While finding an animation for this particular assignment, I found an amazing blog and animation artist Pascal Campion. He is currently working on projects in animation and traveling back and forth to Los Angeles. I decided to incorporate a link to this blog because I found his animations really interesting. All his animations are done in flash with his own sketches. He has a particular style to his sketches. When I was watching some of his animations, I would say that a lot of his sketches may have been influenced by Tim Burton, (who currently has an exhibition on display at the Moma, and it is simply amazing). In working on my own animation it's been quite a challenge. I have been having a hard time becoming familiar with the software Flash. I have an even harder time drawing, so I have so much respect for those who sketch and are able to then incorporate that into an animation. Pascal Campion went to an art school in France, so he has been working in the field for quite some time and it's obvious after looking at his pieces. After reading my blog click on the link and then click on animations and view the fifth animation. I really liked this one because it was simple sketches but yet a defined beginning, middle, and end, even though the piece was very short. This particular piece also had a very definite style, due to his sketches and well thought out use of color and the software to give it a dramatic edgy feel. I really enjoyed his consistency with the flashing to add dramatic affect and his use of colors to add intensity. While watching this you can tell he knows the program and uses it to his advantage.

http://pascalcampion.com/

Blog 3

Last year the idea of using Final Cut cared and intimidated me, I was unsure about the program and developed in my mind only those very advanced in technology can use Final Cut. Working on this project has changed that thought completely I was amazed at the simplicity, smoothness and organization of the program and the many different ways to accomplish one task. It is very user friendly.

In working on this project for Med. 160, I really enjoyed the whole process and collaborating to achieve the final project. Working on projects like this allows you to not only be creative yourself but to work with others to allow your creativity to flow together. The first stage developing the storyboard was I felt very necessary. Every aspet till execution plays such an important role in your final piece. I definitely feel that was a very important lesson I learned. Pre planing is everything preproduction is so key to your project and allows for organization at such a simple stage. While doing this I really began to get comfortable with final cut pro and really enjoyed working with that program and want to continue to work with the program and better my skills. I also learned the importance of ranging your cuts and the importance of a linear story. I felt in my project we could have had more cut aways and possibly more angle shots to allow for diversity. Lastly I really enjoyed watching other people's pieces it was definitely inspirational and fun.

I decided to analyze the editing structure of the diner scene in Goodfellas. Last year, in the documentary we watched on filming they talked about this particular scene. The scenes starts off with a wide shot of the restaurant and a moving camera coming into the restaurant and spotting James. While the camera is moving into the restaurant you see the customers restaurant and interior of the restaurant. The listener hears Henry speak in voice over. The viewer because he cannot see Henry and listens to the dialect instantly understands the voiceover is of course Henry's inner thoughts. When James is spot a cut happens and you see James and Henry hug. Within seconds another cut happens and you see the two of them sitting across from each other at a table in the restaurant. After, they are sitting you continue to hear Henry's thoughts through a voice over but at this point you are drawn to the actions in the shot between the two characters and the specific movement of the camera the camera is almost pulling back but zooming in dramatizing the scene a bit and adding intensity to the situation. Then it cuts to a medium shot of James and a bit of dialect from him. After being in lecture I began to notcie particular things about a shot such as eye contact match which is prevalent in this shot between both the characters as the shots cut back and forth between the two as they are talking. I further noticed the idea of not breaking the 180 degree line. I had never edited before, but after beginning to use final cut pro it is so important to the piece to make sure that all of the se factors are in fact in line and on par or the piece just doesn't look right. After the cuts back and forth the camera zooms in on Jame's hand and you watch the camera than tilt up on to his face. The camera now is a extreme close up of Jame's face. At this point my favorite part of the scene happens the camera freezes on his face and you hear the voice over of Henry. I like this part because the words are now the most important part and what this particular character has asked him to do within inside the scene. Then it cuts to Henry's hand picking up what James just passed him and then the camera tilts up to his face as he lights a cigarette and then the camera freezes on his face and you continue to hear the voice over. After the intense shots at an intense moment within inside the movie, the shot is then cut back to a wide angle shot of the two of them sitting at the table across from each other, and the camera moves back. Editing played a significant part in this scene.

Part 2 Media in the Digital Age

I am currently enrolled in the second part of Media in the Digital Age, and am really excited to pursue this course and further my knowledge in new age media. I found it quite interesting to actually study the type of user generated content that I interact with everyday. For example, the social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, I use everyday to keep in contact with my friends who I may not have talked to in years. In the case of Twitter it keeps me updated on my friends and role models such as Jay z or John Mayer. On facebook I am able to communicate with my friends from all over the globe, and keep update on whats happening in thier lives. Through Twitter I am able to follow people I admire and stay updated on events that are happening around town. Before, starting this course I didn't really think about how a site like this was made I just interacted within the site, but now I look at media on the internet in a different way.

I find it fascinating that our technology has advanced so much that we have the capability of communicating through networks all over the globe. The idea of video chatting with someone in China would never have been an imaginative thought ten years ago and now it's an everyday usage and function. Computers are sold now with built in cameras so video chatting is easily accessible. I was also really interested in the Second Life I had never heard of this site before class, and was blown away when researching more about the concept and graphics of this site. The fact that we can interact in a cyber world with other cyber creatures in this 3D dimension was fascinating and once again shows the evolution of our technology.

I really enjoy the new media because as a consumer, I can interact with the producers of these sites and upload my own media making myself a producer of work and media that another person might find interesting. Another amazing thing about new media is the knowledge you can gain from social knowledge to world news, its all accessible on a laptop if you are connected to a network, on this simple but complex machine we can access more information than any news paper film or person could possibly try to offer because we have access to anything we want. I look forward to learning how to create my own website form scrach and build a code to me that is another very interesting concept and the fact that programming is so key to the way we are able to interact fascinates me.

The knowledge

In the past couple of months I have had the opportunity to learn and work with media tools to better my knowledge on the filmmaking experience. I have really enjoyed learning about different filming techniques and everything from pre production to post production and what all that work entails. During the time I was taking these classes, I also was able to analyze films better and I better understood creative shots, and how those shots were achieved.
I recently began to analyze different Gus Van Sant films, and noticed his interesting and amazing technique.He has a real way of distinguishing a mood through different beautiful shots, and his shot, text and typography is all demonstrated through his work, in a personal and a unique style. I watched Finding Forrester, milk, Good Will Hunting and My Private Idaho, and recognized the genius of this man's style with every shot. I was able to recognize this with more maturity because of the information I gained from this classes I took on film at huter

soundwalk

I have the advantage of working in a restaurant where noise is always prevalent. I decided to analyze the sound that occurs in the restaurant because we seldom recognize it while working but the sound is everywhere. I was able to take a few moments off waitressing to analyze what sounds where going on around me that I never pay attention too. In the background I could hear a faint song, "I'm coming out" playing on the radio. I could also hear the bussers speaking to each other in spanish, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. In the background I could also make sounds of the ac and noise from the outside street. In the foreground I heard people asking waiters for ketchup, mustard etc. I also paid more attention to the demands the waiters were making to the kitchen, bar, etc and the questions asked by the waiters while serving to the cutomers. In the foreground you can also here the banging of different kitchen appliances the dropping of different types of glassware.
It was really interesting to analyze sound through this exercise because I also paid attention to the clinging of silverware, cups, the tapping of glasses, the stacking of trays. Before doing an experiment like this you tend not to allow yourself or ignore those sounds, but with hearing those sounds you understand why the restaurant is the way it is. Those types of sounds make the landmark all the more adjustible and you tend to take advantage of the situation.

design

Design is key for people to understand how objects, places,and things work. Design shows up everywhere in life, and we have become use to it and taken advantage of the design and graphic design. I am learning through my classes how graphic design came to be what it is in the present day, and it is remarkable. I also have know focused how much one can learn from a certain type of type and what that type means to the design and what the image and design are trying to portray.
My favorite design is graphic art by Keith Harring. Keith Harring is an artist but he is a graphic artist with a unique style that contributes to the design of his work. His work is simple done only by lines many of his features are colorful and his words in many of his works are done in large bubble letters. HIs work is very large as well. The design was laid out this way because many of his works were done in the subways or on different high building in New York City. He wanted a mass amount of people to see his works especially when they were in different areas were there was a mass amount of space. Many of his works were his own inner thoughts of humanity and people and you can usually always tell the meaning by his images and words.