Textual Poaching

Artist's Statement: 

I was born in Fargo, North Dakota. When I found out about this assignment, I immediately wanted to explore the Cohen Brothers film, Fargo. Besides being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this is the aspect about myself that I find the most unique. Often when people first meet me, they tell me that they’ve never met anybody from North Dakota. This makes sense, considering that there are fewer than 700,000 of us.

The problem with this is that because people do not know anybody from North Dakota, they turn to the only media which has exposed them to this great state. Most often it is the infamous film from 1996. However, Fargo makes people think that everybody talks in a ridiculous accent, which is only partly true. In my project, I wanted to show that having been born and raised in North Dakota, I do not speak in the dialect influenced by the Scandinavian forefathers of the Northern Plains. I used the kidnapping from Fargo to create a new scenario where I corrected the ridiculous accents of the kidnappers. However ridiculous the accents are, however, there is an element of truth. Most of the dialogue in this video is word-for-word the exact conversation I have had with my friends back in Bismarck.

The creators of Fargo have said that the accent was a character in and of itself in their film. This certainly has been true of the accents role in my life. It truly has become its own entity, a friend with which I have a love/hate relationship. In this way, I can totally relate to the story of the Velveteen Rabbit, which was discussed in our reading for this week. It has taken on its own significance throughout my life, and I'm not sure if home would be home without that silly way that the natives talk.  

I remember growing up and trying to emulate the accent as a small child, because I thought that was the proper way to speak. However, I grew up and observed the language of movies and TV. I listened to the inflection of my parents, who are non-native North Dakotans. I realized that people had their own dialogue and intonation which was unique to the location.

I began to loathe it and resist it, but after spending so much time away from home, the accent almost seems endearing. And I have to admit that on an extremely rare occasion, the accent slips back. I tried to show that in the very end of the video. In that closing scene, I also gratefully accept some kuchen, which is a popular German dessert, only found in North Dakota. As much as I don’t like to admit it sometimes, there is a part of the folksy North Dakotan culture that will always be a part of me. It is just one part of who I am, but I have finally learned to embrace and celebrate the fact that I come from the Peace Garden State. 

Webspinna Battle Artist's Statement

This Webspinna Battle was a really cool experiment and I am grateful for how well it all turned out. To be honest, I was very nervous about how the final product would look, but I’m so glad that it all turned out well. When we picked the theme “Heroes vs. Villains”, I knew that there could be several different directions we might take. I wanted to go with this theme because of my familiarity with the superhero genre, but I also wanted to branch out into other heroes and villains with whom we might be familiar. Keala had the really great idea of making the story a little more dark than we had originally conceived it to be. This included having the hero turn into a villain by the end of the battle. I was really surprised and grateful for how much depth this added.

I love to read comic books, particularly Marvel comics, and those certainly played a role in the clips that we chose. One particular story arc that I enjoy is the Civil War story arc, which also plays around with the idea that heroes can become villains by pitting the heroes against one another, particularly Iron Man and Captain America. When these two former teammates become foes and Captain America dies standing up for what he believes in, it makes Tony Stark appear to be a villain. Our battle had a similar structure. Things started off more funny and cartoony before transitioning into something much more dark and sinister. Even the sadistic Joker was defeated by something dark that came over the Black Widow.

As I read through the article by Lethem, I realized that this assignment was similar to our Round Robin assignment earlier this semester. He talked in the beginning about how the writer of Lolita took his story from another writer. Bob Dylan borrowed his themes heavily from others. We took something that already existed and used it as a springboard to make something new. However, in this case we were more aware of the art we were using for our purpose. It was really cool to see it become something new. I used some really obscure clips and it was fun to see them developed to create a character with new personality.

I also thought that it was really cool how the performance itself made the story unique. Because we had to struggle and improvise when something didn’t work exactly as we wanted it to, the story and characters changed into something that they wouldn’t have been otherwise.

Webspinna Battle

Medium Specificity

Artist's Statement: 

The medium that I chose for this project was YouTube. I chose it because it has been an important medium to me in my development as a storyteller, and I have been intrigued at how it has grown over the years. I was especially inspired by this week’s reading, which talked about the history and definition of comic books. I wanted to take a similar approach and explore the evolution of YouTube, and how trends affected my creative process. I briefly discuss my interpretation of internet culture.

I quickly realized that it was beyond the scope of this project to cover a comprehensive history of YouTube, and that’s why I chose to make the video more personal. However, I still learned a lot about modern media consumption and how our tastes have changed as social media has taken over our lives. As I recalled the videos that I used to watch, I realized that I was more loyal to certain creators on YouTube. Today I find that I’m more impatient and that my tastes are dictated by what everybody else is watching. To paraphrase scripture, I’m blown about by every wind of viral videos.

So much of the time we spend has been changed with the advent and popularization of YouTube. Even the comments section can take a life of its own. Just the other day I read an argument about how many days are in a weekend. This argument had over one hundred comments. Who would have thought just a few years ago that so many of us would spend so much time on something so trivial?

In my narration, I discussed some of the things that I love about YouTube, and some of the things that I don’t like as much. I found myself guilty of making videos just to get views instead of telling good stories and being true to myself. However, I also talked about how I love that anybody can use their imagination to make a unique and original short film that would otherwise be unavailable to the world. Both extremes can still be found on YouTube; we have but to search them out. Although it seems like the entertainment industry has completely taken over YouTube, there are still talented individuals posting original content. We just have to make an extra effort to seek it out.

As I created this video, I learned a lot about myself and how I create videos. I have decided to make a better effort in telling fun stories and sharing them with the world, without stressing about whether what I make is perfect.

Two Terrible and Offensive Titanic Animated Films

Film #1: "Titanic: The Legend Goes On" 

Featuring a Rapping Dog and Mexican Mice

Film #2: "Legend of the Titanic" 
In which nobody on the Titanic actually died. Actually, they were all saved by a giant octopus. And...more Mexican Mice? 

Historical Story

Artists' Statement: 

The years of Prohibition in the United States are a fascinating piece of history from which many writers, artists, and musicians have drawn from . Behind the scenes, speakeasies reigned supreme and organized crime blossomed. The scene is familiar, but we wanted to take a different angle and show what might have happened as those glory days came to an end.
Although our main characters aren’t exactly role models to BYU students striving to live the Honor Code, their struggles to adapt are relatable. Additionally, they are similar to the experiences told by Satrapi in The Veil. Just like Satrapi had to change her way of life to adhere to stricter guidelines, our characters found their lives changed by adjustments made to the laws of the land. When eluding the clutches of the 18th Amendment, they find themselves free to party as hard as they wish. Already breaking the law they disregard all restrictions. However, once the 21st Amendment is passed, they find the new additions to their crowd less than enthusiastic.
This is reflected in a modern example observed among non-LDS peers. It’s one thing to party with friends after high school graduation, but it’s a different feeling to legally sip a beer with your parents when you’re twenty-one years old. There’s something about the forbidden that encourages further reckless behavior and results in a very different mood.
Lacking personal knowledge of the twenties speakeasy underground, we turned to several outside influences to inform our portrayal of a saloon atmosphere. The Great Gatsby was a major source in understanding how gratuitous the partying may have been back in the day. In that film, modern music is used to compare our day with the twenties, which we might make the mistake of assuming could never be as sinful as our day.
Another source of influence was the self-titled album, Tumbledown House. This music has been described as “gritty saloon jazz” and “modern speakeasy music.” The first track is titled Midnight at the Openly Lewd and is simply a snippet of what a speakeasy might sound like in the throes of a party. Laughter, cash registers, and clattering is heard with a jazz piano playing over the din. It gives the feel of heavy smoke and questionable behavior. Fraught with gambling, murder, prostitution, and booze their songs describe the life of unrepentant sinners. Heavily coloring our depiction of a speakeasy party, this also informed our creation of Dixie’s character. The decision to make her unrepentant and confident in her life choices came from various ideas and characters portrayed in the songs “Brothers McGhee” and “Jug O’Rossi.” Besides these three tracks, the entirety of the album speaks to a romanticized version of what sort of characters you would find in this situation. This fit our script well as we wanted to romanticize the prohibition parties to reflect how they were viewed by those who had to adjust their lifestyle after the ban on alcohol was repealed.
Other characters helped represent reactions to the new laws. The gangsters Rudy and Vincent represent how the bootleggers themselves may have reacted to the loss of business. Helen provides a contrast to the mischievous and spirited saloon characters, serving to ‘rain on their parade’. The Mistress, although commanding, is quieter than the other characters in order to be a surrogate for the audience and observe the action. While these characters all possessed attributes that informed the theme, it was their interaction that presented the contrast between an underworld upset and a stiff class mixing with a new, unsavory crowd.