Projects 'n Such

Video Art shorts

ITP Video Art Class Blog - Blog page for Video Art class, with posted comments and readings analysis, along with uploaded videos and links.



Drift from James McMahon on Vimeo.

Final project for Video Art class, ITP, NYU. Story chronicles a man's inability to form a lasting relationship with a woman as a result of increasing mental instability, represented as 3 anthropomorphic levels of psyche occurring simultaneously (primal rage, debilitating fear/depression, and the balance in-between). His mental reality at this point is more real to him than his actual reality, hence the visual differences between screens. Multiple screens indicate physical barrier that only the man, and those whom he trusts enough to guide, can freely cross. Essentially, things go fine for the man and his prospective love until his mental and emotional problems set in, forcing him to distance himself from her and thus drive her off, leaving him alone. Finaly he meets a woman willing to wait for him as he comes back to reality, and as a result trusts her enough to show her his world, which she cannot accept and ultimately runs away from, leaving the man to venture further into his own degenerating mindset.




Start from James McMahon on Vimeo.

Video Art documentary assignment (autobiography, in this case) for Video Art class at ITP, NYU. Music is "Green Hill Zone" theme from Sonic the Hedgehog, as arranged and performed on piano by Gori Fater (YouTube).




The Snowman, Revisited from James McMahon on Vimeo.

Video for poetry assignments in Video Art and 2x2 classes at ITP, NYU. Inspiration for story and poem from Raymond Briggs' "The Snowman" animated short. Music is "An Unwelcome Friend," by Philip Glass, from The Hours soundtrack.




Morning from James McMahon on Vimeo.

Video for Video Art class, ITP, NYU. 3 different layers of the same action, getting out of bed, played at three different speeds with a transparency fixed so all three could be seen simultaneously, existing in the same moment. Quick speed denotes my hurried mindset to get out of bed and start the day while taking every precaution not to be late and be as efficent as possible. Normal speed represents the balance between a quick, hurried lifestyle and one that allows time for contemplation, but without missing deadlines and appointments and keeping myself somewhat grounded in reality. The length of time I enjoy my morning view is often indicative of that relationship, and is therefore a good litmus test to find such a balance.




Elemental Video Magery from James McMahon on Vimeo.

Assigned to create video in Video Art class examining an elemental part of video as a visual and showcase medium. I chose to focus on the effects of multiple iSights, which is what I've used to film many of my video shorts. ITP, NYU. Music is tail-end of "Never Drown," by Days of the New.




Videoillustrate from James McMahon on Vimeo.

Video/illustration for Video Art class. Tasked to make video expressing ourselves with whatever second artistic medium we chose. ITP, NYU. Music is "Pallars Anders Visa" by In Flames.

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2x2 Class shorts

2x2 basically refers to the idea of a video being played on a small screen, roughly 2 inches by 2 minutes long. The class examines the effects that size and technical restraints on how a video can be viewed over the internet can subtly alter and require a new way of thinking about conceptual development for that medium.

Synaptic Combat

Piece for 2x2 class, ITP, NYU, using first frame as last frame, with something happening in-between to make last different from first. Photos from Magnum Photo Archive.



WaterAid Spot

Short promotional spot for WaterAid. I chose a child-like aesthetic, though the piece is a very rough concept draft. 2x2 class, ITP, NYU.



The Quickness

Editing experiment at my parent's house in Ohio, consisting of the first six forms of Tae Kwon Do, as demonstrated by myself, a green belt student wearing the wrong clothes on a hot day. Presented as "Free Swim" assignment, for week 5 in 2x2 class, ITP, NYU.



The Snowman, Revisited

A mock blend of fantasy, illustration, and narrated poetry by myself. Idea concerned little boy in Briggs' story, and hypothetical results of Snowman visiting him while he's in grad school. Developed at ITP, NYU, for 2x2 and Video Art classes. Inspired by Raymond Briggs' "The Snowman;" one of my all-time animated favorites. Music is "An Unwelcome Friend," by Philip Glass, from The Hours soundtrack.



View from a Stretcher

Biography of fictional/real character using Magnum Photo Archive for 2x2 class, ITP, NYU, Fall '07. Piece uses camera lens as first-person view of dying woman in "life-flashing-before-eyes" montage, which also serves as biography/history of her character in series of images. Photos used with permission from Magnum Photo Archive. Music is "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," by Smashing Pumpkins.



Start

Video Art documentary/2x2 open-choice ("free swim"), ITP, NYU, Fall '07. Music is from Sonic the Hedgehog (Green Hill Zone), as arranged and performed on piano from Gori Fater (YouTube).

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Here's the "sketch of an emotion" assignment I did. My emotion was Envy.

ENVY SKETCH - click here

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Animated/Video Shorts

This area is a short space dedicated to presenting the work I've done in Methods of Motion class as well as related work and classes.

All projects were authored and completed by myself, with contributing assistance and advice from Marianne Petite, Terry Eiler, and students in both NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program and Ohio University's School of Visual Communication.



Love Story from James McMahon on Vimeo.

Final animation project for Methods of Motion class at ITP, NYU. Based off a TCOM technical writing treatment for a MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) television spot I created at Ohio University. "Onion-skinning" technique used to achieve shaky-lines effect. Built using Flash Professional CS2. Music is "Without a Name" by Killswitch Engage.




To Frag from James McMahon on Vimeo.

Originally an assignment experimenting with layout design in Sequential Storytelling and Digital Comics class at ITP, NYU. I was curious about exploring the vague line between comics and animation. Story is my philosophical take on first-person shooter online games and communities. Music is "Burned With Desire" by Armin van Buuren. Created with AfterEffects CS3.




The Fall of Jim McStickman from James McMahon on Vimeo.

This is my second assignment for Methods of Motion class at ITP, NYU. Stop-motion animation, using a swinging camera mount, a physical set, characters, and iStopMotion on connected laptop computer. Story is that of a rising claymation performer's downfall as a result of a secret DVD released to certain members of the public, showing uncensored, deleted footage of his frustrations and tortuous treatment toward his interns. I'm not too good at clay sculpture, so this also functions as an outlet for venting claymation frustrations. And no, I'm not sure who released the DVD. Let's say, the previously-fired set props intern. Music is "For Your Own Benefit" composed by Philip Glass, off The Hours soundtrack. Created with iStopMotion, play-doh, wire, and a bunch of strips of paper.




The Watch from James McMahon on Vimeo.

This was one of the first assignments for the Methods of Motion class at ITP, NYU. Explored how to tell a story through a sequence of photographs. I wanted to experiment with representing size and scale in a small space. In this case, I attempted an epic story about a watchman's journey to his route, and his eventual demise (featuring random objects in my bedroom as the principal characters). Music is the tail-end of "Everything" by Watashi Wa. Assembled in iMovie.

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