Video Project Wrap Up

The video project that we made this semester was enjoyable for a few reasons.  Our group all had great chemistry and worked well together in bouncing ideas off each other and enhancing the quality of our video.  We seemed to be on the same page almost all of the time.  Catlin and I came up with the storyboard the first day that we were given the assignment.  We wanted to make it a fiction about what our perfect day at Hunter would be like.  We were acting in our own film so it was hard to also direct at the same time, especially if both of us were supposed to be in a scene.  That’s why it was perfect that the next week, our group gained a third member.  This enabled us to both act in scenes together of our “perfect day” and have someone work the camera.

A Look Back at the Semester: Media 160 Spring 2011

All in all I can say that I have valued and appreciate my time spent this semester in Media 160. Throughout its course, I have learned new and interesting techniques in creating multi media and have met cool people in doing so.

Right off the bat, I enjoyed working on the podcast project because that was the first real exposure I had to final cut and editing different sound files to make a creative and unique whole interview coupled with sound effects. 

I also enjoyed, in lecture, learning about how the making of a film works including the roles of all those involved in the process.  This has always been something that I wanted to learn more about and I’m glad that lecture enabled me to do so.

The video assignment was both fun and good for experience I just wish that we had more time to edit our final video.  We spent a lot of time that could have been used for editing on converting files and I thought that was unfortunate.

The creative aspect of the midterm is something that I liked about the class as well.  Instead of a standard test, I liked that we got a real “hands on” experience of what it takes to prepare for a film from a treatment to a sample of what our actual script would look like.  The midterm helped deepen my knowledge of film production in a fun and creative way.  I’ve always wondered the technicalities of creating a script and what it would actually be like and this midterm gave me a sneak peek and real life valuable knowledge. 

The Sounds of NYC

I notice sound most on the subways because I am constantly on the move and the subway is generally my primary means of transportation.  One thing that has always interested me about a subway car is that no matter if it is jam-packed with commuters, it can still be silent.  So many people venturing off by themselves, listening to headphones or reading the paper, secluded in their own little worlds in silence around the scores of other people around them.  The train I frequent most often, the R, is an especially loud sounding train because it is one of the older subway trains.  I think the sound of a subway train zooming by or the sound of being on one is one New York City’s greatest sounds.  The silence is broken however around 3:30pm every weekday when masses high school students board the trains and fill it with their loud laughter and crude conversations to each other.  One of my favorite sounds at Hunter is the sound of voices echoing off the glass windows in the skywalks, especially the one between the North and West Buildings.  You get a great flavor of Hunter students there because all conversations are loud and can be easily overheard.  Then you walk into the North Building and there are a handful of school clubs playing music or calling out as advertisement for the bake sale or what not.  Which neighborhood you’re in can affect the sounds you hear also because the languages vary from place to place.  In my neighborhood of Astoria for instance, there is a good mix of Greek, Spanish and English speakers.  In Manhattan the primary language is English but there are so many tourists in Manhattan that you are bound to hear a great variety of languages from all over the world.  

A Semester in Review: Fall 2010

As this semester comes to a close, I find myself reflecting back on my journey through my selected courses.  I realize just how well rounded my understanding of different forms of media have become thanks to Media 150.  I very much enjoyed learning about camera work and lighting because film has always been a topic of great interest to me.  Learning the dynamics behind lighting such as the three point lighting system and hard/soft lighting has given me a deeper appreciation for those who produce and direct films and their personal styles.  The knowledge I have obtained in this course has enabled be to become a film critic thanks to a foundation of film making techniques.  I also liked creating my stamp because it gave me a chance to be acquainted with Photoshop, something I wasn’t familiar with previously.  It also let us express ourselves with our creativity and material we learned in the course.  The same goes for the photo still assignment.  Having the hands on experience of shooting photos with concepts learned in class was something that was important to me in the course.  The things I learned in Media 150 are not only interesting but very practical for the digitally advancing world we now live in.  My newfound knowledge with things like the internet, HTML, and Photoshop are things that I can learn and build from for the rest of my life.  This blog itself is another key ingredient for my liking of the course.  Blogging was always something I wanted to look into but never pursued, so I’m glad that this course gave me the opportunity to do so. Lastly, I very much enjoyed working with the staff of this course.  Their friendliness and knowledge made this course worth taking just on its own.

Media Design

Media art is displayed to the public for a variety of different reasons.  Some are meant to advertise, some to entice, but all carry meaning and serve a purpose.  Media art that has a clear meaning always seem to interest me. An example of media design that interests me was released in 1971 by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.  Around Christmas time of that year, they released billboards throughout the world in eleven cities including, New York, Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Paris. The billboards stated “World is Over if You Want it! Happy Xmas from John and Yoko”.  The posters appeared with white backgrounds and bold black lettering, the “War is Over” part appearing the largest.  I like this method of design because it grabs one’s attention for the purpose of addressing a positive and uplifting message.  The piece is attention grabbing because of the sheer boldness of the lettering as well as its statement that war is over.  During this time, 1971, America was full tilt involved with the Vietnam war.  John Lennon was one of the handful of significant musicians who used their stardom to spread the message of peace and become a well known humanitarians.  It seems like these days, ads need to be in bad taste or obnoxious for them to catch the attention of the public.  John and Yoko succeeded admirably in their choice of media design in the early 1970’s in that it was bold and yet possessed a positive message.

What I See: Newfound Appreciation for Cinematic Art

Recently I watched the “Baptism and Murder” scene for The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola, analyzing more so of the camera shots and angles with the recent knowledge I gained in Media 150.  The scene, in which Michael Corleone is present with sister Connie at his new nephew/godson’s baptism.  In between the shots of the baptism there are shots of men that are close to Michael Corleone and the his family business that are carrying out the orders given by Michael, the assassinations of the heads of families who have done the Corleone family wrong.  In the background of all events, cathedral music plays while the voice of a priest is heard as he administers the baptism.  The back and forth shots of a scene that is holy and family oriented and those that display the brutal murdering of other human beings causes an added sense drama and chaos.  Showing a naive baby and then men being shot to death adds to the shock of the murders committed by the Corleone hit men.  Anticipation is built up for the murders also as the scenes slowly build up to them between the baptism and the display of the hit men preparing for their jobs.  The way this part of the movie was shot is very important to the overall theme of the movie and the battle in which Michael Corleone finds himself once placed as head of his family business, the struggle between family and business.  The cold, stern close up of Michael during the baptism shows us that he is indeed physically at the baptism, but mentally with his hit men assassinating rival family heads who jeopardize his business.

The Importance of Converging Media in Everyday Life

As a media student in the 21st century, the convergence of many forms of media is relevant and apparent in my daily life.  Three out of the four classes that I am taking this semester revolve around different aspects of media.  In my Media in the Digital Age class, the topic of convergence itself is the foundation for the class as we study film, camerawork and other forms of technology.  In my music class, we learn about the fundamentals of music and how it relates to culture and society.  This is particularly important to me because music is one form of media I find most interesting.  In my Basic Reporting class, our main focus is creating news stories that are about and affect Hunter Students. We use the internet to upload our news stories so they may be viewed online. Also, some stories are published in the Hunter newspaper.  Speaking of news, different sources the media uses to deliver news to the public greatly affects my daily life.  For local news I can pick up a newspaper or turn on the five o’clock news, however I am originally from California and all of my family still lives there, so news in the bay area is important to me as well. This is where the internet becomes a very resourceful tool.  From San Francisco politics to sports, all the news I need is a click away on cyberspace. Different types of media are important in a leisurely aspect of my everyday life as well.  Some of my greatest interests lie within the realm of media such as music, film, and television. From academics to current events to hobbies, media is an inevitable force in my everyday living.