How did the movie make you feel?

The images all seem familiar enough. Starving kids in Africa, sexy cars, enormous fake breasts... The pictures don't strike us as extraordinary or unusual at all. When we sit and let the images wash over us every day when we watch TV, are we aware of the very real impact these images are having on our conceptions of the outside world?

Since most of us live relatively contained lives, most of our knowledge of "what the world is like" and "what is normal" comes from watching how people on TV act, dress, behave, and talk.

By mixing up the audio and visual stimuli in "Ad Tension," I have tried to make familiar and unremarkable images seem suddenly foreign, confusing, and uncomfortable. Without this measure of familiarity to hang on to, the viewer is forced to examine the material in a new way.

Lacking a clear story line, "Ad Tension" is divided into rough segments where I explore themes such as gender identity, wealth, faith, and comfort.

My objective was definitely not to present a moral position by demandin the viewer to "Look at the evil on TV!" Rather, my point is to urge the viewer to simply "Look at what's on TV." Indeed, the clips actually represent a pretty proportionate showing of what comes on the tube- lots of boobs, cars, and promises.

If the movie made you feel alienated or angry, maybe this reflects the disconnect you feel exists between what's real in your life and the ideals that are sold to us on TV.

If you thought the movie sucked, e-mail me and give me some suggestions; I'm still learning.