Blog #4

This scene from Kill Bill Volume 1 (the first half of the final fight scene) is carefully construct in terms of shot order, composition, music, etc. This part of the scene’s main point is to build tension. 

The first wide shot of the scene (note that the video starts before the scene; the scene itself is generally considered as starting at 0:15) serves to give us the setting and introduce the Bride’s enemy. It shows the Bride stepping out of the restaurant and into a snowy landscape where the fight will take place. As the camera continues to pull back, O-Ren is brought into frame. This is meant to make it seem as if O-Ren is a part of the very environment in which they will fight. Additionally, the choice for her clothing illustrates this same point, as she is wearing a pure white kimono that matches the snow. This is meant to show from the very beginning of the scene that the Bride is out of her depth. The dialogue reflects this when O-Ren says if she hasn’t saved some strength she “won’t last five minutes”. 

At this point in the scene, the introduction of music is importantly placed. Up until this point the only sound we’ve heard is the dialogue and the rhythmic clapping of a fountain in the background. The non-diagetic music begins at the moment O-Ren takes her first step forward, signaling the beginning of the fight.

As I said before, this part of the scene is constructed to build tension. At this point there is a drawn out sequence of O-Ren drawing her sword, after a long shot that shows her examining the Bride from afar. The shots in this sequence are cut in a wide, medium, close-up, medium sequence. It then goes into close-ups on both the Bride and O-Ren, who stare each other down as they prepare to fight, continuing to build tension. 

The fight begins, and one of the most important shots early on is one of the shots where O-Ren, after forcing the Bride back, rises slowly to be on the offensive again. This moment is shown from multiple perspectives, but the most important is the one from behind O-Ren. The camera follows her as she rises, and the shot shows her looming above the Bride ominously, even though O-Ren is actually shorter. This is significant because it again represents the fact that the Bride may not be able to hold her own against O-Ren, and O-Ren at this point is extremely intimidating to her. 

This fear is all but confirmed in the final shots of the scene, where O-Ren slices the Bride across the back, causing her to collapse to the ground. While she is on the ground, the camera cuts to a worm’s-eye angled close up of O-Ren, once again giving her that ominous, threatening appearance as she taunts the Bride for challenging her. 

MOMI Blog

The trip to the MOMI was very interesting and informative. Going to the main exhibit, it was interesting to learn about stop-motion animation and see the many kinds of cameras that have been used for film. The most informative part was the audio portion of the tour. We got to see someone dub over audio on a film clip, see the way music influences your interpretation of a film, and learn about foley sound. This was all very important in how it influenced my work on my second project, the interview project. Going into the project I wasn't sure how to go about adding sounds, and I had no concept of how many layers of sound would really be necessary to have a decent final result. However, the experience at the MOMI, particularly with the film music and foley sound, influenced me greatly. The music portion made me realize how important it was to choose music carefully. The scene we saw at the MOMI was from Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock, and each time the music was switched the entire scene had a completely different feel. The same went with the foley sound. I realized how important it was to select sounds carefully and consider how the sound would come off out of context. Because of this, I realized the dog sounds I had initially wanted to use sounded too angry--the dogs sounded vicious, and one of them didn't even sound like a dog when edited. Because of this, I went back and looked for better sounds to use on my project.

Final Project Breakdown

For my final project I worked with Caleb Andriella on a short documentary on the sampling hip-hop group Fake Sad. The idea for the documentary was Caleb's because he knew the people in the group. We both came up with questions to ask them during the interview and planned out a schedule based on getting the interview done and then going out to a record store to get additional footage. Unfortunately we had some technical and locational difficulties, so the interview took much longer than expected. This meant that Caleb had to go out and get extra footage in his spare time instead of working on it together. During the interview I set up and operated the camera while Caleb recorded the audio. 

During the editing process we used Caleb's computer to edit. I cut and arranged the interview into it's final form, while Caleb took the reigns on adding additional footage. Together we adjusted the rough cut into the final project by adding and removing transitions where needed, switching out some extra footage, adjusting audio levels, adding and adjusting audio transitions, and adding credits. 

I think Caleb and I worked very well together. I was worried going into this project because I knew we would be submitting one final project as a group instead of one each, but I think we communicated well to get a good final result. We also have similar tastes when it comes to editing style and pacing, so it worked out very well. I usually wouldn't be so comfortable letting someone else do so much editing (I am very particular when it comes to editing so having him adding in footage made me nervous), but time and availability dictated that we had to do it that way, and upon seeing the rough cut I was relieved that trusting him and splitting the work the way we did worked out for the best. 

Nam June Paik Exhibit

The Nam June Paik exhibit at the Asia Society Museum was very interesting because of how unusual it was in it's use of technology and mixed media. One of the most interesting pieces was the multimedia video toward the beginning of the exhibit. The footage in the video has been warped and manipulated to have strange colors and shapes. The reason I found this interesting is it was done in a time period before digital media, which is much more easily manipulatable, was in existence or popular usage. Altering the footage in order to make it appear as it does before the creation of digital video must have not only been very difficult, but the person doing it must have had a thorough, detailed knowledge of how the materials worked and how to manipulate them. Paik was clearly very skilled in his manipulation. Additionally, his work in this piece feels very familiar because of how contemporary it seems. Though this piece was made 50 years ago, stylistically and thematically it is something that could easily fit in with the more contemporary digital and mixed media works of today. In addition to that video piece, another part of the exhibition that stood out to me was the family made of various appliances. I thought it was very interesting to see the way Paik considered every factor in his creation, from the shape of the pieces selected for each member to the time period they were from (selecting older appliances for the adults and newer ones for children, for example). All of this is a reminder of the thought and care that should go into media pieces when they are created--no object or placement is an accident. I also find it interesting how predictive his work seems to have been. As was the case with the video being a precursor to contemporary experimental media, I feel his use of technology in all of his work was predictive of the current state of the world in the permeance of media and technology in our society. There was one piece hanging that was a simple clipping from a book from the 50s about the rise in households with televisions in them around the country, indicating to me that a prediction of the prevalence of mass media was exactly Paik's intention with many of his pieces.

Final Project - FAKE SAD: SAMPLING Mini Documentary

 
FAKE SAD: Sampling (Final Project) from The BNCP on Vimeo.

Project 2

"What I Hear" (Soundwalk)

"What I Hear" (Soundwalk)

There's a lot to listen to on the subway. Today it's been raining, so the noise of people getting on and off is doubled by their squeaking shoes. Across from me, a man plays an iPhone game that bings every time he swipes the screen. Next to me, a woman applies makeup, the various loose palettes of her eyeshadow clinking against each other with the motion of the train. This all to say nothing of the constant sound of the trains forward motion.

An automated voice announces the approaching stop and the one after ("This is: Queensboro Plaza. The next stop is: Lexington Avenue--59th Street.") as the train comes to a whining halt. Two men board, their shoes making a dull scuffing sound. They discuss their destination over the sticky sound of their vinyl rain jackets rubbing against each other. Further down the car, a woman answers her quietly vibrating cell phone as the train grunts into motion once more. She speaks in loud Korean to the person on the other line, who can be heard as barely audible grumbles responding periodically. There is a whoosh and a deepening of the trains groaning sound that indicates the subway has gone underground, entering Manhattan.

https://vimeo.com/108591025

Artist's Statement

For me, at this point in my work, my main motivations are pure enjoyment of the creative process, and a desire to improve. I have loved and practiced art through many mediums my entire life, and my passion for creating has only increased through the years. I hope to develop my skill in the many realms of art in order to keep this passion alive and thriving.

The mediums I work in are incredibly variable. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in and learn a variety of mediums in high school and in my free time, including numerous dry media, paint, and digital media. Some of my favorite mediums to work in are marker, silkscreening, ballpoint pen, digital photography, and digital video. Though my goal is to ultimately work in documentary films or television, I continue to practice work in other mediums as well in the hope that what I learn through them will continue to influence the way I work in other areas. 

In terms of inspiration or influences, I try to draw strongly from my life and experiences. This can be as broad as an event or experience that has had an impact on my life, or as small as a moment in conversation or something seen briefly on the street. Aesthetically in my studio art, I am most strongly influenced by artists with very graphic styles, such as Tina St. Claire, Haunted Euth, and Craig Horky. I believe these influences also carry over into my visual style in filmmaking, as I most strongly identify with creators in the industry that use graphic styling through their use of colors, lighting, and compositions. Some of my influences in this style include Ronald D. Moore, Vince Gilligan, and Bryan Fuller.

Ultimately I am most interested in the direction narrative television has taken in the last several years. I personally have noticed a shift in interest from more episodic shows and story arcs into more linear, continuous story lines. While many films nowadays are designed to generate sequels, increasingly television shows are designed to tell one continuous story with a defined ending, rather than continuing on for an undefined number of seasons and story lines. This is the kind of experience that I am interested in creating.