Aaaand...no interview

Tried to get another interview both with my host father and my backup interviewee over the three day weekend. Unfortunately, things ended up falling apart. Couldn't get in contact with my backup interviewee whatsoever. My housemate, who was going to interpret, apparently changed phones over the weekend. So none of my calls or emails to set an interview up got through to him until Tuesday at school, when the recording equipment was due back. So, no interview. It would have been interesting too, I think, despite having to go all the way out to Kashiwa. I think the biggest lesson I've learned from this class since moving out is to take a camera whenever someone interesting wants to go out and do something. That way it's not forced, and there's no feeling of, "wow that was so cool and I can't believe I didn't get any audio from it," the next morning. Because I will have brought a camera and I will have some audio.

So, with design festa setup on Friday I have all of one interview exercise and a few pictures to submit to a final project. Because of how the interview went, the interesting photos bear no relation. That was the kind of connection I was hoping to get in a subsequent interview - why my host father enjoys playing in a band dressed up like a dinosaur for Halloween. No interview though. I'm not sure I have anything on that worth submitting for a final project or UPI. No backup either, just the cellphone project with David, which I already linked to. So, I'll probably end up taking this class again. A better idea of what I'm getting into along with not having to literally move out of two projects mid semester will likely help me produce a more interesting project, or any project at all.

Interview?

Trying to get another interview for the UPI/Final project. Not sure how it's gonna work out. If I go do it, I have to go out to Kashiwa. Housemate offered to interpret, but I'm not sure what I'll get. Might be a waste of a trip if my host father doesn't have any specific stories or just general answers again. On the other hand, I need more material in order to have anything in the way of a decent product. Doing the interview at the house might hamper that, there's a lot more opportunity for good pictures and specific stories if we go out somewhere drinking or something, but I'm not sure that will be possible. At the same time, it's a bit late to change the focus of the project.

The cellphone project came out well though, I think. The style really captures the chaotic nature of both the festivals here and cellphone documentaries in general. Again, it would have been nice to put some stills in, either of people in the crowds or of key moments during the festival. The footage still looks good without them though, just a bit fast. The festival music fits well too. Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUthdpVIB10

There's two pictures from the Halloween live show in Kashiwa, finally. Still keep forgetting to rotate them in photoshop, since they were taken with my phone. There's a lot more, but they're mostly of the same kind of thing. I'll probably end up using a lot of them if I do get to do this next interview. Doing artists statements in class today, I don't really have one ready though. Without a concrete concept of the final, I'm still not quite sure what I'll do.

UPI project problems

Having difficulties setting up an additional interview with my host father since I moved out. First finding an interpreter, now actually setting up an interview has been a pain. Might not have time to finish the project up anyway since it's already November. I guess I'll find out soon.

In more upbeat news, the keitai project ended up looking really good. The overlap of the festivals came out better than I'd thought. Especially when the overlapped frames were perpendicular. Sort of an intentional skewing, different from a normal cellphone video that's just skewed 'cause some person with a youtube page can't figure out how to hold a camera.

Going to contact a guitarist from the show I went to last week to see if he'd be interested in an interview for my final project. Hopefully they have another show before that's due. Changing at the last second is a pain, but I didn't really foresee having to move out of Kashiwa and lose reliable contact with my family.

Sidenote: I've been lazy about getting up the pictures from the show, expect them eventually, sometime this week at the latest.

Kashiwa Live Show

Went to a concert in Kashiwa on Saturday with my host father. It was a pretty hasty arrangement, so I didn't have anything to do an impromptu interview with. Much less a translator to turn the resulting exchange into something intelligible or project worthy. Would have been cool to interview the band members I did end up meeting, but without any way of getting a decent recording, I just talked about music instead. Played darts with the headliner, that was pretty cool. It's all a bit hazy truthfully.

But, I did manage to get pictures during my Host Father's band's set. And video, but the audio recording quality on my cellphone is so bad it's not even work having. The video will probably work well with the end project, if I can manage to get another interview. Hopefully setting that part up for this weekend. Finishing up with what I have...well, it'd suck a bit. Gotta find a place close enough to Tokyo that I can find an interpreter who'll go, and close enough to Kashiwa that my host father'll be able to make it. Damn though, the guy's a great conversationalist after a few beers. And my Japanese improves substantially too, just not enough to make for a good interview. Hence the interpreter. I'm repeating myself, I know. Anyway, I'll post some of the pictures I took as soon as I can get into Photoshop and rotate them.