Name: Optical De-dramatization Engine (O.D.E.) applied in 15-hour cycles to Ma-Xu Weibang's ‘Yeban gesheng’ (Song at Midnight), 1937
Director: Barbara Lattanzi
Released: 2015-09-25

Question 1

What is Optical De-dramatization Engine (O.D.E.) applied in 15-hour cycles to Ma-Xu Weibang's ‘Yeban gesheng’ (Song at Midnight), 1937 about?

Accepted Answer

This video presents an algorithmic, generative, and software-driven dataset of images that runs in 15-hour cycles. The sequenced, glitched imagery derives from the brilliant and melodramatic Shanghai version of "Phantom of the Opera" made in 1937. For this video, the launching time of my original software occurs 23:55 (Sept. 20, 2015) just prior to midnight. At precisely midnight, an algorithm is designed to trigger the start of the central song of "Yeban gesheng" - the politically convoluted and emotionally intense "Song at Midnight".

Question 2

Who appears in Optical De-dramatization Engine (O.D.E.) applied in 15-hour cycles to Ma-Xu Weibang's ‘Yeban gesheng’ (Song at Midnight), 1937?

Accepted Answer

Cast info is available on the title page.

Question 3

What genre is Optical De-dramatization Engine (O.D.E.) applied in 15-hour cycles to Ma-Xu Weibang's ‘Yeban gesheng’ (Song at Midnight), 1937?

Accepted Answer

See genre info on the title page.

Question 4

How long is Optical De-dramatization Engine (O.D.E.) applied in 15-hour cycles to Ma-Xu Weibang's ‘Yeban gesheng’ (Song at Midnight), 1937?

Accepted Answer

Optical De-dramatization Engine (O.D.E.) applied in 15-hour cycles to Ma-Xu Weibang's ‘Yeban gesheng’ (Song at Midnight), 1937 has a runtime of 15 minutes.

Question 5

What year was Optical De-dramatization Engine (O.D.E.) applied in 15-hour cycles to Ma-Xu Weibang's ‘Yeban gesheng’ (Song at Midnight), 1937 released?

Accepted Answer

Optical De-dramatization Engine (O.D.E.) applied in 15-hour cycles to Ma-Xu Weibang's ‘Yeban gesheng’ (Song at Midnight), 1937 was released in 2015.