The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Reading Questions

"Examine the development of mechanical visual reproduction from copying a master's work..."

1.      Walter Benjamin says:

"One might subsume the eliminated element in the term “aura” and go on to say: that which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art. This is a symptomatic process whose significance points beyond the realm of art. One might generalize by saying: the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition. By making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence." (III)

 It is here when Benjamin discusses the authenticity of work that has been reproduced and how, lacking time and presence in history, is missing a particular uniqueness or originality. The fact that reproduction has changed the context means that it lacks the "aura" Benjamin so often brings up. How do you feel about the concept of a work lacking this "aura"? Do you feel this makes you connect differently to art? 

Later on, he continues this concept and says:

"Magician and surgeon compare to painter and cameraman. The painter maintains in his work a natural distance from reality, the cameraman penetrates deeply into its web. There is a tremendous difference between the pictures they obtain. That of the painter is a total one, that of the cameraman consists of multiple fragments which are assembled under a new law. Thus, for contemporary man the representation of reality by the film is incomparably more significant than that of the painter, since it offers, precisely because of the thoroughgoing permeation of reality with mechanical equipment, an aspect of reality which is free of all equipment. And that is what one is entitled to ask from a work of art." (XI)

Due to war and political change, the different forms of art had to be changed as well as their content. Benjamin saw that it is not enough, for example, simply to make people aware of human misery: photography can “make human misery an object of consumption” and can even turn “the struggle against misery into an object of consumption.” What are the effects and significance of new art forms like photography and film? Do you believe they still do not contain an "aura" because they are an image of an image?

2.      In part VIII of Benjamin's article he explains how film can detach the audience emotionally from the actor. Unlike theater acting, the big screen creates critics of the audience rather than devote them to the story emotionally. When you watch a film, do you feel that this is true? What films, actors, or directors have felt as real as the personal contact of theater (if any)? Are they considered cult?

Project 3: Animation and Audio

Downloaded Sounds:
1. The Beatles - "Because"
2. "Deep Space" from Freesound.org

Microphone:
1. Heartbeat Imitation

The hardest part about this project has been choosing audio that would work with the movements and atmosphere of the animation. I chose the deep space sound to set the atmosphere for the piece while providing the perfect hum that doesn't distract too much from the song or the piece itself. Maybe it was a little risky including the Beatles' song because it could distract from the movement and other sounds but, after listening and watching over and over, I am confident that my final editing choices for the song made the animation. I listened until the song seemed to fit just right with the movements and slowed the song down to 75% to fit with the rotation of the hands at top-center. I also dulled the sound to make it similar to the deep space hum with the Underwater Effects in Adobe Audition. And then the microphone was easy enough to pound my chest to create a heartbeat noise. Lastly, I made double sure that none of these sounds would be destroyed by the "Drone" and, luckily, I feel like they work perfectly. I hope you all agree! I also changed the original animation just a bit at the end. I've made it now so the the hands and heart sort of evaporate into the background. It looks like it doesn't end so suddenly and feels more organic.

Project 2: Animation In-Process: "Look Inside"

        In this project I attempted to do animate as much as possible without distracting the eye too much. I tried to use a lot of the effects but not many of them worked well with the skeletons or removed the textures I liked so much. I did use the "glow" effect on the ribcage, brain, and the two heads in the center in hopes to soften the harsh edges and create a "dreamier" atmosphere. I decided not to use any of the candy layers from my original montage because I believed it might take away from my — not so planned — theme.  I went for a very psychedelic approach to stick to the topic of Introspective. The colors, rotations, and flow were all attempts to please the eye. As Aldous Huxley says:

“Everything seen by those who visit the mind’s antipodes is brilliantly illuminated and seems to shine from within. All colors are intensified to a pitch far beyond anything seen in the normal state, and at the same time the mind’s capacity for recognizing fine distinctions of tone and hue is notably heightened.”

        Overall, I am happy with my first attempt at Adobe After Effects. I wish I had managed my time better so that I could tinker more with effects. There were so many possibilities with the layers I had that it was starting to become overwhelming! I will know better the next time I use this program... hopefully.  

RE: Collaborative Digital Diptych Montage

        I made a few changes to the montage by eliminating the disturbing chocolate pretzel growth from one of the skeletons. I also had three "Gourmet Red" text images one the original in hopes to assist with the flow but, I decided one was definitely enough and distorted the text image to form around the skeleton. Other very small touches included: masks, opacity changes, brightening some colors, and softening some edges.

Basic Animation Aesthetics Reading Questions

1. Do you recognize a style in other works by animators? Does this style apply to O'Reilly's rule of Coherence and Consistency? 


2. Do you agree with the statement: 

"The aesthetic rules defining a world should be as few as possible (but no fewer). The more elemental and simple an environment, the more exciting and visually rewarding it is when we introduce changes to it. For example if a film uses every color of the spectrum all the time, it loses the power to use it creatively over time."

This quote can be applied to all mediums in art. Does O'Reilly's theory of elegance being attainable through more rules apply to your art style? How has it helped animation's like Disney or Pixar?

David O'Reilly's Please Say Something

Salvador Dali and Walt Disney's Destino

Pixar's Paperman

The Beatles' Yellow Submarine

Hironobu Sakaguchi's Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly