Introduction
Film, video, and new media covers virtually every moving picture. They often rely on the accompaniment of sound, but this is not necessarily true. That being said, even in the age of "silent" movies there was still often a piano playing along with it. This is usually passive, but new media can include interactive media such as web sites and videogames. We focused mainly on film and video, and the differences between the two as well as the various types and genres. We also made our own film out of a mash-up of old footage to create something new.
Starting Points
I new a fair amount about film, video and new media prior to the lectures. I mostly had to rely on prior knowledge of new media since we didn't go over much of that, especially in regards to videogames. Videogames are too often disregarded as a valid artistic media, but there is become a greater and greater acceptance of videogames as art. Aside from that, film and video are fairly simple to grasp conceptually, since they are just various types of moving picture, but there is much to learn in the nuances in the differences between different genres and even with a genre.
What I Learned
Prior to the lectures I hadn't really thought that much about the difference between what makes something a film or a video. I realized that intent has a lot to do with the difference. Videos, such as from a surveillance camera, are not films because they aren't made or presented with any artistic intent. However, such videos can be elevated to films if they are edited or combined in such a way as to make a point, ask a question, or tell a story. This is much what we did with our "channel surf" projects (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0r_HyWZXSw) where we took old films or videos and compiled them into a single film resembling different channels being flipped through. It shows how footage can be re-purposed to take on a whole new meaning that is different from the one it originally had. We also learned more about the importance of collaboration in film. Many different departments can and should work together to make film. The example given by John LeBlanc was a collaboration between the film and design and production departments. The film was designed to inform about the kind of work D&P does by showcasing a creature costume challenge where students had to make monster costumes. After a documentary of the process, there was a short monster battle featuring the two monsters fighting in a city. So the film helped the D&P department and D&P helped with the film. We also went more in depth on the different genres of film and what we can accomplish with them.
Things I Would Like to Learn More About
As I said earlier, we really didn't do too much with new media, aside from a brief reading. I would have liked to have gone more into new media, since it is a broad and interesting topic. It's a somewhat vague term that encompasses some of the most intriguing work being done today, so it's a shame we didn't get to learn more about it. I feel I come away from this week with a better grasp on film and video than when I started, but the same cannot be said of new media. It also would have been nice to work with new media in some fashion so we could get a hands on experience.
Conclusion
Overall it was a fascinating look at the world of film and video and a disappointingly fleeting glimpse at the world of new media. It was fun to work with old footage and it's always interesting to see what the power of editing can do, as Julian Semilian showed us. It was good to see that not all films are narrative and not all videos are films. Though I wish we had done more with new media, what we did with film and video was interesting and informative and will hopefully help me in my future endeavors.
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