief?

The Project:

• Duration
• Work load
• Fees

Self Development Opportunity
There are many different opportunity available in completion of the demands and requirements of a brief. One could gain new skills whilst working on the solution. There could be an opportunity available for such person(s) to be paid to develop the skills they have gained through specific training and also you could be able develop your ideas and create more products.
 These skills may include:

• Communication skills
• Negotiation skills

Contribution and suggestions
This is the process in which you can contribute or even suggest any ideas you have that could support and/ or improve  the original brief initial.  To do so, you would have to approach the client to improve the final solution, if there is need for improvement. You must find out whether or not contributing or suggesting any form of idea may affect your salary. Will this affect the deadline or the budget of the solution?
Also, had you given any contribution or suggestion to the client, will the brief be ammended or re-drafted with the new idea.

Conclusion:

DVD Unit

 The Future Of DVD's

DVD is a circular disc that is used for storage, very easy to transfer files to from computers. It is a well packaged object of mass consumption. 

With the portability and relatively inexpensive price point of the DVD help expand the lifespan of the physical media.  The question at a hand at this minute is “what is the future is DVDs?” The DVD’s aren't  dead yet, but it’s definitely looking rather peaked, at least in the eyes of the home-video industry. This is based on all the new formats competing to replace it, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.

As sales continue to decline, rental shops have all but disappeared from the public eyes (blockbusters which was once the dominant franchise for DVDs has embarked into bankruptcy). And the major studios have nothing but drastically cut back on full releases of library titled DVDs.

The days of DIgital Versatile Disc may well be coming to an end, with the likes of Netflex and Love film emerging onto the scene of movie platforms and are only £5 per month. In modern society everything is only a click away which means a lot of people have already laid DVD's to rest and have now decided to watch movies online seen as entertainment seems to merely be a click away. Also one has the opportunity to search and read in depth reviews about a particular film before they decide to watch it and this is unavailable on DVD's.

With technologies constantly upgrading, I'd say there is not a light at the end of the tunnel for DVD's. DVD's consist of special features such as deleted scenes and behind the scenes which could bring you further entertainment whilst digital copies merely have the movie. Also, with DVD's you can skip advertisements and trailers before the movie has even begun.

Its storage unit is still very useful, as you can download movies from the internet and put them unto the disc, to watch later on or even share with others.

DVD Print Screen

Christmas carol evaluation

For this unit I was given a the task of designing camera movements anf angles for the filming of the christmas carol singing cast performance.  Firstly,  I researched different was in which talent shows capture the performance of the acts and used it as an inspiration for filming the singers.

All the reseached and ideas I  developed, I formatted in a presentation style piece which I pitched to the client and James (lecturer). Thereafter I was given feedbacks and ways on which I could improve and develop my idea.

My presentation was said to be "under cooked" based on the fact that I had no visual images as evidence to prove that I indeed knew exactly what I was talking about.  Although, the evidence was non existent,  the client did however choose my idea to be put through to the next stage "development and filming".

During this process, I teamed up with Tyler whom was given the same task as I, together we combined both our ideas and made amendments and changes.  We both tackled the preproduction process and had regular meetings to see our progression and what was left to be done and by what deadline.

At this point all was going well.  We have contacted the Performing Arts lecture to check the availability of the singers, rehearsal dates and so on forth.  We also liase with the technician and set designers about the set-whether it would be ready in time.  We were assured that iy would be finished in time for us to crack on an film.

One the morning of the filming I was told the set wasn't finished based on the fact that the props weren't purchased,  the budget list wasn't handing in to the head of media, the measurements for the wallpaper weren't taken, so basically Iman and I had to then take up the role of set designers in order to get the set ready for filming.  The filming of the singers had to be pushed foward and so on forth.

The finshed product was completely and utterly unprofessional.  The editing looked amateur seeing as it was not edited properly because most of the camera angles couldn't be used based on the fact that the set was designed with no roof and that was captured in the video. So we ended up using on camera angle.

Based on the feedback from the client, I believe we did well because we managed to get a group of twelve individuals to fit on the set and be seen on screen.  If I was to do this again,  I would do a run through beforehand, just to be on the safe side.

Photography Evaluation

For this task, I chose to focus on light painting photography.  First of all I did the pre-production paper work in order to create such creative masterpiece.  I created a mind maps of idea, using images from google.

My first idea was to do fashion photography. The theme for that idea was 'Running bride' From the theme one could figure out exactly what the pictures would have been. Unfortunately I had change my idea based on the fact that I could not find a female model nor could I find a well fitted wedding dress.

Having said that, to create my light painting photography, firstly I had to set the ISO to the amount of exposure I wanted. Put the camera into focused mode and literally got one of my classmate to stand in front of the camera and painted random things that came to mind. I must say, I hadn't the slightest idea what the images would turn out to be, but I was well pleased with the outcome.

My favourite photograph, I would say is number 3 based on the fact that I've managed to capture  the perfect circle. It turned out quite well for something that was captured from pure randomness.  The focus is sharp, I believe the camera captured this photo at a precise moment; making it the best by far.

Taylor Pemberton and Sola are light painting photographers. Sola produced a wide, colourful and bright range of light graffiti, I believe my images fits the professional standards as his.  The images I captured appear to be manipulative yet are untouched after the camera shutter closes seeing as there were no preconception beforehand.
http://photoskillsa-laura-parkinson.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/sola-light-bombing-artist.html
I believe my photographs has reached professional standard based on the fact that they are quite similar to Sola, especially that of the "Light bombing light graffiti" because of the similar techniques used. I believe he may have used the same tool as I to create his image. Although our images are quite similar, they are also different in terms of the background. He captured his image in an abandoned places where concrete, steel and a sense of decay frame, whereas I captured my images in a studio based environment.

Overall, I am very happy with the pictures I managed to take, seen as I believe it demonstrates how creative I can be, if I put my all into it.  I believe they reached a professional standard and could well be seen in a Photography magazine.  I also enjoyed painting in random directions in front of the camera, just having fun with it all and getting the best outcome possible.  If I were to do this again, I would consider exploring more and taking my images outdoors.                                    

Task 1 a- Installation Nasties!

VIDEO INSTALLATION


Video installation is a a form of contemporary art that connects video technology and installation art, making use of  all the aspect surrounding the environment in order affect the audience.

Marsia Alexander Clarke

Marsia makes her art from small cropper video cells that she calls marks which resembles the idea of marks on painting or in drawings. She quoted, " I am very interested in creating compositions with marks which are imbedded with a feeling refernce to the outer world..." she has a solo exibition that features a series on her work done on stretched canvas. Her work can be viewd at the California Museum of photography.

 NB: Above are images of her work.



Bill Viola was born in Queens, New York, USA on January 25th 1951.He is a contemporary video artist. His art work explores mainly around  the theme of 'dualism', conveying the idea that one can not understand what they look like until they've seen its opposite. For example, you can't fully understand the complete purpose of life until you've faced loss (death). With light comes darkness and with consciousness also comes the unconsciousness. His work focuses mainly around human experience, such as death, birth and the aspect of consciousness. His work can be categorized into three different themes;  visual, conceptual and a unique combination of the two. Viola's work usually sinks the audience into the mindset of the images created in order to connect to the meaning behind it all by using ultra-slow motion videos. 




Bill Viola's Acceptance video arts tells a story, from the heading you can tell it's about one accepting who they are. At first, we are seeing a woman figure come into sight rather out of focus. We watch as the subject emerges form out of the dark and into the light,  and the passage through what seems to be water.  Water being the representation of a 'barrier' an obstacle that has to be defeated, and there is no substitute path to get around it.. The juxtaposition of light and darkness, with light being acceptance and darkness being non-acceptance. Before the subject can move out of the darkness and into the light, she must go through some sort of a struggle. Then finally she emerges into light, with both the relief and the realization that the milestone has been reached.

Matthew Barney is an American artist who works in sculpture, photography, filming and drawing. He is most famous for his CREMASTER cycle sculpture video arts. The cremaster cycle consist of five feature length films. It was made over a period of 8 years, starting from 1994-2002.  His work has caused a lot of controversy, gaining both negative and positive feedback mainly because of the contents in which he portrayed them.
Cremation focuses on the process of creation. Barney uses video in terms of positioning, lighting, size and so on forth on his subject.

Overall, I've gained in depth knowledge about video installations and the controversy it faces in society. The creation of video installation varies, seeing as it could very well be anything as long as it is clear what the idea is. It can be humorous, tense, scary, confusing etc.