"FOCUS"- Final Project

                                                                    

    

    "Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of the total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of the individual and the critical awareness of the ground rules of society. The amateur can afford to lose," (McLuhan, pg 92).

    I agree with this quote, being that I once considered myself an amateur and still sometimes do. Not everything I put out is perfect and there is always room for improvement. That said, I have gained so much knowledge about the multiple mediums I have used in this class. I no longer think of myself as an amateur but as someone willing to learn more. I can afford to lose it because I have the knowledge in my passion and now can use it in future crafts.

My final project is called "Focus". A tell on how I navigate my everyday world without social/ environmental awareness. My friends always say that I am always in my own world or that I constantly space out. It's hard for me to focus on my surroundings without being in my own head about things so I decided to add that into my project. It's about what I find to be beautiful while battling my everyday lifestyle which can be hard sometimes. It's shorter than what I could've made it but I captured the key points.

 Here is my project, I hope you enjoy it!

https://youtu.be/Dm7VtdLJoL8

Reflection- New Media and Art

 

                                                       

                                                               Overall Reflection

   " It is perhaps not generally realized that a refrigerator can be a revolutionary symbol — to people who have no refrigerators. A motor car owned by a worker in one country can be a symbol of revolt to a people deprived of even the necessities of life... [Hollywood] helped to build up the sense of deprivation of man's birthright," (McLuhan, pg 131).

    This quote made me realize how much of a blessing it is to work with different mediums of art, let alone go to college. We may see a refrigerator as a regular necessity while someone else may see it as a huge gift to have. We take a lot of things for granted including looking at art at face value. The quote basically states how much Hollywood has showcased what bright ideas and ideologies a person may bring into the limelight.

Inkjet Printing-

Inkjet printing was overall a fun process to do. The challenge that I had was the image and canvas sizing in Photoshop. The inches kept changing and the images ended up super small or were zoomed in. It was also hard to fix the brightness and contrast as well.

Blurb Book-

The book was really fun! My book was based on good memories that I've had and beautiful images that I've taken. I loved making the front and the back cover because it reminded me of my college class and the way I put the images together.

Show in the Gallary-

The gallery was an informative experience to put together. I didn't realize how much work it was to put an exhibit together never the less how to progress it. We had to do measurements of the walls for our photos to be put up as well as think of where we would like to put them (black or white wall).

In conclusion, I've had a great time in this class and learned so much from many different mediums!

Final Count Down- New Media and Art

 

                                            

                                         Final Count Down- New Media and Art

“Critics of television have failed to realize that the motion pictures they are lionizing—

such as "The Knack," Hard Day's Night," What's New Pussycat?" would prove

unacceptable as mass audience films if the audience had not been preconditioned by

television commercials to abrupt zooms, elliptical editing, no storylines, flash cuts,”

(McLuhan, pg 128).

For my final project, I want to play with most of the mediums we have introduced in

this class. This quote stood out to me because motion pictures are what captivate an

audience. Everything in the media nowadays serves to make a point while trying to

gain the audience's attention. Rather through a spoken message or through images.

I would like to do the same with my pieces of work while also creating them with

purpose.

Editing is my biggest challenge when it comes to creating and I would like to learn

more about it with this project. I want all of my shots to embrace time and space. 

Enjoy,

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFyuiK45nQ/-JnjYLywsLoVofITbTaIAQ/edit?ui=eyJHIjp7fX0

Soundscape Media

                                                        

                                                                

                                                        Soundscape Media

"What can't be coded can be decoded if an ear aye seize what no eye ere grieved for," (McLuhan, pg 120).

    This quote stood out to me because of the ideology of ears being a useful tool that people don't often take into consideration. I learned in my Intro to Film class how important sound can be within cinematography to carry emotions and intellect. 

    My goal for my project was to play with effects with sound to push a certain narrative. I used my fan and played with the three settings for a build-up effect. I also added other special effects like me speaking into the mic as well as me walking around a room. I also added some room noises so it could sound like it was happening while I was talking about my dream.

 One thing that I like to do is record myself talking about a crazy dream that I might have had and that I can still remember. I would often go back and listen to them to see if they meant anything to my current life. I added my first dream recording as a voiceover in my soundscape project and played with some special effects.

                                                            I hope you all enjoy it!

                                                                       SoundCloud 

https://soundcloud.com/dejah-phillips-653405142/soundscape-new-media-1?si=bfaec0d1c1f64f20bf046a7f41678d57&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Something is Happening: Photos Online

 

            

                                            Something is Happening: Photo Online

^Bjorklunden

https://www.flickr.com/photos/199297883@N04

Reflection: 

“The environment as a processor of information is propaganda. Propaganda ends where dialogue begins. You must talk to the media, not the programmer,” (pg 76, McLuhan).

I resonate with this quote because instead of asking what a certain art form is about, see instead how it may make you feel and think. Art speaks to people in many ways, not just the artist(s). All of the pictures I’ve taken, have a mini-story or represent a good time in my life. I love to cherish moments and this allowed me to save those memories and to also share them with others. Also with the pictures as a visual memory, people may also feel the same way I felt while taking the photo. The viewer may also feel like they were having a good time and may see my excitement while I’ve taken the photo. I like to think that every artist has a purpose so, when picking up a camera there has to be something that they want to showcase to the viewers or even to themselves.

    

    

Look and Listen (1 minute Video)

 

“We have now become aware of the possibility of arranging the entire human environment as a work of art, as a teaching machine designed to maximize perception and to make every day learning a process of discovery,” (pg 68, MuLunan). 

I love this quote, as it embodies why I chose my major and the way I look at the world as an art form. I find many things that people may seem strange, simply amazing. For example, performance art. People express their interest in many ways, but that doesn’t make what they are doing not art. As in my video, fashion is just another form of art for me. Instead of using what is typically a sound or song that is playing over a video (as you would see on social media platforms), I use my voice as a melody. 

I believe that using speech could push art to so many levels. Not only do we hear it in music, but in the beautiful slang of language. Listening to our voices, you clarify who they are, where they are from, and the meaning behind their tone.

“ At the high speeds of electric communication, purely visual means of apprehending the world are no longer possible; they are just too slow to be relevant or effective,” (pg 63, McLuhan).

What's Up With Dejah?

 

                                                Who Is She?

Atlanta, GA

Majoring in Anthropology and Film

Minoring in Studio Art

Jobs

-PA for
Summer Institute

- Orientation Leader

- Secretary at BSU

- Center Coordinator in DNIC

- Beta Psi Nu Stroll Master

Hobbies/ Interest

Lacrosse

I have played lacrosse since my sophomore year of High School. My team was terrible but, we still had tons of fun! My team was a lot better when I was Junior Varsity but my skills improved on Varsity.

My High school's previous name was Henry W. Grady but was recently changed (2020-2021), to Midtown High School. The new name is inspired by the Spiderman Homecoming series which was filmed at my high school!

I played as a defender throughout my time period playing lacrosse. I had lots of fun in that position especially when I noticed I didn't have to run as much.

Art

I always loved arts and crafts as a kid. I was one of those kids who would make friendship bracelets out of looms or string, tie-dye everything, and watch the DIY people on YouTube.

Traveling

I traveled to a lot of places and I plan on traveling abroad during Winter and Spring Terms! I can't even list all the places I've been to. Mostly because I've been traveling since I was born (literally).

Above is a picture of when I traveled to South Africa through a program called Global Service under the YMCA. We had an amazing opportunity to volunteer at the Cape Town YMCA and get to know locals as they shared their experiences living there.

Family

I have a twin brother and two older brothers! My family is huge and is from many places. My mom is from Inglewood, California and my dad is from Atlanta, GA.

My twin brother is in Florida studying at Valdosta University and working at Disney World. He is planning on transferring to UCF. My oldest brother is a father of two now and my older brother is hard at work as well! 

This picture was the last time I got to see my family before going back to college. Above are my cute little baby nieces. Right before our last family get together my brother's wife gave birth to my niece on the right! 

In my work, I want to include all of my interests, family, and traveling into my art pieces. It should be true to who and what I am and also who I stand for as a person. I want to create things that I can relate to while also possibly speaking to others. I also make sure I am connecting to my roots while also seeing how that piece makes me feel.

"The world pool of information fathered by electric media— movies, Telstar, flight surpasses any possible influence mom and dad can now bring to bear. Character no longer is shaped by only two earnest, fumbling experts. Now all the world's a sage,"(McLuhan, pg 14).

Below are videos from my trip to South Africa

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IMG_3310.mov

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Thank you for viewing!