Project 3: Money On My Mind

       

     Our location is at the theatre and the basement of Hunter College. In our video, the actor can be seen fervently chasing after a one hundred dollar bill. Inside the theatre, the bill takes on mischievous character traits and it can be seen hiding where the actor cannot see it. When the actor finally finds the $100, he realizes to his dismay that it is actually a $1 bill. The video concludes with a sad and dejected actor.

            I came up with the idea for a comical money chase scene. We shot the footage on two separate days; we were not aware that our footage during the first day was not adequate to maintain continuity. We experienced many difficulties during the shooting phase because of issues with time, space and lighting; inside the theatre we had to use ISO 3200 but we still had insufficient lighting. We came and met together to edit our videos numerous times whilst enduring many hours of frustration. In the production phase of our video, we encountered numerous obstacles. We were riddled with encoding issues, USB size issues, horrible rendering problems, different versions of final cut pro, non-existent internet connection, and limited hours of the media lab. In the midst of this agonizing situation, we are thankful for Flonia’s assistance and helpful pointers in regards to our video. We hope that you appreciate the time and energy we have inserted into this video and enjoy its contents.

Blog 4

00:40-3:05 (Click here to see scene)

I’m analyzing the beginning scene of the film “The Maze Runner”. The overall feeling conveyed is a sense of disorientation and fear. This is established through the way the scenes are shot and the sound that is used to match these scenes. The first scene is very dark and it is hard to see the images. When Thomas appears on screen he is shown vomiting. The buzz from the fluorescent lights and rustic screeching of the elevator projects an eerie feeling. The use of red and green lights also supports this eeriness. When the elevator finally stops, the absence of light emphasizes the heavy breathing of Thomas. The audience is left wondering: what will happen next? The darkness in this shot contrasts with a blinding light in the next shot. This works well because Thomas feels disoriented and scared.

The editing matches what is seen on the screen. The elevator is travels up and when Thomas first sees the other characters they are looking down on him. This scene further reinforces the fear in Thomas because we don’t know whether these characters are friend or foe. Gally jumps down into the elevator and the sudden close up of his face as he hovers over Thomas makes it seem as if he would harm Thomas. In the next scene, Thomas is thrown on the ground. The camera which shows his p.o.v, pans quickly across the people above him. This works well because they are laughing at him and it reinforces the confusion that Thomas feels.

The disorientation Thomas feels escalates and it prompts him to run away from these people. This is shot very well because the camera also moves very fast to follow the fast speed at which Thomas is running. The close up of his face is followed by the blur of his legs as he runs. In addition, Thomas occupies the left of the screen and the concept of lead room is illustrated here. Lead room is properly used because no one chases after Thomas as he runs away. When Thomas falls, the sound changes from heavy breathing to a quieter sound. The camera shows Thomas’ continued reaction of fear—he realizes that he is enclosed by looming walls. The camera does a 360 to show Thomas’ reaction as he absorbs this knowledge and also to show the audience the image of these walls. The sound of drums can be heard during this scene to provide a climatic effect. Overall, the editing of the scenes and the use of sound worked well together.

Extra Credit: Jogo de Cena

                The film is based on the interesting stories of women. Various women were interviewed and their real stories were retold by actresses. So the women we see onscreen are actresses telling us the stories of the original women who were interviewed. I didn’t realize that the women I saw were actually actresses until the Q&A section and my mind was blown away. This explained why some of the women mentioned acting. In addition, it explained why their narratives were so vivid and spoken without filler words—even when I was telling my own personal narrative for the audio project I used filler words.

                The use of actresses to retell these stories prompted the question of: who owns the story? Is it the woman who originally told the story? Or is it the actress who added emotions and her own details to the story? There are also degrees of deceptive practice present. I was getting teary-eyed listening to the actress tell the story of how her son died and her ensuing erratic behavior. It made me wonder: would I still have had the same response if this was told by the original owner of the story?

I felt that this film probes us to think about the varying levels of authenticity. Edward Coutinho had the film show the actresses climbing up the stairs to reach the stage where they were being interviewed. In this sense, he was attempting to recreate the audition environment. The actresses also paused during the interview to give off the illusion that they are recollecting from their own memories. The actresses' acting profession also leaks into the narrative; one actress identified herself as a honest liar and another one revealed that she keeps a Japanese crystal in her pocket to simulate tears during crying scenes. 

I thought the editing and compilation of the film worked very well. One woman would mention the 'crowded' stage and another would mention that she was nervous being in front of the stage. The themes that linked the women together were struggles of motherhood, fears associated with pregnancy, troubled relationships with their fathers, coping with loss and aspirations of the future. The pairing up of stories together made the film very cohesive. It also showed that these stories could belong to any one because the themes of motherhood, pregnancy, etc. that are explored are very typical of being a woman—the only thing that differed between the stories were the turn of events. Regardless of what parts of the stories were real, they were very emotionally moving and I found the entirety of the film enjoyable to watch.

Blog 3: MOMI Trip

This was my first time going to MOMI, so it was a very interesting experience. The display that fascinated me the most was the one that had a drop of water changing into a bomb, paper and then into a paper airplane. I can see the allure that devices similar to this had for people in the era prior to film. It was also pretty cool to see devices such as the zoetrope in person since it was discussed in lecture.

I also enjoyed the ADR room because I was able to experiment with dubbing. I watch dramas that are dubbed and I was able to see first-hand what this process looks like. I imagine it is probably more difficult to dub in a different language because the finished product is nowhere near as smooth as dubbing in the original language. I have also watched Babe when I was younger and through the ADR room I was able to experience being a part of the film.

The museum also had other various points of interest. I don’t really watch any sports on TV and it was crazy how much work goes into editing a live game. There are so many cameras and the director is constantly switching the cameras being shown. I also saw how film producers work hard at creating an illusion. There is a lot of improvising in order to create the desired effect. For example, the Tyrell Corporation in the “Blade Runner” was just a large sculpture filmed at various angles to give off the illusion of a skyscraper; and the souls seen coming out of Freddy Krueger was just played by people moving around in an extremely large sweater. It was also very interesting to see the improvements that have been made on the television. The televisions of the past just look like big, clunky washing machines. In the future, televisions would probably look like devices from a sci-fi film and the TVs of our era would be the ones that future generations would see in museums.

Audio Project: Trials and Tribulations

https://soundcloud.com/user380557630/trials-and-tribulations/s-6HYKD

Soundwalk at Union Square Park

            I went to Union Square Park at 5pm on a Friday. I chose this location because it is conveniently located and because it is a hub for many people to gather. I walked around the park a few times and sat down on the benches to listen carefully to the sounds in this environment. 

            Union Square Park is known for having various performers show off their talent in order to get money. The sound signals were hip hop music blaring through a boom box and the roar of applause that came from the crowd. Another sound signal was the sounds of the gong, tambourine, drum and bell that came from a religious group that performed for donations.  

            Union Square Park contained a lot of keynotes. There was the: clicking of boots on the cobblestone, stroller and garbage can wheels rolling against the ground, the soft sound of paws making contact with the pavement, the crunch of fallen autumn leaves, the wind blowing, fading conversations of people walking past, cars whooshing by, the abrupt short stopping of skateboards, giggles and laughter piercing the air, the blended mutter of multiple conversations, dogs barking, the slight sway of trees and the clanking of a bike chain. Stalls from the Farmer’s Market were also set up around the perimeter of the park. I could hear plastic bags crinkling as people walked by with their purchases. In addition, sounds signaled a different time of day. I heard the screeching of metals, the banging of tables and the rough friction of boxes being pushed on the floor as stall owners were preparing to pack up their wares for the day. 

            The sound that surprised me the most was the sound of sirens blaring. I am used to hearing this sound, but I did not expect to hear it so many times during my soundwalk. I wasn’t sure if it was because the park is a very big open space and this permitted for the sirens to be heard more easily or because it was Halloween and more incidents were occurring. This experience was very different from a regular stroll for me because I was opening up my ears to be more aware of my surroundings. I was actively listening for all sounds whether they ranged from the soft sound of a dog’s paw on the ground or the louder sound of car horns. The texture of sound varied depending on what location of the park I was at. Near the Farmer’s Market sounds were more muddled because there was a greater density of people. Their voices jumbled together and this created a lot of background noise; whereas in the interior of the park there was a greater stillness in the air because people were quietly sitting down which allowed me to make out the conversations of people near me. I realize that there are a rich variety of sounds that can come from the environment of Union Square Park.

Art Studio

Artistic Statement

I am a sociology major and I want to use media as an outlet to bring attention to the problems that are a constant source of threat to how we relate to other people. I remember when I first learned about sociology in a college setting and how unsettling it was for me to learn about the vested interest groups that play a role in maintaining the –isms, sexism, racism, etc. This was when I first began to develop a consciousness and the way I saw my world completely changed. Looking back, I feel naïve that I used to think of our society as picture perfect when this is not the case.

I believe we have a lot to learn from our daily interactions with people whom shape who we are. I am interested in expressing the issues that lurk in our social lives. These issues can be subtle such as microaggressions and may not be blatantly obvious. Microaggressions are social exchanges that occur when a person-- intentionally or unintentionally, belittles another person on the basis of their marginalized status. One encounter I witnessed at a coffee shop:

Barista: “Where are you from?”

Friend: “New Jersey.”

Barista: “No, where are your parents from?”

Friend: “New Jersey.”

Barista: “No, where are they actually from?”

Friend: “Like, what country are they from?”

Barista: “Yeah.”

Friend: “The Philippines.”

The barista had implied that because of the color of our skin, we were outsiders. Microaggressions, is just one societal issue that we have amongst others. By bringing these issues to the forefront through the use of media, I hope to provide a glimpse into the power structure of society—there are the haves and the have-nots and the haves want to ensure that inequality exists so the haves can maintain their privileged state. The power structure that is embedded in society divides us into groups and subgroups and creates a us vs. them mentality. Through my work in this class, I hope to show the subtle roles we play in maintaining the current structure of society. I want to express that in many instances we are both the oppressor and the oppressed and that none of us are truly free.