Finale

It didn't work. Many people look at my project and think to themselves "What is this?" I think the same thing when I watch my project (if I even can). Lots of time and research went into my final project for neighborhood narratives, but in the end I wasn't able to execute it the way I wanted to. Here's the basic principle:

Within the suburban streets of Tokyo, 3 different paths are travelled on my bicycle, all starting from an unfamilar place, to eventually arrive at a common destination i.e. my house. Each path is be documented with a camera attached to the front of the bike as well as dozens of points plotted using GPS technology to map out each path. Within the video/Korsakow system, the 1st person videos combined with real time map imaging is to show the viewer the orientaion of each rider between the respective paths. With the Korsakow system, the viewer is allowed to choose any of the 3 videos displayed and observe the orientation of each rider, comparing one path to another. This further encourages the viewer to notice how intricate and complex the street design is and how spontaneous, intinctual decions can lead you home or to a far away place.

I managed figure out how to rig my bike with a camera, and spent 3 days shooting my videos for my project. I recorded my points for each path and imported them using Google Earth and traced each path traveled. I cut and rendered multiple clips of each path so that they would coincide with the other videos according to time and place. I spent time learning the ins and outs of the Korsawkow system so that when it came time to import the videos, I wouldnt have to fumble around with the software.

Now for the tricky part. With every step in place, I considered the real time map display would be easy to create. Alas, I was wrong. I had no idea how to do this. I thought I had seen it done before, but I had no clue where or how to do this. Neither do I think anyone else. I was then forced to leave this part out of my video. By doing so, it left me with an incoherent and incomplete final project. This whole mapping/GPS system is what tied this project together, what drove the project to what it should have been. Unfortunately it with without. Big plans and big idea in the end proved to be nothing but an empty promise, an empty project.

But all hasn't been a failure. I have come to the realization of a few things. Through this semester I have edited several pieces and projects, often spending hours upon hours doing so. Now I realize, that even though editing can be fun, driving you towards your final piece, I don't want to be an editor. Sure I'm gonna have to do it once in a while, which I dont mind at all, but I dont want to BE an editor. I dont want that as my dayjob. For me, its doesnt involve to much creativty and is the least appealing part of the filmmaking process. I also realize that I don't like technology. Yes I pay my respects for Korsakow and Google Earth and every other program/toy/crap that comes out but, just dont get me involved with it. Film editing software is hard enough let alone having to acquaint myself with everything that comes out. I have a feeling Im gonna be a bitter old man, talking about the good ol' days. And last ephipany, is that I dont like art. Well if this is considered art, then I dont like it. I've always had the impression a lot of art is phony balony (which is is) and I dont wish to be a part of that scene. I have never once considered myself an artist, mostly because I despise that term for it is very difficult to define. I do what I do. I write, I shoot, I edit. I make films, I make music. I create. This is difficult enough let alone having to deal with labels and definitions.

As the great one Michaelangelo said:
"Yo brotha, I aint no fuckin artist. I'm a fuggin gansta'. A G-A-N-G-S-T-A. I shoot people n' shit. Leave 'em all bloody n' shit."

What a cool dude.