Project 3: Daydreamers

MOMI Visit: Reflection

Visiting the Museum of the Moving Image helped me better understand how intricate film production is. The extremely long list of jobs people perform on and off the set made the complexity of creating an award winning moving image clear to me.

One of the first demo’s I saw was a clip of the film: The Great Train Robbery. Not only was this film shot on various locations, but it was edited in post – and was the first to do so. Additionally, this film is of great importance because it featured a close up, which was something people have never seen before. Once the audience first saw a close up of a man shooting a gun towards the camera, they actually got frightened and thought they were getting shot at.

Nowadays, close ups are used to better show emotion on a character’s face. Without them, all shot would be all the same – long shots portraying the characters and the setting, but lacking a deeper connection between the characters that make up the scene. Furthermore, the addition of different locations helped include a larger setting. This not only makes the film more interesting, but creates depth and space in the motion picture. Editing serves to piece all the bits together. Without it, the story would be lost and the audience would be left confused.

Learning that The Great Train Robbery was the first to feature these crucial tools was very interesting to me. Of course, in today’s age, when we watch our favorite films or television series we don’t necessarily react to close ups the way the audience of The Great Train Robbery had. We don’t even mind them or realize them because of the film’s seamless editing. But without these features, films would be less three dimensional and dull even if those phenomena had not been introduced in The Great Train Robbery.

Project 2: A Story About A Visit

Sadia's Interview: A Story About A Visit

 

Relationships Between Shots: Scene Editing Analyzation

In Season 1, Episode 3 of Game of Thrones, there is a short scene titled "Fear is for the Winter".

This scene is an example of continuity editing. The first shot of the raven is followed by a close-up shot of the boy. The second shot follows the 180 degree rule and eyeline match; since he is in bed looking up at the window and is also looking towards the left of him. This allows us to understand that this is what he is currently seeing. It then cuts to a long shot of the boy and the grandmother which introduces the setting and another character. The following shot introduces a new viewing angle or perspective: over the grandmother's shoulder. Shuffling between the boy's and grandmother's angles, the 180 degree rule is not broken. When the cut is made at 0:29, the grandmother's action is matched as she moves her arms down onto her lap. The next series of shots switching between the boy and the grandmother, their eyelines are never broken since she continues to look slightly downwards and he is looking up at her from the bed. Additionally, each time the shot is cut to, the zooming in effect intensifies to give a dramatic effect that hints at the audience to look or listen closely. The non-diagetic music intensifies as well, matching the cinematography. 

The scene focuses on two main viewing angles until the door is unlocked and we see a quick shot of the boy turning his head towards the opening door. I have noticed that in each shot the subject – whether it be the raven, young boy, grandmother, or young man – is either on the left third or right third of the screen. Therefore, there are no graphic matches, but instead they are direct opposites from each other. This helps to create movement where there is little action, help identify point of views, create look space, and keep it suspenseful. The color theme chose for this scene has a dark blue/grey look to it. It makes the environment look gloomy, thus adding to the suspenseful or horror-like theme of the scene.

What I Hear: A Soundwalk Reflection

68th Street, Hunter College

Sitting outside of Hunter College, surrounded by the busy streets of New York City, the amount sounds I could identify surprised me. Taking out my noise cancellation headphones (for once) and concentrating on the mostly harsh and loud texture of the city helped me realize that there are multiple layers to this cacophony.

The most prominent sounds were the friction of the wheels of the numerous cars hitting the asphalt and coming to a stop. Their car horns shouting in traffic are overlapped by sounds of the exhaust of busses in the background. As I listened closely, sounds of car doors being slammed are followed by faint food steps as shoes scratch on the concrete. A single bike passes by and I first notice its presence from its cog wheels churning. What distracted my attention the most was the sound of conversations happening 360 degrees around me. Laughter from the students and cheerful shouting of kids and their guardians were interrupted by the large group of people entering from one end and walking away into the distance of the other. The sound of a phone conversation brought in by one person was cut off by an exchange of words coming from the food truck. As I focused on the truck, the faint sounds of spare change being placed on the stainless-steel countertop caught my ear. The addition of food wrappers being wrinkled added to the exchange. These unexpected sounds surprised me – since I only predicted to hear an abundance of cars in the background and people chattering in the foreground.

For the time being around two in the afternoon at 68th Street, Hunter College, the sounds I heard were fitting to the neighborhood. Especially listening in to such a populated area, the noises coming from people, cars, and even construction gave clues to my location. The keynotes of the construction and vehicles added to the sound signals created by conversations. The specifics of the conversations as well as the noises from food carts around the college are unique to the area I was sitting in. But if I have not concentrated on listening deeply to my environment, I would have never noticed how detailed and diverse the sounds were.

Define A Space

Define A Space

Project 1

By: Margaret Seleznev and Sadia Rahman

What Is My Vision?: My Artist's Statement

Sometimes I could be walking casually and then, all of a sudden, my perspective of the world shifts. I start observing the environment around me with this different "eye" – I would call it. From this point of view, I start paying closer attention to the small and usually gone unnoticed details of the leaves of the trees and how their shadow appears on the objects below them or how the skyscrapers near the park make the city streets suddenly look more captivating and so aesthetically pleasing. This new vision of the world around me... makes me want to capture it. It is the reason I am so fascinated with shooting the world digitally. The way the twilight sky changes the lighting and makes my surroundings look more appealing is why I get inspired to share my view with the world.

If I am not outside admiring the city streets or sunsets (two of my most favorite things), I may be inside admiring the graphics of video games. After being away from a video game for a while, jumping back into it definitely helps me see it from a different perspective. I start paying attention to how well the details, reflections, and animations were made. Additionally, if the specific game includes cut scenes, I pay attention on how the camera movement and lighting plays a role in the shot. How well they mimic the real world intrigues me.

However, video games are not the only form of media I consume. I spend most of my day listening to music. It helps to make a mundane situation a little more exciting – such as the commute to school. It amazes me how a song can help a person remember a specific memory. For instance, sometimes when I listen to a song, it gives me flashback of times I have been on vacation, traveling. Visiting new destinations is always lots of fun. I try not to forget my DSLR; but if I cannot bring it, then my phone camera could at least capture my view as best as possible.

Overall, I believe that all forms of media: video games, music, television shows, movies, and photography I find on social media has a large influence on me. Following Instagram photographers and cinematographers always inspires me and introduces me to new techniques and styles. I hope that as I continue to learn and get more experience in photography, graphic design, and cinematography, I too could inspire and amaze audiences (online and in person).