As I stated in my very first post on this blog, my Honours project Recollect was a proof of concept into the possibilities of using remix, and my contention was that the remix process is a useful improvisational creative methodology for the digital media practitioner. Why is this the case?
I found that using remix created all the parameters for the project. For example, some way had to be found to glue an amount of unused illustrative material together in a cohesive fashion. Remix for me enabled this. Genres were determined by assembling and grouping the material by theme. The illustrative bent determined situating the work inside a motion graphic approach. The short duration nature of motion design suggested working without overt narrative, and emphasising style instead. It became important to use all the unused material and seek creative solutions to make sure every piece found a home somewhere. The continued success of this practice meant reaching back even further into the past to repurpose an old unused motif which eventually helped segue between scenes.
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Motif. © Copyright Zak Waipara
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But these unused pieces by themselves were not enough material to create a whole universe of side-by-side genres. So I returned to the drawing board and the computer, and created all new material to help hide the joins. As a result, that single unused motif morphed into a plethora of variations.
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| Motif variations. © Copyright Zak Waipara |
This process gave rise to discoveries, as new digital techniques and solutions emerged. Using remix was a way to spark creativity, offering unconventional ways of thinking. This was an altogether freeing process, such as dispensing with plot and character, as I was very interested in leaving literal narrative to one side for the moment.
During my digital design undergraduate years, I got to experiment with narrative form in 2D and 3D animation, but also with more abstract motion graphics, and in some cases abstract narrative sitting inside and next to more overt narrative. This heralded the beginnings of using remix and self-sampling, though I wasn’t defining it as such back then.
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| © Copyright Tama Waipara |
One of these experiments with narrative culminated in a year long music video project that I put together in third year. This involved remix and self-sampling. The genesis came from an illustration style I tried that proved successful and a song, Leaving Paradise, my musician brother had composed.
This project was actually the second iteration of the video (using a different iteration of the song). It built upon the earlier attempt of two separate animations put together in Flash and was finally improved upon in After Effects. Interestingly, one of the remix practitioners (Bent TV) I referenced in my finished Honours thesis did an almost similar thing with the Star Wars Gangsta Rap. It was a chance for that team to make improvements upon an earlier work: the first version and second version.
Though my music video is not currently online, some snippets can be seen at 2:31 and 4:25 at this link here (scroll down) advertising the Digital Design Dept of AUT.
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| First and second versions (literal narrative). © Copyright Zak Waipara |
The chance to re-train allowed me to assess my own learning style – to find out firsthand what works and what doesn’t. Not all teaching styles suit every student, and not all students learn in exactly the same way. This may not be apparent to the novice who goes straight from high school to tertiary training. In the same way, working and researching in a post-graduate arena allows the practitioner to assess their own working style. What is a consistent pattern or methodology that keeps appearing in the work and what design processes offer interesting areas of investigation?
For me, remix keeps popping up for one thing. Different narrative approaches hold great appeal, such as this idea of abstract vs. literal. This led to a desire to break new personal storytelling ground using a multi-genre non-literal approach. Innovation often occurs when you explore where the boundaries of a discipline lie and then cross over them. Deliberate cross-pollination is another creative strategy full of possibility, given that it had worked for me in the undergraduate years, and again in my Honours year.
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| First and second versions (abstract narrative). © Copyright Zak Waipara |
Much of what occurred was surprising in its discovery, but it was contingent on first remaining open to serendipity. When you find a methodology that works, you should take the chance to pursue it to its fullest extent, especially if it proves to be creatively fulfilling.
