Videos

This short video by Future Shorts presents in visual metaphors how the different senses e.g. taste, sound, colour, words can become mixed together in synesthesia. It could be showing one person’s perspective or many peoples – we aren’t shown this exactly. It’s implied that the taste of the fruit or veg produces a sound, and that words produce a taste;  it implements different forms of synaesthesia and not just one. I like how the film progresses – the music speed up and more situations start happening simultaneously. The artistic, avant-garde elements of the film influenced me to make my film personal and somewhat artistic, though I feel that without knowing this film is about synaesthesia, the audience would be a little perplexed by it.

Artificial intelligence is getting smarter by leaps and bounds. Within this century, research suggests, a computer could be as “smart” as a human being. And then, says Nick Bostrom, it will overtake us: “Machine intelligence is the last invention that humanity will ever need to make.” A philosopher and technologist, Bostrom asks us to think hard about the world we’re building right now, driven by thinking machines. Will our smart machines help to preserve humanity and our values, or will they have values of their own?

What I found interesting about this TED talk, is how Nick Bostrom believes that as human beings we have a core desire to progress AI technology until it kills us. He believes there is a part of our minds that actually wants us to die but robot; which ultimately means our progression and intelligence will be the death of us.

Also, the point he makes about us becoming reliant on the robots/technology, and how that will stop us from hitting the “off switch”. This made me question how much we rely on robots already. Examples of everyday AI include google maps, Email spam filters and Facebook; all of which I use on a daily bases. Not to say I couldn’t live without them however, travel, work and communication would be harder without them. A scary thought, one that makes me wonder what technology we will be living with in 10 years or 20 years time; and whether it is improving society or making it lazier.

The latest film from Edgar Wright, Baby Driver, is a new kind of musical.

In Baby Driver, the music drives the story. The main character, Baby,  has tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and as a result,  listens to music through earphones to drown it out.

In this opening title, the song Harlam Shuffle by Earl & Bob constructs the entire scene. This choreographed sequence plays out like a music video.

Synchronisation plays an important part within this sequence. Every single action is precisely carried out in time to the beat of the song. As Baby is walking down roads to the rhythm of the beat, we also notice that the words, signs and graffiti on the walls around him sync up to the lyrics of the song.  00:26 – ‘right’ written on wall, Baby also turns right, 00:53 –  ATM machine beeping to the beat, 01:30 – When ordering coffee, Baby thinks and says ‘yeah yeah yeah’ together with the song.  We as the audience are hearing exactly what Baby is hearing.

In this movie, the images are subordinate to sound, giving sound a critical role in the film.

Phones and recording devices are banned at the notorious Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre, so filmmakerJade Jackman creatively documented the lives of women asylum seekers detained there.

The short 3 and a half minute film has a captivating narration; women (over the phone) tell painful stories about their experiences in the detention centre. The corresponding imagery is minimalist and at parts alines with what is being said. However the imagery is more about capturing a sense of space and the small rooms their lives are confined to.