The Greatest Chase in the World

The Greatest Chase in the World from pavel shalumov on Vimeo.
Hope you guys enjoy and happy holidays!

Extra Credit!

Peysakh Shalumov

I watched two pieces from the two day “The Third Work Symposium”: on friday I had watched “#Rushes” by Jason Livingston as well as “Sound and Image at Play Together” by Aaron Davidson and Melissa Dubbin on Saturday. They were both very interesting works but I have decided to speak about the latter piece. The presentation done by Davidson and Dubbin started off with a general explanation of both the process and the piece itself and then proceeded to show the different video clips with the same sound tracks. The different video tracks gave an interesting perspective to the sounds that were played. When they spoke about their work, they should it was sound design for possible future films. The original piece was initially only sound but it advanced to video as well.

The videomakers had complete control over what the video would show but the audio could not be altered in any way. The work had three different videos chosen out of a copious pile. The first video shared was by Eve Sussman and she used algorithms to make her piece. It was essentially various scenes chosen together to express a connection throughout them and give us a image in our mind. Sussman uses a clip of inside a train, a house, and other things as well. These combine and attempt to create a storyline that blends all the clips (both audio and video) to create some sense of story.

The second video was created by a man named Mark. He used texts from a particular novel and used autofocus on the camera to hone in on particular phrases that resemble or portray the sounds. The words attempted to describe the sounds used and in it’s own unique way created another way of blending together a story line in the head of the audience.

The third video was created by Deborah S and it was my favorite. The video used what Dubbin called “Scotophobic editing” and it was a different approach than regular film. The video had continuous alternating black and white circles that flashed very swiftly and attacked the eyes. In between the flashing lights, came images of what seems like an African Tribe and then proceeded to a green monster. These images moved so fast and were so subtly put into the flashing lights, it seemed like every image connected and was part of one whole story. The mind seemed to fill in the sounds with the images and it all connected to tell yet another story.

Both days, the videos helped show me different creative expressions and a clear use of passion in the films. Surprisingly, these non-generic works helped me broaden my thought horizons in the artistic aspects of all my mediums. I think the panel was more powerful than I initially assumed. At first, while leaving both presentations I did not think much of the works. This second panel, as I spend more time thinking about it, resonated with me. The video showed the extreme importance of sound and properly as well as creatively corresponding it with film and words. Sound effects play an important role in films, and we do not notice things like the foley sounds unless we analyze it with detail. I think the proper sound effects, or any audio in general, can make or break a video clip.

Images are important to a video, but more importantly every clip or photo gives off a visual and the next one proceeds to connect itself and add onto the story line. Every clip placed one after another creates a whole different atmosphere that vibes off the previous clips to set a new mood and ideas to the audience. Thinking about the presentation, it takes conventional film making, and contributes fresh thought into the different ways of merging video with audio tracks. I think the presentation ended up being up a powerful one, and it seemed like the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy it as well. I think that this panel created a personal interest in sounds and the visuals they portray. In fact, I want to concentrate on photos and how the image can be perceived different if you add particular sounds to it. The sound would invoke a stronger mood and would probably affect the original atmosphere of the photo.

Momi visit

Peysakh Shalumov

I visited the Momi during the weekend and the first thing I realized is how different the exhibits were since the last time I was there. I was there a few years back and the exhibits had changed in a way that connects less to imagery but more to today’s society and media in general (excluding the exhibits on sound). The perfect example of this was the exhibit “How Cats Took Over the Internet”. The exhibit places a timeline of cats on the internet with the museum’s amphitheater. The timeline is extravagantly huge and remind of all the cat phenomenons:from memes like the grumpy cat, to countless funny cat videos on loop on a huge screen.

Looking at the popularity of cats on the internet, we can see how twitter, reddit, and tumblr took cats and skyrocketed their popularity. The general audience was captured by the cats and from there the cats took over the internet. Gifs, memes, photos, and videos were already popular among the general audience but combining it with cats made everything history. Today, our attention span is short and our interest changes as fast as we can scroll through the internet, so, the media of cats was a perfect fit.

 

I chose a scene from the Movie “The Butterfly Effect” starring Ashton Kutcher. The scene I chose was, in my opinion, powerful and efficient in demonstrating to the audience, both a feeling and a visual. The movie takes the main character on journeys of what if’s and how comes. In fact, the movie consists of cuts into a new life depending on slight changes in his past that he changes in a desperate attempt to modify his future. Flashbacks are vital to the story and the scene I chose has one of my favorite flashbacks. The section I chose takes place in four settings and the directors make the transitions between each crystal clear.

We start the scene with the main character in his room attempting to go back into his childhood traumatic experience to once again try to alter his life and make things right. So when we transition from his room to his past, the narrator's voice slurs, the image blurs and we appear in a scene from his childhood.The scene goes from a darkly lit room with scarce light to a brightly lit day with intentional over exposure created by changing the color schemes through the editing process. To get from the present to the past, the camera runs a 360 view of the main character slowly zooming into the main character until we reach a close up of his face and the face distorts and we appear in this scene of his past. That scene ends with an explosion and quickly cuts to a dim lit close up of the main character in his bed emphasizing he is back in the present. This is the longest scene and the camera alters between him and the couple in the bed next to him. The next transition is his new memories of his two friends were we see their relationship and his childhood memories with them. Those memory lapses are done purposely with an lsd type background and has a very short but quick message. While he is spazzing he is seeing the happy couple and it’s further messing with his mind. This lsd type scene is split into two parts to keep us bay by taking us back to reality and his spasms back to the past. From there we transition to the final scene which stays in present day and it is him being rolled away in the wheelchair through the halls.

All the transitions are clear, strong and compliment the story. Every time he changes his past his story is different so it is important for the audience to capture as much as possible in each new altered life. This sequence executes it well and allows the audience to follow the story through the exact way the shots and scenes are placed.

Here is my interview for Nikki.

Soundwalk

Peysakh Shalumov

I am so used to walking with my headphones on blasting music. So used to walking quickly all the time because there is always somewhere I had to run too. So taking an hour of my day to do nothing but walk and listen to my environment is relatively new for me. Ironically, I hit a roadblock immediately to start off. I am not used to silence, and when it comes, I usually focus on my thoughts rather than my surroundings. Immediately I was thinking of my problems, my plans, and ideas. All these things swimming in my head had made me lose the experience of the assignment.

In order to obtain the full experience, I fought off any urges to think of anything other than the sounds that are part of the walk. This way my experience was not altered and I could enjoy the assignment. It was around 11am, so for the first ten minutes, I heard several different bird calls but did not pay them any mind. Some were loud and harsh, while others were constant and weak.  Then I heard a particular bird noise, that reminded me of the same exact noise my parrot used to make before we gave him away. I then focused my attention at all bird calls and tried to find a bird for each call. The keynotes were mostly the cars driving by. I lived near a big street called Ocean Parkway where hundreds of cars pass by every minute. In a twenty minute span, I counted seven car honks. Another sound signal that attracted me was the loud noises of the kids playing in the area. The laughter boomed through the blocks and when they talked it seemed to stand out from the adults. This might be because of my interest in working with kids, so that might be completely biased.

There seemed to be no pattern in the sound scheme of my walk. It was constantly changing. There was a lot of people, so I constantly overheard conversation, but nothing particular stood out. It was rather enjoyable, the idea of slowing everything down and just walking and listening was entertaining.

Define a Space from pavel shalumov on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/141730606
Here is my Define a Space Project. Enjoy!

Artist Statement

Artist Statement - Peysakh Shalumov

I have always had an interest in storytelling, and I attempt to do so in all forms of art. I believe that a story isn’t meant to be told and forgotten, but rather be learned and embraced. A good story, whether written or produced, should impact its audience. The impact is the reason for my love of art. It is not a humble goal, nor a simple one; in fact, this might take a lifetime. My idea of a successful piece is not one where it is complemented or praised, but rather one that alters a person's opinion or helps one perceive something.

Writing has always been an outlet for me; distractions from everyday life and everyday worries. I prefer short stories focused on hardships, both nonfiction and fiction. The idea of expressing raw emotions onto paper intrigues me; ideas so powerful and real that they can’t be replicated. Theater is relatively a new art for me,however I have grown passionate about. Acting is so natural and free that it takes over my entire self and I am able to be engulfed in my character.

I have a passion for psychology because understanding the mind allows me as an actor to become a character on stage both physically and mentally. I am attempting to create works that can move an audience and enlighten them.  I only hope that I can accomplish works that express my interests and passions and help others see its significance.