As soon as I get to a point where I feel comfortable, I will be posting a literature review for your viewing pleasure. Please bear with me.
I do have updated ideas for the proposed video. It should allow me to at least complete a portion of the video prior to heading to Uganda. I have been afraid of completing part of the video prior to visiting Uganda...and then scrapping the entire project at the last minute due to new "insight." While this may certainly still happen, I think the idea of excluding language (maybe with the exception of one very powerful quote) and focusing on the "mundane" may work well.
In some form or fashion, I would like to include old footage...progressing historically through the rise of "technology." Things like old audio recordings, black and white television footage, footage of the creation of PONG, and working through to very modern technology would be included. The trick is tying this footage in with mundane, everyday activities. Brushing teeth, waking up, tying shoes, washing dishes, etc. The idea is to show what a "day in the life" of an American is...and contrast it with the "day in the life" of a rural Ugandan. It is in this way that language can largely be avoided...and a very powerful message about the global digital divide can be delivered. All of the "criteria" of a great video will come into play. Timing and the use of music will be absolutely crucial. I make no qualms about the difficulty of this project. What I am envisioning is far beyond the average Youtube creation. I envision something that doesn't "tell" the viewer what to think. Instead, I want to leave the viewer a bit stunned...and questioning. I want this to be the best piece of work I have ever done...and something that will live on long after I am gone. Is this pretentious of me? Maybe. But, life is too short to aim low. I can live with aiming too high and not achieving a goal. I can't live with setting the bar at a level that I know I will be able to achieve.
I do have issues...and am open to all opinions. The biggest issue is...I need a thread to carry through the entire piece. How do I really tie everything together for the viewer without words? When I progress from historical footage to saying goodbye in Uganda...how do I tie it together? My current thoughts center around an object (maybe a shoe?). Maybe I could use an iPod? Show the historical progress...up to an iPod...then follow the iPod through an average day in Manhattan, Ks...then the trip...then the average day in Uganda...then back?
Any suggestions?
D
You're still trying to show that there is a digital divide, right?
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could provide a video timeline of the U.S. technological advances versus the advances occurring in Uganda at the same time in order to contrast the difference between the two locations. This would then lead into where we are today and you could use the footage you get from Uganda and still incorporate the 'a day in the life' approach. That way, we know where Uganda is technologically and *how* (and why) they live their life (different from the U.S.) would be better understood, so you could progress without words because it would speak for itself. Does that make sense? (I just realized that it was really hard to try to express what is in my head in an articulate way)
I really like the idea of juxtaposing the different "day in the life" experiences. As mentioned, I think focusing on the objects of the mundane - from toothbrush to iPod to Nikes or anything else - will be very striking.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a cohesive bind goes, what about showcasing the camera you'll be using? It will be the main correlation in your personal experience of documentation, and it is the object that has the most power in portraying (yours and others') experiences. You could video the camera in your hand on the plane, video the camera in a Uganda citizen's hand, etc. Though you'll need two cameras to do this, right? :)
I'm not sure how solid that idea is, or if it would give the message you're looking to send, but I thought I'd offer.