RTF 331M- Performance on the Streets-         

                                                                       Fall 2005 - Wed/ 3-6 pm
                                                                                 Professor Sandy Stone

                                                    
                            

Sandy discussed exaggeration(s) of certain parts of the face in regards to an artist discussed in class In relation to an aspect of masking and disguise.  I chose an old magazine and photocopied an advertisement with a close-up of what society would label as "perfect," in terms of facial symmetry, physical attractiveness, etc.  I measured and drew even squares over the whole picture (to better help me draw accuratley).  Then I tried to recreate the image of the face on a larger sheet(s) of drawing paper.
I recreated the original image 4 times, each time resizing the squares that helped me accuratley draw the face to resemble the original image in accuracy and quality which is meant to capture the original beauty.  However, by resizing the squares, I am opposing the purpose of the even squares meant to capture the perfect beauty of the original image.
with each replica, I choose different places to resize, each time hoping to create an interesting image in comparison to the original image.  Each of the four images represents a sort of mask or disguise, that different individuals may first notice about a "beautiful image" that they admired, such as a perfect nose, pretty eyes, which they compare to themselves, possibly considering their assets distorted, when correlated to perfection and beauty.

Project Two (11.2.2005)-

Click Here For Movie

The idea for my second project came out of pure luck.   Originally, I had wanted to do a short creative film pertaining to Halloween, especially since costumes and masks relate pefectly to the subject matter of the class.  I had wanted to emphasize a phrase I had heard in one of my other classes that motivated me to do a project on.  The phrase: IDENTITY IS PERFORMATIVE.   I know, great phrase huh!   Well, due to lack of quality in lighting in my raw footage (I filmed at night), I was unsatisfied with the footage.
 However, my friend brought us a gift from Mexico that weekend.  The gift: a puppet!  Sandy mentioned that we would be discussing puppets the following week, so imagine my delight when I saw the puppet...my salvation.  My roommates and I were bored one sunday afternoon, not to mention hyper, so we pulled out the puppet and were role playing with it.  We were having the best time when one of my roommates decided to play some music to spice up the puppet show. 
A light sparked in my head and I knew what I was going to do for my second project: a one-man puppet show.  Although it took three of us to create the spectacle.  The puppet is a male that is dressed in cultural attire from Mexico, hence the name "Pepe."  It was a blast to produce and edit and just goes to show what anyone can  create with posterboard, cheap bubbles and friends!  Sounds like directions found in old  craftbooks under the category "puppets!"

Final Project (12 .7.2005)-

Since the beginning of my "editing/production" experience, I have wanted to produce a claymation video.  For my final ACTLAB project, I decided I'd challenge myself and get rid of any fears/excuses/horrors/myths that are associated in producting a claymation video.  The plotline for my video came from numerous thoughts and ideas that I finally compiled into one.  I wanted to capture the many elements that make ACTLAB unique and different, making the course a fun and entertaining learning experience.  Performance/Street was an exciting course, which involved interactivity between students and professor, leaving no dull moment.  Specifically, Performance consisted of warming-up exercises "playtime," productivity "building stuff," and discussing related subject matter "chillin' with cool people and conversin' about cool stuff."  Therefore, my video seems to be a promotional video for people who may have questions about what goes on in ACTLAB and basically, what it is all about.