Blog Assignment #8

Tower Scene From Vertigo, by Alfred Hitchcock


     This scene from Vertigo demonstrates a battle between love and death.  The woman in the video has a choice of continuing to love the man, or end her life.  She ends up choosing death, because she knows that this love would never work. The theme that Alfred Hitchcock is trying to deliver, is that love is more complicated than what you feel.
     Contrast of space is vital to the feel ofVertigo.  When the main character is chasing the woman up the stairs in the bell tower, he looks down to see how high off up he is.  The camera shoots the ground with a fair amount of space between them, and the the camera pulls back.  This allows the audience to see what the protagonist sees. This is also a contrast and affinity, because it shows the contrast between normal vision and the protagonist's vision.  It shows affinity by doing this twice throughout the scene.
     Movement is also vital to this scene.  The characters are always in motion.  This constant motion creates great tension throughout the scene.  As the protagonist is acceding up the stairs, the music is playing in the background gradually increases in pitch.  This tension is then released when the girl umps off the tower to her death, and the music stops.
  

Blog Assignment #7

     These two images were taken from the animated sitcom The Simpsons.  Even though the images are taken from the same show, they tell different stories.  The animators use color and lighting to bring these images to life.
     Colors are used differently in both frames.  In the frame on the left, the hues are all dark and depressed.  This make the room seem less bright.  The colors are more saturated, and deep.  Every wall and object in the frame on the left are darker than the objects and walls in the frame on the right.  This creates a depressed tone for the frame on the left.  The only similarity between the two frames in relation to hugh and brightness, is Homer himself.  This is significant, because it shows that even though the characters are placed in dark and light environments, they remain the same as a person.  The frame on the left shows the Simpson kitchen in the dark.  These dark purple colors in the kitchen are drawn to show how secluded Homer is.  It subconsciously lets the audience feel lonely for Homer sitting on the couch.
     Lighting is also used in these frames to express symbolism and mood.  The image on the left is highly depressing, yet funny at the same time.  The whole room is dark, and the lights are all turned off.  The frame on the right that shows Homer with his whole family, is brightly lit.   The mood of the family portrait is one of joy and satisfaction.  The family is content with being together, and watching T.V.  This warmth is a symbol that remains throughout the entire Simpsons series.  The symbol is simply that things are brighter with the family.  Sure, the Simpsons have had their differences, but at the end of every episode, the family gets back together in a loving manner to enjoy each others company.  This is why the animators decided to put Homer in a dark room when he is alone.  They want the audience to know that he is lonely.  The camera is pulled back in the frame on the left as well.  This make Homer look even more secluded.
     The animators always have a purpose for every line that they draw.  This becomes more and more evident as the frames are studied.

Blog Assignment #6

      The opening shot is an extreme close up of the character "Cheddar" snorting cocaine off a cd through a straw.  This shot establishes the environment in which the scene will take place.  The director uses the opening shot in a crafty way.  This project was a great introduction for storyboarding.  Being able to draw each individual scene, helped me catch the different angles with ease.  It was interesting to notice small things that would otherwise go unseen.  The director knows exactly what he is doing with every camera position, and that is evident when viewing each shot separately.   The over the head view would not have been easy without carefully studying the camera positions of the previous frames.  By studying each frame, one can figure where the others are located in the room.  The director did a great job of establishing a 180 degree line between the characters, and did not break the line once.  He also did a good job of moving the camera 30 degrees or more within the scene.  He never broke the 30% rule either, always zooming in or out 30% or more for the next shot.
     Director Ben Affleck is an outstanding director, and he allows his brother Casey Affleck to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in "Gone Baby Gone."  Ben stays professional throughout the entire sequence, and does not break any of the traditional rules of shooting.  The camera faces upwards when facing the character Cheddar, to show that he is a man of great power in that area.  The camera uses this technique again when filming the two protagonists of the film.  He tilts the camera down to make them appear weak and venerable.  "Gone Baby Gone" is a great film, shot by a professional director, and it shows throughout the whole movie.

Blog Assignment #5

1 original, and 1 cover.

SONG: God's Gonna Cut You Down

Version #1 Johnny Cash-  God's Gonna Cut You Down
Version #2 Sean Michel-  God's Gonna Cut You Down

ESSAY:

     I chose to discuss the song titled "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash.  I chose this song, because I absolutely love the cover that Sean Michel does.
     Since I decided to choose a song and its' cover, the lyrics are the same.  The only difference in wording that I found, was that Sean Michel uses his first name in the song instead of "John" which is how Johnny Cash wrote it.
     The melody was similar as well, but it did have some noticeable differences.  Johnny Cash drew out the song very slowly, while Sean Sped thing up. The pitch was very low for Johnny's version, but much higher for Sean.  Sean used his fingers to snap the rhythm, while Johnny has people clapping in his.  The clapping was louder and much more intense than the sound of the snapping.  Johnny's voice is very pure and organized.  He dies not use riffs, and is straight to the point.  Sean is quite the opposite.  His version was shaky and had riffs.  This difference made Johnny's version seem much more organized, and Sean's version sounds more random and tonal.  Both versions are amazing, and the differences create a different, yet enjoyable listening experience.
     This project opened my eyes, and allowed me to respect the differences in these two versions.  I must say that I find Sean's versions to be more enjoyable, but both are great.  This project also helped me understand how music can be manipulated over time.  Johnny wrote that song many years ago, and Sean covered it only a few years ago.  Sean modernized the song by making it more upbeat and fun.  He wanted to appeal to a larger audience, so he had to change the tempo.

South America Class Project

Stikz Star Wars

Blog Assignment #4

Scene from the movie, Gone Baby Gone

Directed by: Ben Affleck

brief critique 

  

The scene in that I have chosen is very quiet and it allows for a tense situation.  Just like the scene from The Godfather this scene uses the lack of noise to make everything to sound louder.  The speed and loudness of this scene are both low.  It is not a loud scene, and it is also very slow paced.  This creates tension, which is appropriate for the situation.  The tonal center of this scene is one of frustration and tension.  The characters have a lot on the line in this sequence.  The listening mode is highly referential, and not casual at all.  If the audience is not listening intently, they will miss the tone, and the point of the scene.  Gone Baby Gone is a very intense action-thriller, and it requires a very intent audience.  The emotion of the movie will not be caught if someone were just watching casually with a bunch of friends.  

Assignment #3

      As a student, I feel inquired to do the assignment for this blog.  As a lazy person, and a procrastinator, I have decided to explain how this project is in fact pointless.  Students are distracted now more than ever by the rapid growth of media accessibility.  The chances of a student actually sitting down to read a article are immensely slim.  I started reading with the intention of doing the assignment, but soon found it to be much to trying.  I am too tempted to get on facebook and talk to friends, or go on youtube.  It makes it even more of a struggle when the assignment requires you to go onto the internet to read.  I feel less distracted at a zoo than I do on the internet.  This is why procrastination runs so high in students today.  There are simply way to many distractions for students.  The best exercises are the ones that use the internet to their advantage.  If our project was to watch a video on yourube and write an analysis on that, then I feel like the chances of a student actually participating in the assignment would increase.  It is nearly impossible to stay focused in this day and age.  The after reading the article, I do not feel any more educated towards my degree.  It would be more educational to watch a movie that was nominated for best sound production at the oscars.  That would teach us to listen and learn from others work, which is what all the best people in the film industry do.  They all study each others work.  Reading an article about how to "reinvent ourselves," may sound like a good idea, but the truth is that the message simply does not transfer over in an article like it does on a video format.  As of now I am typing this response while one of my roommates is playing a video game, and the other is listening to music on his laptop.  Focus is hard to come across, and silence is even more rare.  Reading that article did not help me become a more creative person by any means.  If anything, it made me feel as if I waisted my time.  I enjoy many articles, but not when I am required to poor all my focus into it.  Its sad, but the truth.  Not just for me, but for most teenagers today.

Blog Assignment #2

Finding Your Howl



The short story, "Finding Your Howl" by Jonathon Flaum is about the last surviving red wolfs in the wild in 1970.  These wolfs were held in captivity in order to protect them.  The captives offspring were released back into the wild, but they had lost the ability to howl. Without this important way of communicating, the wolfs could not collectively hunt.  One wolf named Mumon decides to leave the pack to find the ability to howl again.  After meeting a few helpful characters on his journey, he realizes that the ability to howl was within him the  whole time. 




What influences me? 


        RED: [narrating] I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free. 


This is some of the most beautiful writing that I have heard spoken in a movie.  In 1994, the movie The Shawshank Redemption came out, and blew audiences away.  This film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, spoke truths about freedom, and what it really feels like to become "institutionalized."  To this day, The Shawshank Redemption is one of the most beloved films of all time among critics and general film fans alike.  This quote represents just how when humans are striped down to nothing, something so minor as the sound of music, can move the cold hearts of the prisoners.  I have no idea what it is like to be in a prison.  Hopefully I will never have to experience that.  I do know however, that if people can be that moved by "two Italian ladies" it means that they have lost a lot.  I excites me that films are still able to touch people.  To me, dialogue is the most important thing in a movie.  This is why I don't find movies like Transformers all that entertaining.  In the film, red has been in prison for nearly 40 years, and him stating that he feels free because of the music is quite amazing.  
     A big theme that this movie deals with is the idea of being institutionalized.  This is when someone is part of a system for so long, that when they are given freedom from their routine, they don't know how to handle it.  One of the characters in The Shawshank Redemption, named Brooks, finally got released from prison after being there for over fifty years.  Prison was his home, and it was what he knew.  When he was finally let go, there was now way for him to cope with the new world.  Social life had changed so much in fifty years, and he simply could not fit in.  Brooks ended up killing himself in his apartment.  Freedom seems like such an inevitable thing for the prisoners of shawshank.  Most just have to acept the fact that they are never getting out.  So from Brooks, he was more than willing to stay in shawshank if he could.  Music was not allowed in the prison, so when Red heard it playing on the loud speakers thanks to his fellow inmate, Andy Dufresne, who played the music from the warden's office.  Andy got a hefty beating after such behavior, but that didn't matter.  It was worth it to have his friends feel so free after such a long time.  
     The reason this speaks to my creative side is because, it motivates me to not settle for simple and lazy material.  The dialogue in Shawshank is outstanding, and it is the major element that lets this movie shine.  Dialogue is something that is seriously lacking in films today.  The film industry needs to step it up and start producing material that is worth viewing, especially with ticket prices being as high as they are.  This motivates me to want to write for films.

Blog Assignment #1

HERO

Character Name: Mountain Man

COLOR:

Mountain Man is a proud man of the hills.  He was born a native to the land, and these colors represent his tribe.  His hart is always in the right place, and he has good intentions.  The orange represents the dust of the ground where his ancestors have lived for many years.  The yellow represents his future as a mountain man. He has a bright future, and a destiny.  The brown stands for his dark past.  He had many struggles as a young native boy with the cowboys trying to take over his family’s land.  This is the reason he has gone to the mountains to search for some answers.  The green represents his quest, and his journey to greener lands.  The grass is always greener on the other side.  

SHAPE:

The shape here is a butte. On mountain Man’s journey, he comes across a butte that he feels he must climb.  This is a large struggle for Mountain Main, but his manages to get to the top.  The structure is strong, tall, and sturdy, with represents himself.  Mountain Man is a very tall and brave man who is not easily knocked down.  There is a small break in the structure, and a piece of the butte seams to of departed from the rest of it. This represents Mountain Man’s departure from the rest of his tribe.

LIGHT: 

This rising sun represents his rising in society.  He has finally made the hard decision to leave his friends and family, and now he has a very important task, to find a way to take out the cowboys.  Like the sun always rises and sets, Mountain Man will not stop until he finds the answers he is looking for.  The light is not too bright, representing how Mountain Man’s mood is not too high, because he is worrying about his family that he had to leave. 

VILLAIN

Character Name: Shooter Rusty

COLOR:

The cowboy known as Shooter Rusty, is a blood thirsty killer.  Whenever he enters a town or a village, the sky turns blood red. This red represents his harsh, ruthless, murderous attitude.  He has not problem with going into a village and killing everyone in the town.   Red represents pure evil. Shooter Rusty is notorious for murdering Native Americans.  He often attacks Mountain Man’s village, and has killed many of the Indians there.  

SHAPE:

The shape of the tombstone represents the many men who are dead because of Shooter Rusty.  He kills many men, but would never lay hand on a woman or child. The classic tombstone model also represents Shooter Rusty’s old fashioned shooting ways.  He is not innovative in his killings, instead he just shoots people in cold blood. Shooter also comes from a scarred background.  His parents were murdered by a corrupt sherif when he was a young boy.  At the age of Seven he left home and found an abandoned  ranch where he raised himself.   

LIGHT:  

Whenever Shooter Rusty goes out to kill, he will come to a town at dusk, and not leave till midnight.  Was because his parents were killed at dusk, and he did not find thee ranch till midnight that same day.   He obviously has a lot of problems in his life, and he uses murder as a way of coping with his despair.  He enjoys killing indians because he believes them to be a menace to society.  He has a vary dark soul, because of his past, and the lighting in this picture represents that.

Media 203 Class Assignment - My Favorite Superhero

What makes a superhero super? That is the first question I look at when making the rational decision to pick my favorite superhero.  Peter Parker is your average high school dweeb.  Nothing special or super about him on the surface, but hidden beneath this facade is a clever and confident hero we all know as the Amazing Spiderman.  I remember when I was a clowning seven year old child. running around in a Spiderman costume that my Grandmother made for me.  When I put on that costume, I somehow felt like I was invincible, and would test that theory out by diving down stairs, or jumping off the dining room table.  Peter Parker is a character that lots of guys my age can relate to, and I believe that is the key to his comic success.