My Spring Quarter project is titled Kanaf Tzitzit. Kanaf tzitzit is translated from Hebrew as Corner Tassels. Moses, in the book of Numbers chapter 15, commands his people to attach corner tassels to their garments so they will be constantly visually reminded to live as God created them to live. This is my corner tassel. This video is my own personal reflection of what it means to live as God created me to live. My piece is divided into three segments titled Core, Fix, and Vision.
Core is an abstract representation of the concept of sin and how it permeates my life. It is a montage of imagery that intends to create a feeling of being consumed and taking over. I shot this on 16mm film during fall quarter.
Fix is a commentary on religious tradition. Our Christian culture has not embraced the sacraments laid down by Jesus Christ as a blessing, but rather treat them as another obligation. Obligation, not celebration. This video serves to ask why exactly do people go to church every Sunday? Is it to praise God in a community of believers who can offer support and aid in your growth in the Holy Spirit? In my own experience, it is much less than that; it is someone fulfilling a routine that is as common and tedious as balancing a checkbook or going grocery shopping. People every Sunday morning just go to church and get their weekly Jesus fix.
Vision is a more positive outlook on the joys of being a Christian. It starts with a story from the bible about a blind man getting sight. It then, quit literally, shows a girl getting sight from her a Jesus figure. This serves to represent the journey I have taken in order to understand God and how through faith we will be given insight into truths.
The three pieces stand to serve as my commentary on living as God created me to live. This is my kanaf tzitzit.
Thursday
Blurb
Kanaf tzitzit is translated from Hebrew as Corner Tassels. Moses, in the book of Numbers chapter 15, commands his people to attach corner tassels to their garments so they will be constantly visually reminded to live as God created them to live. This is my corner tassel.
Week 10 critique notes
Good Metaphor in Fix
Good use of text
Visual richness in Fix
The music distracts in Vision
Foley sound in Vision would help connect the images and sound
Raise the voice levels
Good use of text
Visual richness in Fix
The music distracts in Vision
Foley sound in Vision would help connect the images and sound
Raise the voice levels
Friday
help me live out my vision...
For the third video, I want the journey to end with the person going up that stair case on the west side. It is cool looking. I want it to start in the woods, then using fancy editing techniques, make it seem as though this stair case is in the woods.
I still don't have a solid ending.
I want to film week six.
I am struggling building a soundtrack. I can hear what I want it to sound like in my head, but I am having trouble trying to find sounds to record that will live out my vision.
If you have any ideas for sounds that make you think "A cog in a machine" let me know!!!!
I still don't have a solid ending.
I want to film week six.
I am struggling building a soundtrack. I can hear what I want it to sound like in my head, but I am having trouble trying to find sounds to record that will live out my vision.
If you have any ideas for sounds that make you think "A cog in a machine" let me know!!!!
Tuesday
... just a thought
I got a new idea for the third video. Incorporate how in our journeys we will be given sight. Maybe have someone get spit mud rubbed in their eyes in order to cure blindness.
Maybe the focus of the film could get increasingly better as the video progresses.
Maybe the focus of the film could get increasingly better as the video progresses.
Friday
Production Schedule
Week 1: Treatment
Week 2: shot list, casting, story board, locations, production design, crew and shooting schedule.
Week 3: Major production work on capturing and editing sound for the first two videos. Do all the filming for the second video
Week 4: screen rushes, work on capturing video editing second video.
Week 5: screen edited sequences, soundtrack design
Week 6: Film the third video and capture audio for soundtrack. Capture and edit video.
Week 7: finalize soundtrack and work on editing
Week 8: finish editing
Week 9: screen rough cuts
Week 10: Done!
Week 2: shot list, casting, story board, locations, production design, crew and shooting schedule.
Week 3: Major production work on capturing and editing sound for the first two videos. Do all the filming for the second video
Week 4: screen rushes, work on capturing video editing second video.
Week 5: screen edited sequences, soundtrack design
Week 6: Film the third video and capture audio for soundtrack. Capture and edit video.
Week 7: finalize soundtrack and work on editing
Week 8: finish editing
Week 9: screen rough cuts
Week 10: Done!
Research Paper
My spring quarter project will be a series of short films that exemplify different aspects of the Christian faith. In my research I struggled to find many other films in similar styles about religion and Christianity.
In today’s churches, experimental or abstract art is rarely encouraged. James Elaine, member of the Christians of the Visual Arts, says “As an artist and a Christian I understand the difficulty in reconciling the two and finding our place in life. The church often times ignores or rejects the relevance of the artist in the work of the Kingdom while the world rejects the perspective of the Christian in culture.” He follows up this point by adding that despite this lack of recognition we need to preserve and try and encourage our Christian communities to understand the importance of artistic expression.
I watched several videos produced by Nooma. Pastor Rob Bell stars in these video installments. They’re short (usually 7 - 15 minute) long videos that each focus on different aspects of the Christian faith. They are shot in a way that are unique to a majority of films used in churches or for Christian education. They are based heavily in metaphors and drawing connections from what is being filmed and the stories Rob Bell is telling. Episode 5 of the videos, titles “sound,” is almost completely silent and filmed from an angle that makes the viewer assume they are a television watching a person watching a television. These sort of abstract or more experimental filming choices separates the Nooma videos from the majority of videos in this genre. These videos exemplify several of Edward Smalls’ criteria for experimental cinema including brevity, lack of language, mental imagery, and reflexivity.
R.J. Rushdoony says, in his article The Meaning and Greatness of Christian Art, “Art is inescapably a religious activity. Man, in all his activities, manifests his faith.” The article talks about how culture, in itself, is a religion and those practice Christianity incorporate those beliefs into there culture. Art will often times be a vessel to express ideas or thoughts that are hard to define using words. In the Bible, Moses, a major author in the old testament, would seamlessly transition from story telling to poetry because some aspects of the story couldn’t be told in a conventional manor. Faith is such a personal and intimate interaction, it is hard to express how it causes you to feel. It is the challenge of the artist to take something so indescribable as belief in God and translate it to something visual or audible.
Bibliography
Witherington, Ben. “Rob Bell’s Nooma Videos.” Feb 24th, 2007. www.benwitherington.blogspot.com
Witherington’s blog was commentary on different Nooma videos.
Elaine, James. “Christians in the Visual Arts.” www.civa.org
This website displayed Christian art work as long as had short articles about the importance of Christian art work
Monsma, Cornelius. Art work.
Monsma is a Christian and a large amount of his artwork displays aspects of faith in metaphorical and abstract ways.
Boyd, Greg. “Random Reflections.” Jan 11th, 2008. www.gregboyd,blogpsot.com
Boyd blogs about Christianity and our culture, he specifically calls out for rebellion to mainstream Christian practices
Rushdoony, R.J. “The Meaning and Greatness of Christian Art.” 1993.
The article discusses the place of art in culture and religion and how those things intertwine.
Nooma videos. Episodes: 001 Rain, 005 Noise, 008 Dust, 0011 Rhythm.
These videos are experimental and discuss different aspects of faith.
Edward Smalls. Direct Theory.
This book discusses the characteristics of experimental cinema
In today’s churches, experimental or abstract art is rarely encouraged. James Elaine, member of the Christians of the Visual Arts, says “As an artist and a Christian I understand the difficulty in reconciling the two and finding our place in life. The church often times ignores or rejects the relevance of the artist in the work of the Kingdom while the world rejects the perspective of the Christian in culture.” He follows up this point by adding that despite this lack of recognition we need to preserve and try and encourage our Christian communities to understand the importance of artistic expression.
I watched several videos produced by Nooma. Pastor Rob Bell stars in these video installments. They’re short (usually 7 - 15 minute) long videos that each focus on different aspects of the Christian faith. They are shot in a way that are unique to a majority of films used in churches or for Christian education. They are based heavily in metaphors and drawing connections from what is being filmed and the stories Rob Bell is telling. Episode 5 of the videos, titles “sound,” is almost completely silent and filmed from an angle that makes the viewer assume they are a television watching a person watching a television. These sort of abstract or more experimental filming choices separates the Nooma videos from the majority of videos in this genre. These videos exemplify several of Edward Smalls’ criteria for experimental cinema including brevity, lack of language, mental imagery, and reflexivity.
R.J. Rushdoony says, in his article The Meaning and Greatness of Christian Art, “Art is inescapably a religious activity. Man, in all his activities, manifests his faith.” The article talks about how culture, in itself, is a religion and those practice Christianity incorporate those beliefs into there culture. Art will often times be a vessel to express ideas or thoughts that are hard to define using words. In the Bible, Moses, a major author in the old testament, would seamlessly transition from story telling to poetry because some aspects of the story couldn’t be told in a conventional manor. Faith is such a personal and intimate interaction, it is hard to express how it causes you to feel. It is the challenge of the artist to take something so indescribable as belief in God and translate it to something visual or audible.
Bibliography
Witherington, Ben. “Rob Bell’s Nooma Videos.” Feb 24th, 2007. www.benwitherington.blogspot.com
Witherington’s blog was commentary on different Nooma videos.
Elaine, James. “Christians in the Visual Arts.” www.civa.org
This website displayed Christian art work as long as had short articles about the importance of Christian art work
Monsma, Cornelius. Art work.
Monsma is a Christian and a large amount of his artwork displays aspects of faith in metaphorical and abstract ways.
Boyd, Greg. “Random Reflections.” Jan 11th, 2008. www.gregboyd,blogpsot.com
Boyd blogs about Christianity and our culture, he specifically calls out for rebellion to mainstream Christian practices
Rushdoony, R.J. “The Meaning and Greatness of Christian Art.” 1993.
The article discusses the place of art in culture and religion and how those things intertwine.
Nooma videos. Episodes: 001 Rain, 005 Noise, 008 Dust, 0011 Rhythm.
These videos are experimental and discuss different aspects of faith.
Edward Smalls. Direct Theory.
This book discusses the characteristics of experimental cinema
Treatment
My spring quarter project will be 3 short films that are meant to exemplify different aspects of faith. I will be filming and developing a soundtrack for two of them and adding a soundtrack to a video I made fall quarter as my third. The two I will be filming this quarter will all be shot on 3 chip cameras. The shorts will be metaphorical representations of my feelings. It will contain many elements of experimental film including non narrative structure and lack of language or dialogue. I want to emphasis more abstract means of interpreting issues of faith to illustrate the lack of clarity and the problems I have with explaining aspects of faith. I consider the belief in God to be complex and perplexing. I am easily angered at peoples over simplification of faith and religion. I want to use non narrative structures and experimental techniques to show the struggle of explaining and making sense of something so personal and intimate.
The first video, which has already been filmed, will be an explanation of sin and how it permeates our lives. It was filmed on 16mm black and white film. The film consists of several shots; different angles of someone eating an apple, a large tank of clear water being slowly filled with a dark liquid, shots of a face covered in dirt, hands holding dirt, and an apple core. The soundtrack will consists of uncomfortable mechanical noises that intend to solicit feelings of intrusion and fear. Its working title is “Core.”
The second video will be commentary on how the church puts too much emphasis on rituals and sacraments and not enough on faith and having a relationship with God. This short will have a more narrative structure than the others, but more complex visuals and metaphors. The reason it will have a more narrative structure is that it is commenting on structure and the negative side to be attached to meaningless tradition. The video will consist of close ups displaying someone taking the sacraments of the last supper (bread and wine) and injecting and snorting them like drugs. It will be inter spliced with images of church imagery that is worshiped more than God. The shots will use lighting to create intensity. I hope to achieve a dirty bitter feeling. Its working title is “fix.”
The third video is less planned out. It will consist of long shots. I want to display a journey. It will take place outside and in very organic environments. The shots will all be wide to display a feeling of “the bigger picture” As the previous two videos will be shot using primarily close ups, this video will polarize this by wanting to make the viewer feel more omniscient. The video will attempt to present salvation through Jesus, being freed from sin and destruction through faith. Sin and religion are just (unfortunate) aspects of faith. Salvation is the larger picture. The images of journey and discovery will be inter spliced with a random assortment of people wearing different wounds that Jesus received during the crucifixion. Although death is bloody and dark, this video will attempt to make beautiful the wounds Jesus endured. Its working title is “bigger picture.”
The first video, which has already been filmed, will be an explanation of sin and how it permeates our lives. It was filmed on 16mm black and white film. The film consists of several shots; different angles of someone eating an apple, a large tank of clear water being slowly filled with a dark liquid, shots of a face covered in dirt, hands holding dirt, and an apple core. The soundtrack will consists of uncomfortable mechanical noises that intend to solicit feelings of intrusion and fear. Its working title is “Core.”
The second video will be commentary on how the church puts too much emphasis on rituals and sacraments and not enough on faith and having a relationship with God. This short will have a more narrative structure than the others, but more complex visuals and metaphors. The reason it will have a more narrative structure is that it is commenting on structure and the negative side to be attached to meaningless tradition. The video will consist of close ups displaying someone taking the sacraments of the last supper (bread and wine) and injecting and snorting them like drugs. It will be inter spliced with images of church imagery that is worshiped more than God. The shots will use lighting to create intensity. I hope to achieve a dirty bitter feeling. Its working title is “fix.”
The third video is less planned out. It will consist of long shots. I want to display a journey. It will take place outside and in very organic environments. The shots will all be wide to display a feeling of “the bigger picture” As the previous two videos will be shot using primarily close ups, this video will polarize this by wanting to make the viewer feel more omniscient. The video will attempt to present salvation through Jesus, being freed from sin and destruction through faith. Sin and religion are just (unfortunate) aspects of faith. Salvation is the larger picture. The images of journey and discovery will be inter spliced with a random assortment of people wearing different wounds that Jesus received during the crucifixion. Although death is bloody and dark, this video will attempt to make beautiful the wounds Jesus endured. Its working title is “bigger picture.”
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