Technology

To what extent does technology influence our definition of author -- I would argue it affects it greatly. How many struggling artists, directors, etc. are out there, working with minimal equipment and minimal exposure, and not one of them achieving the status of "auteur", and yet it is possible for their work to be more innovative; those that do achieve that status are generally those who do have access to much more sophisticated technologies, not just a hand-hald video camera. Exposure and celebrity I would argue also play a big role in how we define who is and is not an author. Though many do not start out with access to such technology, it is often more rare to recognize a director of a low budget film or a garage band as a bonafide author, as opposed to a well-established director or a Grammy winning artist. At the same time, though, I feel that technology has allowed for a more vast understanding of what can be considered as art, regardless of whether artists of "low budget" art are considered authors or not.



Which leads to the role that institutions play in shaping our perception of the author.. from a corporate perspective, such as a music label or a publisher, there is tremendous control over who is considered an author or not, and this begins with the decision over who gets exposure and who does not. If they do not believe that a certain person's work is not worthy for publishing (or else, is not profitable), then it makes it that much harder for that person's talents to be recognized. Institutions such as these work to filter out what types of talents are "acceptable" or not, and therefore contribute to the definition of author. And in some cases, they can take it a step further by marketing a certain desirable image of whoever they are trying to promote, even if it compromises that artist's personality.

There must be a beginning...

I didn't make these words, nor did I make the letters that make up these words. But I understand them and have the power to use them, often in a way, in a pattern, that I imagine has not been created before. I can use these words, like anyone else, and arrange them in such a way to create meaning. That is why I am the author-- because I am the one who has access to this place, to create meaning where none existed previously. These are not my words, but they are my patterns of words; I am the one who chooses what order and what meaning to create with them.

As far as choosing my favorite authors... it would be easy to say that I don't have a favorite, and maybe that's not so far from the truth. It seems to change often, so I suppose I can focus on some of my favorite authors at present. One of them would be John Mayer. I have a lot of respect for those who write their own lyrics and music and create their own product. The way they go about creating it does not matter so much to me, whether it's with an actual instrument or a computer program, but mainly that the end product is their creation. And I don't deny that there are potentially dozens of people that help singer/songwriters produce their music and guide them in their creative process, but what is most important is that the original idea come from within the artist, even if it is shaped and influenced by others during process which leads to the creation of the final product. At any rate, because he is in control of the creative process that leads to a completed piece of music is one of the reasons why his music is appealing to me; knowing that he has experienced the things that he sings about, or at least that they are thoughts that have gone through his mind, make them more real to me. On that note, I also find that I can relate to a lot of what he addresses in his songs, whether it is about abandonment, lonliness, or simply certain wishes or desires about how life should be.

Also, if you consider movie directors to be authors, then I suppose that Tran Anh Hung is also one of my favorite authors at the moment. I have seen several different movies of his including "Cyclo", "Scent of Green Papaya", and "Vertical Ray of the Sun". Although I enjoy the stories that are told in all three in varying degrees, I particularly enjoy the choices that he makes in how to shoot the film to best tell the story. My favorite of the three would be Cyclo, which is set in Vietnam in the late 1980s during an economic upheaval and focuses on the lives of those who struggle to get by in the changing times. Shots of movement, whether it's cars or people or bicycles are constantly focused on, whether in the background or the foreground, in such a way to remind the viewer of the changes occurring and the frantic pace in which most people are trying to adapt. Hung is also considered a diasporic filmmaker (born in Vietnam, moved to France as a child), and therefore he also brings a mix of different ways of thinking and perceptions to the table when he decides how Vietnam should be depicted. On the one hand, he feels that he should provide an accurate representation of the times, and on the other hand, he is deeply influenced by French perceptions of what Vietnam looks like. Trying to negotiate between these two "realities" can be difficult at times, and in the end the product is perhaps a mix of both truths. The mark, therefore, that he makes on these films as director is very powerful in that he is essentially seen, for better or worse, as an expert on Vietnam by some, and particularly by those who do not know much about Vietnam's history or landscape.