1. Respond to Chieko Shiomi's Disappearing Music for Face. How does the minimalism and duration of the film affect your engagement with the image? How does the film relate to the following issues:
a. Maciunas's definition of art vs. his definition of "fluxus art-amusement"
b. art as object vs. art as performance and activity.

The minimalism of the film and the duration encouraged me to detach myself from the film. At first I tried to see if I could notice the difference in the smile fading but eventually I got kinda bored with it and my mind unwillingly went other places. I started to think about other stuff and was distanced from the film because it was so minimal .

a.I believe it was more in tune with 'fluxus art-amusement' because it was very simple and nothing special. it was almost a stab at 'art'

b. This was art as performance and activity but it was interesting because it was almost as if I was looking at a painting or photograph so it was not art as an object but it very well could have been if you take a still photo from it, you would have the same effect if you stared at that for 11 minutes.

2. Look up “Fluxus” and any of the Fluxus artists in the index of Visionary Film. Why are they not there? Are the Fluxfilmscompatible with Sitney’s central argument about the American avant-garde?

There are some beat authors like John Cage there but Fluxus is not mentioned. Not sure why they are not there. It must be because of Sitney's central argument, "American Avant-Garde filmmakers aspire to represent the human mind and fluxus films might not do that. They sometimes are opposite of what is going on in my mind. The Smile film was not representative of my mind ever. I would never stare at someone's anything for that amout of time so essentially Sitney may not associate Fluxus films with Avant-garde cinema.

Mary Jordan, Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

3. What are some of the reasons suggested for Smith’s obsession with Maria Montez? What are some of your responses to the clips from the Montez films (especially Cobra Woman)?

She was the goddess of film and I think most importantly hailed as the queen of technicolor. She was gorgeous and was very entrancing so I can see why Smith was obsessed with her. I thought she was the epitome of a WWII pinup girl on screen.

4. What were some attributes of the New York art community in the 1960s, and what was the relationship between the economics of the time and the materials that Smith incorporated in to his work and films? [How could Smith survive and make art if he was so poor in the city so big they named it twice?]

The art community experienced a flood of creativity because the conformity of the 50's was coming down. People were embracing the differences and creating different colorful artistic communities. SMith was able to make these colorful films using materials he would find out back of the department stores where they threw out clothes and materials and manequins. He did not need to spend any money because he used what the department stores didn't reflecting that he showed what people didn't want.
5. What is John Zorn’s argument about Normal Love? How does his argument relate to some of the changes in the New York art world in the 1960s that we discussed in class? What are some arguments made about the influence of Jack Smith on other filmmakers (including Warhol)?
John Zorn says that the real show of Normal Love was the filming. He says there should have been an audience there while he was filming becasue that was the real show. It relates to what we discussed in class because the the experience of the film fesival like chips and salsa and the integration of the audience was what makes the show. Jack Smith did the films he wanted to do when and how he wanted to and other filmmakers saw different parts of his films and got famous using different influences from his films.

6. What is meant by the slogan, “no more masterpieces” and how did Smith resist commodification (or the production of art products)?

SMith thought that if he didn't finish a piece of work it could not be banned again like his other film. THat way to see the film he would have to be with it. He was editing during the filming

Callie Angell, “Andy Warhol, Filmmaker”

7. How does Angell characterize the first major period of Warhol’s filmmaking career? What are some of the films from this period, and what formal qualities did they share? What are some significant differences between Sleep and Empire?

The first major period of Warhol's filmmaking career were comprised of notoriously longand static silent films. Some of these films were Empire, Kiss, Eat, and Haircut. All of them were very long, Empire was 8 hours and simple long shots. They were very minimal and almost no editing but comprised on one long reel. Significant difference between Sleep and Empire were the cutting that Sleep was comprised of while Empire was one long unedited shot.

8. What role did the Screen Tests play in the routines at the Factory and in Warhol’s filmmaking?

Warhol used Screen Tests to play in the background while the plays were going on

9. How does Angell characterize the first period of sound films in Warhol’s filmmaking career? Who was Warhol’s key collaborator for the early sound films? What are some of the films from this period and what formal properties did they share?
Warhol's first period of sound films were unique because he didn't mind improve or flubbed lines and using cue cards that were easily noticed. He embraced chance factors in his films. Edie Sedwick was his key collaborator. He used Edie in films, Afternoon, Restaurant and Poor Little Rich Girl. They were films of Edie just hanging out with her friends or eating dinner with her friends.