Benjamin Olshin's Senior Project Blog

Photo: circa-2000 cassette tape digitizer Photo: cassette tape Photo: box of cassette tapes Photo: some of the names I was looking for in the cassette tapes Photo: not even half of the cassette tapes. I numbered them. This week, I worked listening to these cassette tapes from an answering machine that David kept for 45 years. The idea here was to get audio clips that can supplement the physical materials (which they themselves will become visual pieces of the film). Unfortunately, I couldn't go through the cassette tapes at increased speeds (ex. 1.5x, 2x, 2.5x) so I listened to them at the normal speed. I observed how people seemed to use voicemail/answering machines differently 40 years ago. One thing I found funny was how people announced their location and the time in their message. For example, they say "This is Joe is Saratoga Springs, it's Monday at 7:13 am." This week, I learned how to use the cassette tape digitizer. This device takes the recording from a cass...

Photo: sushi! Hello! On an unrelated note, here is a picture of some sushi I made with my brother for my family. This is the second time we made it and it turned out delicious.   Photo: the books I have been going through Photo: Ernie’s book! This week was a continuation of the work I did last week. I worked through reading more zines and I read a book of poetry by one of the senior citizens from the nursing home. The book (pictured below) is written by Ernest (Ernie) Noyes Brookings. I have learned that he will be a recurring character in the film because of his significance in David’s life and work. I learned more about the life of an artist: both Beth and David self-describe themselves as artists. Beth described to me how, especially nowadays, artists can be incredibly critically successful but not that financially successful.   From working with Beth, I have drawn parallels between documentary filmmaking and scientific research. In both fields, people frequently spend year...

Video: Beyond The Duplex Planet Demo Video Hello CG folks! Welcome to my senior project blog. I have had a great first week. Here are some of my reflections.  Photo: The Duplex Planet 1981 Beatles Issue I am working with Beth Harrington on my senior project. Below is some background on her: she is "an independent producer, director and writer, whose fervor for American history, music and culture has led to a series of award-winning and critically acclaimed films.  Beth’s most recent works,   The Winding Stream – The Carters, The Cashes and The Course of Country Music   and the Grammy-nominated   Welcome to the Club – The Women of Rockabilly , reflect her long-standing love of music. A rock and roll singer and guitarist, she is most noted for her years as a member of Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers on the Warner Bros. Sire Records label. A Boston native, Beth embedded herself in the historic North End neighborhood after earning a Bachelor’s degree i...