Sunday, October 29, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Images that Influence me
Here are some images that are influencing how I want my thesis to look.
I love how this illustration unites punk rock, exoticism, and yet innocence. The image is japanese influenced
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
David Bowie video
Pacing is everything in film. The timing of a cut, the speed at which the camera zooms in and out, are all factors in what kind of mood will be captured. The David Bowie video "Im afraid of Americans" is one of my favorites. Though nothing spectacular takes place, the video just seems to capture the fear that one may have when feeling under pressure that someone is chasing or following them. The mood itself is developed by the pacing of the camera zooming out, and then cutting to a close up shot. Below is a link to the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmHq5EwCH4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmHq5EwCH4
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Research
This weekend I sat down, and did lots of thinking and analyzing on my thesis project. I started asking myself what is it I am trying to say, do and prove with this project. Have I clearly stated my agenda, do I know any of my history on this subject, and how will I do this?
First let me start by restating what my thesis is all about.
My thesis statement is to use compostiting, painting, and cameras, to turn the real world into a surreal world. Painting and compositing will be the primary focus as cameras will have a minor role.
To showcase these skills I will make a commercial between 30 to 45 seconds long. The story will be based on a fake clothing line called seduction. In the commercial a young man is seduced by a woman who steps out of a graffiti poster.
The Story:
The story begins when 2 young males walk down the street discussing who is the better sportsman. As they approach the corner one of them realizes that they left their cell phone in their apartment. He then turns back to go get it . The other young man waits for im at the corner. While waiting he notices grafitti poster on the wall, advertising the Seduction clothing line. He pulls out his cd player and turns the volume up. The graffiti poster begins to bulge out. He quickly turns the volume down, everything goes back to normal. He turns the volume back up again. The poster again bulges out. He turns the volume back down. The poster returns to its normal state. Suddenly the volume automatically goes back up. He drops the cd player! The poster bulges out, the model steps out of the poster, and the grafitti art comes to life. The woman begins to observe her reality looking around embracing her new surroundings. While she embraces her suroundings butterflies, stars, flowers, and other psychedellic images and designs begin to paint the atmosphere. The young man stares in amazement until his friend taps him on his shoulder. The poster goes back to normal. The young male continues to stare at the poster in amazement. His friend shakes him. He responds "Man... Did you see that?" "See what?" says the friend. "The girl just stepped out of the poster." "So easily seduced. ( in a pathetic tone) . The scene ends with the two of them walking away. The frame is then burnt up with fire, as seduction bulges out in flames. ( a girl whispers seduction)
Who's done this before?
Stepping in and out of worlds has been done numerous times before, in many different ways. One of the major films that comes to mind is Wizard of Oz. In this film, Dorothy enters a false dream to escpe her problems in the real world, only to find that "there is no place like home." This idea known as escapism, was popular in film in the 1930s in Hollywood. Other films today tackle this same idea but in a new way. For example, The Matrix had it lead character awake from a false world that seemed real, only to find that the real world was nothing like that in which he was living in. Rather than enter a new world to escape his problems, he escaped the false world, to fight his problems. The techniques for entering the escapism world is what draws viewers to buy into the idea or to sit in utter shame for purchasing the ticket to the movie in the first place. In the Wizard of Oz, viewers easily buy into the idea because the new world is introduded through a dream. In the Matrix we are taken in and out of the different worlds through tactics like taking a pill, undergoing machines that make your mind operate as if it were a PS2 and different games could be plugged in or out. Or exiting a world by answering phone call. While the Matrix looked for new innovative and somewhat complicated ideas for entering and exiting new worlds, audiences found themselves indulging in the fantasy life of the Matrix. Other movies like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, found less complicated ways. In the scene where Harry Potter is leaving for Hogwarts for the first time, he finds himself confused, on how to board the train at track 9 3/4. The track inside of a brick wall between track 9 and 10, seems a little weary and skeptical to young Harry Potter. After watching 3 other wizards go straight through, he gets enough courage to try it as well. He grabs his cart and runs throught the brick wall where he is surrounded by other young wizards boarding for their first venture to Hogwarts. The transition between worlds in this scene is seamless. The scene is not hard to follow and comes off very realistic. Introducing the idea of making a surreal world seem real. In the Chronicles of Narnia "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," a simple tactic is used again for entering in out of worlds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zBwzsaPPh8
In this novel turned movie, the characters walk into the wardrobe (pushing coats aside) and end up in the world of Narnia. The idea presented seems unreal to even the characters in the movie, until they all find themselves their at the same time. But science fiction and fantasy genres, are not the only ones to tackle this idea. In the movie Beavis and Butthead and do America, there is a scene where both characters digest mushrooms (a hallucinate drug) . After digesting the drug, Beavis and Butthead begin to hallucinate themselves being in another world. This scene is actually very inspiring to my thesis project because of the pychedelic look that it provides. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQuJmPcMYE0&mode=related&search=
A similar idea was used in the Love Rollercoaster music video by Red Hot Chili Peppers (one of the tracks from the Beavis and Butthead do America Soundtrack). Here is link to the video on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bmLrQX5u_w
First let me start by restating what my thesis is all about.
My thesis statement is to use compostiting, painting, and cameras, to turn the real world into a surreal world. Painting and compositing will be the primary focus as cameras will have a minor role.
To showcase these skills I will make a commercial between 30 to 45 seconds long. The story will be based on a fake clothing line called seduction. In the commercial a young man is seduced by a woman who steps out of a graffiti poster.
The Story:
The story begins when 2 young males walk down the street discussing who is the better sportsman. As they approach the corner one of them realizes that they left their cell phone in their apartment. He then turns back to go get it . The other young man waits for im at the corner. While waiting he notices grafitti poster on the wall, advertising the Seduction clothing line. He pulls out his cd player and turns the volume up. The graffiti poster begins to bulge out. He quickly turns the volume down, everything goes back to normal. He turns the volume back up again. The poster again bulges out. He turns the volume back down. The poster returns to its normal state. Suddenly the volume automatically goes back up. He drops the cd player! The poster bulges out, the model steps out of the poster, and the grafitti art comes to life. The woman begins to observe her reality looking around embracing her new surroundings. While she embraces her suroundings butterflies, stars, flowers, and other psychedellic images and designs begin to paint the atmosphere. The young man stares in amazement until his friend taps him on his shoulder. The poster goes back to normal. The young male continues to stare at the poster in amazement. His friend shakes him. He responds "Man... Did you see that?" "See what?" says the friend. "The girl just stepped out of the poster." "So easily seduced. ( in a pathetic tone) . The scene ends with the two of them walking away. The frame is then burnt up with fire, as seduction bulges out in flames. ( a girl whispers seduction)
Who's done this before?
Stepping in and out of worlds has been done numerous times before, in many different ways. One of the major films that comes to mind is Wizard of Oz. In this film, Dorothy enters a false dream to escpe her problems in the real world, only to find that "there is no place like home." This idea known as escapism, was popular in film in the 1930s in Hollywood. Other films today tackle this same idea but in a new way. For example, The Matrix had it lead character awake from a false world that seemed real, only to find that the real world was nothing like that in which he was living in. Rather than enter a new world to escape his problems, he escaped the false world, to fight his problems. The techniques for entering the escapism world is what draws viewers to buy into the idea or to sit in utter shame for purchasing the ticket to the movie in the first place. In the Wizard of Oz, viewers easily buy into the idea because the new world is introduded through a dream. In the Matrix we are taken in and out of the different worlds through tactics like taking a pill, undergoing machines that make your mind operate as if it were a PS2 and different games could be plugged in or out. Or exiting a world by answering phone call. While the Matrix looked for new innovative and somewhat complicated ideas for entering and exiting new worlds, audiences found themselves indulging in the fantasy life of the Matrix. Other movies like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, found less complicated ways. In the scene where Harry Potter is leaving for Hogwarts for the first time, he finds himself confused, on how to board the train at track 9 3/4. The track inside of a brick wall between track 9 and 10, seems a little weary and skeptical to young Harry Potter. After watching 3 other wizards go straight through, he gets enough courage to try it as well. He grabs his cart and runs throught the brick wall where he is surrounded by other young wizards boarding for their first venture to Hogwarts. The transition between worlds in this scene is seamless. The scene is not hard to follow and comes off very realistic. Introducing the idea of making a surreal world seem real. In the Chronicles of Narnia "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," a simple tactic is used again for entering in out of worlds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zBwzsaPPh8
In this novel turned movie, the characters walk into the wardrobe (pushing coats aside) and end up in the world of Narnia. The idea presented seems unreal to even the characters in the movie, until they all find themselves their at the same time. But science fiction and fantasy genres, are not the only ones to tackle this idea. In the movie Beavis and Butthead and do America, there is a scene where both characters digest mushrooms (a hallucinate drug) . After digesting the drug, Beavis and Butthead begin to hallucinate themselves being in another world. This scene is actually very inspiring to my thesis project because of the pychedelic look that it provides. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQuJmPcMYE0&mode=related&search=
A similar idea was used in the Love Rollercoaster music video by Red Hot Chili Peppers (one of the tracks from the Beavis and Butthead do America Soundtrack). Here is link to the video on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bmLrQX5u_w
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