Psychology of the Home

I have really enjoyed being a part of Picturing Domestic Space this quarter. I have learned a lot about individual, independent work, as well as how to think more creatively and artistically.

I’ve also really enjoyed getting to work with the people from the program and getting helpful critique when I needed it. I am finally finished with my project and really hope everyone enjoys it. I’ve worked hard at getting it all to fit together and still run at only ten minutes.

It was extremely helpful to be able to have friends and family help and participate in the project. I loved getting to challenge my editing skills and video work skills, as well as building my photography skills. I know I have a long way to go with all of these skills but I’ve enjoyed having the chance to explore them more this quarter.

Here are some of the final pictures to see. These may or may not be in my final film, but here they are…

 

For this week and next I won’t have to much to say or report just because I finished all the reading and I’m finishing up editing now. I will say a little about my last film chapter though. Don’t remember quite how much I said about it already, but it’s all about film sound.

There are three different types of sound in film. One, of course, being speech (dialogue) – whenever anyone speaks. The second is music (underscoring, sound effects, and sound fidelity), and third is sound effects.

There are also the qualities of sound to consider. The volume, pitch, timbre, and rhythm. I feel like all those parts speak for themselves, except for maybe the timbre. The timbre refers to the synaesthetics of sound (color and feel).

I think it would be really fun to create some of these sound effects. There’s a ton of different ways. Some ways include:

Dry Recording: sound captured in a studio sound booth, where no ambient noise is allowed.

Futzing: The process of manipulating a recording to create a fuzzy or tinny sound.

and..

Foley: creating sounds using available tools.

There are also different uses of sound, such as formal cues. The way sound makes you look for something or feel different emotions for the scenes.

There’s also external diegetic sound and internal diegetic sound; external being outside the minds of the characters, and internal is sound existing for the audience but it’s in the mind of the characters.

I used a lot of voiceover with my project. The audience will hear people talking while viewing other footage or pictures that the person is speaking about. Then I cut back to the people talking. I think this creates a great effect. It is my way of developing internal and external uses of sound.

Here are a couple pictures you will see in the video…

Reading all these things about nursing homes makes me kind of wish I had included something like that in my project. Unless you find a really, really good nursing home, so many things could go wrong. From the story I read about one woman, her friend was happy for her that she finally died because it meant she was finally out of this crazy place she couldn’t stand. My parents will be happy that I read this book; I never want them in a home. That is just no way to live.

There could be several mistakes, including nurses not listening to doctors, mixing up prescription, and just not being attended to. That’s what they’re there for so they need to do their job.

Reading this book has taught me a lot about different types of people, why people are single at times, and more of why they would prefer it. I’ve also learned that even though you may want to be alone at a younger age, no one wants to grow old alone. It’s not just about the fact that people may just see you as single and it’s a shameful thing,  because it’s nothing to be ashamed of or label. It could be really lonely not having someone to come home to or have someone coming home to you. The security it brings is what I feel like that would be one of the nicest parts of not living alone. Also it just seems good and right to grow old with someone you love and know they love you too.

I am also now into my last reading about film. This chapter is all about sound. I referred to this chapter a bit while I’ve been working on the audio for my video. I’m hoping to have about ten minutes or less for this video with music in the beginning and to end it. However, my issue now is finding the right music. Not sure if I should go more upbeat or mellow. I guess I’ll just have to keep listening for something inspiring.

So far this project has been really fun to work with. I’ve been loving going through all the pictures and see what best fits where. Usually I really don’t like the editing portion of the project mainly because I want to use everything, but this has been a little different. Even though I still really don’t like cutting, and this time it was especially difficult because it wasn’t really a story, I really enjoyed the challenge. I needed to challenge myself more and this has been successful.

Last week I read about how some people prefer to live alone and not be married, rather than feel like they have to give up their freedom in a marriage. This week I was read about the single life in the senior years, as well as being alone when you’re younger.

The first I read is called, ‘together alone.’ This chapter mainly discussed the fact that people can still be happy and social even when they’re single.

Sasha Cagen founded Quirkyalone’s organization, which she created to help single persons to come together to enjoy and celebrate being single. She wanted to make sure people knew it was OK to be single. She didn’t want people to be ashamed of being single and wanted them to find their identity while being single.

However, even she found herself wanting to be married one day, and she began feeling that her organization was taking over her life. From everything I’ve read, even with the people who enjoy being single, there is a time in life when most people just want a companion. It seems no one wants to grow old alone; even people who don’t get married usually have a partner.

The second chapter I read was ‘Again Alone.’ This chapter was about seniors and how people need to know how to be able to take care of themselves, even in old age. Most married couples depend on each other so much they tend to forget how to take care of themselves but they need to be able to do this if their spouse dies. This is especially important when independence is valued.   For most people there will be a certain point in life when they want someone to share life with.

As far as my video project goes, I now have all the footage I need and have begun looking at editing styles and the way I want my film to look, sound, feel. I believe at this point it’s coming nicely but I still have a ton work to do.

I need to look at the interviews and decide what questions I want in the film, what pictures, how to organize, and how to be interesting. that is my goal for the next few weeks, especially since I am almost done with my readings I can focus completely on the project. I will have one more post about the book, “Going Solo,” and one more post about my film reading and I will finish with photos and a little more about my project.

This week I am working on getting the last of the video’s and pictures I need. I am also reading my second book, “Going Solo” and a film chapter on editing.

So far there have been many helpful tips about editing and many I was unaware of. The editing chapter centered on the three main aspects: coherence, artistry, and meaning.  These aspects were further broken down to demonstrate temporal relations, spatial relations, graphic relations, rhythmic relations, and thematic relations.

Temporal relations are to help with coherence and make sure the video is smooth. Coherence is especially important since the temporal duration usually much longer than how long you will be watching the film. You want to make sure your audience can understand the story line and not get lost in time.

Spatial relations: the principle of relating points in space to achieve narrative continuity.

You need to always establish the major shot to a scene to allow the audience to follow. This is also an important aspect to coherence.

Artistry is another large part of the job of editing. This is where you appeal to the senses. You want things to look good, look like things smell good, look like they feel good. This helps people imagine and gives them the whole experience. This also includes the editing tool of transitions. All these aspects also help form the meaning of the film.

I am also working this week on getting the rest of the footage from the single people I’m interviewing. The book, “Going Solo,” has been very helpful. I’ve learned that people really like living alone at the same time that they don’t like it. The chapters I read this week were about people getting married and after not very long, getting divorced. Most remarry as well within just a few years. These people know they don’t want to grow old alone but also do not want to have to share living space with them. Not having your own personal space can drive people crazy.

I also read that for single people they usually like living alone because of the freedom and being able to do whatever they want, whenever they want. Not thinking about anyone but you. Except, for me I don’t think this is such a great way to live. I mean, from my own experience I really enjoy being single and getting to do what I want. However, I believe in a good enough relationship; you’ll be able to have that freedom at the same time as know someone will be there for you when you need it. And visa versa. That to me would be the greatest feeling in the world.