Documentary

For this project I am planning on interviewing folks about their pet peeves and pet pleasures.  I want to incorporate some short and simple little animations to help elaborate on particular peeves/pleasures.  I want to have a mix of B roll and the short cartoon and even some stop-frame.  Everything will be different, but have the same “feel”.  Half the Documentary will be about peeves, and half about pleasures (I want to end with pleasures because I want to be a happy person who makes things with happy endings).  That’s just the surface though; I want to see if I can find out where these tiny peeves/pleasures come from and what they say about us as individuals and a society.  I want to challenge people to explain “why?”

QUESTIONS:

1.     What’s one pet peeves of yours?

2.     Any specific reason for having peeve?

3.     Have you ever thought about why that is?

4.     What’s one pet pleasure of yours? (I’m prepared to have to explain the “pet pleasure” to everyone I interview)

5.     Any specific reason?

6.     Why is that?

This is just a basic outline.  My questions will probably vary from interview to interview.  I think if I make it more like a personal conversation I may get more natural responses and more talking in general.  I hope to be able to talk to a variety of people, not just Davidson students.

I’m really curious to see if it’s easier for people to recall the small annoyance or enjoyment.  I know when I thought about it I could think of a lot more pet pleasures than peeves.

Big Idea Project Paper

Meghan Borders
Media Arts 2
Mr. Aumiller
21st February 2012
                                                                             BIG Idea
     To be honest I'm still not entirely sure what exactly my big idea is, but I think I am getting closer.  I think my work has alot to do with vulnerability and control (or lack there of).  That's not as clear-cut an idea as I would like but I'm confident about the direction I'm going. A big influence of mine is Jan Schwankmeyer. While I don't think his big idea is quite like mine, I see alot of vulnerability and control as elements in some of his films.  His work is dark and surreal, but also very humanistic.
      I think the better my art making process is going, the better the end product. It's hard for me to get started sometimes, but once I get into the zone I can get so much done. I wish I had been setting aside more time to "get in the zone" but I've been so busy trying to finish other governor's projects and keeping up with school.
     I learned more about what I wanted my big idea to be as I worked through the project. I also realized I always start off too ambitious and have to cut back on things.  Photoshop is also something I am continuing to battle. But there must be a way to do it. I mean I just saw a good old fashioned 2D animation in the theaters today. It can't be that hard.
    While it may seem like I'm not making too much progress towards finishing this project, I promise that I am still very determined to finish by Governor's deadline.

Assessment

1. What was your initial reaction to the Big Idea Project?
    After hanging around Art Portfolio for awhile I understood what a big idea was, and had started to think about what mine should be, but couldn't really think of anything that suited my work.
   
2. What was the biggest challenge you experienced doing the projects?
   Trying to tie in a big idea with a previously existing plan for an animation.
   
3. How much did the Idea Blog and the first writing assignments help you to create works of art?
   It helped me to get my ideas organized and also to more clearly see what ideas were not going to work too well. It's a good place to look back for all my future projects
   
4. How often did you find yourself coming back to the Idea Blog for inspiration or reminders?
   Pretty much if every scene I rationalize how it ties back into my big idea.
   
5. What part of the project was the most meaningful and important to you personally?
   It is great to be working on a project that is all my own idea and not part of an assignment. Also the extra time to work on one thing is very helpful and has taken out much of the stress that comes with making an animation.
   
6. How did you structure your time to meet deadlines?
   I work on the cartoon when I can and really hope to have it finished by Governors deadline.
   
7. What would you change about your own time management if given a second chance?
   Stop doing homework for all other classes and focus solely on art making. Maybe give up eating and sleeping too.
   
8. Do you think I had appropriate expectations of what you could do in the given time? Why or why not?
   Sort of. I feel like I have accomplished a lot during this time, but not as much as I wanted to. There is just so much else I have to worry about in addition to this class. And when I can hardly find the motivation to even open my eyes, animating becomes an even more daunting task.
   
9. How could I have helped you achieve more?
   I don't know. I think this project is my responsibility to finish and I am the one who would benefit from it. More free time in my day would be nice, but I don't think you can do that for me.
   
10. What is your current opinion of the Big Idea Project?
    I'm a little scared for portfolio because I still don't really know what my big idea is. It's my work and I should be able to talk about it's meaning but whenever I do people tell me I'm wrong. I'm thinking I need to come up with an idea that does not try to encompass all my previous work, but only applies to future projects. I respect and appreciate the opinions of my teachers but I think I rely too much on them. I want to have an idea I feel completely passionate about and stick to it no matter what.

New proposal

http://vimeo.com/12622016

someday..................

Story Boardin'

Video Proposal

I've been working on a comic for awhile now. It's rather long, but I would like to start animating it. My goal is to just do the first "chapter" to start. I want to use paper cutouts, maybe try to rig up something similar to the animating table. Any thing is possible with enough duct tape.

Artist Influence

BIG answers

I want my big idea to be about home. Home is a place, concrete or abstract, where one feels acceptance. I think my work says alot about the search for, loss of, and finding home; whatever it may be to the individual. Nature is a predominant theme in my work, because it is the origin (home) of all living things.
I believe that home is something we all long for and are capable of obtaining whether or not we're aware of it.

BIG idea #2

{a better big idea for MediaArts probably}

BIG idea ---> Home.

Potential Topics ---> Running away from home. Making a home. Finding a home. Homes as people, specific memories, etc. Belonging. Niches and roles.

Question???
> What is a home?
> Do we always end up back home?
> Can you have multiple homes?
> Can those different homes mix?

BIG Idea

BIG idea ---> Subconscious motives (Freudian Theories)

Topics with potential ---> Oedipus/Electra complex's. Fixations (oral, anal, latency, ect). Internal conflict. Natural instinct vs societal restrictions. Id, Ego, and Super Ego. Libido.

Questions???
> How true are Freud's theories?
> How much can we repress unconscious drives?
> How much do unconscious motives affect our behavior and decisions?
> And in what ways?