Matt Johnson 302-003

      Reflecting on my sound recording experience, I found that our group worked well together, bouncing  ideas off of one another, as well as allowing our own idiosyncratic personalities to be a pretext for creative designs; e.g. the horrific demon cries of Christian or lovely mouth sounds by Dylan.       The small group format was, again, great for fostering collective ideals on how we should go about composing our sound library; but was also helpful in re-familiarizing ourselves with the equipment and re-affirming the importance of work with others. It's essential that we all learn to work with others and allow communal input and different threads of ideas to conceive of a unified project. One in which neither singular creativity in hindered, nor the ideas of others eschewed.

     Regarding the second observation, this setting wasn't discovered impromptu, as was the aforementioned seaside blog; but was nevertheless enriching and full of sound.       My normal route to school consists of traversing past dorms, parking lots, and the student center before reaching the center of campus. And while I routinely pass through the Student Union, rarely do I stop to take in the sounds of the place, often filled with bustling students. Seeing the setting fit for an array of aural opportunities, I found I table and chair in which to sit and collect my observations.        The early morning brought on many sounds that grew as louder and more complex as the day  ushered in more and more students. Initially though, my observational spot across from the cafe was dotted with only a handful of folks. Most of them were quietly getting an early start to the day reading from books and laptops; as I infrequently he...

      It’s a bit funny coming into this project with presumptions on what my aural experience would be; and in response finding an otherwise different, candid experience. But I suppose that was the point of the assignment. To discover and appreciate the impromptu minutiae of our surroundings. To key in on the sounds that permeate our passing experiences, and see how they can be both all-encompassing and ever-so subtle.        So, knowing I would have to write about a meditative experience with sounds, I thought that reviewing an upcoming haircut appointment would be a great focal experience. Reflecting on the preconceived notions of the chattering hum of salon patrons, high-pitched sound of a blow-dryer breathing warmly against my nape, or the crisp clip of scissors that always seems to come dangerously close to my ears. And, of course, the initial banal, conversational pleasantries with the stylist, that eventually carry on into genuine dialogue (su...

Having read Maya Deren's  Amateur v. Experimental  for the second time now, I find continual appreciation for her as an artist. Her insights in the freedom of amateur art versus commercial art, and sentiments on celebrating one's own artistic proclivities have allowed me a newfound appreciation for her work. Especially in retrospect to her select films, of which I had a confused understanding of (at best) upon initial viewing. After reading her short essay I can see her surreal, cinematic tendencies relaying a poetic quality that is much easier to digest and even revere.  As for Camper, I also appreciate how he sheds light on the facets that make experimental film distinct from conventional, cinematic ventures. And while his criteria for experimental film does seem at first to be somewhat contradictory, his closing paragraph explicates how these facets of what make experimental films avant-garde, should be seen more as suggestions when considering this style of work, vers...

Greetings one and all!                                                                                                                                                                     For those of you I don't know already my name is Matthew Johnson. This is my second year here in the Film Studies program, and I'm hoping to gear my studies towards critical analysis and film history for the duration of my time at UNCW, and hopefully on through graduate school. As for this course specifically, I'm looking not only to gain further insights into the ideologies and practices surr...

                Rarely does one come across such lucid prose; or the word “din” quite as much as in Balazs’ essay Theory of Film: Sound . Balazs not only advocates the importance of sound in general, but keenly highlights personal recognition of its omnipresence. Keying in on the details of sounds both minute and cacophonous, he provides context for sound in relation to our attention to aural minutiae, sound in relation to its physical environment, as well as its relation and augmentation of silence. Endowing the otherwise unnoticeable nuances of sounds with such weight and substantiality, this essay provides an  intimate appreciation for noise; where tone creates texture, silence carries emotional weight, and sound imparts an adroit resonance to its environment.                       Sound can be an under-assuming, powerful component of fil...