Storyboard Imitation...

         

         

          

        For this blog I again pulled from the tremendously well done film Death on the Nile, based on Agatha Christies amazing novel of the same name. This was a very simplistic storyboard, but abided by all of the three rules of directing a scene, which are the Rule of Thirds, the 30 Degree Rule, and the 180 Degree Rule.

The Rule of 30 Degrees was used seamlessly in the shots between the children and the Doyle couple. These cuts allowed the intensity of the scene to plow forward with the same pattern that any one would expect from a Christie novel, therefore solidifying the story line. Who would have thought that these cuts would advance the story as such?

Secondly, the Rule of Thirds was just as brilliantly filmed. Your subconscious attention is pulled always to the sight of the Doyle couple as opposed to the children (one exception would be the 2s MS of the boys before the statue falls). This is done because of the natural height of the two adult actors towering over the younger ones and residing in the upper quadrant of the screen. The upper quadrant is where viewers subconsciously look for the first time on screen. I believe that the director of this scene did this intentionally, creating a dynamic shot without that much effort. 

Finally the 180 Degree Rule was not broken at all. Every single shot filmed (even the shot of the statue falling) was done on the same one hundred and eighty degree arc. I find that following the 180 Degree Rule can be a rather tedious and annoying task (if it was up to me, I’d cut the film all over the place) but I give credit where it is due to the director of this movie. Very few artists can do what he has done with just a few simplistic shots.

Scene Deconstruction... a more expensive version of Animated Deconstruction

The clip I chose is again from the Bohemian Revolution movie classic Moulin Rouge! This movie has a plethora of dramatic and darker themes. The film itself revolves around the “gentleman’s club” called the Moulin Rouge which sits in the early 1900’s in a suburb of Paris, France (the city of love). The film revolves mainly around the aspect of love, and a few sub themes of jealousy, anger and confusion. These themes are all given actively, since many times in the film it is stated out flatly. 

The scene in which I posted is when the protagonist has his first visit to the Moulin Rouge. 

The first topic I would like to elaborate on this clip would be the lines in the film. This film does a remarkable job as subtly constructing subconscious lines. An example of this would be the framing of the Can-can dancers in one of the opening shots of their song. This subconscious framing allows the mind to in a way idolize and put these women, essentially prostitutes, into an untouchable frame if mind. Another use of the line element, and this can be debated whether its conscious or subconscious, would be the organization of the male “customers.” The forming of these lines alludes to a much larger crowd, when in reality the size is not that immense. Again this is debatable wether you notice or not. 

The second, and final topic that is noticeable in this scene would be the rhythm of the scene. The spastic and random film cuts (although they are breaking the 180 Degree Rule countless times) is in my mind a beautiful piece work of editing. The success of this editing may lay in the supreme contrast of colors between the workers of  the Moulin Rouge (bright, vibrant, almost sickening in a way) and then the contrast of the “clients” ( mainly, a dark suit, dark tie, and bright white shirt). Overall the theme of loved tied with the random cinematography and subconscious lines creates a stellar and  overall amazing production. 

Animation Deconstruction...

For this animation deconstruction I chose two animation stills from two Disney classics, The Sword and the Stone, and The Princess and the Frog. I chose these clips specifically for the reason that the colors, even though they are the same, convey two totally different emotions from the body. The hues used in both of the stills are all consistent variated hues of pink, green and blue. However in the Sword and the Stone still the main characters are the main representations of the pink and blues (the shades of pink characterizing the villains edginess and madness, while the blue symbolizes the protagonists calming motif). On the contrast the colors of blue and pink in the Princess and the Frog still are melded together in different ways to symbolize love. The hues are not as crisp and distinct as they were in the Sword and the Stone still, therefore creating a calmer effect. The backgrounds in both stills are a consistent dark, lowly saturated, green. This creates a sense of uneasiness in the Sword and the Stone still due to the vibrant brightness of the characters colors, while in The Princess and the Frog the green in the background is a somewhat cooler effect directing the focus of the picture towards the dancing frog couple. 

The lighting of the different stills is not as similar as the color was between them. For starters the Sword in the Stone still shows no significant amount of shadows or mood with the two characters. The background on the other hand shows more of a darker and sinister tone which alludes to the fact that something is about the happen, which creates and anxious ambience or mood. Now if we focus on the Princess and the Frog still, we see that the lighting is far more important. The shadows are more prominent and add much more depth to the picture. As exampled by the dancing frogs on the lily pad, the lily pad is brought out into an almost third dimension through the use of shadows. The mood of this still, through the lighting, exemplifies and symbolizes the love and passion between these two amphibian lovers. Over all, the differences between the two stills is similar, yet oh so different.

Blog #5... Sound Deconstruction

For this blogging assignment I chose to compare and contrast the Queen hits song “The Show Must Go On” to the cover version the hit film “Moulin Rouge” did as well. To start off the two versions of the song are overall spectacular! The lyrics of the song create an underlying sense of tenacity and hope, but over all a message that says that no matter what the odds you must “go on with the show.” In the original and movie version, you can tell the song means more than just a stage performance, but means to go on with your very life. 

The melody of the first piece had a driven and continuous feel to the whole song. One could also say that it was very monotonous and set in its ways. This was accredited to the fact that it was a simple yet intense melodic tune. The simplicity of the notes I feel added great panache to the song, and highlighted the sung vocals. On the other hand, the cover version added a lot more melodic accompaniment to this song which created a more intense version of the song. This added a far more dramatic feel to the song, which I believe was what the composer was going for when he adapted this song to the screen. 

The musical quality of the original song was very simplistic. The pitch was not that high also resulting in a medium tempo song. The rhythm of the song was steady throughout the entire piece, being kept steady by the simplistic synthesizer beats (which I believe were a very important part to the song). The depth of the original song was shallow instrumentally, but lyrically it was a tour de force of emotion. The vocals carry this song. The “Moulin Rouge” version on the other hand, kept the same vocal power but added much more intensity and depth through the addition of operatic back up vocals and the inclusion of a concert orchestral piece. 

If I were to choose which version I preferred more, I would have to say the intensity and arrangement of the Moulin Rouge version was much more emotional and therefore got more of an response out of me. Although its hard to compare this version to the original lyrical triumph.

iMove Test...

Custom Animation

Sound in Film...

 

In this scene from the film based of the classic Agatha Christie novel "Death on the Nile" many audio topics are heard throughout the piece. Two of the most prominent aspects would be the Space of the sound and the Listening Modes used. This clip uses the eagle cries, cicada chirps to create a large, vast open area in which the characters converse in. While also when the boulder falls, the trill of the background music adds a sense of direction. The direction being down because of the lofty position of the boulder. While the Space of the clip is portrayed quite well, the Listening modes is as well. The clip used many experiences of Casual sounds which are literal things we hear in life ( in example: footsteps, hawk cries, children babbling etc). Also the clip uses a fair amount of Semantic sound, otherwise known as representational sound. An example of this type of sound would be the background music in the clip and how it increases, decreases or crescendos at different points of the film. Most prominently when it is needed. All in all this clip is an excellent source of audio editing and sound manipulation, because over all, what is a movie without sound?

The 7 layers...

http://changethis.com/manifesto/66.01.Brainwashed/pdf/66.01.Brainwashed.pdf\

In Seth Godins manifesto Brainwashed, Mr Godin recites to us how we as a society grew up being oppressed. Not physical oppression, but mentally oppressed. He describes the relationships we had as children with our schoolwork. Those equations we thought we never would use, turns out we were right after all. Godin describes our tireless “cog-in-the-wheel” work at these establishments slowly eating away at our creativity. In the article, Godin also relates his idea of the seven layers available to anyone for the search of reinvention. The layers are connect, be generous, make art, acknowledge the lizard, ship, fail and learn. The three most important I feel are acknowledge the lizard (we must learn to laugh at ourselves), be generous ( the ability to give before we get) and make art (an original thing that expresses our inner self).

During this quarter the blog I was required to do at first seemed to be an annoying addition to my already hectic schedule, but after reading these articles I can fully understand the meaning and reasoning behind them. When trying to search for my inner creativity and find a way to become a better person all around, these articles help me break down and fully understand what I should do to elaborate on these skills. 

Acknowledging the lizard, even though this whole idea sounds like some childish story from long ago, the meaning behind this is quite humbling. We as a society take to much pride in ourselves. When someone makes a joke or crack about our work, we get too worked up and insulted by the simple gesture of mocking. To acknowledge the lizard means to step back and acknowledge the fact that we don’t like this, but ultimately we should learn not to be insulted by such gestures. Rather we should lean to further our own humility and take every joke as a laughing criticism. After all would you rather be scolded or joked with?

Next we must be generous. Too many people now a days think only of themselves, this is not helping our society go anywhere. If anything it is reverting us back to the days of when it was socially acceptable to steal goods from another family just to ensure your own life. Generosity is something we all have, it just tends to get lost along the way on our learning sojourn. There are very few people today who put others before themselves, I feel if this was done more often we all could become the ideal citizens everyone cherishes to be.

Finally society should learn again to create and make art! It seems so simple, but sometimes the simplest solution may be the best option by far. Making art does not require a degree, or teaching or even talent! All art needs to flourish is passion. Passion will create any symbolic representation of your feelings that can help you represent your true feelings. Anyone who disagrees with this should just look at famous abstract art masterpieces. Looking upon some of these pieces, you can truly feel the artist angst, motivation and pure passion in every brushstroke. Not only does making art relieve antagonisms, it can also be the connector of relationships between friends, family and new acquaintances.

Society needs to listen to these attributes, I have learned that I must as well. Listening to these layers will most likely create a new idealogical look on life for me personally. This I believe will create a flourish of new motivation, and therefore a more pleasant outlook on this mystery we call life.  

My Howl...

http://changethis.com/manifesto/51.01.YourHowl/pdf/51.01.YourHowl.pdf

In Jonathan Flaums Find Your Howl, Flaum recites a tale of a wolf named Mumon. The story of this wolfs life begins with the fact that he is an endangered species on the brink of extinction. To preserve his species, the fourteen wolves left are taken out of their natural habitat and made to copulate in a caged world. Over the course of this treatment, Mumon loses his ability to howl, by howl the author metaphorically states the innate instincts that all wolves live by (ie. hunting, stalking etc). Once release, and although it takes awhile Mumon regains his howl.

When reading this poem, I realize that every single one of us has a howl. An innate talent that if not used we could lose, but we can always find it again. Although it may be hard to narrow down a specific howl to fit my persona, I have realized that my howl is not something to find. Your howl is the one thing that defines the best in you! After taking that into consideration, I would say that my howl somehow relates to my kindness, eccentricity and inhibition to always see the best in people. Due to this I always try to help others less important than me.

Breaking down my howl to find a lyrical piece that summarizes kindness, eccentricity and helpfulness I concluded on one song. After scouring my mind to find a something that would creatively describe my howl I have finally concluded on a song from the legendary stage musical Les Miserables. The song in question would be the lamented solo sung by the character Jean Valjean, “Bring Him Home.” This song explicitly describes the three attributes that make up my howl in a creative and expressive way that could not equal to any other.

"God on highHear my prayerIn my needYou have always been thereHe is youngHe's afraidLet him restHeaven blessed.Bring him homeBring him homeBring him home.He's like the son I might have knownIf God had granted me a son.The summers dieOne by oneHow soon they flyOn and onAnd I am oldAnd will be gone.Bring him peaceBring him joyHe is youngHe is only a boyYou can takeYou can giveLet him beLet him liveIf I dieLet me dieLet him liveBring him homeBring him homeBring him home."
From Les Miserables "Bring Him Home" a musical adaption by Alan Boubil and Claude-Michel Schonberg. 1980

After reading the lyrics, the first component of my howl and what it creatively expresses would be my kindness. The whole song is an ode to how Valjean must move on from holding on to his adopted daughter and let her live on with her own life. Even if it means him leaving the picture entirely out of his daughters life, and giving her wholly to the man she loves. I can see no kindness greater than a father willing to accept that what is best for his daughter, is not what he would want at all.

Next would be my eccentricity, otherwise known as the oddities that make me who I am.  In the musical Jean Valjean is a character who was a convict unjustly accused for stealing a loaf of bread to save his sisters son. To escape the injustices he was trialed with, Valjean embarks on a second life constantly fleeing from the oppressors who have tried to chain him down. Needless to say, this is not a normal life to live. One may say an eccentric life. In this specific song Valjean belts out all of the emotion and feelings he has lived with over the years. That is why I believe this creatively expresses the eccentricity of my howl.

Finally the last component of my howl would be my helpfulness to help others. “Bring Him Home” is brought out in the musical because Valjean is praying that his daughters lover is kept safe during the rebellion in France during the French Revolution. All he wants is his daughter to be happy, and the only way he can help his daughter achieve this is through helping and hoping in anyway that this man will return safely. Even remarking in the song that “if I die, let me die, but let him live!” This shows the ultimate helpfulness anyone can give and thus ending the three components of my howl in a creative manner.

Creating a new character...

As the instructions state, I have come up with two unique characters (a hero and his match). I have also deconstructed each character to its 3 basic elements, color, light and shape! Now lets get on with the show.

HERO: Allan Cutler aka Malachite Man

Color Scheme

Allan's color scheme is based on the geological gem Malachite (hence the name). The color scheme is a mixture of black, green and dark blue creating a calming yet mysterious sensation. Like the Vicks vapor rub of super heroes. The calming and soothing effect of justice is more than eminent with this hero.

Lighting Scheme:

Malachite Man is in many retrospects a figure who wants to help the community, but doesn't want the reputation. This picture showing the two above looking on towards the light yet staying in the darkness shows their yearning for good, yet staying in the shadows to not create attention to themselves.

Shape:

Triangles are usually known as the strongest symbol in symbology today. A strong base with a sharp point... almost every superhero has this shape (or should at least). 

VILLAIN: Vincent Ahab aka The Captain 

Color Scheme

Ahab's color scheme is the exact opposite of his nemesis Malachite Man. Dark tones and shades of orange, red and  hints of yellow compliment the evil side of this distrustful and destructive force. These colors also personify the colors and evils of Hell... and after all what is more scarier than eternal damnation?

Lighting Scheme

Using dark dramatic lighting such as this draws the audience into a snare of evil.  This "lure" of lighting draws unwary heroes into becoming a little to close to this dastardly villain. There is not other fear than the fear of not knowing what will happen next, and that is exactly what this lighting does.

Shape

All of the best villains are the ones that you have no idea what they are going to do next. This representation of pure madness describes the absolute essence of our villain. Crazy like a fox, but yet flexible and bending enough to just be able to counter the heros strict, rigid moral code of honer and dignity.

A Superhero to Remember...

In tumultuous times of danger, only the brave and powerful can rise to the call. Usually this is the call for a Superhero. If I were to choose the one hero I find to be fit for the challenge, it would have to be the blue furred behemoth Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy, aka Beast. Beast is one of the original "X-Men" introduced in the comic book series, back in 1963. A mutant with an amazing IQ and superhuman strength, Beast was always up to the challenge to defend for his beliefs. After all the best superhero shows his true power with the intellect to back it up. Show that is why I submit Beast, after all who wouldn't trust a doctor?

Hard to believe he has a PhD...