Video Art

MikWHO?

I think that it is absolutely absurd what is being done with Miku Hatsuni. I think it says a lot about the music industry and the people that listen to music. Not only that the voice is completely produced inside of a computer and is not at all the voice of a human being, but also that people will pay money to see this hologram. They might as well pay to sit in front of their computer screen and watch Youtube. I think the technology is really cool, but I don't think that it should be used to this extent to take money from people. At least with bands such as the Gorillaz, they played at their concerts live, but just did not want to be seen. I can see where they are coming from and can respect that they want part of their lives to be private. They are still giving out real music and a real show to the world, but keeping their faces free of any judgement. Miku Hatsuni is just crazy. Although I feel as if this will start happening a lot more often now and in the future. It has already started when a hologram of Tupac was shown at Coachella music festival. They pretty much brought a guy back from the dead to make him "perform". The technology is interesting and new, but I don't think it's being used with the correct intentions. Apparently as of 2007, Miku has made over 57,500,000 yen. Which is over $700,000. 

Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk is a band that produces experimental and electronic music. The band originated in Germany in the 1970's. The music that Kraftwerk experiments with includes very repetitive rhythms, much like other disco music in the 70's that influenced the house and dub step music later on. Kraftwerk was known to revolutionize the world of electronic music, as they were one of the first bands in the world to experiment with such a radical style of music. They are very influential on not only many bands today, but also many styles of music that are popular in the clubs today. I visited Kraftwerk's website, and like their music, the design of their website was also very robotic and pixelized. Surprisingly, Kraftwerk is still touring today. Not only are their music and website very robotic, after watching a couple of their music videos, I've discovered that they perform in a very robotic manner. I appreciate a band that fully stands behind an image, from their design aspects to their live performances.

House Music

As for the present day version of House music, I'm really not into that music. I don't like sitting and listening to beats, but I could see how some people are interested in it. My brother has his own DJ company and produces his own beats and really enjoys House music. I learn a little bit from him abut what present day House music is like, but I think it's really important to him to discover the roots of the type of music that he loves to listen to. As he is only 17, I do not think he realizes that House music originally generated from the Disco Era. I think he would be very surprised to learn the roots of House. I was very surprised to hear the similarities between disco and house music. I think a lot of kids these days that are DJs think they are doing something new and original with the beats that they're making, when in actuality they are ripping off the stars of the 70's. After learning about the roots of house music, it kind of makes the kids that think they are professional club artists seem very arrogant and closed-minded.

Mapper on Disney Castle

Scopitones

I think that the invention of scopitones was definitely a good marketing plan for the time that it was released. I'm not sure if the invention would work as well in the world of today when everyone has their own personal scopitone in their pocket with youtube on the cell phones. Although, on the website, there are t-shirts being sold which could really fly with the hipster scene right now, seeing as the scopitone could be considered about as vintage as a rotary phone. Also found on the website are tons of videos that I assume used to be available on Scoptiones. What I don't understand about the machine is if each machine came with its own set of videos, or if the videos could be interchangeable from time to time, or if every time a new video was released it was automatically added to each Scopitone that was out on the streets. I think American Pickers would have a field day if a scopitone was found somewhere. Scopitones even have a Facebook, hows that for modern marketing.

Advertising vs. Propaganda

As an advertising major, I feel as if I must defend advertising and say that there is a difference between propaganda and advertising. Although many people may think that both are evil ways to persuade people to buy things that are falsely presented, I believe that advertising is a less harsh version of propaganda. I feel as if a lot of propaganda is in fact, a lie, and very in your face about how it is presented. For example, war propaganda, is extremely persuasive because it is aggressive and points Uncle Sam directly at your face. Some advertisements may do that, but they are convincing you to buy a certain type of cereal, that is probably good for you, rather than attempting to convince you to join the army and possibly get killed. Both advertising and propaganda could lie to you, but the difference is the way you feel if you do not buy what the poster is selling. If you don't buy that certain cereal, your life is probably not affected in the long run, whereas if you pass up that opportunity to buy war bonds, you may feel guilty for a really long time if your country ends up losing the war.

Performance Art

For my performance art piece I took the rotary phone, that still works, into a large mall around my hometown. I decided on this rotary phone because of the lack of technological skill in my life. You could say that, like the rotary phone, I'm kind of outdated when it comes to technology. Of course I always use my phone and my laptop, but compared to kids that can, for example, create apps, code a website, or create 3D video games, I reside way back in the caveman era of technology. I not only talked on the phone in different areas of the mall, but I also approached technology stores, like the Mac store, and most people had never even seen a rotary phone before. I enjoyed getting a laugh out of people while making this project.

Favorite Flashmob

Eva and Adele

Different from those artists that involve their work in plastic surgery, couple, Eva and Adele take an approach that is less under the knife. Rather than getting cut open and transformed to look like each other, Eva and Adele use make-up, clothing, and accessories to appear as twins. After looking over some pictures, I feel as if this approach works somewhat better than the plastic surgery approach because they still remain a human physique rather than a barbie doll. After reading about Eva and Adele, I find the most interesting aspect about them to be that they have never and will never reveal their real names or age. I think that this is a very special characteristic about the couple because once you know the name or age of someone, your perception of that person may be skewed forever. They may call themselves Eva and Adele, but say their real names were Bob and Joe. Would you think about them differently? I know I would look at them and probably see a Bob and a Joe, average middle-aged guys dressing up as women, rather than their special alter-egos that they desire to embody.

Xerox Project

For my Xerox project, I did an installation in my bathroom. I tried to reenact what would happen if I came home blacked out, threw up, and passed out on the floor. 

Iconoclast

Iconoclast is a term coined to refer to the purposeful destruction of religious icons and figures. Iconoclasm does not always have to refer to the destruction of just religious icons though, it can also refer to the destruction of other important symbols and figures. Iconoclasm surprisingly has been going on for centuries. Past cultures were deconstructing the religious figures and gods from the olden days to say a political or religious statement. I feel as if iconoclasm as become a lot more harsh in the modern era. With shock art, artists are not afraid to express their deepest inner feelings regarding their dissatisfaction towards politics or religion. Modern iconoclasts also have the technology and ways to really trashify religious figures. For example, when Orlan did her piece "Madonna of the Garage, she turned the religious figure into a part of a mechanic shop, although good art, it was a trashy statement towards religion.

Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys was a German performance artist who is famous for locking himself in a cage with a coyote. Beuys did performance art because he believed that art could play a large role in society, especially his art. Along with social art, Beuys also was a political advocate, creating several different groups with platforms. Beuys' most famous performance is called, "I Like America and America Likes Me". For a grand total of eight hours over three days, Beuys put himself into a cage with a live coyote. During the time span of staying with the coyote, Beuys would stand away from the coyote as the coyote would either rip things apart with its' mouth or stare cautiously at Beuys, preying on him. At other times, Beuys would actually interact with the coyote, sitting extremely close to the coyote or tempting the coyote with a stick or a rag. Beuys put himself at a large risk for his performance artwork. By the end of the three days, Beuys was actually able to give the coyote a hug before he left. This means that the coyote became comfortable with Beuys. I think Beuys' message in this piece of performance art is to express how the everyday world can interact with the wild and grow to become tolerant of one another.

I Wish to Say

Iwishtosay.org is a website, created by Sheryl Oring, that has a lot of different social movements. The I Wish to Say movement was created in order to allow citizens to send the White House particular things that they well, wish to say. The movement was created when Oring decided that citizens of America did not have as much say in decisions as we believe we do. The majority of Oring's movements have to do with politics and allowing random citizens to be able to speak their minds to the President and other government officials. Creative fix, Birthday Party, and I Wish to Say are all dedicated to allowing freedom of speech to citizens. I enjoy all of Oring's social movements that she has created. They are direct to the government, yet still very peaceful, allowing the thoughts of all citizens to peacefully make their way into the hands of the White House. I like social art movements because they allow interactions between the artist and absolutely anybody that feels they need to have a say in the matter. Another social art movement that I really enjoy is PostSecret. In PostSecret, Frank Warren allows anybody that wants to share an anonymous secret to write it on a postcard and send it to his headquarters. He then makes exhibits out of the postcards for the public to see, but all secrets are completely anonymous. It makes everyone feel as if they are not the only ones with a problem, there are other people that can be by their side.

Brion Gysin

Brion Gysin is an artist that created the infamous Dreamachine. This piece of art is a device that spins 360 degrees around very quickly and has a light on the inside that shines through different size cutouts. it is put into a dark room and the audience is supposed to stand in front of the piece of art with their eyes closed. It is very interesting because everyone ends up seeing somethings differently. I think that the coolest thing about his Dreamachine is that the machine itself is not that art, the art is what you see when your eyes are closed. Because in the instructions, you are told directly to not look at the piece of art, you're not even supposed to see what he created. What he is creating is the image that you are seeing when your eyes are closed. It is a very cool concept that is extremely out of the box. It is very complex but also very simple. He has done other pieces of art that are fun, but none are as famous or as thought-provoking as the Dreamachine. The people in the video are looking through slits in their eyes and they're also talking while they're looking at the Dreamachine. I don't think it would be as effective if you talk or don't follow instructions. I would imagine you'd have to be in your own zone.

McCarthyism

U.S Senator Joesph McCarthy is the man behind the -ism, McCarthyism. The -ism came to be in the 1950's at the height of the Red Scare with the Soviets. There was a huge Communist witch hunt against Americans whom were assumed to be undercover spies for the Soviet Union, or of whom were followers of the Communist Party. The actual term, McCarthyism, can be defined as accusing people of disloyalty or treason without any proper evidence against them. McCarthy would take people without any evidence that they were actually spies or Communists and put them on trial. A particular and popular trail had to deal with the Hollywood Ten, a group of ten Hollywood actors, writers and directors that were accused of being Communists. Another popular couple that were put under trial for espionage were the Rosenbergs. I did a presentation on the Rosenbergs when I was in 10th grade. I don't remember much about it though. McCarthyism affected thousands of Americans, most of whom were wrongly accused of being Communists. I did, in fact, have to read The Crucible while we were studying the Red Scare in 10th grade. At the time I remember it being an extremely difficult book to get through, but I was only 16 years old.

Bauhaus and HIMYM

Bauhaus was a fine arts school in Germany, known for its teaching of design. The Bauhaus school was not originally built as a school for architecture. The original mission behind the Bauhaus school was to create a total piece of art, including crafting, fine arts, and architecture. Bauhaus style was really popular during the modern art era, including modern design and modern architecture. When Germany was defeated in WWI, there was a great burst of radicalism and experimentation that artists developed and evolved. Bauhaus was influenced and inspired by this experimentation. The most influential part of the past on Bauhaus was modernism though. It turned simplicity into art. The architecture put out by the  school of Bauhaus include different buildings, but also functional things such as chairs and cabinetry. The school of Bauhaus has a big impact on trends in building in Europe, building simple, square, plain, but complex buildings. Now that we're past the boring informational part of Bauhaus, I think it's very funny some impact Bauhaus has had on media. I think Bauhaus trend has influenced the Western World's stereotype on Eastern artists. Perfect example, in How I Met Your Mother, there is an episode about building a new headquarter for Goliath National Bank, and they bring in European architectures called, "Sven". They are very mod and they come up with crazy ideas for buildings. It reminded me a lot of the modernism and European vibe of Bauhaus.

Grid Art

After having a lot of difficulty finding a pre-existing grid that went along with my idea of using paper flowers that had to be glued on, I decided to make my own grid on a piece of foam board. The picture I used was the Dave Matthew's Band Firedancer. The original picture was in black and white, so I chose the coloring by myself. I then drew a grid on the piece of paper, and followed the pictures lines by what picture was in which grid. In total I used 2,189 flowers. 

Dada Manifesto

The Dada Manifesto was first recited by Hugo Ball in 1917. The second writing of the Dada Manifesto was written by Tzara in 1918 and was considered one the the most important Dada writings. Other manifestos were published in the future, but none were as important as Tzara's as it explained the complexity of the Dada movement. In these manifestoes, dada is explained as simple, that it can mean anything. Come before or after any word, and complete the sentence. Simple as that. I would say not so simple to one that was not as radical as those in the dada movement. Dada, in Ball's manifesto is also described as the cure for everything and the answer to everything. A way to find bliss, a way to become famous and a means to ones end. Tzara's manifesto mainly describes the way that the poems and the vowels and the sounds move through speech and how they explain things and make actions. The Dada movement, especially the poetry through sounds reminds me slightly of a neurological condition called synesthesia. People that are diagnosed with synesthesia are able to combine letters or colors in capital or lower case in order to form words that accurately describe an action or an instance. For example, my friend Becca was diagnosed with synesthesia, and her speciality is naming people. She told me that my name is dugger, all with lowercase letters. It seems odd to some that may not understand the neurological condition, but "dugger" accurately describes my personality and my being. The combination of letters and how they look is, in essence, me. It reminds me a lot of the Dada movement, because that is exactly what they were doing, but purposefully instead of actually having the condition.

Video Games and Bullying

I have very mixed emotions about video games regarding their effect on bullying. I do believe that video games have a direct affect on the attitudes, attention span, and social abilities of children. But I'm not sure how well you can directly connect video games to bullying. I believe it would have to be a process of a couple of steps. In short, I don't think kids learn bullying from video games, but I do believe that children can become more violent in action and attitude, allowing them to have the potential to become more like the common bully. For example, my brother used to play a ton of video games, and just like everything that you take in has an affect on your life and your actions, his actions directly related to his video game playing. He began to drift away from his friends, and even drift away from his family. In the peak of his video game addiction, he lost a lot of sleep because he stayed up all night playing games, which in turn made him very cranky and very mean. So it was not the shooting game that directly made him more violent, but rather it was the attitude change from playing video games that caused the harshness in his attitude. I also think that bullying can be a second hand effect from video games. Saying that, the person that plays the video games does not become the bully, but rather the person that plays excessive amounts of video games, and therefore pulls himself away from being able to socially interact with real people face to face, rather than avatars over a microphone, causes him/her to be bullied by other people. I'm not the biggest fan of video games, and I could probably go on and on about how video games change the social ability level of children from a very young age, but I will hold off as it could easily become a very angry rant. BUT in conclusion, I do believe that video games in excessive amount and not played moderately can cause drastic changes in a person's attitude and social abilities, as I've seen it happen with many people.

History of Adobe

Adobe Systems is a software company that is based out of California that creates software for design and multimedia use. Adobe was originally founded in 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke. One of the first softwares that Adobe created had to do with different type fonts in order to compete with Apple's typography. When the 1980's hit, Adobe started making software directed towards graphic designers, such as Adobe Photoshop, which enhances and manipulates pre-existing photos. Before Photoshop,  Adobe Illustrator was created, which allows the user to create customized shapes and figures which can be transformed later into fully transformed characters and objects. In 1993, Adobe created the PDF, which allowed for documents to be downloaded on a specific type of file. PDF is probably Adobe's most successful piece of software, as it is now used universally as a medium for technological documents. Another release made by Adobe was InDesign, which allows the user to create different pamphlets and books and separate pages all on the same page. Adobe's software creations have allowed graphic designers to reach an entirely new level of work that they are able to achieve. It is also amazing because it is user-friendly and almost anyone can get the hang of the systems once they have worked with it long enough. The software that Adobe has created has been the roots to many jobs that are available today that would not have been made had the software not been created. Hats off to you, Adobe!

Apple

Why is Apple called Apple? Well, the answers to this mysterious question were revealed in Steve Jobs' biography, as Steve Jobs was the original creator of the name Apple for his company. Many believe that the term Apple comes from the forbidden fruit that is so wonderful when you finally get ahold of it. According the the website that I researched, it was simply called Apple because of Jobs' past of working in the apple orchards. After having that experience, he believed that apples were, "fun, spirited, and not intimidating". Which perfectly matches the description of the computer that Jobs was originally intending to create for society. The first logo for the company was a very intensely drawn picture of Newton sitting under a detailed tree with an apple shining above his head on the branches. It was later simplified to the bitten apple that we see today in order to further elaborate the simplicity of the usage of the computer. Most websites that I looked at also say a similar story of why Apple of was called Apple, but they further expand the story into saying that at the time Jobs picked the name, he was  on an all fruit diet, and said if no one came up with a better name, he would call it Apple. I assume no one came up with a better name.

Raymond Kurzweil

In class, as I was watching the parts of the documentary with Raymond Kurzweil, I did not really like him. I thought he was a bit odd, as most futurists tend to be. I also thought he may be a computer himself, his wrinkles in his forehead eerily resembled lines in a computer disk. I decided to do some research on him to see what this guys really about. Other people tend to think he's a bit cooler than I think he is, as Forbes, Inc. has even recognized him as the "rightful heir to Thomas Edison". It turns out he was the original inventor of the flatbed scanner and the first print-to-speech machine for the blind, which in my opinion is an extremely important invention for the handicapped. I'm starting to think as if the documentary shaped him as some Scientologist-Mayan2012-alien kidnapping, futuristic Jetson. Rather than writing about War of the Worlds and Cyborgs taking over the world, it seems that most of Kurzweil's books are actually about health and how to remain healthy, as he has faced some real health issues by not taking care of himself. After researching about him, Kurzweil, nor his opinions, do not seem that god-awful. Moral: Don't judge a computer by it's monitor.

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar

I picked to listen to Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar because the name sounded captivating. Although when I started listening I discovered that Johnny Dollar is an insurance agent. I thought, maybe this will not be so interesting. Then it began to turn into a murder mystery. There were different actors in the show as opposed to a narrator, like a book-on-tape. There was also descriptive music to go along with startling events that would happen. The actors had a strong New York accent, so I envisioned men smoking cigars with low-tipped hats as they were talking to each other. Kind of the gangster ages of New York 1920's era. The mystery took place in an amusement park, as carts fell off of ferris wheels and killed people. There was a villain, named Carter Lacey, he admitted that he would kill people. He was in jail for killing a person. Lacey also admitted that out of the three people that were first interviewed, two of them would be dead. The rest of the broadcast was trying to find out who would die. I think I missed how this turned from an insurance agent man to a detective story. As I was listening to both Johnny Dollar and War of the Worlds, I found it very difficult to concentrate and follow along. As part of the generation that never really knew life without or besides television, I felt as if I needed a picture to follow along and understand a plot. In a book I can read and picture a whole entire scene, but I can read at my own pace. If you miss something on a radio station, it's difficult to go back and listen to it.

Broadcast-The War of the Worlds

As soon as Orson Welles started talking, I was creeped out because of how his voice sounded. Like it was stated in the documentary about television, without having a picture, radio allows the listener to create whatever picture they want in their minds of whatever they are listening to. I envisioned a creepy guy, speaking in the dark. I was kind of expecting him to say, "You are about to enter, the Twilight Zone!" and all of my lights would flash out and the windows would crack. The breaks in-between the broadcast, with the music and the weather, allowed for the listeners to think that they were just listening to a regular broadcast. Although, the interruptions regarding the Hydrogen gas, which were a part of the trick, were very good additives into leading the listeners into believing and partaking in the arrival of the "aliens". The interviews between the fake Generals and the Vice Presidents of companies, along with the orders to fire bombs and gunshots, were also a very intelligent move into making the listeners really believe they were being attacked. If I were listening to this when it actually happened, I would be in hysterics. I can understand how people were freaking out over the broadcast, as they depended so heavily on the radio to relay the real news and facts of what's happening around them. I feel as if this broadcast actually sped up the production of the television. I don't know how people could establish what news was real and what news was fake after this broadcast was aired. Therefore, they not only needed to hear the news, people needed to see the news in real-time in order to believe that the news being reported is actually real.

Television Timeline

This website was a very fun website to play around on and look at. I enjoyed how interactive the website was. Everywhere you click it wold send you to more and more places within the website. I also enjoyed the tv antics that were used throughout the website, such as the black and white lines whenever you went back to the home screen. Within the timeline section of the website, I really liked how the information given for each decade was not just for America. There was information about the television progressing all over the world. My favorite part of the timeline though would have to be the pictures of all of the different television sets that were made throughout the years, and being able to read about the functionalities of each television set throughout history. My favorite television throughout history would probably be the Space Aged television from 1967 due to its compact size and futuristic and modern shape. I would have liked the timeline to go past 1975 though because there have been extremely large advancements in television and even though we are living through them right now, there will be more advancements very soon and the televisions today, as we know them, will be history soon enough.

War of the Worlds

After Orson Welles presented his rendition of War of the Worlds over the radio in 1938, people went into mass hysteria. People were hysterical because they actually thought that the broadcast was actually real and it was actually happening. Considering the radio was the new forefront in presenting the public with national and local news, people actually thought that what was being presented was real. Considering the television was not really invented yet, or in the homes of the public, the listeners could not see real-time what was happening while the broadcasters were talking, so for all they knew, it actually could have been happening. The sound effects that went along with the broadcast added the extra special effect that an alien invasion was actually happening right where the broadcasters were. People also reacted strongly due to the recent hysteria on the radio of WWII. Another reason people freaked out was because in Washington, due to the amount of people calling into the radio station to confirm if the broadcast was actually true or not, there was a power outage. People thought that the power outage was due to aliens invading their town. If I was in that position in 1938, I probably would have built a bunker.

Brain Images

I read an article, although it was dated back to 2008, about researchers in Japan that have created technology to take images from the brain and reconstruct them outside of the brain, like on a computer. These researchers say that they can even take it as far as to be able to view peoples' dreams in the upcoming future. The technology behind being able to reconstruct the images deals with an fMRI scan, allowing the scan to see the blood flow in the brain at real time. As the fMRI scanner was scanning the blood flow of the brain, images were shown to the subjects of the testing, allowing the computer to put together the connection between how the blood flows in the brain based upon the certain images being shown. I do believe that this technology is a forefront in modern medical and psychological technology, but it slightly scares me. It scares me that in the future, advertisers or companies could be able to not only take images from our brain, but implant images into our brain in order to make us think a certain idea.

Earthquake

I called my parents and asked both of them if they saw Earthquake in theaters. As my parents were only 12 years old when it was released, neither of them remember much of the movie. My mom doesn't even remember if she saw the movie in theaters or not. My dad did say that he saw the movie when it was released in theaters. I asked him his reactions toward the movie when he first saw it, but he said he doesn't really remember the movie itself. Although, he did say that all he remembered were the big Dolby speakers that were installed in the theatre when the movie was released. So even if the movie did not have a strong influence on my Dad, the speakers did, which I guess is the most important part to take out of the movie seeing as it was the brand new technology. I'm sure that many audiences that did not live on or near a fault line were extremely startled by the movie seeing as they had never experienced an earthquake before, and this was one of the closest experiences they have had to a real earthquake. Although my parents were not of much help, I do remember that in Universal Studios there is a stimulation ride that is based off of the movie, Earthquake. It is a behind the scenes look at the technology used in the movie, not so much the technology of the sound though.

A Clockwork Orange

Walter Carlos, born as Wendy Carlos, did the majority of the electronically soundtrack for the movie, A Clockwork Orange. Her electronic music is perfect for the movie, especially the opening scene of the movie as the electronic music gives the movie the perfect blend of calm and chaos, which perfectly describes the characters of the movie. Although the electronic music in the scene is very slow and calm, there is a vivid sense and foreshadowing of eery chaos that is about to happen. The music of Carlos brings the dark shadows out of the characters and out of the mood of the scene, although everything in the opening scene seems to be white, which of course displays innocence.

I have never seen the full movie of A Clockwork Orange, so I did have to do some research regarding the significance of Singin' In the Rain in the movie. On simplest terms of analysis, many people claim that the song was only used because it was the only song that the actor who played Alex knew all of the words to. Through research I also learned that Singin in the Rain was not originally supposed to be in the movie. The song was added last minute so that the writer could later identify Alex as the killer of his wife when he sang it again in a bathtub. Based upon my own analysis I believe that Singin in the Rain was used as the perfect juxtaposition to what was happening at the moment. Alex and his friends are clearly deranged individuals and find no issue in breaking into a strangers house and brutally raping the woman that lives there. Therefore, the make light of the situation and sing a happy song. The director and writer's way to show how truly messed up in the head these boys actually are.

I also believe that it has quite a parallel to what happens to Alex later in the movie via the torture. Just as the woman hears a perfectly good and happy song as she is being raped, Alex listens to Beethoven as he is being tortured, making him feel sick to his stomach whenever he hears the music of Beethoven, which he loves. Similar to Alex, whenever this woman, if she survived, or her husband, hear the beautiful words of Singin in the Rain, they too would feel sick to their stomach as they will only connect it with the night Alex and his droogs broke into their house. Assosciation, as it is called in psychology.

Technicolor

Technicolor rocketed off in the 1930's with the making of The Wizard of Oz. Technicolor was a huge step forward in the movie-making world considering its' enhancement of the viewing of movies. With technicolor people could now see the world in movies as it actually is in their eyes. Technicolor brings life and vivacity to the movies and to the audience. I do find it funny how now-a-days, since the up and coming generation is so used to technicolor and advanced technology in movies, I feel as if we have somewhat reverted to the old forms of  production. For example, having pictures printed in black and white is extremely popular now, if not more preferred than printing in color or shooting in technicolor. Not to bring up instagram, but to bring up instagram, some filters allow you to enhance the look of the picture, although most filters more commonly used cause the picture to have an old, scratched, and vintage look to the picture.

Les Miserables

As we were talking about sound in class, and we were on the topic of lip-syncing, I could not help but keep thinking about a behind the scenes clip that I had watched just the night earlier. The famous Broadway musical, Les Miserables, is being made into a modern movie by director Thomas Hooper. The movie will be released on Christmas. The most amazing and captivating thing about this movie, besides its' large scale, will be that each scene is sung live. Every single shot of the actors singing the songs was actually sung live rather than lip-syncing. As opposed to what we were saying in class about how lip-syncing enhances the artistry of the movie because directors could now worry about acting without worrying about singing, and vice versa, the actors in Les Miserables have differing opinions. All of the actors, as stated in the video believe that being able to sing live during shooting allowed them to really put their own emotions into the song at the exact point and time. They did not have to worry about matching their actions to how they sang and recorded the songs months earlier. The clip is extremely captivating, and as Les Miserables is my favorite stage production, I am more than excited to see this movie rendition.

Citizen Kane

In the ant agonizingly long, but insightful, movie Citizen Kane, he utters a single word, "rosebud", before he dies. The entire movie is based on his Kane's elaborate life, and underlyingly hints to what rosebud actually means to him. We do not find out until the very end of the movie, after Kane has died and people are searching through his enormous amount of junk at his home, what rosebud actually means. The word rosebud is written on a sleigh that Kane has had from his childhood. Kane was taken away from his home at a very young age, and forced to live a slightly adult-lead lifestyle rather than a care-free childish life. Rosebud signifies the childhood that Kane never had. Besides the hidden message, to touch on what we've been talking about in class, Citizen Kane is also a big movie in the forefront of camera angles and lighting. The camera angles are very modern in Citizen Kane because not only are they from far away or in the corner, but they help to shape the story. For example, a lot of the camera views of Kane with other people are facing downwards on the other people as to signify that Kane is above the others and more important than them. The lighting is really modern because Citizen Kane makes use of dark and light sharp contrasting shadows which were very hard to do in the time period without hours worth of perfecting the lamps.

Napoleon

Although I did not get to see the whole movie, I did look up clips of Napoleon by Abel Gance in order to find the significance and the uniqueness of the movie during its' time period. The first thing that I noticed while watching clips of the film was the scale of the scenes. I may be underestimating the abilities of filmmakers in the early 1900's, but I always seem to be amazed at the large scale that they are able to shoot their scenes. For example, the huge snow ball fight,war scenes, and scenes in the government buildings, in Napoleon, I would have never thought that a scene with the large of a background and set would be able to shot that early in the 1920's. The other thing that surprised me was the use of the camera. How it was used as a moving camera, as the eye of the beholder, rather than a still camera shot. It's a very modern way to shoot movies, slightly ill to the eye and stomach, but very cool to watch nonetheless. It is also unique to the time period to do such quick shots and such fast moving movements. I feel as if many movies during this time period had extremely drawn out scenes with slower transitions. Last but not least, the most unique part of Napoleon for the time period was the use of the three screens. The three same shots all playing next to each other, but in different colors is very powerful and extremely symbolic, as the colors are the colors of the French flag. Not only does Gance use the same shots, but he also played around with different shots sandwiching another shot in order to compare and contrast the two different scenes.

The Great Train Robbery

As soon as the movie started I was in shock at how the movie was shot. I was very confused as to if they were actually inside a room, or if the room was a set and the train moving outside the window was placed there using technology, or if the train was actually moving outside. I am still slightly confused. Although not uncommon for the time, the actors gestures were extremely exaggerated and dramatized. I was extremely surprised when the shot began to show that the camera was on top of a moving train! That was astounding to me, not only to have the technology to just shoot the movie, and to color in the flames frame by frame, which I loved, but also to keep a camera steady on a moving train. I do think that the background music to the movie could have been a bit more suspenseful considering the murders and the burglary that is going on during the movie. The background music seems a bit more serene and tranquil than what actually is going on in the scenes. Overall, I feel as if The Great Train Robbery, was an extremely large scale production for its' time. Not only the use of an entire train, and horses, but also the use of shooting a scene on the moving train, was a huge deal compared to movies that were just being shot of people doing everyday things, like feeding their babies, or watering the flowers. Also, the amount of people used in the film, for example, all of the people that got off of the train during the robbery, it took a lot of man power to shoot this early silent film. The very end is very surprising because of the breaking down of the 4th wall. The actor does not only look directly at the audience, but he ends up firing the gun at the audience. If people were scared that the train was going to hit them in the other early films, then they must have been terrified at this movie.

Skeleton Dance

The Skeleton Dance, by Disney, is a very popular short musical clip known for its' creativity and incredible use of the combination of animation and music. Clips from The Skeleton Dance have been used at the end of most of Disney's Halloween movies or t.v. episodes. It is not directly used in Tim Burton's fabulous feature film, The Corpse Bride, but it is referred to in the musical scene, "Remains of the Day". In this musical break, the skeleton is the master of ceremonies of sorts and sings a song with three other backup skeletons. Throughout the clip, there are clear moments of inspiration pulled from The Skeleton Dance. For example, at 2:12 in the clip, the skeleton is using the other skeleton's spine as an xylophone, which was taken directly from The Skeleton Dance. There are other new and creative uses of bones as instruments in Tim Burton's version. The difference lies in the rhythm of the scene. All of the movements in The Skeleton Dance seem to create the music, whereas in The Corpse Bride, the skeleton's dancing accompanies the music.

Wicked

I loved watching Behind the Emerald Curtain not only because I have seen Wicked, but also because I really enjoy seeing how the parts of a whole are put together and what goes into making something so large as a Broadway play. The most interesting clip to me was the clip explaining how they created the Oz head. I really appreciate the small creative things that went into creating this entire production, but specifically the parts made to operate the Oz head. I was amazed when the mechanics explained that the eyebrows were moved by a drum pedal.

I also really loved watching all of the clips about the costuming. I wish that I could sew, but I have not a clue in the world how to. I was very surprised to hear that each costume is handmade rather than mass produced, considering how large of a production that Wicked is. I was also very surprised to hear the amount of work that goes into up keeping the sets of costumes, and how much excruciating detail they have to use to look at all of the different parts of the costume to make sure that not a single bead is missing from the 400+ costumes worn during the play.

A Trip to the Moon

As I was watching A Trip to the Moon, I had a lot of the same reactions as to when we watched the clips of the first films in class. I did not think the technology was clear enough to present a picture with that much detail way back when. I also could not imagine that the sets that were created to shoot these movies, like A Trip to the Moon, were as grandiose as they were.
Not that it annoyed me, but I think the biggest advancement in film, rather than film itself, is being able to add sound to film. It really makes a world of difference being able to hear the people talk rather than listening to a narrator. I'm not sure if the narrator was a choice for the film rather than to hear the actors speak, but I didn't enjoy the narration very much. It dragged out the motions of the actors. For example, the narrator would say, "and then we walked into the shell", and for another 30 seconds after, the actors were still transitioning into the shell, but there was no narration to listen to until the next motion was made.
Aside from the actual technology of the video, I was amazed at the content and idea of the movie. As a very early science fiction film, I'm sure that the actors thought the idea of taking a trip to the movie was so extremely far-fetched, considering the first trip to the moon did not happen until 57 years later by the Soviet Union. This film could be compared to today's modern day science fiction film about finding aliens or landing men on Mars. It made me think that if people were making movies about things they did not think could be humanly possible in the future, what will be the advancements in technology and what will happen in our future? Are the movies of today predicting the world of tomorrow?

Broadway Cont.

6. Although an off-Broadway show, I have seen STOMP several times, and it gets better and better every time I see it. This is one of my favorite scenes because I think it is amazing the way that they swing around on the billboard and still play music. There is also another part of the show where they use kitchen tools to play music, so they use the technology to enhance their musical abilities, rather than perform an illusion.

7. The last is from my favorite show of all-time, Les Miserables. During "Javert's Suicide", he is on a bridge, but then on the floor, but acts as if he is falling from the bridge, while the bridge is being lifted up. If you are really into the show, then it proves to be a very cool illusion that he is falling, and not that the bridge is being lifted.

Broadway

I found it slightly more difficult than I had imagined to find different types of technology used in Broadway shows. With limited space to work with on a stage and limited amount of technological ability to work with, I imagine it takes extremely creative minds to come up with ways to capture the audiences attention with technology on the stage.

1. The first musical that came to my mind, regarding the use of technology, was Wicked. I saw Wicked in London and was in absolute awe of not only the dancing and music, but also the different aspects of technology that they used. From the steel dragon in the play, to the bubble contraption that Glinda rides, all of the different uses of technology were very cool. My favorite use was when they made Elphaba appear to be flying in the air, as seen in the video above. 

2. I have never seen the Broadway rendition of Spider-Man, nor do I actually intend to see it, but the clip montage of the musical during the Tony Awards, which is the clip added, actually showed really cool uses of technology. When the building rises from the floor, making an optical illusion as if Spider-man was jumping from on top of the building, was very creative. 

3. I have seen Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and the scene that really amazed me was "Music of the Night". As a 13 year old, I was amazed at how the boat was moving so fluently through the stage and around the fog. 

4. I have also never seen Shrek the Musical, although I do intend to go see it, because I've heard it's very funny. I have watched videos, and this scene called "What's up Duloc?" never ceases to amaze me. Although not extremely technology advanced, per say, the use of creative minds allowed for a full-sized man to appear to be a midget, like Lord Farquaad in the movie. With the use of some sort of technologically made contraption, the actor can move on his knees, which makes him look much shorter. 

5. I have seen Hairspray on Broadway, and although not extremely technologically advanced, the set design of the opening scene, "Good Morning Baltimore", was very creative and seemed to defy gravity. 

The Great Depression: Part Deux

As I am a child of the 90's, I have course have not lived through any other financial crisis than the one that we are in now. Although, I do believe that since our generation has not lived through, and remembered, another financial crisis as serious as the present, we do not think much of the current financial crisis. I don't think we can truly grasp the state that the country is in right now because of the entertainment and escapism that is happening around us. When the financial crisis really hit the country hard, reality tv shows, like Jersey Shore and Keeping up with the Kardashians, were created. Reality t.v. shows like Jersey Shore were created in order to glorify partying and glorify drinking. As a direct effect, the public scene of partying has increased, allowing our generation to escape the financial crisis exactly like the youth that escaped to speakeasies during the great depression and prohibition. Other reality t.v. shows, like the Kardashians, were created in order to give a look into the life of the rich and glamorous to take the spotlight off of how financially awful the 99% is doing. So in short, our generation is, with lack of better words, blinded by the light, of the television and the glorification of pop culture, rather than focusing on the financial crisis that we are presently in. To reflect what was stated in class about the skirt theory, mini-skirts from the 90's are not really worn much anymore, rather the maxi skirts and ankle length flowing chiffon skirts are worn by today's fashion-goers. Whether the economic situation will improve with the election of the new President come November, we'll have to just wait by the remote and see.

The Jazz Age

In 10th grade during my American studies class we had a day dedicated to the Jazz Age where we all dressed up as flappers and did the Charleston in class. This was the closest I ever came to really experiencing the 1920's, clearly, as I was born in 1992. I do not remember much of the jazz age history from 10th grade, so I did have to do a little research on the Internet before writing this blog. It is accepted that the birth of jazz came about by the African American culture, but became widely accepted by everyone during the Great Depression when jazz was played in speakeasies, where all classes came together to escape. Jazz grew rapidly due to its' free and wild style and its opposition to earlier music that was very composed and strict. The youth of the 20's used jazz as a way to rebel against the older generations. They used jazz as a form of escapism during the time of the Great Depression and prohibition. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an incredible book that tells a story of a wealthy man and his struggles and successes during the 1920's. The incredible Baz Luhrmann is coming out with a new movie rendition of The Great Gatsby, which is sure to be nothing short of amazing. The trailer is at the top, although I request reading the book before seeing the movie.

5th Element

I was very excited to find out that our assignment would be to review the Diva Dance scene from 5th Element. This movie, and specifically this scene, has been one of my favorites ever since I was little and my Dad had showed me this movie. I love this scene because of the wide voice range that Pravalaguna sings in. This is an incredible scene because Pravalaguna has the ability to sing what she feels is going on at the moment. She sings what is in her intuition. Her song parallels the fight between Leelo and the disgusting bad creatures. Every punch, stance, and kick has a specific note sequence that goes along with the actions, making the scene incredibly entertaining on two different levels. The first level is the fight scene going on, and the second scene is listening and watching Pravalaguna sing. It is amazing how the two levels interconnect. It is also important to note the chemistry and connection between Pravalaguna and Bruce Willis during the performance. It is the same tension that Leelo and Bruce Willis's character have. It is almost as if Pravalaguna has felt the soul of Leelo and is singing what Leelo is feeling at the moment.

Madama Butterfly

While I was watching this video I found myself focusing more on the inter workings of the video rather than the actual story. From the very beginning I was in awe of how the characters were made. I was fascinated by the different types of little toys the director put together in order to create the characters and the surroundings. My favorite director is Tim Burton, so the claymation and the use of different miniature items to create a person was the most interesting part of the entire video. The story was very sad. I thought the most moving part was at the very end when she is literally ripping herself apart and unscrewing herself because the captain's actions figuratively ripped her apart piece by piece. The music from the opera in the background was perfect. It was not too overwhelming where it took away from the focus of the plot line or the beauty of the artwork, but it was loud enough and engaging enough that it did not go unnoticed. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this aria of Madama Butterfly.

About me

Hello, my name is Chelsey Keenan. I'm a sophomore at UT, and I'm 19 years old, but will be 20 on November 18th. I'm from the suburbs outside of Philadelphia called Huntingdon Valley, it's very small and not diverse at all. I came to UT to have a more diverse college experience, but I still wanted to maintain the small classroom and small school lifestyle, which is why UT was a perfect fit for me. I'm an Advertising and Public Relations major, but more on the Advertising side. I have a passion for creativity and having a wide and vivid imagination. I love art, but after taking figure drawing my first semester here at UT, I've discovered that I am not really into figure drawing and the more fine art side, which is why I switched my major from Graphic Design. I want to be a part of the creative department in the advertising world rather than the art department. When I was in class the first day I was really excited after I left. The art that will be shown and focused on is the type of art that I really enjoy. I enjoy looking at art from the early eras, but I am fascinated by modern art, and I really hope and know that we will explore that further. When you had mentioned the Tate Modern Museum in London, I instantly knew that I was going to enjoy this class because that is my all-time favorite museum that I have ever been to. I am planning to study abroad in London, and also planning to visit the Tate many times. Out of the rest of the class I also expect to gain an enormous amount of knowledge about art throughout the ages and, of course, how technology has influenced it. I do not think I will be shocked by much of the art that will be shown, as I have suffered through a semester of figure drawing already, and not much is shocking to me anymore.