This entry is compromised due to unknown WordPress bug. Please refer to this Google Doc for the completed version.
[1st draft on 15/10/21]
Following the action plan laid out after the tutorial I quickly got to making. In order dial That Girl (or Wellness Influencer) dashboard to 12, I have to ingest great amount of such contents, most of which are hosted on Tiktok. There are a few fundamental grammatic rules of this visual language:
- brief (no more than 15 seconds)
- layered collage of footages, images, filters and texts
- audio clips rhythmic, upbeat but lukewarm in quality
- editing consists of fast montage in order to fit narrative covering longer time, of greater volume
I made my rules by flipping these principles when I make my own contents:
- long (all contents longer than 5 minutes)
- all set in extremely slow motion
- dubbed with loseless, esoteric chant music
- focuses on specific moments
After some set-up, dresscode decisions and generous help from classmates I managed to get the first group of footages. We incorporate the following:
- brewing exotic sencha tea in a tidy kitchen
- reading monograph on Vincent van Gogh
- putting on an engagement ring
- tending to an indoor plant
When inspecting the footages I noticed that they brought out all the corporeal details of these activities, somehow undoing the commodification they have been heavily subjected to, exhuming some sense of truth (as of the contrary to false). When editing I also noticed the footages invite staring. The slow motion has an inherited sense of candour – all those inconcealable details convey an earnestness and sincerity.
I am aiming to make more of them, as well as exploring the environment to situate them in – to amplify all these qualities I discovered.