Photos with Future Tense

新鮮滾熱辣!!!! 請即試味
http://sweb.cityu.edu.hk/winnipoon3/sm4134_pwf_doris.pdf

遲來的一篇 - 從Titicut Follies看ethnography

其實早已看畢了整套電影，只是一直寫不到一篇很完整的文章。所以，我嘗試先閱讀幾位同學的文章，在過程中再整理一下自己的思緒。

同學們都用了interpretive circle，作了很多有用的分析。從小的圈圈(製作層面: close up shot如何幫助影片表達?首尾都是晚宴的剪接用意?等) ，開始踏出大圈圈，嘗試找多一點看事物的框架(如影片讓大家反思社會對精神病的界定、社會如何對待精神病人、當時的一些社會的設施的設計等)。這種的閱讀方法，令到我們在觀看時物的時候，有更多的思考導向。我想，其實這一種的閱讀方法在很多影片都適用，不一定於ethnography film 或documentary，只是這兩者都具強烈的documentary impulse，令我們能夠從中建立更確切的知識。

「以小見大」是整個ethnography的研究中的一個開始，如何去建構知識，才是更重要。故此，我們會去多次的field study，以引證框架內看到的東西。我嘗試去一建立一個框架，再去study多次影片。

我建立的框架是當時社會是如何對待精神病患者，我將嘗試DROP FIELD NOTE。

(下回再續)

Self summary of "a day in the life of Ivy and me"

Before reviewing our project, I want to list more details of the project because we have not present in the class. 

Introduction

"A day in the life of Ivy and me" is a project which records we, me and ivy, live together for 12 hours.

In this period, we need to ignore the outside world. And we try to use this extreme situation to force ourselves to cope with each other for a long time.

What is going to happen becomes the main question of this project.     

Production 

First, I and Ivy discussed what we are going to do in the project, such as the shooting method, the rule we have in this 12 hours and the preparation, etc. During our discussion, we tried hard to leave much room for it, that means we do not predict the final outcome. Compared with the previous projects, it is a very new experience that focuses on the process, instead of starting from the outcome.  

Our discussion is also a part of our relationship so that we also recorded the whole process.

The camera setting was the tableau shot. It was because this setting can show the change precisely. We believe in the power of tableau shot, but at the same time, we also worried that we might miss something useful. Thus, we also borrowed a mini camera, providing other camera angles.

For the sound recording, we only used the microphone of the 170 camera. Frankly, it was our wrong decision. After reviewing our footage, we found the quality of sound is not good and affect the audiences' reading. 

The camera then recorded our activities for 12 hours. 

After the 12 hours...     

We reviewed the footage together and dropped down what we have seen in the note. We found something new about ourselves and our relationship. Before the editing, we were struggling what is the focus on our project. Or we can say, which part of interpretation we want to show to the audiences. Different framings could make different interpretations. We want to provide a clear framing for the audiences to find their own interpretation. For me, I didn't know whether it is good to choose the framing. I was afraid of that I might control too much. (so I really want to know what the audiences feel when they are watching the video =) ) 

We finally chose to focus on our relationship. And we took the related footages out and merged them together. There are 2 main interpretations. 

Self summary

After the project, I understand more about the difference between the ethnographic research and the documentary project. It is my beginning of the ethnographic research. 

How to read and analyze the collected data, how to make interpretation and how to show become my next question to visual ethnography. 

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Something new

Task One

Two descriptive accounts of a photo

1. Get closer and closer

This is a photo which should be taken in the entrance of the shopping mall. It is because there are two different lightings, natural and artificial. Also, there is a shop which posts a big advertisement of skin-care products. Beside the shop, three ladies are standing there. They all are dressing in pink with a pair of wings. Despite the same clothing, they have different looking. The right one wears the shortest dress, the middle one has a special hair-style and the left one’s dress has a small ribbon. In front of them, there are a few people. From their steps, you can see their direction. The white one seems are approaching towards the angels. Do the angels get out and leave the space for the person?

2. I guess…..

This photo has been taken in the street of Causeway Bay (I see a SOGO shopping bag in front of the left lady in pink). It is not at rush hours. Lady in yellow is leaving. She bought things in two different shops. And she is looking at three ladies who dress in pink. I don’t know who they are pretending. It is because they have a crown and a pair of wings. These are two different symbols. Crowns represent princess while wings represent angel. These two symbols are the girls people wonder a lot. Also, they are in pink. Pink is one of the popular colors for girls. Therefore, I guess the target audience of this shopping mall is the female.

Task Two

In my year 2 studying, I wanted to take identity as my subject of contemporary arts project. (Idea: using the objects of the people's bag to interpret their characteristic). And Hector suggested me to see Daniel Spoerri 's artworks. Daniel used to keep the objects on the table to capture the moment. (Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Spoerri)

The objects can tell us the time or situation we are in. Then, I believe, the change also tell the stories. I try to capture the bird eye's view of my working desk from 1800 to 0300. And I want to see the change when I was working. I find my working pattern within these 8 hours.
I would like to describe them one by one.

01.
At the beginnig, the desk is very tidy. All things are grouped together. (Haha I start working at that time) It is because I like to tidy up the desk before working.   

02.
I have left my room to take something from others. Therefore, the student id card and key card are on the desk. I have not to place them in my wallet. ( I don't know why - maybe I am lazy)

03. 
I don't know why I throw the paper away. And I have taken out the earphone from my mobile phone. I don't like listening the sings at work. I cannot pay attention to my stuff. 

04. 
My mobile phone is in charge.   

05.
I have worked for a long time. And the papers have many words. I seem like very concentrate, because my phone has been disappeared.

 06.
Relax Time!!!! reading the magazine.

07.
Relax time!!!! Just feel so embarrassed to say: I am checking my face and trying to get rid of my pimples><.

08.
Get back to work. More stuffs are on the desk, but which one I am looking at?

To sum up, I cannot keep working for a long time. When I want to relax, I also prefer to do the things on the desk (instead of doing some exercises!!!) For my health, I should move more. In addition, the positions of my mobile phone also show my attention to my work.  There is no any clock. I use my mobile phone to remind the time. The closer the phone, the more times I remind myself. While I am focusing on my work/enjoying my leisure, I ignore the time (the phone will be far away!). After my 2 hours relax-time, I get back to my work and try to hurry my working speed. And the phone also get back to its starting point. This is my little observation on these photos.

For the presentation, I would like to show these 8 photos in a row. It gives much time for the audiences to view the change in detail. If I capture 100 photos, I would prefer to the video form - stop motion. (100 photos accumulate many different moments. Fast review can give a strong and consistent impact!!!)


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My first lesson

My own objectives
- To be a "yau di yeah" person

* yau di yeah (有啲野): have a little difference but cannot describe it clearly
* "yau di yeah" person usually can think critical, deep and have a wide horizon

My intended learning outcomes for this course
- to have a new perceptive
- to learn how to do a good research (like framming, analyse the data and the expression)
- to know more possibilities of different mediums of researches
- to review the previous works (research-based) I have done and try to improve them
- to learn how to make senible decisions during the research
- to examine some ideas of my FYP

Hope I can achieve my own objective from these learning outcomes:)

Initial idea of the project
Project:
to make a documentary by following one person for 24 hours

Subject:
Ivy Yeung
Why?   1. Easy to follow. We are roommates and classmates.
            2. I wanna to know more abt my good fd
            3. She is a direct person and willing to share.

Ideas:
1. (Let me describe it in Chinese.)
片中是其電腦熒幕，我們將會漫遊其電腦，以二人之對話為旁白

原因何在?
1. 相信人的真實能從其電腦看出端倪，如資料夾的整潔(看其規律)、相片(看其生活)、歌(聽其喜好)、文件(見其工作)
2. 漫遊的步伐是我的剪接、選取
3. 二人的對話給予我們多一點現實
4. 拍攝的工作在二人的雙眼下共同進行，可尊重楊小姐的個人意願

擔憂:
1. 像有點不貼題 (忽略了24小時元素)
2. 技術 (需參考平日之網上教學片子的拍攝手法，有沒有bulit-in camera?)
3. 我的框架依然很闊 (看到楊小姐的多方面，可能不夠深入)

2.
二人在二百多平方呎下的301b房共同生活二十四小時

規則: 不可用電腦、不可睡、不可吃、沒有書可看

原因何在?
1. 相信人困在房間下，無事可幹，可擊發人潛在之獸性
2. 從二人的扶持(或衝突)看二人的關係

擔憂:
1. 她和我的關係
2. 那二十四小時唔知點過，想起有點驚





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