Blog Assignment # 4

The sound in "Inception" is some of the best I have ever heard in a movie. It is so suspenseful and I feel as if I am there, it makes my heart pound. The sound at times gets so intense and sets the mood for the scene. The scene I chose is where Mal, Cobb’s wife is in the hotel room where they used to go for their anniversary where she later kills herself and in the dream Ariadne walks in. At the beginning when the train goes by it sets the tone for the scene to come that there is a major event to take place. This demonstrates proximity and similarity because later in the scene the sound gets intense and the pitch goes up much like it did when the train went by. Also going along with the Gestalt Principal is figure and ground. When Ariadne gets off the elevator the camera shows the full angle of the hotel room then we finally draw our eyes to Mal sitting on the couch and the sound drops. The sounds in this scene are casual for the most part because they are all the literal sounds; from the breaking glass to the train racing by. However, there is some referential sound because the music at the end is symbolic to the train racing by at the beginning of the scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMKI5r12JKo&feature=related

Blog Assignment # 3

https://blackboard.ohio.edu/@@/6064A3E2644F1D2DE70281BD30038212/courses/1/MDIA_203_100_LEC_WINT_2011-12/content/_2141064_1/wk%208%20Brainwashed.pdf

Summary:

Brainwashed is centered on the idea of not learning for a purpose but because society tells us we have to learn certain things, but in this day in age most have no significance. One point he makes is about connecting and how important social media is. It provides us with ways of contacting people that we never would have been able to before. We are no longer isolated. Another good point is to make art. Not just a painting but also something that creates a change and a new platform of innovation for the world. Taking risks in art are what lead us to greater things beyond what we thought. And lastly he said acknowledge the lizard.  It is the part of our brain that worries about safety. It tells us to keep our head down and follow instruction. What we need to do is acknowledge that the lizard brain is there, ignore it, and stand up and continue with our art.

Response:

Brainwashed really got me thinking about school and its importance as related to the rest of our lives. Sometimes I sit in other classes and I think I would rather be anywhere but here, and that it is all pointless information. However, in Media 203 I rarely think that. Although the blogs can sometimes be annoying to do, I think in the long run they will have helped me. They expose me to all sides of media and not just the audio part, which is what I am studying. I’m learning things that I can apply later in life when I have to collaborate with other various artists. These blogs make me think beyond what I know and apply pervious knowledge. They help me connect with others obviously because it is a blog which is one of the main point from Brainwashed. They also make me generous by sharing my ideas with others but by getting nothing in return besides the gratitude of doing it. Also by creating these blogs we are making art to share with others and we are enabling others to create as well. We are taking risks by sharing but in the end it will benefit us and the others who read our blogs and also decide to share their art. One of the main things these blogs do is force us to confront the lizard brain we each have. We have to ignore the scared feelings and not worry about what people might say and who might laugh.  The blog projects expose us to that so we are prepared and not scared to show our work later down the road. Shipping also ties into the lizard brain because everyone is scared to ship out his or her art because of fear of failure. Shipping is a key component in being able to reinvent ones self because it allows us to get things “done”. We have to have the ability to fail and except that to move forward which our blogs allow because not every blog project will be perfect. Lastly we have to be able to learn and with a new blog project every week I feel I have learned a lot of new information to move me forward in my profession.  I like how each blog corresponds to the in class learning that takes place each week. It helps me understand the material more and relate my art to it. Overall I think the blogs are a good tool in helping us learn.

Blog Assignment # 2

https://blackboard.ohio.edu/@@/6064A3E2644F1D2DE70281BD30038212/courses/1/MDIA_203_100_LEC_WINT_2011-12/content/_2141049_1/wk%202%20FindYourHowl.pdf

Summary:

I chose to summarize the second part of the reading because it spoke to me more than the first.  In the second part Flaum writes about the price we pay to find our own howl as humans. He says we have to weather many situations wanted and unwanted. We have to stay strong and look to the light at the end of the tunnel even if seemingly dim at the time. He says if we don’t work our way through the difficulties they follow us like that of a cage in which we are always stuck in them.

Essay:

For those who know me they probably will tell you I have an obsession with James Dean. Yes, the one that died at only twenty-four years of age. You are probably think “she only likes him for his looks”, but you are very wrong. He goes far beyond that for me. His life was an inspiration as well as his untimely death.

The first time I saw this quote was soon after I started learning about him, I was in film class and became very interested in his movies. He said, “I think there is only one form of greatness for man. If a man can bridge the gap between life and death. I mean, if he can live on after he has died, then maybe he was a great man. To me the only success, the only greatness, is immortality.” Such powerful words! I like this because I agree with it fully. What will you be remembered for when you die? If your answer is nothing, then what did you live for? If there is no one on this earth that has been moved, inspired, changed or just made a better person because of yourself did you do your job as a human being? I believe everyone has a purpose and a reason for being. Whether that is simple or far beyond what you yourself know to be, you have purpose. In the day of death I want to be remembered for the person I was and the achievements I made. I want to live far beyond my death and continue to shape those after me.

As far as how this relates to me as a creative person I think it is fairly clear. In my job I want to make dreams come true. I want to help artist achieve their musical potential while using my skills. By doing this I believe I will be able to live on even after I pass. Not in a concrete since but that I will have hopefully touched many lives along the way. I strive to be able to do this and I hope my creativity guides me into being able to do just what Mr. Dean says. I know it is a far reach and that much hard work will follow, but I accept the challenge, because when I die I want people to feel about me the way I do him. I want to live through the dreams of others much like he does of my dreams.

So when you die I hope you can live on as well. Maybe not through a dream but through what ever it is you hope to achieve in your lifetime. Let that be the inspiration that carries on the generations to come. Much like we chase the dreams of those before us. They will one day chase ours and I for one want that to be a great one. It starts with our creativity and ends with our achievements. This quote will always be a favorite of mine and maybe yours now as well.

Blog Assignment # 1

The Protagonist:

My character has three main colors that represent her and her environment. These colors are red, blue, and green. The red and green depict her character but the blue represents the environment in which she lives. Each are strong colors like her character. The red shows her fiery personality and her rebellion against her peers. The green demonstrates her creature and one of the main elements that make her the sea mammal that she is. The blue shows her endless boundaries in which she has to live, and the countless opportunities she has to look ahead to. All three colors capture her completely.  

This light perfectly describes my character and her habitat in which she lives. Obviously judging by the photo her home is the ocean. I chose this picture for the light description because when I envision her character this is what comes to mind. She is in a land of limitless possibilities, but she wants to know what it is above the water line. The light demonstrates the possibilities shining down from above on her to give her hope in her life. It also aluminates her showing she is the protagonist and the “God” in this situation, unlike that of her antagonist.

I picked a picture of a fish because my character is in essence a “fish” of some sorts. It demonstrates her shape almost exactly minus a few key differences. Much like a fish she darts through the water with the same movements of almost all sea creatures. She is very fast and precise with her movements. She has a long tail like a fish with the fins at the end. She flips it in order to swim and move throughout the waters of the ocean that she inhabits.  This body shape gives her an advantage over other creatures because of the sleekness of the tail she is able to move smoothly in the water with out any traction slowing her down.

My character’s name is: Little Mermaid!

The antagonist:

The main colors for my antagonist are dark and evil they are purple and black. They make up my characters not only outside image but also her emotional state. She is there to create havoc on the people around her. I thought this picture was perfect because not only does it have the colors but also the lightning bolt in the middle. The lightning bolt shows her powers and ability to create devastation much like lightning.  She is the darkness of the sea and feared by many. The dark sky in this demonstrates the darkness she brings to the sea life in which she lives.

This creature lives in the dark under world of the sea, which this picture clearly shows. She has the positive light shining from above but because she is evil it cast an eerie shadow on her from above. The light depicts the antagonist in the situation bye clearly showing that this light is shining on darkness, which could only be evil. It also creates some mystery about the character and what he or she is about. And also why are they living in the darkness of the ocean.  With out question I know that this is the antagonist of the power struggle.

Much like the fish picture I used to describe the protagonist the octopus is the shape of the antagonist. She has many arms in which she uses to do harm and create madness in the atmosphere of the ocean waters she tries to control. They allow her to move quickly and disrupt the calm waters. The shape is more ugly and ruthless telling me that she is the evildoer in the situation. I also liked this picture because the picture of the octopus was in black also depicting another evil element to add to the over all feel of the photo.

The antagonist’s name is: Ursula!