Process Piece

Today, we talked about process vs. product, mediation vs. immediacy.

THE GAP by Ira Glass from Daniel Sax on Vimeo.

Anything of lasting value requires some work, and as artists, we may find value in representing that work. So, here's the assignment description for the Process Piece:

Students will work in pairs to produce a 1-2 minute audio piece documenting some type of process. In this case, a process is an act of human labor with a beginning, middle and an end. Artist statements should should include a discussion of both form and content in their creations, as well as both the process and the product of their own creative efforts. 

And for Thursday, a few things:

• Come prepared to discuss the screenings that are assigned. There are many and they are pretty diverse, so pick the ones that look the most interesting to you, and consider how they relate to our discussion.
• Come prepared with some audio footage of your process (or a few different processes). It doesn't matter if it's rough. This is test footage. This is to get you thinking about sonically representing an act of human labor. We'll use this for our workshop.
• Check out my post "More Thoughts on Processes," and consider how a particular stylistic approach to representing your subject might make your piece more effective/interesting.
• Come prepared with a 30-second elevator pitch for your Historical Story. Here's that description:

Students will work in pairs to write a 4-6 page film script that takes place around some historical event (which took place before the students were born), and focuses on a character(s) who is either based on someone they know OR of their own creation (BUT is NOT a famous historical figure). Scripts are to utilize standard screenplay formatting. Artist statements should include a discussion of the dynamic between character (attitude, belief, behavior, etc.) and context (cultural practices, political climate, etc.). Students must reference at least 2 legitimate historical sources in their artists’ statement, discussing how the information they gathered in their research informed the creation of their script (including dialogue, scene descriptions, etc.)