ARTC 2010 Section 3 Intro to Digital Arts

Everything in quotations starting with the “Not quite sure” and ending in the “am editing it” I posted a few days ago as a replied comment to Heather (I’m quite sure she saw it), yet I’m still not sure I want to do what I have planned in quotations.

To be completely honest over the past week much thought has gone into this movie, yet movie as a self-portrait still baffles me. If weened down to one thing that describes me I would pick Jesus (God). There is no debating that, but explanation of God is considerably difficult. Time and time again, as a Christian artist, forcing Him into my projects ends in failure. His word has taught me to rely on Him for such things, and allow Him to show Himself.

This leaves me in a bit of a predicament, as the project edges forward. Instead of planning this movie to be about anything, simply letting it be would be much more natural. Letting me be my unrestrained self in front of the camera would work better at articulating myself. Ideas may come to me and a few have, and not utilizing them would be stupid (and not to mention against my own character). Ultimately, I’m not against planning the video, yet not much has come to me except this unfettered idea of “natural me”.

Expansion on this idea involves hours of film, talking/reacting to cameras and acting plainly as if no one was watching.  Filming myself in the most mundane activities, like practicing an instrument, drawing, ect. would be one tactic used int eh film. Another tactic would be sudden outburst of things that happened to pop into my head (puns and such). Also explanations of myself that would be detailed and well thought out. Through this video I hope to lay all my cards on the table, and hopefully make some sort of point by the end of it.

Because of the manner of the video there won’t be many, if any, transitions (those are my thoughts at this point in the process). Many of the shots will be close-ups, because many of the surroundings of BG I don’t find particularly aesthetically pleasing. Yet many of the shots will be mid-ranged to show scenes with multiple people or an activity that I am participating in.  Ground shots I predict to be fairly common as well. Thinking ahead to process overwhelms my mind, because I’m still struggling with subject like I stated earlier. All that I can truly say is that the footage I take will be raw, and I wish to crop and show highlights to illustrate who I am.

“Not quite sure I want to do any of that. Thank you for your reply though. Truly I was just trying to get something moving in my head. My mind wasn’t working at all in the way of movies.

Now I know what I need to do.

If I’m going to do a self portrait movie it would have to revolve around God. There’s no getting around that fact. Art does nothing for me. Away from Jesus there is no purpose, joy or Love in my life. Don’t get me wrong, there are wonderful friends, family, etc in my life, but none of that can compare to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is only one who can pick my true self out brush me off and set me rolling again and that is my Savior. Art is only a part of my life to express how great he is and what he has done for me.
This movie needs to be candid. As far as monologue or dialogue I’m not sure what it will be, but it needs to be guttural and true. I’m positive I’ll do a voice over. There will probably be many frontal close up shots and profile ones. I want to interview people’s thoughts on God. I want to ask people questions and give testimonies.
My audience is college kids, so anywhere I go they’ll be able to I.D. it off the bat, since they live in the same environment. I want to use this fact to my advantage by cropping things out or putting a new spin on familiar things. God is the real subject of the film, so ultimately I’m trying to show him not a bunch of pretty backgrounds (so location doesn’t matter).
As far as the music goes I want to use some of my own if possible, but it doesn’t matter much to me. I may use some of my friends’ music or maybe write something for this project.
There will be a fast paced part of this movie, but there will also be an incredibly personal part of this movie. What people believe and my own conviction will be juxtaposed, but I’m still not 100% sure how this is going to come out until I have a ton of footage and am editing it.”

To be honest doing all these self-portraits gets wearisome, yet strangely the video self-portrait excites me. I’m not sure what I’d want to do for it, but things generally fall together when I start filming.

My ideas were sorta’ centered around faces. I was thinking I’d want to piece together a lot of faces or film many faces and play them back one after another intensely fast to the point where they begin to merge.

I was also thinking about doing some lip syncing with all the faces. That’d be a challenge, but that’s why I’m thinking in that way.

I definitely want some monologue/dialogue/trialogue?…

Some words…and most likely a good amount of music that I would compose.

Also thinking about lights…I want to do something with lights….not sure what yet…but i’m feeling it coming together slowly but surely.

Here are my ten.

Art has always been a passion of mine, and has continued to be one to this day.  When I was young I satisfied my expressive urges with artistic bouts, that is until my expressiveness overflowed what art could contain. Gaping I was subject to emotional pains that I would not quench with a physical experience. After much fighting and dragging of my feet I came to find Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Similar to how C.S. Lewis put it I was, “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England,” minus the England part. Perhaps I wasn’t that opposed to Christianity, but I certainly wasn’t for it in my life.

Yet…

As I grew to Love my Savior and Lord and understand who he is, was and will be my conversion took on a new face. This new face could not help delighting in my God, and there was a distinct transformation that people noticed. In Acts 1:8 there is a scripture known as the Great Commission. The Great Commission is Jesus telling his disciples that after he leaves that Christians will receive power and be witnesses of Christ to the world. People noticed my conversion and bore witness to the change which bore witness to my God.

From that time on I decided that all I do should glorify God, and art is no exception. As I express myself I hope that it bears witness to my God to the point where I no longer express myself, but express my God. Art has always been at the heart of culture, and in many ways set the norms for society. Being an artist, I hope to add to the culture, and being a Christian, I hope to change it.

Jesus has long been the solution and I hope to point to him with every breath that I have.