Video Stills

Anouilh · 19-12-2008 6:46pm #1

I uploaded a link to a friend's video work here, in an effort to open up debate on compression and visual material.

http://www.irishwebmasterforum.com/site-reviews-announcements/7623-blowing-a-friends-trumpet.html#post40372

However, it is pertinent for photographers, as the stills from the work are to be found within the links on that page and are quite artistic.

Do many photographers here make stills from "moving picture" work?

Also, I would be delighted if posters took time to look at the videos and see what they think.

I don't want to explain too much at the moment,
as intellectualising can get in the way of an
instant response.

Film students might find it interesting.

Fajitas! · 19-12-2008 7:52pm

Film is quite an important influence on photographers - I don't often take stills from video work, but I'd certainally take inspiration, from composition to colouring from the moving image - I like good films

The amount shared between the moving and still image is endless - A fantastically shot film should have every scene looking like a fantastic photo, and a fantastic photo should look like it could be taken from an amazing film - Whether that be compositionally, the dialogue, anything.

I think the introduction of this on newer DSLR's is a fantastic chance for photographers to experiment with the moving image.

If you were interested in the compression in film, a group that were associated with many of the pop artists, and caught up in the film movements during the 60's used to make 'arty' videos on cheap crappy cameras (think the Holga of the video world) and project them on a massive scale across warehouses and showings. Some lovely results.

Anouilh · 21-12-2008 12:45pm

Some links to work from the past would be very welcome, please, Fajitas.

I still remember the excitement generated by Eastman colour.

People in County Meath were incredible cinema fans and friends used tell the full story of every movie, at length, when we were in primary school. Italian films were especially popular and everybody knew the actors' names.

Anybody who persists with the videos I link to will be interested to see that there is an actor in one of the stories.

Filming was around Ringsend, so location spotters might like to take note...

gino85 · 21-12-2008 2:10pm

i was instantly met with this text

Blowing a Friend's Trumpet

and i lol'd a little

im a warped little man

Fajitas! · 21-12-2008 2:17pm

I'm afraid I don't have anything linkable, they were mentioned to me in a tutorial, as being linked to the type of imagery I'm looking at at the moment, and I ended up in the library and video library doing some looking.

On a quick google there... Well... It's been throwing up a whole pile of mucky tutorials on making pop art in photoshop. I'm on the bus to Dublin at the moment, so don't have a speedy connection to go looking!

Phototoxin · 21-12-2008 2:19pm

Film is quite an important influence on photographers - I don't often take stills from video work, but I'd certainally take inspiration, from composition to colouring from the moving image - I like good films

I concur. Many times while watching a decent film I have thought 'pause this here and you'd have an epic photo'. A recent example was Changeling where a lot of it was side lit like early dutch masters type pictures.

Anouilh · 21-12-2008 2:34pm

Fajitas! wrote: »

On a quick google there... Well... It's been throwing up a whole pile of mucky tutorials on making pop art in photoshop. I'm on the bus to Dublin at the moment, so don't have a speedy connection to go looking!

Don't worry.

I found this:

http://www.npg.org.uk/popart/popart_visitevents.htm

Pop Art is increasingly popular these days.

The Google seach I tried was this:

camera pop art photography america 1960s

Anouilh · 21-12-2008 2:35pm

Phototoxin wrote: »

A recent example was Changeling where a lot of it was side lit like early dutch masters type pictures.

One of my favourite past times is spotting influences from art in films.

Fajitas! · 21-12-2008 2:39pm

There's a name for the lighting technique... My head isn't functioning at the moment... It's dutch though.

Anouilh wrote: »

Pop Art is increasingly popular these days.

Commercially, yep. Had a debate about this the other day actually. I find it all incredibly ironic.

Anouilh · 22-12-2008 3:27pm

Fajitas! wrote: »

Commercially, yep. Had a debate about this the other day actually. I find it all incredibly ironic.

Do you think that the vivid colours and dramatic shapes in Pop Art are compatible with digital technology and this has influenced the re-instatement of this iconography?

ThOnda · 23-12-2008 9:38am

Get inspiration where it is possible :-) Broaden your horizons!

I always loved pop-art for it's straightforward layout, that could hide deeper message. Or not.

Anouilh · 27-12-2008 12:43pm

gino85 wrote: »

i was instantly met with this text

and i lol'd a little

im a warped little man

Don't worry...

It could happen to a bishop.

Things took a decided turn for the worst when I mentioned, without thinking what I was doing, the great master of suspense, Hitchcock.

Happy Christmas! It's only in this season of anarchy we could get away with such innuendo...

Anouilh · 27-12-2008 1:17pm

Fajitas! wrote: »

There's a name for the lighting technique... My head isn't functioning at the moment... It's dutch though.

Commercially, yep. Had a debate about this the other day actually. I find it all incredibly ironic.

It's worth thinking about at length. Commercial photographers must have to do a lot of soul-searching in order to choose techniques that will compete with the fashion for retro and faux-vintage that is taking over the net.

I've also discovered that there is a question mark hanging over the use of video stills in some areas. This blog discusses it with insight:

http://photographylot.blogspot.com/2008/07/future-photojournalism.html

Phototoxin · 27-12-2008 3:41pm

Fajitias I love hitchcock in a possibly-more-than-platonic-way-that-is-probably-a-bit-suspenseful

One of my favourite past times is spotting influences from art in films.

I'm just sad and know very little in terms of artistic style but i remember it from film studies.:D

edit : about verso-tempo

the light at 1:35 illuminate more - more obvious

stair scene a bit long and drawn out for nothing to advance the plot

cut to b&W seems a bit disorientating and is not reused later on

love the notebook closeup

clock bokeh = looooooong but moving so keeps some attention

sfx clever & shadow play

surreal in places

acting = so so when walking around with all the other copies of himself otherwise fine

wobbly when following the pencil bits - may be deliberate but its hard to tell

music brill - hitchcocky! but a little repetitive in places... you think this bits going to repeat, nothing new will happen until it does. In future you could use this to your advantage. Like its repeating but stops suddenly as a surpise happens.

nothing really got resoved and we never discover anything other than the bloke is probaby mental.

could be cut down a little for good effect - its really long

Anouilh · 27-12-2008 5:10pm

Phototoxin wrote: »

edit : about verso-tempo

the light at 1:35 illuminate more - more obvious

stair scene a bit long and drawn out for nothing to advance the plot

cut to b&W seems a bit disorientating and is not reused later on

love the notebook closeup

clock bokeh = looooooong but moving so keeps some attention

sfx clever & shadow play

surreal in places

acting = so so when walking around with all the other copies of himself otherwise fine

wobbly when following the pencil bits - may be deliberate but its hard to tell

music brill - hitchcocky! but a little repetitive in places... you think this bits going to repeat, nothing new will happen until it does. In future you could use this to your advantage. Like its repeating but stops suddenly as a surpise happens.

nothing really got resoved and we never discover anything other than the bloke is probaby mental.

could be cut down a little for good effect - its really long

Thank you for taking so much time to offer a very insightful critique.

I find it grows on you and I very much like the Bokeh effects, especially where the rotating mechanical parts of the clock come in and out of focus.

The philosophy of time was the big topic of the past 50 year, if not more. I find that the videos explore this very well within the canon of films I already know.

Repetition is central to the work and the puzzles that time poses are well explored, I think.

The actor ends up, literally, "meeting himself coming backwards", which would drive anybody crazy.

I have not discussed all this in depth with the director/photographer/composer. What strikes me as so innovative is that, thanks to new technologies, anybody can create a work of art with visuals and audio totally within their own control.

Up to now this was not really possible and it will be interesting to see where it will all lead.

Phototoxin · 27-12-2008 7:05pm

I find it grows on you and I very much like the Bokeh effects, especially where the rotating mechanical parts of the clock come in and out of focus.

The philosophy of time was the big topic of the past 50 year, if not more. I find that the videos explore this very well within the canon of films I already know.

They are good but just a bit 'stretched' and yes I agree about the time thing..this year I was in this shenanigans which was about time in a sci fi thing. I was initially there as a scientific consultant but got roped into being in it :S

The clock bookah was good and the rotating clock in the light

Anouilh · 27-12-2008 9:46pm

Your film is very enjoyable.

Thanks for posting the link.

Anouilh · 28-12-2008 9:05pm

ThOnda wrote: »

Get inspiration where it is possible :-) Broaden your horizons!

I always loved pop-art for it's straightforward layout, that could hide deeper message. Or not.

I've always enjoyed the influence Pop Art has had on fashion.
In fact, it has never really gone away since the 1960s.

The vibrant colours that became possible with aniline dyes have stayed with us, notably on the catwalk:

http://www.jetavenue.com/femme/mode/tendances/defiles-et-accessoires-de-mode-ete-2008-mode-imprime-et-motif-art1346

As for the superficial nature of Pop Art, I very much like this:

"I don't have big anxieties. I wish I did. I'd be much more interesting."
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)

Anouilh · 14-01-2009 7:40pm

I uploaded a screen shot here today and it struck me to share the tip on how to make one quickly.

I did not know about the Prt Scr key on my computer until recently and now I use it all the time.

Here is how it works:

http://www.pcdon.com/110908UsingYourPrintScreenKey.html

Any video that is running on your computer can have stills snapped in an instant and saved in the open graphics program.

Anouilh · 17-01-2009 11:58am

Fajitas! wrote: »

Film is quite an important influence on photographers - I don't often take stills from video work, but I'd certainally take inspiration, from composition to colouring from the moving image - I like good films

If you were interested in the compression in film, a group that were associated with many of the pop artists, and caught up in the film movements during the 60's used to make 'arty' videos on cheap crappy cameras (think the Holga of the video world) and project them on a massive scale across warehouses and showings. Some lovely results.

I was delighted to find this Forum recently:

http://filmandgamecomposers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=228

At last there is an opportunity for film and games makes to share ideas and review one another's work.

Video Stills

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