Sunday, January 29, 2012

Blog assignment 4

Scene from The Godfatherwww.youtube.com/watch?v=AapO3KSb2Wk

Script of the Scene:
   This scene from The Godfather uses sound very effectively.  It first puts the audience into the scene through using space.  The sound of the running feet at the beginning uses direction to make it sound like the gunmen are running towards you, to add to the tension of the scene. The stumbling movement of Don Corleone is mirrored by the sound used, with the loud crash of the barrel and the footsteps from both him and the assassins.  The gun shots that happen next are at a high volume, but do not last for a long amount of time.  This helps make them the center of the scene, by it being the loudest part.  Most of this scene used diagetic noises to make it seem real, such as the dog barking and the street noises.  This makes for a casual listening mode, as they are natural sounds.  This changes though at the end, as the theme from the film fades into the scene, as this is non-diagetic, and not part of the casual listening mode, but is there to emphasize the somber tone of the scene, as it is a sad sounding piece, as the audience does not know if Don Corleone is alive or dead, and the sound of this music adds to that.   

Thursday, January 26, 2012

blog assignment 3

Go to http://changethis.com/ and read Seth Godin's "Brainwashed"
  Godin talks about seven layers of reinventing yourself in this article. One of the layers he talks about is generosity.  Godin says that generosity rewards people go out of their way to be generous, giving examples in his essay, and that we should all give even if we don't immediately get anything in return.  Another layer he talks about is that everyone should make art, since it is something everyone can do, doesn't have rules or guidelines, and taking the risk of doing it can lead to rewards.  A third layer he discuses is the ability to ship things.  He says that the person who can get things out the door and deliver goods on demand, you not only beat the competitor, but you also become a commodity that is needed.
 
     I think the layers discussed above are very relevant to this blog assignment.  For example, we are putting out art in this class and through this blog, so that is already taking advantage of one layer that Godin mentions.  The fact that we are putting ourselves out there by posting on this blog is a bold step, and although we are not getting anything immediately from doing this, we have no idea where what we learn from this blog and this class will take us.  As he writes in his essay, "art doesn't follow instructions or a manual," which applies to this class.  Although we are graded on whether we completed the assignments to the assigned requirements, there are no rules on what is art and what is not.  For our first blog assignment, on characters, there is no way to say that someone's character they created is not artistic, as it is their own creation.  This just proves that Godin's points about art are true, and how important it is.  
     Which leads into another of his layers, generosity.  We as students are not getting anything back from doing these blog entries, besides a grade, but that it is still important to do so, as it spreads our creativity.  Godin talks about the "economy of generosity," where rather than always getting something back for being generous, people learn to support one another.  I feel that this specifically applies to this class, as our group projects are a great example of everyone being generous with ideas, and people supporting each other, just as Godin says should happen in order for reinvention.  I do think it makes us better artists and creative thinkers, just by simply putting our ideas out there.  Concerning his layer of shipping, we are also learning how important it is to get things done, such as our creative assignments,  and although it is not in a real world setting, it still teaches us the importance of sending work in, and as Godin says, that can make you a valuable asset in life.  I feel that his ideas of layers of reinvention are relevant to our class and by practicing them we become more creative and forward thinking people, with little restraint on the layers of making art and generosity in particular, as these apply to our blogs and creative assignments quite well.  

Blog assignment 2

Go to this link to read Jonathon Flaun's Finding Your Howl .  www.changethis.com 
      One of the stories that Flaun tells in this piece is about a wolf, Mumon, who needs to find his "howl" in order for his pack to survive in the wild.  He goes on to kill a deer, but initially feels sadness for doing so.  A raven tells him there is no shame in what he did, and that he must embrace it in order to live.  Mumon begins to feel the power from killing the deer, and it carries him on for weeks, until he himself is shot by a hunter.  The hunters in turn celebrate this killing with a fire, and it is within this fire that Mumon discovers his howl, and he discovers that "freedom is the real existence, which is the main point the author is trying to make.  The howl is returned by his pack, and he in turn becomes their howl, and their freedom.


 My own Howl: The song "Tin Cup Chalice" by Jimmy Buffett- Lyrics:
I wanna go back to the island
Where the shrimp boats tie up to the pilin
Gimme oysters and beer
For dinner every day of the year and I'll feel fine
Ill feel fine

I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and lie beside the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And Im a chewin on a honeysuckle vine

Yeah now, the sun goes slidin cross the water
Sailboats they go searchin for the breeze
Salt air it aint thin
It can stick right to your skin and make you feel fine
Makes you feel fine

I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and a get high by the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And Im a chewin on a honeysuckle vine

Yes and now you heard my strange proposal
So get that packard up and lets move
I wanna be there before the day
Tries to steal away and leave us behind
Ive made up my mind

And I wanna be there
I wanna go back down and die beside the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And Im a chewin on a honeysuckle vine

Yeah with a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And Im a chewin on a honeysuckle vine


This is a piece that speaks to me for several reasons.  I have always found Jimmy Buffett to be, although simple, a fantastic lyricist who can express life's issues, problems, and desires in easy flowing songs.  This particular song talks about Buffett's wish to be be down by the ocean and enjoy all the benefits that come from this lifestyle, something he often talks about in his songs.
  This appeals to me because I feel a similar way.  I think it would be great to be able to live a simple life by the beach, and enjoy all the surroundings, and all the freedom that comes with it.  While this is obviously not a very realistic goal, that is partly why it speaks to me as a creative person.  The way he writes of his yearning to be there makes the listener of the song, or in this case simply the reader of the lyrics, share a similar feeling.  This kind of writing inspires me to make creative work that also inspires the same kind of yearning for a certain place as Buffett does in "Tin Cup Chalice." 
    One of the main things that helps him pull this off is how specific he is in his imagery.  His mentions of "shrimp boats" and "a honeysuckle vine" let the listener see exactly what Buffett is yearning for.  The more detail that is included, the more the listener or reader can feel where the creativity is coming from.  I feel this is important, and something that i hope to integrate into my own work.  
    Buffett also lets some fun into his work.  The refrain of the song is about drinking wine on the beach, not a very serious topic, and it reminds me that creative work does not always need to be deep and serious to be successful.  If fun loving, relaxing topics are what you know best, this howl says that that is what you should write about.  Buffett let's his fun loving demeanor come across in his lyrics and sound, and this is something that inspires me in my own creative work, to not always be extremely serious, as light, fun art is successful too.   
  Another thing about this piece that inspires me as a creative person is that Buffett is writing about what he knows.  He truly loves the beach and the many joys of living there, and this comes across in his song.  he does not change his creative style for wider popularity, he simply continues to talk about and write about things he knows.  This inspires me to make creative works based around things that I truly love and enjoy, be it a place, person or thing.  I think Jimmy Buffett, and this song in particular, with it's imagery, and subject matter, are a good personal howl for me, as they inspire me to create art and media about things that i love and care about, and to use details that apply specifically to the situation, and let the audience see and feel what I am trying to put across.  

Monday, January 16, 2012

Blog Assignment 1

The Hero- Hank Hill













The hero dresses in a complimentary color scheme.  He wears blue denim overalls nearly all the time, with an orange hard hat and shirt.  The blue of the denim shows how he is a common man and does not wish to stand out with his attire, despite his heroic actions.  The orange is the standard uniform for his job, so he has to wear it, but it also shows how his simple look does make him a recognizable figure, as complimentary colors usually make someone stand out.  It also gives him a wholesome look, as he always has the best intentions to help whoever he can.










The hero is shown with no shadow, to show the absence of evil within him.   His whole life is lived in a good light, as he simply wants to help his family any way he can.  He hides nothing about himself from people, letting the spotlight shine on his actions, which makes them only look more heroic.  He wishes to being light, as well as justice, to the rest of the world around him, stopping all the evil he sees, which most of all comes from the greedy corporate people that he interacts with.  He is happy with his unshadowed self, but still humble about his heroic deeds.






The shape that can easily describe the hero is a square rock, as he is a moral rock for family, and firm in his beliefs.  He is unmoving in his thoughts on helping others and stopping evil, so a large rock that cannot be easily moved sums him up well.  He is always there to stand strong for what he believes in.  While villains might try to get him to do evil things, or stop him from brining justice to their actions, he will be hard to move from his righteous path, similar to how a boulder is hard to move from its spot.

 The Villain- Daddy Moarbucks







The villain, Daddy Moarbucks, dresses in a dark color scheme of black and grey.  These dark colors show his cold nature and bad intentions.  There is little bright, good naturedness to the man, and this is reflected in his attire.  He looks the way he acts, which is cold and dark towards others.  He does not have a light side to him, as he only cares about money and power, and this is one reason why he dresses in such dark colors.  It contrasts with the brighter blue and orange of the hero, Hank Hill, which makes them look striking when facing off against one another, and the audience knows who is good and who is bad.  









The villain, Daddy Moarbucks, is shown surrounded by shadow, in a bright, garish light.  The bright light on him shows his love of attention and need to be known, but the shadow coming off of him is representative of all the bad things that come from him and his actions.  It is similar to this eclipse, where in the very middle it is dark, similar to his intentions, but highlighted by light so that everyone can see it, while all around him is darkness, showing how he casts no good light on anything.  This contrasts with the way Hank, the hero, is always shown in only light with no shadow, to show the purity of his action.









For a shape to describe Daddy Moarbucks, a twisted, slim rectangle sums him up well.  He is a tall imposing figure, similar to a tall rectangle, and casts a shadow, just as a tall shape does.  It towers over other things, similar to how he, with his wealth and corrupt power towers over regular citizens, like Hank Hill.  The rectangle is twisted to show his twisted nature.  He is manipulative and does not think in a good, honest way, showing how he is twisted, similar to the rectangles above.  Unlike Hank, who is a solid, unmovable block, the twisted rectangle for the villain is not as solid and steady, showing that he can be taken down.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Favorite Superhero

My favorite superhero is Batman, because he is just a normal person but still fighting crime.  



This clip shows him well, as it is the trailer for the best Batman movie. 

MDIA 203 Lab 1

This blog is for MDIA 203 class projects, and this is the first post for the class.