Animation Project

Finding a missing farm animal can be like looking for a needle in a haystack!

1st Web Project Since AOL Hometown

Danielle's Hyper Haiku Assignment!

I used all my syllables in my first line

Click the link for an actual haiku.

But my writing is

not the point here

I made a website!

Audio Video Project Reflections

There are times where I get extremely excited about a paper or a project and I just plow through it over the weekend its explained. I did 90% of my work on my audio video project over the course of a week and it did create that half-fun day-in-the-lab-working academic sensation, it wasn’t a good feeling. I had waited too long to get to action.

In my defense, this stalling wasn’t pure laziness. My interview subject, a transfer student to Hunter, had difficulty with his registration. He did not know whether he would be able to remain in the class and missed a few consecutive days as a result while the office resolved things. This was before we shot video.

I should have worked harder to pull through, but I did not want start doing work out of class when there was a chance that I would have to redo the assignment. I should have worked harder and spent more time working on my movie from the beginning. My working classmates make it look simple but Final Cut is much more complicated than iMovie. I overestimated my skills in the software and by the time I realized what I did wrong it was past the time I needed to do a quality job.

While I regret the way I paced my work, I think I made a reasonably compelling and creatively presented story with the footage I had. If I could go back, I would learn more about the filters and captioning. I would tweak my audio and see if I could find a way to sharpen the video.

I knew that filmmaking, nay art, should never be rushed…so it would be hard to call that an unexpected lesions. And this is not the first time I’ve had tech trouble in the media lab. But my student films went smooth it was interesting to see some of difficulties of working with other people. In the end, it was fun. I can’t wait to make an short documentary again and do it right.

Mike Elia: Music Mogul In Training

An enterprising Hunter College transfer student seeks to incorporate his love of music into a future career.

Blog Assignment 2: Zaboo'd

For my blog assignment, I chose to use the second episode of the Guild Web Series. It is worth noting that although, this episode "Zaboo'd," is old, episodes of the Guild are released weekly during the season. It has a higher budget than most internet video, but this was shot before the Guild had worked out a deal with Microsoft and Dark Horse Comics and it has a lower budget that most serialized video productions and later Guild episodes. This show was designed to give the viewer understanding of the premise while moving the plot along for those who saw the first guild episode.

Guild episode scenes start with Cid (Codex) talking on her webvlog. This is one long cut of a young women staring directly into the camera and addressing her viewers. Both the video and audio quality are not as polished as they are in the rest of the video. Yet if anything, this creates realism instead of taking from it. This relationship between audio and video creates setting while explaining that the Guild not only discusses problems unique to regular internet users but is itself, is something unique to the internet.

An animated intro with an 8-bit videogame-eqse soundtrack and Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) styled characters characters. The animation is primitive and shots focus on the unrealistic body representations before focusing on each guild members' face. The tune is in time with each movement.

The rest of the Guild episode focuses on the characters Codex and Zaboo, rather than just Codex alone. The video is brighter and clearer. The bright colors in the house they are shooting in seem cartoon like and feeds a sense of the dramatic. Cuts are seamless, fluid. All editing is done to bring the viewer into the story.The shots move quickly between the awkward stance of our "heros" and the faces of the speakers. Codex's confusion is in directly contrast with her stalkers' relaxed, easygoing state. The motions of walking into Codex's bedroom is implied. The Guild's second episode does alot for a 2 and a half minute clip. Almost all sound consists of dialogue. Any background noise is based around the computers, such as Zaboo's typing and the Guild's voice chat confusion coming from Codex's computer (which was resumed from the first episode, where Zaboo was late for a raid for the first time). This shows how the Guild's characters are isolated from "the physical realm" of reality.

East 20's in Manhattan - A Soundwalk

I live in the Brookdale Dormitory at East 25th Street in Manhattan. On a Monday afternoon at roughly 1:30 pm, I left the Hunter health science campus to began my sound walk. Although that area is technically along the border of Kips Bay, as I traveled from 1st avenue, along 23^rd street, to the area around Madison Square Park, my soundwalk is also reflective of the Gramercy and Flatiron neighborhoods.

The most persistent sound during my travels was the sound of my own two feet. I was wearing a pair of antique loafers with a heavy sole, which made a light clicking noise on the concrete. I did not expect to hear my size 5.5 shoes, even while listening carefully. I was also able to hear other footsteps, most noteably a women in her mid 20’s who could not walk in heels, and also the creak of an elderly women’s walker.

People created much of the noise of the area. This was especially so on street corners, where people waited for lights and buses, by businesses trying to promote themselves and in areas surrounding schools. The M23 was running slow, and the elderly waiting for the buses talked to one another. Businesses made the most deliberate attempts at sound signals- using sound to get the audiences’ attention. A man at the halal cart played American popular music on his radio. Music was also playing through the open doors of the Kool Blue Burger Joint. People distributing promotional materials often spoke while handing out cards. Their pleas were not unlike that of the homeless man sitting by the 6 train. I passed the School of Visual Arts and CUNY Baruch. Both schools had clusters of students around their respective buildings. The group in front of SVA was quite loud during their cigarette break. (I think that Lady Gaga’s male alter ego is old news.)

Cars and busses were also audible during my trip. I heard one ambulance siren, which makes sense as I was not far from the hospital at the start of my journey. I heard honking of horns. I could also heard the sound of seat lowering to accommodate a handicapped person on the bus.

My sound walk showed that there was more noise than I could have possibly remembered and that even a area that appears more residential than commercial has a lot of ambient noise during the day.

A Brief Look at The Sound of Music

http://videobb.com/video/QJUUDSHFZDnr *

	"I think one of the major things a director has to do is to know his subject matter, the subject matter of his script, know the truth and the reality of it. That's very important." - Robert Wise

Robert Wise is an American Filmmaker whose work precedes the digital age, even though it inspires many people living in it. He is best known for his editing of Citizen Kane and the direction of West Side Story and the Sound of Music. Although his greatest critical successes were musicals, he is thought of as a man without a particular style or genre. He made many films ranging in style from film noir to horror to science fiction to historical.

Wise originally turned down The Sound of Music because he felt it overly sacherine in nature. He eventually took the job, after the hired director quit in pre-production, and the war movie he was worked on suffered production delays. The Sound of Music became one of the most financially lucrative film productions of all time and Wise received a Best Director Academy Award for his role in it. Even though the director was somewhat reluctant, it is easy to see how he utilized the strategy discussed in the above quote with great success.

The opening scene of Robert Wise’s the Sound of Music, which plays before the credits, is truly iconic.

In terms of actual action, very little occurs. A simply clad women sings a slow, light hearted song about a timeless tradition of freedom within and about the gorgeous mountains of Austria and her desire to merge with them and stay there forever, before grabbing a nun’s habit from the ground and running off to the next scene away from the hills.

Presentation brings it together beautifully. Wise knows his subject manner. The main subjects of the scene and of the movie itself are both the European countryside environment and Maria. It is amazing, how within the first few minutes both are characterized so well.

In this part of the movie, both benefit from bright, dramatic coloring. Long Aerial views of stunningly gorgeous countryside are shown in succession, for two minutes before the viewer becomes aware of Maria’s presence and vocals. The land is desirable and grand. A shot of the Von Trapp Manor serves as foreshadowing.

When Maria is introduced, the camera zooms in briefly on her upper body. She spins and remains in motion for the rest of the scene. Yet, she never takes up more than half of the screen. The hills and big blue sky never leave the frame, even as the central figure’s body is shot from different angles. Her singing is good and adds further to the tone and land characterization. It becomes clear that Maria is an uncommon person and that there is some absurdity in her song and dance. This depiction of Austria, however, is not absurd. The environment has an uplifting, strengthening power. It is the screen composition and artistry of her surroundings that marks Maria as a person on a path of self-discovery that will surely be a pleasure to watch.

It is lighthearted beginning to what is mostly a lighthearted film. This scene also has lovely contrast with the following scene, which takes place in a nunnery, amongst others. Eventually Maria will find herself in her interaction with the Von Trapp family and their adventures in cities and countrysides. After the film reaches the climax, she outshines and escapes the war torn hills to freedom with her family.

The central theme or to use Wise's terms "truth and reality" of The Sound of Music is that the spirit or song of people is what makes the spirit or song of a country. This theme is overly sweet and idealistic but it is easy to see how it might suit a media maker as they create a sound and look that brings hills to life.

* I do not condone the illegal streaming or pirating of movies, making a special exemption in this case because I feel as though every household in America probably has or had at one point possessed VHS tape of this one. Yet when pushed, I could not find a YouTube-esqe 3 minute clip of this movie that had not been digitally manipulated at some point to make a joke of it.

What do you mean it isn't finished yet....

Shanice and I worked very hard on our project, which utilized many editing settings on iMovie, including some not taught in class and others that we were not familiar with. Although the finished project looks pristine on our school iMovie viewer and we believed that we followed Prof. Herrera's directions with the the Quicktime conversion, it falls apart on the Quicktime player and Vimeo.

The auto-steady does not work and deleted ambient noise blasts at the full sound. All the clips played faster and in reverse are especially glitchy. But don't take my word for it, see it yourself.

http://www.vimeo.com/23652656

I don't like thinking that "Forwards, Backwards" is of production quality typical of mine or Shanice's. Rather it is an example of how things can still go poorly at the last minute in the digital age.

Has something like this ever happened to you? Do you know how I can fix it? Please tell me in the comments!

Can you hear me now? My life as a talking pig!

A month ago, we took a week off of lecture and took a “field trip” to the Museum of Moving Image in Queens. It was a bit of a schlep and I got lost getting there, but it well worth my travels. I would say it was an unforgettable experience, the sort of which I can still easily recount months later….and not just because of my self imposed humiliation for the sake of science

I hope you find satisfaction that it was wonderful learning experience. I actually think that it was fortunate that I was able to learn from the experience through interaction with production tools without the immediate pressure to report on my findings.

The Museum of the Moving Image is a truly unique environment for learning about the field. I appreciated the fact that tour guides assumed that the visitor knew some things about movies and pop culture, but no more than the average observer.

Although I enjoy the creation process, I have always been more of a media consumer. I greatly prefer the shows that I watch on Broadway to the skits I pen for Odyssey of Mind. I rather see a big budget documentary or art exhibit to my upcoming film project or the projects profiled below. I think my writing for the Bellmore Life is quite decent, yet it pales in comparison to that put out of the New York Times

Still as a fan of animation and foreign films, I had seen enough “making of” pieces to be aware that voice actors record lines in sound booths while wearing headsets and watching the footage they were contributing to. I did not know that a large portion of action film dialogue is recorded in such a manner, but none-the-less, I was excited when my tour group walked into the sound filming room. Little did I know, I’d get to learn about the media production process first hand.

I was one of three who volunteered to dub over part of the movie Babe. I listened to the words in the headphones, speaking along with them while the titular pig spoke on a screen that was built in to the wall. Voice acting is hard because one has to match lip movements and project oneself to a physical form whose body is uncontrollable and bears no resemblance to oneself. A microphone caught my lines exactly as I said them and the scene replayed, now with my voice. My noises were instantly synced in, although we did get to see how a sound editor might add or monitor sound effects. It was a challenge, but would have involved some physical labor and splicing before the digital age. I would have never been part of such a quick, fun demo.

And I’d be lying if I didn’t personally believe that animated and non-human actors hadn’t appeared better at “speaking” their lines, than they had in years past.

What a Cute Little Monster!

I have always been fascinated by the art of the Celebrity Inspired Food Parody. Sesame Street does it, and now.....so do I. While learning the basics of Adobe Photoshop, I manipulated images of food to make an image of Lady Gaga.

I think the resemblance could have been better and that the people at PBS would have used a baby, or avoided the topic after the Katy Perry Incident (http://tv.gawker.com/5642979/katy-perrys-boobs-guest-star-on-sesame-street)...but this is still adorable, if I do say so myself.

POSTMARKED MARCH 24, 2011: A Stamp Project

When I was bored in elementary school, I used to write letters to my "future self," a sixth grader and leave them in my underwear drawer. I reread these letters not too long ago. I was a rather strange child. I think that child and her future self, both of whom were probably better versed in world capitals than I am and drank canned Arizona Iced Tea whenever they could, would delight in these stamps. (Its not the same out of the gallon jugs.) What represented then, could represent me now. Perhaps only body and setting have changed. The pieces of my series of stamps, modeled on the concepts of past, present and future, are more alike than not. er her

A Day at Hunter

Up, up and away I go in this vertical campus that I sometimes call home. Some mornings are sharp and my purpose is clear. On other times its rather blurred. I am frequently dazed and confused as I face this world of higher education. Whether you are like me, or not, the concept (and process) of ascension is linked to this 14 story campus. The individual is often lost in the city, but people here get the attention they seek.

Note the shout-out to the Hunter Film Department at the top!

Why I'm Here:

I work with easily available resources, and become an artist by writing or creating photographed, drawn or printed two-dimensional images. My non-photographic visual art is expressive to the point that it borders on abstract, much like the work of Willem De Kooning. Often I’ll accompany writing with a picture, or caption my visual art. New media, especially blogging, fascinates me in its ability to seamlessly combine words, visuals and interactivity while reaching the largest possible audience. I want to converse with many people through media.

But I am most interested in speaking to the young. They are not just our future, but our present as well.

I believe that every well-adjusted adult retains a part of their childhood self. At Eighteen, going on Eleven, I find much of my inspiration comes from my recent childhood in a quiet Long Island suburb. There was no overly dramatic conflict, but I was able to learn from those around me. My household’s lack of cable television could not limit my media access. Public television and the library are truly phenomenal. I hope my projects have Wishbone’s ability to keep timeless stories relevant, Lambchop’s Play-Along and Zoom’s kind, encouragement of creating similar presentations to those displayed, the compelling simplicity of a picture book or a game show and the lighthearted, honesty of Sesame Street.

My recent works include an Art Portfolio featuring 24 works centering around the theme of “Crowded Spaces,” Hunter College centric blog entries for the Macaulay Honors College, the directing of a short in aforementioned school's "24 hour Play Festival" and several articles for the local weekly newspaper that I grew up reading.

I want to inform and inspire the young, so that one day they will be capable of living their dreams.

(I ran out of space for listing sources of inspiration, so here's a few more. Does this make my Artist Statement 1200 words?)