Item 58
Website and Blog
(Web Designer • Content Manager)
S Y N O P S I S
ITEM FIFTY-EIGHT is an online peer-review journal for short-form experimental film, with guest reviewers by invitation only—www.item58.com. My personal taste in film tends toward short-form, independent, artistic, and experimental filmmaking. This is also the kind of work I do when I make my own films. Not only is it important for me to be aware of the current work in my field, I find strength, hope, and inspiration every time I see films that make a statement against dominant ideology in some way. I am watching another person’s voice made manifest on the screen. One voice can easily be lost on the wind; many voices together blow a wind of change that cannot be ignored. Often when I express such ideas out loud, I find that most people have a limited definition of film and video, equating it either with the cineplex or commercial broadcasting–things the layperson would consider practical. When I toss out words like art and experimental, they throw up their hands as if these are esoteric categories they could not possibly understand. No doubt this is a reflection of broader cultural attitudes about art and elitism. In terms of moving images, nothing could be farther from the case. Digital technology and the Internet have made it possible to view all manner of film and video at the click of a mouse. On the other hand, perhaps the sheer volume of video on the Internet is too daunting, and unless you know what you are looking for most people never get beyond feeling guilty about spending too much time on YouTube looking at cat videos. I would like to break down the myth of esoteric art films by creating a website that will (1) guide the viewer to representative examples, (2) provide context and critique for these films through the application of film theory, and (3) highlight the importance of media literacy. What I hope to convey is that the standard narrative formula we have come to know and love is NOT the only end product. There is no reason the average person should not be able to understand and enjoy this type of film without giving up a love of standard narrative fare. Ideally the forms should be able to coexist and strengthen one another.
E X H I B I T I O N R E C O R D
Currently Under Development–www.item58.com
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- Item Fifty-Eight
C R E D I T S
g e n r e / c a t e g o r y : Website, Online Film Journal, Review Blog
w e b d e s i g n : Kelly Wittenberg
p u b l i s h i n g p l a t f o r m : WordPress.org (self-hosted)
w e b h o s t i n g : Bluehost.com
o r i g i n a l p h o t o g r a p h y : Kelly Wittenberg
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- the Kitchen Sink
Film Studies for Free
About Me
Kelly Wittenberg is a filmmaker and media artist based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She is currently an Associate Professor of Film, Video, & Media Studies at Western Michigan University. Kelly holds an MFA in Film from Syracuse University.