Pompaloose

Today in class we discussed détournement, but we also covered what could be the first music video, "Mongoloid" by Bruce Conner and DEvo. Even though we only spent a brief minute talking about music videos, after class, I came across this video and article about the "band" Pompaloose, who make studio recordings and video simultaneously.

From FecalFace.com: "While in the studio, Pomplamoose captures sound as well as video. The audio and video tracks are mixed simultaneously, so that whatever effects are employed are also represented visually. If you hear an instrument, you get to see that instrument, if a track fades out, so then does its video counterpart. The ability to see what you hear allows insight into the breadth of production, and the inventive mechanisms that are used to create a richly textured sound experience (like glasses of water or childrens toys). Often, advanced studio techniques distance listeners from the music, and disguise its craft, but Pomplamoose's clever utilization of mixed media reaffirms our connection to the process, and re-humanizes their work. Pomplamoose constructs satisfying pop, and despite the self aware affectation, maintains a spiritedly genuine attitude. Dawn's vocals are at once skilled and honest, and her chord structures are atypical and complex. All of the instrumentalism demonstrates impressive prowess, and brings to fruition the labors of incredible and contemplative songwriting."



Even though Dawn's vocals seem honest, they give too much of a Feist-vibe for my taste, but hey, infectious pop music nonetheless. I might not do something quite like this for my final, but I want to incorporate some sort of creation of both music and film (maybe direct animation)...

Here's a link to the article this came from.

Recycled Images - Haiku Editing Response

In some vein with my 3-part film, I wanted to continue my thoughts about the conveyance of information. In line with this thinking, I chose to chop up two educational films, one titled "The Human Brain" and the other, a National Geographic film having to do with how we hear sounds. Somewhere along my four hour voyage of footage scrounging, I came across this clip of an old woman sneezing, but instead of her nose creating the sound synonymous with a-choo, she belts out this foghorn noise.

I couldn't stop laughing. (Possibly simultaneously weirding out everyone in the editing room)

Something about it stuck for me, so when I found the synopsis footage about the "Human Brain" that really didn't make any sense out of context, I wanted the lady's sneezing to almost be a way of calling "Bullshit!" on whatever was being presented on the screen... and to be funny too. Even though it's only three cuts, I wanted it to function as if it were just found as an educational film print, as if someone could try and glean something from it. Sometimes that's how I feel about "educational" films, past and present, that overlook certain editing aspects that could be seen as comical from a cynical student audience.

I did like when we viewed it in class with the picture off, because I was really editing for sound and not picture as much. I think for it to function as I intended, it needs to be much longer with more strange footage.