Media Arts Field Trip

Media Arts Field Trip was impressive.
We watched a movie about copyright, I love that movie very much! It is very interesting, creative, impressive, funny, and excellent editing and organizing. The theme around the movie is about a mixed-song whether illegally to include other song elements and its own style? This movie has in fluency editing, nice music effect and background, interesting title with the themes, and clear HD scene. This movie includes many supporting details and an idea by the director, who supports that mixed-song, is not illegally of copyright problem. The first scene of this movie was set in the nightclub, which has loud music and crazy dancers, the point is everyone all enjoys in the interesting and exciting mixed-songs. The director started to ask the questions to the audiences, it really takes the attention from the audiences, and causes them to think of the question, and take them directly into the theme of this movie. In this movie, we can see that the director has excellent computer science technology skills, to show us lots of creative points, such as creative editing of showing CD, actors, or titles.  Sometimes, the pictures zoom in or out in different ways or colors, or sometimes the scene will be really closed to the scene, sometimes it makes you feel you are the one in the movie, all that stuff are like in your own brain. Also, we can see that the director clearly divides the level of the copyright company, and the illegally idea of copyright. He takes the scene in China, Brazil, or even Canada or America. The background of the scenes are interesting and wonderful, sometimes there are some interviews for answering the questions, or some acting.  I think this movie is very successfully to demonstrate its own ideas with lots of creative, interesting and impressive skills.

Vision of Light

Vision of Light

1. Why were the early non-talkie movies so free with camera movement and location?

             In the early non-talkie movies the reason that camera movement and location were so free, was because the location could be anywhere without sound effect (except the background sound effect), the camera movements was followed like the frame of the actors, The success of the non-talkie movie was based on the actors movements and the excellent matched background effect.

1. What were the issues with the very first talkie movies?

    The sound effect was thick, and not smooth. The texture of scenes were not smooth and really clearly, The light source was not hard to tell, often on the top or the side. "The first feature film originally presented as a talkie wasThe Jazz Singer, released in October 1927. A major hit, it was made withVitaphone, the leading brand of sound-on-disc technology. Sound-on-film, however, would soon become the standard for talking pictures.“ 

Wikipedia provided.

more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_film 

1. Why did 'Citizen Kane' have such a great impact- List some reasons.

   "Citizen Kane" this movie was a challenge movie which talks about a person's whole life. Film scholars and historians view Citizen Kane as Welles' attempt to create a new style offilmmaking by studying various forms of movie making, and combining them all into one. The most innovative technical aspect of Citizen Kane is the extended use of deep focus.

1. What is Film Noir?

     It means the black-color-scenes-movie. The scenes of Film Noir are actually black and white, the lighting and the background, It actually often present the darkness, terrible, disgust, hate, strange, fantastic, and cruel theme of the movie.

1. How was colour first introduced to film?

   It was produced by Geoge Albert Smith of Brighton, Engliand in 1906. The camera machine was designed and invented by 1900's possessional  people. 

1. What effects did the widescreen format have on cinematography?

   It makes audiences can see more pictures of the scenes, and comfortable on the vision. 

   It makes audiences more easily to get in the scenes, more enjoyment and feelings around them when they are watching the films. 

1. Why didn't the director of The Godfather care about drive-in theatres and how dark his film was?

 The reason of that is because ALL the scenes of The Godfather was dark, in black and white. The most of scenes of this movie was the conversation, so how could people hear the conversation if they were in the car or (did drive-in theater)?

   

1. How did the director of photography use colours in The Last Emperor?

    The director of The Last Emperor used the light color of the photography,such as yellow,and orange, and dark color for the background, such as when people are almost fighting. In that age, a traditional Chinese period, most of the people did not know any knowledge about the science.When a blonde man walked in through the gate with a bike, the light of color was clear.

1. The track-back/zoom-in shot in Goodfellas signified a psychological change in the relationship between the two protagonists- How did the visuals change with this effect?

    When the track-back/zoom in shoot in Godfellas signified the psychological change in the relationship between the two protagonists, we can more clearly see the reactions on the protagonists's faces, and most of them the zoom-in shot are showing more serious situation.

      

The Days Of Heaven

Cinematography

• How mobile is the camera? Does it move toward the characters within a scene, or does it remain relatively static, allowing the actors to move instead within a steady frame? The camera is mobile, for an example the scene of taking people were walking in the paddyfield, the beautiful sunset and people were burning the paddyfields etc. Actually, most of the scenes in this movie are allowing the actors to move in a steady frame, even the stuff or the plants.
• How does the camera treat the different characters? Does the camera view the character from below (low-angle shot) or from above (high-angle shot)? Most of them time the camera view the characters from below(long-angle shot), this way of cinematography has shown the reality of face reaction. The camera takes from belows when the characters are working in the farm or sitting on the machines.  
• 
  What purpose does the camera angle serve? For example, what cue might a camera angle offer you about how the director wants you to view a particular character? The purpose that camera angle that shows in the movie, basically decreases the imagination, and the distance between audiences and the movie. The camera angle of when people are talking, you can feel like the character is talking to you (by face-to-face angel).  
• What do the camera angles tell you about the relationships between characters?
  
   The camera angles tell me a complicated relationship between characters, most of the feelings are sad. For an example, when Bill hugs Abby, I can totally feel the love from him but not Abby. The angel that director takes, are longer-distance angel, which can show the whole picture of the characters and the background.  
• Do the angles from which characters are shot change over the course of a scene, or a sequence, or the film as a whole? How does such a change influence your view of a character?  After Bill's death, I like this character more. I think Bill is a pity character who loves her wife and disappoints when her wife betrays him and falls in love with someone else. I like Bill :)  
• How frequently are close-ups used? Why? What is the effect of the close-up?The scenes are frequently used close-ups when  the main characters are talking to face-to-face, so we can feel that character is talking to 

Mise en Scène

• Where is the film set?The city of Chicago. 
• What does the location (in time and space) tell you about the type of plot you might expect? The factory scene which is in the beginning of the movie gives me the imagination of  the plot might happen next. I thought this movie might about the workers, hungry and poor, but I did not expect the nature beautiful scenes will show in the movie.What functions do the props serve? I think the props serve 
• What information do these props give you about the characters who possess or use them? These props tell me about that the characters 
• What do the costumes tell you about the characters? The costumes tell me about the identity, the situation and the personality of the characters. Most of the workers in the movie are wearing the simple, ugly, and normal 20 century's clothes. Also the changing of the identity, for an example. after Abby is married the rich owner, she wears beautiful, fantasy and luxury dresses. 
• Why are certain characters dressed in light colors? In dark colors?Most of the certain characters dressed in dark colors, because it shows the identity of the characters. Bill and Abby are poor workers who always travel around, and just try to find a better job.
• What kinds of lighting does the director employ? What kind of mood does the lighting style create?The lighting that director employs actually are taken by the natural sunlight, it provides more sadness that can match the theme and the background. Most of the scenes are dark, yellow ,orange and brown.  
• Which characters are well-lit and why? Which characters are shaded, or only partially lit?The main characters are shaded- Bill and Abby. For an example, Bill and the Framer are talking in front of the wall, or when Abby is talking to The Framer in the forest, that scene is more lighter because the green background of trees.   
• What does that lighting convey about the character and her/his potential actions within the film? When the lighting is taking half side of the characters let the audiences to expect the characters might talk or walk under the darker background.For an example, when Bill is talking to Abby in the storage before Abby would like to marry the rich owner.

Music & Sound

• How does the degree of familiarity with the music influence your understanding of the plot or the characters? The degree of familiarity with the music influence my understanding of the plot, the sinfonia music in the background and the famous background music which is similar with Harry Potter's, even the scene when the train is running.
• What cues does the music give you about what to expect?What kind of mood does the soundtrack create? How does the use of music and sound influence your interpretation of the plot or your attitudes toward particular characters? The cue from the music give me about a nervous, exciting and strange feeling which will happen in the next scene, the famous background music which is same as Harry Potter's gives me creepy, strange and nervous feelings of what will happen in the next story, I was expect the story will become more exciting, interesting and sad. 
• What kind of sound effects are used in the film? Do they arise from the action or are they added to the action? The sound effects are used in the film are mostly from the nature and the symphony, it increases the level of feeling, those sound effects are arise from the action, sometimes they are added to the action.

EditingHow does the director choose to tell her/his story? Does s/he cut quickly from shot to shot, or let shots run longer and compose them into more leisurely sequences?Does the director use different editing styles at different times in the film? Why?

• The director choose to tell her/his story by taking the scenes of conversation between the characters, also the little girl in the movie is playing the role of onlooking and aside.The director use different editing styles at different times in the film,she/he cut quickly from shot to show and combine the scenes together, sometimes with some nature scenes. 
• What is the effect of juxtaposing one image or scene with another? It gives more interesting on the vision.
• If the director uses flashbacks, what function do they fulfill aside from the filling in of information from the past? What insights might we gain from?I think we might gain the insights from the scenes when the Abby and Bill decides to let Abby marry that rich man. I think if director use flashbacks, the first scene might starts with the girl's talking and the scene of both main male characters die. 
• Which characters develop through point-of-view shots (when we see through a particular character's eyes)? We see this whole story from a little girl which is Bill's younger sister, her role develops the plot by point-of-view shots, what she said, the way she talks, presents the feeling and the development of this movie. 
• What purpose do point-of-view shots serve? How do point-of-view shots affect our experience as spectators? I think the reason that director to use a younger girl to do point-of-view shot is because it gives audiences a fair angel to understand this theme of the story, I think this is a brilliant idea to develop the story, because we are like that younger girl (the spectator) to experience this whole story. Even this story is not that younger girl's story or our story, but it gives us a memorable impression of what happens in the movie. 

Identification(to identify: suggests a psychological empathy with the feelings or experiences of another person; to associate or affiliate (oneself) closely with a person or group)

• With whom do we identify when we watch a film?What techniques does the director deploy to guarantee that identification? That younger girl helps us to identify the story (beginning)when watch the film, and the director deploy to guarantee the identification of the characters.
• What are the ramifications of our identification? For example, what ideas about the world, about good and evil, about race, class or gender do we assume as the result of our identification with a particular character? We often judge and identify a particular character by his/her jobs, personality, interests,appearance, background, religion and the way she/he talks.   
• Is this experience of identification thought-provoking (i.e. one that makes us think critically about sexism or racism) or does it simply reinforce the status quo?I think this a experience of identification thought-provoking, it make us think critically about the sexism, the importance and the effects of the identity in this cruel society with compares with the true love. 

Closure

• Does the film reach a satisfying end?No. I don't like the what happens at the end, but it's a good end that properly finish the story and the feelings. 
• Does the film reach an ending you have anticipated/wanted? I don't like the sad ending, I would like to expect that the main characters (Abby and Bill) travel around again and nobody will break their relationship again. 
• Are all the threads of the plot tied up? What hasn't been resolved? (For example, are there any characters who are not paired up into a romantic couple at the end? Why not?)  In the end, both of main male characters die, but it is a romantic story to show the complicated relationship between the couple of Abby and Bill. The threads of the plots are actually tied up, but I think it is good to watch it twice times, it will give different feeling.

The Reality Bites

Those are posters for our trailer,the last second one is the perfect one which has everyone on it.
I tired to make our poster looks like a reality show poster, the big title, the title of "coming on this summer" (which is often shown on the trailer and posters), "Only on CBC", and the interesting introduction.
As you can see the big letter of "VS" looks different, because I put "New" in it, so it looks interesting and professional. The original color of these photos are not that bright. The reason that I changed it more brighter, is because it increases the comfortable feeling of vision. The reason that Michelle is looking at Surgey, is because it can show the awkward situation of those families, same as me and Even. Even is acting like a teenager who is part of "Whatever" group. Shawn acts like a stupid person, and Leon looks very serious to show that he is a serious father (Adult). 
 The costumes that everyone are wearing is part of my job too. I am taking the responsibility of art director which means I need to care about the costumes for each characters in this trailer. Surgey,Even, and Shawn are the low-class family in this show, so their outfits are comfortable and simple. Michelle is acting "mother" in high-class family, so she is wearing more luxury with a small granny-style's coat, and the pearl necklace. Leon is my "father" in this show, he is wearing a suit so that audiences can see his identity, and realize Shown and Leon (because they are twins). I am the "daughter" of Leon and Michelle's in this show, so I'm wearing flexible, light-color scarf, and normal T-shirt with fantasy pattern.  

REALITY CHECK！:)

·· Where does this product come from? Who created it? Who owns it? 

 This video comes from YOUTUBE, This is a Korean music video trailer by a Korean popular group which is called Girl’s Generation.

 How is this product distributed, shown or sold to the public? Who profits? 

  This video distributes a new vision of Korean musical products. It is a song trailer to get more attention for Girl’s Generation’s new songs. This selling idea is made by S.M Entertainment (a Korean entertainment company) , of course this company owns the profits.
· Who is the audience/projected consumer? What is the purpose of the product? 

 The audiences of this video are teenagers, not even Korean tanagers, and also the other Asian teenagers. This video is getting more attention from this group’s fans. This is a selling way to let more audiences get more interests of the products, and I believe it will become popularity in Korean soon.  
· What is the purpose of this product? Entertainment? Information? Persuasion?

 The purpose of this product is for Asian entertainment and new popularity of Asia. Also, the purpose that this is posted on Youtube, S.M Entertainment wants to increase the marketing of this group in the whole world, so that the Korean group or songs will become popular in the world not only in Asia. And this video shows the beauty of Korean women.

· Who is the intended (target) audience? How and why might this product appeal to its intended audience? 

  The intended audiences are most of Korean teenagers boys, those 9 Korean girls shows the beauty and sexy of the Korean girls. The vision of the video, the special background, the new fashion of the costumes or hairstyle, and the classic music etc those effects appeal the Korean teenager boys.   

 
· How does this product appeal to you? What things do you like and dislike?

 I like this product, I like the special background of this video. Actually this is the video I always want to make, and I am trying to learn how to make this kind of video.
· What does this product appear to be saying on a surface level?

  This video appears the new popularity in Korea.
· What are the values and ideology behind this product? 

 The ideology behind this product means the new fashion popularity in Korean is following the past modern, and making a new modern fashion, even in Asia.
· Does the text present the beliefs of one particular group? 

No, this text does not only present the beliefs of one particular group, it also present the beliefs of new Asian culture.
· What stereotypes, if any, are presented? To what effect? Do you share these beliefs? 

In this video, we can see that each those girls present the new fashion of Asian hairstyle, dressing style and the beauty. So there is no actual stereotype in this video. The stereotype of this video are: girls must have sexy eyes, slender bodies, and good at making poses and acting. So those stereotypes can attract the attention from people, especially the teenagers. I think this belief is unfair for that woman who doesn’t have skinny body and sexy shape of body, but I like this ideology of the beauty.

· What medium was used? · What techniques are used to reach and hold the audience? · How was the product made? What production techniques were used?

 The medium that was used in this video depends on the computer technology and the costumes that those girls were wearing.  The computer technology provides the special effects of the background, the frame, the patterns, the words, and the order of scenes. The scenes were mostly made by light color and big patterns (like flowers, squares, spots etc.) The audiences can enjoy in this trailer, because the vision of this video is modern, fresh, comfortable and interesting.

소녀시대

지금은 소녀시대

앞으로도 소녀시대

영원히 소녀시대 ~~!! 

Enna Liu Sue.

The Truman Show

THE TRUMAN SHOW

1.Write a personal response to having watched the film, your reflections, what it made you think about. 

  I think "The Truman show" is a wonderful movie which EVERYONE should watch. After I watched this movie, I felt like I might even lived in a "Fake world" which I don't even know myself. In this "Real word", I believe many people have lost theirselves, becasue everyday is live, no rehersal. People might cannot follow the change of the things that have happened around them in their enviornment.
2. Summarize what the article, "The Meaning of the Truman Show" is saying.

 "The Truman Show" is talking about a " World Pouplar Tv Star" who actually  lives in a "fake real world" under the camera in 24 hours. The story in his life has perfectly developed and designed by a genius televsion director. The funny thing is, his friends, his family, his wife, his frist love, his classmates, the people who also "lives" in the island are all actors, and Truman has lived in this "fake-real life" almost 30 years until one day he realizes the strange things have kept happening in his world. He is trying to figure out the answer and acrros oversea to find out another world. In the end, he would like to go out rather staying in this "fake-real world". The actual meaning of this movie is reflecting human being's hopes and worries, the world that auidance live might not the "REAL WORLD" (like they live in a comfortable world and cannot understand what poor and hunger are. Also, auidances can understand that celebrities have never enjoyed in his/her real life, or love. They don't have freedom, privacy or even theirselves.

3. Do you agree with the writer's opinion? Justify your answer with valid reasons.

 I totally agree with the writer's opinion, I believe too many people have lost theirselves in the "REAL WORD", and they are afraid to change or even take a further step. If you don't try, how do you know the result? If you don't try, what esle will you know? People should not just sit there and do nothing in their lives.
4. How long has Truman been led to believe that he has been living a "Real Life"?

  I think Truman has been led to believe that he has been living a "Real life" when finds out the "different place" after the elevator,  he starts to think about those questions:  Why the lamp just falls from the sky, and where does it come from? Why his first love told him that everything is fake around him,even the sand? Why the people around him are doing the same thing in a planned schedule?

5. What film genre is The Truman Show?

 I believe "The Truman show" is a comedy which can teach us leason and causes us to think, a educational movie.

6. Does this movie act as a metaphor for our own lives. Justify your answer with valid reasons.

 Many auidances may just live in a "fake life like Truman. Your friends are not really your friends, your love might not really like you, some people are might using you to approach their goals, but we always say "who knows?" Yea, who knows? But if don't find out by yourself, you will NEVER KNOW!

What is media art?

 Media art is a conveniently way that can represent new aesthetic aspects and development of traditional popularity arts.  Media art is a conveniently artwork which can express and share the expressive feelings, information, education, or even the experiences from the artists. Media art is an aesthetic enjoyment and entertainment which connects with the visual arts, the sound effect, the dramatic arts, the creative and indignation arts, the color and texture arts, the popularity representation and the arts skills. Media art is a modern aesthetic technology that can conclude about psychobiology, photography, historically, literary, astronomy, dramatic, classical, fashion, and mathematics or even more! Media art is a presentation that affects visual and audition feelings in different levels to have the impression. The most modern media art productions are designed and completed by computer technology software. Using by this technology skill, more and more creative ideas and amazing scenes have shown on the productions. 

 Media art is a convenient way to understand multicultural such as the religion effects, the representation of variety country etc. Media art could be example, interactive installations, performance, solution, and network or even the topic of the conversation. Media art is based on color elements and items organization; a good media art has nice matching color, interesting items in the scenes, sometimes and artist use normal items in the production. It is because arts can make normal items look better and more enjoyment of viewing. Media art is an entrainment and enjoyment for everyone.  

Description (What do you see?)

·         What is the name of the artist who created the artwork?

  Diana Thater is an American artist, also a writer who does the decorating scenes, the installation art of the videos or even films.  The name of those pictures is called “Broken Circle” which were designed in 1997.

·         What kind of a artwork is it?

Those beautiful photography artworks basically were taken in the museum (The Museum of Fur Gegenwartskunst), or actually you can understand in this way, the entire building of this museum is the artwork, also, includes the inside decoration and installation.

·         What is the subject matter of the art?

I could find out that the subjects of that artwork by visual feelings. I think Diana Thater was trying to make an interesting and special building. First, the color of the windows in this building was very modern and special. Second, the pattern of the floor matched the color of the wall or windows were very properly. Third, she made the videos were shown on the wall, and the shape of the screens were not exactly measured, like a regular square.  

What images do you see in the artwork?

 I could see an interesting and beautiful building in front of my sight.

Analysis (Why and How?)

·         How are the Elements of Art (color, shape, line, texture, space, form, value) and the Principles of Design (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, rhythm, unity, and pattern/repetition) used in this artwork?

Diana Thater combined the light color and darker color together, but it could give you a fresh, modern, special, enjoyable, and unforgettable feeling.  It is very easily to be in this building when we see those pictures, because the angle of taking the stairs could directly bring us to enjoy the color and pattern of this building. In those artworks pictures, they were not complicated to understand, because the color, item, pattern was very balanced, she used light color as background in the building, so that is why it could give us a fresh and modern feeling. Also, she mostly chose the common color that people like, such as purple, light blue, pink, light green and light yellow, and those pictures look like a song which was organized in different majors. Also, in those spaces, she did not used complicated or luxury furniture’s to present its beauty, she used a very simple item - the circle stair.  The mostly shapes have shown in those pictures are square, rectangle and circle, but she made the square became the modern pattern.

·         What grabs your attention in the artwork?

  In her artwork, the color matching can easily grab my attention.  In many artworks, most of them are indoor installation decoration. The “Broken Circle” which was designed in 1997, is the favorite one I’m enjoying and surprised the most. I like the way she matches the color together to present the beauty of the building. 

·         What mood or feeling do you have when you look at this artwork?

I was very surprised and delightful when I saw those pictures, it gave me a spirit that even we are not interested of engineering but we could feel the interesting of the engineering!
Interpretation (What does it mean? What feelings do you get?)

·         What is the theme or subject of the artwork? What is the artwork about; what do you think it means? Why do you think the artist created this artwork?

I believe the theme of the artwork is not only presenting the interesting building, it is more like about we can make an interesting building by ourselves! I think she is trying to tell us that even some different (light) color can actually make a better building. If you look outside of the building, it looks like a building that exists in the fairy tale, it gives us a mysterious and happy and feeling. I think she also wanted to tell us that there is no such as thing that always should be matched together in a space, such as red and yellow, also green can be matched with pink in a properly way, but that is the way need to find by ourselves, otherwise how could it be popular or even be called as art?

Judgment (Does it have meaning to you?)

·         Do you like or dislike this artwork? Do you think this is good art? Do think it is important art?

I do like those artworks that have shown in the pictures, because I think they are very good artworks, even they are not that really matter or important to our society and communication, but I love the way that Diana Thater matched the differently color together and created a comfortable and enjoyable space of the building, I believe she successfully made a normal building looks very modern and special! And those artworks gave me lots of inspiration of imagining to create a new artwork.  It gives me a happiness to enjoy a building that was very far from me, I am not only talking about the distance also the timing. It gives me information that I should be braved try differently color on my new self-made pictures.  


References: 
http://www.thaterstudio.com/ 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Thater 


More her artworks: