11th - 17 th March 2012 - Locative Media :A1

Over the last week I have spent many hours contemplating and working on my approach to both the 'Story Walking' exercise and my 'Locative Media' assignment.  I have been on a few walks and implemented different approaches  to generate ideas and have come up with a few options, a couple of them I have discussed with CJ and of which he was happy for me to proceed. One particular idea was exploring the premise of what goes on 'Behind Closed Doors'.

I began to explore this premise during 'Specialisation B' in SP5 2011 and do not feel as though I have finished outworking or exploring ideas for my work in this area. Thus, I have continued to seek out various approaches, such as including the haunting faces of women who have been affected by DV in the current video creations. It is my intention to continue to explore how I can raise the topic in different ways.

The initial video I created included the faces of victims combined with text that reports the tragic statistics of DV and very real personal stories into the appropriate places within the footage. During the process I was inspired to try another approach that has been perculating for a while. I have spent quite a few hours splicing together various photographs of the women of DV and photographs of the flowers that are often given after abuse has taken place. Different angle but very touching.

I have reworked the premise a few times, each time taking a different approach to the same subject matter to assess which will have the most impact. If time permits, I have couple more idea with how to vary further. Additionally I have been trying to find the right music that will not only complement the videos but give maximum impact. Although trying to find music at an affordable price or that is royalty free, but at no charge has been a frustrating exercise. Additionally I have spoken to Beck Graeber who attempted uploading her completed video to Youtube and came across a concerning message which clearly stated that you cannot upload anything that you do not have the rights to use. Apparently she had attempted to share the video with herself on facebook, but after  waiting all night to receive a response back from the administrators, she was told that her upload had been declined due to the music she had inserted into the video.

This whole process is very new to me as I have not worked with video or Youtube before and am not familiar with all of the legislation issues. Some people say that anything you can find on the internet or that is in the public arena  is for public usek but to be honest I am not sure to what extent this is so and where to look for this to be clarified. Anyway as far as the music goes I will need to keep looking, as I dont want any problems with coyright issues.

I was also very impressed by the Rider Spoke video that we viewed in class and have wondered how I might use this type of approach for my project. Hmmmm.....we will see.