Sight Sound Motion

Sights, Sounds, & Motions: The Final

2011-12-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

Sights:

A picture from our off campus trip to the Cupcake shack. A great memory from Introduction to Multimedia and a nice reward for working so hard all semester. Doc Chris is clearly commanding the crowd.

The Red Pandas being extremely festive during our Halloween Thriller party, gathering around Judge Doc Chris.

A tilt shift photography picture that I made the other day. This is a good way to explain scale, relative size, and perspective to someone. Because only a limited area of the photograph is in focus, and because the colors are boosted up, the image looks as if the contents are that of a miniature set.

A new series that I am working on where I recreate famous images. This one is of Barry Lategan's photograph of super model Twiggy. I reinterpreted it with a male model to change it up a bit.

The all around best group in this Multimedia class. Lay your eyes on The Red Pandas via this polaroid that I took during our outing to Panera.

An image of Matt & Kim's drummer from last years Loyolapalooza. I took this image for my coverage of the show, after I had an interview with them, for WLOY.

A part of a series where I used art history to inspire silhouetted images. This is inspired, loosely, on the sculpture of The Thinker.

Sounds:

This is a song that I just recently found out about from a friend at WLOY. I've been trying to update our music selection at the radio station so I focus on the aspect of 'sound' a majority of the time.

One of my favorite male singers, M. Ward, who often collaborates with Actress/Singer Zooey Deschanel. Their harmonies sound really great together, which is something that singers should definitely look for.

A great cover of The Beatles' I'm Only Sleeping, performed by The Vines. Everyone loves a good Beatles song. This is a great example of quality sound.

Motions:

I shot all of these videos at an impromptu mini concert held on the fourth floor programming room back in November. The band is a group of Loyola Juniors who call themselves The Palace At 4 A.M. They also happen to live on the same floor as me. I really enjoy their music. All of these videos are a mixture of both motion and sound. Enjoy.

Final Questions:

1. Are you glad you took this class and please explain why you are glad and not because I am a wonderful person? No sucking up!

I am, in fact, glad that I took this course. I think that the class incorporated many aspects and lessons that I will be able to use throughout my career here at Loyola and as an artist. We were given the liberty to explore certain aspects of multimedia that I may not have necessarily been able to prior to this class and I think that it gave us many avenues to begin to network for jobs and connections. It was challenging but at the same time I think that it was a good way to grow in this field and Doc Chris was always there for any guidance that we as groups may have needed. Having had Doc Chris before, I knew what I was walking into. So not only was I excited to have this course, I knew that I would be able to gain certain things from it, which made my decision to take it easier. My knowledge for sights, sounds, and motions has definitely expanded and I feel more confident explaining specific facets of each category. That was not only done through group presentations and lectures, but also through practice. I definitely enjoyed this once a week course.

2. What did you learn that you did not know before coming into this class?

What can you do that you could not do before taking this class?

I learned a lot from this class. The majority of the textbook that we went over was very informative, especially the way it was conducted. The aspects of color, perspective, lighting, and scale, are now all in my memory bank ready for me to use in my major/minor courses. I am always working with aesthetics so taking a course where we focused on sights was a huge advantage to me; it helped me garner strong foundations for why I do things in photography and what other things I can try. Our presentations were a valuable lesson that we will all be able to use in our chosen fields. Being able to clearly layout your thoughts in an informative, lucid way is difficult. Adding in an audience makes it that much worse. But with constant practice, I think that everyone in the class broke out of their shell and can now successfully deliver a pitch or a presentation. Again, because I've had Doc Chris in the past, I knew that my ability to speak in front of a crowd would strengthen as well as my knowledge of multimedia outlets, such as Facebook, Google +, and Twitter. I think that, especially with my generation, it is all about the online networking systems so this class helped me learn about those greatly.

3. Evaluate your group's performance, your own personal growth in this course and please give your opinion on the direction of this class.

What is there to say about The Red Pandas. We were a dream team if I've ever seen one. Everyone got along really well and had interesting and productive input to bring to each assignment or group project. Besides the fact that Miles made our Logo (and was the first in the class to do so), I knew from the start that our personalities would mesh well. Even though we had a few bad trials, we always backed each other up which was usually rewarded with several good trials. Even Mairead talked some trash in defense for our team. Overall I think that we have grown in comparison to the start of the semester. Having weekly presentations was difficult to divide amongst the group, but we always got it done timely and efficiently, with a little bit of added creativity. I really enjoyed being in this group. I've become a better public speaker as well as writer (through our blogs). I also feel more comfortable using Google +, more specifically the hangout feature. I liked the direction of the class. I think that it was the perfect mixture of fun and learning. A true edutainment course. The work was weekly but it was still done in an interesting way to keep our attention.

4. What did you learn from our field trips, exams, prompt two exercises (Edutainment and

Convergence), and projects?

Even though I had Doc Chris before, the field trips was something that I hadn't experienced before. I think it gave us a new atmosphere to learn new things and get out of the dim lights of Dorothy Day. It also allowed us to capture diverse sights, sounds, and motions that we wouldn't have been able to get just sitting in a classroom. Many of our trips were also meetings and on-location sites, so that was a fun way to work with people other than our class, like Mike Scott. I enjoyed the edutainment and convergence part of the class, as I have in the past. I think that it keeps everyone on their toes and interested in what is being discussed. I felt that Doc Chris is a good job getting his points across and keeping us excited to learn. The exams were held in a way where we were less nerve about the outcome and more focused on the actual moment of the exams, which is something that very few classes can successfully do.

5. Finally, you must evaluate me. Be fair but be truthful. Have I been helpful, did I listen to concerns that you had, have I tried to work with you through individual and group situations? Do you like the way the class has been conducted? Do you understand the purpose of putting people on trial? Here is hint, it is not to embarrass you.
I think that Doc Chris has been consistent throughout my years of having him. He knows what he wants and how to explain to you how to achieve it. But after that, he puts it into your hands and allows you to grow as a student. If you have questions, he is there to answer them but he isn't going to do it for you. I think that is a positive way to conduct a classroom, with a certain level of independence and flexibility. It creates an atmosphere that is easy to learn in and to build strong bonds in. Even though we all experienced his trials, they were meant to be constructive rather than critical. If we only had good trials, no one would really learn anything new or figure out how to change their weaknesses. The bad trials are a way to improve our techniques and understanding so I definitely do understand the purpose of them. The course as a whole was very encouraging, fair, and enjoyable. Being in the same groups throughout the semester made it comfortable to work as a cohesive group on all assignments, something that Doc Chris really focuses on. We got to explore parts of Baltimore, which was an added bonus to an already great class too. He has a way of pushing his students to be better but in a way that is positive rather than negative or condescending. We were all held accountable for our actions or lack of actions and it was a good tool for this sort of class.

Extra Credit:

1. Knowing everything that you have learned in this class using Edutainment & Convergence and gone through in this class, would you take this class again with me? Why or why not? Would you take another class with Dr. Chris? Why or why not? Would you recommend a friend take this course or another course with Dr. Chris, why or why not?

I would definitely take this class again with Doc Chris. Even though he was the only professor offered for this class, I would have opted to take his class anyway. His teaching style and my learning style are very similar and I appreciate how the class is conducted. It was, overall, very entertaining and helpful. When students are at ease in the classroom, it allows for more open conversation and participation, which I think we saw in this course. I always recommend Doc Chris to my friends because I think that they will be able to come out of it with a good approach to these topics, maybe more so than with any other professor.

What I'm Thankful For

2011-11-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Doc Chris has requested we show what we are thankful for. And as much as I'd like to say I'm thankful for everything, I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate that shortcut.

I'm Thankful For:

My Family

I realize that I don't have any recent photographs of me with my family but here is one from what I'm assuming is circa 1992. It's myself, my brother, and our parents.

My Friends, both from home & from college

One of my best friends TJ and I at a concert last summer.

My roommates, 2 of which I've known for almost 10 years.

My friends TJ and Bobby. Bobby has been abroad all semester. I really miss everyone I know who went abroad for either the Fall or full year. I'm looking forward to those who went in the Fall to return but I know that means some people I've grown closer with are going to leave come Spring time. Junior year is definitely a bit different than the previous two years.

Three of my closest friends from home, I've known these girls anywhere from 7-10 years. We've been through a lot and I love them to death.

A group of friends from home that we call P-Day.

The Evergreens

A group of Evergreens bowling after the first Summer Orientation, as a break. As a first time Evergreen, a lot of Returners stepped up in helping us newbies get through the chaotic schedule of orientations.

A photo of us after wrap up during summer orientation, we all got a bit emotional in true Evergreen fashion.

A nice photograph of a few of Evergreen girls before we had our party.

The string ceremony. I can't really describe how amazing this moment was for me, and for everyone else I'm sure.

I've met some of the most genuine and most compassionate people that I had ever met in my 20 years of life after I joined the Evergreens. I really appreciate all of them. It was one of the best decisions I've made here at Loyola.

WLOY/Music

A polaroid of myself and my two friends from the station. Christa is abroad and WLOY is definitely missing her.

I'm thankful for my job on Campus at WLOY (Loyola's radio station). I'm not only thankful for the consistent income of money, albeit kind of small, but also the close friendship I've made with the staff.

My Education

Reppin.

My ability to travel

Paris, France with one of my best friends Alex...who also happens to be one of my roommates.

I've been lucky enough to travel all throughout Italy, France, and Spain and as well as traveling to the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico for a missions trip during my senior year of high school. I understand that being able to freely travel is a privilege, not a right, and many people aren't able to experience the beauty of seeing and living in different cultures.

Art

A photograph by one of my favorite fashion/portrait photographers Richard Avedon. As a photography major, I'm thankful for the presence of art in my life and in the world in general. And the ability that I have to follow my passion as a career path.

I'm a fan of Modern Art...and really all art. I love The MoMa and just being able to walk around museums and check out the different artwork. This is a piece by Mark Rothko.

Animals

I mean, I just love animals. They're cute.

Love

I think everyone is, or at least should be, thankful for love. To be able to love and be loved in return is probably one of the best qualities we possess as humans.

Reflection

So last week we all used the Google+ hangout feature to have class. If I'm being honest, I found it slightly complicated since there were about 10 different computers and at least 3 of them had 2 people or more. It was a lot of competing for sound and a bit convoluted. I can understand why Doc Chris would want to use it and test it out but I feel like it was a better idea in theory that it actually was in practice. I went to Katherine Winslow's room since we are floormates and that way we eliminated an extra computer. So that was good. I think that if we had class through Facebook it would probably be a little bit more cleaner and well organized, especially since everything we decided on would then already be written down. Overall though, I think it went alright and we landed upon going to Panera for our next class. Pretty cool.

Week Nine Reflection: Field Trip For Cupcakes

2011-11-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

So class was pretty awesome this week. We left campus to "go on location" to a local cupcake store, Charm City Cupcakes, and to grab some Starbucks as we met with Michael Scott, someone who Doc Chris has lined up some projects with and needs our help.

Genna, Mairead, and I started off the day driving to location. We hit a bit of traffic but it wasn't that big of a deal. It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon and a perfect day for a drive, so that was pretty great. When we got there, Genna couldn't parallel park (no biggie, I mean I don't even think that should be part of driving exams anymore...am I right or am I right) so we parked in the back by Starbucks.

We each took a group picture in front of the store, which might I add is the smallest cupcake shop on this earth. I'm pretty sure it was once a little shed. I digress. After that, Doc Chris told us that we would again have to enter in a rock, paper, scissor competition in order to see who was going to get cupcakes first.

Naturally, Red Pandas beat out and we got second place (first place went to the team with the most points from last week). Once we were in the shop, we each got to choose the cupcake that we wanted...they all looked delicious. I got Peanut Butter cup. A brilliant choice. Except I really wanted some Milk afterward. I digress again.

Next Doc Chris walked us all over to Starbucks where several team members redeemed their Starbucks awards that Doc had given them. After everyone got their drinks and settled outside, Michael Scott informed us that were going to be working along side of him and his company in order to help promote some things. It was a pretty awesome day and class all in all. Plus, we got to see some adorable puppies and babies along with getting outside on a great Autumn day. A true mixture of sight, sound, motion, and learning.

Thriller Party Reflection

2011-11-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Halloween, Doc Chris decided to host a "Thriller Party" during class this week. Needless to say, it was quite interesting but I would say that it was a successful day for sure. Doc Chris came to class arms full of bagels from Panera and bags of candy. Some students brought the beverages, which earned them extra points (Red Pandas being one of them, naturally).

We had a costume contest for best male, best female, most innovative, worst male, and worst female. Phil won the best innovative for his Clark Kent costume and Katherine also won most innovative for her Madeline costume, both of which were pretty creative. Fellow Red Panda, Miles, won best male for his Mexican Taco costume. A great find.

We also had a dance off, of sorts. Each team would dance down the line of classmates and occasionally Dan and Doc Chris would just bust a few moves here and there.

Overall the class a fun and refreshing from a day full of normal, mundane lectures.
I think that the party gave us some positive affirmation about the work that we have been doing all semester so it was nice to be acknowledged for it.

Here are the Red Pandas in their costumes posing with Judge Doctor Chris. As you can see, Dan is in one of his costumes before his wardrobe changes (three of them might I add). James was a Yankee Fan, Mairead was Halloween, Genna wore a mask, Miles was the Taco, and our entire team was just awesome per usual. Not a costume, just a way of life.

Judge Doctor Chris posing with Dan aka a boy from Belgium, perhaps?

Despite Doc Chris' hate for the Yankees, here he is posing with James...clearly a huge Yankee fan.

Senior Taco and Judge Doc Chris

BCPD in their costume glory with Doc Chris

First wardrobe change of the class and second costume for Dan!! Dancing up a storm at the Thriller Party

Where's Dan?

The dancing line, first up was Judge Doctor Chris

Two members of the BCPD dancing their way to the end of the line.

Week Seven Reflection

2011-10-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, we had a double presentation class where each group had to present their designated two chapters to the rest of the class and Doc Chris. An aspect that we hadn't addressed prior to this class was "dressing the part" so Doc Chris made each of us come to class in dress attire, or at least with a put together look (basically, no sweatpants...don't look like you rolled out of bed). I think that we all looked great and pretty professional if I do say so myself. Everyone's outline utilizes the combined efforts of our Facebook group, Google +, individual blogs, and clips from youtube. I think that it was a great day of showing off all media forms to get the presentations done efficiently and interestingly. After this class, we've completed the textbook in a timely manner and as a collective unit instead of individually.

Doc Chris informed us that because we have done such a great job on our midterms and completing the outlines, next week is the Halloween party...including costumes, music, and other fun things I'm sure. Lots of sights, sounds, and motion.

Overall, I think this way of tackling the textbook was the best way to get us each to do our part and have a hands on experience learning new material. The Red Pandas have come a long way and I think that we are in pretty good shape from the start of the semester. We can each get up in front of the class and present information that we've learned. Doc Chris has made sure that we know how to utilize our strengths and how to change our weaknesses into more of a positive thing. His style of teaching is consistent, which is generally a good thing in a classroom when it is one that is exciting and upbeat.

The no-namers presenting their outlines. Nicole is currently speaking.

BCPD was the next group to go.

This is my group, Red Pandas, as I present a video on youtube that helps explain a segment of our outline better with visuals and sounds.

An image of James presenting the next chapter for us, with Nicole in the background.

Miles, Genna, and I presenting.

James holding down the fort on the Google+ Hangout while other people are presenting in our group.

all images borrowed from fellow red pandas Dan & Mairead.

Final Outlines

2011-10-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

Chapter 13

Chapter 14 Outline
Chapter 14 Presentation

Chapter 15 Outline
Chapter Presentation

Chapter 16 Outline

Chapter 17 Outline
Chapter 17 Presentation

Chapter 18 Outline
Chapter 18 Presentation

Collision & Metric Montage Examples

2011-10-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

a. Collision Montage

i. Clash two conflicting ideas to create a third idea

1. comparing the man eating out of the garbage to a man eating a big meal

ii. Represents a visual dialect in which one idea is juxtaposed with an opposing one

II. Metric montage

a. Concerned with structural techniques rather than thematic juxtapositions

b. Consists of a series of event images that are flashed on-screen in more or less equally spaced intervals

c. Shots of a metric montage are usually structures by a tight tertiary motion beat. This rhythmic framework is especially important for the two forms of analytical montage

Chapter 18

2011-10-19T17:12:00.002-07:00

CHAPTER 18

Visual Narrative: The Syntax of Complexity Editing

I. Syntax of complexity editing

a. The selection and sequencing of specific shots-is based on story and emotion, by what people do, what drives them to do it, and how they feel about what they do

II. Montage

a. The building block of complexity editing

b. Is the juxtaposition of two or more separate event images that, when shown together, combine into a new and more intense whole

III. Analytical Montage

i. Analyze and event for its thematic and structural elements, select the essential elements, and synthesize them into an intensified screen event

b. Sequential analytical montage

i. Condense an event into its key developmental elements and present them in their original cause/effect sequence.

ii. Tells story in short hand fashion

c. Sectional analytical montage

i. Temporarily arrests the progression of an event and examines an isolated event moment from various viewpoints

ii. It explores the complexity of the event

IV. Idea-associative Montage

a. Juxtaposes two seemingly disassociated events to create a third principal idea or concept

b. Creates a tertium quid

i. A third something that is not contained in either of the montage parts

c. Comparison Montage

i. Consists of succeeding shots that juxtapose two thematically related events to express or reinforce a theme or basic idea

ii. Used to generate a specific feeling in the viewer

1. (Comparing a dog eating out a garbage can to a man eating out of a garbage can)

d. Collision Montage

i. Clash two conflicting ideas to create a third idea

1. (comparing the man eating out of the garbage to a man eating a big meal)

ii. Represents a visual dialect in which one idea is juxtaposed with an opposing one

V. Metric montage

a. Concerned with structural techniques rather than thematic juxtapositions

b. Consists of a series of event images that are flashed on-screen in more or less equally spaced intervals

c. Shots of a metric montage are usually structures by a tight tertiary motion beat. This rhythmic framework is especially important for the two forms of analytical montage

VI. Audio/Video Montage

i. Can be achieved by juxtaposing the video sequence with a specific sound track.

ii. This is especially effective for idea-associative montages

iii. The combination of pictures and sound can create a “tertium quid” (third idea) that may be less

a. Comparison idea-associative Montage

i. In a comparison montage, you can choose sounds that create a tertium quid by allusion

a. Sports car with a sound of a jet engine

b. Old man walking into an empty stadium with loud crowd noises

c. Boy playing a fake war game with war sounds

b. Collision idea associative montage

i. The accompanying sound track is contradictory in meaning and feeling to what you see on screen

j. The picture/sound combination intensifies the visual scene

a. Attack helicopter with rockets blazing and soft romantic music (gears of war commercial)

b. Slum areas with a narrator describing the wealth and historical value of the city

VII. Media Aesthetics and the Human Condition

a. Designed to clarify, intensify, and interpret an event for a large audience.

b. We use media aesthetics to help us understand the human condition and communicate ideas to one another

c. It can make us see the world from a new perspective and help improve it

Chapter 15 Outline

2011-10-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

Chapter 15: The Five-dimensional Field: Sound

I. Sound and Noise

a. Both sound and noise are audible vibrations (oscillations) of the air or other material

b. Distinguishing factor between the two is its communication purpose

i. Sound has purpose; it is organized

ii. Noise is essentially random

iii. The same audible vibrations can be sound at one point and noise at another

1. Example: When you witness a car crash it is noise because of the random and unexpected occurrence. This noise later becomes sound when you are editing the sounds of a car crashing for a soundtrack because the recording now has a function.

II. Video and Film Sound

a. When we have sophisticated digital video and audio postproduction facilities available, we generally record sound and pictures of most routine video productions together.

b. Sweetening of sound: improving the quality of the recorded audio mix

i. Done only in larger video projects as part of the total postproduction activities

c. When sound was first added to film, the visual aspects were already firmly established and highly refined

i. Sound was seen as a detriment by some, rather than an asset

III. Television Sound

a. A common misconception is that television is a predominantly visual medium and that you should avoid “talking heads”, or people talking instead of illustrating what they are talking about

b. Television, like all video, is an audiovisual medium

i. Silent television is inconceivable from an informational and aesthetic perspective

c. Four Major Factors of Television Sound

i. Reflection of Reality

1. In broadcast television, sound is primary and essential in communication

2. Television shows commonly draw on real events, such as news, sports, documentaries, interviews, and talk shows, or fictional events that some aspect of reality

3. It is often the soundtrack that lends authenticity to the creation of a realistic environment

ii. Low-definition Image

1. Even high-definition video is of low definition

2. The size of the standard video screen is relatively small, the picture resolution is relatively low, and the contrast ratio or color palette is somewhat restricted, especially compared with digital cinema

3. Video uses a series of close-ups that need sound to supply important additional information

4. Sound is necessary in creating coherence and structure to the picture series

5. Both the visual and audio aspects of television are interdependent on each other in order for the viewer to understand what is happening

iii. Production Restrictions and Technical Limitations

1. Production limitations keep television sounds from achieving optimal quality

2. Most shows record sound simultaneously with the pictures, regardless of whether the show is done live, live-recorded, or recorded for postproduction editing, which creates low quality

3. Microphones are often located high above actors’ heads in order to keep them from entering the frame

a. This restricts audio pickup

4. Difficult to separate wind noise and ambient sounds in the outdoors

5. Indoors conditions provide poor sound environments

iv. Audio / Video Balance

1. Our aesthetic sensitivity detects – and rejects – an imbalance between the low-definition video portion and the high-definition stereo audio track

2. High-quality sound diminishes quality of image

3. More noticeable imbalance when watched on mobile media displays

4. A high-fidelity surround sound system can help balance the soundtrack with large, high-energy video images of HDTV

a. These digital soundtracks must be carefully constructed, so they are used mostly for large-scale video productions, film, and digital cinema

IV. Film Sound

a. Audiovisual field; but the visual aspect appears to dominate film presentations

b. Landscape views on high-quality film screens are so strong that the sound quality and construction of dialogue is not noticed as much

i. Once this same landscape image is displayed on a smaller screen, the quality diminishes and the imbalance of sound and dialogue is noticed more

V. Literal and Nonliteral Sounds

a. Literal Sounds: referential; they convey a specific literal meaning and, in doing so, refer you to the sound-producing source

i. Example: when two people are talking on screen, you automatically associate the sounds with their screen image, even when one person might move out of the frame

ii. Can distinguish environment

1. Example: see a living room with front door open; hear rush-hour traffic; you know the house is located near a busy road

2. These types of sounds are referential, or diegetic, meaning they tell a story and lead you to the sound-producing source

iii. Source-connected Sounds: on-screen sounds; they emanate from an on-screen event

1. You see the sound-producing source while simultaneously hearing its sound

iv. Source-disconnected Sounds: off-screen sounds; the sound-producing source is located in off-screen space

1. You hear the sound of an object or subject that is not visible on screen

b. Nonliteral / Nondiegetic Sounds: not intended to refer to a particular sound source or to convey literal meaning

i. Deliberately source-connected and not not evoke a visual image of the sound-producing source

ii. Emanate outside the “story space”

iii. Examples: hisses, boings, whams, romantic music, rhythmic theme music

iv. Music is most frequently used nonliteral sound

c. Literal and Nonliteral Sound Combinations

i. Usually we witness a combination of the two

ii. Example: mother and son walking on a beach

1. Literal: dialogue, pounding of the surf, jet plane

2. Nonliteral: background music theme

VI. Information Function of Sound

a. Major information function of sound is to communicate specific information verbally

b. Forms of speech most often used in television are dialogue, direct address, and narration

i. Dialogue: conversation between two or more people

1. Usually chief means of conveying a theme, developing characters, describing the setting, and developing the story progression or plot

2. Good dialogue seems to flow naturally, when in reality, writers meticulously construct script to sound and feel natural while communicating information

ii. Direct Address: the performer speaks directly to the viewers from his or her on-screen position

1. Viewers become active dialogue partners as opposed to passive observers

2. Provides optimal information exchange

3. Ideally suited for the small video screen because of the intimate environment and sense of immediacy

4. Film is less interpersonal; we go to a theater to observe anonymously as opposed to getting involved in the program

iii. Narration: method of supplying additional information by describing a screen event or bridging various gaps in the continuity of an event

1. Can be on- or off-camera

2. Most video documentaries rely heavily on narration

VII. Outer Orientation Functions of Sound

a. Space: specific sounds can help up define the location of an event, its spatial environment, and even off-screen space

i. Location

1. Must make sure that the off-screen sounds are coming from the screen position of the sound-producing source

2. Stereo sound makes it possible to move the sound anywhere along the on- and off-screen x-axis (horizontal)

3. This positioning along the x-axis becomes more important as the screen size increases because locational discrepancies become more noticeable

ii. Environment

1. Use various sounds to indicate the specific spatial characteristics of an environment

a. Example: determine whether someone is in a closed-in space (phone booth) or a wide open space (empty warehouse)

2. Can also determine the quality of the environment

a. Examples: in one restaurant, you can hear the loud yelling, clanging dishes, squeaking doors, etc.; in the other, you hear soft classical piano music and laughter

iii. Off-screen Space

1. You can suggest the spatial environment of the restaurant through those aforementioned sounds even if you show only a tight close-up of two people sitting at a corner table

2. To mix the various soundtracks convincingly, you can occasionally have the ambient soundtracks compete with the major soundtrack of the main conversation

b. Time: sound can be a good indicator of clock time and seasons

i. Associate typical sounds with morning, noon, evening, night, summer, or winter

ii. Morning: alarm clock, shower, coffee maker, birds chirping, garbage truck, buses

iii. Night: crickets, rustling of trees, barking dogs, owl

iv. Snow acts as an acoustic dampener; everything in the winter sounds lighter and subdued

c. Situation

i. Literal sounds are especially helpful in describing a situation

ii. Example: accompany a close-up of a doctor’s stoic face with the sound of a patient’s irregular breathing

iii. Predictive Sound: operates much like predictive lighting to signal an occurrence or a situational change

1. Can use literal and nonliteral sounds to forecast an upcoming event

2. Example: indicate imminent danger of forest fire by gradually and softly sneaking in the sounds of fire engines with the video remains on the carefree campers

iv. Leitmotiv: German for “leading motif”; a short musical phrase or specific sound effect that portends the appearance of a person, action, or situation

1. Basic dramatic function is that of an allusion or reference

2. Example: if you hear heavy breathing of a killer, you will expect to see the killer whenever you hear breathing throughout the rest of the film

VIII. Inner Orientation Functions of Sound

a. Mood

i. Music is most direct way to establish mood

b. Internal Condition

i. Sounds can express a variety of internal conditions, such as an unstable environment

c. Energy

i. Music and other nonliteral sounds can provide or increase the aesthetic energy of a scene

ii. Example: cartoons rely heavily on music and sound effects as an energy source; crime shows rely on suspenseful or rhythmic music to show that there is an impending crisis and to keep our anxiety level high

IX. Structural Functions of Sound

a. Rhythm

i. A highly rhythmic soundtrack will help establish a precise tertiary motion beat even if the visual editing is rhythmically uneven

ii. When the sound and picture rhythms parallel each other, the total structure become unified and stable

1. Must be careful that the beat does not become too regular for too long because this can become monotonous and boring

b. Figure / Ground Principle: choose the important sounds to be the figure while relegating the other sounds to the background

i. Example: in a news report, the reporter’s voice takes precedence over the ambient sounds of fire engines and rescue equipment

ii. Only really possible if you have separated individual sounds into different tracks so they can be rearranged according to your preference during postproduction

c. Sound Perspective: match close-up pictures with “close” sounds, and long shots with sounds that seem to come from farther away

i. Presence: sound quality that makes you feel as though you are close to the sound source

1. Close sounds have more sound presence than far away sounds

ii. Distance, location, and sound quality must be balanced in order for the perspective to be unified and authentic

d. Sound Continuity: sound maintains its intended volume and quality over a series of edits

i. Example: if you cross-cut between close-ups of two people talking, their voices should not change perceptibly in either volume or presence during the cutting sequence

ii. Must keep background sounds as even and continuous as possible

iii. Same principle applies to lighting and color

1. You can achieve visual continuity by keeping the background evenly illuminated and lowly saturated

e. Many of the basic principles apply to all aesthetic fields and are depended on

Midterm

2011-10-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sights:

This is a picture of 10 people from class, including Doc Chris. We are standing outside of Dorothy Day, the building where class is held and that I so happen to live in. The photo overall doesn’t have a lot of direction, seeing as how there are many people in the designated shot. But because of this gathering, it makes the crowd seem bigger than it is and makes it seem like there is more going on. There is also a lot of repetition of the color green, from the grass to Dan’s shirt to James’ Hoodie (all with different hues). Since the sun isn’t as dramatic and we are slightly in the shade, there are no interesting shadows or much dynamic lighting.

This is a funny team photo of The Red Pandas, albeit missing a few members. There are five people in this shot, however only four of them are actively looking at the camera. As much as I enjoy the people in the photograph, I know that this picture is very much overexposed and off balance. Working with a camera phone creates a difficult task when it comes to correcting lighting and composition. The shadows are pretty drastic since the sun seems to be to the right of the people in the image and probably starting to come down in the sky, creating strong vertical shadows on the left. There is no soft box or filter to diffuse the lighting that is blinding everyone in the picture, and the only person who seems to be correctly (or at least somewhat correctly exposed) is John. That is because the shadow cast from Dan is acting as a diffuser in order to make it the correct exposure. Because the lighting is so harsh, colors aren’t accurate or even seen. Mairead’s jacket is over saturated because of the sun and is a bright teal color, while you can’t even tell what Genna’s clothing looks like. That could possible be because she is wearing grey and white, which tends to reflect light back to the camera lens.

In this picture, Doc Chris is looking straight at the camera (and/or the viewer) and is explaining to us what we have to do as far as our outdoor assignment goes. There are four people in this picture and the lighting, except for on Doc Chris’ tie, seems to be acceptable. There is a good balance of dark and light when it comes to the peoples faces and clothing. There is a focal point of the red car in the background because of the bright saturated red color that stands out, even though it is all the way in the background. The foreground is closely occupied, without much breathing room. John’s body isn’t fully in frame and is creating a barrier at the end of the picture. Since they are close to the camera, all people look to scale.

This is a team photograph of the No-namers as they capture sights, sounds, and motions for their own projects. There are a total of five people in this picture and there is quite a bit of drastic shadows and highlights due to the directional force of the sun (main light source). There are also some vibrant colors of reds, greens, and oranges that if the photograph began to desaturate, these colors would probably take the longest to become black & white. The people are in the middle of the image, which creates a central focus. The shadows on the right are balanced out by the bightness of the people and by the open space closer to the foreground of the shot. The people are generally on one plan so no one appears large or out of scale in comparison to the entire picture. I believe this is a good example of static balance. Though you cannot see it in the photo, the temperate outside was warm. One can assume since the sun is shining, that the temperature would be nice.

Much like the first picture, this is a shot of many people in one designated area. However, everyone fits in the one frame and no one has their body cut out of the picture. I think it is interesting that everyone is positioned at different spots but for the most part are looking one direction, at Doc Chris and Dan. They are playing patty cake as The Red Pandas (my team…the winning team) capture the noise and movement for our assignments. The most saturated and eye catching color would have to be Mairead’s shirt again, which is reflecting the sun intensely and not losing its color. This photograph has frozen motion in the patty cake and there are a total of seven people in this image. Because John is closer to the frame than James or Mairead, he appears slightly larger than if they were all on the same plane. The image was probably taken around 3:45 PM on a Thursday, seeing as how the sun has begun to set lower in the sky, created more shadows than if it were directly above.

This is a still frame shot of Doc Chris and Dan dancing and singing a song together. It is much like if you took a still frame from the video we took of the same seen. There are only two people in this shot and as the sun gets lower and lower in the sky, the highlights and shadows become less and more intense (respectively). Dan is moving toward the side of the image, where it is implied that he would soon leave the frame. Again, the red cars in the background provide a bight color that is a main focus despite not being in the foreground or even midground. It is a standard angle, on the same plane as the subject.

Motions:

This is a video of two longboarders as they were riding through the Gardens parking lot during our class time. Doc Chris had pointed them out as they were speeding past and Dan whipped out his camera and started to chase after them in order to capture the motion up close and personal. It is a short clip but it captures a lot of motion, from Dan running to the long boarders skating. You can also hear the noise from the class and Dan screaming as he chases after them.

This next video is both of sound and motion, it is 40 seconds long of both Dan and Doc Chris singing and dancing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”. You can hear the rest of us laugh at their entertaining performance and you can clearly see and hear the snapping that the two guys are doing. In the beginning sequence you could see James and Miles, but as the frame gets tighter, they are removed out of the shot. This shows the importance of all three aspects of sight, sound, and motion in film and video.

1. This is a simple video of motion using the fire hydrant and it’s bar that Dan has flicked up. It is a short 5 second clip that demonstrates a repeated movement. There is also a glare on the car in the background which makes it hard to focus on the main subject of the hydrant in the foreground. The green of the grass is highly saturated due to the angle of the sun and the closeness of the camera.

Sounds:

These are all great examples of sounds and some of my favorite Bands. The first is a music video for a group named Best Coast. The cool thing about the video, other than a good plot line that is reflected in the music and in the video, is that actress Drew Barrymore directed it. The second sound out of these examples is a song by De La Soul called Eye Know. I think that this is an awesome old school 90’s hip hop song that has an up beat melody throughout. The whistling sample is also a nice touch. The last sound is from one of my favorite bands, Death Cab For Cutie. I work at WLOY and I just recently put all of these songs into the automation playlist so it would play on Loyola’s campus. The video is also cool because it is a sequence of shots that use the lyrics in its message. Since I work at the radio station, I deal with sounds on a regular basis and I understand the importance of difference kinds of music, melodies, or beats.

This is an 8 second clip following Doc Chris as he creates sound for our team. Dan starts to stomp his feet as Doc Chris claps his hands. You can also hear the chatter of the surrounding people talking about their assignments. The sound is very much like a step team would do, making the beat with their feet and hands. The lighting is a little bright but other than that it is exposed correctly.

This is a 7 second clip of Dan doing the same thing in the video of Doc Chris, but now there are more people in the focus along side Dan. There are a total of four people showed in this video at a certain point. And as the video begins to end, the camera pans closer to him.

Exam questions

1. I have to say that I am definitely glad that I took this class. Since Introduction To Multimedia is a part of my core requirement for my minor, it wasn’t my choice to take this class. However, it was my choice to take this specific professor. Having taken Doc Chris in the past, my second semester freshman year, I knew his style of teaching and how he preformed in a classroom setting. After my Video Production I class, where my partners and I created 3 videos (one which showed at our campus wide Relay For Life event), I knew that this was the class to take in order to have an exciting introduction level course. He gives you a certain level of trust in order to complete tasks to his liking. It is very much up to us as individuals to do our work and do it well, which I like. The first time I had Doc Chris, there was never a dull moment. The second time around, I can safely say the same thing. Every class is started off with a bang to get everyone’s attention and throughout the class and the course, Doc Chris has proved to be a good professor when it comes to his approach to multimedia and the inclusiveness of all forms of social interaction. So yes, I am happy that I took this particular class with this particular professor.

2. Since I am a Photography major and a Digital Media minor, a lot of what I work with are these three attributes: sights, sounds, and motions. I can’t say that I didn’t know all that much before taking this class. However, what it is doing is refreshing my memory of things that are vital to both my major and my career. Things like perspective, color balance, lighting, all of these things are necessary in order to succeed in my chosen field. I also think that the weekly presentations have strengthened my ability to stand up in front of an audience. I was Vice President of my high school, so I already had that skill, however I think that practice makes perfect and we are certainly practicing a lot of necessary tools that can help us in the real world. One thing that I have learned though would be the importance of networking and utilizing all forms of social media in order to do so.

3. I think that The Red Pandas is a group of extraordinary people who have always seemed to come up on top, even when missing a few members. Honestly though, I think that our group functions well together and each have a pivotal role in the cohesiveness of our presentations, group assignments, and all around functionality. Everyone has a particular strength in the group that allows us to perform well. I think that we have all improved in certain regards and I think as the class goes on we will continue to improve (and win). Overall, I think that I have grown in knowing how to use these types of media and how to update and regulate a blog. I feel that I am now utilizing and growing in knowledge toward things such as Google+. I think that the direction of the class is going well because we are becoming more and more educated in all of these aspects. I also enjoy the format of the class. Where each group presents a chapter, instead of every individual reading it on their own time. It is much more hands on and shows the importance of working together to achieve a common goal, which is in this case learning about multimedia and social networking.

4. Like I said before, I have taken Doc Chris in the past. One thing that hasn’t seemed to change is his eagerness to make sure that we are understanding the material in new and exciting ways. When I had him, we didn’t have the “Judge Doctor Chris Show”, which I believe is a great way to push students to doing their work and doing it well. Since there are good and bad trials, I think that people strive to be complimented on their good work and strive to not have a bad trial in front of all their peers (and people who watch the youtube channel). I think that Doc Chris sees everyone’s potential and tries to cultivate it into something special. If he sees that you are slacking, he tries to lift you up to a level that he knows you can reach, instead of letting you slide down a letter grade. The edutainment aspect of the course is and has always been a staple. It gets students excited to come to class and to complete the assignments, which is generally a hard thing to do. It’s entertaining and a learning tool, which is exactly its purpose.

Week Five Reflection

2011-10-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

So class this week was extremely active and up beat. We started off the day on a positive note, with Doc Chris giving everyone in the class praise for their blogs, going to the tailgate, keeping up with their media outlets and outlines. Doc Chris gave Maeraid limited immunity for trash talking BCPD when it came to their presentations. When it came to the order of presentations, it was decided by a coin flip. Naturally, Red Pandas were victorious and chose to go last so we could better prepare ourselves. Clearly our team works well together since, so far, we have been succeeding at every task thrown at us. We gained nine points in total today. We had the most members attend tailgate, which I think is pretty impressive since it was on a weekend. I wasn't able to be there myself so viewing the photographs and video online from the tailgate was a cool thing for me. We had a great presentation full of videos, photos, and demonstrations which earned us more points. Further, Dan suggested we have a Google+ hangout so that gave us some extra points too.

Miles winning the Red Pandas vs. BCPD coin toss. Doc Chris actively flipping the coin.

Miles being a true gentleman and helping out the opposing team with their video equipment.

the No-Namers presenting their outlines to the class.

The Red Pandas presenting our power point. The Disney video was a big hit with Doc Chris and the class.

Another shot of our group presenting our outline.

Doc Chris' reaction to our presentation. I think he liked it! Doc Chris was great this week, as usual. His teaching style continues to grow and help the class grow with him. The Red Pandas are continually and progressively getting better and better. We are utilizing all media forms and techniques. We are also focusing on our strengths and weaknesses through these trials that Doc Chris' holds.

Our Reflection Video:

More Sight, Sounds, & Motions

2011-10-06T11:18:00.001-07:00

Sight:

These are all pictures that I took of some of my good friends. I met a ton of new people after becoming an Evergreen last year and since I'm a photographer, I decided to make a series where I could include the many new people that I was lucky to have met. These are a few outtakes from the series that I'm working on called Things We Carry. Its basically two photographs of each person. One of their face from the shoulders up and one of their hands holding something meaningful to them that represents a certain part of who they are or an experience they had.

Sound:

An awesome youtube singer that covers basically all of my favorite songs/artists.

One of my favorite bands and songs.

another one of my favorite bands and a pretty funny video with awesome guest appearances like Daft Punk and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Yet another one of my favorite bands. Recently we had a WLOY late night concert and one of the Loyola bands covered this song.

I saw Ra Ra Riot last semester in Baltimore at Rams Head Live. They were awesome .

Motion:

This is a video I made in the Video Production class my freshman year. Its a parody of the Shamwow commercials.

An awesome example scaling and size (tilt shift)

I wasn't able to go to the tailgate to get some sight, sound, and motion. But I did watch the video (above) that Nicole got of Doc Chris on site.

Reflection 4

2011-10-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of class we had a couple of trials to determine the quality of peoples blogs. Someone from every team got immunity for their outstanding blogs...naturally all of Red Pandas blogs were up to date and pretty great all around. Miles as absent today, due to illness, and he was put on trial despite the fact he wasn't present in the class. Although he signed onto to facebook to let Doc Chris know he wasn't able to make it, he still had to deal with Judge Doctor Chris. James acted as Miles lawyer and got him out of his sentence.

BCPD was also put on trial for not putting their presentations online quick enough or in the right place. Eventually they were let off with a mild warning.

Next, every group had to present their chapters from the textbook. The no namers went first with Chapter 4, which dealt with color. They included a ton of videos and photographs which really put a visual to the text. BCPD presented chapter five, and even though I think they did a good job, Doc Chris said that they just needed a little bit more organization. Rad Pandas went last with chapter 6 and I think we did a great job. We utilized our facebook wall, youtube, and blogger by putting up our examples and outline on all of these media outlets. We also showed two creative videos in order to depict the sense of scale and framing.

I think that Doc Chris is continuing with his style of teaching and I believe that it works for what we are doing. Since this is a multimedia class, we are using our connections and interactive ways to learn new and different material. I think that the information will learn sinks in better when we pick it up in different, fun ways. For example, we tried the Hang-Out application on Google + during presentations. This is useful in the instance that Doc Chris ever needs to cancel a class. We could have a class in our own dorms.

This is our group, The Red Pands, doing our video reflection. Filmed by Mairead.

Chapter 9 Outline

2011-10-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

Three-dimensional Field: Depth and Volume

a. The Z-axis

i. Describes a point located away from the frontal plane

ii. How far an object seems to be from the camera

iii. Illusory third dimension – depth – is the most flexible dimension in film and video

iv. Originates from the screen and goes backward from the camera lens to the horizon

v. Screen width: x-axis

vi. Screen height: y-axis

vii. Screen depth: z-axis, appears to be infinite

viii. Stereovision or hologram projection : z-axis extends not only to the horizon but also to the viewer

ix. We judge the perceived distance relative to ourselves and not to the screen

b. Graphic Depth Factors

i. The farther away an object is, the smaller it appears and the higher it seems to be in the picture field

ii. Objects in the foreground are more clearly defined than those in the background

iii. Light and shadows create volume, the presence of the third dimension

iv. Five Graphic Depth Factors

1. Overlapping Planes: the most direct graphic depth view

a. The object covering the other object must be in front of it

2. Relative Size: can guess a size or know how large an object is by contextual clues, such as other object

a. Can tell how far object is by relative size of screen image

b. Larger object appears closer; Smaller object is farther

3. Height in Plane: if there are no contradictory distance clues, you will perceive objects to be more distant depending on how they are on the screen until they reach the horizon

a. Not always reliable

4. Linear Perspective: among the most powerful and convincing graphic depth factors

a. Parallel lines can merge in the distance

b. All lines converge and disappear at the vanishing point

c. Horizon Line: straight forward, parallel to ground

5. Aerial Perspective: see objects that are close to us, some more sharply than those farther away

a. This difference in foreground and background is especially pronounced in fog

i. Colors lose density and become less saturated

c. Depth Characteristics of Lenses

i. Optical characteristics of lenses can greatly enhance or hinder the illusion of a third dimension on the video or movie screen

ii. Lens choice is important in achieving the certain “feel” of a screen event

iii. Overlapping Planes

1. Wide-Angle Lens

a. Overlapping planes are reduced in prominence, but are not eliminated with the wide-angle lens

2. Narrow-Angle Lens

a. Overlapping planes are a major depth cue because the lens enlarges the background objects where things look crowded

b. Foreground and background images look similar in size

iv. Relative Size

1. Wide-Angle Lens

a. Wide-angle lens greatly exaggerates relative size

b. Objects that lie close to the camera appear relatively large, while objects on the z-axis that are only a short distance behind the close object appear dramatically smaller

2. Narrow-Angle Lens

a. Two objects seem much closer to each other because the narrow-angle lens enlarges the background

v. Linear Perspective

1. Wide-Angle Lens

a. Accelerates the convergence of parallel lines and the z-axis appears elongated

2. Narrow-Angle Lens

a. Inhibits the convergence of parallel lines and thus reduces the illusion of depth through linear perspective

b. Squeezes space and makes objects appear narrower and closer together than they actually are

vi. Aerial Perspective

1. Manipulating depth of field – the area along the z-axis that appears in focus – can achieve aerial perspective

2. Using selective focus – focusing on a specific area along the z-axis – can achieve aerial perspective

3. Wide-Angle Lens

a. Wide-angle lens generates a great depth of field, de-emphasizing aerial perspective

b. Most of the articulated z-axis appears in focus

4. Narrow-Angle Lens

a. Shallow depth of field, which emphasizes aerial perspective

b. Once focused on an object in narrow-angle lens, the areas to the foreground and background of the object become out of focus

5. Selective Focus

a. Allows you to choose the precise portion of the z-axis that you want to be in focus

6. Rack Focus

a. Involves changing the focus from one location on the z-axis to another

b. Focus on one object until another object comes into focus

c. Need a relatively shallow depth of field to achieve a rack focus, so a narrow-angle lens is used

d. 3D Stereoscopic Projection

i. Stereoscopic projection is strictly illusory and exists only in our minds and is based on a dual-lens view

ii. In stereoscopic projection, the articulated z-axis extends through the screen space toward the viewer

iii. Achieved through a dual-lens recording system, whereby the lenses are set apart similar to our eyes

1. To show the two different scenes viewed by the lenses on one screen, one is colored red and the other is cyan

2. Optical system in the viewer’s brain melds the two images into a single three-dimensional projection

iv. Different from traditional, single-lens 3D depth cues, which are contained in the visual representation of a scene from the screen back to the horizon

Sight, Sound, Motion Examples 2

2011-09-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sight:

A silhouetted photograph of a necklace that I wear every day. It's the tree of life.

Sound:

The Black Keys: Everlasting Light, I recently saw them in concert and this song was their best by far. It was not only great vocally but it was visually appealing as well, with lights surrounding the crowd.

Motion:

Video One

Video Two

These are two videos that we recorded last class

Chapter 6 Outline

2011-09-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

Chapter 6

I. I. aspect ratio

a. relationship of screen width to screen height

b. standard aspect ratios

i. regardless of the size, it is four units wide and three units high

ii. 4 x 3 is mostly used for television shows because of the common shape of televisions

iii. 16 x 9 is usually called HDTV

iv. 5.55 x 3 is usually called widescreen

v. 7 x 3 is usually called Panavision

vi. most US films are shot and projected in widescreen

II. II. framing

a. 4 x 3 is better for close-ups and medium shots

b. not a major difference in height and width, so there is not much negative space or "dead zones"

c. widescreen, or 16 x 9, is used for films that want to capture backgrounds or landscapes

i. easier to film dialogue scenes because more than one person can fit in the frame

d. difficult to format 16 x 9 for a 4 x 3 screen

e. techniques to switch between sizes

i. windowboxing: simplest technique, reduce the size of the picture and place it in the center of the widescreen frame

ii. pillarboxing: fitting a full-sized 4 x 3 image in the middle of a 16 x 9 frame

1. fitted into the center of a 16 x 9 screen so that the top and bottom coincide with the 16 x 9 picture space

iii. letterboxing: used to make a widescreen presentation

1. show the whole width and height of the original format and mask the top and bottom of the screen with black, white, or colored bars

iv. cutting, stretching, and squeezing

1. more drastic ways of making wide-screen images fit the aspect ratio of standard video is to simply crop the wide-screen image on either side

2. digitally stretch or squeeze the image to fit a specific aspect ratio without the telltale dead zones on the sides or on the top and bottom of the screen

3. pan-and-scan process: most important portions of the wide-screen frame are scanned and made to fix the 4 x 3 aspect ratio of the standard video screen

a. series of shots is analyzed for various aesthetic criteria and then reedited so that they will show up effectively on the small screen

f. secondary frames

i. artificial masking

1. blacking out both sides of the screen

ii. organic masking

1. less obvious method of masking by filling the sides of the screen with natural scenic elements

g. screens within the screen

i. creating a secondary frame of any aspect ratio within the principal frame and leaving the space around the secondary frame empty

ii. moving camera

1. can easily overcome the basic restrictions of the fixed aspect ratio

III. III. aesthetics of size

a. size constancy: we perceive people and their environments as normal sized regardless of whether they appear in a long shot or a close-up on a large movie screen or small video screen

b. object size

i. knowledge of object

1. relation to screen area

a. judge size by how much screen area is occupies

b. if it takes up a large screen, it is perceived as relatively large

2. scale

a. we make continual judgments about object size by seeing the object on-screen in relation to other (usually known) objects that appear in the same shot

ii. image size

1. close-ups

2. standard and small screens need close ups

3. inductive sequencing

4. shot sequence must be very dense, cramming a lot of shots in a relatively short time period

5. brief running times

6. stories must be told in a very short time span or at least in relatively short segments

7. dense audio track

8. need to pay particular attention to the audio track because of the extremely limited visual space

c. image size and relative energy

i. image size influences how we feel about certain screen events

ii. large images feel more overpowering than a small video image

Reflection Week 3

2011-09-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today, Doc Chris started out the class with several trials. He not only gave constructive criticism to those people who had weak blogs, but gave out several TWITA awards for blogs that were doing well visually and verbally. The Red Pandas had a good amount of praise, including Genna and James. James' blog was so good that he gave his entire team, including me, immunity for the rest of the day. Meaning, if any of us didn't do our homework correctly, he gave us an out. Doc Chris said it's because this class focuses on teamwork. Which I'd have to agree with. Red Pandas are top notch.

Dan on trial for his blog. He had good photos but didn't have enough substance to his text.

Genna on trial for her blog. She had the best reflection Doc Chris had seen in a while, quote from him directly.

James and Doc Chris during his trial, getting berated about being a Yankee fan and getting praised for having a great blog, despite coming into class a day later than everyone else.

Doc Chris had our team and the No-namers head off in a coin flip to determine who would present their outlines first. Naturally, The Red Pandas won. See Photo Above.

Next, the No-namers and the last team competed in a Rock Paper Scissor contest to decide who would go first. As you can see, Mike isn't happy with the outcome. They lost.

Doc Chris is holding the class as he normally does. Though this class is extremely different from Video Production, his teaching style remains the same. I think that most kids these days appreciate this kind of teaching style since it is relevant to them and utilizes communication skills that they regularly exercise anyway. He keeps the class on their toes when it comes to assignments and trials.
The Red Pandas are outstanding, as usual. I think that we mesh well and we are a fun group of kids. Everyone has different strengths that we bring to the group and none of us seem to be quiet or reserved, so I think that is a plus to our dynamic.
The class went well as usual. We continued to learn techniques about blogger, Google+, and facebook. I'm not a fan of Google+ really, but I think it is interesting that we're learning about it in our Multimedia class. I suppose it is relevant to the course. I noticed that Facebook is actually becoming more and more like Google+ so it's probably better that I learn how to work Google+ since there is beginning to be a blend in functions. Doc Chris also continued to tell us to "sexy" up our blogs, so I'll have to start to do that in different ways. We also presented our outline in the studio since we had to demonstrate the importance of lighting. We showed 3 point lighting, using key, fill, and back. The other two groups were good too and the No-namers showed a really cool video about perception. I'll have to find it and post it here.

Examples of Sight, Sound, & Motion homework

2011-09-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Iron & Wine live at Ramshead in Baltimore

A polaroid I took during my lunch at my internship in NYC

A polaroid of two of my friends while we were out on the water

Sam Garvey modeling for me

Six photographs that I've taken. I'm a photography major so sight is a huge part of what I do.

Two examples of video, stop motion shorts that I created.

Three examples of sound, highlighting 2 loyola based bands on campus...Beauty & The Greek and Palace at 4 A.M.

Video Lighting Basics - Three Point Lighting

2011-09-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Reflection 1

2011-09-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

Chapter 3 Outline

2011-09-15T12:49:00.001-07:00

I. Standard Lighting Techniques

a. Photographic Principle / Triangle Lighting

i. refers to the triangular arrangement of key, back and fill lights

1. back light is opposite the camera and directly behind the object

2. the key and fill lights on opposite sides of the camera and to the front and the side of the objects

b. Key Light

i. the principle source of illumination

ii. reveals the basic shape of the object or event

c. Fill Light

i. controls falloff

d. Side Light

i. comes from the side of the object acting as an additional fill and providing contour

e. Kicker

i. comes from the back

ii. usually from below and off to one side

iii. an extension of the back light

iv. rims the object from below what the back light can reach

f. Background Light / Set Light

i. illuminates the background, which can be an actual set

g. Chiaroscuro Lighting

i. lighting for fast falloff and for light / dark contrast

ii. articulates space, clarifies and intensifies 3D property of things and the space that surrounds them and gives the scene an expressive quality

iii. creates drama and volume

iv. functions:

1. organic function: should appear as natural as the light that is available in the scene

2. direction function: can use the light to direct the viewers' eyes in a certain direction

3. spatial / comp. function: high and low energy areas should be balanced

4. thematic function: should emphasize the theme or story of the scene

5. emotional function: to affect our feelings directly, regardless of the actual subject matter of the scene; operates in unison with the thematic function

h. Rembrandt Lighting

i. only specific areas are carefully illuminated while others are kept purposely under or unlighted

ii. falloff is fast but there is enough fill light to render the attached shadows somewhat transparent

iii. background, although generally dark, is partially illuminated to outline the figures or to fulfill other orientation functions

i. Cameo Lighting

i. chiaroscuro lighting pushed to its extreme

ii. illuminates the foreground figures while leaving the background totally dark

iii. highly directional

iv. produces fast falloff with dense attached and sharply defined cast shadows

v. makes it difficult for performers to move without stepping out of the precisely defined light pools

vi. visual intensity causes the pictures to look strangely theatrical and often removed from the television reality

j. Flat Lighting

i. uses highly diffused light that seems to come from all directions

ii. extremely slow falloff

1. does not reveal any particular light source

iii. ideal for continuous action

iv. can shoot from different angles without having to worry about shadows

v. all lights should be the same brightness

vi. renders the attached shadows highly transparent or virtually invisible

vii. game shows and many sitcoms are illuminated by flat lighting

k. Silhouette Lighting

i. hybrid of chiaroscuro and flat lighting

ii. used to light the background and not the figure

iii. can conceal a persons identity, often used in interviews

iv. unlighted figures against a bright, evenly illuminated background

v. figure appears flat and dark but accentuates their contour

l. Media-enhanced and Media-generated Lighting

i. refers to the manipulation of the lighting by the medium itself

ii. can adjust the brightness and contrast with and editing software, whether dealing with film or digital photography / videography

iii. solarization: combining the positive and negative images of the same subject

iv. posterization: reducing the brightness of an image to only a few steps

m. Single-camera Lighting

i. also called film lighting because it is most commonly used in film production

ii. set up for discontinuous, short-duration action and then edited together

iii. lighting control is extremely high

n. Multicamera Lighting

i. must satisfy the different points of view of the cameras

ii. used for long-duration action, such as interviews, sitcoms, game shows, situation comedies, and talk shows

iii. flat lighting is used

o. Unusual Lighting

i. used as an intensification device or as an aesthetic edge

Team Red Panda: Reflection Week 2

2011-09-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today during class, our group made a team logo for the Red Pandas. I think it's pretty awesome. See above awesomeness.

We also discussed the many uses of Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger in relationship to our class and to the world of multimedia. We created a system of networks in order to stay in constant communication, which will help us complete our assignments efficiently and creatively.

After we went over our means of communication, we made an outline for chapter 3 in our Sight, Sound, and Motion textbook.

Team Red Panda working hard.

An example of Sight, Sound, And Motion

2011-09-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

A photograph of NYC that I took and one of my favorite songs.

Flintstones Cigarette Commercial

2011-09-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Doc Chris assigned us this video to watch for our next class. Briefly, it is a commercial for Winston cigarettes using the cartoon characters from The Flintstones...which is a cartoon geared for children.

As much as this commercial is shocking in our modern day society, when it first aired I'm sure it wasn't as inappropriate as it is considered now. For a long time, people were not aware of the negative side affects that cigarettes caused. That being said, when they created this advertisement I'm sure they were aiming to choose a representative that would be recognizable. Despite the fact that I find this to be inappropriately targeting children, even if it is indirectly, I think that this type of advertisement was probably a societal norm. Now a days, one would think that using a cartoon character to promote harmful and adult products is unethical and all around absurd, which I do have to agree with.

Reflection Day One

2011-09-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of Sight, Sound, and Motion. Since I've had Doc Chris prior to this course, I already know his teaching style and his "out of the box" techniques. He was as excited and quick talking as I remember from second semester freshman year. He had us sign up for Google+ and Blogger (obviously) in order to stay in constant communication and incorporate all forms of media in our learning. We split up into groups in order to do our projects that he'l'l assign later on. My group is 'The Red Pandas' and our theme song is 'Red, Red Wine'. I think the class will be a lot like Video Production in that we will be working with many forms of media in order to stay creative and communicating.