Photo Word Review

Week 10

 

                Neesha's Pic for Portrait:

             



               Human beings are remarkable. You'd never guess from this picture that less than a year ago my neighbor, Kevin, lost the love of his life, Terry, to cancer.

Week 9

                                     Neesha's Pic for Negative Space:

 

This Mardi Gras mask is surrounded by negative space that I intend to manipulate in photo shop.(This is Hurricane Sandy week and I'm learning photo shop, so let's consider this one a work in progress.)



Title Sequence Review

Week  9

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air:

 

 

 

 

 

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air title sequence is lots of fun. It is fashioned after Will Smith's Parents Just Don't Understand video and pretty much sets up the premise of the show. Visually, the sequence is colorful and comedic, moving quickly from one shot to another.

 

Although there are tons of different colors, the most prevelant are yellow, green and blue. Smith is clad in a yellow and green striped shirt with blue cap that somehow seems to match the ensemble. The written credits (which are scrawled along the lower bottom third of the screen) are colored a bright green, underlayed by a pink that is equally as bright. Among the colorful grafetti in the beginning shots I notice references to money "$," the word "pig"( a social  statement), "Bob's Big Boy," a popular hamburger joint that first opened in Hollywood in the fifties, "Thunder Chunky" and "Bay-Bee"(two tagger phrases that became popular as the show grew into a hit.

 

As the sequence begins, we see Will Smith sitting in on a throne turning in a circle upside down; this theme is repeated as bullies hoist him up and turn him around in circles. I think this is symbolic of how his life in Philadelphia was going. Background/foreground is demonstrated when a policemen enters the shot from our POV (and looks directly into the camera in the same way Will's mother does in a later shot) as Will tags a wall in the background. I also recognize depth in the shot where Will flags down a cab; the Hollywood sign looms in the background.

 

All of the characters are campy, way over the top, resembling Charlie Chaplin's silent movie style. Something I did notice was that the house Will moved to in Beverly Hills looked like a southern plantation...I wonder if this was an oversight or done on purpose?

Movie Poster Review

Week 8

American Beauty

 

http://www.impawards.com/1999/american_beauty.html

The American Beauty poster is basically using only a few colors. The most prevalent color is the flesh tone which is displaying contrast - the right side seems to be a bit shadowed. The hand is coming in from the left and seems to be placing the red rose on this female's tummy. The redness of the rose stands out in stark contrast to the flesh tone.

The word "BEAUTY" is bold and stands apart from the word "AMERICAN." This seems to imply that beauty is more important than American. All of the letters in the title are capitalized, whereas the letters of the names in the credits are not. Beads of moisture on the rose indicate this film is of a steamy, sexual nature. The youthfulness of the hand shows that the sexual theme probably involves at least one young, sexy woman. 

 

This poster gives the impression that the movie is a romantic comedy. I say comedy because the rose is an American Beauty Rose; the title is a play on words.

Commercial Review Essay

Week 7

 

The Secret to Happiness

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OQl4NGQvhg&feature=relmfu 

 

 

This two minute, thirty second commercial by Coca Cola is longer than most, but I chose it for its asthetic qualities as well as for the purpose of pointing out the contrast concept. The ad is presented in the form of a story narrated by Mario, a 100 year old Filipino. Speaking in his native tongue (the entire piece is subtitled), Mario offers words of wisdom to his great-granddaughter, who is being born at the same time Mario is traveling from his island home to visit her in the city.

 

Visually, this commercial resembles a film structured in a way that allows the audience to follow Mario and the soon to be born baby's progress respectively. Almost from the start, we are aware of the contrast between Mario's life and that great-grandbaby's. For example, we first see the beautiful tropical island on which Mario resides which establishes the location - the Phillipines. As Mario boards a small boat destined for the mainland, and eventually the airport, we also see Mario's very pregnant granddaughter in a city, on her way to the hospital. When Mario reaches the airport, he is seated in a wheelchair and squired to his flight at just about the time his granddaughter reaches the hospital and is seated in a wheelchair and taken to the delivery room. There is a great sense of expectation throughout the commercial.

Once Mario reaches the city, he is escorted (probably by his granddaughter's husband) to the hospital much in the same way the baby is helped into the world by the hospital staff. The way in which Mario looks at the tall buildings and bustling city gives us the impression that this is all new to him, as it will be to the newborn. When Mario meets his great-granddaughter, we see the contrast between his winkled, aged skin against the smooth, unblemished complexion of the baby.

 

After Mario returns home, he celebrates with his friends and family. Of course they are all drinking Coca Cola. This scene leaves us warm and fuzzy as does Mario's advice concerning the secret to happiness - loving friends and family. I relish the experience this commercial presents: an opportunity to enjoy another way of life while, at the same time, realizing that we are all more alike than different.

 

 

 



Video Essay Review

Week 5

 

Ordinary People

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh07c_P4hc
 

The video Ordinary People mimics the lyrics of this beautiful song written and performed by John Legend : simple, yet poignant and masterful. Ordinary People is about relationships and the turn they take after the “honeymoon” stage.

Framed as a black and white photograph, the video no doubt, represents snapshots of different lives. The setting is sparse – only a massive grand piano dominates the opening shot, which Legend walks into holding a glass of water. As John places the water on the piano, I wonder what role a glass of water will play in this video…a question that reoccurs several times throughout the piece.

The brilliance of this video lies in the framing and camera work. I easily recognize more than a few of the techniques, moves and angles we are studying in Visual Arts class. For instance, since there is no definitive set, the camera travels or “trucks” from situation to situation. There are several high angle shots that are quite impressive. One is a bird’s eye view of John playing the piano, which is polished to such a high gleam that John’s reflection on its closed lid rivals that of an image reflected by a mirror. Another favorite high angle  shot is one that moves above the 21 piece string section. Several shots are structured in a way that I recognize as negative space. And others clearly demonstrate the rule of third concept.

I particularly like the shot of a couple fighting where the action is presented in slow motion over the lyrics, “…take it slow, take it slow, this time we’ll take it slow…”

In the end, the conflicts seemed to be resolved, and as the camera raises and pulls away, we see that the musicians in the string section and actors from the different situations have been arranged in a heart shape around Legend. The camera pulls back so far everyone becomes a pinpoint, which morphs into an ordinary housefly that flies toward us and lands on the glass of water. At song’s end, John picks up the glass of water and walks out of the shot. I wonder if he took a drink from that glass?

http://felixphung.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

Scavenger Hunt Project

Group 1

Charles Chen

Arnetia Francis

Marissa Da Silva

 

Project Scavenger Hunt from elliott francis on Vimeo.

Photo Word Reviews

Week 8

 Neesha's Pic for Power:

 

We often forget the power of words. I crossed the street when I saw this sign.

Week 7

    Neesha's Pic for Motion:



This category gave me such hassle. Although it's not as clear as I'd like, I was able to finally capture the image of a falling leaf.

Week 6

Neesha's Pic for Saturation:

The beautiful color of this burning bush is a living testimony to why Autumn is the prettiest time of the year...





Week 5

Neesha's Pic for Low Angle:

I took this picture on AU's campus. It was a sunny day; I didn't particularly notice any clouds in the sky at the time. Later when I looked at this shot, I was amazed at the way the globe of the lamp post reflects the clouds. It looks as if there is a cloud inside the lamp.

Week 4

Neesha's Pic For Foreground/Background:

Even though the immediate foreground is blurred, I like this shot. It gives me the feeling that I'm privvy to the POV of a stalker who has nefarious intentions. Creepy...

Week 3

Neesha's Pic For Wild:

I let this flower have it's way all summer. The result was wonderful and wild...

Week 2

Neesha's Pic For Beautiful:

I took this close up of a beautiful butterfly as she/he stopped to enjoy the butterfly bush in my garden. I am particularly pleased with the lighting (courtesy of the sun) and the different colors, shapes and textures.

Week 1

Foreground/Background:

"Foreground - a properly chosen foreground element will give the viewer more clues to the scene's context while adding a sense of depth to the image..."
Jim Krause, Photo Idea Index

"Background - Part or element of scene that is behind -- i.e. more distant from the observer than -- the foreground..."
http://www.idigitalphoto.com/dictionary/background

Although I know virtually nothing about baseball, this photo spoke to me. It's evident that the baseball, which is in the foreground, is moving forward; it's equally obvious from whence it came: the pitcher in the background who is a bit out of focus.

This kinda represents life: where you're going is much more important than where you came from.

retrieved from:http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-4501807/stock-photo-baseball-pitcher-ball-focused-in-foreground-player-unrecognizable-in-background.html

Negative Space:

"Negative space helps define a subject, so subjectively speaking, negative space works when there’s a balance between the positive and negative spaces. Negative space also works when it draws the viewer’s eye into the subject at hand."
Jacob Cass in Columns

This concept is certainly abstract, but I love the idea of it. It makes you stop and focus and think.
What exactly is the main point here? Are the hands making impressions on the pillow? Or is the pillow yielding to the pressure of the hands?

Kinda like: what comes first; the chicken or the egg?

http://www.cmybacon.com/2010/09/negative-space-pillow/
Artist: Mathilde Roussel-Giraudy

Beautiful:

"Beauty is in the eye off the beholder."
Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, Molly Bawn

This drink is aptly named the Blue Hawaiian. The vibrant colors and different shapes all work together to make this a beautiful picture as well as inviting drink.



http://www.georgetowner.com/articles/2010/nov/03/blue-hawaii/

Portrait:

"A representation or impression of someone..."

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

In this picture, it seems as if my young friend, Victoria, pauses to give us a smile before continuing on her life's journey, which is symbolized by the white picket fence behind her that seems to go on forever.

Courtesy of Dale Vidaurre, Beyond Belief Images

Wild:

"Furiously disturbed or turbulent; stormy..."

The FreeDictionary



The symmetry between the lightening and huge funnel cloud accentuates the fury of this scene. I can almost hear the crackle and boom of thunder; the deafening sound of a racing locomotive as the tornado rages on wildly...

http://www.optcorp.com/edu/articleDetailEDU.aspx?aid=2137

Motion:

"...allow (rather than avoid) the blur that sometimes occurs when you photograph fast-moving objects"

Jim Krause, Photo Idea Index

I wonder if this picture was shot with a low light setting? I'm fascinated by the fact that the background appears to be in motion even though logic dictates that it is the biker who is moving.

I believe this is a good example of motion blur. I can't wait until I learn to do it.

http://www.antalik.com/15-beautiful-motion-blur-photos/

Saturation:

"The intensity of a hue..."

Photo Idea Index

http://easyphotoedit.com/

Silver and green saturate this forest setting. I love the path that leads into the misty unknown.

Power:

"Strength or force exerted or capable of being exerted..."

The FreeDictionary

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?tag=national-prayer-breakfast

The president, one of the most powerful men on earth, is humbled before the greatest power of all. Notice how the light is reflected on his praying hands.

Low Angle:

"...low angle perspective gives a fresh view-point to the audience..."

Pashminu Mansukhani

http://milk-cream.deviantart.com/

This picture is an example of a low angle shot, as well as a dipiction of five low angles formed by the fingers.

Deceptive:

" Giving an impression or appearance different from the true one; misleading..."

Merriam-Webster Dictionary



Of course this sign is in use. If it weren't used to

advertise that fact, how would we know?

http://www.break.com/pictures/sign-deceptive-2333728

Arnetia's Pic for Deceptive:

Cute little bunny, right?

Actually this little monster is a menace to my vegetable and flower garden. I'm surprised he stayed still long enough for me to get this picture.



AFI Top Ten

Week 6

 

 

It’s a Wonderful Life

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bedford_Falls_on_Christmas_Eve_1946.jpg

 

For this assignment, I watched film director, Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Right from the start, I was taken with the look and feel of the movie, so I decided to explore these aspects, especially since it was filmed in black and white. I was happy to see that the DVD contained some reference material: an exclusive documentary entitled The Making of It’s a Wonderful Life and a special tribute to Frank Capra: A Personal Remembrance, narrated by Frank Capra Jr. Both biopics contain interviews with Capra and Jimmy Stewart, the film’s leading man.

The first frame of the film shows the front of a Christmas card; the opening credits are set within the subsequent pages of the card. This is significant because It’s a Wonderful Life originated as a short story entitled “The Greatest Gift,” written by Phillip Van Doren Stern in 1943. When he couldn’t get the story sold, Stern had 200 copies printed and stuck them in Christmas cards to friends and family. Three months later, RKO Studios bought “The Greatest Gift” for $10,000 with the intention of making it into a Christmas movie for Cary Grant. RKO commissioned three different writers (which resulted in three different scripts) to adapt the story into a screenplay. The scripts gathered dust on the studio’s shelves until Frank Capra bought and transformed them into It’s a Wonderful Life. At the time, Capra had several box office hits under his belt, but critics labeled his films “Capra-corn” because he had a penchant for making positive, wholesome, sentimental movies. It’s a Wonderful Life is no exception. In a nutshell, the story is about a man who thinks he’s a failure; however, with the help of a little divine intervention, he’s given the chance to see how the world around him would have been had he not been born.

Capra took particular care to make the town in which the story is set, Bedford Falls, believable. The set was built and erected at the RKO Ranch in Encino, California. It was constructed in three separate sections which spanned 4 acres when put together. Main Street alone was 300 yards long (approximately 3 city blocks), sporting twenty full grown Oak trees. This decision, opposed to shooting at different locations, gives the audience the feeling of practically being citizens of the town. I daresay that the set is a dominating factor in the film’s massive appeal to audiences some 56 years later.

Capra also loved movie weather. In particular, there are many winter scenes throughout the film. In fact, our first glimpses of Bedford Falls are through falling snowflakes. In those days, snowflakes were cornflakes painted white. The cornflakes made realistic looking snow, but their loud crunch made it impossible to record dialogue. Capra charged his Special Effects team with the task of creating realistic snow scenes that worked for the film. Special Effects accomplished this by using 3000 tons of shaved ice, 300 tons of gypsum, and 6000 gallons of a mixture made of fomite, soap, and water. The result: genuine representations of wintry scenes.

The infamous first kiss between Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed is a testament to Capra’s skill as a director. Story has it Jimmy Stewart was quite nervous to shoot the kissing scene and kept putting it off. When Capra finally convinced Stewart to do the scene, he restaged it a bit – having Reed and Stewart share the telephone – to insure that Stewart wouldn’t back out. Well, the kiss was so hot and passionate; they only had to do one take. At the end of the scene, the script girl pointed out that an entire page of dialogue had been left out. Capra replied, “With technique like that, who needs dialogue? Print it!”

It’s a Wonderful Life opened at the Globe Theatre in New York on December 20, 1946. Thanks to a blizzard that year, people stayed home and listened to the radio; consequently, the film was soon retired into obscurity. In the early 1970s the movie’s copyright expired, and television stations began to play the picture because it was royalty free. Through word of mouth, It’s a Wonderful Life became a holiday sensation. To many folks, Christmas wouldn't be the same without it.