Blog #3 - Production Notes

When Sarah and I started work on this film we only had a rough idea; two individuals going about their day while, unknown to either of them, they begin to show a number of similarities in their activities and demeanor. However, the successful conveyance of this idea relied entirely on our scripting and storyboarding. Our initial idea was simply two separate sequences following each character along, with both sequences mirroring each other by the end. During the early stages of our planning, Sarah suggested we use a number of still images and edit them together to sync up with the rhythm of the song "First Day of my Life" by Bright Eyes. This decision set stricter guidelines for us on a technical level. First of all, we were now tied down to a specific time limit (the duration of the song). While this limited us in terms of which shots we could use, it also bookends our film and makes it easier to visualize the finished product. Secondly, it establishd that the editing of the piece would have to be taken with great care in orer to properly sync to the music.

Midway through the project our concept of [parallel characters and mirrored narratives was coming through. The syncing of the music created a common thread between the characters that the viewers could follow even though they seem to have nothing in common.What began as an idea in passing, ultimately tied the entire project together.

After our screening of the film in class, we seemed to get an appropriate reaction from the viewers. The parts that were intended to be funny got laughs and the rhythmic editing kept everyone curious about the direction of the plot. One comment afterward, someone joking about a further cut showing the two characters with a baby, shows that there was some connection established between the characters and the audience.

Blog #2

I’ve been watching the sketches that Derrick Comedy has been putting out for a year or two now. They’re always well made on what is clearly a restricted budget. I’ve always appreciated the homemade quality that they possess along with the great editing and camerawork that always emphasizes the punch lines.

In one sketch the editing is handled in such a particular way that the joke almost entirely relies on it. The video is titled Self-Defense and I don’t want to totally ruin the joke so I’ll let it speak for itself in terms of actual content.

Watching the video, the satirical element is obvious. It makes fun of typical self-defense training videos that use fast paced smash cuts to illicit aggressiveness and efficiency. Just like those, this sketch uses smash cuts to quickly and aggressively move from one scene to the next. Between each of these cuts the main character is transitioned over to the next scene with different exaggerated movements.

A lot of the humor lies in the fact that a smash cut affects the viewers comfort level. Rather than being eased into a change of scenery or action they are forced into it. Using this technique here plays on that feeling in its viewers. The cuts are obvious and cram together separate points in time in order to grab the attention of the viewer paralleling the aggressive and fast paced content in the video.

BLOOG #1

I draw comics and I’d like to keep doing so as long as possible. In order for me to be able to and possibly even make a living out of it, I have to fully embrace all the options that modern media offers. Today, information is disseminated at a rapid rate and absolutely anyone can add whatever they want to that. The easy part is participating in this ongoing stream of media, the real challenge lies is having anyone outside your own social circle take notice of what you are producing.

All of the necessary tools for establishing one’s presence in new media are there. Websites like Twitter and Facebook and Myspace all have specific areas and approaches for people with a product or service. There are also countless file hosting sites to use to present whatever media you have and all kinds of blogs and websites to act as a presentation of yourself and your work. In the time that I’ve been writing and drawing comics I’ve tried to use new media to expose my work to people. For a long time I used the blog part of Myspace to post up comics on a weekly basis and then would use their bulletin feature to inform people about it. Then a few years ago I started using a blogspot blog to post up the comics and put up statuses on Facebook and twitter about new posts. Unfortunately, this has really only ensured that people I already know have read my comics. Attempts at getting outside individuals to read them has been a lot harder, and has involved me directly contacting people and selling hard copies of comics all in an attempt to get gain attention for my work.

I’ve only recently begun fully utilizing the tools that the modern age has laid at our fingertips. Granted I have been using them pretty poorly, but it’s important to start somewhere.

Class Reflection

Now that Media 150 has come to an end it's easier to take a look at what worked and what didn't over the course of the semester.

One of the strongest aspects of the class were the lectures. Both Professor Anderson and Professor Lucas brought their individual strengths and backgrounds to each lecture. They knew exactly when to take a step back and let the other one shine when the topic at hand fit more into their specialty. However, when it was appropriate they did an excellent job of team teaching and never seemed to step on one another's toes.

With any class that centers around technology that is constantly changing and evolving by the hands of a large percent of the living population, and maybe some of the non-living, you run the risk of miscommunication and conflicting understandings of how these things work. In this course, information was being funneled through multiple sources before it got down to the students. Anderson and Lucas have their respective departments and knowledge base, and that is funneled down into three seperate section leaders each with THEIR own profession and field of interest which is then once again funneled to us. On top of that each of our section leaders were learning different aspects of the material, at times simultaneously with us, which made it difficult at times to truly explore the subject matter since we didn't have a readily accesible "brain to pick" who had a thourough knowledge of our material. As a result I believe that some of our work may have seem stunted and just short of a real success.

But in no way do I mean to say that this class wasn't successful. I know that I learned alot not only in my lecture, but in my section as well thanks to my section leader. Her expertise in the field of documentary film making always shone through and it was that sort of unique talent that each of the professors involved in the class had that have made it such an invaluable experience.

Bottom line, I'm looking forward to Media 160.

Ivan Brunetti, Page from Schizo #3

The layout of a page is the most important thing that a cartoonist has to think about when making a comic. The page draws you in, each of the panels direct your eye to one another and even the space in between the panels can imply the passage of time or unseen and unheard actions.

A contemporary cartoonist who recognizes this fact in spades is Ivan Brunetti. Brunetti’s comics, whether long form or single panel, always carry with it a hefty knowledge of graphic design and visual literacy. This example of a page from one of his large print single issues is a great example of Brunetti’s skill in graphic design.

Here we have a single page depicting a stand alone story. Immediately we are drawn in by the wholeness of the page in that it is a single image of a house broken up into individual panels. Even the form and placement of the house, the weather, the time of day and its physical orientation are preserved within this single image.

Deeper still the panels themselves are separate yet at certain points conjoin to create a whole image. However, even in these instances the passage of time still exists. By using two or more panels to convey a single image, we create the illusion of time passing within our heads and allow ourselves to take in a more fluid “movie-like” image. In a lot of ways this technique is directly related to persistence of vision and other visual phenomena, in that it fools its viewers into seeing movement and progression where there really is not.

The pacing of each of the panels is made so that the mundane activities he is going through are taken in evenly and as rigidly as possible. It is here that the cartoonist controls the viewer’s eye and guides them into reading the work that they’ve created in their intended way.

Videodrome

The subject matter is dark and unsettling (and depending on your attitude, pretty funny) but the imagery and themes present in this film by David Cronenberg are driven home by film techniques that are utilized throughout.

The plot revolves around a TV executive named Max Renn played by James Woods who discovers a new type of programming for his network that has just the edge he had been looking for, snuff television. Picked up from a Malaysian broadcast, the program known as Videodrome depicts anonymous victims being tortured and murdered on camera and Renn is tasked with broadcasting this program on his station. Hilarity ensues.

The mood of this film is carried primarily by stylistic lighting effects. In the majority of scenes there is a strong frontal light that mimics that of a television set in a dark room. In these scenes the central characters immersion in the depraved television show is emphasized and we are forced to focus on the characters descent into a state of near madness. These scenes tend to completely mask any traditional sort of lighting, leading one to believe that none of it is used at all.

In other scenes the lighting takes on a typical TV set style of lighting. A great deal of fill and key lighting, with the room almost completely flooded with light. These scenes act as a stark contrast to the ones that involve Renn's degradation and remind us of the split in reality that is occuring for the main character. Additionally, this lighting style reminds us of the medium that is being criticized and commented upon in this film.

Museum of the Moving Image Trip

So we took a trip to the Museum of the Moving Image and it was pretty cool.

It got off to a good start with our wonderful tour guide. She struck me right away as friendly and approachable, which is important when you're required to follow someone around for an hour.

We were treated to a number of interesting optical toys, all fun to play around with. While the appropriate age level for most of these things did seem to be particularly low, our guide's acknowledgment of this made everyone feel a little better about playing around with cut out animals.

The most interesting thing that I got out of the visit was the explanation of the Foley artist. I had no idea what this job entailed before hand, despite seeing it all the time in the credits for movies. Once I learned what it was, I started listening to the sounds around me and thinking of the strange and unexpected things they could be made to stand in for. On a few occasions I started thinking what it was about certain sounds that scared me or made me laugh.

I've been to the Museum of the Moving Image a few times before and seeing that its always interesting and informative, I'll definitely be going again in the near future.