more video fun

This week's extravaganza! It's a dream!

Falmouth Folly on Vimeo.

looking up

Despite the pasel of images of the newly completed handrail - constructed at the insistance of insurance officials - here's what I've got to show.

Soon enough we'll get to project before & afters. It reminds me that I read, once upon a time when Andreas Gursky visited Brasilia, he took a picture of the carpet. The buildings didn't excite him much.

too much/not enough

That, in a nutshell, is my problem with photography. Or rather, with my own photography. It's too easy, it's too real. There's too much of the actual in the representation. There is a representation. There's too much mediation, too much observation. I'm looking for something more direct, maybe something unmodified by thought.

It's probably called dance - or theater - or even psychotherapy. Possibly even farming. Or factory work...

visions of lovliness

"Christmas Eggs" - 24 December 2011

There is something about technical difficulties of a chosen format, and the manner in which they are solved. We often seem to go in the direction that is the most difficult solution, rather than the other way around.

For many large format photographers, because of the size of the "sensor" aka film, the challenge is to get enough DoF to have anything outside a very small area in focus. So we use camera movements to achieve something approaching complete focus within the image. If something is OoF, then we've failed. (Unless there was a conscious decision to limit focus severely, or there are elements in the composition from very near to very far that are very tall.)

On the other hand, for small sensor photographers using devices such as Point & Shoot or 4/3 or even 35mm, the challenge is to get an area that is OoF, since it's easy to get everything in focus. Instead we use fast lenses to achieve razor thin DoF, praising gorgeous bokeh in the blurred portions of the image.

I don't know what this says, other than that we seem to be technical contrarians. We're in search of something that not every technician can achieve.

back to the beginning

Continuing my complaints with the bolted together components of EOL'ed Final Cut Studio 7, now I'm on to Color 1.5. Some time has been spent with this opaque interface previously. But it took me probably another 8 - 10 hours to finally uncover the undocumented means to zoom in on the image you're working with in the geometry window so that you can magnify the edges of a vignette being applied. BTW, Vignette = PS layer = PP lens. But the controls are nowhere near as diverse as they are in those two still image manipulation packages.

Work proceeded on a shot that's on screen for 5 sec. 23 frames. There were five Secondary Vignettes applied, using five different shapes, four of which changed as actors move through the shot. About 15 hours was spent on this 6 second shot, learning the software, how to apply shapes, how to move shapes, trying to fine tune the edges.

Finally, after sending the sequence back to FCP so that I could watch the six seconds that had been modified, I'm deciding to start over again and abandon the 15 hours of work. Some of it was software learning curve, so I'll be able to use it again. But the edge detection/drawing around a moving object is a serious challenge. On a still image this is not that much of a problem with these simple tools. But for moving images, where occasionally the edges of an adjustment need to be redrawn every frame, those edges flicker and waver mercilessly, totally unacceptably when all the frames are viewed together. No doubt it's a combination of tools and technique. I'm lacking in both.

Which leads me to realize that if I'm going to use Color - which those who use it seem to feel is a fabulous piece of software - it's going to have to be in a more general manner. If I'm going to pick objects out of a scene for specific adjustment, either they need to be small, or they don't move, or they don't change shape.

I was thinking I'd figured out how this video was done, with some elements colored while everything else in the image is b&w. But after watching it again, I can see that they're using something way more sophisticated than the Vignettes in Color 1.5.

Update on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 02:15PM by KMW

Turns out the zoom control in the geometry image preview in Color 1.5 is documented. I've moments ago found it in the online help, as the first topic under the Geometry Room heading. Guess I should have looked a little closer at the results when I searched the help files. Probably could have saved myself some time & agony.

a matter of timing

The internet is a fine place for the restatement of the obvious. Obviously. Consequently, mental midgetry is given vocalism:

Video editorial technology still has me in its thrall. The ability to simply duplicate a scene - without duplicating the original media on which it is based - and then recut the material with an adjustment for pauses between reactions of performers, or a different ordering of the pieces of imagery, is a fabulous advancement. This, possibly more than any other reason, is why the world of nonlinear editing has taken over the editorial world. Only archivists still use flatbed editing machines. Even large features shot on film originals have moved away from literally cutting work print film copies. Why would you when the tools to do this electronically are so ubiquitous, so subtle, and so relatively easy to use?

This adjustment to the timing of images is something that can't be attended to with still images, unless you're working with a slide show. But certainly not within the realm of a book or a gallery of online images. These media have their own aesthetic appeal, and rarely depend upon the performances of actors to impart their power of expression. Many recognize the importance of captions for still images, which becomes something of a narrative device. But there is still no way of shaping the meaning of a sequence of images through the prominence given by their timing, meaning the specific amount of time that each image is presented, and the pauses between vocal interactions.

As this pertains to my current editorial activity, as I create alternative versions of scenes, the earliest are the most leisurely, the most contemplative. The later versions are faster, more to the narrative point. But I feel nonetheless that I'm falling victim to the ever increasing insistence upon the need to sharpen and propel the narrative, something I'm decidedly conflicted about. The question becomes at what point to leave alone the awkward pauses and mispronunciations in order to impart a feeling of awkwardness.

The quest continues for the correct balance between the non linear animal brain gut feeling of here and now, and the delineation of a thematic concept. Wish me luck.

meanwhile, back at the ranch

Several days later, and we seem to have reboarded the roller coaster ride.

The final scene of "Roscoe" - who is going to get his named changed - was a brief period of agony at the completion of shooting. Instead of really relying upon my imagination, I got lost in details. Thinking that it could be saved in the edit, I stumbled through the performance hang-ups, and focused on a need to finish. As it turns out, the battle cry of editors 'round the world: Coverage! was not heeded, and I'm now left with limited options.

So from Thursday's peak of excitement, I'm now screaming down the steep slope of depression at my limited imagination. How noticeable is a forty-one second shot on one character in a thirteen minute piece? This is why I've been dreading working on this scene. All the words are covered, but in such a limited manner that the static nature of the scene really becomes obvious.

In fact I can make a case for leaving the scene as now cut: something about a need to see the uninterrupted emotionalism of the Professor, unmediated by editorial caprice. If only the visual wasn't so fucking static! Dare I leave it alone, in all its barren awkwardness? This would certainly be a bold decision - that still smacks of making pathetic excuses for what is lacking. OTOH, there are always little pieces of unused takes that can be dropped in at judicious moments to distract from the inherent awkwardness of this lengthy shot. Door #1 or Door #3? Or Door #2: get a few people together and reshoot the closeup of Roscoe. I need to make a decision about this fairly soon, before the leaves change and drop off.

What else is there to do at 4am, when sleep is nowhere to be found, other than obsess about the defective nature of the current work?

roscoe day 5, pt 2

Studio

Green screen

Unknown talent

A new sound recordist

Swing Dance class next door

15 minutes of passing coal train

Don't forget to turn off the air conditioning

Be sure to turn the air conditioning back on

5 hrs - more or less - start to finish

But does it fit in the film?

The editor will decide.

less than 1 week to go

During the summer solstice of 2006, good friend and collaborator Craig MacDonald and I travelled to Scotland for geneological reasons. He wanted to find information about family who had emegrated from the island of South Uist to the New World in the 19th century. Along the way we sampled the cuisine - if you consider haggis and neeps & tatties as such - the landscapes (seen here and here), and the inhabitants - many of whom seemed to be transplanted Brits. On the beach in Skye one morning, the midgies sampled us. At times I felt like the expedition photographer, occasionally straining for something other than a tag along role.

Upon returning to our respective homes, Mr. MacDonald graciously offered to permit me to generate the itinerary for the next trip we would take together. Becoming something of a homebody who has an increasingly difficult time justifying using aircraft to jet from location to location for the sole purposes of vacationing, I briefly toyed with and proposed a trip starting in Trieste and heading north through Eastern Europe, maybe encountering Zizek somewhere along the way. That trip didn't happen.

In its stead, I proposed that we take the funding required to travel to some indeterminate point on the globe and apply that to the production of a fictional movie to be shot at home in Central Virginia. A script is in hand, and it seems as if the majority of the pieces have come together. Which leaves me with the primary question: can two men who have never met convince us that they are longtime friends? At the moment, not my department. And in fact not necessarily pertinent to the enterprise. The endeavor is a trip through our artistic sensibilities, and an anthem to the glory of process. It's the journey, not the destination, despite the overwhelming evidence that no one out there cares about the difficulty of the process. They only care about what they can see in front of their faces, which is the end result.

Every day is a new roller coaster ride. Such is the life of a "no budget", no name, movie producer/writer/assitant director/production manager/cinematographer/Steadicam operator. I'm calling this venture - while it's working title is "Walking With Roscoe" - our 2011 trip to find the lost dream. Every day I veer from terror about what I've gotten myself into, to contentment that whatever we capture will have to be good enough. It's now down to less than a week before we begin working with cameras, lights, and actors. People seem to like the script, so at least the worry about the value of the material is being held at bay for now. No doubt I could still extricate myself, but by now it's pretty much got me in its grip and the production is headed forward without too much input from me. There are still many details to define, but the beast is nearly breathing on its own.

signs of the times

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Our local plaza, within walking distance of the house, used to be a lively assortment of small businesses. When we moved to Earlysville 11 years ago there was a moderately sized food market, a pizza restaurant, a lawyer's office, all generating a fair amount of traffic. Through the go-go Shrubbery years the market changed hands and was given some updates, a furniture business sprouted across the street run by an energetic young couple, and traffic was substantial enough for the landlord to banish yard sales from the adjacent parking lot to accommodate parking for the corner businesses. Fast forward to 2010: there isn't a single business presence in any of the space.

Of course no one is blameless. There was a fair amount of intrigue surrounding the coming and goings of the furniture store proprietors, as in divorce, rumors of embezzlement, etc. Nor should one ignore the outside influences brought to bear: a large supermarket chain opened a massive new store only about five minutes away. Were people willing to forgo the better choice and pricing in order to support the smaller more local market? It didn't seem so, myself included.

Curiously enough, the much smaller country stores scattered around the area appear to still be doing fine, specializing as they do in pickled eggs, chaw, beer, and the white necessities (toilet paper, white bread, eggs, milk) always required prior to a snow storm. As seems to be the case in so much of commercial enterprise these days, there is little or no middle ground. We have Mega Marts in every town, or one location bodegas.

beware

click 'er for biggerObviously this one didn't make it. Unfortunately, a common end for these ancient reptiles.

At this time of year, these guys - Terrapene carolina - are occasionally seen crossing the thoroughfares. Since their habitats are usually only 200 m. in diameter and have become so fragmented, it's not surprising that they may be seen trying to cross a road. And since they mostly live in the grass and forest leaves and dead trees, it's not likely we'll see them anywhere but on the roads. They don't stand much of a chance against vehicular challengers, so I make a point of lifting them out of the way and helping them on their journey. It's best to move them across the road, because removal from their locale will spur them to engage their homing instincts to return to their natal grounds, possibly searching unsystematically for the rest of their long lives. A thirty or forty year life span is not uncommon for this species, and it's believed some have survived to 80. But long term survival prospects look dim due to habitat destruction, slow growth rates for individuals, as well as slow reproduction (a female may lay 100 eggs in a lifetime, but it's estimated only 2 - 3 will reach maturity.)

Read more about Eastern Box Turtles here.

Here's one I moved out of the way recently while walking in Loftlands.

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Yikes!

click 'er for bigger - one MORE snow?

Not really. This one has been sitting around the in/out box for several months, and I know there was a reason I liked the composition in the first place. Usually I can set up the Linhof in a matter of a couple of minutes, but for some reason it seemed to take upwards of almost ten minutes for this set up. Maybe that's why I'm posting it: after such an expenditure of time, I might as well do something with it.

But that's hardly the reason the image caught my eye. I've tried to figure this out before, mostly to no avail, and this time doesn't appear to be much different. It was something about the combination of colors and planes, and the imagined history of this well used back door to an abandoned Chinese restaraunt. Many workers coming and going, stepping outside for a smoke, illicit dealings after hours, all long gone and forgotten. Most or all of which can't be contained in a photograph. They function merely as evidence for storytellers and historians.

evolution

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The changing landscape - from one man made feature to another. How long before it changes again?

we carry on

A bad month for the living, for those of you living under a rock:

Paul Newman 1925 - 2008 - A phenomenally well accomplished individual who lived a full life. He raced with my brother.

David Foster Wallace 1962 - 2008 - What a tragic loss. Little did I know when I wrote about him here and here that there wouldn't be any more coming from his pen.

Peggy Lane Desel 1928 - 2008 - My mother-in-law left us quickly. Not necessarily painlessly, but she didn't linger long, something we all hope for. Saturday's memorial service had a very respectable turn out, despite the inclement weather.

something else about something else

The August 2008 issue of Focus Magazine has several worthwhile articles. This is the first issue I've seen. It's pretty slick looking, maybe too much so for my tastes. But the quality of printing is certainly extraordinary, and the interview with Joel Meyerowitz is an intriguing one.

Here's the piece that really caught my attention:

The question for me is, can I move away from the Pictorialist, Renaissance perspective point of view that photography does as a given, and instead make something that is a different kind of space closer to the two dimensional space inside photography...The phenomena require an immersion into the experience, rather than a picture of it from far away...

But can you do it with a photograph in a gallery, a museum setting that allows you to offer the viewer an experience of the phenomena like the original, without making a picture of it that conforms to tried and true methods of perspective and illusion.

Meyerowitz's search for a photograph inside the experience has led him to photograph the elements, prints of which have been displayed in Cologne, New York, and Tokyo. In a sense, much of the history of photography is about trying to recreate the photographer's experience for the viewer. Some from farther away than others, but much of photography has been documentation about what it was like to be there. Something that tries to transcend the "tried and true methods of perspective and illusion" is bound to be something to see. Anyone out there who's seen the prints got a comment about his success with getting the viewer inside the experience?

almost fallen by the wayside

 

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No doubt there should be some kind of "post op for the workshop." If I was more prolific there would surely be something of consequence to say. Since that's not the case, and not much has transpired photographically, perhaps it's time to write about other media.

Without meaning to pile on the bandwagon, I've still got to comment on some recent reading. It's been both non-fiction and fiction, by the same writer: David Foster Wallace. The man is scary he's so good. Two weeks ago I was reading Consider the Lobster, a collection of pieces that originally appeared in periodicals such as Atlantic, Gourmet, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and others. Despite his tendency to run-on and lose the reader in the convolutions of his asides & footnotes within footnotes, he has a remarkably democratic outlook that never fails to illuminate. Whether he's writing about Porn star awards, dictionary wars, Rabid Right Wing talk show hosts, the McCain2000 campaign trail, or lobsters, his sympathetic outlook inevitably expresses some universal thought, but in a much more eloquent and clearly defined manner than anyone else is able to put it.

Now I'm into a more recent collection of D.F. Wallace fiction in the book Oblivion. His language tends towards jargonese, but only that used by the characters he's writing about. The opening piece "Mister Squishy" is a fascinating and damning deconstruction of advertising and the use of focus groups and statistics to "give consumers what they want." In the midst of his instructions to the latest focus group giving feedback on some snack cakes called Felonies, the facilitator manages to range through a vast internal commentary that might be best expressed thus:

...no no all that ever changed were the jargon and mechanisms and gilt rococo with which everyone in the whole huge blind grinding mechanism conspired to convince each other that they could figure out how to give the paying customer what they could prove he could be persuaded to believe he wanted, without anybody once ever saying stop a second or pointing out the absurdity of calling what they were doing collecting information or ever even saying aloud... what was going on or what it meant or what the simple truth was. That it made no difference. None of it...

In the end, Wallace's revelations are ones we've considered ourselves - albeit in abbreviated form - whereas his mind and imagination fully details them for our edification. He's a master at telling us what we already think for ourselves.

passing by

Independence

 

 
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Being able to take the entire enterprise on the road is still a remarkable thing - no? At least there is some familiarity to be found in the very act of putting together one of these little entries. Nothing much else is very familiar about the surroundings, other than the ubiquity to be found in modern American motel rooms. I'm not out here for long enough to succumb to the dreariness of it and resort to attempting Stephen Shore type imagery.

It was a fine day today, with another three counties visited, with their various courthouses: Bedford (one large building with one pseudo entrance from the 50's, and one actual entrance from the 90's);  Franklin (where once again I set up on the roof of the van on the main street through town and attracted no attention whatsoever); and Carroll (with one large new building from the 1990's and another older building from the 1870's not far away beside a WiFi hotspot that worked just fine) where I visited last year one Sunday morning and found the light was in the sky right over both the buildings. Today I didn't arrive until later in the day, and it was much more overcast, so the light was nearly perfect.

Where all this is headed is still a big unknown. At least I am beginning to conceive of possibilities for display around the state. But I'm still not willing to relinquish any control over how I photograph the subject matter, so I am not ready to take anyone else's money yet. After talking briefly to Doug Gilpin the other day about his knowledge of courthouse siting around the state, I realized again that it's probably about time to put some kind of portfolio of a few of the images together to show. It's not going to go anywhere until I can show some of it to other people.

what's wrong with my brain?

 

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Somehow I've suspected this might be true, but it came to me rather loudly earlier this week when I was in a conversation with a couple of other people and wasn't entirely following the details. In the building business, there is nothing but details. It's a requirement that I follow along.

When  I thought about it later, I realized this was another instance of my visual problem solving brain needing an image to hold in the mind's eye and visualize an understanding. What I need is to translate words and the concepts they represent into some kind of picture that can be studied for clues to the meaning of the stated concept. This is why I'm so hopelessly at sea with mathematics-finance-philosoiphy. I can't generally create a physical picture of the concepts in these fields, so I can't look at it with my visual mind and understand them.

I clearly remember in school that geometry made sense, but algebra did not. For the above stated reasons. One would think architecture would be the perfect discipline for me to study. A certain amount does come naturally. But again, because of the translation problem, I often find myself lost because I can't orient myself in the model fast enough.

How does this relate to my photography? It's not clear, at this point. But what I sense is that it - photography - surely reinforces the strengths that I naturally possess, while not exercising very vigorously the conceptual realm that appears so weak. 

Update on Monday, January 14, 2008 at 10:53PM by KMW

That was a wonderful old square cast iron bath tub up top, BTW. How else to get something like this out of a second floor of an occupied office building?

dante vs homer