Production Strategy

So this drift started out as a pretty long walk from my old house on 55th and North to my new house on 63rd and Milwaukee. I figured I would consume a lot of good material on this walk. I was wrong. I found myself recording and Photographing the same thing I did on the two previous Drifts. I didn't want this. I didn't want my third drift to resemble either of my other drifts, because I wanted to show growth. I wanted this drift to have a certain theme and emotion. The inspiration was from the song "Greet Death" by Explosions in the Sky (instrumental band). Let me say it was only the inspiration for my video. The sounds in my short video really don't resemble anything created by EITS. The tempo and rhythm really don't even resemble that of the song, but it is the feeling from the song I really tried to mimic. Towards the end of my drift I found the perfect place to collect all of the material I needed. It ended up being only about one hundred feet of deep tunnel. I think it worked though.

Finished Video

This final video is the result of working out a lot of mistakes. I went with a all still video. The video recordings were just not what I was looking for. I also really like the aesthetic created by the continuous still shots. I look back on the amount of time invested its hard to believe its only about one and a half minutes long. I am happy with it, and I do think I achieved the feeling I wanted to. The theme is all in the title. I don't think I need to say anymore.

Rough Cut #2

After the first cut I decided to go in a bit of a different direction. I was gonna still incorporate video, but I wanted a whole bunch of still clips to break up the flow of the single video shot. I still wasn't happy with the results. I knew there was more I could do with the material I had.

Rough Clip #1

This first cut wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. I was gonna keep it simple with just video, but after reflecting it didn't seem right.

Ten Questions

1. Are there any issues I should try to address with this Drift?
2. Do the sounds and video work well together?
3. Will this drift video with sound show an improvement over the previous two drifts?
4. Do I believe what I am creating is legitimate?
5. Am I happy with what I have created so far?
6. Have the previous two drifts prepared me for what I want to do?
7. Have I invested enough time into the creation process?
8. What should the underlying message be?
9. Have I made that message clear?
10. How do I know when I'm done.

Drift assessment 4

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from either of your Drifts. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.

At the end of the silent video “For the First Time”, I was so amazed by the affect the sunlight had through the camera lens. I have seen lens flare before, but this was more like an explosion. The colors and the jittery streams of light were reminiscent of waking up to a hot white light in your eyes.

Drift assessment 3

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drifts and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)



When I got back from my first drift I was really surprised how well my stuff turned out. I was expecting to have really bad pitch problems, and scratchy-ness in the background of my sounds, but that wasn’t the case. Everything I recorded only needed a few touch ups if that.

I was really surprised with the results of “Orient Express” silent video. It was such a simple idea and I think it had one of the most effective outcomes. I didn’t expect to be that happy with end result, but it was interesting to watch.

When I was thinking about the drift strategies I used for all three of my drifts I realized they had a lot to do with intuition and what felt right. When I thought about that it reminded my of the way I shoot photographs. I do what feels right and that usually works out for me.

Drift assessment 2

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 and/or 2 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

During the first drift about half way through I became in the zone. It was kind of like I was on autopilot. I felt very accomplished after the first drift. I was really happy and surprised how much I enjoyed it.

During the second drift as I was walking up and down the streets by my house I began thinking about how the videos and photos I was taking related to the sounds from my first drift. There was no conscious attempt to make the work relate, but I wondered if there was a subconscious continuity I was creating.

Drift assessment 1

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1 or 2. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)



During the first drift I felt a little uncomfortable walking around with the Mic’s in each hand and giant headphones on my head. It felt like people were staring at me, and it bothered me a little. I got over it about half way through the drift.

During the second drift I found it really hard to create original material. I was stressing out about whether or not my stuff would stand apart from others. I believe the area I drifted through had a lot to do with the video and photo results.