Hey everybody. I have returned from my holiday break. If you want to know to where, we have
a video detailing that from a few years ago. Check it out if you want.
First off. Happy New Year. I hope 2020 finds you well. I wanted to make an update video
and preview of what we have coming up this year. Sort of a state of the channel kind
of thing. I know these kinds of videos can be a bit dry and generally age terribly, so
I’m gonna to pepper it by unpacking a gift I got as well as some thoughts I had over
the break. Hopefully it’ll be more interesting than it sounds.
To start, the gift, we have the Ultra Q boxset that was released last fall.
This series was the first from Godzilla co-creator Eiji Tsuburaya’s production company and
was a Precursor to the much more well-known Ultraman but it is in black and white. I love
kaiju and think it works much better in black and white. The monsters look less campy and
more menacing.
This was made for TV, with 28 episodes airing between January and June 1966. It had a huge
budget. It’s shot on film, which looks great, and being Tsuburaya, the effects are awesome.
Not only the costumes, some of which were repurposed from Godzilla films, you can always tell
which ones, but there is also some great stop motion work.
The series itself follows a monster of the week format, though each are unique in their own way.
They have a ton of personality and given each episode is 30 minutes,
a lot of the fat is trimmed, the stories are streamlined and kaiju are given more screen
time, which is always a good thing.
This show is so much fun.
I spent the days after Christmas in a weird anaglyphic haze. Between being jet-legged
and sleeping for 20 hours, I stumbled upon some old 3D clips from the 50s. This lead to
me digging out some glasses and diving into the history of processes of 3D film. Expect
a video soon but I want to say here that it’s interesting that this is where people thought
film was going, that this was the next logical step after motion and sound, the spatial.
There is this drive to replicate our experience in media and to immerse ourselves completely
into whatever we’re consuming. In theory, 3D allows that.
It’s often derided as a gimmick or a fad but I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t
think 3D movies should be the standard and modern 3D leaves a lot to be desired but there
are a lot of interesting things that can be done with it, especially in genre films, horror,
or even travel. I watched many a train trip through Europe and Asia.
Exploring this pulled me out that Christmas mindset back into reality. Unfortunately.
I’ve grown to enjoy Christmas again. In my early 20s it had lost some of its lustre
or magic, but the older I’ve gotten, the more retrospective I am.
I’ve found for me, and probably many, the holidays are a time of memories, or ghosts.
Christmas mythology is filled with allusions to ghosts, be it A Christmas Carol, or even
It’s Wonderful Life in a way deals with what is and could’ve been. The past.
Now I don’t believe in ghosts in the physical, or literal sense, but I do believe in hauntings.
I think that in capturing someone’s likeness in media you create a sort of apparition of
them. Where memories can fail us, or morph or distort personalities or experiences, in
media, they’re always there, as they were.
In my opinion this is best illustrated in home movies. The memories of others have become
a cornerstone of Sleepcore for this reason.
You know, unlike with a photograph, which can obviously capture a moment brilliantly,
and can do similar things, but home movies and videos can show you how your grandparent moved or what
they sounded like obviousy with voice.
I use a lot of footage when the technology was so new and expensive that a lot of the footage you can find
come from significant moments, weddings, vacations and Christmas.
When I was working on the holiday special I found some absolutely wild clips. One sticks
out. It’s this grandmother and granddaughter watching television and I don’t think if
its the lighting or the film speed or composition or what but there is something so unwholesome about
this clip. This whole setting feels like a dream. I love it.
Even though I work with people’s memories,
I have difficulty viewing my own home videos. Most of my family is still alive but I find
watching and spending two or three hours with them in these videos leaves me wanting to
continue hanging out with them, as they were.
But enough about the past, onto the future.
First up, Sleepcore is going to be going on a bit of a hiatus. I feel like it’s outgrown
the thematic format and has introduced enough aesthetically and philosophically that it
can stand on its own. I never wanted it to be a content dump and for the better part
of a year I’ve wanted to retool it into a more unique experience. I’m finally going
to take the time do so. Not sure when but it will be back.
I’m heading into this year prioritizing quality over quantity. I’ve created weeklyish
content for about two years now and feel this adds unnecessary pressure and stress and can
result in an inferior video. I’ve decided to slow down a bit and instead of putting
a video out because it’s been a while, to put it out when it’s ready. This will not
mean months between videos but maybe don’t panic if it has been two weeks. It’s coming.
We’ll soon be releasing a conceptual trailer for what we have coming up over the next little
while in what I’m dubbing picsandportraits2020. I’m very excited about it. I’d also like
to start doing more casual or personal videos, like this one.
Despite the slow down here, content will still be going up on Patreon, Patreon.com/picsnportraits.
You can support us there and get access to dozens of exclusive videos.
That's just about it for me. I hope you’ve
enjoyed this look into how I spent my Christmas vacation. I’m very excited for what’s
coming up and hopefully you are too. Thank you so much for your interest in this channel
and thank you so much for watching!