Work Journal

[zanderpadget-blog]

[zanderpadget-blog]

[zanderpadget-blog]

What I have been doing since posting WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING

I have started to create a tangible movement section for the video project. Unfortunately, this progress came in a rehearsal that began with the bowing out of Annie Shenzel who has found herself at maximum time commitment capacity. Prior to this development I had imagined a duet with Annie and Hunter Dance Company member Allison Sher, but as it turned out Allison would be the sole body on which I would set the movement.

  The process is amazing one. Making movement on the body that correlates with the movement of the camera is stimulating my brain to almost overwhelming extents. An impulse of my body can find manifestation in my dancer and/or the camera. It is incredible.

  To talk a little of the process, it is first necessary to explain that the scene we were working is going to be shot on top of a large roof in Brooklyn, #theonlythingmorehipsterthanshootingonaroofinbrooklynisnotshootingonaroofinbrooklynbecausethatissomethingthathipstersdo.With this scene I want to emphasize the relative positioning’s of these two players, so I began by concurrently mapping out the paths of Allison and the camera. It was exciting to feel how at times neither the dancer nor the camera seemed to be driving the movement while at other times clearly one of them was initiating.  I want to give the feeling that Allison is dancing with the camera BUT I do not want it to seem like a POV shot of some implied other dancer.

  I will post the video of what we have made so far.

  In Culture Hub land I have been mostly documenting the myriad events that pass through that studio. Last Friday, October 3rd, I filmed the crew as they worked on a project titled One Light, a South Korean art festival that was postponed in the Spring because of the Sewol Ferry Tragedy, and, since being rescheduled for October, has shifted its focus to helping heal the affected communities. It is perhaps because of this noble cause that tensions ran high that day as the Culture Hub team, collaborating musicians and dancers tried to calibrate their product to the vision of One Light's main organizer...I forgot his name. Of course, as this is a Culture Hubian affair, this nameless man was interacting with the artists from his bedroom in South Korea via telecommunication software.

  I will post above the beginnings of a larger piece.

[zanderpadget-blog]

What I have been Doing

Recently I have been a bit bogged down by the many things that I am supposed to be doing. Some of these things include choreographing a piece for Choreographic Projects, making a dance on video piece for an Independent Study, and a third project which I do not want to go into great detail about but which has the possibility to connect many aspects of my creativity. 

But what have I done? The past few days I have been working on the SAF grant proposal for the video and choreographic pieces. This has been a beneficial process because it has forced me to write down in certain terms the many ideas, goals and motivations which influence my work but that sometimes can remain aloft and scattered. I will show that grant in a subsequent post. 

Aside from this I have had a rehearsal with the one dancer/performer which I know I want to be in my piece, Annie Schenzel. We did some filming, me filming her and the other way around. This was ok but not very inspiring. What took my attention most was when we were sitting in between takes talking. I would have the camera on and would be recording our conversation with a lackadaisical, drifting camera work. This gave the footage a documentarian feeling. I am not sure how this will play into overall structure of the piece though. 

Things with Culture Hub have also began to start in earnest. We have worked out a schedule where I will come into the studio on Fridays and be there for a full 8 hour day. My assignments will vary according to the projects that Culture Hub is working on. Currently, I am compiling found footage of New York City and Seoul that will be used during the DJ Spooky show at The Asia Society on October 25th. This footage will most likely be projected onto screens hung a different depths on the stage. In addition to this regular work I will also be attending various workshops and events that Culture Hub will be hosting throughout the fall. I will be documenting these happenings and then editing the footage to create a mini narrative which will convey context and purpose. 

Finally, I have contacted Professor Michael Gitlin of the Media Department and have inquired about the feasibility of renting lighting and sound equipment from the studio, even though I am not currently enrolled in a film or media class. 

In conclusion, my continued pursuit of all modes of personal exploration has recently brought about fluctuating levels of caffein and sugar intake and a proclivity for the writing of the Japanese author Yukio Mishima. Mishima's diving descriptions of forbidden love and psychological turmoil help settle the mood swings brought about by the tumultuous use and disuse of said chemicals. Currently I am eating an apple and drinking green tea, yesterday it was a large coffee and almond croissant, I am the raging sea, the sea turtle below and the gaff taking what is given.