My First Music Video

This is my first ever music video! I laugh every time. I think it goes really well with the music.

Music movie from High School

This was my first movie.... you can tell I really focus on pairing the shots with the music. I need to learn how to incorporate dialogue, especially when editing my new movie.

a cooler photo of my dad!

maybe by using old family photos, I can get inspiration for the old themes of my film.

an old photo of my dorko dad!

In response to Meshes of the Afternoon

Maya Daren's approach to film in "Meshes of the Afternoon" reminds my so much of myself. She dealt with a lot of symbols which were reiterated several times throughout. I think this film was an experimental film in which she dealt with many interesting techniques, like film splicing to change objects instantly, and combining film so her own character reappears as multiples of the same person at one time. I think the film is meant to be eerie which i similar to what I aim for in a great deal of my work. The knife seems to taunt Maya into eventually using it. I have taken photos very similar to this same idea. Although images are repeated, they are presented in a new way making them all equally interesting. There are some particular shots where the frame and composition is very picturesque.

Pitches for Film

1. A neighborhood full of freaks, all on one block, all unaware of the each other, or are they? All of these supposed strangers wind up in the same place at the same time for an interesting discovery and ending to the film.

2. Imagine living three separate lives and never knowing which one was real. A young girl struggles to find herself among a chaotic scramble of people and places. She doesn't know how long it has been happening but now that she is aware, she wants to know the truth.

3. Lost in a world noise, the character struggles to hear things more clearly. (maybe the character is deaf) The world becomes a movie with his own personalized soundtrack playing in his head. He tries to manipulate his wasted time into an inspiring musical fantasia.







(gourmet)

third idea, weird

In my last idea, I will explore time more literally and less metaphorically. I will actually deal with the aspect of time through more editing. I will have clips that are sped up and slowed down. I will experiment with the editing of different shots. It will express the inner desires and needs of those who live their lives restrained by time and feel they cannot escape the restraints time places on them. I want to show the progression of time within an hour that feels like a life time. It will involve the story of one individual who experiences life through music which translates into time that is spent wasted.

Funny video

second idea

A more experimental movie, dealing with time in relation to one's self. Maybe I may want to integrate ideas from the first movie into this one. In each of the three sets of characters, one of the characters would be consistent throughout, as if that one character is living three separate lives. The shots would be more focused on the central character. I would also like to use crosscutting and an increasing rhythm to show the character's mental thought processes and flashbacks. The character motif would be her battle with time, and at the end freeing herself from time completely. I would also want to have shots where the character stays stationary yet her physical accents and accessories change rapidly. 

first idea for movie

In one idea for the next movie, I will explore time through the editing of different shots of different people in different places at the same time. The costumes and decor will resemble fashions from the 1960's. There will be a series of characters all shown in different places, all unaware of the other's existence. An implied similar time will be present in all of them. By the end of the "hour," otherwise my film, the characters will all come together in a twisted ending. 

I will have a bonnie and clyde set of characters, a kinky scooter girl, and some twisted swingers, all living within the same block.

Critique 1/27 responses

My material choices or processes: 

        started out with clip of myself- then from their chose materials to serve as representations for my thoughts. I used pictures from books, drawings, hand-made puppets, and photoshop features and filters

My conceptual process:

I really just wanted to experiment with using my puppets as emotional symbols which explore the feelings of sexual tension. 

Communication through my work:

I really just want to communicate the spontaneity and sporadic nature of my work. I hope my short film is not viewed as a representation of my overall filmmaking techniques, but instead as my use of combining ideas and techniques.

Other attempts were definitely made when shooting this film. Some of the experiments with photoshop are included just to show that I actually tried to included those aspects. But there were slightly alternate recordings that I did not use simply to cut time.

Quiz #1

1. Mise-en-scene is a term used to encompass all of the things that make up a scene such as setting, the decor, lighting, costumes, the performance, etc.

2.  A scene is a segment of a narrative taking place in one time and place. A change of scene typically implies a new setting. A shot refers to a single stream of images uninterrupted by editing. 

3. Editing is the joining together of multiple shots to create one film strip.  Many transitional editing effects are applied to films. Crosscutting refers to joining clips from alternate lines of action occurring in different places. Dissolve transition show one shot fading away and overlapping into a new shot. A cheat cut shows continuous time and space, but mismatches the positions of objects and characters in the scene. Showing multiple angles of someone entering a room may be an example of cheat cutting.  

 

my first film, very amateur

Assignment 1 write-up

my original ideas for the assignment involved music. Since we have not learned how to accompany music to our work, my short video did not really deal with my original idea. So i thought  a little more in depth about the subject matter of my films for this class. I would really like to focus on the my inner thoughts and motivations and how I can symbolize them through alternate characters in my movies. For example, in this first short film, I am expressing my sexual frustrations through puppets and flash images. Eventually, I will develop narratives and more complex characters to show my ideas and thoughts about human motivations.

4 words

Retro     

Music 

Old-fashioned 

Twisted

The old-fashioned music twisted with the fresh new appeal creates a funky, retro vibe.

Free writing

When I think of ideas I want would like to explore through filmmaking, a few thoughts come to mind that I feel I've been yearning to work with for a while.  I see myself setting up my backdrops inside of buildings with unique, colorful lighting. I also aim to portray a nostalgic, retro feel to my films. I want my work to be quirky and not completely typical. I want my plots to be new and fresh, yet twisted with old-fashioned ideas. I'm thinking a lot about music choice in my films as well. When I watch movies, I always pay the closest attention to the scenes set with music. I think this is the greatest thing about cinema. I often wish I had a music bubble that floated above my head and played a different song for every different action I was doing. I think the art of matching costumes, settings, character activities, and editing and shot angles to music is such a powerful thing. 

Goals for the course

I enjoy scenes in cinema matched along with music. I feel strong about my ability to take footage and match it with the beats to music, but I feel like i need to work on transitions from music scenes to dialog scenes. 

I would also like to learn how to add animation to my movies.

In the movies I make, I would like to have complicated plots yet set them in vintage settings.

I think making a bonnie and clyde film would be cool. 

On Obama's Inauguration

Obama's inaugural address was very appropriate. I think it addressed the key issues on minds of Americans today while also shaping a new positive mindset for the citizens.  Unlike some presidents' speeches in the past, Obama's speech was less of booster-upper for his position as president, but more of an agenda of his plans for rebuilding our nation. Obama showed no fear of mentioning the aspects of our government that has been ineffectual and corrupt. By doing so, we as Americans feel we can trust Obama for enforcing justice. Obama's promise of change not only lies in his new position of power but also in his ability to generate motivation for change in the people. I feel like presidents in the past try to persuade the people that by trusting in them, they will do what is right for us. In Obama's case, he will work with us. If we stand by him and show our desire to rebuild the nation, he will work as our leader should in carrying out what is best for America's future. I think the strongest aspect of his speech is his ability to generate a new moral in the people. I felt as if the mood set by his speech effected citizens in a way of great change, America as a friend not a foe. I think the most important thing Obama said was "People will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy." This statement encompasses our nation's new moral under Barack Obama.