Monday, February 14, 2011

You Are Invited?




Right above me is the "teaser" I was prompted to create for the exhibit of images I call "Transmutations 2010".  The company Gold Mail has a wonderful program that helps you create, edit and publish emails that contain an embedded player link. The recipient clicks on the link in your email and voila! a player appears that will, with the recipient's speakers turned ON, play your message--a combination of images and sound. The company has templates which you can simply fill in with your business information, or you can create one "From Scratch" as I did. If you use Wise Stamp, you can include the icon of the a gold circle with a blue G which, when clicked will taker the reader to the same video presentation.

The service is free although they have a Business Class category which allows for messages that run up to 10 minutes versus the free 3 minutes. I had the choice--which I took--to have a player embedded and Gold Mail had the Official Google Authorized Code all ready for me to just click and snap into place. A creative, consumer oriented company, I think. I have been pleased with every email I've created.



After waging all out war on those attempting to abscond with the name of and most of the better works by Lieutenis, you know I was just waiting for someone to start "sneaking off" with my images. I first put them on Windows Live "Sky Drive" so the two friends whose likenesses I use in the the piece were satisfied that my intent was positive in manipulating their photographs. Positive for the piece, not their vanity. Both are quite comfortable with their physical-ness and their age suited the type of faces I wanted. (see Blog: "Creating Nancy's Father" to learn how and why I used a 50 year old Hispanic's 2010 photograph to create  US Navy sailor probably in his early 20's, stationed in post-WWII Japan in the early 1950's).
Then, I raised (or lowered depending on how you cotton to Facebook), the bar on who could see the album. I allowed Friends and their Friends to view the images. I had, however, taken a page from all the so-called FREE Video Converters/Encoders that actually only let you convert video files for free when a LARGE watermark of the company is emblazoned over the upper right third of the video you are encoding. I had all the images except 7 watermarked. And in at least half the cases, the watermark is barely visible, if at all. Those, I figured, would the most likely to be downloaded.
Windows Live! is very clear on copyright, rights of use, downloading copyrighted material, etc. But then so is You Tube. At least it seems clear. Until it isn't.
Despite the gentle but stern remonstrances not to download material, I knew people did and I knew I'd be able to find 'em.
My trap was set. The bait? Some Primo Images that could be morphed into any number of photographs that could pass as "quasi-Primo", or "Primo Secondus" to the unknowing.
These clever, non-verbal "quotes" pointedly used manipulated images to create a "manipulated" feeling in the viewer" part admiration, part jealousy, part contempt.
Just like yours truly felt for the first 33 years of his life.
More--of course--shortly.
If you think the video "persona" matches the personality of this blogger, you really need to be given some alternative WordPress blogs to follow.


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