Nicole Bassil Revisions and Citations

[0:00] Screen capture of video editing software and a citations page in Microsoft Word.

Thank you for watching my citation video for my e-poem on “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath. A lot of information regarding why I chose to pick certain clips is mentioned in my walkthrough video, so I’ll try not to be too repetitive. So in my paper on “Mirror,” I analyzed the poem through a psychological lens, which I tried to apply to my selection of videos and pictures in my e-poem as well. The, um, Rorschach inkblot is a mirror image...a mirror image that closely relates to psychology, which is why in included it in my e-poem. I also like the idea of the Rorschach and movement. I’d only previously thought about it in a still, psychological context, so when I stumbled upon these videos, I knew I wanted them at different points throughout my e-poem. I also talk a lot in my paper about the contradiction of a mirror, which was a difficult concept for me to try and visualize in my e-poem. 

[1:04] Video begins to play in editing software.

So as I scrolled through videos and images of mirrors, I found this one of a mirror being smashed, um, which I thought perfectly exemplified the contradiction of the mirror as an object that delivers an exact image. [Pause] I also tried to take certain words and represent them in the e-poem without being super literal, so when I saw the word “swallow,” I thought about the psychology of being swallowed...um, which produced a fearful and vulnerable emotion, so the Metro-Goldwyn Lion stood out in my mind because it’s roaring, um, which sort of imitates the image of swallowing, and it produces a fearful feeling in the audience as if they’re going to be swallowed too. 

[2:00] Clip of clouds going by.

So in the next clip, I wanted to keep it simple and just provide a misty background to mimic the words in the line. 

[2:14] Closeup shot of an eye.

This part of the poem brought me back to the contradictory nature of the poem and mirrors in general according to the poem. So, because “cruel” and “truthful” go together in the poem [addressing the video] let’s make this bigger...so because “cruel” and “truthful” go together in the poem, I tried to find an emotion that would exemplify this line, which was sadness. I thought a closeup of an eye watering would be very powerful. It shows that something is sad, but perhaps trying to swallow the truth or hold it together at the same time. 

[2:55] Clip of a dark, empty room.

So here, I use the image and clip of a sunset and overlay them upon an image of a room. So for “meditate,” I just wanted to find a peaceful scene, and I wanted an empty room with the walls shown. Um, I also, um, the clip I used for the “meditate” part is meant to play on the concept of time.

[3:24] Clip of a painter painting is shown.

So for this “speckle” video, I used a stream of consciousness, and the speckles made me think, originally, of paint, so I included this clip, and I thought of how I could incorporate that visually into the psychology of an individual’s relationship to a mirror. So, the word “freckles” came to mind, and I thought this clip of a freckled boy would work really well. 

[3:51] Clip of playing cards is shown.

So here, the “heart” made me think of a suit of hearts in a deck of cards, um, and I wanted to place the individual...an individual within the frame--this girl--in order to kind of individualize the line of the poem--make it more personal. 

[4:12] Closeup of a small flame. 

So this is another instance in which I wanted to keep the background simple and [indiscernible] the words and their placement, so I thought that a single flame, uh, would accomplish that.

[4:33] A clip of a water droplet dropping into a pond is shown.

So I liked playing around with the placement, um, [addressing the video] woops...the placement of the clips that I chose here because the speaker is now a lake, and I wanted to deliver that image visually. I think there are three instances in which I associate water with tears in my e-poem, and this is one of them. Um, and as I talked about in my walkthrough, I lined up the drop of water with the woman’s eye.

[5:00] Image of a lyrebird on-screen.

So, for some reason when I read this line, I immediately thought of a lyre instrument, and, after some investigation, I found that the lyrebird--I found this picture of a lyrebird, um, and lyrebirds’ wings are shaped like that of a lyre which are symmetrical, and continue on my theme of symmetry and reflection, and I came back to, um, these--the movement in the overlay here, uh, is another Rorschach inkblot video. I wanted to create a sense of balance within the poem, so I come back to certain videos throughout, and the Rorschach is one of those. 

[5:49] Clip of a handheld mirror.

So this clip overlays here with a music video of a song called “Smoke” that I stumbled upon. Um, so the smokey look, the lightning flashes, and the quick flash of a moon fit well in this part of the poem. 

[6:11] Clip of a woman walking into the ocean. 

So here, I wanted to have a girl’s back facing the audience and have her walking away. Um, I found this clip of a girl in the ocean, which kept with this theme of water as tears, and I placed the lines--this line here at the bottom so that the waves crash on the line so the waves are tears flowing.

[6:29] A clip of a man fanning out a deck of cards.

So I brought back another image of playing cards. Um, as I included earlier, just as a play on the word “hands” like a hand of cards. 

[6:44] Clip of a man throwing a boomerang by the ocean plays. 

And then, here, I thought of things that come and go, and immediately, I thought of a boomerang. So I found this simple clip of a man throwing a boomerang on a beach, which again tied elements of water and reflection in the background. 

[7:01] Clip of a woman flipping her hair.

So here, I thought of a face replaced by darkness, and I found this clip which reminded me of the other clip I previously included of the girl walking away in the ocean, and I really like the idea of themes and/or clips that I previously discussed in my e-poem to create this sense of balance I’ve been talking about. So this same clip continues, but I overlay a faint clip of heavy ink that’s, like, sinking through water, and I placed it in a way so that it seems like it’s kind of, like, pulling her down or drowning her as the poem says. And then I fade out the image of the girl and fade in an image of crinkled paper to represent the wrinkles of an old woman.

[7:49] Clip of people stretching in bathing suits. 

And then here, I wanted a clip of something rising, so I found this clip of women doing yoga and rising up; however, I juxtaposed the words so that they, instead of rising, they actually show up in a descending manner, which allowed for this, like, contradiction I’ve talked about that happens in the poem. Um, so I kind of had a contradictory interpretation as the mirror’s also contradictory, if that makes sense. So, I thought that finishing the e-poem with the perspective of a rising fish would be strong; however, I got feedback that the poem ended a little too abruptly. So, to wrap it all up, I ended with the clip of the mirror shattering, but I play it backwards--woops--as if to, um, repair this broken mirror. And again, it kind of comes full circle--let me go back to it.
[8:50] Goes back to the last few seconds of the video clip.

And I think that kind of helps the audience know the video is over, as well as the music that fades out with it. So, um, for the music, I wanted simple music; particularly, um, the piano in my e-poem. So the poem is somewhat sad, but I didn’t want depressing music, so I wanted something simple throughout. I’m a big fan of Peter Broderick, so I went through his albums until I found a good intro into my e-poem, which is “I Am Piano.” I then went through some old albums on my computer, and I found, um, the soundtrack of the show Lost, and I found the song “Life and Death” by Michael [questioningly] Giacchino, and I immediately remembered the episode in Lost that they play this song, and I thought it was perfect for my video. So it’s actually from a scene in the show where the characters are on the island reflecting on the moments before the plane crash, and this moment and tone of this song, of reflection fit perfectly in my e-poem. Thank you for watching!