Emily Shepherd Revisions and Citations

[0:00] Screen recording of video editing software showing the e-poem playing

[0:15] Speech bubble that reads: The Avett Brothers, “Head Full of Doubt,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEr9gMYdkHI

Discovering The Avett Brothers was a critical part of the development of my self-identity. I moved to the south when I was in middle school, and I never particularly felt a connection to the south until I discovered this group. There’s something about the harmonies, the use of many instruments, and the often uplifting songs, that drew my heart closer and closer to The Avett Brothers, and consequently the south. One day as I was driving home from watching a high school soccer game, an Avett Brothers song started playing from my iPod as I drove through the sunset. At the same time, a flock of birds soared in the sky in front of me. After reading Emily Dickinson’s “They shut me up in Prose --” and trying to think of a song that would accompany the poem, this song immediately came to mind because of its parallel meaning and tone.

[0:45] Music stops and video is rewinded on video editing software; then pauses on the speech bubble with the previous citation

Fair use encourages us to use only what is necessary to the argument of our work. I feel like to only use part of the song would not do the song or the artist’s justice, because it is the song in its entirety that creates the intended effect of bringing out the meaning of the Dickinson poem. 

[1:23] Fast forward to next scene of bird flying in slow motion; speech bubble appears that reads: Matt Wood Cinematographer, “Bird in flight,” https://vimeo.com/69825194

I found this video on Vimeo and it’s from Matt Wood. I found the visual aspect of this video to be extremely compelling because you get to see a bird flying in slow motion, which is not something you see everyday. It’s also interesting that the bird flies so close to the ground and seems to stay in place for a long time. This video made me think of Dickinson’s first stanza that describes a feeling of being trapped and almost passive.

[1:35] Music stops and video pauses; goes back to speech bubble of citation

I did feel a sense of guilt in borrowing this cinematographer’s work without permission. The work is absolutely stunning, and I felt like not enough credit was given to him. However, I do not feel like my incorporation of his work devalues it, which is a principle of fair use. I also feel like incorporating his work enhanced the meaning of the Dickinson poem, which vibes with the concept of “intertextuality,” that all texts have a relationship to each other in some way.

[2:22] Music starts again; scene of e-poem of swarm of birds flying; speech bubble appears that reads: Neels Castillion, “A bird ballet,” https://vimeo.com/58291553

This video is very appropriately titled “a bird ballet.” I find this to be the most aesthetically pleasing piece of my e-poem. I just wish that when I exported it in order to upload it online the quality would have been safeguarded. The sharpness of the original video and the lightning with the sunset in the background creates a beautiful experience that I feel like I could watch for hours on end.

[2:52] Fast forward to scene of bird taking flight in slow motion and speech bubble that reads: C.E. Price, “Bird Flies Off Bush,” https://archive.org/details/CEP436

The next video that comes up is called “Bird Flies Off Bush.” I don’t know why this video resonated with me, but it did for some reason. I think I’m attracted to the fact that the video is short and simple, yet somehow still feels meaningful. What first brought me to the website was the fact that everything on the site is public domain, so there would be no issues of copyright infringement. I also felt like it would be a good image to blend into the video to break up the longer segments of video.

[3:29] Scene of still image of bird with sunset backdrop that comes to foreground, with speech bubble that reads: Mahin Sahih, [Untitled - Picture of birds and sunset]

The picture that’s coming up is a picture my mom sent me this picture that she took while I was working on my project, and I find the colors in the picture to be stunning as well as the fact that she was able to capture the bird mid-flight. She’s not a photographer but enjoys taking pictures with her phone, and I was surprised to see how well the picture turned out.

Since this picture was sent to me by my mom there is no issue of copyright infringement here as long as she knows about it.

[3:55] Video that “flies” over grassy hills, with speech bubble that reads: Simon Jardin, “Flying like a bird,” https://vimeo.com/66284458

This video was filmed in Australia, which is where I was born, so right off the bat I felt an emotional connected to this piece. Throughout a lot of the video you can see the drone that’s carrying the camera so I had to find a segment that didn’t show the drone so that it would not interfere with the theme of birds and being free. Something about the drone being visible in the shot took away from the symbolic meaning of the poem. I also just couldn’t believe how high up the drone could fly and the beautiful sights it captured. 

I felt like this video perfectly captured the sentiment I was going for of feeling liberated, because of the gradual rise of the camera and how it looked down on the earth below it. In this instance, I don’t feel like my use of the artist’s work devalued there's. Hopefully this is another case of enhancing the value of another artist’s work, and using the concept of intertextuality to create something new and beautiful. 

[4:47] Black screen with credits

Overall, I find this type of project to be really meaningful in approaching the analysis of a poem from a different angle. Schools are increasingly integrating technology in the classroom, and I’ve always struggled with this notion because I didn’t have too many positive experiences with technology aiding my learning. This e-poem project opened my eyes to new possibilities of integrating technology in a classroom in a meaningful way.

[5:28] Video ends