What is 1SE?
1SE or 1 Second Everyday is the concept of recording a second of your life every day creating a short film of a year of your life. Cesar Kuriyama first developed the idea back in 2012 when he started capturing a second of his life every day. In his Ted Talk Cesar explained the reason behind this concept, for Cesar this project was for him the remember what he did on that day so he can see that one-second clip and recollect the memory of that day. The visualization was a way to trigger a memory. As he continued to film, he discovered he was invigorated to wake up and do something interesting with his day. In 2013, Cesar developed this simple idea into an application (1SE), it is specially programmed to create a one second everyday film. Now anyone can make their own 1SE video and view what others all around were doing on a specific day.
Information gathered from – TedTalk – Cesar Kuriyama
Codes and Conventions:
Codes are a system of signs that are broken down into two main categories that have an agreed meaning and connotation to audiences. Technical codes are the equipment used to construct a piece of filming such as camera work, light, editing and audio. For instance, the shake of a camera could imply an earthquake. These codes are specific to media form and aren’t comprehended in ‘real life’, meanwhile, symbolic codes are. Symbolic codes are signs that convey meaning, for example, mise-en-scene, setting, acting and colours. These codes aren’t just part of media, as in ‘real life’ these symbols are conveyed the same way. For example, a character dressed in a suit would connotate a smart, sophisticated individual in real life as it would in a film. In addition, another format is written codes this includes spoken and printed language. Conventions are the agreed way something is done, the accepted processes of media codes. Different types of conventions include story convention, form convention and genre conventions. Form conventions are the arrangement of media, we expect films to begin with an opening title and end with credits – this is a case of form conventions. Storytelling is a key element of media products, narrative structures, cause and effect, character construction and a point of view are part of story conventions helping to create understanding. Genre conventions are creating a specific medium using characters, props, setting that would usually be associated with that genre, closely linked with audiences expectations.
Information gathered from:
YouTube video – Codes and Conventions
The first 1SE video I looked at was a 1 Years Olds 1 Second Everyday for a Year , this involved a one-second clip of the baby (Daisy) from the very day she was born to her first birthday, going between the years 2018-2019. Unlike Cesar Kuriyama 1SE, where he filmed from his own perspective of his day-to-day life, in Daisy’s video it doesn’t exactly follow the conventions Cesar envisioned because it is someone else filming her. Obviously, this is because she is only a baby. The majority of the footage is shots of Daisy and what she did, usually including her parents. The technical codes for this short film, are the camera with a mix of use between a digital camera or a camera phone – an easy way to capture the clips. In addition, the approach to editing is one-second clip after one-second clip, these codes fit the conventions of 1SE videos, helping the purpose of 1SE to be captured. The first year of babies life always goes incredibly quickly for the parents, days merge into other days and become a blur. This 6-minute film captures that year perfectly, fitting the exact purpose of a 1SE video, to look back on it and be able to remember what happened day-by-day. It tells a story of growth and change in the first year of Daisy’s life.
The next 1SE video I discovered was a year in the life of a teenage girl’s senior year of high school: 365 – A Year in 365 Seconds by Elizabeth Brooke. This nostalgic film includes many symbolic codes to convey the life of a teenage girl growing up, experiencing life. From music concerts, lounging around a campfire, spending time with her family and friends, cooking, painting, going to fairs and carnivals to exploring cities, forests and beaches. These symbolic codes establish a creative, adventurous young girl because the activities involved are expected for this type of person. Technically, the girl has used a camera to capture these moments of her perspective, however, some films are of her self. This slightly goes against the conventions envisioned by Cesar, he wanted people to film their perspective, not themselves. Also, Elizabeth’s video follows the conventions of including a one-second video of every day of the year, including the days where they might not be as ‘interesting’ as going to a concert or going on holiday, which touches on another element Cesar commented on – this was not just recording the good things but the bad things as well. The video Elizabeth recorded may not be necessarily bad but may not be viewed as ‘exciting’ or something a person may put onto social media which is what Cesar aims for this 1SE video – to capture normal everyday life not just elements of your life which are ‘Instagram worthy’.
Other 1SE videos I watched:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59bWyoNq904
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9BztfmiScw&t=322s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahwpzi4MLZs&t=320s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWx_xSfypCQ&t=63s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQ-IoHfimQ
List of Expectations for 1SE videos (Codes and Conventions):
- Must include a one-second clip of every day for a year.
- Filmed from your perspective – however, some include clips of themselves
- most use a phone camera within the 1SE App created by Cesar Kuriyama – however, some have used digital cameras.
- Summarise that year, each clip meant to trigger memories of events that happened on that day, so people can look back on that year as a whole.
- Can be both positive and negative, not just capturing all the good things but to capture to bad days as well – to be more like reality.
- Titles including the date when the clip was taken, usually framed in the bottom corner of the screen. In addition, some may include the location of the video, for example, a country or city.
- Majority of people upload their video on social media, such as Instagram, Twitter and Youtube
- Audio – some people put music over their video others just have the audio from the video or they involve both.
Planning for my 1SE video
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