http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6mn-ZEs6WY
I chose to do a stop-motion video on that highlights the need for education reform in our nation. The old tactic of simply throwing money at the problem isn't working, and we need innovative, creative ideas to come up with a solution. I've always wanted to do a stop-motion video, and with the ideas I had about which mediums I wanted to use to convey the message, I felt like education was a suitable topic to the concept. The hardest part to do was to edit all the images appropriately. I made the mistake (one that I definitely learned from) of leaving my camera's ISO on auto while I was taking the pictures, when I really should have had it set consistently for each different shoot. Overall, it was a very fun project to do and create!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Visual Literacy Statement
Visual
literacy has opened my eyes and broadened my perspective on the media arts this
year. Before I was well versed only in audio, and interested in the other arts.
But this class has really taught me the basics in design, photography, and
video. I’ve always just skated along in natural ability and experimenting at what
looked best to me in these fields, but it has been great to actually learn
about what established practices are, and what terms and techniques are used in
each of the various disciplines.
What
surprised me this semester has been my interest in filmmaking and editing video
in general. Going into the class I
assumed that my favorite focus would be still photography. While that interest
has not wanted whatsoever, I was pleasantly surprised by the joy I receive from
editing video into something concrete. I
think that the effort that must take place into producing a video results in
greater satisfaction when the piece of art is finished and you’re able to share
it with others.
A key
lesson I learned from this class, and elsewhere, this semester is that
disappointment and frustration are just as key to the creative process as the light
bulb moment of inspiration and ideation. It remains a part that no one sees or necessarily
understands, but that failure and disappointment are signs that you are
actively searching for a solution to whatever the problem posed is. So all in
all, Visual Literacy has taught me a great deal about not only the appropriate
techniques used to create media art, but also about the purpose and direction
of creativity in general.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Gizmodo Shooting Challenge
Gizmodo has shooting challenges for photographers that they post on their website, and the most recent one was black and white. I had taken a picture at a concert recently, and so I decided to email it in anyways. Somehow it got chosen to be put up!
http://gizmodo.com/5904768/shooting-challenge-blackwhite-5
http://gizmodo.com/5904768/shooting-challenge-blackwhite-5
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Hirshhorn Tweet
While we were at the Hirshhorn, I took an instagram and the official Hirshhorn twitter retweeted it!
Short Video Script
Script (rough outline)
Screenplay: Jilted
Please note that this is a very rough outline of the film we ended up shooting.
SCENE 1 Kay on steps.
MAN and BALL1 playing on incline. MAN is distracted. Walks away. BALL1 rolls down incline. Shallow depth of field, close up. POV-BALL1.
SCENE 2 Library. In front of doors. 2 GIRLS and BALL2 sitting and chatting. BALL2 rolls away. Exit towards McKinley.
SCENE 3 Bottom of steps.
BALL1 rolls by benches with people. Towards KoGod. Quizzical look.
CLOSE UP OF PEOPLE’S EXPRESSIONS.
SCENE 4
BALL2 rolls to Kay steps. Follows rollsteps of BALL1 exactly. (Scenes 1 and 3) Speed up scene later.
CLOSE UP OF BALL2 “FACE”. Intertitle: “Where did my friend
go?”
SCENE 5 BALL1 rolls through pretty walkway. (to the right)
Approaches stairs by Bender. Gets kicked. Hits Evan in face. Exagerrated emotion.
BROKEN WALL WHEN EVAN LOOKS UP AT THE CAMERA-DISTRESSED. FIXED CAMERA ANGLE AT TOP OF STAIRS.
SCENE 6
BALL2 rolls through walkway and does NOT roll down stairs. Goes directly across street to amphitheater. Cut before entrance to amphitheater.
BALL2: “He’s been here, I know he has. But where is he?”
SCENE 7
BALL1 rolls across street to amphitheater area. Rolls down to stage/ramps.
SCENE 8 BALL2 follows Scene 7 but via the stairs. Sadness.
SCENE 9
BALL1: (wonders aloud) “Where to run now?”
To: MGC elevator. 2nd floor to 3rd floor.
BALL1 RIGHT SIDE. ROLLS INTO FRAME INTO ELEVATOR. FIXED CAMERA. CAMERA ROLLS UNTIL DOORS SHUT.
BALL2 left side. Hits door as BALL1 is inside. Continuous shot.
SCENE 10
Continued from Scene 9. BALL2 staying in same place. BALL2: He’s running away from me!
But why?
SCENE 11 Cut to BALL1 outside MGC facing Batelle doors.
BALL2 is inside looking away as BALL1 rolls down steps towards middle of quad.
SCENE 12
BALL2 follows quickly behind Scene 11. Catches glimpse of BALL1 exiting.
SCENE 13
BALL1 enters center area of quad. BALL1: Sigh of relief. “She’s
gone.”
SCENE14
BALL2 sees BALL1 in center of quad. Rushes over. BALL1 and BALL2 in same shot/frame.
SCENE 15 Characters face each other.
BALL1: “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” (rolls off leaving BALL2 alone in middle of quad. Sad)
SCENE 16 Last shot of BALL2 alone. Fade to black. Roll credits.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Memento
I found that on the whole the movie really did not emphasize the elements I found important in the short story. The story was constrained by length, and if it was as descriptive as the movie was it would no longer be a short story. There were two main visual elements that I did feel came through in the movie that I predicted earlier. These would be the importance of the polaroid pictures, and also to some degree the desaturation or subdued colors. The desaturation comes in the flashbacks when the movie goes to all black and white before returning to color. The polaroid pictures are a repetitive theme throughout the movie, just as they were in the book. In reference to my earlier blog post I found that the movie was much more action based and less contemplative than I thought the short story was. I generally just got an entirely different tone from the story, and felt like the movie really extrapolated in some instances to make it fit the medium better, which is understandable. Within the short length of the story I felt like the alarm would be something that could be used a little better as a marker, and something startling to grab the audience’s attention. However that wasn’t really necessary in the movie as other visual cues could work just as well. All in all, I really enjoyed Memento (even though it certainly was mind twister), and reading the story ahead of time really gave the movie watching experience more depth and context.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Film Comparison
The two films I chose to watch for this assignment were the Artist and the Rink, which is a Charlie Chaplin film. These movies come from two entirely different eras, with the Artist winning several awards at the 2012 Academy Awards, and the Rink being released in 1916. First off, the era in which each film was shot is the greatest differing factor. Within this there lie many a bevy of changes, one of the most remarkable are the cameras used. The cameras used in the Charlie Chaplin movies are very much grainier and less defined, as is expected of equipment used when film was still being pioneered. The black and whites of more recent films just look so much polished and refined. Another quality issue is the fact that the audio is incredibly rough and coarse, with microphones still not being properly developed at the time.
Another major difference between the two is the type of camera cuts and techniques used between the two. The Artist generally employed more elegant cuts, with panning and dollying used to create better perspectives. The Rink used more staging shots, with the camera set at one angle and kept their for a length of time while the actors acted out in front of it. The Rink also used mainly jump cuts without transitions really because video editing tools and knowledge had evolved quite yet.
There were two main similarities I noticed were the music choices and the type of acting in each. Each consisted of your typical thought for silent films, and since the Artist focused on the relationship between the main man and a young dancer. The Charlie Chaplin film was a comedy that used similar upbeat, time-period music. The acting styles were also slightly over dramatized in my opinion, which was probably necessary as it is a silent film. Facial reactions were rather drawn out and emphasized in both films.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Short Story: Memento
I read the short story Memento Mori by Jonathan Nolan. I came up with five visual elements to emphasize if I was directing the film adaptation. First of all, I think I would make sure that color scheme was very muted for the most of the movie. Dull greys, whites, and blues would be the norm for the filming of it. Not only does that convey the overall tone of the short story I felt, but you could also have sharp contrast with things such as the cigarette lighter or alarm clock that would make them really stand out in the midst of the movie. Secondly, I would emphasize the alarm clock. You could make quick, startling cuts to it right as its ringing to bring some excitement into the movie. Next would be the pictures that are continually mentioned in the movie. These are visuals that would be very important to emphasize as they are important in the story as well. You could do all sorts of crane techniques to bring them reveal them or bring them into frame, as well as having some interior framing shots. Another thing to spotlight during the movie would be the visuals going on while the internal dialogue is happening. It’s important to strike the right balance between having shots that engage the audience but don’t totally distract for the voiceover going and plot that’s going on. And with so much of it in this short story, it is an element that I would certainly spend a lot of time on and plan out well. Lastly, I think the signs that appear all throughout the movie would be essential to focus on. You could so really awesome framing with the signs, and also some cuts between them too. Present them in a way that impacts the audience and conveys the import of the signs.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Photo Essay Production
To create my photo essay, I meandered around the streets of Washington, DC one Friday afternoon, as well as using a few pictures I had shot earlier in the semester. It was great practice being able to take time to play with the manual settings on my DSLR camera. Taking a day to do these things also gave me time to set up my shots for the most part, and take a lot of photos to see what worked and what didn’t. Being able to review photos on the spot with a DSLR is a huge blessing.
One of things I didn’t really do and wish I had was to do some simple editing. I feel like had I done a little work with the contrast, brightness, shadows, and highlights, I could’ve more accurately replicated the scene that I saw in front of me and attempted to capture with a camera lens. Not to manipulate or massively alter the picture, but to make the colors pop a bit more, and add some vibrancy to the shots.
Another thing I also learned was how to properly catalog pictures. It seems like a very menial thing, but is a tool that can make the entire process much more efficient. I explored the different import options to sort by date taken, date uploaded, etc. And how important organization is to keeping different takes of the same subject.
All in all, I really felt like this was a good introduction into taking photographs with a purpose, and then being able to discern which pictures mean the most to you and picking those into a set of ten or so.
Film Idea
Our group's idea involves following the journey and adventure of a ball simply rolling around various areas nearby campus and filming various reactions to the ball. The ball could simply be simply enjoying going around campus. The film could end with our quote, which ties back into the carefree and happy nature of the ball. I feel like this would work well with the type of music associated the silent film genre as well.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Anaylsis of My Own Photograph
Out of my own set of ten pictures, I had to choose one to analyze. The one I chose was taken at the National Gallery of Art, and is composed of a large painting with man sitting on a low couch in front of it.
The first major design element found is the contrast in the picture. Both the wall paneling and the painting itself are made of warm browns and reds. The couch and the man sitting on it are both a dark blue however, providing some difference in the tones of the photograph. With the smaller amount of blue however, it really makes that section of the picture stand out, and you wonder what is causing the difference. That leads you to see the man on the couch, and ponder what exactly he is doing there.
Secondly, the structure of the photograph is very important. Both the couch and the painting are located in the center. Approximately the same length, they create a geometric form in the middle of the picture, one that really helps to organize the photograph for the audiences' eyes.
Lastly, the photograph showcases more than one implied texture. There is the cloth and fabric of the man's suit as well as the couch, and they are grouped together. You can clearly tell that the couch is covered by some sort of fabric. Next is the warm wood paneling. The setting and sight showcase how the would be incredibly smooth and flat. And third of all is the painting itself. With the knowledge and understanding that people have of paintings, there is an understanding of what the texture of a piece of art is.
Pulitzer Prize Photo Analysis
The piece I chose to analyze was a photograph by Carol Guzy, who in 2000 visited an Albanian refugee camp. One of the most important factors in this picture are the colors. The infant in the picture is clothed in a vibrant blue that instantly draws the attention of the eye to the baby. The blue of the clothing serves as a good bridge between the more muted blues of the skies and mountains, but at the same time also creates great contrast between the child’s clothing and the tan ground in the background.
Another fascinating feature is the humanity that comes through the picture when the audience looks at the different faces in the frame. Of particular interest are the baby’s face and the girl who his receiving the child on the other side of the fence. The child’s face shows such innocent feelings like bewilderment and also a bit of amusement I think. He does not understand the gravitas of situation at hand, and seems to be slightly enjoying being lifted up in the air. Conversely, the young woman on the right hand side of the picture has a face of anguish. She seems old enough to be cognizant of what is happening, but young enough to feel the helplessness that permeates the situation that she is in. The framing of the picture is brilliantly done by the photographer, capturing both the act and the faces.
Lastly, the crossing of diagonal lines create a sense of motion. They also give strength to the picture as well, by being lines, and also by the simple fact that they are barbed wire. That in itself conveys more about the setting and scenario than anything else in the picture. Without the barbed wire, it would be hard to understand that they are refugees trying to escape from a war zone. These lines are a vital part of the picture.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Advertisement Analysis
The ad I chose to use was one for Crystal Cruises. This advertisement really caught my eye for several important reasons. The first of which is the medium through which it is being portrayed. It appears to be champagne, which indicates a luxurious and important lifestyle, but of more importance to me is how they shaped the liquid. I’m fascinated by the capture of liquids and droplets in motion, so it definitely made me stare at the page in detail to really examine it. With the liquid shaped into two opposing horses, it made me look at the rest of the page to understand what the symbol meant and represented.
Secondly, the colors and contrast really made the subject of the image pop off the page. The background was a black fading into dark blue as you approached the center, and the difference between that and the white and clear liquid really made it stand out. In addition to that, the symmetry of the image lends the picture to be very organized, and it leads the eye to where the designer wanted it to go, the logo.
This leads into the third thing that makes this advertisement great, the understatement and simplicity of the logo of the company that commissioned the ad. It has the perfect elegance to go along with the rest of the image, and you end up reading about it without it being massive in size, quite to the contrary it is quite small. All of these reasons put together are what made this ad one that seriously grabbed my attention and gave me pause to look over the entirety of it before moving on.
