Blog Assignment #2: David Ellis

Last year I met a graffiti artist named David Ellis who demonstrated his method of “live graffiti”. He basically makes a continuously changing work of art, so a piece is never really finished. When I watched him live, I kept getting upset at the fact that he would make a  beautiful painting and then immediately paint over it. However, when I did a little bit of research about his work and stumbled upon some of his Youtube videos, I was absolutely amazed. The video below shows one of his creations:

The artwork itself is visually stunning, but I feel that the editing makes it even better. The sound effects are very simple and fun, and play along nicely with the images on screen. They do not draw attention away from the moving art, but instead enhance the illusion that the art is really “alive”.  There is no smooth transition between shots; this video is more of a stop motion style of filming. The thing I like about it is that the shooting angle never stays the same, which I think helps the moving paintings look more realistic. Each shot is under a second long, and when played quickly, the delusion of movement is very successful. The cuts are obvious but in this case I feel that they are necessary to make the paintings seem life-like. 

Interview with Steve Knudsen

I can't seem to get vimeo to work so until i figure it out heres the interview on youtube.



Interview with Steve Knudsen

What I Hear

For this assignment, I walked along the East River from 30th street to 10th street. First, I tried to pay attention to the background noise - sounds that I wouldn't normally try to listen for. The most obvious one was the sound of the water hitting the pier. When I closed my eyes, it was actually very calming to listen to, almost as if I wasn't in New York City, but rather a remote tropical island. However, the fact that there is a highway just a block over quickly took me out of my mini-escape and landed me right back in the city atmosphere. I could hear so many cars speeding by, and if I listened more closely I could hear the sound of bicycles whizzing by me on the bike path that runs along the river. As many times as I've walked up and down the river, I never even took notice to the loud noise created by traffic. In my hour walking around, I didn't seem to hear many sounds that were meant to attract attention. I heard a couple of ambulance/police sirens, a boom box blasting hip hop music from a car, and the beeping of a streetlight intended to notify the blind as to when it was safe to walk the street. Even though I left my cellphone at home, I found myself checking my pocket anyway when I heard the classic iPhone text jingle coming from a strangers pocket. It was around 9pm, so there weren't many people outside making sounds or having conversation. I was pretty surprised by how many different noises I heard, but I live across the street from an ambulance garage, so I normally have to deal with obnoxious loud sounds coming through my window. Living there has made me more aware of the noise that is produced in new york city, but it was interesting to just get away from my ipod and listen to the natural sounds around me.

stamp art

i wish it was always like this

My Artist Statement

I have been involved in the world of media for a couple of years now, though I am not exactly sure what my motives or goals are quite yet. In high school I learned how to use Photoshop and Indesign, along with other image editing programs. I was an intern for the producer of VH1's "Best Week Ever", where I learned how to use professional film equipment, learned interview and shooting techniques, worked with Final Cut Pro, and gained hands on experience as a film maker.

This year I started an internship at The Film Society of Lincoln Center, where my job is to promote upcoming movies and shows at LC. I've been working as a web designer since last July, which I really love doing. I've gained experience in many different fields of media, but I am not interested (nor great at) any particular field. I'd like to further my involvement in various forms of media and hopefully find something I'm really passionate about.

I love watching movies, I take a decent amount of pictures, and I find it enjoyable to mess around with any pictures I take. Basically I'm just a normal media user - I use my laptop, my iphone, my cameras, etc. I don't know if film or another field of media is where I want to end up, and that's why I'm taking this course. I'm not sure if theres any message I want to send the world right now, but when I have one, I'll get it out one way or another.

test post

just a test