User:Laura Macchini/Laura Macchini, I'm already falling apart and I haven't even started the video yet, 2012

I'm already falling apart and I haven't even started the video yet

Description

My graduation project revolves around confessional youtube videos. It consists in a collage/mashup of videos, streaming directly from youtube, projected in a room; a series of playlists that are going to be influenced by the behavior of the audience. The content I work with is confessional videos, with a focus on "troubled stories": I have collected so far about 100 clips, 8 hours of video material; the videos I use deal with topics such as sexual abuse, sex change operations, cancer, drug related problems, alcoholism, eating disorders, loss of a loved one, etc. Different Playlists correspond to different stages of information given by the protagonists of the videos: there is an 'introduction' level, in which people greet their audience and, for instance, state their name. Other levels refer to the kind of 'intimacy' that would be required for two people to be discussing the matter. Three ulterior levels are present: low, medium and high intimacy. Factors that influence the progression of the playlist-storyline are, at this moment, the number of people present and the length of stay of the visitor. During my tests with the installation I noticed, contrary to what I had previously guessed, that the kind of content that disturbed (and intrigued) visitors the most, was not what I called "high level of intimacy required" (statements like "My brother died today" or "I feel like I can't stop self-injuring"), but the in-between talk, the buildup of the confession, the moment right before describing the problem at hand; a sample statement would be "upset doesn't even cover it, I can't even think of a word to describe how I felt". For this reason, the scale of "intimacy" is going to be inverted: when the visitor/s enter the room, the starting playlist is going to be the one of "high intimacy", fast paced details about the protagonist's problems; the more the visitor/s linger in front of the projection (also the fewer they are) the more the pace of the confessions is going to slow down, and the details are going to become vague. Slower paced, less aggressive revelations invite the visitor to sympathize more with the people portrayed in the videos, encourage their curiosity in their stories. The goal of my installation is to explore the patterns of confession in videoblogs, often borrowed from Reality TV, create an intimate (and somewhat disturbing) experience, out of the remix of various youtube confessions.

Media

Photos

• At least 2, Max 5.
• native resolution only (that is the highest resolution you have for your photo and whatever resolution if you make screencaps)
• PNG format

Video

optional unless the final outcome of the project, or one of its main components, is a video/film/animation.

• allowed containers/codecs combos:
  • WebM (preferred):
    • Video codec: VP8 (3-5 Mbps data rate)
    • Audio codec: Vorbis (-q 6)
  • Ogg:
    • Video codec: Theora (3-5 Mbps data rate)
    • Audio codec: Vorbis (-q 6)
  • MP4:
    • Video Codec: H.264 (3-5 Mbps data rate)
    • Audio Codec: AAC (160kbps or 384kbps if 5.1) or MP3 (-V0 or -b 320)
• resolution: 720p if source >= 720p, native resolution otherwise, progressive.
• FPS: 24, 25, 30.
• Sample rate:
  • 44.1kHz if source is 44.1kHz or 88.2kHz
  • 48 kHz if source is 48kHz or 96kHz
  • 44.1 kHz for everything else.

Audio

optional unless the final outcome of the project, or one of its main components, is a sound piece/track.

• allowed containers/codecs combos:
  • Ogg: Vorbis (-q 6) preferred
  • MPEG: MP3 (-V0 or -b 320)
  • FLAC (-8)
• Sample rate:
  • 44.1kHz if source is 44.1kHz or 88.2kHz
  • 48 kHz if source is 48kHz or 96kHz
  • 44.1 kHz for everything else.
• Do not transcode! For instance, if the sound generated is directly an MP3, do not re-encode it with the settings above or with a different codec. Only encode original uncompressed or lossless compressed sources.

Essay

Abstract and bibs/ref + link to PDF (PDF must be uploaded to wiki).
Use Steve's recommendations for abstract length and bibliographic style.

Additional Information

non optional

• One page itemised budget estimate