Reflections - Blog 4

Old Habits

This clip does well with sound when it comes to the music and the end and the slamming of the door, but the use of space is limited. The context of this clip though does limit that, a 5second Film is supposed to be only five seconds, which is what gives it its popularity, so the use of space in a scene cannot be too much, or your time wold be exceeded. You are using semantic listening to gain the information that there is a horse on the other end of the computer, talking to the man who was obviously raised in a barn, which is one of our listening modes. As the first man slams the door, our focus is turned directly toward him, making us use referential sound. This is exactly what we need to see and exactly where our attention goes because it is the basis for the entire scene ahead. When it comes to space, we follow the directionality of the first man as he enters the room through the door and then immediately exits the other side, going from left to right. The movement in this scene is small since two out of the three humans that are in the scene are sitting, while one moves. The movement of man two as he speaks to his horse is slight, but still enough to convey the emotion needed to let the audience know that he WAS raised in a barn and he does miss his horse. 

Deconstructing a Character

Protagonist

This character would be the type who could not contain their brightness. They have a strange personality  that compliments, or brightens, the other characters that surround him. Many different roles can fit to this character, just like this picture has many different colors and aspects, but either way, they come to one central point. The vibrancy of their attitude adds some comic relief to the story's plot which gives the character the opportunity to either contribute to the direction that the main character wants to take, or just add some compliment.

Being the brightest is not the role of this character, but when the character that they compliments goes out, they are there as the perfect substitute.  Just like the light of a candle, this person is one who often falls into the background until they are necessary. Adding a nice accent to the film is what this character accomplishes best, but can be used towards the plot if necessary. This character can be used in the background or can be placed in the spotlight, depending on which way the plot takes them, making this character very versatile.

Just like a square, this character is typically very straight forward. Unlike their counterparts, they have an antagonist that steals their light in the way they look. They are more squatly shaped, giving them a portly feel and the ugliness adds humor to their character. They are happy though, like the color of this square, making them ok with the way that they look and are represented. This character would not necessarily move well through-out scenes, just like a square does not move well through spaces.

Antagonist

This characters color pallet is very dull and dark, because it compliments their personality. They would be perceived as mean and moody, and would most likely shoot down the protagonist whenever possible. This character cannot have many different roles, it is very straight forward. They have one face and one color scheme. 

The light that this person resembles is very dull, just like the color. They cannot light up a room and make things brighter, and he cannot make a situation brighter.  The amount of personality and light that he adds is very minimal compared to his counter part. Also, like a lamp, his temper can be ignited at the flip of a switch. The anger spreads through the situation, like dull light in a dark room, and adds a different atmosphere. 

This person is taller and thin, just like this jalapeno. They also have a hot temper like the jalapeno and their heat can be easily released. The lankyness that this person posesses makes him seem more intimidating and odd looking. He is the opposite of the protagonist, where the good guy is squat, this guy is tall and awkwardly shaped. 

Finding Your Howl - Blog 2

"Howl"

            One of the stories in Flaum’s article is about a few rare red wolves who had been placed within captivity, taking away all that they knew. This basically represents putting restrictions on a person’s life. One of the wolves, Mumon, went out to find what had been taken from him, and that gave him the courage to do bigger and better things, actions that he would never have tried if in a pack or restricted by the confines of captivity.  Eventually, after a series of events, Mumon finds who he is again, he finds his “howl”.  Mumon imagines himself invincible and getting that freedom was a real experience and journey.

             

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.

-       Steve Jobs

Personally, Steve Jobs is a creative inspiration and the worst loss the future of our technological industry could take.  This man was brilliant because he did not think of what the people wanted, but what he knew they would eventually want. That is thinking outside the box if I have ever heard it, thinking beyond the masses and realizing what people don’t know they want before they do. That is genius creativity and what creativity should be, giving people something unexpected.

            If I could do one thing it would be sit and a room and think of things that have never been thought of before, but that is much harder to accomplish in the field that I want to get into than one would expect. Every idea in the entertainment industry has been used and reused over and over again, making the idea of intellectual property unbearable.  No one has their own ideas, everyone takes everyone else’s and tries to tweak it, but in the end, the same product arises.

            Everyone’s good idea gets turned into another person’s better idea, and yea that would make a person with good moral compass feel guilty, it makes me feel guilty, but no person in the industry has a good enough moral conscious to care about stealing an idea.

            The best ideas have already been done, which make them hard to top and impossible to replicate, but the thing about what Steve Jobs said that sticks out the most to me is how all ideas intertwine. One day, a man was watching a brilliant movie , Apocalypse Now, and the next he was making a brilliant comedy, Tropic Thunder. That is how the system works, everything spirals after each other.

            This is the way I get my best ideas, when I am sitting there thinking about a certain project for a while and then a new idea will enter my mind. Two different ideas connected to created a brand new idea. Old ideas give birth to the new ones, the trick is that you have to be the first to come up with the newborn idea. Creatively, this is restricting and uncomfortable, but Jobs was a smart man, so I trust what he says.

            When I try to be creative this is how I think, it is kind of like putting yourself down, but in a creative positive results way. I tell myself that I need to understand that all good ideas are repetitive, not exactly replicas though. 

            Being in a creative team is one of the only ways to succeed. Those ideas that you all have that seems to be repeating themselves all come together to create a new idea and a brilliant one at that. Teams are what makes the world go round.  When I try to work solo, my creative world seems crowded and unbearable, but when the ideas are distributed and shared between multiple individuals, all with different points of view and ideas, those old ideas intertwine and succeed. Everything clicks, everything becomes obvious, and everything falls into place. 

Brainwashed - Blog 3

Brainwashed!

Three of the layers within Godin’s article that should be summarized are be generous, connect, and make art. Connecting via social media is addicting, but it will keep a person on track with the whole rest of the world. That connection is just a personal decision. We were once isolate, and only knew what was around us, but now, we are intertwined with everyone, and these intermingling’s can be positive or negative. The future is where we live, and thanks to that, we are all going to be connected by the internet. Though those interactions will not be substantial, they may be helpful.

Being generous does not always have to do with money, but sometimes has to do with being able to give people a little piece of you. Artistically, you are able to share ideas and give feedback, which should be done generously. Economically, it is not I give you this and you return the favor, but let me give you a gift and eventually, you give me a gift in return. It would be know as the circle of gifts.

Making art is a unique gift because each individual can interpret it differently and it does not have to have a certain quality. There are no instructions or right and wrongs when it comes to the art world. The only risk within that community, is the chance that the piece of work may or may not be appreciated or liked.

We should also, acknowledge the lizard, which means listen to that little voice in your head. In simpler terms, it’s the resistance that tells us to go with the flow and follow the instructions that were given to us. The resistance always wins, because the threats are real and consequential, making us just a follower of the mass.

The blogs that we have been doing this quarter related to what Godin was speaking of. First, the connecting gives us the ability to choose where we want to go and what we want to do. We are connecting with out classmates, but artistically, everything is our choice. We choose what we want to talk about and how we wish to express what we are thinking, but we have people there to bounce ideas of off and creatively grow with.

Social media is the only reason that we are able to do these blogs in the first place. All of what we know and understand is online. It makes up who we are and what defines us. Negatively, social media does affect what kind of person we are when we are face to face with people. Thanks to the internet a person can be brave about what they say and how they say it. Now take the person out of the context of hiding behind a username, put them in front of a large group of people, and I guarantee you what they have to say will be completely different. Social media will lead us in a positive direction, by connecting us to the whole world and making us realize what else is out there, but when it comes to face to face contact, our skills will severely diminish.

Second was being generous., which should can only be related to human on human contact, and goes back to connections. Being generous when it comes to this class is hard, because you can only be so generous with our ideas before they become someone else’s and you have lost all intellectual property. The good thing about our lab is that it gives you enough space to come up with your own ideas, while still collaborating with others. That collaboration can only improve what you already have, not impair it. Sometimes, it is just easier to work with other people because they can teach you by experience. Sharing is caring after all. The feedback we receive from out peers will make us grow as artists and creators, or it can crush a whole idea entirely.

This entire class is about making art and sharing it with the people around us. None of us have the same ideas and none of us will ever turn in a similar project, which opens up a whole new world of critiquing. Those people around you are going to take what you have worked on and either love it or hate it. If they love it, they are going to be willing to work with you on it and make it better, if they hate it, they are going to flat out tell you. But, that is just the risk you run when creating work.

We are given basic instructions on how to create the art that is put before us, but sometimes we need some guidance. As learners, we need to be told what to do and how to do it so that we can expand our knowledge while still using what we already know and the ideas we have already created. Those instructions may seem restricting, but it helps us test out what all there is to offer in the media world. This way, we don’t just stick to what we know, but we become diverse artists.

Acknowledging your lizard is difficult, especially in this class. As of now, I am just trying to get these blogs done, but honestly, it is not because I feel creative and want to share, it is because I am being threatened with a deadline. That is how all of life will be though, one big deadline and minimal time to create what you really wish you could create.