Blog Assignment #4: Reflections on Sound Design

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is a great movie to watch and notice the many sounds that go behind in making this movie. In this clip, the sound editors are using Gestalt Principals and Illusions to create this scene. We hear the whirring of the ray shields, yet instead of getting lost by its sound, we hear Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi’s voice above the whir, showing figure and ground. Also, as R2D2 comes rolling towards them, we hear his scream become more intense and high pitch as he gets closer to the hostages. This change from a scream to a more intense, loud scream is an example of proximity and similarity. This movie’s sound editors also focused on listening modes.  Of course, we hear the literal sounds such as R2D2 crashing into the wall, him falling over, and the droids marching. These are all  ‘casual’ sounds. Yet we also hear some ‘semantic’ sounds, such as the whizzing of the ray shields, or the zap sound when R2D2 electrocutes the droid. Though we hear these sounds, does it really mean they are making them? Or are they representations of what they should sound like? The zap or the whizz may not make those sounds in real life, but that’s what amazing about creating a science-fiction movie. You can make anything possible; all it takes is a little magic from the sound department. 

Blog Assignment #3: Brainwashed!

 Brainwashed!

Summary

One of the layers Godin speaks about is to “acknowledge the lizard.” What he is saying is that we are all afraid to be ridiculed by trying to be different. There’s a voice inside our heads telling us that if we attempt to be artistic, we might fail and be laughed out. With this, we must acknowledge that this could happen to us but continue to take risks. If we take these risks, we will eventually be rewarded. Godin also talks about connecting. Connecting with the world allows us to present and touch others with our creative ideas. Finally, Godin tells us to fail. He wants us to accept failure as a way of learning. Failing doesn’t mean you’ve lost.  It means you’re taking risks and if you keep on these taking risks, you will succeed sooner or later.

Personal Essay

In my life, there have been times when I wanted to write down my ideas for the whole world to see. It didn’t matter if it was a little idea or if I thought it would blow the world away with my genius. All I knew is that it was important for others to see what I was thinking because who knows, maybe they may have the same thought and that idea might grow. A few years ago, I decided to connect to the world and create a blog. And let me tell you when I say it was one of the best decisions of my life. I could write whatever the hell I wanted, and share photos that interested me. And in a way, this blog that is for school is just as special as my personal blog. I am able to connect with people that share the same desires and have the same goals as me. By connecting with people, everyone’s ideas and art are brought to life when someone read/sees it.  I believe Godin is correct in telling us to use social-media in a way that we can change people’s minds and hearts through our art.

I believe that failing is also a big part in the learning process. Failure shows everyone that you are human. You know you will fall, but you have the ability to get back up and try again. They say that with experience comes wisdom. Who says all experiences have to be positive? In life, I have learned more things through failure than I have through success. This blog isn’t just to get a good grade, it’s a way to find ourselves through art, whether it’s through failure or success. These blogs and group assignments encourage us to take risks. And through taking risks, we will eventually be rewarded.

Not only do I think that Godin is correct in telling us to take risks, but I think that with taking risks, we must acknowledge that not everything we make will be successful. When Godin tells us to “acknowledge the lizard,” he wants us to accept that people may laugh at our art. Blogging is a way to show our creative side of ourselves. What we say might not be as interesting as we think it is. What we write down may actually be ridiculous to some and they may laugh. But we can’t please everyone. A blog isn’t a place where you aim to please others. It’s a place to please yourself, and hope that by writing down your ideas, you also end up pleasing the reader/viewer.

Godin’s seven layers of reinventing yourself is powerful advice if we take into account everything he says. He wants us to change the world and make it more unique. Taking risks and accepting that we might make mistakes, failing but never giving up, and connecting with others are layers that I believe are most important to creating an artistic and successful person. 

Blog Assignment #2: Finding Your Howl

Finding Your Howl

Summary

The story of Mumon is a simple, yet profound story. Mumon, one of the few red wolves in the wild, is released from captivity as an experiment to see if the red wolves could live in the wild.  Though perfectly capable of hunting and living in the wilderness, Mumon noticed that something was missing; his howl. He had to push forward and become the wolf he was supposed to be. With finding himself, he found his howl. Flaum wants us to realize that in order to find ourselves, we must leave our comfortable lives and become the person we were supposed to be; courageous and wild.

Personal Essay

"2 things: If it makes you happy, do it. If it doesn’t, then don’t." - Author Unknown

Throughout life, we are all tormented by society to fit in. From an early age, we are told to dress, talk, act, and unfortunately think in the same way as every else.  There are only a few people out there who stride against the rushing river of society and step out of the norm. These outlanders are what I strive to be each day. They don’t listen to what everyone says. They refuse to be the norm because they know it will only bring on unhappiness to them. People like this don’t care about others judging them. The reason for this is because they are happy. They understand that if the things they were doing before didn’t make them happy, they just simply didn’t do it.

This quote may be small and simple, but it speaks a million words to me. I ask myself what the purpose of life is. Is it supposed to be a time to fit in with society, even if it brings you pain, grief, and unhappiness? I don’t believe so.  Instead, I believe that life is supposed to be a time in which we discover ourselves by doing the things we love.

I am so lucky to be able to have an education and reach for my dreams. There are people in this world that don’t have the opportunities to make their dreams come true. Yet this quote doesn’t have to be about life long goals. It could be about the way you see yourself. If you don’t like how you are treating yourself and others, change. It will make you a better person and in return, make you happy. The same goes for the people you surround yourself with. If you don’t like the way you are treated, then encompass yourself with better people. There are people out there who are kind and live a happy life. You just have to open your eyes and see.

Open your eyes and see that life can be such a beautiful place if you live it the right way.  The world can be a happier place if others search for happiness instead of power. Too many of us get these two words confused; “happiness” and “power.” This quote doesn’t say, “2 things: if it makes you powerful, do it. If it doesn’t, then don’t.” Yet in our world, people get confused and follow this quote when living their lives.

I, on the other hand, know not to live a life searching for power, but to live a life full of love and happiness. Luckily, the thing I love to do makes me happy. I love making movies. Putting clips of videos together to make a masterpiece is what brings me joy. Creativity is my delight. Throughout my school years, I’ve had to learn things and study subjects that I had no joy in learning. It just didn’t interest me, and therefore did not make me happy. Yet when it came to the arts (such as music class, art, and video making), I felt as though I could breathe. I was happy being creative, so I continued working on my creativity. And with work, I became better at my talents and was made into a better person.

So if doing math, flying airplanes, singing, performing experiments, or making movies makes you happy, then do it! If it doesn’t, then simply don’t! You will thank yourself later for listening to your heart.

Blog Assignment #1 : Deconstructing Characters

CHARACTER #1

COLOR: Black and Red Checkerboard

Whenever I think of the color black, I think of a something dark or sinister. Black represents death, coldness, emptiness that we all cannot fill.  It has lost its light. Along with black is the color red, representing pain and agony. Red could also represent lust for things we don’t have. For my character, these two colors represent him spot on. For this character has lost his light. There is no way to turn him around. He is cold and ruthless. He earns for the darkness. His lust for power has created an evil, inhuman personality to him. For this, the only colors that could possibly represent him are the infamous black and red.

LIGHTING: Half Covered Face

This villain has a side to him that only a few know. The lighting in this picture shows only half of this man’s face. It’s like he is hiding a side of him that he doesn’t want us to know. Notice how the light is also coming below him. He’s not standing below the light. Instead, he’s standing above, casting “evil-looking” shadows on his face. This character has a dark past and present. There are only a few parts of his face that is illuminated.  This represents that my character may not even be half human. The darkness shows what a sinister character he is.

SHAPE: Machine

When thinking of what a human looks like, we think of curves and roundness. When we are thinking of this villainous character, sharpness is a better word to describe his figure.  He is more electronic than he is human. The mechanics in this picture represent how he is more machine than he is person. There are no “curves” or “roundness” to his figure. Instead, he is cold and hard, just like machines. His physical appearance may look hard, but when you look inside of his head (like an electronic) you realize he is a more complex character than you would think. He has many layers to him that you don’t realize, just like a machine.

DARTH VADER

CHARACTER #2

COLOR: Green and Brown

In many cases, green can represent jealousy. But in this case, green represents peace, nature, calmness, and life. The brown gives this picture a more “organic” look. This character doesn’t look for war. He is very peaceful, like the colors of nature. Green and Brown are calming colors, just like this character. These colors may also represent camouflage. This character is good at hiding. For in his last years of life, he hid from his enemies. He is also very old and peaceful, which I coincide with nature.  You will never see him urge war and violence. He yearns for peace.

LIGHTING: Overhead (Heavenly) Lighting

When looking at this character, I think of him standing in a ray of light, as though the heavens themselves are casting down their acceptance for this character. He represents goodness. Lighting shining from above represents how he is more than human. He is wise beyond any one of us. He doesn’t take the gifts he has for granted. Instead, he is always seeking for guidance, whether it’s the people around him, or some unknown force. These rays casting upon him make him stand out from everyone else. He is a sign of goodness, which is why this “heavenly” lighting represents him the best.

SHAPE: Sac of Potatoes

This may seem strange, but a sac of potatoes closely represents this character’s shape. When you look at this picture, you notice that this sack is small and grungy-looking, but inside of the bag is very important. Some families kept themselves alive by eating potatoes. To some, it was their lifeline. This sac of potatoes may be small and not attractive learning, but if you look beyond its outside appearance, you will see how important he is to the people he is close with. Just like this picture, there is more to him that he may appear. He may be small like a sac of potatoes, but the person he is inside make up for it.

YODA

Skinny Love - Bon Iver