Blog 7, realism

In chapter 7 the discussion of realism is very in-depth from questioning reality to its accessibility. When watching a music video there is a sense of being granted a reality when watching; for example, the music video with U2 and the act of moving with the video. This entraps you to go into a trance with the music and feel the music at that moment. Where as television takes on the role of a staged performance; because music videos are similar to that of advertising and video art, advertising thus takes the position of realism rather than live television.

There is also the issue of concepts and as stated in the book, "if you do not know the meaning of a concept that concept is improperly formed." The concept of music video is easier to grasp because of its portrayal of realism thus allowing the audience to understand the meaning. So, there it is granted to music videos that the easier it is to understand a concept the quicker one can obtain the concept, and justify realism.

Blog 6 Music Video Danto Criteria

For this assignment I watched Katy Perry's E.T. ft. Kanye West. I chose to use Danto's criteria from the director's commentary file. I chose to use this criteria because the video is called E.T. and the criteria is relating to others.

This video relates to its viewers by sending subliminal messages of scens from nature to keep their attention engaged. While this video is very visually appealing using the brief clips of scenes that are in a way unrelated to the video keeps the viewer interested.

By amplifying movements of the video and interchanging realistic scenes with scenes from outer space the music video relates to the viewer. Also, the music and the video work together to increase the amplification of viewing by displaying the nature scenes when leading up to the chorus just when the music begins to amplify.

Capstone Blog and the act of Learning

As presenting my film draws near I find myself still using the theory of Bloom's Taxonomy. While I organize, and gather items of importance to present it causes me to "remember", which is the last step in Bloom's theory. I've reviewed and edited work that I have completed over the past four years of my college career here at Shepherd, and am taking notice at how I have applied what I learned my freshmen year of college to my senior capstone.

Image by: BlatantNews

Throughout this process I have learned that Bloom's theory is effective not only in the situation of completing a single project, but when applied to the overall experience of learning the final product is much more rewarding. Most of all I've discovered that this theory assisted in helping me learn the technique behind filmmaking. Bloom's theory should be applied to everyday life when learning something new, because this theory forces the idea of memorizing each step of the learning process. Thus, causing the individual to have the full effect of the ultimate learning experience.

Music Video Blog 1

As stated in your book, “the ways we express our world become the ways we perceive it.” And the way the world works now is satisfaction must be delivered immediately. This also affects us in the way we view music videos. It used to be that one television show offered music videos, and viewers had wait patiently, or anxiously, for their desired music video to air. Now we simply whip out our cellphones to show the new music video of the week or turn on a computer. Either way of viewing the music video be it cellphone or computer individuals can access their desired music video with the touch of a button.

That said N.E.R.D’s music video “Hot and Fun” is an example of the way we express the world now that we live in a satisfaction guaranteed environment. The video is visually appealing with colors and words flashing all about the screen, but the message that this video sends to me is the fact that a large number of women are in need of “Hot and Fun”. These women need satisfaction now, so they pack suitcases, in the middle of the desert mind you, and flock to this gathering around a bond fire. That pretty much sums up the video, oh and they wear fur…in the desert.

All in all I did enjoy this music video, but with the way our expressiveness has changed over the years music television is no longer the link to music video. That may not be true in some circumstances, but in my case I use YouTube to view music videos. We as a society no longer desire to wait, be it waiting for a stoplight or an Internet connection. We need satisfaction now, and personally I feel that MTV cannot offer that degree of satisfaction.

Music Video and Style Chapter 5

In music videos we are in fact advertising a product, this product mostly being the music that the band is playing, which leads to style. Not only is the advertising of music a large portion of the video itself, but also the video in general advertises. The contrast/hue of the video is advertising to the viewer a mood, and the music backs this mood through out the video. For example, if the selected song focuses on intense electric guitar and heavy drums the contrast of the video could be darker, and thus setting the mood for the video.

Also, in the music video the setting of the video adds to the style and further adds to the mood. For example, an open field gives the viewer an essence of freedom while an enclosed space such as a small room or closet will give the viewer a feeling of entrapment. The style of music videos differs in each genre; however, collectively they are all advertising the same thing, the artist. A music video is an aesthetic process that tells a story of style and mood, from the music to the clothing of the artist(s).

Chapter five teaches me that style has an effect on the viewer on more ways than just the video itself. It's everything that makes the video, the camera lens, angles, music etc. Even at a rock concert a style is portrayed. All in all, "style is not only about taste and/or being in style, but a way of relating to and engaging with our environment (Williams pg. 92).

Music Makes the People Come Together

Thus far with each aspect of my project I have been using Bloom's Taxonomy to further understand what it is I am trying to accomplish. My project is now coming to a close I have almost completed editing the film, and am currently in the process of adding sound to the footage. This is currently my first encounter with soundtrack pro, and I'm using this software to add atmosphere to selected scenes, using music from my own library as well as music within the software.

Image by: Steve Snodgrass

By analyzing each scene to find the right music for the mood I would like to portray it helped me remember how I wanted my viewers to feel when viewing my film. When editing a project one tends to view it multiple times, and ultimately beings to disregard the original message that was originally displayed.

One of the steps in Bloom's pyramid is remembering, and adding several pieces of music onto my film helped me remember the original message I wanted for my viewers. Using Bloom's theory has helped me educate myself on the art of filmmaking and the editing process.

Kyle Cooper designs multiple title sequences for many blockbuster movies, he's mostly noted for his title design for the movie Seven. For a Motion Graphics class we were assigned to observe one of his title sequences for a movie of our choice and analyze it. I chose the end credits from Universal Pictures The Mummy.

Cooper integrates Egyptian hieroglyphics within the type, thus making the type appear unable to read but by slowly moving and dissolving symbols letters begin to appear. He subtly places symbols and lines along the opposite side of the credits using the space to its full potential. A scrolling background of hieroglyphics in stone further adds to the illusion of the theme of The Mummy, without looking cluttered.

After watching this clip it inspired me to use images and symbols within the text to create a theme. Or even scrambling letters in a keyframe and using the dissolve effects to create a word or image.