"Who Moved My Media? Changes in Popular Media Formats":

The latest exhibit featured in the HBLL is oddly relevant and extremely timely for this class. I have stopped by and visited it several times, and each time I do I notice something new and interesting (aside from trying different tactics on Frogger). Especially fascinating to me was the manner in which new media's aesthetic has changed and developed, building on past appearances. The "play", "computer" and the "cinema" sections seem to all sort of blend together aesthetically, and it feels as if they have influenced one another. For example, the round shape of the film reel has translated to a small, flat DVD disk, as did Compact Disks and, eventually, game disks. The original games were boxy and thick, not unlike VHS tapes within that same generation. Some of the photography technology progressed in a similar fashion, going from purposely boxy to minimalistic. I suppose that overall, the "feel" of what is considered technological or new medial in whatever decade seems to reflect and project itself.

I also found it interesting that we try and recreate the old from the new, and enjoy aesthetic echoes. The racing games displayed, for example, look strikingly similar in structure, though the graphics are worlds different. The designs used, especially in new media, often feel recycled and built upon rather than reinvented entirely.

Both the aesthetics and the capabilities of the new media presented in the exhibit also beg the question of authorship. One informational plaque I noticed mentioned that the VHS tape battled hard to be America's choice of tape technology, and won. That means that whoever was the inventor and distributor of that technology played a major role in allowing us for the first time to enjoy our favorite movies at home in mass. Does that make those people partly authors of the content, since they had a legitimate hand in developing and mastering a manner for us to experience said movies? I thought of the same question when looking at the Blue-Ray disc, which is known for eliminating some of the limitations of past representations of film. The experience is greatly influenced by the technology itself, which is always developing from thousands of creative minds and authors in their own right.

Ultimately, visiting the exhibit was both inspiring creatively and productive to the class. I'm glad new media is a focus of the university generally, and hope the exhibit stays long enough to be enjoyed by future new media classes.

New Media Manifesto

New Media Manifesto by Barrett Burgin

Text of Essay:

People have always dreamt about the future. From biblical prophecies to modern day predictions, we’ve looked forward to what incredible advances the future will hold, to a day and age that improves upon the present. Whether or not we are continually moving in a positive direction is hard to say, but throughout recorded history there have certainly been some major improvements. With each passing generation, the world seemingly becomes more connected and aware of the challenges it has yet to overcome. The advent of the internet and new media have especially accelerated that process. What does the future look like for us? The modern age is advancing at an exponential rate, and although there is still much to overcome, history and current trends seem to suggest that we could use new media and technological advancements as the primary tool to solve the major problems of this century.

A major advancement that has come of the information age is globalization. People across the world are able to communicate far more freely, both as groups and as individuals, thanks to internet forums, online gaming, and social media sites such as Reddit or Facebook. This increased communication has made the world feel small. Greater communication has the capacity to build bridges across cultures and countries that would otherwise be impossible. An increase in communication can often prevent prevalent misunderstandings and misconceptions, such as the idea the people in other countries are radically different from one another. It can propel social change and awareness of social issues without being filtered by mainstream media PR machines. It can lead to greater unification, such as people changing facebook avatars and coming together online to “#PrayForParis” in response to the multiple terrorist attacks in 2015. Over the past several years, many discussions surrounding social issues have been propelled into public awareness and even pressed into public reform by being shared on social media. From LGBTQ rights to gun violence, people can immediately join the conversation and share information. Many voices that may not typically be heard can be shared through social media and step by step, globalization has the ability to lead toward greater unification. In these instances, public opinion is often able to shift and dominate and normalize issues that may have taken years to evolve otherwise.

Some of the issues born out of social media are complex and have not yet been peacefully resolved. Nevertheless, increased global awareness and open discussion can be considered a step forward, despite the occasional violent nature of the movement. For example, the unrest of Ferguson, MO in 2015 sparked a debate in the United States about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans. This led to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and an increased exposure and exploration of the issue. A major component in the controversy surrounding Ferguson was its coverage. When people began to share their own accounts of what was really happening through social media, the world tuned in, and main media outlets began to change their rhetoric. New media has given other movements, such as those of the Arab Spring, the abilities and platforms to communicate, assemble, and revolt where they would not have been able to otherwise because of government control.

Of course, it is important to note that for every Arab Spring there is an ISIS, and that the development of this technology has not done away with hate groups or prejudices; in many cases it has also given them a voice and a manner in which to grow. New media has also accompanied a time of polarization, particularly in the political arena of the United States of America. We certainly are not more united than we’ve ever been. However, the opportunity is there to move past these problems, as are the tools, and we are slowly and surely making headway. History shows us a progression overall, and we can look at the United States as a case study. Racism is not gone, but we no longer have legal and institutionalized slavery. Misogyny still exists, but women are able to vote. Even if we typically take two steps forward and one step back, these tools of new media can help us in the right direction in the long run. As we continue to face social injustice and division, the advances of technology and connectivity will help continue to be a key tool in battling them.

Another key component of the information age is the education that is readily available. Over time, it is possible that people will begin to care less about cultural conflict as access to information allows prejudices and narrow views to slip away. This doesn’t mean that going on facebook will suddenly make a racist somehow less of a racist. But it does mean that over time, generationally, these ideas will become weaker. For example, it is not uncommon for children to have different accents from their parents and ones that are similar to their peers. More and more young people are “plugged in”, interacting with their peers online, and this type of globalization can eradicate more than just accents. As new generations spend more time on digital media than ever before, creating, exploring, sharing, and interacting, it is possible they will simply lose interest in the cultural battles of the past. Ideas of race, gender, and identity generally have evolved far more quickly because of the information age, and younger people propel these ideas by accepting them as normal. Their immersion within their own communities drown out antiquated ideas and beliefs, such as opposition to interracial marriage or that women shouldn’t be educated. If we continue these kind of trends socially and technologically, we may one day only be asking what we can do with so much information and entertainment, rather than spending time and energy telling each other what to do.

Obviously, the possibilities provided by new media are able to improve the quality of life. Many of the abilities we have now are convenient and even leisurely, such as having communication, personal data, schedules, internet access, and games all in one device. As more people benefit from increased technology and become more interconnected, perhaps they will want to share those developments with the rest of the world, friends who they’ve connected with across the globe. Perhaps online gamers will take an interest in the political climate of teammates in the Middle East, or friends on a forum will find solutions to wage inequality. This interconnectivity can allow people to invest in one another, and take an activist role in quality of life everywhere, as it has with groups such as the Harry Potter Alliance, largely organized online. If globalization and unification could help quality of life improve, less unrest and frustration would grow out of inequality and poverty.

Perhaps new forms of media and technology can solve these problems. Perhaps they’ll be the tool that eradicates the biggest issues facing us. It’s not unlikely. But even if they don’t prove their potential, it’s important to focus on the future, to envision a day of peace and prosperity. We’ve invented the impossible, so as we continue to dream up incredible innovations, perhaps we can eventually dream ourselves into that perfect age.

Community Curation Creation

http://striplingstudios-blog.tumblr.com/

The process of creating this piece was more informative in some ways about how people using social media process posts and online information than anything else, so I suppose that in that way especially it was a great success. Thinking of the concept for the project started as somewhat challenging, but became became even more so when considering how people might respond or interpret my call for entries. When I posted, I received way fewer entries than I expected. Normally I see a decent amount of activity on questions I post using social media, but they are simpler and require less thought or energy. It would seem that while people want to express themselves within a social media community, they do not necessarily want to spend energy to think about how to do so, at least when seeing a post in passing. In order to get more participation, I had to ask friends and family members, with whom I had social capitol, to think about a response and post something. I realized maybe people were over-thinking it once they decided they were going to think about it at all. My wife and sister-in-law both spent considerable time trying to come up with the perfect piece of media to post and repeatedly asked me questions about it, even though they initially had several ideas in mind and I reiterated several times that the project is very open-ended. This would suggest that they were hesitant to make any sort of definitive representational post about themselves in the community, especially about something that inspired them, without wanting it to accurately and positively reflect on them.

Interestingly, other friends who said they would participate hardly ever post anything on facebook, and don't seem to care all that much about how they are presented on social media. Not only did they post immediately when I invited them to, but I don't think they even really read the prompt. One friend posted a quote his grandfather told him. I can't think of any way I can pitch that as being any sort of media, but I am glad he participated. Interestingly, however, these friends tended to engage more in the conversation, liking others' posts, perhaps more to support the person or idea than to represent themselves to the community. One friend shared his own artwork and creative inspiration, but contextualized that decision by telling me it was a hard one and asking the community not to think him arrogant by doing so. Even more interesting, it seemed that the more posts I got, the more eager people were to participate, even if I had already asked them. Perhaps the posting is exponential, in that if people see a mass gathering online to discuss something, they are far more prone to be part of the conversation.

It would seem that community plays a very large part in shaping what is created or received online, if differently for different people. I can't help but think of other social media sites, such as tumblr or reddit especially, where art and information and community are all blended into one with memes. Memes are a particularly interesting form of community media in that they typically reference an understood original source, they are self-perpetuating, they can be used to make points, reference current events, create satire, simply joke around, etc, and they are even considered an art form with no original author.



Community calls to action are a cool and synthetic way curate this sort of online sharing and connection, but I find it even more mind-boggling when these sort of things spontaneously occur. Perhaps there will be a way in the future to better study and track this sort of information, but as of now we are still working on it, and I think we are doing well. There is a beauty to the viral, spontaneous unanimity of online communities and expression, and I'm anxious to continue evaluating my own personal presentation in the virtual world.

Pedagogical Playlist

https://www.tes.com/lessons/CXMgctJoUfmYMw/space-exploration

For my Pedagogical Playlist, I chose the subject of space exploration, one that is technically considered a social issue but doesn't get a lot of attention or information shared because it isn't pressing. I'm aware that it may not be the most important issue at the time, but that is why I wanted to explore it - Space exploration typically takes a back burner and yet may become increasingly important in the future. For my playlist, I tried to create a logical progression of steps and resources. The first was to visit the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City and become familiar with space and space travel as a subject. Because so many people really don't know all that much about our history with space or the possibilities it holds, I felt that visiting a Planetarium and participating in at least three different modes of learning (IMAX Theater, Hansen Dome, Interactive Exhibits) would be enough to familiarize the participant with outer space. My second resource, The TED Talk "Why We Need to Go Back To Mars" by Joel Levine, builds on the knowledge of the first, as he lays out advantages and solutions for living on another planet. The participant is instructed to find the solutions that stand out to her and the possible setbacks. From there, the resources become more self-directed. The participant goes to ISideWith to explore the issue from his/her political perspective, and then attends a political meeting wherein he/she brings up the subject. The participant reads different explanations online from groups such as NASA or SpaceX as to why space travel is important and what scientific discoveries we've made because of it, and then he/she asks for an online poll of why friends and family think it's important. The participant identifies their top three livable planets from the Kepler discoveries, and picks one of seven online tools that allow him to contribute to Space Exploration. My hope is that by the time the participant is done with the playlist, he/she has learned about and tasted enough of this issue as to want to pursue it on their own. 
Creating this playlist sort of felt like an online, interactive "Magic School Bus." In the children's show, Mrs. Frizzle teaches students about various subjects by physically taking them there and showing them firsthand the subject matter. In the same vein, this sort of teaching in the digital age encourages the participant to be part of a conversation rather than lend a listening ear. Young adults can develop valuable political opinions and contributions through their own metaphorical "Magic School Bus"--the internet. Even creating the playlist helped me become more informed on the subject, and caused me to want to act rather than just understand. Teaching methods that require you to act are the first step toward activism. They allow you as the participant to have a voice, and one that you soon realize is able to be recognized. I really struggled with this assignment at first, as I was unsure of the direction I wanted to take it. But once I got going, my lesson plan sort of developed itself. It just felt natural for the subject to come full circle through physical trips, political interactions, and locating online tools. 

YouTube Sculpting

This assignment grew to be particularly meaningful for me, more so than I expected. For my YouTube Sculpture, I searched for terms relating to themes of Mormonism and Cinema and found some really interesting and unique stuff. My searches evolved from being related to film representations of Joseph Smith or Brigham Young to Mormons in Media to "Mormon Media"; there were all sorts of things out there. Far more than I expected. The assignment took a lot longer than I expected, and I found that while there were tons and tons of results, simply combing through them and finding the part of the clip I wanted that I could relate in my compilation of clips took time. After actually doing the project, I see some major advantages and disadvantages to this sort of appropriation art. An affordance is that it's really easy to find material. There is an abundance of it. It may be time consuming to shift through to find something you really like, but the content is all there at your fingertips. Unintended new meanings may be formed by combining related but different material. For example, the beginning clips of different versions of Joseph Smith happened to take on an "origin story" and even "militaristic" tone. This was unintentional, but when I noticed it in my clips, I rearranged them to give it that meaning. In fact, the same thing was true of my entire project. Although I had variation in my searches, I found that once I had all the clips I needed, I could rearrange them to give the piece more flow and meaning. 
A possible limitation to this sort of art is that, while surrounded by options, the artist is still limited to what's available. Perhaps this artistic approach is not as inherently limited as the artist's intent may be, depending on what the intent it. For example, if someone were to approach this assignment trying to envision or predetermine what they wanted their video to be like, they might run into some problems. You are dictated by what's available, and that may take a very different direction. Using someone else's art or content to create your own new artwork still puts you at the mercy of the original artist to some extent. Another limitation is the fact that one cannot do too much with the art or content of someone else. Sure, you can create it, you can copy it, you can even sample it, but once you start to use it in its copyrighted form, things get tricky. A great example of this is the famous "Hope" poster of President Obama from his first campaign. While the red and blue poster has become iconic, it is based off of a photograph of Obama that someone else took, and that person had major issues with their work being appropriated without permission being given. 



As I previously stated, this project was meaningful for me because it dealt with and dabbled in Mormon Cinema, some of the ways it's been explored, represented, self-represented, etc. That's a very important issue to me. But I also know that the project was dictated by my findings on YouTube, and may not be the best representation of a cinematic movement within a religion as much as it's a representation of what people upload to YouTube when they think "Mormon Movie". I also know that I can't do too much with this art other than keep it on YouTube since the subject I picked in particular deals with other people's copyrighted content. Overall, I really enjoyed the assignment, and especially enjoyed the reactions and insights when I tested my video on different people, such as my wife or cousin. 

Twine Poetry

Artist's Statement:

Creating my twine poem game was an extremely new and challenging experience for me. I've never been the best at creating twine games in the first place, but adding the additional components of aesthetic elements and poetic themes made this assignment pretty pressing for a non-programmer. However, I feel like I was able to develop a game that accurately expresses the ideas behind the poem Do not go gentle into that goodnight and that it is an accurate reflection of the best of my abilities.
Because the poem is about resisting death and holding tight to life, the background is an electrocardiogram, indicating to the player that he/she is on the verge of death. The options the player is given throughout the game are evolving segments of the poem itself and poetic options that contradict fighting to stay alive. Any option that is not a part of the poem itself will lead the player to die, and the options are enticing, reminding the player of the pain it is to fight for survival and the peace that comes with death. Eventually, the player reaches the end of the first stanza of the poem, only to start over in an endless loop, again reminding the player that fighting against death is not an enjoyable or invigorating experience. Unlike, say, Super Mario Bros., where dying is frustrating, there is sort of a relief in death for this game.
There were several other components I wanted to include, such as sound, but after hours of research and trying to make it work, I ended up having to settle with what I was able to implement. I've come to the conclusion that while the idea was interesting, twine just isn't meant to be an immersive, aesthetic experience; it's not what the program is designed for. Trying to make those elements work with the programming felt like going against the grain. From this experience I realized that while new media is the blending of different elements to create new and innovative possibilities, it's also unproductive to try and force a square cog into a round hole. New media seems to have developed naturally, and David's point about VR being a gimmick has some real validity, especially if the technology doesn't end up being as entertaining or useful.
Ultimately, this was a great learning assignment for me, and I'm pleased with the game. I tested it on my wife, and found that she had a lot of thoughts based on the themes. In that way, I feel it was effective, and may be inspired to keep trying to develop more intricate games on twine.

GIF Cinema

Hill.

Artist's Statement:

As a writer and director who is used to the moving image, exploring this medium, specifically when the actors are completely still, was a new experience for me. In creating cinemagraphs, the actors needed to hold totally still while conveying an emotion, and those of us behind the camera needed to make sure whatever was moving was in a circular motion. This was new and interesting for both parties. With gifs, I am of the strong opinion that the motion within should not repeat itself unless it is an action that is designed to be circular, especially when it's within an a narrative. For example, someone running down the stairs over and over doesn't make sense within a narrative, but someone running in a circle using revolving doors might, especially if it plays into the story in a productive way. I tried to use those rules and limitations for my own cinemagraphs, and I think we were able to pull it off. 
Another insight I had while working within this medium was it's interpretive nature. There is a lot of room for looking at a narrative made from gifs and interpreting it in whatever way the audience cares to, be that emotionally or aesthetically or what have you. For example, someone can rush through the narrative or take their time. Someone could look at my story called "Hill" and pull any number of meanings from it. This flexibility was helpful in shooting the story when some of our elements weren't working. I decided to go a completely different direction, and because the photos we had taken thus far could be up for interpretation, they still fit with the new meaning I wanted to convey.
Overall, this approach to storytelling was very satisfying, and combined elements from multiple mediums. It's something I would be very interesting in exploring further, pulling in even more new media possibilities such as sound design or interactive options.

Fireside Chat - Trust

Recently, my wife and I have been experiencing some problems regarding dependability. They aren't big problems, or anything that has caused any sort of wedge in our relationship, but they were enough to remind me that I could possibly adjust my expectations. So as I pondered on what I wanted to share for the fireside chat, I felt it would be most important to explore our interactions in relationships, and primarily with each other as a whole.

Now reflecting on my fireside chat, I think I may have picked a somewhat inflammatory phrase by telling everyone I don't trust them and that they shouldn't trust people, and I hope the deeper meaning wasn't lost by doing so. I very deliberately used the word "trust" as a means to prompt reevaluation of the word and how we throw its meaning around, but perhaps my message might have been more effective if I had used "dependability" or "expectation." Regardless, the fireside chat was more for our expression than the audience's reaction, and the expression was sincere. The idea was that when your expectations are too high of someone else, you will eventually be let down and maybe even feel distrusting of them. However, if you never invest too much "trust" in someone's ability to perfectly meet your expectations to begin with, then you will not take it personally when you find he is a normal human being. I don't feel that it is wrong to have reasonable expectations of others, but it can be detrimental to hang your happiness on those expectations, thus the cause behind reserving complete "trust" in anything you cannot control, besides God. 

For my presentation, I wanted some symbolism to be evident in what I was discussing. By reflecting my own image on the big screen, I was able to have the audience clearly see me and understand what I was saying while still having my back turned. In this way, I was demonstrating that I am open and trusting in some sense, but closed in another. I was addressing them directly, yet seeing only myself, keeping something back from the audience. At one point, I removed my jacket and faced the group, attempting to demonstrate that vulnerability and being dependent aren't the same thing. I then chose to leave the room and let the audience look at itself on the big screen, hoping they would each feel a sense of self-awareness. I returned at the end to the computer, to remind everyone that though I see them, I only look to myself when I am going to tie happiness to expectations.

This particular assignment was difficult for me. It was challenging to be vulnerable about a subject that I felt wasn't coming across well and articulate what I really meant. Although I had previously rehearsed, actually presenting was a lot different than I expected it would be, and I felt disoriented by seeing myself on the screen. However, I'm glad I did this assignment and grateful I stuck with the subject I did. It was an extremely valuable learning experience for me, especially for giving other presentations in this program, and caused me to reevaluate my own beliefs in the moment of saying them. I also thoroughly enjoyed everyone else's presentations, and felt like I was able to connect with each person on a delightfully deeper level.

Concerned Citizen - Sergio

“Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.” -Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948

We live in a time and place where we claim to have freedom and believe that this is our right as human beings, notwithstanding the color of our skin, the language we speak, or our religion. In the United States, the ideal that we hold to is one of welcoming community and diversity, as manifest by our own great symbol, the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, however, people are generally afraid of what those don't understand, particularly cultures or traditions who are different. Often this fear develops into racism and hatred. There are those in every community that understand the importance of change, the necessity to defend the basic human rights and be a source of help and inspiration to others. Carlos Fuentes describes the process we are living as a re-elaboration of our civilization, and one we ought to be open to: “different songs, different laws, different rhythms, long-deferred hopes, different shapes of beauty, ethnicity and diversity, a different sense of time…”

With the Concerned Citizen project, we wanted to explore a community that exists within a greater community, but may go unnoticed or misunderstood. There are many communities that could fit the bill, but because we both speak Spanish, the choice was a natural one. The Hispanic community has an enormous presence in the state of Utah, and while very well-known in U.S, is usually victim of stereotyping ignorance toward its presences and contribution. Sergio is only one of those citizens that are concerned about his community, and serves as a sort of bridge between the two worlds he interacts with. He is an example of a regular man that wants to make a difference in the people around him, often through helping other generations such as children or the elderly.

Although Sergio is bilingual, and may even speak English more often, we chose to film the entire documentary in Spanish as a representation of the community he speaks for. As a U.S. Citizen who has grown up here, but one who’s inherited a strong sense of his Mexican cultural roots, we felt he was qualified to discuss the issues of the hidden Mexican-American community. His thoughts on how coaching children brings people together and on how the technology today is connecting people fall in line with his experience at the Anti-Trump rally and the unification he desires for cultures. Especially in the process of editing the film, we had difficulty narrowing the clips down to only 3:00, as there were many that we wanted to use. We ultimately went with felt like a valuable contribution for representing Sergio as a concerned citizen. Alternate Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB1DT_7C5Kk&feature=youtu.be

Susan - Game for Change

Susan

Initially, I had a very difficult time deciding on a concept I felt strongly about for my "Game for Change." As an extremely privileged white Mormon young man, there are fewer social issues I have felt radically affected by, at least personally enough to explore in this assignment. However, I realized there is one universal issue that I have watched play out multiple times, and one that could really affect any one of us. When I was in high school, I had multiple encounters with suicide. Though I never personally considered taking my own life, a close high school friend, my aunt Susan, and a family friend's son all took their own lives within a few years of each other. Just last week, a film friend of mine watched a girl jump off of a 7 story parking lot. 

As the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and second leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds, suicide is not an uncommon tragedy (SAVE, AFSP). And yet, while not majorly misperceived, is a subject that is sometimes sort of laughed off by current pop-culture. For example, popular comedy films such as The Other Guys depict jumping off buildings for comedic effect. A new super-villian movie set to release is called Suicide Squad. It is even fairly common to make a gun-to-head motion when someone is frustrated. All of this is ignorance to the tragic problem that has always existed in society. 

One of the ways in which my game explores this issue is not only through ignorance to the issue, but even the accidental initiation of it. Although a sensitive subject, I felt it was important to tackle an issue extremely relevant to suicide within LDS culture. While creating the game, I did some research on the recent policy change regarding homosexual behavior and apostasy. Sadly, at least 32 young Mormons have committed suicide as a direct result (Deseret News). In my game "Susan", I set the event in Salt Lake City tried to convey her feelings of alienation, self-loathing, and confusion that so many experience when their religious views are at odds with their sexual orientation. Regardless of the intent of the policy change, it is important to discuss what kind of rhetoric we should avoid in religious conversation as not to prompt any sort of suicidal actions.

As far as conversation is concerned, that was another important element of the game. Your character has many options for what to say, and some work better than others to allow Susan to express where she is at, which is often what someone needs who is so deep in depression. Hopefully, the player feels they might be able to save her if they are careful. But ultimately, no approach in saving Susan, which is meant to stress the seriousness of the issue. The aesthetics are annoyingly simple and dark, as to suggest the state of mind many people are in when they commit suicide, coming to the resolution that it is the simple way out. My hope is that the unbeatable element of this game brings some ideas to the viewer as to how to better prevent anyone from getting to the point of suicide. 

SAVE: http://www.save.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=705D5DF4-055B-F1EC-3F66462866FCB4E6
AFSP: http://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/
Deseret News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865646414/LDS-Church-leaders-mourn-reported-deaths-in-Mormon-LGBT-community.html

World Building - Sovereign State of Deseret

For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations." (Doctrine and Covenants 87:3)

 

And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh;

(Doctrine and Covenants 38:18)

And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.
And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.

(Doctrine and Covenants 45:69-70)

Artists' Statement:

“What if…” is often the beginning of a form of art called design fiction, a term coined by Julian Bleecker in his essay of the same name. What if the world was fundamentally different? What would it look like? H.G. Wells was a master in design fiction, particularly with his novel, The Time Machine, in which he describes the future state of mankind. It’s not real, but it follows real patterns and rules. It’s a fantasy world, but it has its roots in real science. So it is with design. Artifacts from these manufactured worlds both augment and represent a kind of parallel reality displayed in the world from which they come.

So what if? As students at Brigham Young University, we have a natural interest in our Mormon roots. At one point in history, a state of Deseret was proposed. It never happened because of issues with the U.S. government regarding polygamy, but what if? What if the South won the war? What if the Union was so fractured that they didn’t care about a burgeoning community far in the west? What if the Mormons pulled it off and gained sovereignty?

           The 1860s would see a drastic change in the world when the South would end up winning the Civil War.  The members in the state of Deseret would take this chance to seriously begin building their nation.  Part of being a sovereign state meant they would need their own currency for the exchanging within its economy and government.  This Currency would reflect the events of Mormon history and significance to the nation of Deseret as well as its prominent leaders.

Because of industry in the West, and the lack of Power from any opposing country, Deseret would thrive. The country would benefit from its strong support of immigration, its control of the railroad, its trading of oil and gold, its organization, its colonization, and its immense population growth. By 1900 Deseret would have become a world superpower, a land filled with promise and a community bent on growth, forward and upward. A sense of religious nationalism would have been deeply rooted, and many would frame or carry defining documents, as Americans might with copies of their constitution.

“Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.” - (Doctrine and Covenants 45:70)

In fulfillment of this prophecy, the people of Deseret would take a strong defensive stance during the conflicts throughout the 20th century. Though their ambassadors (i.e. missionaries) would still be sent out, they would also employ military force toward any country that sought harm to their congregations. The evolution of this thought might be expressed in a new flag. The twelve stars, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, point inward toward deseret, a honeybee, the protector of the hive. The red field represents the blood of the righteous calling for justice. The flag is a symbol of the state’s fierce defense and retribution against any that dare to come against God’s people.

Many events of our world would still “come to pass” in this world.  Hitler would still try to dominate the planet. But what if Einstein immigrated to Deseret?  What if revelation was given to our military leaders just as Captain Moroni received it in the Book of Mormon? Deseret would emerge as a world power.  We also read of the pride cycle in the Book of Mormon. If Deseret prospered for too long there would likely be much apostasy. Different factions of the faith would compete for power.

Webspinna Battle

Genres are funny things. Do they even exist? How nuanced do two similar elements have to be before they're different. How much do they influence one another? Yes, genres really are hard to pin down. For our Webspinna Battle, Amy and I decided to explore the conceptual stylistic spectrum of detective noir and horror. As sister styles, we felt that personifying and representing them would highlight their differences, but also demonstrate their similarities, showing that in some ways the idea of "genre" has some really blurred lines. We also felt that by exploring the idea of genre relations, we were taking the plagiarism theme a step further. The Battle of our personas was to some degree about plagiarizing each other's stylistic elements, and which one really has a corner on "dark" or "rain" or "screams". Although horror is older, these genres sort of developed together over the years, it's up to the audience to decide how much they used the "cut-up" method mentioned by William Burroughs in The Ecstasy of Influence.

While in the Webspinna Battle, I realized that many of the other groups did more of a "performance", with multiple tracks that corresponded heavily to actions. I was extremely impressed with this approach, but ours was somewhat different. We poured our creative energy more into overlaying multiple tracks at once to have a constant rhythm that corresponded between us, and into what the tracks themselves represented. For example, some of the specific characteristics of my genre, noir, were some more obvious ones such as rain, gunshots, a detective voice over, police sirens, but also some farther stretches such as sound effects from Batman: The Animated Series and Sean Connery introducing himself as James Bond. The reason for these is because they each carry very specific elements of noir films and have been heavily influenced by them. In this sense, they too have "cut-up" and recycled the style and are branches of the same tree. Amy had a similar approach with her sounds, using many different movie scenes that have developed into what we think of horror as today. Some of the crossover, such as screams, sirens, and rainstorms, were played interchangeably to link the two genres.

To create some sort of narrative in our battle, we tried to have key sounds that the other would respond to, indicating it was our turn. For example, Amy playing a scream caused me to turn down my tracks, and as I would fade out I would play something about a "dame." Me playing the track of a machine gun would do something similar. We both overlaid our sounds with musical remixes of noir or horror soundtracks; mine was a dance mix of a song from the video game L.A. Noire, and hers was a remix of the Psycho theme. By trying to make our performance more of a song, we emulated Pogo's approach. A similar idea is the annual Pop Remixes that mix up specific sounds and beats to emulate that year. By combining, contrasting, remixing, and remaking the elements of genres that mesh within one another, hopefully we were able to create something of our very own.

Battle Performance Tracks

Textual Poaching - Living Scriptures Re-Imagined

I once read a quote online that really struck me: "The Book of Mormon is the greatest fan-fiction of all time." While I don't actually believe that statement, the idea still impacted me, in that the Bible has inspired so many variations of religious belief, myth, translation, etc. In our reading about textual poaching, Jenkins stated that "in order to transform a work into a cult object one must be able to break, dislocate, unhinge it so that one can remember only parts of it, irrespective of their original relationship of the whole." By that definition, bible verses and books and stories have been interpreted and repeated so many times and ways as to make the Bible a truly immortal text, no pun intended.

One depiction those bible stories is the LDS Living Scripture animated series, which is personally relevant to me. I grew up watching episodes of Living Scriptures every Sunday after church. This LDS animated approach to the Bible became deeply influential to me, informing my early interpretations of the Bible not only in understanding, but emotionally, aesthetically, nostalgically. I watched them so many times that I can no longer even tell if they are good. As I got older, however, my tastes evolved. I sought artful and authentic representations of Biblical times, so much so that I felt disconnected with watered down church media. I found myself sometimes listening to the soundtrack from The Passion of the Christ, wishing for a similar interpretation from Mormonism.

Because of my connection with these each of these two retellings of the same story, I combined them for my Textual Poaching Project. The visual representation is from my childhood, and the musical is more recent. This re-scoring idea is not uncommon; I recently saw a Textual Poaching of The Shining, where someone created a fake trailer for the movie as if it was a family-friendly comedy just by changing the music. But I didn't re-score the Living Scriptures to be satirical, at least not entirely. I wanted to create a representative shadow of something I might actually enjoy.

Because the segment from the living scriptures I picked is actually a sing-along music segment, the audience is not missing out on any dialogue by hearing a different score, and is actually better able to feel the juxtaposition of the two art pieces. It is interesting for me to watch what the Living Scriptures would feel like with a Middle-Eastern influenced score and more dark and serious tone. To emphasize that feeling, I actually edited the color tones of the video to be a bit darker and desaturated.

Interestingly, I noticed that The Passion's score changes the emotional experience of the video, but at least in my case, not the religiosity. The same devotion is coming from two different places emotionally. By combining two different shades of the same color, and one that has been painted and repainted for generations, my hope is to imagine something that could actually become it's own interpretation.

Medium Specificity

You'd think that as a filmmaker, the concept of moving images would have some deeper meaning to me. The idea that a picture is worth a thousand words certainly begs the question of motion pictures. And yet, I find that as a storyteller, I constantly take the medium for granted. Because of this, I decided to revisit the most basic elements of film--multiple moving frames and sound--to explore both the advantages and limitations of this art form.

I chose sound and image specifically because they most make up the narratives that I so strongly connect with. My piece, however, is not much of a narrative. It is, rather, a set of shots that depict students experiencing a typical day on BYU campus. Within these five shots, several technical elements are immediately noticeable. Unlike McCloud's "Setting the Record Straight", my piece takes an approach to the medium that calls attention by being noticeably different. Firstly, the film is a 360 degree video. That means the viewer has the ability to interact and look around the shot. And although the sounds of what is being depicted are clear and normal, the piece is presented in one frame-per-second.

In this way, my piece explores limitations, ask questions, and ultimately celebrates the technical possibilities of motion pictures. By using 360 degrees, the project presents present limitations and potential possibilities. For example, when watching a film, the viewer typically only sees the frame she is given and is expected to accept that one rectangle as the canvas. Even in observational cinema, the shot makes a statement. I wanted to explore that aspect as a limitation; what if you could look outside the shot? What would you see? Regarding subject and intent, however, there are so many new questions to consider in a 360 degree video, that perhaps it transcends the entire point and purpose of filmmaking as we understand it and is closer to VR, such as the new media experience found at The Void. Maybe film is supposed to be more straightforward. For example, a set frame tells us something specific. It hands us the subject, and forces us to make something of it. It inspires creativity rather than curiosity.

I also wanted to explore frame rate, as that is all video is--moving pictures. While most narrative films have a frame-rate of 24 frames per second, this one has a frame rate of 1 frame per second. This frame rate calls attention to the rather narrow bridge between photography and cinematography. The frame rate is juxtaposed against the sound, which is heard in real time, calling attention to the importance of sound to provide context and work hand in hand with image. We normally don't notice sound, but sound often informs everything we are seeing. It's half of the process. 

Altogether, I hope my piece reminds us of why we want to be filmmakers for one reason or another, and shows that we have only just begun to think of the potential of our medium.

Historical Stories

In 1980, a small fire broke out in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino’s delicatessen. The fire spread quickly and trapped many people on the upper floors of the building (LA Times “Burning Memories: Ten years later…”). Investigators blamed the fire on an electrical short, but what if they were wrong? What if the fire had more sinister origins? On Biography.com, we found out that Vegas’s most powerful mob boss-- Tony Spilotro-- was banned from casinos in 1979. Armed with this possible source of embitterment toward the MGM Grand, we constructed a story about Spilotro’s comeuppance arson.

In order to make our story seem plausible, we researched whatever we could about the hotel and the time period in which it burned. A copy of the original MGM Grand floorplan helped us orchestrate and describe scenes. The wire short that caused the fire gave us a basis for Spilotro’s involvement. We also used terminology from the time-- “Pap” was a common, almost derogatory term for paparazzi photographers in the early 1980’s.

James Higgins, our main character, is one of these “Paps”. Similar to the approach of After the Deluge, we wrote a good amount of the narrative and especially the world of James visually. Enamored by the glitz of 80’s casino life, he loves taking intimate and expository pictures of famous people.  In some way, he feels like taking these photos gives him power over people.

He enjoys the power trip he gets from taking pictures, but wants something more high class. In an effort to raise himself above his life situation, James is willing to extort anybody’s misfortune or misconduct. Shamelessly, he photographs intoxicated people in compromising circumstances. Without a second thought, he runs into a burning building to photograph the panic, destruction, and possible injury happening inside. James’s position as a paparazzi photographer enables him to witness the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino fire objectively. James uses his camera to separate himself from the terrible events, and he feels no sorrow from it.

James doesn’t have the time or the depth to feel empathetic toward the MGM Grand fire victims. When he develops his photographs and sees Tony Spilotro fleeing the scene of the crime, he doesn’t get angry or upset. He isn’t overwhelmed at the loss of life Spilotro’s actions caused. He just sees it as an opportunity to blackmail himself into mob life. James has always loved power, and here he is holding a photograph that gives him power over the most terrifying mob boss in Vegas.

James’ chip-on-the-shoulder attitude serves as a contradiction, and even push-back, against the general disdain of paparazzis during his time. His occupation serves as a symbol for anyone who is seen as the lowest of the low at the beginning of Reaganomics. Although he rails against the common perception of his profession, James himself buys into a sort of “trickle-down” ideology. He wears well-kept tuxedos and fraternizes with people from a higher class. He acts as if spending time photographing famous people somehow rubs their importance off onto him. He also separates himself from the moral implications of photographing for tabloids through a twisted sense of jaded ambition. The world looks down on paparazzi, so he might as well expose the world’s dirty secrets.

This project was a collaboration between

Barrett Burgin

and Madison Ellis

Process Piece

Initially, telling a story strictly through audio without the accompaniment of video, or any other element for that matter, might seem to be difficult and confusing. For us it certainly was. One of the elements we found most compelling about processes we watched before class such as “The Smokehouse” or “Five” were the visuals (especially of delicious food). However, upon completion of the audible sequence, the result was surprisingly beautiful.

For this project, we struggled finding the right process to present. Originally, we wanted depict what it is like trying to find something to watch on TV, but on our first attempt, we realized we wanted something a little more engaging. Certainly watching television is a common human labor, but besides the clicking of the remote and the sounds of the shows, there aren’t very many ways to go with it.

As we explored the idea, our original concept evolved into the process of going to the movie theater. Sounds of popcorn, tickets ripping, and friends and family enjoying themselves permeate the audio clip. Each sound invokes a memory, as all of us in this class have been to the movie theater. We decided to take that aspect of nostalgia one step further by creating the process of seeing a movie being shown on film. Because of this element, we had to create a composite of sounds from the past and present. Probably the most compelling aspect of the created piece hearing a film projector, giving the audio piece more of an authentic sound.

The piece follows the basic story model well. It was created as a sort of audio POV piece of the process of going to see a film at the movie theater. There are even different sounds in each ear, not unlike the “Virtual Barber Experience” found on YouTube. Our process starts with the ambiance of waiting in line to buy a ticket, then leads to ripping the ticket, buying popcorn, and finally arriving at the seats. With a distinct beginning, middle, and end, the story is able to be told without the use of dialogue.

It is interesting that a story actually can be told without a narrator holding the audience’s hand to guide through the tale, or even visuals. Instead, we experience a narrative simply through real life sound effects. The fact that the audio clip turned out realistic and rather easy to follow was a surprise because of the aforementioned beliefs on the subject.

The process of finding a process to record was the largest task. With digital films currently dominating the theater market, it is difficult to find a theater that even has a film projector anymore. After various phone calls and research, we were fortunate enough to get in touch with the one theater in Provo that still owns a film camera. They graciously gave us a tour. Possibly more enjoyable than actually creating the piece, learning about the old projector as well as taking a tour of the old SCERA Theater was an unforgettable experience. The kindness of the theater’s employees was what ultimately made this project possible.

Hopefully the audience of our process piece is able to further appreciate all that goes into screening a film, as well as reminisce on wonderful experiences of going to the pictures. We also aimed to reflect on the beautiful history of film’s progression to the point where it is now. Perhaps next time the listener goes to a movie, he will think more about the process after listening to this piece.