Time Arts:

Time Arts, as a class, was enjoyable. The final project was my favorite project overall. I liked the fact that I could choose anything that I wanted and utilize any techniques we had learned in the class. I chose to make a song on GarageBand and then I was going to create an animated graphic to go with it. After spending a lot of time composing and editing the song, I realized that having any motion in my video clips would distract from the part I found most important, the song. I decided to go with still images of people playing the instruments that are heard in the piece. Some of the images I had saved onto my computer and the rest I found by searching on the internet. I liked how some of the people in the video were famous band members while others were random unknown people. I was pleased with the way that it all turned out in the end. I really enjoyed making to music on GarageBand and timing the images to the cues in the music was a fun challenge.

Throughout the semester I have learned a lot about different types of media. I have never really worked with video cameras or sound equipment before. The only experience I have with time arts would be some Photoshop and I have taken a photography class. I enjoyed learning about using the equipment, even though at times it was really difficult to figure some stuff out. Eventually I was able to work everything out.

The first project was a good way to introduce iMovie, and I’m glad I got to know how to use it well, because I ended up using it over and over again as the semester went on. Looking back, I can tell that I was inexperienced in using that specific software. My sequential imagery piece seems very juvenile now. I feel like I have grown in my abilities since then.

The sound project was interesting. I was having some problems getting clear sounds so I choose not to do the soundtrack and make this blog instead.

The third project, the handmade films, was a lot of fun to make. Although I complained while I was doing it that it took up so much time, I really did enjoy it. Many people asked me what I was doing while I was bleaching and they actually seemed interested when I explained it to them. I think a lot of them were jealous that I had fun homework while they had to write papers and stuff.

The videos we made were also interesting. I liked filming, although I had trouble coming up with a concept. I was happy with the way things turned out. I found that although I had some problems shooting, and later again in the lab, I think I was successful. I liked my ending film and I received a nice response from the class critique.

The artist research paper gave me a chance to research something I wanted to know more about. I chose Milton Glaser, the graphic artist that designed the “I Love New York” logo. Following are some excerpts from the paper:


“Milton Glaser, born June 26, 1929, has probably one of the most common graphic designs seen across the United States, but most people do not even realize that it is his work. Glaser, a graphic designer from Cooper Union, designed the famous “I Love New York” logo that appears on everything from t-shirts to backpacks. His design is famous yet people do not necessarily recognize his name. Milton Glaser’s work is simple yet stylistic and noticed everywhere around the country.
Milton Glaser’s designs are characterized for their directness and their simplicity. He uses a variety of different mediums and styles depending on the picture problem. His designs for book jackets, record album covers and advertisements range from primitive designs to something considered avant garde. In 1974, Glaser started his own studio, Milton Glaser, Inc., which led to his involvement with many large projects. Some of those projects include the design on New York Magazine and a mural on the Federal Office Building in Indianapolis.”






Overall, I really enjoyed time arts. We did some things that I probably never had done had I not taken this class. I learned how to use a lot of video equipment and I feel like my asininities have grown immensely. I feel there is a large contrast between my first project and my final. I don’t plan on switching to Transmedia or anything, but I think I may keep some of the things I’ve learned in class as a hobby. I would like to keep creating videos and maybe create some more things on GarageBand.

Assignment #4: Video

My original impression of this project was that it would be something fun and interesting because we could film almost anything we wanted. I have never had the opportunity to film anything before and this sounded like fun. I liked the fact that it was open and we could include any sound that we wanted, whether it be the on-screen dialogue or some other sort of sounds.

My idea was to create something that resembled the Real World, how people can go into a confessional and say whatever they want about whoever they want. I had one of my friends act as a completely bothersome jerk and annoy everyone around him. I had him just act crazy and told him some things he could do that annoy people. I had him act vulgar towards some people, and also throw stuff at someone else. Everyone that he irritated I interviewed afterwards as a confessional, like it would be on the show the Real World. I shot about twelve minutes of footage on my own camera when I was at home.

When we came to class and we had an open workshop I became extremely frustrated. Some of my footage was not compatible with the iMovie program and none of the sound could be transferred from my computer to the ones in the studio. I have no idea why the sound did not transfer, but it made me frustrated because I lost one of the most vital parts of my project. The sound clips go right along with the footage and then it was all gone. After thinking about it for a while, I figured out that I could just use the same footage and film the confessions again back here at school. I had a friend of mine and I sit down and give the dialogue that would go with the clips from back at home. I showed m friend Alex the footage I had and told him about my idea. He agreed to help me so I rented out a camera and filmed myself and Alex giving a confession about our annoying friend.

Using the camera was very easy and it was easy to shoot more footage that could go along with my original copy. It was difficult though to have enough commentary. Originally I had four confessions, and now I only had two. I made sure that both Alex and I talked for long enough so it could fill up the entire video, but it somewhat got repetitive and it was hard to come up with new topics that were relevant to the video.

Uploading the new footage into iMovie was not difficult at all. I already had my original copy saved and I just took out the original interviews and added the new ones I had shot back at school. I wanted the interview to take place throughout the entire film and then play the clips on top of it. It worked well in the beginning because the sound and the clip of the interview started at the same time, but when the dialogue would start before the clip and I would have to cut it, it became more difficult. It was hard to make the sound match up with the movements of the mouth. It took a lot of cropping and splitting of the sound and video clips to make it work well. I think in the end, it turned out well because the sound does match up quite well with the video clips.

I entitled the video “Annoyances” because that was what I wanted the theme to be, someone who is annoying other people. Every clip in the video is of one person annoying someone else. Also I entitled it “Annoyances” because annoying is mentioned numerous times in the commentary, in both the original interviews and the ones I filmed later on. I made sure in my credits to thank everyone who helped me, whether they were in the video or if they worked “behind the scenes.” I included a special thank you to my friend Casey for agreeing to be the “annoying jerk” who starred in the video.

I enjoy using iMovie very much. It is very easy and although I am not sure what my final project will be yet, I want to be able to utilize iMovie. It was simple to use for this project. The only problem I had using it was figuring out how to make the two clips, the sound and the video, match up and also making sure I turned the sound off on the video clips. I would extract the sound and then by trying to make the clips match up, I would turn all the sound on again, and then forget to go back and turn it back down. It was just slightly annoying that I had to keep going back to fix it. Other than that, it was simple enough. I enjoyed the fact that we could film anything we wanted. It gave us some freedom, but it was also a little more difficult because we could do anything we wanted. Otherwise, I liked this project. It gave me a chance to make my own video, something I’ve never done before.

Assignment #3: Handmade Films

The third assignment we had to do was the handmade films. When we were first learning about them, I was shocked to find out that ever picture was repeated over and over again in that little tiny space. I just never really thought about that before. When you told us what our project was going to be, I thought it sounded really fun. I love to create new things and this was something new that I had never done before. It was interesting to me that we would be making our own filmstrips and then watching them together. But, when we first started the actual scratching, I became apprehensive. I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to scratch, color and bleach at least fifty feet of the film strip. During the in class work period, I tried to make an animation of my name. I did, and I also realized that did not do nearly enough. The film strip moves by fast and if I wanted it to show up clearly enough to be able to read it, I would have to add a lot more to the animated part.


When I started my actual film, I began with scratches. They were wavy lines that moved back and forth across the strip. The I just began experimenting with all different techniques and shapes. I tried making circles and having them stay on the screen for a long while, which meant drawing the same circle over and over again so it would show up for at least one second. It was sometimes tedious drawing and scratching the film. It took a long time and I wasn’t sure exactly how it would turn out in the end. I was somewhat more complicated not being able to preview the filmstrip before class. It made it harder to have things flow smoothly.


When I began bleaching the filmstrip, this went a little faster. It was easy to just bleach it and get all the black enamel off. I thought to was pretty cool that I could turn the film strip clear and then color it later. The only thing I wish I had done differently when I was bleaching was I wish I had worn gloves. I think the bleach seeped into my skin a little bit and my fingers were hurting for a few days. Also, the bleach weakened my fingernails and they started to chip. But other that then, I enjoyed bleaching it. I also enjoyed how when I was doing it, the people around me started asking questions about it. They started to really get into my project also.


When bleaching, I tried to gradually go from black to white. I used Q-tips and cotton balls to take off only parts of the black and leave some of it still there. This was probably the most fun part. I liked being able to control how much of the light could shine through. When I got to the point where I wanted it to be completely clear, I just soaked the film in the bleach for a minute of so and then wiped off all the enamel. It all came off pretty easily but left my bleach black. I had to change the bleach twice so I could get a really clear strip, without traces of enamel left over.


In the clear part, I again tried to do an animation. I only wrote Time Arts, but I think it worked out well. I was careful when I was drawing the letters and made sure that each would be on the screen long enough to be read. When watching that part in class, I was actually pretty happy with the way it turned out. I thought it definitely stayed on the screen long enough and was clear enough to read.


Overall, this project was really fun. Of the project’s we’ve done this year, this may be my favorite. I wasn’t sure at first how much I would enjoy this or if I could possibly do fifty feet of the film, but in the end, it all worked out well. I was impressed that I could create something like that, without first previewing it. If I could go back and change one thing, it would probably be the fact that I used Sharpie markers. They worked nicely, but after watching other people’s films, I wish I had used acrylic paint. It looked much brighter and bolder. It gave off some really nice colors that I wish I could have had in mine. Other than that, I would not change anything I did with the film strip. I enjoyed creating the images, although it was time consuming, and was very pleased with the completed product.

Assignment #1: Sequential Imagery

At first I was unsure about what to take my pictures of for this project. One day a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to meet her at the mall, so I thought it would be a good place to take pictures for this project, and have a good time at the same time.. My piece shows me getting onto a bus here at Syracuse to go to the Carousel Mall to meet some of my friends. I wanted the piece to tell a story of my night at the mall. The duration of the slides was important because I wanted to show how the bus ride seemed so long because I was anxious to see my friends. Then, once at the mall, I wanted it to seem like time went by really fast, so I made the pictures progressively get faster as time went by. At the end, I was back on the bus and I had the slides go slowly to contrast the quick, mall shots and the long ride home. I titled the piece “A Day in the Life” because for me, it was just another day. Back at home, my friends and I would go to the mall fairly frequently, and now that doesn’t happen very much. I wanted to show just a day of my life with my friends, outside of school. I wanted my piece to be relatable to everyone and it’s possible that some people may feel the same way I do about spending time with friends outside of school. I think doing the short 30 second clips really helped, because I figured out with of my photos were worth using in the final and which ones to discard. I really enjoyed showing the clips in class because I was able to get feedback from the class. Reading the comments about my pieces gave me ideas on how to complete the final. Also, after watching what other people had done in their clips, I got more ideas on what I could out into my own piece. My story plot did not change at all from the 30 second clips to the final, but I found better ways to show the passing of time. By changing the duration of the slides, you can really make it seem like time went by faster or slower. I liked how some people had the pictures flash by really fast, so I incorporated that into mine to show how time seems to go by extremely fast when you are having fun. I took some of the comments people gave me and made the bus images appear on the screen longer, to show that the bus ride is long while you’re eager to see your friends. I think this really helped to show time.


From this project, I have learned a lot about how to use iMovie but also a lot about showing time in different durations. By simply changing the duration of the slide, time can be shown passing faster or slower. It took my until after the mini critique of the 30 second slides for me to realize this. I think consulting with someone and getting their opinion is very important. Someone else can look at it with fresh eyes and give feedback which can benefit the final project. I was glad that people had made comments and suggestions to my pieces. It helped me figure out what exactly was going into my final piece. Also, one major thing I learned was that I had to change the resolution on all of my pictures. I had forgotten to change it and what I imported them into iMovie, they were pretty blurry and not high quality. I had to go back and change them all and import them again. I have to make sure to do every necessary step and not rush things. It took me longer because I forgot to change the resolutions.


Overall, I really enjoyed this project. I have learned a lot about duration and how it relates to time. I have also learned that I find feedback very essential. It helped me a lot when trying to determine what my final project would look like.