An updated and finalized research proposal:

B. SENIOR PROJECT PROPOSAL RESEARCH

1. Proposed Research Topic(s): Psychological states of mind

- Crime scene investigation techniques

- Shakespeare tragedies/comedies

2. Describe significance of Proposed Research to Thesis

Project: The techniques of crime investigation and psychological states of mind will directly influence the portrayal of the characters.

3. Describe Proposed Research in conceptual, theoretical,

historical, and cultural terms: Conceptually the research will influence the visual style of the film proposed.

- Theoretically, the research will solidify the narrative approach and improve

the story portrayal

- Historically, the research explores the approaches to crime narratives and information dispersal, from early news types to modern methods.

- Culturally, the research will emphasize the subculture within mainstream media, enriching my knowledge about media and how adding to the feeling of alienation of the characters of the film.

4. Describe your Proposed Research methods:

1. Fieldwork: Data will be gathered through the ways information is spread, like newspapers, newscasts, and other media.

2. Written Materials: Books (mostly fictional, some non-fictional). The fictional books will be like Shakespeare books, illustrating the mood of tragedy in satirical ways. The non-fiction books will focus on the methods of crime scene investigation and the people involved.

3. Screenings & Work Reviewed: The movies watched will be analyzed for their stylistic qualities and how the camera work adds to the mood of the story and/or characters. The setting in the proposed movies will be analyzed to understand how they are predominant and how they can be used almost as characters themselves.

4. Interviews: I will seek out interviews, either pre-recorded or live, with people who have already made work dealing with psychological thrillers and/or crime dramas

5. List resources you have already referenced for this

research: The movie “Sucker Punch”

- The PS3 game “Heavy Rain”

- The PS2 game “Silent Hill 2”

The research is still rough around the edges (at least more than the production) but:

B. RESEARCH

1. Proposed Research Topic(s): Psychological states of mind

- Crime scene investigation techniques

2. Describe significance of Proposed Research to Thesis

Project: The techniques of crime investigation and psychological states of mind will directly influence the portrayal of the characters.

3. Describe Proposed Research in conceptual, theoretical,

historical, and cultural terms: Conceptually the research will influence the visual style of the film proposed.

- Theoretically, the research will solidify the narrative approach and improve

the story portrayal

- Historically, the research explores the approaches to crime narratives and information dispersal, from early news types to modern methods.

- Culturally, the research will emphasize the subculture within mainstream media, enriching my knowledge about media and how adding to the feeling of alienation of the characters of the film.

4. Describe your Proposed Research methods:

1. Fieldwork: Data will be gathered through the ways information is spread, like newspapers, newscasts, and other media.

2. Written Materials: Data will be analyzed based off the modern sources read and replicated.

3. Screenings & Work Reviewed: The movies watched will be analyzed for their stylistic qualities and how the camera work adds to the mood of the story and/or characters.

4. Interviews: I will seek out interviews, either pre-recorded or live, with people who have already made work dealing with psychological thrillers and/or crime dramas

5. List resources you have already referenced for this

research: The movie “Suckerpunch”

- The PS3 game “Heavy Rain”

I am still seeking valid research sources and shall report as soon as possible.

In short, here is the project production proposal for the latest idea

1. Working Project Title: "With Cranes"

2. Medium: Digital Film

3. Intended Audience: Those with an abstract view of the world and interested in the digital film genre of entertainment

4. Describe Project in one sentence: A satirical, psychological crime drama from different perspectives and themes.

5. Summary of Project in approximately 250 words: A serial killer, bent on gathering one thousand paper cranes to earn one wish, kills the same amount of people. Each person’s blood is soaked into the paper folded into the one thousand cranes. One victim survives the killing spree and, not knowing why, seeks out the blood and soul parts they lost. In the process of finding his lost self, he goes from rich to poor due to lack of care for anything else. A modern day Oracle, whose parents were killed by the serial killer and seeing all the deaths as visions, seeks to stop the killer before she is driven crazy. An unofficial detective, intent on finally catching this serial killer, chases down what clues he can. The detective catches the survivor and interrogates him, not learned too much before the Oracle is in the mix too. All three characters find the killer watching them and chase after the killer until they reach the killer’s hideout. The three characters finally catch the killer, after nine hundred and ninety nine deaths, who kills themself in desperation to complete the thousand cranes. The survivor picks up his crane, reclaiming full senses and foiling the serial killer’s plans. After the killer sees this, they die knowing they had failed and that their wish will never be granted. The survivor later comes back and quietly kills themselves, knowing they have nothing left to live for.

6. Main conceptual goal(s) to be achieved: Explore how a crime drama/serious story can be twisted in tone, but still retain the narrative wholeness.

a.) Conceptual themes: Psychological exploration of crime victims and those involved in crime investigation.

-How instinct can be more truthful than conscious thought.

-Visual representation of mental ailments.

b.) Historical themes: Investigation techniques from the past and the present.

-Misplaced individuals and how they can be the same in many eras.

c.) Cultural themes: The effect of media on people and information

-How investigation can take many forms through modern media

7. Discuss technical pursuits and how they parallel with your

conceptual themes: The camera will be used from extreme angles to add emphasis to the people and their states of mind.

-The use of sound from objects in the frame will add to the distorted tone of the piece.

On a side note

With the most recent "Current Perspectives" speech, I feel I should note a trend I have seen at KCAI and possibly the rest of the city. The term "talk" or "discussion" tends to be abused greatly today, almost always meaning "lecture" or a monologue that goes on for too long. I respect words as a communication tool and an excellent way of expression, but a lot more "talks" are quite empty, letting the speaker take up time rather than inform. In relation to the speech, I respect the art of Wendy White makes and its style. The way she presented it, however, was quite uninteresting with more emphasis needed on the process. I did not learn much of the content, although as I recall there was not much, and this did not really help me develop artistically (especially since I use digital film). I do like her combination of materials, though, and hope her work does well in the future.

Banana Split Lollipops

Long story short, the situation is quite tentative right now (if that is the right word for a rather large boulder balanced carefully on a cliff edge). All bets go to this Friday , April 8, 2011, which is the final part of the filming process and only a quarter of the headaches to come. Monday may be arrangeable for filming, but that will have to be discussed with the people at Jannes Library. The animation portion of the piece is still on route and I pray it works, since I have not done animation before. I fear it may cause a certain amount of degradation to the overall impact of the work.

I think back to the speech regarding the legal actions that could possibly be taken against or by artists. I blame human society for getting so lavish and up on themselves that such measures could be conceived. Still, something I should be aware of in later practices, and definitely in Senior year.

I still remember the presentation on the quite interactive public art that involved material like the long clay letters, the pads that controlled the projection onto the buildings. This is the kind of art that I want to do someday, but I want to make it a whole world that can be accessed on and offline, sharable by all in any setting. Perhaps a pipe dream but plausible in the future for as long as I hope to live.

The show at the artspace was still interesting though. A true global snapshot if I ever saw one.

I can only pray that this semester works out. This film is only a third of it all. Headstrong, let us ride forth.

Also, TURKEY!!!!

Tumelo Mosaka

This is long overdue but what hits me the most with Tumelo Mosaka is the level of involvement and advocacy that he uses in his line of work. I would not want, nor would I be suited for, the position of curator in any museum, so I highly respect this man for the work he does with the people in large public settings. The projects seem small at times, and admittedly some did seem uninteresting even in public spheres, but the spirit of the people who support that art is surprisingly strong. It is an unusual style he incorporates into this work, and this is something I could learn to use in my own film work (it would be interesting to see the use of digital film in the same way Tumelo uses his public image arrangements). Overall, this man definitely deserves respect and I hope his projects continue to prosper.

Blogga Blogga Boo!

If you were in a paradox and divided by zero, what would happen?

As this is pondered in the tea pots on our brain burners, let the bloggification begin for 2011!!

Abstraction is a very human term and difficult to define as a result, since defining something I can't understand or flesh out is something that seems oxymoronic (-ronical?). Still, it is this enigma that I love to use in my films and other works and should probably define now, for myself and for anyone else with spare time and curiosity.

In all seriousness, the way I would define Abstraction is the logic of painting the scene around an object if you couldn't paint the object itself. Combine this logic with the sense of gestalt of showing parts and stepping back to see the whole picture and you get a sense of what I am talking about. I also like to incorporate a certain ... uncomfortable sense into work. Much more aware of their own world simultaneously.

Ultimately, I want them to be ENTERTAINING! Nothing "artistic" in it other than the quality of the image or the story being interesting. Other than that, I want to have no philosophical justifications (which surrealistically speaking have no truth anyway) that make any prefaces too long.

The previous text bunch actually contradicts the most recent statement but you get the idea. I want to make films abstract, fun, and self-contained. You laugh, you cry, you move on. Simplicity is key.