Stalker Film

Link: http://vimeo.com/33622304

Our presented us with a few challenges. We initially wanted the film to be more traditional with a boy stalking a girl and the camera as a voyeur. Since one of our partners could not come the day of filming we needed to change the concept. Making the camera the stalker or point of view filming was the most efficient possibility. It allowed us to get footage of both characters even though we only had two people in our crew.  We also changed the story and made the girl stalk the boy, which I think was an interesting juxtaposition of roles. It added a sense of mystery and suspense to the storyline. When we showed the film in class many people thought it was a love story about the boy at first, but knew something was wrong when they heard the music. The title of the film is Somebody is Watching, which after discussion could have been changed to something a little more suspenseful. Since the assignment was to display a space within Hunter College, we had the stalker follow her victim all over the buildings and outside. This allowed for a combination of shots including high angle, low angle, and tracking shots. We used a few props in the end to display the murder, just a white t-shirt and some ketchup for blood. In the editing room our goal was to put together a cohesive stalking sequence that did not get boring or redundant. Keeping it interesting by switching between tracking shots, which take up most of the film, and static shots. With the music choices we tried break the film up into sequences. The first sequence with a lighter song, something someone might be listening in his or her headphones. We chose Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads; it is a lighter song that goes with the film’s theme. Then for the second portion of the film when the film begins to take shape as a thriller we chose a stock suspense song from the Internet that fits the scenario well. Despite the minor setbacks I think our film was successful, it displayed the space, used editing techniques learned in class, and thrilled our audience. 

Museum of Moving Image

When we went to the Museum of Moving Image there were a few demonstrations you could participate in. One of the demonstrations included the soundtrack for James Cameron’s Titanic. During the demonstration they dropped different parts of the audio track, to show all the different elements within a film’s soundtrack. One of the most interesting aspects of this demonstration was the sound they used for sound effects. Some of these sounds include a lion roaring, and played backwards, while water was rushing in. The reasons behind this, is that a lion’s roar will induce fear or discomfort subliminally, further heightening the emotion of the scene. It was explained during the demonstration that the entire film is peppered with animal sounds. This was an attempt to make the ship a character in the story. If audiences felt they could relate with the ship in some way, it would add to the climax of the film, as the ship is sinking/dying. It was also interesting to see how the film soundtrack consisted of about ten different tracks, including ambient sounds, a couple of sound effects, two different musical soundtracks. The advances in film sound have changed the viewing experience drastically; through sound the film creators can involve an audience member more emotionally. At the museum they had many old film cameras leading up to the present, and it was evident that the older cameras would have many limitations due to their size. Today’s cameras are much more versatile, opening up more ways to communication using the images they capture. 

Haiku Film

Super Poetic Poem Traffic

For our film we were trying to display the different types of traffic, weather it be motor vehicles, train, or even human traffic. By cutting between the different possibilities we wanted to provide a connection between them, it was makes the story more interesting. There is also a mix between still camera angles and shot that move in some manner. This juxtaposition of shot types accompanies the theme of traffic which is constantly stop and go. We felt that the video would be better viewed muted, and allow the images to tell the story. The collection of shots have a combination of different line, altering perspective from shot to shot. This combination adds to the texture of the film, making it more intriguing to the eye.

Design Analysis

The recognizable face of the protagonist, Clint Eastwood, is the central focus of this poster. As your eye moves along the rough texture of the animation you see the gun, it is the next thing your eye picks up on. Indicating the amount of violence and gun slinging the movie contains. The image creates a depth of field along the z-axis with the three shadowy figures in the distance. The red sky behind them adds a feeling of tension and anticipation of the possibilities this film could hold, given Eastwood’s filmography. Once you have surveyed the figures in the picture the name Sergio Leone appears in the sky, intriguing a viewer familiar with him. I like how the picture is drawn, as opposed to a photograph; it is fitting for the setting of the movie, much like how a wanted poster in the old west would be hand drawn. The hand drawing also makes the text of yellow brush strokes more appropriate. The text below the movie title fits well because it is bold and simple; the red balances the hot colors at the top of the page.  Even the multicolor Technicolor symbol has its place at the bottom of the page, opposite the Techniscope symbol with the same number of letters; balancing the last line well. The design of the text overall, allows you to get the information to this piece of art in order of importance, easily in an organized fashion. The poster gives good information about the film it advertises in an artistic way, which is paralleled by the film itself. 

Communication at Hunter

The idea of our photo assignment was to capture people using their cell phones around hunter. Cell phones have forever changed how we as a society communicate with each other. We can communicate with each other much more efficiently and many times more impersonally. The pay phone is example and reminder of what life was not that long ago before cell phones were widely popular and affordable.

Brooklyn First Class

Fruity Face Improved

New and Improved more smiles