The "Sniper Scene" From "Saving Private Ryan"
I think the theme of this movie is mainly centered around triumph focusing on a small group of soldiers with a common objective. They know their jobs and they will risk their lives trying to do them. Some will not make it out in the end but they all tried. This movie shows this in many different scenes throughout the story and it is focused on the role of the sniper in this particular one. He is putting himself in a lot of danger trying to find the other sniper in the rain, and he displays it by motivating himself with words. The theme is very active in the story as you are not told his motivation, you must observe and see his courage to understand.
Line is very important when it comes to this particular scene because the lines portrayed are very precise to what is going on in the sequence. Virtual lines are heavily used to direct attention toward the soldier that is down on the ground, along with both snipers as they look up and down in a nervous and slow nature. These lines are then shown more directly through the scopes of the snipers as the audience gets a peek of what exactly the characters are looking at. The fascinating part is that the audience never really sees where the protagonist is looking through the scope and even eye sight. Instead they show the nervous antagonist sniper who scans his area only find that he is too late when he sees the other sniper.
Movement is also very important in this scene because there is not a lot of it at all. This makes the little movement present in the scene that much more important to the story. Slow movements of the US sniper as he adjusts to his shot without being seen really create a sense of danger. The soldier injured and bleeding on the ground slowly losing movement create a massive sense of urgency throughout the scene. The german soldier uses slow scope movement looking carefully for his shot. The only real fast movement in the scene is when the german sniper gets shot and quickly falls down.
Very broad shapes are used in the scene to not distract the user from what is going on. You are not intended to pay attention to the down because the real action and suspense is happening between the snipers. The rain overshadows most of buildings anyways which restricts the audience from really seeing much. There are more complex shapes in the german soldier's scope as he scans through the many obstacles that the US soldiers are hiding behind. Their complex shape is used to throw off the sniper as well as the audience. They can really experience the difficulty with finding a target in the scene.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
# 7 Animation Comparison
I used two frames from the animated cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants.
The first one:
The second one:
These two frames are very different from each other but contain the main character in each. What we first look at when viewing these two pieces is the color. In terms of hue, there are a lot of warmer colors in the second frame versus the first one. This shows a warmer environment especially centered around the lighter color of the main character, spongebob. Looking at the other characters in the frame, they have a darker color and this could be related to their expressions in the scene. Obviously they don't seem as cheerful as the main character and the animator decided to make their colors go along with it. The color in the first frame is a lot darker overall. The stress in both the characters in the shot is displayed on their faces and the color goes along with it. In terms of brightness, the first frame is a lot brighter in the front and especially on the main character. As depth goes on, the brightness gets significantly lower towards the people in the background. Even the characters right next to the main are a little dimmer than him. In the first frame, the environment around the characters is very dim and dark giving a suspenseful vibe to the scene. These different lighting techniques utilize shadows of the background characters in the second frame, and a darker mood in the first frame. Movement is also very important in these two frames. The first frame displays a large amount of movement as both characters in the shot appear to be in a frantic run. This shows fear in the shot and it is accompanied by the dark mood as explained before. The weight is a lot higher in the first frame over the second one because details are a lot more important and movement displays this easier.
The first one:
The second one:
These two frames are very different from each other but contain the main character in each. What we first look at when viewing these two pieces is the color. In terms of hue, there are a lot of warmer colors in the second frame versus the first one. This shows a warmer environment especially centered around the lighter color of the main character, spongebob. Looking at the other characters in the frame, they have a darker color and this could be related to their expressions in the scene. Obviously they don't seem as cheerful as the main character and the animator decided to make their colors go along with it. The color in the first frame is a lot darker overall. The stress in both the characters in the shot is displayed on their faces and the color goes along with it. In terms of brightness, the first frame is a lot brighter in the front and especially on the main character. As depth goes on, the brightness gets significantly lower towards the people in the background. Even the characters right next to the main are a little dimmer than him. In the first frame, the environment around the characters is very dim and dark giving a suspenseful vibe to the scene. These different lighting techniques utilize shadows of the background characters in the second frame, and a darker mood in the first frame. Movement is also very important in these two frames. The first frame displays a large amount of movement as both characters in the shot appear to be in a frantic run. This shows fear in the shot and it is accompanied by the dark mood as explained before. The weight is a lot higher in the first frame over the second one because details are a lot more important and movement displays this easier.
#6 Scene Story Boarding
First Five Shots of Scene
Overhead View of Shots
After watching the first 5 scenes from the movie "Se7en" I determined that the director tried to keep the shots fairly simple in the movie and didn't seem to break any rules in this particular part. I assume he did this because as the story is concluding and the audience is in charge of figuring out the main story. Making complex camera angles and movements might throw the audience off at this point completely defeating the purpose of the active ending that the movie is trying to portray. The first 5 scenes mainly consist of a few OTS shots but at different distances away from the character. The first OTS is a medium shot while the same character has a medium close up a couple shots later. I feel they did this to emphasize when he is looking into the box and the upcoming horror he will experience from it. The other character has an interesting 2 shot OTS that includes the antagonist in the background blurred out. The angle on him is also low suggesting a power of the protagonist over the antagonist. This is very interesting because that soon changes immediately after the other character discovers what is in the box. The rule 30 rule in terms of size really fit when the opening of the box happened. The character changed two shots and it went smoothly. The rule of thirds was also used to help keep your focus on the emotion of the characters as well as the mysterious box without even showing what was in it. The director did not break the 180 degree rule in this sequence as the characters did not move much and so he could preserve the notion of the story intended.
Overhead View of Shots
After watching the first 5 scenes from the movie "Se7en" I determined that the director tried to keep the shots fairly simple in the movie and didn't seem to break any rules in this particular part. I assume he did this because as the story is concluding and the audience is in charge of figuring out the main story. Making complex camera angles and movements might throw the audience off at this point completely defeating the purpose of the active ending that the movie is trying to portray. The first 5 scenes mainly consist of a few OTS shots but at different distances away from the character. The first OTS is a medium shot while the same character has a medium close up a couple shots later. I feel they did this to emphasize when he is looking into the box and the upcoming horror he will experience from it. The other character has an interesting 2 shot OTS that includes the antagonist in the background blurred out. The angle on him is also low suggesting a power of the protagonist over the antagonist. This is very interesting because that soon changes immediately after the other character discovers what is in the box. The rule 30 rule in terms of size really fit when the opening of the box happened. The character changed two shots and it went smoothly. The rule of thirds was also used to help keep your focus on the emotion of the characters as well as the mysterious box without even showing what was in it. The director did not break the 180 degree rule in this sequence as the characters did not move much and so he could preserve the notion of the story intended.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
#5 Song Deconstruction
Song One:
The Movies - Creation Lake
Phase I:
Tempo: Medium
Source: Vocal and Piano
Groove: Steady and a little upbeat
Phase II:
Instrumentation: Piano and Drums drive the song
Structure/Organization: Verse > Chorus > Verse > Extended Chorus
Emotional Architecture: Song mainly stays in same place but drops a little
Phase III:
Height: Fairly Low
Width: Both on each side mainly
Depth: Sound made up of around 3 instruments plus vocals.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Song Two:
Silversun Pickups - Creation Lake (Cover)
These songs are virtually the same song but there are many differences between them. Lyrics are the exact same for each song but are sung by a man in the movies version, and by a woman in the silversun version. This really separates the song's feeling between the two versions but vocals is not the only differing factor. The melody is fairly different between the two because the instruments are emphasized and used differently from each other. The silversun version even adds new instruments and sounds to add the the emotion of the song. The structure is also very similar in both versions of the song but the silversun version emphasizes an intro and outro more than the movies version. The quality between the two songs couldn't be any more different. The movies version has a similar steady piano throughout the entire song and doesn't emphasize on anything other than it besides the vocals a little. The silversun version starts out slow and then picks up with steady drums and a keyboard that instantly amplifies the song in both sides. It is then accompanied by a guitar riff played during the chorus that is high in height and alternates each of side. I feel the silversun version has a lot more to offer in timbre as well as rhythm. The movies version may be more organized just from the fact that it is similar, but I also think the silversun version is quite organized as well. Overall I would lean towards liking the silversun version a lot better because I feel it adds a lot more to the movies version. Even though The Movies wrote the song, I feel that Silversun Pickups' version really added a whole new layer to the song while still maintaing the same lyrics. The real differences is emphasized between the vocals in the two songs and the higher pitched voice from Silversun Pickups adds a lot to the emotion of the song. They then put a lot more sound into the chorus of the song while the Movies' version just stays at a consistent pitch throughout the entire song.
The Movies - Creation Lake
Phase I:
Tempo: Medium
Source: Vocal and Piano
Groove: Steady and a little upbeat
Phase II:
Instrumentation: Piano and Drums drive the song
Structure/Organization: Verse > Chorus > Verse > Extended Chorus
Emotional Architecture: Song mainly stays in same place but drops a little
Phase III:
Height: Fairly Low
Width: Both on each side mainly
Depth: Sound made up of around 3 instruments plus vocals.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Song Two:
Silversun Pickups - Creation Lake (Cover)
Phase I:
Tempo: Slow
Source: Vocals and Guitar
Groove: Low tone and not upbeat
Phase II:
Instrumentation: Vocals and
Structure/Organization: Intro > Extended Verse > Chorus > Verse > Chorus > Outro
Emotional Architecture: Song fluctuates rhythm
Phase III:
Height: Higher
Width: Guitar pans between each side
Depth: Big instrument layer between keyboard and guitar/bass + vocals
These songs are virtually the same song but there are many differences between them. Lyrics are the exact same for each song but are sung by a man in the movies version, and by a woman in the silversun version. This really separates the song's feeling between the two versions but vocals is not the only differing factor. The melody is fairly different between the two because the instruments are emphasized and used differently from each other. The silversun version even adds new instruments and sounds to add the the emotion of the song. The structure is also very similar in both versions of the song but the silversun version emphasizes an intro and outro more than the movies version. The quality between the two songs couldn't be any more different. The movies version has a similar steady piano throughout the entire song and doesn't emphasize on anything other than it besides the vocals a little. The silversun version starts out slow and then picks up with steady drums and a keyboard that instantly amplifies the song in both sides. It is then accompanied by a guitar riff played during the chorus that is high in height and alternates each of side. I feel the silversun version has a lot more to offer in timbre as well as rhythm. The movies version may be more organized just from the fact that it is similar, but I also think the silversun version is quite organized as well. Overall I would lean towards liking the silversun version a lot better because I feel it adds a lot more to the movies version. Even though The Movies wrote the song, I feel that Silversun Pickups' version really added a whole new layer to the song while still maintaing the same lyrics. The real differences is emphasized between the vocals in the two songs and the higher pitched voice from Silversun Pickups adds a lot to the emotion of the song. They then put a lot more sound into the chorus of the song while the Movies' version just stays at a consistent pitch throughout the entire song.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
#4 Reflection on Sound Design
Part of the scene above.
This scene was very interesting to take a part. The sound in it is very influential on the situation because the makers didn't show the audience what was going on. They had to explain it more through emotion of the characters and slightly vague dialog. The most interesting part of the scene is that the audience never actually sees what's inside the box.
This scene utilizes many different aspects of sound. I feel that the most common techniques is space and time. The whole scene is made with an added sense of urgency. This is portrayed by the tempo of the simple music being played in the background. But it is also achieved by combining a lot of different sounds to represent a feeling of chaos in the situation. I think a combination of the wind, helicopter, music, and the yelling of dialog really adds this sense of urgency to the scene. I also believe space is used heavily in the scene to get information across. For instance, Detective Mills cannot hear Detective Somset when he opens the box and starts to panic. Even as he runs for many yards, only a the audience can hear a slight faintness of his voice yellowing to Mills to put his gun down. Space is also utilized with the sound of the helicopter coming closer and then retreating back. It creates an interesting echo to the scene adding to the open and interesting environment.
This scene was very interesting to take a part. The sound in it is very influential on the situation because the makers didn't show the audience what was going on. They had to explain it more through emotion of the characters and slightly vague dialog. The most interesting part of the scene is that the audience never actually sees what's inside the box.
This scene utilizes many different aspects of sound. I feel that the most common techniques is space and time. The whole scene is made with an added sense of urgency. This is portrayed by the tempo of the simple music being played in the background. But it is also achieved by combining a lot of different sounds to represent a feeling of chaos in the situation. I think a combination of the wind, helicopter, music, and the yelling of dialog really adds this sense of urgency to the scene. I also believe space is used heavily in the scene to get information across. For instance, Detective Mills cannot hear Detective Somset when he opens the box and starts to panic. Even as he runs for many yards, only a the audience can hear a slight faintness of his voice yellowing to Mills to put his gun down. Space is also utilized with the sound of the helicopter coming closer and then retreating back. It creates an interesting echo to the scene adding to the open and interesting environment.
#3 Brainwashed
Read Brainwashed by Seth Godin here: http://changethis.com/manifesto/66.01.Brainwashed/pdf/66.01.Brainwashed.pdf
Acknowledging the Lizard
In the reading, the author describes the lizard as being more specifically "the lizard brain." He emphasizes that everyone has lizard tactics in life and that most to all of them are used constantly throughout our day. They are a set of rules we follow to not appear out of line. We check with them constantly to make sure were following society the way we've been taught to and also to prevent the possibility of failure. Acknowledging the lizard is the one and only way to ignore it. If you consider the lizard's impact on your daily life, you can learn to ignore it and be completely yourself. Brainwash free.
Connect
This concept really illustrates one of the main differences between our generation and the ones before us. We now have this tool that has never been used and the most interesting thing about it is that there is no clear instruction on what you do with it. Connection to people you will never meet face to face is a completely odd thing to consider. It can help in a variety of ways and the most important is sharing what you have. Sharing is easier then ever in history and this new system just begs you to put whatever you got into it.
Art
Art is anything that is original from you. It comes only from you and there is no clear definition of it. Art can give you perspective, and it can also strive towards innovation. Art is the new leader in trends and innovation. It's not about working in a factory to make ends meet anymore. Now it is your job to create what you have and share it to others. You can make the new "thing" even if nobody, including you knows what it even is!
These "levers" that I have summarized above heavily influence my creativity even if it just gave me another reason to write. This blog is very connected to all three of the concepts listed above. Writing this essay alone, is able to emphasize on my art skills because I am able to put something that is completely from me. I also utilize connection by putting this out to the public on the internet. The internet makes it incredibly easy to publish your work and share it with others. Which leads me to acknowledging the lizard. The lizard is the thing that would keep me from doing this in the first place. The lizard would instruction me to not create this form of art and it would cringe at the idea of sharing it with anyone. I am able to ignore that and blissfully place this out there to help me defeat the "brainwashing" techniques that old society has placed on us.
I feel that art and creativity the new occupation to succeed. The 9-5 job just doesn't cut it like it used to. Job security is very hard to find in many places and benefits get smaller every year. Knowing how to manufacture an object, hundreds of times a day is very restrictive on our minds. Opening up our ideas to others used to be a very rare thing. Now, it is done by many and some even do it for a living. Of course, people constantly fail at getting the feedback they want, but at the same time, they learn from it and mold their creativity further until it becomes something revolutionary.
In my opinion, exercises like this help boost my creativity. I feel that it helps me discover more about myself every time I do one. Also, getting to share things like this with anyone really helps me critique my own work. The main thing I got out of this reading, was that art can be defined as almost anything. Some things haven't even been figured out yet, but art is behind many of things.
#2- Finding Your Howl
Link to "Finding Your Howl" http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/51.01.YourHowl
In Jonathan Flaum's writing about when he was in the 5th grade, he describes interpreting a fellow classmates writing to be too entirely true about everyone. Through this, he develops that an answer to the story is to find your howl. He tries to describe what a person's howl is which is impossible considering it's up to the only you to find your own. He does describe it as being a vital part of you. Something you cannot escape, but at the same time, something that you can't live without. The reading also goes to explaining that the only true way to find your howl is to dig the deepest through you and strive towards everything you're not used to. A lonely journey that only you, along with your wisdom can completely. It can get very difficult at times but you must carry on because at some point there is no turning back. He even describes the discovery of your howl to be like a death in a way. A death followed by a rebirth as you finally find your own true Howl.
To describe one of the roots of my creativity is for me to take a lyric from one of my favorite songs. The lyric is "It's everything that is connect and beautiful and now I know just where I stand." This line just speaks to be in such an intense way and it is hard to explain exactly why, but I will try my best in this essay. The lyric comes from a song by Silversun Pickups. It is named "Kissing Families" and it can be found on their Pikul EP.
The only true way to explain how this line made such an impact on me is to tell a story about it. One night, about 2 years ago, I was sitting in my back yard with my parents surrounding a fire pit that was ablaze. It was a cool summer night with no clouds in the sky and the moon was shining on the earth with a dim overlay. Sitting on a chair, I starred at the fire as it burned slowly through logs. The flames would wave slowly and then make sharp twists as if it was only a matter of time before it tripped and fell on itself. The suburban horizon had a dim orange light above the houses in almost all directions reminding me that even in the middle of a city, the feeling of isolation could still be achieved. The distant sound of cars mobilizing and air conditioning unit blustering seemed to turn into a sort of white noise that could be easily ignored after enough exposure. At this point my parents decided to go in the house for the night, asking me to put out the fire when I was done. I agreed and just like that I was alone. I continued to stare at the fire watching its one time show. After I put it out, this fire will be dead, I thought as if the fire was living the most of the short life it has been given. The brightness of the flames shown all throughout the back yard and the constant flickering light shinned on the house with an orange tint. I glanced all around analyzing the lighting effects that the fire placed on everything around. I looked down on the brick porch and saw obscure shadows bending in all different directions as continued to flicker it's signature color. At this moment I thought to myself how interesting it was that the fire could portray a whole new perspective on the bricks. It was almost like it was combining the two to make something completely original and unrepeatable. It is as if, in any situation, a perspective is manipulated by the combination of objects in your environment and how they interact with each other.
I thought really hard about this and for no apparent reason, I took a look at the ground again and thought "Everything is connected and beautiful and now I know just where I stand" as if I had discovered that "where I stand" meant I had discovered part of my "howl" and the root of my creativity. I feel as if perspective is the most important part of being creative. Everyone sees something in their own way but sometimes it's hard to describe it to others. I also think that perspective goes hand and hand with manipulation both bad in good in media.
In Jonathan Flaum's writing about when he was in the 5th grade, he describes interpreting a fellow classmates writing to be too entirely true about everyone. Through this, he develops that an answer to the story is to find your howl. He tries to describe what a person's howl is which is impossible considering it's up to the only you to find your own. He does describe it as being a vital part of you. Something you cannot escape, but at the same time, something that you can't live without. The reading also goes to explaining that the only true way to find your howl is to dig the deepest through you and strive towards everything you're not used to. A lonely journey that only you, along with your wisdom can completely. It can get very difficult at times but you must carry on because at some point there is no turning back. He even describes the discovery of your howl to be like a death in a way. A death followed by a rebirth as you finally find your own true Howl.
To describe one of the roots of my creativity is for me to take a lyric from one of my favorite songs. The lyric is "It's everything that is connect and beautiful and now I know just where I stand." This line just speaks to be in such an intense way and it is hard to explain exactly why, but I will try my best in this essay. The lyric comes from a song by Silversun Pickups. It is named "Kissing Families" and it can be found on their Pikul EP.
The only true way to explain how this line made such an impact on me is to tell a story about it. One night, about 2 years ago, I was sitting in my back yard with my parents surrounding a fire pit that was ablaze. It was a cool summer night with no clouds in the sky and the moon was shining on the earth with a dim overlay. Sitting on a chair, I starred at the fire as it burned slowly through logs. The flames would wave slowly and then make sharp twists as if it was only a matter of time before it tripped and fell on itself. The suburban horizon had a dim orange light above the houses in almost all directions reminding me that even in the middle of a city, the feeling of isolation could still be achieved. The distant sound of cars mobilizing and air conditioning unit blustering seemed to turn into a sort of white noise that could be easily ignored after enough exposure. At this point my parents decided to go in the house for the night, asking me to put out the fire when I was done. I agreed and just like that I was alone. I continued to stare at the fire watching its one time show. After I put it out, this fire will be dead, I thought as if the fire was living the most of the short life it has been given. The brightness of the flames shown all throughout the back yard and the constant flickering light shinned on the house with an orange tint. I glanced all around analyzing the lighting effects that the fire placed on everything around. I looked down on the brick porch and saw obscure shadows bending in all different directions as continued to flicker it's signature color. At this moment I thought to myself how interesting it was that the fire could portray a whole new perspective on the bricks. It was almost like it was combining the two to make something completely original and unrepeatable. It is as if, in any situation, a perspective is manipulated by the combination of objects in your environment and how they interact with each other.
I thought really hard about this and for no apparent reason, I took a look at the ground again and thought "Everything is connected and beautiful and now I know just where I stand" as if I had discovered that "where I stand" meant I had discovered part of my "howl" and the root of my creativity. I feel as if perspective is the most important part of being creative. Everyone sees something in their own way but sometimes it's hard to describe it to others. I also think that perspective goes hand and hand with manipulation both bad in good in media.
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