blog #4

My overall experience in this film 150 class was interesting. The timing of lecture and my labs to begin with were out of the norm of my usual morning and afternoon classes. The lectures had their boring moments but also taught me a lot such as the framing concepts in movies and lightning. It helped me develop an eye for analyzing films in a new perspective. Now I'm not just watching a movie but really appreciating the work the director and editors put into producing the film.
I had hoped for more hands on assignments in lab especially with cameras. What better was to learn about the frame concepts but to shoot them yourselves? For the photoshop assignment it was a challenge being our time was limited to actually work being my only access to photoshop was in class. The lecture on lenses was also interesting because I've always been intrigued by photography but never had a real intellectual discussion on it.
The class provided a lot of information which at some points were a bit overwhelming being there were very few quizzes with a lot to know on them. Even for this final I feel overwhelmed being there were no physical notes really taken most of the time because the class is based off slides. In conclusion I took this course as a prerequiste to declare a major in media studies so hopefully it was a sneak preview for a more hands on experience with more specificity as oppose to a broader sense of the film industry and what it's made of.

blog #3

The design concept I chose was the Nike check along with the catch phrase "Just Do It". The "Nike check" or "Swoosh" is actually a representation of a wing of a Greek Goddess. It can be considered an abstract wing which gives it the check look. Nike is the Greek goddess of victory and the point of the Nike franchise is to supply athletic equipment to help you succeed to victory making the logo very appropriate. The word NIKE is presented in a bold italicized font with each letter in capitals and relatively close to each other. 

"JUST DO IT." is written in future SH-Xbold Con font and is a simple yet powerful message and design which is why i picked it. As an athlete there's no time to think, there's no time to evaluate and there's no time to waste you want to win so when it comes down to what needs to be done you "just do it". It's an inspirational phrase and it's naturally associated with Nike which is one of the most popular franchises in the world. On most posters or billboards the background is black and the font is white or vice versa. There's no need for advanced graphics or scenery for the simplicity thats involved in just getting to the point. 

Here is the youtube link of the "dream sequence scene" I chose for Blog #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0eG0O9qNB4

blog #2

Through technical choices of special effects and color we are able to determine that this is a dream sequence in the movie "Shutter Island". The color scheme for the movie is more of a grayish tone but the colors are bright when he thinks back to his deceased wife. Martin Scorcesse helps us determine this a dream compared to the rest of the film using multiple angles and using a faint audio of a sad song to give us a feel of the pain Leonardo DiCaprio's character has while having this dream. The choices that were made specifically for this dream sequence remained constant whenever Leonardo DiCaprio thought back to his wife Michelle Williams throughout the film and then in one of the final scenes when we finally see the truth of what he was dreaming of the whole movie.

long shot is used on the shot where Leonardo DiCaprio is holding his wife as the special effects get involved as she bleeds from where she was wounded during her death with ash falling all around them hinting to us there was some type of fire involved in his past.

MCU shot is used to show a closer look at the long shot to put less focus on the scenery and more focus on the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio's character doesn't want to let go as she disintegrates to ash in his arms through special effects.

Selective focus is used on the lens while Michelle William speaks and Leonardo DiCaprio stands behind her listening. Being he doesn't say anything it is unnecessary to clearly see his expression hence all the focus on his wife.

EU shot is used for both while they're talking to each other to show the deep emotion as they speak so we see the pain and tears in their eyes.

The dolly camera movement is used often, the dream sequence begins with a dolly moving in the hallway of Leonardo DiCaprio's old home that was burned down before Michelle Williams appears in front of the window. Tilt camera movement is used to show a close up of Leonardo DiCaprio's arms around his wife's arms, and then again after she disintegrates and water is pouring from his hands.

Mise en scene expresses its a dream sequence; bright colors, beautiful purple sunset over the lake where his children drowned. They're in his first home looking out the window of their second home at the same time. Also they're giving space to the left for us to see what's she's looking at.

There's a shot where Leonardo DiCaprio and his wife are looking at each other and the shot is balanced with him on the left and her on the right giving it a one point perspective look with only a wall behind them.

Overall this is a very dramatic scene in the movie and it was presented well.

where is media going/where is it coming from?

When asked where I find media in my life the first thing that popped into my head was the internet. Social networks like face book and twitter are the more recent sources that I use daily and chances are you when you see me, my phone is in my hand. Any type of media influence I may have is mostly off of these websites, through my friends. Constant statuses updating me on what’s going on around them or on TV saves me the trouble from having to find out myself unless I actually want to see for myself. Songs and artists that aren’t generally played on the radio are always mentioned giving me new additions to my iPod. New ideas on hair, clothing or pretty much anything relating to style is also given to me through face book especially when looking at pictures that everyone uploads. 
In a general outlook on media to the rest of the world preferably the U.S, I’d say media is becoming more and more electronic based everyday. It’s almost like robots will define our media culture one day. Nooks are the new books, our iPods are our new friend to consult to, the news is updated straight to our phones or if not someone can simply text it to you. It’s only a matter of time before all the TV we watch is in 3D. I’m surprised they haven’t made 3D video games, unless I’m behind in the loop and wasn’t aware there already is one.