My Animation

Blog 8A : Audio response to This American Life.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/178/superpowers

Jean Grey/ Marvel Girl/ Phoenix

My Audio response to This American Life and explanation of what superpower I want and why I like Jean Grey ( pic above):

Blog 7: Written Reflection on the Video Joke Assignment

Joke #1








Joke #2

In our first video joke we used the idea of sex but also farting to appeal to the college student audience. Using the idea of awaiting sex we created a tension, especially with the farts while the girl is out of the room, builds the tension and stress of her return on two different levels. The release is when she finally takes off his blindfold to reveal the surprise of a camera crew in her room. We used rhythm with the farting in the first joke where we show different moments in his room with him farting and really emphasizes that his farting is going on for a long period of time but also that it makes you pay attention to the consistent in the frame, which is his farting and associates the fart movement that he makes with farting so they wont be confused.

            The second joke we use lines a lot. His shirt is affinitive with the linear floors; table, walls and doors at home all have straight lines that direct your attention to him. However this is contrasting to when he is ordering beans on a round table, in a round bowl with round beans. We also use the idea of all the straight lines at him home to direct your attention to the round cake on the round plate that will foreshadow a celebration, usually involving more people. Basically, straight lines are good things but curvilinear objects are dangerous. In this the lines are also used when he is walking home, he creates a diagonal lines within each shot of him walking home on the screen for that scene. This makes it so the audience can concentrate on the jokes going on within his headphones and less on the surroundings because he takes the same path in every segment.

Blog 6A. Video response to How to Be Creative

My review of "How to be Creative" by Hough Macleod

Article:
http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/6.HowToBeCreative

Review:

http://www.youtube.com/user/jrovv?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/WafrO_NIJ7k

Blog 6B: Audio commentary critiquing video game imagery

My commentary on Kingdom Hearts video game:

Blog 5B:Audio commentary critiquing your favorite scene

My commentary on a segment of Moulin Rogue:

5A : Reimagining Visual Framing

Original by Ben Goossen:

 My cropped version:

Ben Goossen’s photo of a photo of a blue sky on a clothesline on a stormy day really hit something with me. I enjoy clouds a lot and I especially like watching a storm come in and how the clouds change. So, beyond all of the other photos I chose this one. I saw how he contrasted the two by color but the subject (clouds) was affinitive. I understand my appeal now as the contrast between the two images and how they are combined. 

The use of the clothesline and the clothespin extenuates the Rule of thirds.  With the top horizontal line being the clothesline and the intersection between that and the far right vertical line being extenuated with the clothespin. In addition the two remaining edges of the picture fall near the two other intersection. Also, within the background picture and foreground picture beyond the contrast of color there is also one of shot type. The darker background shot is a wide shot and the close up shot of the clouds in the foreground helps the viewer realize the depth and wide-ness of the background image. 

I cropped the picture the way I did to show what the picture would look like without the light blue picture in the foreground and how it takes away any sort of visual intensity. It takes away form the whole background image that seems to be moving toward the viewer. It also doe not have anything that the line is drawing the eye to, its just a line, there is no subject.  I think the artist framed it the way that he did for somewhat obvious reasons, unlike mine it has a subject and it shows contrast and the clothesline directs your eye to the picture unlike my cropped version in which it leads your eye off of the drawing. I also think that by adding the light blue cloudy picture acts as a sort of release from the tension that is brought by the dark looming clouds in the background. That was not in my cropped photo leaving the viewer uncomfortable and unsatisfied with the picture. I also kept the line in the middle abiding by no rule of thirds. This was mostly so that I would not include any of the light blue photo but I found that it made the picture look amateur and less put together which emphasized to me how much rule of thirds must have been driven into my subconscious but I never knew. It just became something I was accustomed too. 

Response other students to Soundscape and Song

Blog 4A: Response to Brainwashed

Seth Godin’s “Brainwashed”


http://changethis.com/manifesto/66.01.Brainwashed/pdf/66.01.Brainwashed.pdf
One layer that is suggested to the reader that we need to do, in order to become un-brainwashed is "Acknowledge the Lizard." By this he means that we NEED acknowledge that part of us that starts screaming inside saying THIS IS SCARY THIS IS RISKY MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T DO THIS and become apparent that this is there. By becoming aware of this aspect of our brainwashing that comes with our schooling telling us not to be risky, we can over come it. Once it becomes an isolated factor that we are apparent of it loses all of its power. Once this part of you is pin pointed, you can over come it. You can tell it to shut up and then there's nothing that can scare you. You can be confident in your art and your efforts without the fear of what others will think.

Another great layer that Seth points out is that we need to adapt the ability to connect. To makes something of this incredible resource thrown at us called the internet and use to to open and explore an infinite amount of things and to use this knowledge and our opinions and connect to other people about them. In a not so technological stand point, i read an article the other day that called its readers to connect in a different manner. He called them to "know the cleaning lady" and he meant this is the most literal way. At work or school there is the janior we see everyday and he or she helps make our lives cleaner and easier, why should we not know their names? He calls us to connect with everyone, especially those that help you, it does wonders for them and helps you be an infinitely better person.

I love all articles like this. I think they give great insight into something that everyone wants to be but not many people are. good. Everyone wants to be a good person and i think articles like this challenge us to think different but also on another level challenge us to to be a better person. To be accepting and kind and open to new things. I think that being a good person is especially more important in the media world where connectivity and networking are some of the core values we are told to work on.

Music / Song project

Blog 3A: Demo and Written exploration of Cover songs

Original

Cover

I chose to compare Toxic by Britney Spears with the Toxic cover by The Cast of Glee.           

While the lyrics and melody are the same in both of the songs, the speed and organization are different.

In the original by Britney Spears the song is much faster than that of the glee remix. The original Britney Spears song is much more up-tempo… although both give a sexual feel but they do it in very different ways. In the original Britney is sexual within the song with a fast exciting never ending pace and seductive lyrics, while in the glee version they use the same lyrics but they use a silently, more secretive type of seductive, less noticeable.  The glee version is more seductive than the original, Britney version, which is overtly sexy. In the Glee remix they are going for a calmer, more musical approach.  I think this also changes the timbre of the song giving changing from a high energy, intense song to a more sly and

The organization in the original is also far more chaotic and frenzied where the Glee version is more controlled and precise (especially in the beginning). The organization is very intro/chorus/verse…etc it is easy to hear the difference because of the change in instrumentation. The addition of a “band” and more driving drums denotes the chorus where they're more accapella with minimal guitar are the verses.

I think that the Glee version uses are more effective tension and release when they choose to change from only with a guitar to additional instrumentation. There is a certain creepy tension that builds with the solely guitar version that is released when the tempo increases. Also there is a great deal of height difference in the Glee version compared to the original.

Since both have the same lyrics they have the same text and subtext. The underlying meaning of the chorus

“With a taste of your lips

I’m on a ride

You're toxic

 I'm slipping under With a taste of a poison paradiseI’m addicted to youDon’t you know that you’re toxicAnd I love what you doDon’t you know that you’re toxic”

Implying that everything about him in intoxicating and she has no defenses against him, that she can not help herself. The subtext is extremely sexual and contains numerous innuendos, while the text is more evasive to the face.

It is hard for me to choose which version I like better because they're so different. The original version is definitely more pop-est and upbeat. The cover of the song is calmer and has more emotional feeling during it by using a lack of instrumentation. I like the original version for its originality and upbeat-ness and fun while I have more musical respect fort he accapella version and find it musically much more sophisticated. Musically, I like the Glee cover better, as I do with most of their covers but  overall for sentimental reasons I will choose the original because I LOVED Britney Spears as a kid and I loved this song!