WEEK 15: ZINES

Good Morning! Today is the last day before our final (aka ZINE FEST).

Today, our main objectives are:
8:30-10 AM:
1) REPORT + DISCUSS ZINE FEST COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES: location? times? poster (get me a file and I can make copies)? poster distribution? facebook event? tables? set-up/take down/decorating committee make plans? additional work time (see note below)*?
2) Basic InDesign Tutorial 
Some Resources: 
Artist Crash Course (this is on an older version of InDesign, but it is SUPER helpful and relevant for you with regards to setting up a document and placing images and in 9 minutes)
Printing Booklets to Printer via youtube (Goes through all printer settings, very helpful.)
Printing Booklets via youtube (Very Thorough. She mostly discusses how to print digitally, but it's a good tutorial, so if you choose to follow this one, you will need to disregard what she's saying about PostScript files and print to a printer on the network, or as a PDF to later send to a printer with duplexing capabilities. Combine this tutorial with the one above to get what you need.)
Tutorials from Adobe (always helpful, endorsed by Adobe)
3) Introduce 3 Basic Bookbinding Techniques: (Saddle stitch, fold, pamphlet stitch)

10AM- 12PM:
1) Visit Light Work to meet artists and ZINE makers Cara Luddy and Trevor Clement
2) Work on and discuss your draft zines, problem solve

Around 12PM:
1) Student Evaluations


See you Next Week at ZINE FEST!



*If anybody needs any help with your ZINES, please be in touch with me sooner than later. I will be in my office at Light Work Thursday, Monday, and Tuesday and I am happy to help you when possible. I am also available to meet you (within reason and with enough notice) to meet with you Fri-Sunday at LW if you need help. If enough of you feel you need support/help putting together or making zines, let's set up an additional work time.  

Week 14 (April 15): Crit Day 2

Today we will complete our crits for the Alter project! If you did not go last week, you will go this week. Your Persona  responses are also due, in hard copy, to me today.

Before we resume crits, we will update each other about ZINE FEST.


Next Week (April 22):
Next Week we will dive into 'ZINES! We will have two visiting artists, Cara Luddy and Trevor Clement, talk to us at Light Work; an introduction to InDesign; an introduction to 'zine history; and hopefully some time to work. Please bring a draft of your 'zine with you to class next week.  Be thoughtful and intentional, but do not overthink this. Your draft should be cut, pasted, and loosely organized; it should begin to communicate your ideas, tastes, and attitude. Use B&W, communicate your ideas as economically as possible.

APRIL 29:
ZINE FEST!!!! This is our last class and your final. Please bring 11 "finished" copies of your zine. You will give one to your instructor, and have the others to trade/sell amongst yourselves. Be prepared to talk briefly and succinctly about your zine.

Week 13: CRIT Day 1

Crit begins TODAY for our Alter projects.
Those that would like to volunteer to go first may, and the rest of the order will be determined by random selection.

Other things to talk about: 'zine fest planning update

WEEK 12: April 1

In class:

'ZINES:

Look at some 'zines and self-published 'zine-inspired books

Talk about April 29 'zine fest planning, make committees

ALTERS:

one-on-one meetings with Jessica

In class work time

optional one-on-one consultations with each other

Discuss Reading

Next Week:

Alter Crits begin! Please be ready to go, and have your work ready to present. Expect 15 minutes total for presentation of work and discussion. If you want more of a guide for time based work, about 5 minutes. If your work needs more time, talk to Jessica.

If you are performing live, either arrange for someone to document the performance OR have a plan for where you want to place a camera on a tripod to record the performance. If you are not performing live as your alter, please upload all work to the server AND send me any links to work located on the internet. Please upload files to server even if it is on the web. 

WEEK 11: MARCH 25

THIS WEEK:

In class:
ARTIST/ALTER presentation
Discuss reading, "Scattering Selves" by Lucy Lippard (on blackboard) and hand in reflections
Small-group/independent work time
One-on-one meetings with instructor

Homework:
Due April 1:
Next Week, we will have a combination of small group presentations and in-class work time. Please continue to make work as your alter. Please continue making work as your alter. I will be checking in with you and you will be checking in with yourselves. Be adventurous! Don't like your alter? This is an opportunity to change him/her/them/it/etc. Keep a record of everything you do, I will want to see it.

Due April 8:
Prepare your work for presentation for critique. You are to select one element of the research you have been doing over the past few weeks to deepen and refine into work that you will present for critique. You will present this more concentrated work alongside any other collateral information you desire. For example, you may choose to select one video to show from your alter's youtube channel, but you will still want to show us the range of what you've been up to. Perhaps your alter has been writing. You may choose to perform a selection of those works live, but also show us the blog where your alter's writing has been hanging out.

You may choose any medium or platform to present your work. Anticipate 5-10 minutes to present/experience you work, followed by 5-10 minute conversation about your work (expect 15 mins MAX per person). Consider performing live, though this is not a requirement.

Please upload works you will be presenting to the server. Please email me any links to online content.

Critiques begin April 8.

Reminder:
Due April 15:

Screen Persona (1966) directed by Ingmar Bergman (viewable on hulu.com as part of the Criterion Collection) and read Persona by Susan Sontag (on blackboard).  Do these both on your own time, and write a response to the following prompt:

Susan Sontag introduces “doubling” as one of the major themes of this film. In your own words, how does Bergman use doubling as a cinematic device? To what ends? Be sure to address the structure, characters, and visuals. This is not a book report or movie summary; so be bold. Offer your own critical analysis and ideas. Write three well constructed and thoughtful paragraphs. Support all opinions with concrete examples. Feel free to reference any other material introduced in class or other relevant examples. Bring a printed hard copy to class to turn in. 

Notes:
Be sure to check blackboard for an updated syllabus for the second half of the semester (the previous version omitted one week!). Our last class meeting will be on Wednesday, April 29th, time TBD. As always, be in touch with questions or issues.

WEEK 10: MARCH 18

THIS WEEK:

In class:

Introduce our new unit: Persona (A Character Study)

Screen Youtube videos by Alter Egos

Screen: Paris is Burning (1990), directed by Jennie Livingston

Due Next Week:

1. Record images, videos, and text for 7 consecutive days as your alter-ego. You may choose to continue using your youtube video, or choose a different platform upon which to document your alter-ego.
2. Read Scattering Selves essay by Lucy Lippard. Bring written reflection (three questions, one paragraph creative response) to class.

Notes:

All readings and an updated syllabus through the end of the semester are available on blackboard.

WEEK 8: MUSIC VIDEO CHALLENGE

Monday/Wednesday class:

Today is your MUSIC VIDEO CHALLENGE!

Last week, you were divided into groups. For homework, you prepared and original song. Today, each group will have 4 hours to shoot, edit, and present a music video for your original song. We will screen the videos together at the end of class. At the screening, everyone will vote for their favorite video, and that band will be the awarded the privilege of knowing that your group is the AUDIENCE FAVORITE of the challenge.

REMINDERS:
- Develop a solid concept for your video before you begin shooting and editing. It doesn't necessarily need to have anything to do with your song, but it should be able to stand alone as a video.

- Be adventurous and experimental! Many artists, filmmakers, and videomakers begin making names for themselves (and money) making music videos. Take risks! Don't rely on convention! Be wierd!

- Because your song is the soundtrack for this video, you do not need to be concerned with the recorded sound from today. You will delete the diagetic audio from today in editing.

- When shooting "singing," lip-sync. You can experiment with slo-mo and speeding up the video by experimenting with the speed of the song/performance while recording, and then changing it in post-production. For example, if you want a slo-mo effect of someone singing the lyrics at the correct speed as the song, increase the speed of the performance by 50%, and then slow it down by 50% in editing.

RESOURCES:
LOCATIONS: We have access to the two lighting studios in the basement of Shaffer for shooting "studio" footage. You may use any location (seek permission if necessary), except your dorm room.

CAMERAS: I have checked out Canon HFR30 Camcorders for you to use. However, you may choose to shoot with any device.

APPROPRIATING VIDEO: You may choose to use Download Helper, a firefox plug-in, to appropriate found video footage (for educational and fair use purposes) from sites like youtube, etc.

EDITING: You will edit your videos in Adobe Premiere Pro. After the first hour of class, I will be available to offer hands-on help with Adobe Premiere Pro and Download Helper.

SOME EXAMPLES:
Sleater Kinney: Bury Our Friends
Sia: Chandelier
Yoko Ono: Bad Dancer

Chicks on Speed: Utopia
Missy Elliot: Supa Fly
Pussy Riot: I Can't Breathe

Grace Jones: Slave to the Ryhthm
Peter Gabriel: Sledgehammer
Bongwater: Power of the Pussy
Le Tigre: TKO
TV On the Radio: Golden Age
Oren Lavie: Her Morning Elegance
Bjork: All is Full of Love
Ok Go: This Too Shall Pass

Lana Del Ray: Video Games
Rage Against the Machine: Testify
Peaches: F-ck The Pain Away
N.E.R.D.: Life as a Fish 

WEEK 7: RADIODRESS VISITING ARTIST

This Week:

We will begin class by viewing your 90 second documentation videos.
Following your presentation, we will take a short break.
Following the short break, Radiodress will take over the class. Trust her.



Next Week:

Next week, you will be competing in a Music Video Challenge. For homework, you will be responsible for making one 2:00- 4:00 song in small groups. Please come to class with your completed song exported as an .MP3 file.

For your song, you may use original, sampled, found, digitally created, diagetic, or folly sounds. The only requirement is that the song be original to your group. This could mean a 100 percent original song and music, a drastic edit of found sounds, or a combination of the two.  Be ambitious and wildly creative through your recording, performance, and editing!

You should come to class with some ideas of what you want your music video to look like. I have reserved the lighting studios downstairs, lighting, and cameras. I will also show you how to appropriate footage from the internet using the Firefox "Download Helper" plugin.

You will have the hour hours of class to film, edit, and present your music videos! GOOD LUCK.

WEEK 6: CRITIQUE CONTINUED

We will continue critiques this week! 

Next week:
1) Visiting Artist: Radiodress aka Reena Katz
You will have a very short reading due for next week. This reading will be emailed to you, and will also be on blackboard. Please also refresh yourself with the Judith Butler text you read in colloquium. Both of these texts will provide you with a valuable framework.


2) Final sound revisions and 90 second video DUE
Your final audio revisions and 90 second "Documentation Video" are due NEXT WEEK (Week beginning February 23, 2015).  We will screen them in the beginning of class.

Please upload your final audio file to a personal soundcloud account. Please upload your video to vimeo. Email Jessica both links before the start of class. Please title your subject line "NAME: Vimeo and Soundcloud links."

Note 1: Please see the prior week's post for more details about the video assignment. Contact me ASAP if you have questions.

Note 2: With free vimeo accounts, there is a considerable wait time before the video goes live. Your video needs to be viewable at the start of class. To avoid problems, please upload your video at least 4 hours before class starts.

Video Editing Workshop
I will be offering a video editing workshop in Adobe Premiere CC on Friday, February 20, 2015 from 1pm-3pm in 214 Shaffer. I will cover the basics, as well as be on hand to help you troubleshoot. PLEASE RSVP by emailing me at jlposner@syr.edu. I will run this if at least one person RSVPs. If you want to come, but cannot make that time, please email me.  
NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP IS CANCELLED BECAUSE I AM SICK. IF YOU WANT EXTRA HELP IN PREMIERE, EMAIL ME. WE CAN SET UP A TIME TO MEET EARLY NEXT WEEK. IF YOU PREFER SELF-DIRECTED TUTORIALS, CHECK THE LYNDA.COM LINKS IN PRIOR POSTS. THERE ARE ALSO TUTORIALS ACCESSIBLE VIA YOUR CREATIVE CLOUD SUBSCRIPTIONS. 

WEEK 5: CRITIQUE

Today we will begin critique of your Site-Specific Sound Projects.

We will travel together as a group to each of your respective locations. We will experience the piece together as a group, each individual listening via headphones and audio device. Following that, we will either discuss the work in the space (if appropriate), or we will move to a nearby location where we can talk as a group.

Next week, we will continue these critiques.



DUE IN TWO WEEKS: DOCUMENTATION VIDEO
As mentioned in prior classes, there will be a visual component to this project. This component will be due in TWO WEEKS, the week of February 23, 2015.

You will be responsible for making a 90 second, video-based excerpt of your site-specific sound project. This video work will serve as "documentation" of the site-specific experience of your work. You may choose to use video, digital photographs placed within a video timeline, or both. You will upload this video to vimeo.com for presentation in class. You will present your works at the beginning of class the week of February 23, 2015.

At the beginning of your video work, please include 3 seconds of "slug" (black), a 5 second title card, and 3 seconds of "slug." This should be BEFORE your video work begins. Please also include 5 seconds of "slug" at the end of your video. This is an example of what your title card should look like:

This purpose of this "documentation" video is to translate the work for people that cannot be there to experience it in-person. Making "documentation" is a valuable skill when displaying more ephemeral, performance-based, or site-specific works online, submitting your work to applications, competitions,  residencies, and more.

You should choose the most dynamic 90 seconds from your work to serve as the soundtrack for your video work. Take risks with your work. The goal should be to translate your sound work into visuals to play with the audio art work, rather than simply illustrating sounds. Edit your video in Adobe Premiere CC. If you feel you need more support in Premiere, please reach out to me sooner than later. Refer to Lynda.com tutorials referenced in prior posts.

Note: Part 2 (the Documentation Video) of this project requires the completion of Part 1 (the Site-Specific Sound project). If you have not to completed Part 1 for whatever reason, you must complete this project in order to receive credit for part 2. Please come talk to me if you need to.

WEEK 4: WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY (read Monday too).

Class Plan:
Your final group critique begins next week! Though we will split the crit over two weeks, everyone's work is due next week. Please be sure to upload your assignment to the server by 9pm (this is a three hour extension) the day before crit, so I can make a playlist that everyone can download. I will have the playlist complete for you to download by midnight. Please come to class with the playlist already downloaded to your device.

You will also be required to upload your final audio work to Soundcloud. It is very user friendly and easy to set up. Contact me if you have issues. This must be completed by Week 6, and will be considered in your grade.

Note: When you export your .MP3 from audacity, be sure to fill out the metadata. You should name it with your name, the title, and "TRM 154" as the album title. This will make it easier to search in iTunes or other media listening software.

TODAY:
1) Engage in in-progress critiques with your small groups. To begin, you must first transfer all of your group's files to your listening device. You will need a listening device and headphones. If you need to borrow headphones, check them out from the cage. Then, proceed to the relevant locations to listen to the works. You should take notes and engage in critical conversation with one another. Ask pointed, critical questions in a respectful way. Always be sure to back up your opinions, thoughts, or suggestions with specific examples from the work. Some questions to guide you are below. We will use these questions to guide us in critique:

• Is the artist making good use of the space they are composing for? Why? or why not?
• Does the artist move you through different spaces (physical, temporal, and/or emotional)? What are those spaces? If yes, how do they do it? If not, what did they do?
• Is the artist utilizing a variety of audio techniques (distance, rhythm, tempo, right and left channels, volume, silence, etc.)? Which ones? How?
• What is your listening experience like? Why? Use specific examples.
• Can you confidently say that the artist has composed a "full sonic-experience" for you? What are some strong examples from the work? Weaker moments in the work?
• What do you think the artist's intentions were for this work?
• Are there things that the artist is doing that could be more effective? What are they? What would you suggest? (Note: please root any suggestions in the work at hand. Be generous, honest, and thoughtful; phrase things in a way that you would like to be spoken to: through kindness.) 

2) Report back to the class as groups. Each member of the group will be responsible for presenting someone else's in-progress work to the class. We will listen to a 30 second-1 minute excerpt of the works in class. Your group will decide which excerpt that will be, and then an individual that is not the artist will briefly talk about the work, guided by the above questions.

3) In-class refresher in Adobe Premiere Pro.

For those that feel they need extra help in this software, please register with Lynda.com and watch this video, covering the essential of editing in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.  If you do not already have an account, you will need to subscribe. This is a valuable "textbook," which I highly recommend anyone that feels they could use more experience with the software check out.

If you would like more experience in Photoshop, I highly recommend this fundamental tutorial for Photographers, and this compositing tutorial.

These tutorials are extremely thorough and professional. You can watch them at your own pace, or choose segments that are the most relevant to you. They also make excellent references when you are troubleshooting or stuck during editing. Though you will not be directly tested on these for this class, they will make your life better in the short and long run. Highly suggested for all students.

WEEK 4: MONDAY CLASS

Monday Class: 

This week, we will be catching up on Week 3 and working in small groups. Your final sound projects will be due for critique NEXT WEEK. Please note, this is a schedule change from the original syllabus. Our class has grown in size, and we need more time to give ample attention to everyone's work. We will use two days for critique, not the original one day as planned.

If you missed class this week, please see "Week 3," check the "Sound" page for updates. Please connect with your classmates sooner than later. Schedule time to meet with me if necessary. Please do this sooner than later. 

For homework this week, you will be responsible for:

1) Completing your sound project.

Please check the "sound" page for more details. In short, your sound piece needs to be:

• site-specific
• for headphones (or talk to me for other arrangements)
• ~5 minutes in length
• pay attention to distance, rhythm, tempo, right and left channels, volume, silence, etc.
• move your audience between two spaces (physical/temporal/emotional)
• a full, sonic experience

2) Connect with your small groups. As part of completing your project, you will need to share your work-in-progress with one another, go to their site, and provide written feedback to your small-groupmates. Please share this feedback with your groupmates, and bring it with you to critique (printed, to turn in). You should be able to do this autonomously, but you may choose to do this together. This is an important step in engaging with and supporting your fellow classmates. You will mutually support one another in making the best work you possible can. 

WEEK 3

Plan for today:

1) Discuss Readings: Introduction to Sound by Artists, Dan Lander; Site-Specific Sound Installations in the Urban Environment, Maria Andueza.

Take the first 15 minutes of class to re-familiarize yourself with your notes and the texts. Be prepared to lead and engage in a conversation about the texts.

2) Sound Slideshow: We will listen and learn together!

3) Exporting in Audacity: Visit the "Sound" page to download the LAME MP3 Encoder. Once you do this, install on your computer. You will use this program to export your .aup files in audacity to .MP3 files, which will allow you to playback your piece on many devices.

4) Work Time: We will work independently, and then small groups will check in with your Instructor.  The groups formed today will serve as your main support system through critique. Next week, you will travel with your small groups to your location and engage in in-progress critiques. During Critique, the small groups will be responsible for leading the larger group critique.

5) Next Week: Come to class with an exported .MP3 file of a well developed draft of your piece. Upload this file before you get to class.

Please name your file like this: FirstnameLastname_Draft1.mp3

Please also come to class with a device upon which you can play MP3 files, headphones, and a way to transfer files from the server to your device (via itunes or other method). We will engage in in-progress critiques with your small groups. Push yourself!

To upload your files to the server:

• Open Finder and select Go> Connect to Server... from the menu bar
• Paste the server address: afp://vpa-trmshare.syr.edu
• Connect as guest
• Upload files to appropriate folder. 

WEEK 2

Welcome! Please visit the Sound page on this blog for more details and links covered in today's class. Handouts given in class today are also available on blackboard.

This week's plan:

• Lecture + Listen to several examples of artists working in sound
• Introduce your Sound project, due for critique in Weeks 5 + 6
• Intro to TASCAM DR-40
• Intro to Audacity
• Discuss Readings