Reading Response # 3

For this response, I chose Scott MacDonald's "Introduction to Avant-Garde Film". This article particularly appealed to me because I have been studying the Avant-Garde movement this semester in my Film History course. It was familiar subject matter, yet informed me about a few other developments I didn't learn in class.

MacDonald often speaks of Avant-Garde film arising as a way for filmmakers to communicate outside of the Hollywood structure. All countries at one point in early 1900s had to compete with the large Hollywood machine and many directors ended up working for it at the end of their careers. The differences between surrealist movies and abstract movies are also discussed; both of these film genres had a common goal however: to make human's internalizations external. MacDonald jumps backwards at this point to talk about Muybridge's extraordinary work in the movement of film with a grid system and the Lumiere Brothers' single-shot films focusing on every day events in our world. Though this is clearly an excerpt from a much larger book, MacDonald does a great job of introducing us to what we're encounter further.

The Avant-Garde movement has always interested me as a filmmaker and as a writer. It was an amazing time in the film world: a time which I fear can never be repeated. I've always wanted to make abstract films, though the soundwalks were useful for recording more dynamic, independent material. Perhaps at some point I will rethink the footage I've collected and apply a more surrealist approach to it. But for now I am happy with my work.

Video Hardware & Software Response

1. How was your experience with the Olympus digital camera? How did it compare with other still or video cameras you have previously used? Were you able to successfully implement your Image Capturing Strategies using the features of this camera? In an ideal world, how would your still/video camera of choice function?

The Olympus camera was very easy to use and much like the digital camera I already own. Though it was limiting in some respects, it was an interesting experience to create a movie within these confines. I was able to effectively use the Image Capturing Strategies with just the camera’s most basic modes. My main problem with the Olympus was its inability to zoom while recording; it was tricky to always edit shots to achieve this effect.

2. Discuss your choice of video-editing software and describe your history with this software. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?

I used Quicktime Pro and it was my first time using it. I’m still not familiar with everything about the program and would like to learn more in the remaining duration of the class. I own a PC and was obviously limited with what software choices were available. I do plan on using Quicktime Pro for more assignments once I truly understand all its functions.

Reading Response # 2

For my second reading response, I chose Phillip Lopate's On the Aesthetics of Urban Walking and Writing. I enjoyed this article because of its interesting insights as well as it being more concise than other narratives on the same subject. Though Lopate centered on the location of New York and specifically Manhattan, I still found universal elements that could be applied to all cities.

Lopate discussed prominent walker-writers such as Walt Whitman and Charles Reznikoff, but intertwined his own experiences. He made a brilliant point early in the article where he stated that we must remember to keep our vanity and self-absorption in check in order to let the landscape act independently. Many people feel as though they are laying claim to the city they're traversing instead of letting the city give them feelings of vulnerability and fear. Lopate also talks about the eroticism of acting in a group: being a voyeur, yet remaining involved. For Lopate, his love and desire for walking seemed to be replaced when he was married. This, to me, seems terribly depressing for such an advocate of the walking/writing community.

Almost all of my walking and recording was done alone and in settings almost completely void of other people. Reading Lopate's article made me long to walk among a crowd and capture things that I can't possibly get in my current settings. I plan on doing some more shorter walks in intensely urban settings to achieve a more rounded backlog of work. I also love the idea of forgetting yourself and thinking strictly about the landscape, because I think that's a very difficult thing to do. I recognize the fact that I need to do more of that.

Audio Hardware & Software Response

1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.

Building the microphones required an amazing amount of patience, but I am very pleased with their performance. The most difficult part was the soldering as I managed to burn myself frequently. While I didn’t clip my microphones to objects, I did use them on walks clipped to my jacket sleeves; I was able to get different noises just by separating them that much. I focused a lot on “close” noises, but the ambient walks sounded just as nice. I’m not very familiar with other sorts of mics and recording devices, and for what it’s worth, I would be happy to just continue using them.

2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?

It took me quite awhile to get used to operating the MiniDisc recorder, and I feel like I missed a lot of potentially great recordings while I was figuring it out. After I got the hang of it though, I enjoyed using it and my recordings sounded great. The only other recording equipment I’ve used was an old tape recorder, so my experiences are fairly limited. I wouldn’t mind using a simpler model of the MiniDisc recorder; that would be my ideal.

3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?

I chose Audacity as I feel it’s the easiest to utilize: especially for someone as inexperienced as myself. I’ve had some history with it because it came with my USB turntable and the songs are imported into it during the process. It was probably the most painless part of the Drift 1 assignment and I’ll certainly be using it again in the future.

Ten Questions

1. Is there anywhere in the area I can find a piece of land void of vegetation?
2. Can I record better sounds/imagery while constantly moving or standing in one position?
3. What sounds/imagery can I record at night that I can’t record during the day?
4. What places can I explore that will be free of people?
5. Where can I locate an abandoned house or factory?
6. What effect does wildlife have on recording sounds/imagery?
7. What building(s) on campus are the most architecturally unique?
8. Where can I find the most colorful houses in the area?
9. What customarily “quiet” places can I find interesting sounds/imagery?
10. How can I convey a sense of movement in my sounds/imagery?

Drift Assessment

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1.

Oftentimes, it seemed as though the noises I heard and enjoyed were not easy to record once I finally got my gear set up. I would end up walking down a busy street, teeming with activity, and would miss all the commotion while I slipped on my headphones and pressed Record. I was never fully prepared to capture random, ambient noises and missed a lot of interesting ones.

Traffic was the most overwhelming noise in all my soundwalks taken in the city. I ended up not using many sounds recorded in Milwaukee because removing the element of traffic was tedious and usually impossible. While it sometimes added a nice background effect, typically it was the key focus and distorted all other sounds.

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

Walking through the woods with my dog definitely had a calming effect on me. My headphones seemed to embrace the euphoria and the slight breeze. I stopped near the edge of a small lake and just sat, eyes closed, and truly tried to absorb the quiet before my return to the city.

Lying on top of a bench in Riverside Park and secretly recording kids playing definitely resulted in a strange feeling of peace. Though the kids were screaming and running around after one another, I felt very reserved. I like the presence of people and I think it can add a lot to an otherwise bland recording.

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home.

The amount of editing is takes to make nature sound true-to-life is extraordinary. I recorded for ten minutes at a time while walking through the woods and was amazed by how many other, non-natural noises could be heard: airplanes, cars, chainsaws. It was almost kind of depressing in a way.

While I didn’t make too many abrupt decisions, the ones I did make definitely enhanced my recording techniques and made me more at peace at “seeing” with my ears. Instead of the customary 7 to 10 minutes I recorded each item, I decided to record for 12 minutes when I was walking in the woods. In the last two minutes are the most remarkable noises and I was lucky to leave my equipment running. Sometimes, as a sound artist, you have to embrace your feelings and hope it turns out as beautiful as your ears perceive it.

With walking on the East Side, it astounded me how many people became interested by what I was doing and how eager they were to help. People approached me quite frequently to inquire about my equipment or try and create noises for me to record; it’s possible they thought I was recording sound effects for a major motion picture. I mean, what else would make sense?

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.

I really enjoyed walking around the outside of the art museum and recording. There were three different weddings taking place and I loved the feeling of all these people gathered in such an incredible location. The sun was just setting and it was still warm out as I walked along Lake Michigan. I didn’t use anything I recorded from this experience, but that was okay; it was a more visceral experience.

Reading Response # 1

Proclaiming the era of the "Futurist" movement, Russolo lays critique to the past-tense of what we know as music: an orchestra of epic proportions, forty violins creating harmonious and breath-taking melodies. He also appears to find all this futile. With his own determined 6 Families of Noises (including groans, explosions, and creaks), he seems to find more beauty in the sounds around us. He states that every noise possesses a tone and sometimes even a harmony. While this may be true, simply by listening so intently, it may be possible he is hearing what he wants to hear. It is not enough to find a noise irritating or disagreeable--we must seek to find what is behind it that leads us to that judgment. Overall I enjoyed this reading, though I certainly found fault with some of Russolo's findings.

Soundwalk Response

Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?

On our walk to the park, traffic was the predominant noise and continued to be up until we began walking on side streets. There, the traffic dissipated somewhat and we could hear many other sounds clearly.

Was it possible to move without making a sound?

Though it may be possible for an individual to produce no real sound while walking, groups of people create many noises such as scuffling and scraping.

What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?

With my ears plugged, everything sounded distant and muffled and only the loudest sounds could be heard. I also heard internal noises such as my joints cracking. Unplugging my ears made a huge difference: suddenly everything was in stereo and the small noises I had missed before became clearer. It was also easier to identify the sources.

In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.

The easiest noises to hear were, of course, traffic related: brakes squealing, the whirring of an engine, buses pulling over to pick up people, and bike tires bouncing along cracked pavement. A sampling of other noises I heard included children laughing, people kicking rocks, construction work on a rooftop, church bells chiming, and signposts swaying slightly in the breeze.

Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?

I feel like with the most general of noises I encountered, it was very easy to determine the source. However, when noises were exceptionally distant or in a strange location, I definitely knew that was the case.

Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?

All of those sounds are very distinct--human, mechanical, and natural—thus I feel it was very easy to distinguish one from the other. Human laughter or talking sounds nothing like chainsaws or car movement. Natural is the hardest for me to pick out: perhaps because in the city there isn’t all that much natural to hear.

Were you able to detect subtleties in the ever-present drone?

I feel like that is something I need to get better at. I often got caught up in the pulse of the location we were walking in and forgot to focus my ears on the small noises.

Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?

The closer the sound, the simpler it was to acknowledge its presence instead of chalking it up to something your mind creates from the drone itself. Far away noises prompted more of a difficulty in picking them up.

What kinds of wind effects were you able to detect (for example, the leaves of trees don't make sounds until they are activated by the wind)?

The leaves on trees were almost a constant on our walk; they could be heard almost anywhere we went. Things like wind chimes and flagpoles being in the path of a breeze also produced interesting sounds.

Were you able to intervene in the urban landscape and create your own sounds by knocking on a resonant piece of metal, activating wind chimes, etc.?

Though I didn’t personally, people in my group did by scraping their feet against the ground or running their hands along fences and such.

Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?

I do. I’ve never thought about just absorbing sounds through walking around town. Just listening to common or uncommon things in the city made me more excited and interested in recording my own.

How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?

It will give me a better understanding of recording sound and manipulating it to my advantage.