As for my uncanny project I am going to set the scene based from my sister's room. It is a long story but I allow me to shorten the story and the reasons of choosing my sister's room.
The reason for the chosen uncanny image
Writing from experience:
The camera angle that I have chosen is from my sister's perspective view.
At the age of 12 or 13 I had the intention to commit suicide after school and left a note in my sister's room on her table and went to my lessons. During lesson time, my sister came to my class, crying her heart out and slapped me across my face and telling me how stupid I was to even think of such thing. At the time, my decision came to conclusion because all the bullying I received at school and also some little disagreement between me and my family.
At the time I thought everybody hated me and and that I was useless and nobody wanted to be my friends or even get to know me. I lived 4 years in Czech and then I came to England.
I always thought about how my sister reacted at the fact when she saw my note on her table. I could never tell but I am going to use this Unit to try and express that uncanny feeling that my sister must have felt. I am sorry.
If my sister had ignored that note, I would have been long gone.
I am sorry if it is too personal but I would try to keep it to minimum level. Am not sure whether if any of you guys went through the same thing. I hope not.
The Uncanny Project
Posted by Baja
in Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Online Interim Review 16/12/09
Morning Baja - and apologies for the delay.
Wow. That's pretty personal stuff you've expressed, Baja. I hope you're in a very different place now. You're essentially talking about creating a scene that vibrates with childhood trauma - innocence lost - all of which can make for a a rich supply of 'unhomely' moments. I see that you're already considering the 'character' of the camera - i.e. that the scene is witnessed from the point of view of a child. It's hard for me to feedback very constructively in visual terms as your drawings are at their earliest stage. My advice would be 'less is more' - also, I wonder if you need the letter at all - what you're out to communicate is the moment when familiar surroundings are suddenly jolted into something alien and upsetting; I think you can accomplish this without the specifics of your particular story - use your experience, yes, but don't reconstruct it exactly; remember one of the key challenges is to create ambiguity, so don't 'solve' the riddle of your scene...
More generally, your online general needs to pick up the pace and be a much more visual, dynamic and productive space; be sure to look again at the brief and ensure you're including everything asked of you.
Please see following posts for general advice re. the written assignment for Unit 3
Written assignment Unit 3 Part 1
Consider carefully the following learning outcomes for your essay and structure your assignment accordingly. You must demonstrate:
1) Knowledge and understanding of ‘the Uncanny’.
You should begin your essay by defining ‘the uncanny’ in theoretical terms (i.e. according to Sigmund Freud, Jentsch, and anyone else with a helpful or clear definition). You will be expected to include a quoted source by which to demonstrate your understanding; the essay, ‘The Uncanny’ by Freud is rich in useful observations – so use it; you’ll want to consider the concept of the ‘unheimlich’ and the sorts of motifs/artefacts that create the uncanny experience.
2) A developed ability to engage in research.
At this stage of your course, you are expected to research your subject area in order to enrich your discussion and corroborate your analysis. No essay at this stage should be written ‘off the top of your head’ or without a clear research agenda. Research might include a variety of film reviews, artist statements, images, books, critiques and articles. Research requires that you READ and take notes! For instance, if you are looking at Invasion of the Body-Snatchers in relation to the uncanny, first cross-reference lots of reviews/articles about the film. Make a note of any recurrent terms or ideas and when you come across a term you don’t understand or are unfamiliar with – investigate it! Try google searching associated terms together– for instance ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers & uncanny’ – as you may find research material that relates very specifically to your discussion.
There are no short-cuts to an intelligently written assignment – focused research = successful essays; without research and a body of evidence, your essay is simply ‘chat’ and of no academic significance. Be significant!
3) The ability to synthesise a range of research applied to arguments.
Put more simply, this means that once you’ve completed your research and gathered together your key ideas, you are then able to use them to ‘unpack’ your chosen subject; think of your research as a precision tool-kit especially selected by you to ‘dismantle’ your case-study or studies (i.e. the film, image, programme, artwork you’ve chosen to discuss)
4) The ability to clearly and academically communicate ideas.
This is all about your writing style and your ‘voice’ – too many of you are writing as if you’re talking, and it’s a habit you need to lose asap in this context. So you must avoid slang and clichés; you’re not on the street or down the pub, you’re in a formal space with formal conventions.
Avoid the first person; instead of writing ‘I think that Invasion Of The Body-Snatchers is about the fear of conformity’, consider instead ‘It is arguable that Invasion of the Body-Snatchers is about the fear of conformity’.
Hi Phil...thank you for the suggestions and I will definitely look into the project in different way.
I just got home from work, did overtime at a different location.
I will work on the project when I wake up later in the afternoon.
Thanks for all the supportive notes regarding on how to write essay proper way.