Final Project

Final Project MED 160 from Iman on Vimeo.

Relationships Between Shots

I am examining the official trailer for the movie X-Men: Days of Future's Past. I have seen a great deal of action movies and one of the conventions that I see are lots of jump cuts, coupled with what appear to be shorter shot lengths than other genres. It would be fair to say that movie trailers generally have a great deal of cuts and short shots in order to give the viewer a sense of the movie in a short span of time. I do think, however, that the shots in this trailer, like other action movies, are less seamless than, a genre like romance, for instance. The shots in this trailer lack a fluidity. The constant jumping from shot to shot, increases the energy of the clip, which makes sense for this type of movie.

The color is incredibly rich and saturated, which gives the movie a darker look. Some scenes have a blue hue and others are more red. I was not able to attribute the filmmakers use of each hue to any particular characteristic, the way, for example, it was used by Soderbergh in Traffic. Music aided in conveying a sense of growing intensity, particularly during the quick jump cuts. During fight and action sequences there were lots of jump cuts, that were supported by orchestra music that gradually intensified. The music slowly rose into a crescendo that helped communicate to the audience that this movie will be high-energy. The shots jump from a series of close-ups to show the actors' expression to a series of wide-angle action shots to showcase the high-action, CGI-laden scenes that draw moviegoers to go see movies like X-Men each summer.

MED 160 Audio Interview

Museum of the Moving Image Class Trip

The most interesting part of the class tour at the Museum of the Moving Image was easily the audio demonstration. Our tour guide broke down the multiple elements that make up audio in some of our favorite Hollywood movies. We did, however, spend the most time dissecting the fascinating and often very odd sounds that go into creating what we hear in the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic. He played the visuals without the appropriate sound effects, then sound effects, without visuals. 

Without realizing it, we have come to associate certain sounds with certain actions and objects without understanding that much of it is constructed by sound designers using a series of objects, some of those object quite odd, actually. For example, I discovered that the soft sound we have come to associate with gun silencers is a complete myth and sounds much lower than an actual silencer. In Titanic, crushing cans, roaring lions, and a falling chair all serve as some of the components that make up the sounds that we see as water rushing on the sinking ship. Hearing the melding of the different types of sounds - sound effects, music, dialogue all coming together gave me a new appreciation for the men and women who work on constructing the sounds we hear in movies. I will say though, after hearing the different types of sounds independently it slightly took the magic out of Titanic. It was cool, however, to see how mundane things were dramatized by using a lion's roar, for instance.

Soundwalk

What I Hear On Sunday at 10:05 am during my weekly trip to Trader Joe's on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights, I decided to go on my "Soundwalk". Downtown Brooklyn is an area I frequent, so I figured this would be an ideal time to really pay attention to the things that I hear. Generally, when I come to this area alone, like I do on Sundays I am wearing headphones, so this was quite interesting for me. I opted to get off the C train at the Clinton and Washington station and walk straight down Fulton Street. I heard birds chirping when I immediately stepped foot out of the station, but that was immediately drowned out by the sound of car blaring Drake. In a place like New York, it isn't the easiest to focus on a particular sound, generally there are multiple sounds simultaneously, which means I had to make the decision to focus on a particular sound.  As I walked down Fulton, I heard ska music, from an artist I am not familiar with coming from the table of a Rastafarian man selling incense, shea butter, and oils.  As I continue on, I hear a mother talking to her daughter firmly about not buying any cookies that the little girl spots at a newsstand. I hear over and over that very unique sound the bus makes when it comes to a halt. I hear more music coming from another table, this time from an older black man playing 90s R&B music, he's selling books.  A man running in place next to me at the light so as to not ruin his momentum is breathing hard, then speeds off as the light changes to green. I then hear the sound of a squeegee, as a young man cleans the window of a store selling fitted caps and sneakers. The occasional siren and car horn serve as the back drop, as i continue on down Fulton. I begin to approach Court Street, and I decide to end my Soundwalk there. It was quite refreshing to focus not only on the things that I saw, but to listen intently as well.

Project 1 from Iman on Vimeo.

Artist Statement

I'm interested in the ways in which people can view similar things.What are the influences that cause two people to see the same film, photo, and travel to the same city and see them differently?

I am by no means an expert photographer. Most the of the photos I take are on my iPhone and I notice that the photos I take and interest me are always of the subject's hand slightly blurry due to motion or a photo of a lone magazine left behind on the seat of the train, a young mother gripping her son's hand before they cross the street. Last semester I was introduced to the photographer Lee Friedlander, I became fascinated with his work, primarily because he seems to capture the nuances that make up everyday life. I am literally able to see his vision, because he allows the viewer to see things through his own eyes, there is a real sense of subjectivity to his work, that is really inspiring to me. When we view things, we tend to see them in this way, I think. Although we come from different angles, perspectives, we seem to always be drawn to the center, similar to the way a tourist snaps a photo of a monument. There is intensity, and significance in the off-center.

I'm inspired by perspective, individual perspective, regardless of the medium. My goal really is to share my lens. Even if I showcase something that people have seen hundreds of times, I want them to be able to tell how that object or space has been filtered through me, how I interpreted it and convey it. I spent January in Tokyo, and the idea of what to document in order to tell how I defined my trip really was important to me. I think I want to make something as it relates to angle, my feeling, my outlook in the very moment it was captured, not an ideal.