Eli Slack Project 2: Tape Mapping

Concept:

I have always been a fan of Lost, that TV show from the early aughts, and my favorite character is Charlie Pace. Charlie as a character has many struggles, including addiction. His development away from those challenges is represented narratively as a moth, and I was excited once I saw one of the taped up options was that exact insect. I wanted to attempt to capture his character arch, his moments of struggle, and his relationship with Claire Littleton, who helps inspire him to become a better person throughout the duration of the show. 

Technique:

Within the technical sphere, I wanted to have the more heartfelt moments between Charlie and Claire be silhouetted in the shape of the moth, to show a sort of balance and contrast as they mirror one another on either side of the moth's body, each character occupying a wing, until the last clip where they lean in and kiss, therefore encroaching on the other person's growth for the first time, showing that they are capable of stability if they chose to trust one another. 

This was better in concept than in execution, as my skills with MadMapper still have a long way to go. I overcomplicated things and ended up making the project much more challenging than it needed to be, which could honestly be my middle name at this point. This piece may not be as technically impressive as others, but it is a very substantial step forward in my eyes. I also taught myself Premiere for this piece, so as a traditional painter I am slowly getting more comfortable in the technological realm.

Interpretation:

I'm not personally satisfied with this piece, but I understand that there is always a learning curve and that once I feel familiar enough with the software that I will be capable of some very cool things should I chose to pursue this discipline further. However, I also know that it might take a few more projects before I would consider myself confidently fluent. I can read manuals and watch tutorials all day, but getting hands on experience and feeling comfortable asking questions is irreplicable. At the end of the day, we are here to learn, and I definitely learned a lot in the process of making this work.