Monday 4 May 2015

Spirited Away Answers

Spirited Away

1.) These elements do not make it helpful because a  lot of these literature references I did not understand (with the exception of little red riding hood) and this made all of the elements presented even stranger. I had thought that they were very obscure and thought it just made the film stranger and less built in to the real world. It was also interesting because I though the creator of the film was a very creative mind but knowing that it was just references I didn't feel that it added anything to make it more understandable.

2.) I think that spirits is a huge part in everyday life. People who are said to have a good spirit are generally thought highly of in this world. They have been through a lot or can deal with stuff. Our spirit in my eyes governs what we do and how we live now as well as how we will live after our death. Your spirit is your thoughts and actions and will be you when you pass on. In an environmental crisis your spirit shows you the right path on how to react, or not react to the issues at hand. This is a huge part in out day to day actions and thusly i agree with all of the statements that were shown throughout the film as well as in the paragraph of the question.

Facebook Cover


Thursday 30 April 2015

Video Game Reflection

Ryan Young - Game of Drones - Digital

Technical

I have not made a game before and it was new to use this new program. Other than that though I used photoshop to create images and I have used this program before.


Idea/Concept

I eventually used the idea of government corruption in my game. No matter what happens, you lose in the game. Just like you cannot win in life because of corruption to the world, there is no winning in the game.


Influence

I was influenced by no one really. Somewhat by John Oliver and his insight to politics. He is not the traditional "artist" but he is a comedian and that is a different medium.


Composition


Motivation

My motivation was to expose the tyranny of the governing forces and show that even if you can avoid the clutches against the machine you are still unable to beat them in their ultimate goals.


Critical Assessment

I think the Obama knockoff is a clever thing because he looks directly at the playing as if to say that "big brother" is watching and you are unable to hide.
If i had more time I would try to fix the hit boxes and make the thing run smoother as well as position the claws better.

Gamestorming

THEMES FOR MY PIECE

Racial Profiling - Body bag
-This is a relevant topic due to the nature that "all men are created equal". - Thomas Jefferson. Many minorities are targeted every day due to their ethnicity.


Walkerton - Water droplet
This has affected me personally because I was sick when this happened. My kidneys shut right down and I was very very sick.


Truth in Advertising - [Insert Symbol]
This represents the problems that come when advertisement is falsely shown to ensure that the product being provided sells as many units as it can in a quarter.


Corruption of Politics


Wednesday 8 April 2015

Art Movie Reflection

Ryan Young - Art Movie - Digital Video

Technical

I learned how to use Premier, I have never used this program before so everything was new to me. Not just that but I also don't have a lot of experience editing movies and clips so the whole experience was also new to me.


IDEA OR CONCEPT

I used a lot of my "favourite" clips that I mentioned in my brainstorming. I used the people flying and exploding, the man walking out if the train station with "swagger" as well as the people fighting on the stairs. I also used the man looking suspiciously at Steve, the knob being turned and also the abandoned swing set. I used most of what I had intended to utilize in my brainstorming.


INFLUENCES

One of my largest influences in this project was Quentin Tarantino. He is one of my favourite directors and he does a lot of films that can be considered art. He uses a lot of mystery to wonder what is happening in the film and doesn't reveal it until the end and even then he still leaves A LOT of room open for interpretation leading to many crazy fan theories about his movies.


COMPOSITION

I used a lot of emphasis in the fact that you don't know if the man is the person who blew the thing up or if he saved the plant. As well as the use of destruction and preserved scenes that showed no matter what condition something is in, it will not last forever in the future.


MOTIVATION

My personal motivation was to make a movie that gave myself (the director) chills even though I created it. I wanted to add a level of suspense and horror as well as the mystery of wonder to make a film that feels like a teaser trailer whilst it is the full film. You have an idea what is going on but you aren't 100% sure about it and guess what is going on as well as trying to figure out what everything meshed together truly means. And in honesty, I can't tell you. Its a different idea every time I watch it.


CRITICAL ASSESSMENT 

I think the biggest success was the use and timing of the music that I used. It gave off the sabotage aura that I was aiming for and gave the suspenseful mystery that makes it both epic as well as interesting to watch and listen to.

I was surprised at how well the three clips could mesh together to form a hidden conspiracy in connection with one another.

If I had more time I probably would have tried to fix a couple of the timing issues with the music as well as the clips themselves. Some of them were too fast and could have been slowed down but also needed to fit in and allotted time slot. So I would have made some tedious improvements that could have made the puzzle fit a bit better. I also would have tried to fix the sound at the end since it sounds chopped up and not very professionally done.  

Thursday 26 March 2015

Art Movie Brainstorming


My favourite part of Metropolis was just after the machine exploded and all the people went flying everywhere. As a movie buff it was interesting to see how they handled falls like that without CGI and used wires yet it still looked quite realistic.

My favourite part of Battleship Potemkin is the first clip where all the people are fighting up one the steps.

My favourite part of Dead Men ... is where Steve Martin walks out of the car and into the train station with the cool 1950s swagger that should never have become extinct.






For my movie I would like to show the place blowing up. Then a shot of it normal. The man in the train station looking at the papers and then a shot of the needle rising, back to the blown up boiler and normal shot of it. The man with the news paper looks at Steve Martin and Steve looks back at him. and the needle is still rising.The baby is going down the steps and then cut to Steve Martin in the train looking content. The place then to normal then to the needle being lowered. Change to knob turning and to the woman being shown normal and bloodied screaming and then to a clip of an empty abandoned swing set.


To make this into an artistic film I shall play with the aspect of time and repetition through shots. The boiler scene won't be in order. It will be blown up then fine repeatedly throughout the film. I will also try and use a fitting music that will set a mood in this film to make it very ominous. I will also use fast cuts to make it seem similar to a flashback or a glimpse into the future.


Wednesday 25 March 2015

The Art of War - Jet Li



How is Hero an Art Film?

1) Hero is an art movie because it is not shot in sequence and has a lot of scenes that have been "re-used" or re-shot in a different way to emphasize or "correct" different parts in Nameless' tale. Nameless often tell the king about his feelings and how they connect to his swordplay  and doesn't precisely narrate everything that happens, more so just a narration of heart. At the end it is quite confusing personally speaking, the king killed Nameless and then in the last bit of text it showed that he became the first king of China. This leads me to ponder what the king was thinking and even though he felt that Nameless had a connection in understanding, why he would still kill him and how exactly he united the five provinces, whether it be by words or violence.

2) There were a lot of action sequences that were easy to follow and entertaining to watch in tradition wuxia format. This gave it the feel of an action movie. The director also clearly stated through Nameless' dialogue what was going to happen in the scene before it unfolded. For example when Nameless had hesitated in killing the king, it was made easier to understand when the king outed him on that action and asked why. There was then a flashback to what Broken Sword told Nameless but Nameless also said to the king (as well as the audience) that Broken Sword had told him something major in the plot line.  It also breaks the traditional no plot resolution. Even though I still wonder what the king does to claim power as well as why Nameless was killed, I was not left wondering what happened to Nameless at the end of the film. I knew that this "Hero" was killed.

3) I really enjoyed this movie. It reminded me of one of my favorite films Reservoir Dogs. It starts with an outcome of after a bank robbery and someone is a snitch. There are a series of flashbacks throughout the planning of the heist to figure out who the cop was. It was eventually revealed and then the police storm the building they were in. It has a lot of similarities with the "present" only happening in one locations whereas the flashbacks take place in many locations. I also really enjoyed the movie due to the fact I like these types of movies that deal with ancient cultures especially Chinese. This was my first time watching a WuXia film and I liked it as well. The action sequences were interesting and well done and I especially find interesting the whole deal in fighting with honour and being the best in fighting by being most honourable.

4) The Library had often changed colours throughout the film. At first it was red and this was when Nameless was lying to the king that he killed Snow and Broken Sword out of loyalty to the king. The red may have been to show that Nameless was out for blood and had a lot of anger in his heart thusly motivating him to kill them. The next time it changed was when the three were conspiring to assassinate the king and this time it was blue. The blue may have been to show that these three have changed from being mortal enemies and shown an alliance of sorts. The last time that it changed was when Sword had told Nameless not to kill the king and it was white. This may have been to show that Sword was sort of an angel, to save the lives of others and to advise what is the best thing for "our land".

Friday 20 February 2015

Memories in my Skin Story and Montage

Events in my life:

G ma and G pas Cruise
Going to Cuba or Mexico
Performing in my first production **
Going to Russell Peters (x 2)
Skiing at Blue with the family
Raptors vs Heat Game

     The stage was set and the actors were waiting impatiently. This was the moment we were waiting for and it was just seconds away. Some were more ready than others but that showed who was a seasoned veteran. I however was not, and no matter how much rehearsal time I was given, I was not prepared for the lights to come up and reveal to me my newest passion. The curtains revealed an audience that was as much of a show as The Sound of Music, some people I had known and others I had not. My very first scene started and I wasn't Ryan Young anymore, I changed like someone hit play on the remote of a hidden DVD player inside of me. The person I had become was not the person I had rehearsed with. I had been Ryan playing another person but now, I was truly Baron Elberfeld. I was at a lavish party with strangers dancing all around me and I was enjoying champagne that tasted oddly like ginger ale. I spoke with an odd voice, it was mine, but it was not mine. It was the voice of a rich old man in a young man's suit.

     Nothing could match that moment in my life. This was truly an amazing experience that delved into my creative side as a person. When you are on a stage and showing off your talents in a practical matter, making complete strangers look at you in a new perspective, no matter how well they know a story, it is a new experience each time. To act is a real passion of mine. That moment showed me how much I had loved it, how I could not live without it. All of the months of preparation were long but they were extremely fun and I hadn't wanted to end. I had met so many interesting people and had many interesting events that had happened to me. To have this all end, would just make things boring again. Though, all good things must come to an end and that was truly an amazing ending.

     This event solidified my love for the dramatic arts. I always acted goofy and out of character not because I didn't like my own character, but because it was exactly that. It was in my nature to be someone else, to act up and act goofy. I am now a proud drama kid because of that play and I don't regret it. I had always fit in before this but never in a special and unique way. When I realized there were other people that had similar interests in their free time opposed to taking drama because they had to, it created a new bond. The people on that first night weren't my friends, they were my family. In the drama department we have a great family that encourages others to be who they want to be and that's what a good family does. Thanks to that moment and those people I have been in 5 or 6 productions and loved every minute. Sure there were times I didn't enjoy some parts, but that comes with the stressful job of making a show spectacular.































Reflection

Ryan Young - Memories in my Skin - Digital - 2015 02 20


TECHNICAL

I did not use anything new that I did not use before in this piece.

IDEA OR CONCEPT

The idea that I settled on was my very first production that I was in and the emotions that I had felt the very first time that I went on stage to perform. My original idea was to try and represent the play itself. I had hit some snags mostly to do with the heavy copyright on the play as well as lack of symbols to be able to use to do justice to represent the play. I then wanted to do a piece about how the play was with my friends who were in it but to no avail. I settled on making the piece about all the different emotions I had felt and symbols that represented them. I am obsessed with symbology and movies/books like The Da Vinci Code. Symbols that meanings are quite obscure until you realize what is actually meant. Such as the baby to represent that I was newly born into this great world of acting and I could only keep growing after this.

INFLUENCES

I had no artist influence me in this particular case.

COMPOSITION

My composition is a hybrid of having symmetry as well as sort of a circular balance. On both sides there are three pictures copied and pasted to each side. A man with a mask, a panther and an explosion (yet again deeper meanings than what to be expected). There is also a row of applause on the top and the bottom of the piece. The whole composition was orginally circular but then it was suggested to add symmetry into the piece since my background already contained repetition and symmetry.

MOTIVATION

My motivation took place to give deeper meanings than what it presented. I have included many obvious symbols but others that are quite obscure because like I had said I am obsessed with symbols. I also was motivated to create what I call "eye candy". Something that I really enjoy to look at and something that has a weird art style that looks neat and not too plain but not too abstract. Something that I like the colours and the shapes that all blend together to make a sweet (pun intended) collective image.

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT


I think the most successful elements were the panthers in the image. A panther is a powerful and majestic creature and I think that it really brings the whole thing together. The part that mostly surprised me was how difficult it was to make this. It takes a lot of thought to what goes where and which colours blend together. It is almost like writing an essay with photos. You must plan out your evidence that you want to show and then arrange it properly so it makes sense and isn't confusing to read or look at.