Final Project

Blog Response 5:10 Fiasco! (Audio Program)

After listening to an episode of This American Life on Fiasco where we hear different stories about things that go horribly wrong was almost comforting. I’m notorious for trying to balance too many things at once and often times feel like I’m a complete mess. Somehow listening to others struggle which feels somewhat sadistic, makes me feel better.

There is a story about a production of Peter Pan and we hear about the many things that go wrong. The props seem to be defective, accidents resulting in the bodily harm of the audience takes places, and it ends with fire department arriving. To overcome these obstacles a significant amount of improvisation needs to take place, and it needs to be done well. While listening to the unfortunate outcome of the production, somewhere along the way I began to put myself in their position. There’s a portion of the story where we hear about an issue where Wendy needs to attach a kite to herself to fly away. The flying apparatus people can’t seem to get the kite close enough to her and she has to step into the “water”, contradicting her fear. There’s another part where Tinker Bell comes on stage, and Tinker Bell is portrayed as a light bulb, literally. In moments like these there’s an element of bad luck, but part of me wonders if the director did this to him/herself. Then I began to connect this idea of people “bringing things unto themselves”. As I declared earlier, I try to balance many, possibly too many, things at one. However, that was my decision. After listening to this audio recording I began to explore how much of the stress and chaos in our lives is self inflicted.

Blog Response Young Adult (Narrative Film)

Young Adult follows Mavis Gary, an author of teen literature. She lives in Minneapolis (MN) but decides to return to the small town in which she grew up to relive her glory days and get back together with her high school boyfriend, Buddy, after receiving a mass email of a picture of his newborn. From the beginning of the film we get a firsthand look at how self involved and dramatic, bordering on delusional, Mavis is.
After Mavis returns to Mercury (MN) she makes constant passes at her Buddy knowing he’s married and has a family while ignoring the warnings from an unlikely associate she bullied in high school. We realize near the end of the film that the only reason she keeps getting opportunities to reclaim Buddy is not because she’s crafty. The only reason she keeps getting invited to everything is because the people of the town feel bad for her. At a baby naming party Mavis completely comes on to Buddy and he asks her to leave. She gets confused by his rejection because he let it go on for too long. When the rejection and humiliation finally get to her she has an outburst where we find out that she was going to have a baby with Buddy but had a miscarriage. At this point we know that Mavis was planning on spending her life with Buddy but left Mercury after the miscarriage. She became a successful writer and got married. She later got a divorce and it’s now understandable why she reacted the way she did in the beginning of the film when she received the picture of the his newborn in her email.
The saddest part about the film is that it could happen to anyone. Things happen. Miscarriages could happen to anyone is divorce rates are high. You can’t help but feel sorry for her even after her witnessing her negative personality traits. It almost reminded me of the transition from high school to college, and most likely the transition from college to life. Sometimes things change, and people change, and we can’t always expect to leave a place and return and have it be the same. I enjoyed this film because I’m from Minneapolis, MN and it’s interesting to see how your area is portrayed.

Blog Response Nobody’s Business (Documentary)

Nobody’s Business is particularly interesting for two reasons. The objective relates to everyone and it allows us to get an inside look of the intentions of the director/filmmaker on a personal level. Heritage is something we all have; it’s family. The concept of heritage is taken on collectively by the Berliner family. Each member plays a role in helping Alan learn about where he came from. His father Oscar provides such a unique outlook in expressing that he essentially doesn’t care about members of his family he’s never met, or ultimately doesn’t remember. While Oscar’s attitude may seem harsh, I can relate to the lack of connection he may feel to his ancestors. I’ve never met, nor do I even know the name of my great grandmother. I feel no connection towards her whatsoever. I’ve also never met my grandmother because she died before I was born. I do know her name and I’ve seen pictures. My mom talks about her from time to time, but I still don’t know much about her.
As Alan traces his heritage, Oscar’s recurring argument is that the past is the past and it means nothing. Alan get’s as far as his great great grandfather and while he’s never met this man, he explains that it’s his heritage and therefore important to him. I understand why Alan feels this connection but the same doesn’t hold true for me, nor Oscar. Alan asks as interesting question regarding whether or not Oscar would want his descendants to know him. Oscar is consistent in that he doesn’t think it matters nor does he care. After considering this question myself, my opinion changed. I do think it would be cool for my descendants to know me. I believe everyone wants to be remembered in some way because in theory if no one is around to remember you, you cease to exist.

Fear of the Unknown

Re-Edit of What's That Smell?

Re-Edit from Erin Perkins on Vimeo.

What's That Smell?

Sequence 02 from Erin Perkins on Vimeo.

Single Shot

singleshot from Erin Perkins on Vimeo.

Rough Cut

ROUGH CUT from Erin Perkins on Vimeo.

Re-edit Images from Surveillance Project

Laura Poitras & Edward Snowden Response

The article follows Laura Poitras and her work with documentaries. It begins with her role as a "documentary maker". She often times would blend in to her surroundings. Glenn Greenwald, a columnist Poitras worked with, described her as "completely invisible and yet ubiquitous". The article touches on her background and then proceeds to get into her early work.

Poitras traveled to Bagdad to go to the Abu Ghraib prison to document a visit by members of Bagdad's City Council. This was where she shot a scene of a Sunni doctor's interaction with prisoners. She also got permission from the doctor Riyadh al-Adhadh to report on his life in Bagdad. She eventually completed the documentary titled "My Country, My Country" which focuses on the shootings and violence that took place in their neighborhood. Her film premiered in 2006 and received an Oscar nomination for best documentary.

Poitras faced many accusations regarding her work on the story of the war's effects on the Iraqi citizens. For example, while working on her documentary (My Country, My Country) she stayed with the doctor and his family. Occasionally they'd go up on their roof to "get a sense of what was going on". Coincidentally, a group of insurgents attacked the neighborhood and killed and american while Poitras was on the roof "getting a sense of what was going on". Shortly after there was speculation that Poitras knew about the attack beforehand and went on the rooftop to remain out of harms way.

The article eventually touches on Snowden but I found her early work more interesting to reflect on because I'm interested in documentary filmmaking. I don't necessarily see myself taking on such controversial topics in such risky and dangerous environments but I find that how she got to where she is is something to consider.

The Art of Peeping Response

The Art of Peeping follows photographer Arne Svenson's series of photograph's titled the Neighbor's. Svenson's images depict individuals in their homes. He took these images without their permission, and proceeded to display them. The issue regarding his actions is whether or not he invaded their privacy, which in my opinion, he did. As a photo minor interested in candid photography it's hard to just snap photos without feeling "creepy" or as if I've invaded someone's privacy. Angry parents eventually sued Svenson due to images of their children, but his actions were ruled "defensible" under the First Amendment's freedom of speech. Svenson believed the verdict was an accomplishment for artists rights. Svenson's intentions weren't to invade these people's lives, but to capture them in their natural state because he believes they're "more beautiful to photograph" this way. While I understand his explanation as a photographer, I believe that if someone doesn't want their picture taken, it shouldn't be taken. To avoid miscommunication I generally ask for permission. What Svenson does do is leave mystery to his photographs. You can't necessarily pick out who the figures are (unless they're you) in his photographs. To me this plays more on an aesthetic level versus an invasive level.

Shizuka Yokomizo's approach is smarter and more respectful because she asks their permission. Not only does she avoid a lawsuit but she makes a connection with her subjects. She explains that at the core of "peeping" is the urge to connect with strangers versus invade their privacy. Svenson had the same idea but his method was more controversial. Again, I understand his intent but I wouldn't gone Yokomizo's route.

Surveillance Project

Photo 1

Photo 2

Diptych

The Medium in the Massage

The Medium is the massage talks about how the "family circle has widened", meaning we're not solely influenced by our parents, but by electric media. Technology is so advanced and what we see and hear (television, radio, social networking sites, commercials, ads, etc.) at such a young age affects our values and ideas. Another aspect to consider is why we use technology as an emotional outlet (facebook, twitter, etc.) versus our family, and at what point does our family become those outside of our intermediate family.

The way the text approaches education is interesting in that it criticizes the television and how it influences children. It suggests that the average child that watches television is exposed to "adult news", meaning war, inflation, taxes, as well as ads featuring sex appeal and superficial desires, don't really know how to handle and adjust to a structured schedule in which they learn information (in a specific setting). The text then goes on to say that before the seventeenth century there was no such thing as "childhood" because during that time children "merged" into the adult world. This is interesting to think about because when I reflect back on my "childhood" it becomes unclear as to when it was over. Was is when I started doing my own laundry or when I got my cell phone?

Amount of Times I Sleep in 48 hours

11:00am

4:00pm

12:00am




             
     
                   


  7:00am

1:00pm










6:00pm








1:00am

Surveil Yourself

• wake up
• wash face
• brush teeth
• get dressed
• leave for breakfast
• breakfast at ernie davis
• walk to shaffer
• art photography class
• go back to my room
• take a nap
• wake up
• eat a snack
• walk back to shaffer
• meet with advisor
• go to library
• homework at library
• go back to shaffer
• survey of film history class
• go back to room
• make dinner
• eat dinner
• do homework
• take shower
• get into pajamas
• wash face 
• brush teeth
• go back to homework
• put retainer in 
• go to sleep

Erin and a Story.

There's not really a story to my name other than the fact that my parents wanted it to be coed. There was no deliberation involved, they came up with it and stuck to it unlike my other sisters. My parents chose between 5 different names for my older sister!