Final Blog Post

I have learned so much from this class. I learned to appreciate natural sounds and everyday lights. I learned I need to start going to a lot more film festivals. Maybe even submit some stuff. I learned there's some really weird films and filmmakers out there. I learned shooting on film can be a lot of fun but a real bitch to work with too. I learned identifying myself for others can be a lot harder than it sounds. And I learned Trevor and Will still take bubble baths.

My editing skills have definitely improved since the beginning of the semester. I've had some directing experience now which was stressful but more fun than anything. I now know how to load, shoot on, and unload film which I had never done. I feel pretty confident about making soundscapes which will surely come in handy. But most importantly I have grown closer with 15 film major students and one professor that I hope to work with in some capacity one day.

Thank you for everything you have helped us experience this semester! Save me a seat in 495 this summer!

Austin Crowder

Martha Colburn

I really loved Colburns style of art. The whole animating cut outs thing was really cool but also sort of intimidating. I think it would be incredible to be an animator(even though that’s not my dream field). I look forward to looking into more of her works and seeing what she comes out with next! Plus having a pug and puddle of pee explain where babies come from was the highlight of my day...scratch that...week.

Self Portrait

Everyone's self portrait was incredible in their own ways. My favorites were definitely Anthony's, Destiny's, Daniel's, and Kyle's. You could tell people really poured themselves into these and I loved that. A lot of people got really raw and deep which takes a lot. The dark tone of Charles's, Tristan's, and Ashley's was really something. Terry Linehan always says "elicit emotion in anything you work on" and they nailed that. I fairly enjoyed mine but I now realize it isn't done. It can be so much more and I have a lot more I can add and tweak. I have more videos I wanted to use and voicemails I wanted to get. I may even try to work on it over the Christmas break if I have time. This project was really fun and i look forward to doing something similar in 495 over the summer!

Video Installation Idea

So right off the bat we all agreed on something weird and scary. Which has evolved into creepy/anxiety. Charles had the great idea to incorporate anxiety because if we can get the audience to feel anything, anxiety would be really cool to kind of play with. I mean everyone feels anxiety so I think it will be very interesting. I’ve been trying my best to direct and assign jobs. We’re thinking about renting butterfly kits and creating an enclosure for the audience or a few members at a time and then projecting different creepy videos of people’s fears and other crazy stuff just from found footage. Charles is working on possibly getting a band or musician for a live performance. We may possibly blindfold the audience. It’s all a work in progress but I have faith in my group and know we’ll pull off some creepy ass shit ;)

Self Portrait revised

Nothing really new. I’ve found the Snapchat videos I’m going to use and have put them into premiere. Now I just have to get the audio which will be from close family like mom, dad, brother, sister, etc. And some close friends of mine. I’ve decided I’m just going tell them to leave me a couple minute voicemail explaining what they think of when they think “Austin Crowder”. If I can cut that up to fit with the videos I think it will be really cool!

Ok Go

I honestly have never heard of Ok Go. Haven’t seen the videos before or anything but I really really like them! The musics pretty good but just the videos themselves were so creative and trippy. Just to think about how much time and effort went into those is mind blowing and I’m definitely a fan now. Can’t wait to see what they put out next.

Post-Cucalorus

Cucalorus was a pretty crazy experience. The Jackfruit shorts were WEEEEIRD. Most were pretty good but some I could've gone my whole life without seeing. The best part was professor Georg Koszulinski offering us candy from a damp paper bag! The next film block I went to was Lords of Chaos which was WAY more interesting than I thought it would be. Plus my friends short film played before it which was awesome. Then Saturday I ended up seeing Georg's film White Ravens and TransMilitary which was phenomenal. Then Sunday I saw the PAW PAW shorts block and the Fiddlehead shorts block. Both were great! I didn't really get to meet too many new people but I did get to ask a few questions at the Q/A's which was pretty cool. The Jackfruits block gave me a lot of confidence for submitting things in the future because there was some crazy, out-there shit. All together I really liked it and do regret not getting a Pegasus pass. Always next year!! The pics are of my tickets because I forgot to take pictures at the screenings. The one for White Ravens has Daniels name on it but that's because he gave me his since he had to leave due to a family emergency. And then Will sent me the picture he took at Lords of Chaos.

Self Portrait BRAINSTORM

I'm still trying to decide what to do exactly. My idea so far is do a compilation of my Snapchat stories. I know that sounds odd but once you see  how "experimental" they are you will understand. And for my soundscape I'm going to ask my close family and friends to leave me a voicemail explaining what they think of me. That will be....interesting to say the least. That's sort of my rough idea right now but it is definitely subject to change.

1D

This was probably the funnest yet most stressful part of this whole assignment. This is where we got to be the most creative but we also wanted it to be really good since it was the final part and it was being shown at Cucalorus. It was interesting getting someone else's soundscape because it was new material and you really had to listen and think "what would look good here with this sound?" without it being too random.

Pre-Cucalorus

I am happy to say I will be popping my "film festival cherry" this weekend at Cucalorus. I only just learned about Cucalorus last year so I'm happy to actually be attending. Destiny, Daniel, and I are going to see Jackfruit Shorts on Friday at Jengo's Playhouse, Lord's of Chaos on Friday at Connect Theater, Paw Paw Shorts on Sunday at Connect Theater, and Fiddlehead Shorts on Sunday at Jengo's Playhouse. My friend Chloe Pacheco's film is playing before Lord's of Chaos which is pretty awesome, so I'm excited for that. John R Dilworth, who created Courage the Cowardly Dog, worked on Paw Paw Shorts so that'll definitely be interesting! And then of course I gotta show support for my professor at Fiddlehead Shorts! One of my goals, if there are Q&A's, is to ask something to the filmmakers but it's hard to know what I'd ask before seeing the films. Another goal is I really want to meet new people. And I know that sounds cliche and vague but I mean I want to meet maybe film majors from other schools or really anyone I wouldn't run into in King Hall. And lastly, I want to find inspiration. Lately I've felt like mine died. I've had a lot going on with losing my apartment and having to move and then other personal stuff. I just feel like Florence killed something in me and I hope to revive that at Cucalorus.

1C

Shooting on film was A LOT harder than I thought it would be. Multiple times I looked at the back of the camera to preview the photo I had just taken and then was reminded FILM DOESN'T DO THAT. I remember Will and I saying "Welp, hope that was good!" Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun and exciting. It's just nerve racking not knowing what you just shot. And then the whole film messing up fiasco. Just seems easier to shoot digitally. I do plan on shooting on film more in my lifetime, it's just stressful when it is for an assignment. Also, thank god for Anthony. We would have been lost without him.

Reading

“What has happened increasingly to underground cinema is that’s it’s become sort of academicized. I don’t condemn that; it kind of moved into another sector and that created a space for the microcinema  movement, which is more electronic folk culture, as I call it, more neighborhood, more street, more underground, more contemporary, more a community kind of thing and not so much just the avant-garde sort of thing” I love this take on what “underground cinema has become because it’s true. I also love that movie theater had food that related to the culture of the films like wasabi peas for Japanese films or Simosas for Indian films! The culture loving fat kid in me loves that.

Maya Deran

Maya Deran has always lowkey scared me as I think she does multiple people. I mean what she does is beautiful but eerie too. I’ve only seen Meshes of the Afternoon but her other works seem really cool. I love how specific she wants it too even though it’s experimental.

Harry Smith

I honestly plan on looking up more about Harry Smith. I’m a huge sucker for psychedelic and trippy things. Even though it’s not how he wanted it, I’d love to watch his films and listen to Pink Floyd. I plan on showing his work to my friends from back home too because I know they’ll dig it. Though I don’t condone drug use I respect the idea of altering your mind in different ways for different inspiration.

Jonas Mekas

I feel like I grew up with Jonas Mekas after Rory and Lily’s presentation yet I also feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface. He really interests me though! I really like his style. It’s simple yet artistic . And his “leave Brittany alone” video was WAY better than Chris Crocker’s.

Light observation 2

It’s 4:03 on a Tuesday. I’m sitting in American Cinema class in King. Lights bounce off of students heads and glasses. Berliner is hidden at the front out of the lights. The lights illuminate people’s hair, especially Rory’s! The light bounces off my phone screen as I type this while simultaneously listening and trying not to get caught. The movies starting. The lights dim. Stagecoach starts and suddenly I’m transported to a theater from the 30’s.

Light Observation 1

It's 10:45pm on a Monday night. I'm sitting in the editing lab surrounded by light. The overhead lights are bright but not blinding. I'm sitting directly under one as it creates shadows around my desktop and headphones. Eight rows of three squares in each one creating the slightest shadow in each square. The bulbs themselves reflect inside each square and appear as if the bulbs are curved down. The three lights at the front create shadows behind the speakers on the wall. The distortion on the one in the middle is blurry and drags like an acid trip. LED rope lights line the rows of computers.  Their reflection almost drips off the counter onto my computer. They aren't that bright with the big lights on but as soon as I kill them the rope lights take control of the room.

1B

Making a soundscape was really interesting to say the least. Hearing all the sounds my group captured along with everyone else's and then putting them together to make something that DIDN'T sound like a jumbled mess was definitely a challenge but it was a lot of fun too. I learned some sounds sound a lot cooler in reverse(ex: the ukulele). It's really something to make a story out of just sounds. It was like being handed a box of puzzle pieces you can't see and someone saying "Here, put this together any way you want. Just make sure it makes sense." I also learned people really liked using Rory's vibrator. Well, the sound that is...

The Absolute Film

This article pretty much confirmed what I have thought about experimental film for a while. That even though it may be off the wall batshit crazy, if it is art to you then it's art. Not everything has to have a story or meaning or purpose. Sometimes people just make things because. I loved the way they compared absolute film to absolute music. It isn't about a story or function it's about "the essential elements - harmonies, rhythms, melodies, counterpoints, etc." I like that because I see experimental cinema as sort of a symphony in a way. But then other times experimental cinema is like a jazz ensemble.

Synesthesia and Cymatics

The cymatics videos were really cool. Its crazy what sound can do to other things. The way those speakers made the water move was incredible. It looked like the water was alive. Music is such a beautiful thing but actually seeing it flow through something is so weird. A good weird though. Synesthesia has always interested me. An artist I know who has synesthesia designed a bracelet in honor of other people with synesthesia. It's called "Taste of Color" and is beautiful blend of all different colors. It's always interested me that some peoples senses tie together like that. Sometimes I wish I had it, honestly.

Pops & Rhythms Productions

Recording with Rory and Marika was quite an experience to say the least! Using the H6 was a new experience for all of us but we eventually got the hang of it. Rory had sat a bunch of things out that would make sound for us to record. We had things like pill bottles, water bottles, tissues, dice, a pot, and a vibrator. We also got some recordings from the gym at Rory's place. There was a guy in there watching tv and working out. When we asked him if we could cut the tv off briefly to record he just left which was...weird, but nice of him. The best part was 100% Rory's biscuits and gravy which also made for some great sound recording. I hope the three of us get to work together again because we really got creative and had a lot of fun.

Night Jeep Sitting

It's 9:50pm on a Sunday night. Outside my apartment complex is far from quiet. Cicada's fill the air with their nighttime song. The sound of cars passing left and right interrupts the tune of the cicadas but only for a minute. Each car sounds different but before I can analyze the sound it's gone. My neighbor is outside directing her friend where to park. She screams after being startled by a frog. The scream carries and ceases all other sounds briefly but then cicadas and traffic fill the night again.

Theory of the Film: Sound

Some people enjoy silence. Some people fear it. I respect silence. Especially after reading what Bela Belazs had to say about it. "There are thousands of different sounds and voices, but the substance of silence appears one and the same for all." This really hit me. Everything has it's own unique sounds that convey a certain meaning or idea but silence will always sound the same. Even though silence will always sound like "silence" the meaning of the silence is up to whoever hears it. Sound is such a beautiful thing but if used correctly, silence can be true poetry.

Living Room Sound Observation

It's all a blur at first. One big jumble of sound. As I sit and listen I can pull the sounds apart one by one and identify them. The main source of sound is my fan in my room making a low but constant whirring sound. I can hear my neighbors TV reverberating off the wall. (What's new?) It creates a hushed murmur throughout the room. My clock faintly whispers a nice tempo as to remind me of the slow passing time. My fridge kicks on and suddenly it owns the room as a steady hum drifts into the living room from the kitchen. My friend is playing a video game next to me. The game is muted but I can hear every *CLICK* from each button he presses. It isn't constant or on beat like the other sounds. It doesn't belong. Then it stops. A few seconds pass then my neighbors TV is silent. Then the fridge falls silent. My orchestra of sound has been reduced to a duet courtesy of my fan and my clock.

Naming, and Defining, Avant-Garde or Experimental Film

No matter what, there will always be someone who doesn't understand experimental film. My mom for example! It's nearly impossible to define. Especially to someone who doesn't know much about film in the first place. I feel though if you have to explain it then part of the point is lost. A lot of times its up to someones own interpretation of what they are seeing and how they take it. This article is a lot of  "It's not this or that" but if you are giving yourself rules to follow then at what point is it no longer experimental and it becomes you just following a formula?

Amateur versus Professional

Freedom of ones self and ones imagination is the main point of this article. The beauty of making an experimental film is you don't have to report to anyone because it's your project. Your vision is whats being created so YOU are the most important element. Once again, it's about taking risks and changing the formula. Making an experimental film is the time to really express yourself and, for a lack of better words, let your weirdness show. Let your mind be free and bend and expand. Mistakes can and will happen but you just have to learn from them and keep going with what you love.

The Student 7

"once you’ve mastered the rules, you can change them." This line spoke the most to me. Experimental film making is about breaking ceilings, trying new things, and challenging the norms. If you aren't taking risks then what are you doing? Even if you made what everyone wanted, someone would hate it so why not make what you want. If you fail then who cares? Try again! It doesnt take much to make experimental film. You don't need top dollar equipment and sets. A good concept is ideal. You want it to at least interest someone. A strong crew is crucial too. On big movies sets some of the crew may never even speak because it's so many people. I like the heart and intimacy of a small crew working together.  But as long as you have a good concept and a camera, you should be set.

My name is Austin Crowder. I am from Fremont, NC which is a small town about an hour and half away from here. Film has always been a part of my life from my dad and I watching comedies together such as Austin Powers and Ace Ventura (hence the picture) to my friends and I making stupid Youtube videos. When I first graduated high school I immediately knew I wanted to work in film but at that time I thought I wanted to be an actor. It wasn't until right before I transferred to UNCW that I realized I'd rather be behind the camera. In the past year, I have slowly been finding a love for experimental film. Saying experimental film is the poetry of cinema hits the nail on the head for me and I hope this class really introduces me to a new experimental world.