Now Hear This

These readings immediately reminded me of two things.

The first is the oft quoted (yet never credited) “God gave you two ears and one mouth so, that you could listen twice as much as you talk”. This device is most often used by the frustrated and tired schoolteacher in the hopes of inspiring one moment of semi-silence as though, who actually were listening, could chew on that sentiment for a moment before regurgitating some halfway sensible sentiment.

The second is Shannon’s obsession with sound. The sound journals in 302 were one of the best assignments that I have ever done. How often are we really forced to think and digest all the sounds pouring into our conscious? Often, we are not even aware of a sound that we make or hear all the time until someone else asks us what it is. How many times have we all had to take a moment to really think about that oh-so-familiar noise before we could finally respond with “Oh! That’s the dishwasher” or “Huh? Do you mean my neighbors pipes?”, or my personal favorite “I do not make that noise when I chew!”

Why don’t we think about sound more? And why are we so willing to make noise thoughtlessly? Would anyone really be less likely to honk their horn in rush hour traffic if they knew they were hampering the mating rituals of the birds in our environment? If we aren’t listening to these birds are they even really there?

Even now, I am focused more one the noise inside my head than the hum of the machinery, and the occasional trickling in of the conversation being had downstairs. Ironically, just like Gordon Hempton, I could not hear a “natural” noise right now no matter how hard I strained—I just tried.

So, what does this mean to us as filmmakers? What does sound do for us?

I really liked what Chion did in the beginning of the readings with Tati and Bergman. That was the perfect way to show the power of sound and image. I am not saying that silent films do not have the meaning and depth that talkies have—that’s ludicrous. Just that the filmmakers, who truly utilize sound are the ones that we really remember. Whether we like it or not, sound is a device that has become incredibly pivotal to filmmaking—and we should like it! Sometimes, the visual is not enough (and neither is slapping a song over incredible images).

Well Color This Green

So, cymatics is AWESOME! When I was a kid I used to love watching the VOX visualization in Windows Media Player while my tunes played (especially Selling the Drama, which is the best Live album). The idea of being able to see sound is beautiful.

Perhaps, I’m a little biased.

Spencer Addison wrote a piece about how sight was the most beautiful sense that we were given and continued to enumerate the reasons why in a way befitting the Enlightenment Period in England. Afterwards, I pondered which of the senses I treasure most, and I actually love sound more than sight—my friend, Ashley, told me that I’m a “bad filmmaker” in jest. I just love sound. I love words and the way they sound, the echo of an object dropping to the floor, the tapping of fingertips on different solids. Sound is so beautiful.

Since cymatics is so awesome, that would mean by extension that synesthesia is also awesome. While, I am not lucky enough to have synesthesia, I do associate certain smells, words, and sounds with different colors. I often get strange looks when I ask what “that pink smell” is.
When I first saw read the Wikipedia articles about synesthesia, I thought of Harry Smith’s Early Abstractions, which we watched in Shannon’s 302 Experimental class. I don’t think Harry Smith would meet Richard Cytowic’s criteria for being a bonafide synesthete, he certainly played with color in a way that gave a new feel to the Beatle’s songs that he chose—I’m sure the acid helped.

I find it interesting that the Neurological Synesthesia article reports both that most synesthetes do not know that their condition is strange, but they also keep it a secret their whole lives. If they don’t know it’s strange, are they really keeping it a secret or are they simply living their lives?
In the Synesthesia in Art article, I really appreciated a lot of the artistic rendering of things that are not thought of as visual. Carol Steen’s discussion of Visions (as shown in the margin) was really interesting. Does that really count as synesthesia though? She painted something she saw no matter how abstract. I sometimes see different colored spots when I get up too fast. Does that count as synesthesia?

The idea of visual music is intriguing, but I sometimes wonder if I get it. There was a film that we watched in 302 that was a bunch of lines, and I thought that was quite good. I can’t remember, who made the film, but it was the only time I felt I could hear the music according to what was on the screen.
I really can’t remember, and it’s going to bother me all night.

The 1st Taste

What is my honest reaction of the film? I wish I could say that I hated every minute, and that it was the biggest waste of time ever. I’m not saying that because I want to be ignorant; I just think it would make for a more interesting final post.

I really enjoyed the film. It was like an experimental lullaby. The geometric shapes and the filmmaker’s control with the animation was really nice. I can’t imagine how long it must have taken for this film to be completed. The intricate etching on the film is so precise and thoughtful. As interesting as the visuals are, the soundtrack adds another rich dimension to it. The soundtrack is very deliberate and coincides with visual quite nicely. Some of the sounds were a bit disruptive, but it still went with the animation quite well.

I really enjoyed the etched aesthetic of the film. The color in the outlines of the shape was a nice touch. The colors were really delightful and stimulating. It really highlighted the control the filmmaker had of each frame. Each shape was incredibly concise and deliberate.

I signed up for 6 x 1 because it was so highly recommended. My friends, who aren't even that experimentally minded, loved this class. I LOVE film, and any opportunity to play with more celluloid is so exciting. Even the first day of class when I was essentially mutilating the archival footage, it was so invigorating. I can't tell you the last time I was so deliberately destructive. It doesn't get much cooler than that.