TCF 444: Video Treatment Case Study - "Beautiful People"

Since we have the treatment for Manson's "Beautiful People" video, let's watch the video!

Video: "Beautiful People" (1996)
Artist: Marilyn Manson
Directed by Floria Sigismondi

Blog Entry #1: TCF 155 + TCF 312 + TCF 444

So if you are a student in my class, you know that the first post is some sort of "who are you" assignment. This assignment does two things. #1 - It tells me that you know how to post, embed and image or video clip, and can accomplish an assigned task on time #2 - It tells me and your classmates a little about who you are, what you enjoy, what you are thinking about, and so on...


So for TCF 155 - "Personal Screens: Media and Identity in the Age of YOUtube, ME Media, and MYspace," my students have to post a "Ten Things About Me" kind of post with some sort of self-portrait (a long portrait, a photograph, a collage, artwork... anything!). Here goes mine:

I can't sit still. Music is always playing on my office computer. I can't help but nod my head to the beat, and crack a smile. My hair is wild. My eyes look exhausted because I can't stop, won't stop (but really need to take some time off.) I have a lot of freckles. My forehead is big. I am looking pale. I love my eyes - so deep and brown. I have my abuela's face. My favorite color is purple and I had my office chair custom made for me. I am not your average professor.

I have been thinking a lot about our ego surfing fun in class. When I google myself, I see 1900 results in 45 seconds. I wonder how many of those links are actually about me. Am I really that important, or is that just my work leaves deep digital footprints? When I click on Images, I see my face (and many ways that I wear my hair - big and curly, pressed out, in braids), and even when there is some "random" image, if I click on it, there is some link to one of my life as a college professor, one of my films, a book that I edited, or somebody writing about me on a blog... it's kind of weird, actually. To think my thoughts and actions are archived for possibly forever here, on the Internet.

My life is online.

I have a facebook page. It's set to "private," but what's really private online? I know everyone on my page (well, maybe like 5 or 10 people are people who requested my friendship and I accepted because they are friends with 30+ of my friends in my "real life," but there are strange interactions between my students and my prom date, my mentees, my peers, and my friends from high school. I've thought about creating groups to try to compartmentalize this profile, but really, why? I think crashes, cracks, leaks, and spaces can show you where you need to build connections and bridges, or accept the gaps.

I have a very old myspace profile that  I go on a few times a year (to reach out to a friend who loves music and is actively there meeting 20 year old girls.) 

I tweet but find my twittering kind of boring. I don't have too many deep thoughts in 150 words or less. I use it to spread news or retweet something clever someone else I know has said. I also got weirded out when some of my heros started following me. I didn't know they even knew I existed. 

I have a website rachelraimist.com that is in desperate need of content. I just don't have time to get everything on there... maybe some point this semester. We'll see...

I am so online. Do I need to be? What does all of online material say about who am I, what I am about, what I do, and what I leave imprinted in the digital world? Maybe this semester will help me think it through... I'm looking forward to it!

For TCF 312 - "Advanced Videography," my students have to share another version of "10 Things" --- maybe favorite films, line from films, or just random fun facts. So here goes my list of favorite films to watch in reverse chronology of viewing:

10. Exit Through the Gift Shop

9. Central Station

8. Manny & Lo

7. Nobody's Business

6. The Piano

5. Say My Name

4. Dexter

3. The Vampire Diaries (Team Damon!)

2. Say Anything

1. The Professional

For TCF 444: "Producing & Directing the Music Video," my students have to share random facts and/or 10 (or more, in my case) favorite videos. I have to admit I love to watch videos but have so many different kinds of favorites for different reasons. I remember when MTV launched; I was watching TV with my Dad. When I was a teenager we used to keep VHS tapes ready to record music videos because there was no guarantee that you would ever get the chance to see it again. Now a quick YouTube search and you can find archives of old videos and every kind of video you could imagine (mainstreams, indie and all sorts of local groups)... it's an exciting time for music videos!


So for my random list, there are so many reasons why these videos made this listing... In some cases it's the technique like the use of silhouette, air pumping into black trash bags (because what else do you do with a "fat" artist but to accentuate her size, or the use of green screen, and in others, it is about what it is about (particularly when I saw it on Yo MTV Raps, and my life was forever changed... Ladies First!), and sometimes its how beautifully it illustrates the music (Maxwell is also Puerto Rican!!!). Here's a selection in totally random order... in class we will talk in more detail about why I love these videos so much. Can't to see your lists!


The Pharcyde "Drop" (1995), Directed by Spike Jonze 





Fiona Apple "Criminal" (1997), Directed by Mark Romanek




Mos Def "History" (2010), Directed by Coodie-and-Chike



Queen Latifah "Ladies First" (1990), Directed by ?



Lauryn Hill "Everything is Everything" (1999), Directed by Sanji



Jay-z "99 Problems" (2004), Directed by Mark Romanek



Chris Brown "Deuces" (2010), Directed by Colin Tilley



Maxwell "This Women's Work" (1997), Director: Sanji





Dead Prez "Hell Yeah" (2003), Directed by ?



Blind Melon "No Rain"(1993), Directed by Samuel Bayer



The Red Hot Chili Peppers "



Missy Elliot "The Rain(Supa Dupa Fly)" (1997), Directed by Hype Williams


MISSY ELLIOTT'the rain'
Uploaded by banatchec. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

Common "Go"(2005), Directed by Kanye West, MK12, and Convert





I like the ending green screen shot... the rest of the video is ok, nothing amazing, but still I do love Common and the beat of this song is the score to my above long portrait.

TCF 155: Blog Entry #1 - Assignment

TCF 155: Personal Screens: Media and Identity in the Age of YOUtube, ME Media, and MYspace

Assignment Due before class meeting next week:

#1. Consider what you learn about yourself ego surfing and how you want to represent yourself online. Do you want a public blog that displays your photo with private information about you? Do you want to use video, photography, audio, artwork or an avatar to “be you” in an online environment? Create a blog (using blogger or site of your choice) and email the URL (http:// web address) to rraimist@ua.edu.

#2. Blog post 1: Self Portraits Entry. Post a creative portrait (Long portrait, photograph, symbol, avatar) and share some “fun” facts (maybe your top 10 favorite film lines, your favorite things, quotes, whatever you desire to share about yourself) as an introduction to your classmate and as the start of your personal space in the blogosphere.  

Here are examples of ways folks create and post self-portraits online:

Vimeo's "Long Portrait" - http://vimeo.com/search/videos/search:long%20portrait/bbadd953

Long Self-Portrait from Al Ibrahim on Vimeo.


Vimeo user Al Ibrahim believes:

A long portrait is exactly like it sounds, a portrait that is long. It's like a photo of someone, but stretched out in video form to show the person's small expressions, mannerisms and gestures.

You Tube also has lots of long portraits too. And there are sites of photographic self-portraits. Andrew spent 31 days photographing himself. He likes to draw portraits and clearly loves rock music. Vivian drew and filmed a multimedia self-portrait. 


Be inspired! 

You can post a photo, video, piece of artwork, or create an avatar of yourself... and post 10 Things About "You" (or at least the pieces of you, you are interested and willing to share online)... have fun!

#3. Read the following online articles:

a. Rebecca’s Weblog Ethics – http://www.rebeccablood.net/handbook/excerpts/weblog_ethics.html

b. “The Many Faces of You,” NY Times –

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/weekinreview/17miller.html?_r=1

A New Semester... and new courses!

It is a new semester, full of new students, new courses, and lots of fun and interesting things to write about!

This blog will serve as space for post for:

TCF 155: Personal Screens: Media and Identity in the Age of YOUtube, ME Media, and MYspace

TCF 312: Advanced Videography

TCF 444: Producing and Directing the Music Video

Here goes...