Introduction

This was the first set of projects of our Freestyle careers. In our design class, we were required to take photographs based off of a concept statement we were assigned in our English class. In our media class, we were required to produce a short project. As film is my media class, I was given the task of creating a short experimental film. Each of my pieces of work were based of the following statement: “I am exploring the feeling of nostalgia through the experience of dancing.” We were each challenged to think very abstractly and tackle our projects from unconventional standpoints.

Project Poem

The main project of our English class was a poem. We did several different forms of poetry and ultimately decided on one to present. The following is my final project poem, using the same statement as inspiration as seen above.

Decades

Spindles.

Arms like branches in sagging cloth,

he took a shallow breath and closed his eyes.

 

A tune began,

softly whispering in his ear;

he wept.

 

The tune continued as she danced across his eyelids

like leaves slowly drifting

back and forth.

 

The stench of tobacco burned his eyes in memory,

the smoke and sadness.

Tears rolled down his face.

He wrapped his paper arms around

his thread-like body,

ceasing his tears with laughter and smiles.

 

Her being was not sad, so the recollection should not have been.

She was light,

and the song lifted as she would.

So he closed his eyes,

a last shallow breath,

to the memory of his goddess

that almost was.

Conceptual Photography

Transport, 2017. Digital image by Marisa Novotarski

The assignment for this piece was to pictures of transportation devices. There were limitations to the things we could photograph, in that they could not be motorized, and the wheel needed to be present in the photo. The emphasis could be placed on any part of the vehicle/vessel, as long as one of the wheels was present in the photo.

The object I chose to photograph was a tricycle. I chose to use a tricycle because I thought it would be a different kind of “transportation” that was unique in its own way. Most people would not use a manual tricycle as their preferred method of transport, and I wanted to use that youthful, fun element to make my photo unique. I placed it in my front yard and took photos in the morning to get nice, crisp early morning lighting. Because the yard was full of fallen leaves, I wanted to put emphasis on the bright primary colors. I chose to emphasize the label rather than the wheel because I thought it would be more interesting to the eye. The rainbow color scheme provides a heavy contrast to the background of black plastic, I chose to emphasize the label in the foreground to create more depth and layers to the photo in a way that the viewer might be able to follow a sort of path from the dead leaves in the background, to the seat in the middle, and finally the label in the foreground.

Conceptual, 2017. Digital image by Marisa Novotarski.

Artist statement:

The objects I chose to use in my photographs were a tape that was submerged in water. I chose the tape to represent nostalgia and the water to represent dancing. I made the water move with the tape to create a sense of action and movement. I tried to bring the tape in focus by using a white spotlight in contrast to the warmer light in the surrounding water. The objects were meant to interact in harmony. The movement of the water was supposed to show how the dancing was what led to a nostalgic feeling as it was engulfing the nostalgic item. The image I used showed both the movement of the water and the tape, successfully showing them moving (or dancing) together. The lighting helps to instill warmth in the photo. I used this warmth to pair with the tape and remind the viewer of the comfort that often comes with memories. The light splitting in the water also showed how the memory could be distorted or refrained as time goes on. The water dancing represents how dance can often be something very nostalgic, and is often used in various art forms to represent nostalgia or memory. I chose the image that slightly warped the tape to emphasize the change and distortion of memory.

In Photoshop, I tried to bring more contrast between the body of the tape and the surrounding water. This gave the body more depth and interest, drawing the eye more centrally to the tape. I also brought down the exposure to add more contrast between the bright warmth of the water and the darkness of the tape. To add more contrast, I selected the flowing tape and made it more of a deep red-orange. Finally, I placed a blue photo filter over the image to make it colder and a little bit more color to a fairly flat image. I used the blue to take the warmth originally present in the photo that represented comfort to bring in a contrast of cold and sadness that can also come with nostalgia.

Photo Haiku

To give us foundational skills of Adobe Premiere Pro, we were assigned the task of creating a short video based on a haiku.

Experimental Film

This unit was an introduction to film. Primarily, it was meant to teach us how to use a camera, the editing applications that are standard at Freestyle, and think outside of the box. As experimental is a form of film that does not follow any set cinematic rules, it was very much open to interpretation as artists. I centered my film around old-looking or reminiscent items, to reflect nostalgia, and chose a song that I believed encompassed that emotion in a fun, dance-like way. I found this unit incredibly helpful, as it re-introduced me to Premiere Pro, as well as giving me the opportunity to learn filming techniques and basic film language.

November, 2017. Short experimental film by Marisa Novotarski.