what is digital cinema ?

Digital cinema

      All  us you must have been exposed to digital cinema more or less as the using of digital technology has been a  trend  in filmmaking .  For instance,  the AVATER, a very typical Hollywood film,  has used  the digital skills to create a realistic world for audience which let them forget that they are actually in the theater.

     But what I want to introduce today is not this genre of digital film which is only a part of digital film and rather commercial.  Actually  what  makes the digital film a digital film is not the technology  applied  but the  narrative structure with which it was programmed .  the aesthetic meaning  and the enlightenment the audience get from it is more essential  .

      So I want to show a clip which is a very typical soft cinema or database film  ,which was  directed by a key person  in digital film field .

                                                     1.5-2 MINS  CLIPS

 


       MISSION TO EARTH  symbolizes  the experiences of a modern immigrant as wellas the experiences of those during the cold war . It attempts to show the trauma associated with a shift in identity as one changes his or her life . The soft cinema software uses several frames at once in this piece,displaying different things in each frame to portrary the split in identity that the man character, Inga, exoeriences. The software also changes the size and number of windows as it grabs the content from the database.  Most of the video used for the database shot in LONDON, BERLIN,  RIO DE  JANEIRO .BUENOS AIRES ,AND SWEDEN. (wiki)

what  we could find is the differences of the programming between this typical soft cinema from other films . First, the film does not follow a  ordinary order  ,instead, the narrative  structure  is  combined  digitally . So  you can see  many images on the screen  at  the same  time  with  the  storyteller  describing .

Secondly,  the soundtrack  is the same one  throughout the whole film.  This  is so  distinct which is so different from  the Hollywood film  with  vivid soundtrack  according to the  needs.

SO  LET  ME  SHOW THE FORMAL DEFINITION OF  SOFY CINEMA.


        DEFINITION :
        SOFT CINEMA  is a collaborative new media art project headed by LEV MANOVICH. MANOVICH states that " soft cinema is a digital editior that  provides an interface between human editors and a database of footage to ' perform ' different edits of  the footage. Each performance is unique because software works with a set of  parameters that allow for 'potentially every dimension ' of  a film to change."
         soft cinema just poses the aethetics of  software culture ,cinema,and architecture into an interactive manifestation of computer-driven films, dynamic visualization,installation, architectural designs, print catalogs,and DVDs.

         SOFT CINEMA  takes the advantage of real-time software based cinema ,and how it may be applied to aspects of the contemporary life we live in .For example, the creation of "mega cities" ,or how new technology has come to effect subjectivity .The software in soft cinema completely relies on the use of databases ,choosing,organizing and editing movies on the fly in a non-linear but going to require a unique inter pretation.  (WIKI)

        Thanks.

1. reference:^ Manovich, Lev. "New Media from Borges to HTML". The New Media Reader. The MIT Press.
2. Jump up ^ http://www.softcinema.net/

Links between Networked Digital Art and other art formslerie

After  I   have  read  the reading about  Art in  the  age  of  digital  distribution ,  I  have  a  total  impression  of  Networked  Digital  Art .  Below  are  some  points  that  I   have  summarized  from  the  reading  which  constructed  the  framework.

 

1.        Earlier  art  such  as  Dada    and  New  Media  Art  are   both  described  as “reactions”.

 

They  are  both  described as  “reactions “ .  “Dada  was  in part  a  reaction  to  the  industrialization  of  warfare  and the mechanical  reproduction  of  texts   and  images , New Media Art  can  be  seen  as  a  response  to  the  information  technology  revolution  and  the  digitization  of  cultural  forms.”  (READING)  This  reference  demonstrates  that  both  of  them  originate  from  technological   boom  which  intended for  war  need. Their  content  and  concept    also  inavoidablely  contain  negative forms  and nothingness  which  conveys  the  pessimism  of  the  artists .

 

2.       The  common  features  between  New  Media  art  and  Dada , POP, Video  art.

 

 There  are  some  similarities  of  New  media  art  to  Dada , pop, video  art.   “The  conceptual  and  aesthetic  roots  of New  media  art  extend  back  to  the  second  decade  of  the  20^th  century  , when  the  Dada  movement  emerged  in  several  European  cities .” this  reference  shows  that   they  originate  from  alike  background  which  indicates  that  their   resources  and  themes  will   largely  resemble .  

“ Most  Dadaist strategies reappear  in New  Media  Art ,including  photomontage,  collage , the  readymade , political  action and  performance –as  well as Dada artists’provocative  use of irony and  absurdity  to  jar  complacent  audiences. “  This  description  shows  the  similar  methods  these  two  artworks  use . 

“Pop  art  is  another  important  antecedent . Like  Pop paintings  and  sculptures ,  many  works  of  New  Media  art  refer  to  and  are  engaged with  commercial  culture.”  This  is  the   evidence  that   pop  art  and  New  Media  art  have  same  resources  to  some  extent .

“New  Media  art  has  strong  parallels to Video  art  as  well…………The availability  of  relatively  inexpensive  video  equipment  caught  the  attention  of  artists……catalyzed  the  birth  of   New  Media   Art  as  a  movement .”  This   reference  shows  that  video art has  become  an  inspiration  of  New  Media  Art .

 

3.        “From  1994   until  1997  When  Net art   was  first  included  in  the  documenta X  exhibition in  Kassel  , Germany , New Media  art  existed  in  relative  isolation  from  the  rest  of  the  art  world.”

 This  is   the   answer   of  when  was  Net  art  first  included  in  a  major  exhibition documenta.

 

4.        New  Media  art  doesn’t focus  in  one  country.

 

“Email  lists  and  Web sites  served  as  alternative  channels  for  the  discussion ,promotion and  exhibition  of  New  Media  art  work ,  enabling  artists  to  form  an  online  scene  that  straddled  the  worlds  of  contemporary  art  and  digital  culture.”  This  is   one  reason  that  the  web  technology   create  the  translation  condition.

“Because  of  its close  connection  to  the  Internet  ,however, from  its  inception  New  Media art was  a  wordwide  movement.”  So this  has  explained   why  New  Media  art  doesn’t   focus   in   one   country.  The  globalization  has  influenced   it  greatly  which  makes  it  exposed  to  whole  world  rather  than   only   one   district.

 

5.       Many  artists  were  drawn  to  new  media  art  from  other disciplines.

 

Reasons :  “the  emergence  of  a  global  art  scene ,  advances  in  information  technology  and  the  familiarity  of  computing  to  a  rising  generation  “  

 

Other  arguments :

 

1.        Are  formal   instructions,  the  concept   rather  than  the  art  object ,audience  participation  and  chance  important  elements  in  this  work ?

 

        Answer :  Although  conceptual  art   as  an  important  precursor  values   more  on ideas  than  on objects ,New  media  art  is   not  all  about  the  art  ideas . For  instance,  the  Video  art  which  is   also  a   kind  of  New  media art exactly  emerge  forceful  art  object .  And  it  actually   needs  its  audience  to  complete  the  art   which  means  interaction .

 

2.        What  is  remarkable  or  noteworthy  about  this  work ?

 

I  think  Networked  Digital  Art  is  a symbol  of  contemporary art which  is   also   a  channel  to  understand the  elements  of  artworks in   modern  times . And  because  it  has  absorbed  many  characters  from    other  art  forms  it  is   an  abundant  mixture  which   can  provide  a  different  content  that  can  give  audience fresh inspiration.


Ps： referrence  1.JODI
                                 1995,WEBSITE
  
                               2.HANNAH HOCH
                                   schnitt  mit  dem  kuchenmesser  Dada
                                   durch  die   lctzte    weimarer   bierhauchkulmrepoche
                                    1920,collage,114X90cm
                                    Berlin,  Neue  Nationalgalerie

                               3. RSG
                                  Prepared  Playstation
                                  2005,manipulated  commercial  video   game
 
                               4.  ROY  LICHTENSTEIN
                                M-Maybe
                                1965,magna   on   canvas ,152X 152cm
                                Cologne , Museum    Ludwig

                                5.  THOMASON  AND   CRAIGHEAD
                                   Trigger  Happy
                                   1998,  web-based  video   game

Digital Art : “ Shredder“ of Mark Napier

    

   Title: Shredder

   Artist: Mark Napier

   Year: 1998

http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUESTIONS:

 

This  work  is typical of  much  digital  art  because  it  is  an  artwork   that places importance on

1.Formal instructions

2.The concept  rather  than  the  art  object

3.the  event  and  audience  participation

4.an  interest   in  random  events and/or chance

5.borrowing  or  appropriation

 

 

ANSWERS : 

1.       SHREDDER  has  a  definite  input  order  to complete the  riving .  As  soon  as  it  receive  the website  it  makes  the original  image  of  the  page  an  abstract  one .

2.       It  is  obvious  that  the  appearance  of  the  processed  website  is  just  a chaos.  It  make  browser  confused  and   have  no  ideas  of  what  it  is.

What we see when we browse the Web is a carefully designed veneer, an orderly facade that conceals the jungle of code used in its making. Mark Napier's Shredder 1.0 lets us peek  behind the curtain, revealing a colorful jumble of text and images. Enter a Web address in the location field at the top of Shredder 1.0's Web interface, or choose from one of two dozen pre-selected URLS, and the Shredder literally deconstructs the original site, slicing and dicing its text, imagery, and source code to form abstract compositions.（by anonym）

3.     The  main event is  typing  the  website  on  pane . Audience can directly  see  the  result  of  SHREDDER.

4.     The  random  mostly  reflex  in  the  uncertainty  of  image  that   SHREDDER will  present.

5.     Clearly  it  is  another   annotation  of  the  original  website.  So  it  seems like   a borrowing  or  appropriation . But  it  is  not   accurate  because  it  subverts  what  its  source  shows.  To some  extent ,it  is  a  kind  of  recreation.

 

 

 

Review on "Screening of Gamer revolution"

LAST  class  we  watch  the  film  which  introduce  the  game  revolution . This film  has  3  major points.  First  one  is  the  influences  on  individuals  and  societies  which  are  brought  by   games.  The  second  part  try  to  find  the link between  videogames  and  human actions which are  controlled  by  brain .  The  third  part  studies  that  if   political  power  can  do  some  benefit  to  videogames.

  When  the  film  talks  about  the  influence, it  cites  a  boy  as  a  experimental  subject  who  likes  playing  a  game  simulating   sterilization  . The  boy  says  this  game  enrich  his  knowledge  of  human body .  Also  the  research  admit  that  this  type  of  game  can  let  players  improve  agility  and   make  them  smarter .  It  sounds  really  nice  that  you  can  be  so brilliant  after  having  experienced  a  fun  game . But  maybe  this  results  only  focus  on  the positive  ones  . what  it  overcomes  is  that  the  physical  harm  such  as  numb body  and  cervical  spondylosis .

  MOEREVER,  It  is  even  more  complex  when  the  whole  society  become  discussed  subject .    profit  is  one  lightspot .  As  techniques  have  been  perfectly  fused  with  creation  of  game  ,   a  unseen production chain  generated  by   game  industry  .  flourishing  domain  not  only  provide  more  jobs  but also  Promote  the  development  of  other  industries.  This  is  also  the  feature  of 

Modernization .  society life  has  been  changed  vastly  likewise . These  changes reflect  in  life-style ,  in  world  value  ,  in  the motivation  that  push  people forward. 

  Someone  who  keeps  a  watchful   eye  on   this  topic  has  came  up  with  that   those  violent  game  is  archcriminal  which  has  led the increase  in  crime  rate.  Personally  I  cannot  agree  with  this   opinion .  Resisting  tempt  is  one skill  which can  be  trained  and  improved.  For  instance,  there  are  so  many  kinds  of  food  in the  world  ，but  it  is  my  own  responsibility  to  protect  myself  from  poisonous  and  unhealthy  food .  Making  choices  and  undergo the results  of  the  choices  is  what  we  must   learn .  SO  I  think  it  is  more  important  to  find  a  way  to  refine the game  than   to  consider  whether  the  violent  game  will  bring   us   bad  habits.

As  the  research  in the game   demonstrated ,  some  stimulating  games  will  make some  brain sells  more  aggressive.  Although it  is  convinced  because of the  data  and  fact ,  but  it  still  cannot   demonstrate  is  there  any  direct  and  specific  relation  between  aggressive   actions  and  games.   The  cells  only   consists  of  little  part  of  human body ,  it  even  cannot  influence  how  the  brain  command  body  and  thoughts.

Finally, we  refer  to  government control .  This unseen hand hiding from  public  always  lead  public  to  a  so-called  right  direction.  IS  there  necessary  to  do so?  What  a   nation  need   is  the  sensible  people  who  have  their  own  judgment  and  thinking  system.  Any  attempt  which  is  instructional  is  not  as  essential  as  independent  individuality.  So  I  think  there  is  no need  for   any  Intervening  of  political  power.  Some games  have  age  restrictions.  I  think  it  is also  depends.  Maturity  is  not  decided  by  ages.  Some  people  can  manage themselves  in  childhood,  but   some still  have  childish  behaviors  in  old age.

  All  in  all ,  I  gain  a  lot  from  the  film   and  I  believe   the  research  still  has  a  long  way  to  go  as  it  is  a  world  in  motion .  what  we  can  do  is  accept  the  motion  with  a  clear  mind  and  generous  heart.