Blog Assignment 4: Reflections on Sound Design

Follow this link for the corresponding YouTube video for this post.

In this scene the Gestalt Principal is very apparent.  The Gestalt Principal is the theory that an organized whole is perceived as greater than its parts.  In this scene, the Gestalt Principal is used through illusion. When the machine is turned on, there is a cacophony of sounds.  There is an undertone of an electric buzz.  Then on top of that are various pitches of lightning crackles.   Then when Robert disappears, you hear a subtle sound of a trap door opening.  These sounds aid in selling the illusion on screen as well as making the viewer think much chaos is happening when I reality it is an orderly array of sound effects.  To further the realism, when the camera is in the audience (far from the stage) the sounds are not as loud as to when we are right next to Robert as he enters the machine.  This proximity allows us to feel more involved in the scene. 

The Space is apparent through the sounds of the audience.  There are hundreds of people in this large theater, so when they applaud, the size of the theater is very apparent.  There is directionality when the sound of their gasps dims when the camera is up in the balcony with Robert, then grows louder once it is down on their level.

Assignment 3: Brainwashed

Connecting to the world is of vital importance to anyone who wants to make a name for himself.  If no one knows who you are, it will be very difficult to move up socially in what you want to do.  The Internet is a great and cheap medium in which to get recognized.  Another layer that is mention is making art.  Godin says that art is ingrained in humanity and it is what makes us human.  It helps us express ourselves and to feel thing we don’t normally feel.  Finally he talks about acknowledging the lizard.  This is his way of referring to that voice in our heads that tells us to conform.  He says that we have to acknowledge it so that we can actively ignore it.

This blog incorporates all three of these things.   First and foremost is acknowledging the lizard.  This refusal to conform is key to being a successful artist, which is one thing that this blog is helping us do.  We have to know what is the norm and what is boring in order to openly refute it.  In the past two posts we have been able to look at mundane characters and articles in a way that makes them exciting and innovative.  This blog allows us to express the opinions that we have in a way that may differ from society or from what is expected of us.  It’s an invaluable opportunity to explore what we believe to be true and artistic in our world.

Second is the great potential for connections we can make.  On a basic level we connect with the other students in our class.  We learn who likes what and we learn each other’s styles and what we all like.  This helps us in two ways.  First it allows us to see who has similar interests and therefore can make bonds among students that way.  Second, it can help us see what other outlooks there are in the world and what other artistic styles are out there.  On a bigger level, this blog helps us connect to the outside world.  Like Godin said, the Internet is a great medium to expose oneself to the world.  Blogger is a very well known site.  People can look at our blogs through there and start to see what insights we have and our own artistic style.  If they like it then they’ll share it.   This is how word spreads, and before we know it we have many people who know our thoughts and what we like about art.  This is a fantastic way to get our name into the world and make connections.

And finally comes the making art aspect.  This blog, though it may be unconventional, is art.  It is a vehicle for human expression, which is what art is.  This blog contains our personal thoughts and ideas and outlooks.  These are all part of what makes each of us unique, which is art.  This blog makes us a better media student, by making us look at things from a new creative aspect as well as in an academic way.  In doing this we learn from others and better ourselves.  It also makes us better artists in that it can help us to refine our personal style and to come up with better ways of expressing ourselves.  These blog entries are beneficial in many ways and it is a great artistic opportunity.

Blog Assignment 2: Find Your Howl

For the entire article follow this link

            In Jonathon Flaum’s article Finding your Howl, he tells a story of a red wolf named Mumon.  Mumon was kept in captivity for his childhood and into his adult life to protect him, because the species was almost extinct.  He was able to escape his enclosure and make his way out into the wild.  He knew that in order for all the other wolves to have a leader and survive, he needed to be able to howl.  After an encounter with a deer and a raven, he realized that his howl was always a part of him and just needed to go through the trials of life to get to it.

Jonathon Fluam’s Article is all about going through trials in order to achieve greatness.  These trials often involve loosing part of ourselves in order to escalate to a greater version of our being. 

In my life, one huge part of myself that I have had to leave behind is my seriousness.  I used to be very one track minded about everything I did.  I was anal and always on edge.  I never had a sense of humor when trying to get something done.  This made every task seem harder and more difficult to get through.  The rapper Eminem once said, “A lot of truth is said in jest.”  This quote was pivotal in helping to mold and shape me into the creative person I am today.

            Most of what people say is truthful.  Often times it can be perceived as harsh or rude.  Having a sense of humor about truth can make all the difference in how you respond to the world.  When you are able to take potentially self-esteem damaging comments with a grain of salt and try to understand what the person is really getting at, you can better yourself and usually have a laugh or two in the process. 

            An example of this in my own life happened just recently.  A friend of mine was writing a comedy sketch about having a sense of humor about stereotypes and being able to laugh at yourself.  The premise was a story that followed a residential advisor as he visited each of his residents on move in day.  Each room that he visited was going to portray a certain social stereotype.  He read the story to me a a group of my friends and I personally thought it was very clever and very funny.  One of my friends however became indignant and stormed from the room.  We went to find her and asked her why she was so upset.  She said that the portrayal of the stereotypical female as overly sensitive and self-righteous was offensive.  We explained to her that it was all in fun, but also that there was an irony to that immediate situation.  She, a female, was acting exactly as my friend had written in his story.  This was him writing the truth, but in a way that was not overly serious and was something to be laughed at.  My friend came around eventually was able to also see the humor in the situation.  She opened her mind to not being so defensive around social truths.  

            Like my friend, who used truthful humor in a creative way, I too have been much less inhibited.  When I am writing a script or helping produce a video, I am much less concerned about offending someone and am more concerned about putting out a good final product.  If I was to worry about offending someone then nothing would get accomplished.  There will always be someone out there that is uptight and has no sense of humor about the world.  As long as I do, however, I will be much happier with what I create and will be able to focus on creating something that sends a truthful message, hopefully with a little bit of humor too.

Blog Assignment 1: Character Deconstruction

Color- Black and Blue

 

Iceman has a black and blue color scheme.  He is covered in ice and that is often represented by blue, since it is such a cold color.  Black is often an undertone beneath the blue.  This enables the blue to pop, but also gives depth to the character.  In the above picture, the blue streaks appear to disappear into the blackness.  Having a black undertone then a frosted blue overlay makes Iceman appear to be made of ice completely through which enhances the visual representation of his abilities.

Light- Mainly Backlighting

 

Iceman is often portrayed with a strong backlight. This does a few crucial things.  First it separates him from whatever background he is in.  It outlines him and draws the eye to him, making him stand out in any environment.  Second, it enhances his icy aura.  Many pictures of Iceman are backlit giving the effect that there is frosted air coming form him.  It makes him look cold and makes the idea that he is covered in ice more realistic and believable.

Shape- Rectangular

Squares and rectangles are very strong and sturdy shapes.  The give a character a commanding presence and make him seem powerful.  In addition to the strength that comes with this shape, ice cubes and blocks of ice are common images associated with ice.  Modeling Iceman's shape after such a common image is a way of making an unrealistic character more accessible.  When we see blocks and cube shapes, ice is a common association; likewise when we see Iceman in a rectangular shape we think power, strength, and ice.

Character Deconstructed: Iceman

Color -Red and Yellow

Red and yellow are very close to each other on the color wheel so they go very well together.  they are also heavily associated with fire.  Pyro's mutant ability is the ability to control fire, so having his uniform have colors representative of fire makes sense.  Pyro would be considered a bad guy or a villain.  He is dangerous and easy to set off.  This is just like fire, so having red and yellow- both colors of caution and danger- gives the viewer the idea that this is a mutant that is not to be messed with.

Light- soft glow

Everything about Pyro points back to his ability to manipulate fire.  there is usually a soft glow of diffused light on the front of him.  This gives you a sense of the fire within, but also separates him from the crowd.  As a boy he was an outcast and even in modern society he is not socially accepted by others.  This is portrayed through the light that surrounds him, which is different from that of anyone else that would be in a picture with him.

Shape- Angular

Pyro has a very angular shape.  This directly corresponds to his ability of fire manipulation.  Fire is swift and stealthy and has an ever changing shape.  It moves fluidly and is deceptively destructive.  Pyro too is a very swift villain.  He moves in and out of crowds with ease and is hard to hit.  He sneaks in, does his damage, and then is out.  his angular shape symbolizes that fluidity and allows the viewer to see him as a filer-like man.

Character Deconstructed: Pyro