While I read 'On the rights of the Molotov Man', I continually thought about the various issues that have arisen in my experiences as a photographer. I understand both people's positions and feel that in many ways, they are both correct in their beliefs about the rights of artistic expression. As a photographer myself, I know how it feels to wonder if someone else is going to use one of my images without my permission. There are many, many different forums where you can discuss with other photographers or artists about the legality of certain aspects of using images without artists permission. I often struggle with posting my photos on the internet without any restrictions, and so I usually post only small file sizes or I put right-click restrictions on them, which is only a minor deterrent.
There was one thing that the photographer of the Molotov man said that resonated with me. She mentioned that she was a photographer in part because she wanted to contextualize things, make them a visible representation of a struggle or issue that was plaguing a certain people. She expressed discontent that the artist had taken her image and copied it, and copied it in a way that de-contextualized it. This is for certain one thing that I put a high value on when dealing with my own photographs. I may be okay with someone copying my image or images and using them for something personally, as long as the context of the photograph remains. If a photo that I took was ever used in a manner that severely disagreed with my original intent for that photograph, I would be upset. However, if I felt that the person had in fact used to my photo to further a cause I believed in, even if my photo was out of context, I may be more hesitant to seek legal action. In the case of the Molotov Man, as the photographer said, she was upset that her photo, which she took to represent struggle and the lengths people will go to free themselves, was painted and used in a collection that was depicting riots, which is something entirely different than a person struggling for their freedom. I’m okay with someone printing my photo out to put on their wall at home. I would not be okay with someone printing out many copies and using them as a background for an oil company commercial.
All that being said, as a filmmaker and a conscientious objector to mass media and the overwhelming nature of our capitalist society, I feel that there must be rules that govern or allow the use of other people’s media when it used in a satirical manner. I have mentioned this idea before, but I truly believe that it is up to the artists and dreamers of the world to keep us constantly looking at ourselves in the mirror and adjusting our attitudes and actions accordingly. When given the opportunity, we as a society can stray very far of course. That course being the one that propels us forward, as a society, towards a universally open and accepting environment; an environment where people’s ideas are heard without resignation or condemnation, an environment where evil actions are brought to light for everyone to see and not swept under the rug or given a free pass because they are of high importance.
Our current administration is a perfect example. If there were laws against using popular media for satirical or documentary purposes, how many people would know about all the misgivings of our president and those around him? We must, MUST, retain the ability to use other people’s property to turn that moral mirror on ourselves and investigate what we are, in fact, doing to the world around us-including ourselves.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Rooooouuuugh...
Rough Theatre Response
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances, and yet they do not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which appear to give one piece of mind. Yet nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.”----Christopher McCandless
When I think of Rough Theater, I initially think about Shakespeare and The Globe. If I remember correctly from high school English classes, The Globe was actually a pretty “rough” place to be during a performance. I remember reading about the commoners being thrown bread and standing in the mud near the stage, sometimes even relieving themselves right there on the spot, or yelling and throwing things at the actors when they were unhappy with the performance being given. Although that was my first thought, I don’t believe that is exactly what the article was talking about.
The next thing that comes to mind when thinking about rough theatre is music. Music is a passion of mine and I often find myself scouring the internet looking for new singers or bands in which I can enjoy. Many times, these bands tend to make music that is lo-fi, or not studio polished. There are often cracks and noises and background sounds all included in the music itself. While many would think that these things detract from the music itself, I find that it makes it all the more authentic, all the more true. When I hear lo-fi music, I hear life being translated through musical instruments, not just musical notes being played.
Our world is dirty. It is not crystal clear, polished, or shiny. We try to make it that way but it inevitably tries to return to its more natural, rugged form. Lo-fi music is only one example of rough theater. In my experiences, some of the best art or entertainment comes from sources which accept and work with the rough-ness of our world instead of trying to clear it all away. In the world of film, this comes into play often, especially when dealing with on location shooting. Many directors love to shoot in the studio because they can be in complete control of the many aspects of filming. However, in doing so, they sacrifice much of the authenticity that is there when you are filming in the real-world environment. I’ve found that if you embrace this unpredictability, you will often be rewarded.
In my years doing still photography, either personally or professionally, I have rarely done studio work. By that, I mean that most of the photography I do is out in the physical world, even if it is portrait work. Much of the photography that I’ve done in the last several years is that of the natural world, and I’ve found that if I try to control or even hope for certain conditions, I will be severely disappointed. Many of the best photos that I’ve taken have been spur of the moment, go-with-the-flow snapshots of ‘rough’ moments in time. Moments where I could never have predicted what happened or the composition that was created by unseen forces. Those are always my favorite moments in time.
All that being said, I agree with the author that Rough Theater is always the one that saves the day. I firmly believe that the common people, the artists, and the dreamers are the ones that will have to rise to the occasion to bring us up out of the man-made muck and mire that our world gets itself into by attempting to remove itself from the natural muck and mire of the world around us. It’s the artists and dreamers job to continually remind us that it is this “roughness” that gives us our humanity and our creativity. If all filmmakers wanted to be like Michael Bay, we’d be in trouble. Luckily there are those of us out there that are willing to continue to take the medium to new levels of exploration, never fearing to get out of our clean and polished worlds and visit those places, both physically and mentally, that push us to reach for bigger and better things.
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances, and yet they do not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which appear to give one piece of mind. Yet nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.”----Christopher McCandless
When I think of Rough Theater, I initially think about Shakespeare and The Globe. If I remember correctly from high school English classes, The Globe was actually a pretty “rough” place to be during a performance. I remember reading about the commoners being thrown bread and standing in the mud near the stage, sometimes even relieving themselves right there on the spot, or yelling and throwing things at the actors when they were unhappy with the performance being given. Although that was my first thought, I don’t believe that is exactly what the article was talking about.
The next thing that comes to mind when thinking about rough theatre is music. Music is a passion of mine and I often find myself scouring the internet looking for new singers or bands in which I can enjoy. Many times, these bands tend to make music that is lo-fi, or not studio polished. There are often cracks and noises and background sounds all included in the music itself. While many would think that these things detract from the music itself, I find that it makes it all the more authentic, all the more true. When I hear lo-fi music, I hear life being translated through musical instruments, not just musical notes being played.
Our world is dirty. It is not crystal clear, polished, or shiny. We try to make it that way but it inevitably tries to return to its more natural, rugged form. Lo-fi music is only one example of rough theater. In my experiences, some of the best art or entertainment comes from sources which accept and work with the rough-ness of our world instead of trying to clear it all away. In the world of film, this comes into play often, especially when dealing with on location shooting. Many directors love to shoot in the studio because they can be in complete control of the many aspects of filming. However, in doing so, they sacrifice much of the authenticity that is there when you are filming in the real-world environment. I’ve found that if you embrace this unpredictability, you will often be rewarded.
In my years doing still photography, either personally or professionally, I have rarely done studio work. By that, I mean that most of the photography I do is out in the physical world, even if it is portrait work. Much of the photography that I’ve done in the last several years is that of the natural world, and I’ve found that if I try to control or even hope for certain conditions, I will be severely disappointed. Many of the best photos that I’ve taken have been spur of the moment, go-with-the-flow snapshots of ‘rough’ moments in time. Moments where I could never have predicted what happened or the composition that was created by unseen forces. Those are always my favorite moments in time.
All that being said, I agree with the author that Rough Theater is always the one that saves the day. I firmly believe that the common people, the artists, and the dreamers are the ones that will have to rise to the occasion to bring us up out of the man-made muck and mire that our world gets itself into by attempting to remove itself from the natural muck and mire of the world around us. It’s the artists and dreamers job to continually remind us that it is this “roughness” that gives us our humanity and our creativity. If all filmmakers wanted to be like Michael Bay, we’d be in trouble. Luckily there are those of us out there that are willing to continue to take the medium to new levels of exploration, never fearing to get out of our clean and polished worlds and visit those places, both physically and mentally, that push us to reach for bigger and better things.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Just Let it Fly...
So next week is the planned Saturday shoot with the Bolex's. I was actually very excited about this project and was looking forward to it. However, an opportunity has come up that I feel like I can't turn down which will keep me away from class next week as well as the saturday shoot. When I do return, I will have to check out a Bolex on my own and come up with my own one shot. I think this will be both challenging and fun at the same time.
After watching the one shots that were on the older blogs, I was quite impressed. The groups did a very good job at using the look of the film shot with the Bolex's in conjunction with what they actually shot. It made them seem, dare I say, vintage. We all know how much Vintage is in these days. Really, all of the films had a very authentic feel to them and it was evident that quite a bit of thought went into the camera movement as well as the actors movements.
On that note, I've always found it interesting that in the world of art, and film in particular limitations often lead to more freedom, if that makes sense. I always feel like the more limited I am with my equipment, time, etc the more free I feel to let everything else fall away and let my creativity run wild to make up for the limitations on the technical side. Whenever I am forced to work within boundaries, instead of getting frustrated, I try to take that opportunity to dig deeper into my creative concioussness and open it up all the way. Just let it fly....
I think for this project, since I will be working on my own, learning the camera and getting a one-minute shot, I will try to take a more impressionistic approach to what I shoot. I do not know specifics, but I am leaning towards a shot that does not necessarily involve people. By excluding the possibility of people in my shot, I will be forced to choose interesting objects or scenes that will keep people’s attention as much as watching people would. There are many ideas that could arise from this personal limitation, and although I do not have something specific in mind yet, I’m excited at what my mind may conjur up if I give it a chance.
Planning out what I shoot and how I’ll shoot it will be very key in making a one shot without a person interesting. As I walk around in the coming days, I will think about things that I see that intrigue me and put my mind into that grey area where reality and perception cross over each other, not quite touching but also not wholly separate. It’s those areas where life reveals itself to me. The moments when even I am not totally aware of what is being processed in my brain because my thought processes are based on things that come from experience and memory.
As I am writing this, I feel like there may be opportunities to explore with my love of music. Music often provides me with a soundtrack in which my thoughts can connect to and feel validated. I will continue to think about this more and see where my thoughts lead me but I’m confident that I can come up with something that is interesting on it’s own and not have to rely on highly technical equipment or camera work.
After watching the one shots that were on the older blogs, I was quite impressed. The groups did a very good job at using the look of the film shot with the Bolex's in conjunction with what they actually shot. It made them seem, dare I say, vintage. We all know how much Vintage is in these days. Really, all of the films had a very authentic feel to them and it was evident that quite a bit of thought went into the camera movement as well as the actors movements.
On that note, I've always found it interesting that in the world of art, and film in particular limitations often lead to more freedom, if that makes sense. I always feel like the more limited I am with my equipment, time, etc the more free I feel to let everything else fall away and let my creativity run wild to make up for the limitations on the technical side. Whenever I am forced to work within boundaries, instead of getting frustrated, I try to take that opportunity to dig deeper into my creative concioussness and open it up all the way. Just let it fly....
I think for this project, since I will be working on my own, learning the camera and getting a one-minute shot, I will try to take a more impressionistic approach to what I shoot. I do not know specifics, but I am leaning towards a shot that does not necessarily involve people. By excluding the possibility of people in my shot, I will be forced to choose interesting objects or scenes that will keep people’s attention as much as watching people would. There are many ideas that could arise from this personal limitation, and although I do not have something specific in mind yet, I’m excited at what my mind may conjur up if I give it a chance.
Planning out what I shoot and how I’ll shoot it will be very key in making a one shot without a person interesting. As I walk around in the coming days, I will think about things that I see that intrigue me and put my mind into that grey area where reality and perception cross over each other, not quite touching but also not wholly separate. It’s those areas where life reveals itself to me. The moments when even I am not totally aware of what is being processed in my brain because my thought processes are based on things that come from experience and memory.
As I am writing this, I feel like there may be opportunities to explore with my love of music. Music often provides me with a soundtrack in which my thoughts can connect to and feel validated. I will continue to think about this more and see where my thoughts lead me but I’m confident that I can come up with something that is interesting on it’s own and not have to rely on highly technical equipment or camera work.
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