PLAY music video

MOMA

The demonstration titled Unfinished Conversation by John Akomfrah was a unique experience . When seeing a film, one would commonly watch it through one screen with audio synced to that one visual. Akomfrah’s exhibit, displayed “the life and work of the cultural theorist Stuart Hall,” through three separate screens. At first, I thought that the concept was too much, for my mind to absorb and focus on. As I continued to watch, the three screens were actually complementary to the narrative than distracting. One thing, that really impressed me was the audio aspect of the demonstration. Because the visuals are on three separate screens, the viewer can choose to look at each screen separately or together, according to preference. Audio however, is not something you can pick and choose to listen to. The sound person, did a great job of mixing all the levels of sound to fit together as one piece. There was a point in the film, where there was a singer, while the narrator spoke of an incident. On the other screens were visuals of the relevant topics, including an airplane scene. This sequence seemed easy to make a jumble of, and yet it wasn’t. The narrator’s voice was clear, the singer flowed nicely in the background, with airplane foley on the side. Another thing that I admired, was how Akomfrah didn’t feel the need to fill every screen. There were times where nothing was on a screen and let the viewer breathe. The ending credits were also nicely done. The titles of the participants were in the middle screen, while the names of those people were displayed on opposite sides of the screen. This was an aesthetically clean, and different way to display the credits.

Audio Interview

Soundwalk

To start I am a DJ and a music producer. My ears are usually plugged with earphones and I am in a perpetual state of “music video.” My visuals rarely are in sync with my audio for this reason. I spend time outdoors without music, only when I am conversing with the company I am surrounded with. Unless there is a blaring siren or a loud commotion, I am used to tuning out noise other than the sound of conversation. It is not that I am unaware of the background noise, but I don't acknowledge it. Though simple, an opportunity for a soundwalk was refreshing and a new experience for me. I spend almost all of my days in the city and get home to Queens fairly late. I decided to do my soundwalk in my immediate neighborhood, which is a more suburban area. Compared to the city, and especially at night, my neighborhood is quiet.

My immediate thought was that the area had a dry texture of sound. Usually, I would regard the wind as a background noise. In comparison to the lack of sound, the strong winds caused the loudest noise. Immediately after, I would hear the dry leaves shaking in the wind and sounded like an instrument called the rainstick. Ironically, the dead leaves moved by the wind, would sound similar to rain. The wind would also cause signs to clink metal, and occasionally cause litter to roll around. It sounded like an industrial track without rhythm.

I also never realized how much I hear the movements that my body makes. Obviously, this was a sound loudest to me, but one I tune out the most. I heard myself breathing at times, my nose sniffling in the cold, and my feet hitting the ground.

            In the foreground, the most “exciting” sound of was cars passing by.  Concentrating on sound made it seem as if each car’s sound was reflective of the driver. There were cars with loud or quiet engines and the sounds were different at variable speeds.

            My soundwalk’s soundmark was actually the absence of sound. My neighborhood is away from the bustle of the city. Due to the lack of sound, I was able to realize how loud background noise can be at times. I wanted to have a soundwalk with unique sounds. What was unexpected was that the quiet could be a unique experience in itself. Through the soundwalk I was able to think about how much more detail I could add to the audio aspect of a film.

Defining a Space

Hunter's Sound of Silence from Daniel Jalashgar on Vimeo.

Shot Scavenger Hunt

Camera Exercise (First Assignment)

Each of un in the group did not have much experience with a camera. This was the best we were able to shoot with the time available. Hopefully, I will be able to improve throughout the semester. 

Artist Statement.

Bio

Music has been like a shadow to me. I was introduced, through piano lessons as a child. I bounced around from instrument to instrument in my elementary school band, which included the violin, trumpet, clarinet. flute, drums, and possibly more (unfortunately, I don't remember how to play any of them at the moment). I wanted to be a rapper in junior high school and wrote lyrics in several composition books. I then taught myself the guitar in high school and sang in a band that I made with my friends. I attended Boston University for a bit, where my friend installed a music production software for me, which finally stuck. I had to withdraw due to personal reasons and ended up at Touro College, where I graduated from a music production/engineering program with a certificate. I thought that an effective way to display my music was through DJ'ing, so I bought turntables and taught myself. I have played at Webster Hall, Pacha (when it was open), B.B. Kings, and more. I had the opportunity to play at an EDM festival called Electric Adventure at Atlantic City, New Jersey, this past summer (this was cancelled due complaints from residents). Here is the link to the old material: 
 (I am not as interested in EDM music anymore).

I don't think it was one specific song or lyric that really left an impression on me. I feel as if my experiences through a variety of genres, have aided me to become more versatile and adaptable. I think I have finally figured out the direction in which I want to go and am working on a completely new brand for myself. I am currently influenced by an eclectic of chill, jazzy, hiphop, electronic, soul, and trap vibes. 

Of course, my newly purchased computer crashed without a backup, and I lost all the new material. This is the only edit that I have saved from this terrible ordeal:  . 

Aim

Although music is my main squeeze, I have always been interested in movies and documentaries that encourage people to think. I took a class in audio work for film, using Protools. I am majoring in Media with a concentration of Emerging Media. I hope that my studies at Hunter will open more doors for me and more importantly, land a job with the BA, which will support my musical aspirations. I am passionate about common decency and good for humankind. I hope that my work will influence people to ditch negativity and spread good vibes. 

I would like to work on music or sound for videos such as this: