In their varied simplicity, my split screen experiments have become a regular source of inspiration, not just in and of themselves, but for the editing exercises that they lead to. They're personal exclamation points that pander to my own creative entertainment, and whether any one else can see value in them is less important to me here.
It's like I wrote when discussing my latest split screen short, Headphones - "...the idea behind shorts like this isn't about masked themes, but about appreciating the digital medium and editing technique by taking a forced look. Just as a painter might fill a canvas for the tactile experience of seeing the streaks and runs in drying colours of paint, these editing experiments serve a similar purpose for further nurturing my personal appreciation for the technical execution of editing".
Split Wash, Split Thoughts, and The Wave are the three main shorts that were created within weeks of each other at the end of summer 2008. While at first glance they have little in common, it's the technical approach and self-portrait aspect of each short that has established an unmistakable theme, however unintential it was in the beginning.
Split Wash stirred up some interesting conversations when it was first posted on August 12, 2008. In a discussion about visuals vs. substance, I defended my approach saying, "Split Wash is just a clip, take it or leave it, no different than someone talking to a webcam about something they did today. You'll either find beauty in that or you won't, but I wouldn't post something I didn't personally appreciate. This direction isn't about telling a story, it's just a slice, an art short, it's about reworking a simple clip to see something in a different way".
Split Thoughts posted on September 26, 2008 and The Wave posted on October 6, 2008 both embody that sentiment even further.
This need to experiment, and even to share it, is part of showcasing the experience and not just the product. I'm not trying to create a traditional channel or blog series here, where the work all compliments each other or fits perfectly. In shifting focus to make it not just about my work, I'm creating a journal to document my own ambitions and trials - which just happens to be open to outside interpretation.
On the surface it's shallow, in the context of the big picture it's essential.
If my first year of blogging was just about making myself known, the second year had to be about refining how I tell my story. While my list of film school shorts, personal experiments, parodies, narratives and travel edits is long - it's the way that I've showcased them here that has really changed over the last year. More than just highlighting the projects and edits themselves, I've done my best to try and conceptualize the experience of my work in my newest posts and updates. Why did I make this? What was I inspired by? What did this lead to? The blog that Editing Luke has become is so much more than just a video site, it's an in-depth personal account of my history and experiences in my pursuit of film making opportunities as well as creative justification for my efforts.
Like any artist in any medium, my goal is quality feedback and interaction with other like-minded readers and viewers. Editing Luke has allowed this to continue and grow from day one. The more I seem to enhance my site, the more I've been amazed at the impression it allows me to make with new people. I haven't been lying when I've said it's my online portfolio - I've used Editing Luke on my resume.
There's been no trick or instant success that's kept all this going. Editing Luke exists because I'm passionate about what I do, I love connecting with new readers/viewers all over the world, and because I've been able to see the rewards of my hard work from time to time. Persistence and creativity mixed with some moderate viewership has made this a success.
After one year my blog views were 15,854, my video views were 53,698 and I had made 147 blog posts. After 2 years my blog views are now 49,625, my video views are 212,645 and I've made 305 blog posts. In terms of total views, that's growth of over 200% in the last year.
I'm continually grateful for what so many of you have helped this blog become. Thank you for reading, for viewing, for checking in every now and then just to see what I've got going on. The potential of what your interest can bring is a constant motivation. For those of you who continue to visit I can't say it enough, thank you!
I created two new promotional edits this month to celebrate 2 years of Editing Luke. The edits are identical, but I switched up the music tracks to get a different feel for each video. Have a look, and I hope to continue sharing this experience with you for years to come. From myself, Luke Fandrich, cheers to two years!
Do you remember turning 21? For me it was a party in the dorms, followed shortly after by an evening on Expedia planning a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas just days later. Nothing quite like the optimism infused, debt ignoring student life.
My birthday is on March 31, which just happens to land a couple weeks before the end of the school semester. In early April 2005, my friend and fellow travel companion, Andrea and I got to chatting about how cool it would be to go to Las Vegas. Her birthday is just 4 days before mine, so she had just turned 21 also.
On a whim, I started searching out Las Vegas trip packages only to happily discover that we could go on a pretty sweet vacation for $500 each. We chose one of the cheapest big hotels on the strip, Circus Circus, and planned a 5 day 4 night trip. And what did we do? Gamble, wander, and take advantage of all the free things there was to see.
It was the first time I tried roulette, I bought myself a pressed Lucky Penny, and I ate more Denny's than one man should eat. We walked the entire Las Vegas strip from the Stratosphere down to the Luxor - take a look at the map and see how far that is. And purely by luck, we were there the weekend that the Wynn opened their doors for the very first time. They've already built a second tower/hotel called Encore now. That place changes so fast.
While we did Vegas on the cheap, there was nothing like being there right after turning 21. Nothing like ending the semester only to wake up in Vegas a couple weeks later, on a continuous high that we even talked ourselves into going.
I'll never forget this trip. The edits I made instantly make me nostalgic, and the loss of hotels like the Stardust and New Frontier already date the footage. It was rush, and the primer for our ultimate Vegas experience that followed in 2008. See the four Las Vegas edits from 2005 below.
In their varied simplicity, my split screen experiments have become a regular source of inspiration, not just in and of themselves, but for the editing exercises that they lead to. They're personal exclamation points that pander to my own creative entertainment, and whether any one else can see value in them is less important to me here.
