March 15 Process Notes

1. compiling film forms

2. Transmedia reading

I have continued to actively compile "film forms". These are essentially little written visual elements/bits that can be added to a project. I have been compiling these for at least the last few years, although in the last several months I have been compiling some specifically for this project. The musical corollary would be a musician collecting little musical bits and melodies for later use. I recall that Woody Allen --in recent documentary about him, kept a drawer of bits and would review (during the slated portion of the season for project choosing?) each year.

My film forms are not dialogue bits or necessarily specific narrative elements or story ideas. They are more generally formal approaches to experimenting with form, at times including certain technical details sketched out.

I am contemplating trying to set up some simple program that will allow me to draw upon these randomly. I do have the vast majority of them in a database that I have compiled. A small amount are in recent journals that I have yet to transcribe. The simplest way to do that would be just to print them up from my existing planning database – – Omnifocus Tasks – and cut out once random. But it would be nice if I had a program that would facilitate that for me.

Since my discussion with Carolyn my advisor for research, I have been deep in my readings of the Dena dissertation.

It has given me lots of ideas for additional film forms particularly ones that invite us to be a bit meta-cognitive about digital viewing forms.

I feel quite fortunate to be in this program right now and to be bringing greater focus to issues of Transmedia – – it feels that it helps me articulate what I've been grasping at for quite some time.

In general it's helping me articulate a basic methodology thats focused on a very conscious move through different forms, all tightly united by narrative structure.

I hope to have my next entries be accompanied by regular productions of these film forms as I establish my regular studio production schedule.