(✿◠‿◠) (◡‿◡✿) (◕‿◕✿) BAE (✿◠‿◠) (◡‿◡✿) (◕‿◕✿)

The Bae 2 - Baesed from Vincent Briffa on Vimeo.
A story of love, or is it? Baesed.

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In the film A Serious Man, the scene I feel exemplifies when editing makes a significant contribution tot he storytelling and feel of the piece is the Hebrew school scene juxtaposed with the examination table scene. Through the monotonous voice of the Hebrew school teacher, we get a feeling of being trapped, bored and anxious. While the scene in the Doctor's office is also an anxious one, it is of new feelings, cold sterile sounds and breaking the daily routine. The scenes work well together on that level.

Shots are organized in a way that links these two scenes in a coherent way, zooming in on Danny Gopnik's ear with a headphone inserted as segway into Larry Gopnik's ear being examined. Close up shots followed by close up shots make this a natural sequence to watch despite the different subject matter.

The scenes take you into each character's personal space, except for the teacher and the doctor, because those are two characters you are not supposed to be able to relate to, nor know much about. The camera focuses on the faces of those enduring the teaching or medical examination.The shots are fairly quick and show an anxious darting around of the eye, as if to follow where the character you're connected to is looking, and allows you to see the world through their eyes to some extent.

Only when Danny's music disrupts the class is this trance-like monotony broken as the other students roar and bang on their desks. Comic relief after a scene that takes everyone back to a point where they could relate to counting the minutes down in a boring class. The cuts are seamless and natural. (After watching this scene repeatedly, they are obvious as I see them coming.) The rhythm is smooth and the colors place one in the two different locations presented. The dark, cooler tones of the Doctor's office contrasts with the obvious 1960's motif of the classroom and all of its plaid and warm toned students.

This approach to editing does exactly what the directors wanted, to contrast what father and son are up to at a given point in time, and to point out the similarities and differences. It comes across pretty obviously during a casual watching of the film, but as I looked more in depth, I learned much more about the sequence than I ever thought possible.

*:･ﾟ✧ ♥♡projects 1 & 2 ♡♥ ✧･ﾟ: *

Define a Space: The Library from Lara Berlyne on Vimeo.

Museum Trip

I was very excited to go to the Museum of Moving Image, and was surprised many of my fellow media majors haven't been there before (as I used to spend every Friday night of my seventh grade year there.)  The demonstrations were an interesting aspect of the museum I had not experienced, always being my own tour guide through the Gumby exhibit of 2006. My favorite demonstration was how sound effected a particular movie scene. They showed the same clip with different soundtracks over it, and we had to guess which the original score was. Although sound was taught in lecture, I hadn't realized how because of our quick association with moving images and sound, different music made the same clips take on a whole new mood and meaning.

What I discovered about media production was the extent to which realism could be achieved through puppets in the years before computer animation was digitally inserted into live action films. The Freddy Kruger Sweater being extremely oversized for the purpose of a closeup shot was something I found to be very interesting. I realized that the vintage movie magic wasn't just a facade, but was calculated enough so the props themselves were majestic even when taken out of the films for which they were created. 

How we experience moving images is very different than the movie industry's humble beginnings. For immigrants, the movies were a way to get air conditioning in the hot summer days, and take working class families out of the misery of their lives, into something fantastical. Today, we are bombarded with images, and access to television from any and every device. The format of movies have to use better technology to get us to leave the house and spend money because we are spoiled with our access to moving images. 

The 3D phenomenon and IMAX is a way of using new technology to lure people away from their laptops, phones, and iPads in exchange for something they can't see at home. 
The new digital animations are making the puppets a thing of the past. And while it is amazing what a computer can conjure, it isn't the same feeling as the live action puppet, there is something inauthentic about it.

Overall, I enjoyed our trip to the museum, I always feel like I learn something new whenever I go, and their new exhibits never fail to amaze.

Sound Walk

In our commutes or just walking alone in the city streets, we often plug our ears with headphones and block out the sounds around us. Removing the headphones for one day was literally an “ear” opening experience.

I was able to notice that sound, along with what we see influences an area and time of day. Going through a day paying such close attention to sound made me realize I would be able to tell where I am based on sounds that I am familiar with.

 The sounds of the early morning street were tired and dull, the clicking of shoes on the sidewalks, the jingling of dog leashes, and the sound of incoming traffic.

The train sounds were different, being able to catch the ghetto rap music blasting into someone else’s plugged ears mixed with the rattling of the train and the announcer’s robotic and predictable announcement of the stops. The usual children screaming, but that goes without saying.

In school catching conversations between those who have made friends at Hunter was common, as was the impatient clicking of someone pretending to text as they sat alone and bewildered. The humming of the (working!) escalators is especially soothing. The sound of people typing, especially slamming on their space bar are to be expected in school, as well as rustling papers . The finger tapping my deadbeat study partner produces on his knee is expected.

At work (American Apparel) the sounds are of walkie talkie voices screeching are irritating (what’s even worse is when the walkie talkies don’t reply to my screeching) Predictably the same speech given at the cash register “Are you familiar with our return policy?” More recently, the blasting of Halloween themed music , and the sound of paper crumpling. During quiet hours, the sound of footsteps and some hanger movement were noted. My least favorite sounds from my store are the beeping of the magnetic sensors, and the frantic ringing of the phone, both are more terrifying than any pretend retail holiday…period. My favorite work sounds are the soft pumping of the steamer downstairs, as well as my friends and coworkers calling my name to tell me the latest gossip. The sound of chocolate being dumped into the caldron at the front of the store could not have possibly made me happier.

Artist Statement Draft

Each day we are bombarded with moving images, telling us what to buy, what to think and how to feel. I wouldn't exactly consider myself an artist, I work with words rather than images, and while I was trained in the Adobe family of applications this past semester, I never worked in depth with film. 

I love to draw in the margins of my notebooks, dizzying patterns that extend to an entire page making it very difficult to read the notes I have taken on any given day. I am  driven by fashion, I started by simply sketching outfits and cartoonish models as long as I can remember. I always made works that were criticized for being "too busy" however that is reflective of our world where this is no focal point. No indicator of path ,nor showcase of what matters.

Now I love helping direct photoshoots for Hunter's Cult. Magazine. I do these things because I find pleasure in it. Collaborating with friends or just letting my mind wander with a pen in my hand always brings me comfort. 

I am inspired by my friends who are film majors and they have helped me a lot in executing short film ideas that I could have never done alone. They helped me appreciate just how much work goes into making a piece of moving media.

My inspirations have also come from watching loads of vintage movies and cult classics. My favorites I have recently watched were The Graduate, Blue Lagoon and Donnie Darko. I love how music in these films emphasized their themes. In the cases of The Graduate and Donnie Darko lyrics even speak to the audience about the action taking place within the films.

This semester I hope to be able to tackle and fully understand the processes involved in creating works of film I can be proud of.