From: James Kreul (email suppressed)
Date: Wed Jan 24 2007 - 08:32:14 PST
> Video schmideo Film schmilm.
> Let's see. Let's hear. See something. Hear something. Hey I want to
> see what this old man has to show me.
> owen
Don't get me wrong, I keep going back and I have enjoyed some of the 365
entries. And more importantly I think the project as a whole can be quite
inspirational. My point is not that I enjoy Walden because it is on film
and not some of the postings because they are shot on video (and screened on
a small computer window). It's just that it makes me wonder what Walden
would have looked like if he had the option to just let the camera keep
rolling, or what people would think of the 365 films if the strength and
inspiration of his diary films had not already been established.
I should also clarify for those who have not been following the project:
there are daily postings but they are not necessarily shot recently. For
example, one entry is a discussion between Susan Sontag and Bela Tarr
(obviously not shot recently since she died late 2004). So this is a bit
different than my understanding of the video haiku project, but obviously
similar in spirit.
I'm all for seeing and hearing. But at least one 365 film I stopped
watching because I couldn't hear it. And I wonder if I would keep going
back if I had come across a random entry on You Tube, which someone else
brought up. I mean, a lot of people (including lesser known old men) want
you to see something and hear something, ranging from pet tricks to daily
contemplations. The great thing about this is that everyone can do it. The
worst thing about it is that everyone can do it.
[and by everyone I mean anyone with disposable income for consumer
electronics, computer technology, and broadband access...which of course is
not everyone]
But you're right to say video schmideo film schmilm because the big change
with the new technologies have less to do with aesthetic options and more to
do with the contexts in which people will now produce and share work. We'll
have to see how that plays out in the near future.
Which leads me to a question: Has anyone figured out exactly what the deal
is with the "upload" component of the Mekas site? Are uploaded videos
supposed to be viewable on the site itself at some point? Because if they
are, that makes for an interesting tension between the spirit of the site
and the business model for the site.
James Kreul
University of North Carolina Wilmington
email suppressed
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