The article characterizes crucifixion as, "...mechanization, manipulation, distortion--even sacrifice."
As sports stars and celebrities, and even the 'common person' are subject to all of these things with the use of picture and video, the use of the word crucifixion fits very well into the image we see of the basketball star.
When we see the image of the victorious basketball player turned evil vicious screamer, there is a lack of surprise or discomfort because our society is so numb to the manipulation of film for entertainment. That basketball player is subject to crucifixion by being on film.
It has a certain familiarity because of our obsession with digital media. From reality television to scripted drama, from snapshot to posed photo, no source of visual media is true to the real person/subject it depicts. Even social networking sites, like facebook, do not portray its users as they really are. One can easily pass judgments based on a persons pictures, videos, and bio. And that person may intentionally or mistakenly portray themselves in that way.
Looping and erasure are therefore compelling to the viewer because we can see evidence of the power of editing. We as viewers are aware of what that shot looked like originally based on the imagery of NBA games forced into our memory. So we watch, and see, how intensely different looks based on editing. It really makes us reflect on the power media editing has on our perception of everything.
The use of looping and erasure makes Pfeiffer’s “Fragments of a Crucifixion” compelling because he uses repetition to make a “presumably victorious” yell of Larry Johnson sound like a scream of terror and rage. This shows how we can manipulate sounds to sound like something completely different than their intention or origin. This piece uses mechanization, manipulation, distortion and sacrifice to change the original audio. The article states that Pfeiffer had another piece across the room called “The Pure Products Go Crazy” which depicts Tom Cruise like Risky Business. By having both of the pieces in the same room, Pfeiffer has set up a face-off between cultural stereotypes: Johnson as potent “other” and Cruise as passive “product.” I think that this is an interesting way to portray an idea because repeating the action over and over again can not only make it sound different but it can also make the listener think something completely different.
The use of looping and erasure in "Fragments of a Crucifixion" contribute in isolating the aspects of the cultural spectable chosen, to essential symbols, or representations. Paul Pfeiffer breaks down the contextual centers and complexities that surround the sports arena watching the game and the score, or even the escapism with which the crowd is participating in by coming to the see the Knicks. Instead, what he refabricates (thus, the looping) is a shocking and abject expression coming from Johnson's guts. It is terror, it is rage and aggression, it is beastly articulation in response to the machines which bind him within these split seconds.
We, as viewers respond to this isolation of figure and erasure as a disruption and statement on the spectacle, and respond to the looping as a means to study at length the variations which exist within the limiting of moment.
As a viewer, I found the use of looping and erasure compelling in Pfeiffer's "Fragments of a Crucifixion". I found the short footage compelling because as I watched the video over a long period of time, I found my mind slowly tuning out until I was numb. The repetitious element was "deep inside you". My eyes were compelled to watch the clip over and over again even though my brain was numb and out of my control. The transfixion is the result of my eyes breaking down the video into it's simplest elements. One subject, one emotion, one moment of time and one subject. Simplifying the elements of the videos made it easier for my eyes and brain to adjust. The movements in the video seem mechanical when watched repeatedly. Same as our eyes following the video back and forth. The mechanical element just seem meditative after awhile. I was so compelled to watch the video because I was trying to put myself in the subject's position and imagine myself with his emotion. I think that the emotion is a big part of the video because it's one of the simplest elements when broken down. The looping and erasure are from the power of editing. Looping and erasure are two simple editing techniques but when put together, very effective.
The article characterizes crucifixion as, "...mechanization, manipulation, distortion--even sacrifice."
ReplyDeleteAs sports stars and celebrities, and even the 'common person' are subject to all of these things with the use of picture and video, the use of the word crucifixion fits very well into the image we see of the basketball star.
When we see the image of the victorious basketball player turned evil vicious screamer, there is a lack of surprise or discomfort because our society is so numb to the manipulation of film for entertainment. That basketball player is subject to crucifixion by being on film.
It has a certain familiarity because of our obsession with digital media. From reality television to scripted drama, from snapshot to posed photo, no source of visual media is true to the real person/subject it depicts. Even social networking sites, like facebook, do not portray its users as they really are. One can easily pass judgments based on a persons pictures, videos, and bio. And that person may intentionally or mistakenly portray themselves in that way.
Looping and erasure are therefore compelling to the viewer because we can see evidence of the power of editing. We as viewers are aware of what that shot looked like originally based on the imagery of NBA games forced into our memory. So we watch, and see, how intensely different looks based on editing. It really makes us reflect on the power media editing has on our perception of everything.
The use of looping and erasure makes Pfeiffer’s “Fragments of a Crucifixion” compelling because he uses repetition to make a “presumably victorious” yell of Larry Johnson sound like a scream of terror and rage. This shows how we can manipulate sounds to sound like something completely different than their intention or origin. This piece uses mechanization, manipulation, distortion and sacrifice to change the original audio. The article states that Pfeiffer had another piece across the room called “The Pure Products Go Crazy” which depicts Tom Cruise like Risky Business. By having both of the pieces in the same room, Pfeiffer has set up a face-off between cultural stereotypes: Johnson as potent “other” and Cruise as passive “product.”
ReplyDeleteI think that this is an interesting way to portray an idea because repeating the action over and over again can not only make it sound different but it can also make the listener think something completely different.
The use of looping and erasure in "Fragments of a Crucifixion" contribute in isolating the aspects of the cultural spectable chosen, to essential symbols, or representations. Paul Pfeiffer breaks down the contextual centers and complexities that surround the sports arena watching the game and the score, or even the escapism with which the crowd is participating in by coming to the see the Knicks. Instead, what he refabricates (thus, the looping) is a shocking and abject expression coming from Johnson's guts. It is terror, it is rage and aggression, it is beastly articulation in response to the machines which bind him within these split seconds.
ReplyDeleteWe, as viewers respond to this isolation of figure and erasure as a disruption and statement on the spectacle, and respond to the looping as a means to study at length the variations which exist within the limiting of moment.
As a viewer, I found the use of looping and erasure compelling in Pfeiffer's "Fragments of a Crucifixion". I found the short footage compelling because as I watched the video over a long period of time, I found my mind slowly tuning out until I was numb. The repetitious element was "deep inside you". My eyes were compelled to watch the clip over and over again even though my brain was numb and out of my control. The transfixion is the result of my eyes breaking down the video into it's simplest elements. One subject, one emotion, one moment of time and one subject. Simplifying the elements of the videos made it easier for my eyes and brain to adjust. The movements in the video seem mechanical when watched repeatedly. Same as our eyes following the video back and forth. The mechanical element just seem meditative after awhile.
ReplyDeleteI was so compelled to watch the video because I was trying to put myself in the subject's position and imagine myself with his emotion. I think that the emotion is a big part of the video because it's one of the simplest elements when broken down. The looping and erasure are from the power of editing. Looping and erasure are two simple editing techniques but when put together, very effective.