E-Poetry

As mentioned above, the signature composing techniques of this assignment were layering, pacing and arranging. I'll discuss the challenges each composing move posed to this assignment below. 

I devoted a lot of focus to layering the transitions between switching videos. I wanted to create a certain 'clean' aesthetic to my e-poem that was neat and ordered. I didn't want any windows to overlap, and I wanted a certain amount of negative  or neutral space in-between windows. I also didn't want my mouse cursor to appear on screen, which meant I  had to get creative using keyboard shortcuts to transition between windows. This meant layering the browser windows over each other so that each window wouldn't overlap with any other window while playing or while switching between videos. 

Pacing was an important aspect to the composition of the improv e-poem. I needed to pay attention to developing a steady and constant stream of sonic and visual components on the canvas. I believe this aspect was very much influenced by the multimedia form of this project, specifically using sound in our recordings.

An interesting, but unexpected turn in events was the importance of the e-poem's sonic elements in determining the e-poem's overall pacing and flow. Since every new attempt to record the screen meant starting everything over, including replaying the song, I was essentially listening to the song on repeat for hours on end. After what felt like my eightieth failed attempt to get a "perfect" recording, the changes and rhythm in that song were burned into my brain. I had first tried to control the e-poem's pacing by counting the seconds inbetween transitions, but my sense of rhythm would get thrown off if I made any kind of mistake. Instead of manually controlling the pacing, I developed an automated sense of when to switch between videos based upon an instinctual response to the musical changes in the song. 

Arranging the visual components in my e-poem was  a related yet distinct composing move from layering. I worked to develop recurring visual themes throughout the e-poem. For example, one of the themes was cold weather: every video played during my e-poem features snow, ice, cold weather, or a combination of the three. Achieving the realization of these themes required careful arranging. Arranging was required in every step of the project's process, from choosing the right videos for the e-poem, to orchestrating their placement on screen. Choosing the videos to play during the e-poem required positioning them together on screen and examining if they 'matched' visually. I began with about twenty videos, but I narrowed my selection down to the eight or nine that appear on screen. Arranging two or three videos together on screen sometimes revealed one video was too busy and was dominating the scene. This meant I had to return to the conceptual stage and find a different video that blended more smoothly with the other visual components. 

Composing the improv e-poem taught me more of the thematic techniques in composing a multimedia response to literature, and it taught me about the importance of accepting mistakes. Before assigning the project, Professor Anderson told the class we would need to understand there is no "perfect" draft. There will always be one or two (or four, or five...) slight errors that develop while recording. The ability to accept and moving past errors is the true test. Pragmatism, not idealism.

The skills I learned in layering, pacing, and arranging materials during this project were developed further throughout the semester. I'm proud of this project, but I'm also amazed at my growth in composing a multi-media response to literature since completing the Performance E-Poem.