MA Project Workshop Posts

Deadware (2021), is the perfect example of the atmosphere and mood that I’m going for with my documentary. Since my topic is about a concept that mostly exists in the digital space, I thought it would be appropriate for my editing style to reflect the digital world. This movie is similar to my genre, topic, and aesthetic. I will have a considerable amount of archival footage that I will be showing to my audience. Therefore, it is important to edit the overall project in a meaningful way that will keep everything concise and prevent the audience from getting bored. Similarly, the Modern Family episode title “Connection Lost” cleverly tells a story only by using FaceTime. I intend to really get into this editing style and incorporate some digital elements into my story to make the audience feel more immersed.

I am very interested in unconventional storytelling and I envision my project having a surreal vibe. I want to use interesting camera angles and play with space and sizes of everything I put in front of the camera, including myself. I want to visually show the enormity of the internet and help my audience feel the longing and nostalgia through the screen. There are plenty of ways to do this and it will require for me to understand perspective and familiarize myself with videography. I intend to do this through practice and LinkedIn Learning courses. Additionally, I want my editing to symbolize the media that is getting lost. I plan to do that by including glitches, static, poofs, and other creative effects and tools to elevate my project.

In addition to my aesthetic goals, there are a few practical skills I will need to ensure that my project isn’t just cool visuals with no substance. These skills include archival research, documentation, asking questions, and academic research. Seeing that my project will include a number of archives and database research, it is crucial that I am as organized and concise as I can be. Where it gets tricky is that I will be discussing material without being able to show it – because it is lost – so I will also need to include comments and forum posts from people who remember said material.

References

Levitan, S. (Director). (2015, February 25). Connection lost [TV episode]. C. Lloyd, S. Levitan, M. Ganz (Writers). Modern Family. ABC.

Rodriguez, I. (Director). (2021). Deadware. [Film]. No Sleep Films.

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When talking about lost media, it’s important to indicate what is being lost and whether it is worth keeping. It’s also essential to understand memory as a whole.

In the article, “A Cultural Memory of the Digital Age?” Haux, Dominicé, and Raspotnig discuss how cultural heritage exists in the digital realm and how the uniform standards can be set to improve and organize the way of preserving data. The fast evolution of digital technology contribute to cultural heritage while simultaneously making it difficult for the law to keep up. As Haux, et al. (2020) reference, the lines between music sampling and intellectual theft are still blurred. As the digital age becomes a bigger part of our culture, adjusting the current legal system is absolutely necessary. Similarly, changing what is considered cultural heritage and setting laws to properly preserve it has been an important conversation. In 2003, UNESCO adopted Charter on the Preservation of Digital Heritage. Haux, et al. (2020) argue that this charter is insufficient and fails to consider a number of things, including the ever changing and developing nature of data and the transience of certain formats. Lastly, they posit that a foundation needs to be built with clear distinctions on what should be protected. They ask how this can be done, who can make that decision, on what ground these laws can be put in place, and what can be a part of digital culture. “These questions not only concern museums, libraries or archives, but society as a whole,” Haux, et al. (2020) state.

This article, while it took me a few re-reads to fully grasp, helped me understand digital preservation a lot more. Since I will be talking about lost media, it will be helpful for me to look at what type of media needs to be preserved and what doesn’t. I also didn’t know about the 2003 UNESCO charter and I will be reading into it to further develop my project. Additionally, this article has many sources about memory and memory theory. Since that is the angle I want for my project, looking at those citations will also be useful in the long run.

I made some progress this week but not a lot. I made myself a pre-production outline to help me organize my thoughts and ideas as they have been slightly all over the place. I included things like core concepts, core emotions, who is my audience, who isn’t my audience, genre, visual and auditory aesthetic, research, objective, structure, editing, etc. I did this by looking at the Master Project Proposal & Paper Guidelines on the MA Canvas page. It is not complete by any means, there are a number of blanks and question marks. However, I feel good about where it’s going! I also attempted to make myself a full timeline from now to April (also using the MA Canvas page) but I have been struggling with that a little bit. Regardless, I feel fine about where I’m at and I’m excited to meet in person on Tuesday because I have some questions about how to go about parts of this project!

Haux, D. H., Maget Dominicé, A., & Raspotnig, J. A. (2021). A Cultural Memory of the Digital Age? International journal for the semiotics of law , 34(3), 769–782. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-020-09778-7

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For my MA project, I decided to discuss lost media and digital preservation. My passion for this topic comes from my own experience with obscure media that no longer exists. This project will also touch on found media, unidentified media, and hoarded media. I am covering this topic in a surreal documentary type video that incorporates some of this lost media that has later been found.

Our digital tools give us the illusion of preservation by offering different ways to store media such as clouds. However, the lack of physical storage causes these ways to be ineffective since these files and forms of content can get mysteriously deleted. Similarly, content that has already been uploaded to a public platform is at risk of being lost.

These artifacts serve as a portal to the past and help us not only understand the generations before us but also navigate how to shape the future that is ahead of us. Digital preservation of information that has been created by other humans is extremely important and needs to be prioritized.

Additionally, this topic is fascinating when looked through the lens of psychology and memory. Everyone has experienced the feeling of having a vague childhood memory of something that is no longer able to be found, which is why I think this project will be captivating to many who feel the same as I do!

Past MA Projects

Celine Ehrlich’s project about horror hosting feels similar to the topic I am covering in both form and content. While her subject matter started in 1954, it still has the nostalgia element that is present in my topic. I also really enjoyed the way she incorporated elements from the topic she discusses to make her project. Although it was a documentary, it had horror components in it that really elevated the piece. Similarly, I am planning on reflecting the emotions that lost media can bring through stylistic choices in shooting and editing. The ambience will be nostalgic, vintage, and retro!

Works Cited

Ehrlich, Celina. (2024). The Shockwave.

Wieringa, Maranke. (2017). The Fragility of Digital Media Content: On Preservation and Loss: Sketching the Pilgrimage of Future Scholars to Recover Our Digital Vellum.

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