Fast Trip, Long Drop

I found this film interesting mainly because it gave me the chance to hear a voice that is virtually invisible in mainstream media: that of someone who is living with AIDS, dealing every day with the reality of illness and death. I liked the incorporation of found footage, especially of the man balancing on the tightrope, and the cannon as a visual metaphor for his first sexual experience. The film is angry, passionate, and not afraid of being confrontational, as seen when Bordowitz addresses his audience and asks questions that begin with “why didn’t you?” I respect his determination to agitate as well as educate his viewers. It was very sad to think that some of the people with AIDS in the video are probably not alive today, and it made me think of “Fast Trip, Long Drop” as sort of a long goodbye note, maybe Bordowitz’ attempt to be leave something important behind and be remembered. In this way, I think, it encourages others to fight to get their message out there and make the most out of the time they have.

Vito Acconci Theme Song

After viewing Theme Song in its entirety, I noticed an immediate connection of intimacy between the director and the audience, while elaborating on the notion of "I and You", and the importance of the "viewer and I" relationship. This relationship is enhanced by his use of symbolism within the piece. What his cigarette symbolizes is vastly important because of the social advantages "smoking" inherently has within our society. The audience immediately hears the music, sees him smoking with his face almost coming out of the screen, and they are inclined to listen. This is the power of the video medium, for its ability to transcend the idea of the "other", and in turn bring people with shared interests together. This connection is highlighted by his quote :'You could be anybody out there'...'I can feel your body right next to me'. There is a definite social agenda in this film, although it may seem a bit ambiguous at first.
-mike

Tongues Untied

So, I just thought I'd slip in a comment about the Marlon Riggs film (in its entirety):

One thing I noticed about 'Tongues Untied' was, of course, its rhythm--that of the editing, and of the actor's speech. The super-close-ups, and the juxtaposition of dynamic/static scenes, gave the sequences an in-your-face, subversive feel, while leaving intact the soothing backbeat of the overall piece. (...I hope this is making sense so far...) I'll give an example: Near the end, scenes of the protest are physically "dynamic"--and, though they contrast in a way with the more "static" scenes involving close-ups of the storytellers, their audible & visible rhythm (the chanting, the marching) coincides with the spoken rhythm of the actors.
I thought the on-and-off drumbeat (which sounded like a heartbeat) was another really effective way to emphasize this theme...
~ Cassie Jensen

"Fast Trip, Long Drop" by Gregg Bordowitz

The two aspects that I liked the most about the documentary "Fast Trip, Long Drop" by Gregg Bordowtiz, are its 'handmade effect' and its sarcastic tone, both of them constants in the movie. The camera work and the editing process, do not search for precision but for a sense of reality. Bordowitz's sarcasm is real, sharp, strong and yet bitter (the beginning scene with the anchorman, the fake talk show, etc). The entire documentary is also characterized by a sense of belonging/non belonging; a feeling of forced exclusion and of fake inclusion (quote: "we are all dealing with HIV"). However there is not a 'we' but a 'us' versus 'them'. Our society pretends to be inclusive of everyone and of every problem, but the division that is inherent in our society between I/you we/them, is scarily clear and underlined. (quote: "Only ‘they’ are getting HIV. What do they mean by ‘they’. They mean gay men, Hispanic women, blacks.")

Group feedback

 I just wanted to post in order to get my group coordinated. We are Jovs, Dan, Alex, and Julio.

Posting Videos

For posting videos to this blog I would suggest first uploading to http://www.vimeo.com/ and then embedding the video into a post.  The quality is much higher than YouTube.

StoryBoard

These are some story boards for my self portrait. I am still trying to upload videos. I believe the limit is about 1gb. Is this true?