One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Redux)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1p2Q2tir-Q

or see the video bar on the side of my blog.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Original)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGDJXDGhae8

Ways of Seeing -- The Panza Collection

Two minimalist pieces in the Hirshhorn Museum’s Panza Collection, which really grabbed my attention, were Jan Dibbets “The Shortest Day of 1970 Photographed in My House Every 6 Minute from Sunrise til Sunset,” as well as Doug Wheeler’s “Eindhoven, Environmental Light Installation.”

While the idea of Jan Dibbet’s photography experiment conducted in her home in the Netherlands was quite simple it was really the final product; how the shot was framed and how the photos were displayed, that really made the piece. I found her work to be quite beautiful from close and from a far. Upon viewing the photos from very close I was only able to examine one photo at a time, however, considering the fact that the subject matter of the photos does not really change, I was able to move quickly through the timeline without halting (like a very choppy movie). At this distance I was also able to examine the way the light in each photo changed ever so slightly, elegantly filling the room. When I moved back and examine the line of photos, the product was equally as impressive. Here I focused less on the beautiful window and nicely placed tree present in each photo but the piece as a whole. It appeared as an impressive strip on the wall moving from darkness to bright white and then back to darkness at the same rate at which it had disappeared.

The other piece that I really admired in the Panza Collection was the work of Arizona resident Doug Wheeler. This piece instantly caught my attention, most likely because his work was comprised of the entire room and the people within it. The perfectly white walls, ceiling and floor all appeared to slant toward the far, which was lined with concealed neon tubes. This emitted a brilliant blue light, which made the room glow and even appear hazy or foggy. I felt as though I was walking down a tunnel toward the final bright light, or heaven if you will. The other people also became a part of the exhibit when they passed in front of the blue neon wall producing dramatic silhouettes.  I very much enjoyed the way Wheeler created something so interesting and visually stimulating using such simple means.

             

Visual Narrative (Redux)

My photos were meant to tell a suspenseful and dramatic story. While I wish I could have used more of my photos, these nine will have to do. At some point I decided to apply a reddish tint to most of my photographs. I suppose this was to make the situation a bit more ominous. I sometimes altered the quality of the prints, however, most of them were of poor quality to begin with. I made sure to make the views from the bush especially distorted and strange to make the unseen subject seem especially creature-like.  I mainly focused on altering the color and contrast of certain areas of my photographs to draw the viewers' attention to items such as the lone shoe.

Visual Literacy: Video Project 1

I found the process of shooting my 60 to 120 second video to be very simple. With a short script and plenty of time, there is little reason why anyone in class could not be satisfied with their final product. Upon shooting my short video, I found the restrictions to be very useful. With only a minute or so to present my story, as well as a few restrictions on the number of camera movements and cuts that could be used, I was forced to choose my shots very carefully. In an effort to not break the shooting guidelines, I found myself planning my short very carefully and present my story in an efficient and effective manner. How I framed my shots was completely based on location and my characters locations within the location. Prior to shooting I did have a loose idea of how I wanted to frame my shots, however, I did not have a location in mind. Upon selecting my location, I found myself having to adjust my shots to fit and fully utilize the environment. The members of my group were extremely cooperative which also made my job as director very easy. Plus I wrote the script with my group members in mind, which I feel made their jobs as actors very easy. Upon completing my video project it became clear that how I originally imagine my short to be…could never really be. This was especially true because I offered a certain amount of leniency with the dialog. I believe that in order to make the video in my mind a reality, a greater amount of control was needed. It would be necessary to draw my shots ahead of time, take better notice of my actors’ expressions and allow them to rehearse the correct dialog more than once or twice before shooting. I would also prefer to utilize editing and lighting, however, these were not allowed or where simply unrealistic for such a project.

I did not alter the background, however, I did add a reddish orange tint to the Buddha by using color correction. I added more yellow as well as red to the Buddha and removed a small amount of blue. I also made sure that the lighting on the Buddha was consistent with the light being emitted from the background.
I did not alter the Buddha's color in this rather random piece. However, I did alter the size and location of each Buddha. I chose to center the large Buddha and used the natural lines of the pavement to add a sense of symmetry to the piece. I also lined up the smaller Buddha's on the natural horizon created by the pavement.
I did not use color correction on the buddha, however, I did alter the background quite a bit to make the colors stand out. I positioned the Buddha in such a way that the proportions (size/movement of lines) and lighting make sense

1. This birds-eye-view was lit using a key light.

2. In this medium close up, the buddha is lit using the natural light from behind and a makeshift flag in front.

3. This birds-eye-view of the Buddha and the apple is lit using a single backlight.

4. This wide shot was taken using a medium amount of backlight to create a silhouette effect.