Category: uncategorized

1.Dominant: Where is our eye attracted first? Why?

     When viewing this work our eye is first attracted to the vibrant and artificial colors that dominate the photos, catching the attention of the viewers. The strong colors that take up most of the images definitely draw observers in because anything bright catches attention. to see the natural landscapes hiding behind the colors. Naturally we are attracted to bright colors and for me, this whole series of photos by Jessica Houston attracted my eye at first glance of the whole gallery.

2. Lighting/shading: How is light used in the image? Are there various level of light/shade used in the image? Is the created bright, medium, or dark?

Light is important in this image because it is used to contrast the synthetic colors which represent anthropocentrism and human impact, with the natural beauty of earth. The bright pink captures the immediate attention of viewers, then the bold red of the shack comes next, and finally the subtle and natural blue of the sky is what hits the viewer’s eye after taking some time to observe the image. I think it was bold of the artist to cover her photos with this intoxicating neon pink, yet stressed her theme about the impact humans have on their environment. 

3. Proxemics: If the image features characters, how much of the character or characters do you see in the image?

The image does not feature characters but it does feature other structures, allowing viewers to only see a small portion of the true image covered by the artificial color. The image  is a small red shack, or police outpost on a beach with tranquil waters in the distance. I found it powerful of Houston to include the vibrant pink felt to add both texture and color, and the red of the shack to represent the consequences of humans on their environment particularly with regards to climate change. 

4. Angle: Do you look at the image? Or is the image in a neutral position?

The image was hanging at just about eye level, positioned alongside other works in the same series all by Houston. I think the viewer looks at the image as opposed to it being in a neutral position, like her plastic bag piece that is three dimensional, and allows the viewers to walk around the work and view it from all sides.

5. Color values: What is the dominant color? Are there contrasting colors? Is there color symbolism?

The artificiality of the color pink is the dominant color in the work. It juxtaposes the more natural background, which almost forces the viewer to wonder what is hiding behind the large pink mass. The pink color as well as the red abandoned shack symbolize the impact humans have on our environment and how we tend to hide the true beauty of nature through pollution and constant expansion. The more natural blues that are shown towards the bottom of the image represent the purity of nature without human impact.

6. Subsidiary images: What are the main eye-stops after taking in the dominant image?

After taking in the dominant image, a main eye stop is obviously the pink mass that dominates the photo. The red police station also stands out, as well as the tranquil blue water off in the distance. 

7. Density: How much visual information is packed into the image? Is the texture stark, moderate, or highly detailed?

The texture of this image is generally stark, but through this simplicity Jessica Houston is able to achieve and stress her theme about the environmental footprint we as humans leave. I felt that the simplicity of this image is what made it so startling as a viewer, and I could almost sense Houston’s cry for attention towards the matter of the environment. 

8. Composition: How is the two-dimensional space segmented and organized? What is the underlying design?

The two dimensional space is divided powerfully by the vibrant pink mass that covers much of the work. The pink felt creates a separation between the foreground and background, and adds depth to this two-dimensional space. 

9. Depth: On how many planes is the image composed? Does the background or foreground comment in any way on the midground?

This image is composed of three planes; the water as the background, the red shack as the midground, and the pink felt in the foreground. I felt that the background comments on the Earth’s purity, and interacts with the red shack to create a strong and beautiful contrast, again commenting on Houston’s overall theme. 

10. Character placement: What part of the framed space do the characters occupy? Center? Top? Bottom? Edges? Why?

There are no characters in this work, but the red police shack occupies the midground, in the center of the piece. I believe this is because it adds both symmetry and simplicity to the piece.

3) What do you think visual artists and filmmakers have in common? Finally, explain why you have selected your Gallery image.

I think both visual artists and filmmakers pay close attention to color, contrast, and frame of view in order to tell a story through their image.  A lot goes into both filmmaking and art, and altering an image can allow for emotion to be evoked through both arts and film, which is a really powerful concept. I chose Jessica Houston’s piece as my gallery image because I really loved the bright colors at first. I also found that the more I examined the piece and looked closer I realized that I infact did not like what the colors came to represent, which was the harm humans cause. I found Houston’s piece to change the more and more I looked at it, which is why I appreciate art. I also share an interest in climate change and human impact on the environment, so this piece spoke to me. 

     Richard Linklater’s 1993 film titled Dazed and Confused uses a soundtrack that accurately represents the characters in the film personally as well as the 70s decade as a whole. Prior to filming, Linklater assigned each character a favorite album which implies his strong emphasis on the role music plays in this film. David Wooderson, one of the film’s main characters, is best identified by the song that is played during the film’s ending scene. The song, Slow Ride by Foghat, was a 70s rock and roll hit that has sexual connotations but can also be interpreted in a more chaste light. Throughout the film, Wooderson fits the category of a man who is stuck in high school. The ex-football star hangs around town showing continued interest in high school girls, marijuana, alcohol, and cars. Wooderson seems to be content with his status, only working because it’s nice to keep “a little change in [his] pocket”. Wooderson encompasses the song Slow Ride and fits the song’s chill lyrics but rock and roll core. As a character Wooderson’s continued interest in girls and sexual remarks make it clear that he would resonate with the focus this song places on an attraction to a particular woman. In the film, Slow Ride plays after Wooderson utters his famous quote, “the older you get the more rules they’re gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin’ man, L-I-V-I-N”. Slow Ride is the epitome of Wooderson’s rebelliousness as a character and it is arguably his favorite song. This is enforced during the films closing scene, when an aerial (or birds eye) shot of Wooderson and Pink is shown with Slow Ride blaring from the car’s stereo. The final image of Wooderson left for the audience is him smoking, singing along passionately to this song. Through the song Slow Ride, Wooderson is able to take it  “easy” through life, just continuing to live doing what he wants. 

        In Francis Ford Coppola’s 1973 film titled “American Graffiti”, Walter Murch–the movie’s sound mixer–creates depth in the film by transitioning songs between sources of sound like car radios, speakers, and bands. Murch also toys with diegetic and non diegetic sounds, sometimes even transitioning between the two in the midst of a song. One specific example of this is towards the beginning of the film when John Milner first picks up Carol Morrison. The shot begins with a medium close-up, following John’s iconic souped-up yellow Coupe from a handheld camera while the song “Surfin’ Safari” by The Beach Boys plays, from no known source in the film. The shot then cuts to inside the car, where Milner is mocking Carol for being so young. “Surfin’ Safari” continues to play inside the car, now from the car radio. The song seamlessly transitions from non-diegetic to diegetic sound and turns into an arguing point for Carol and John.

      Carol tries to turn up the song on the car radio, and John then immediately turns the song off, remarking “I don’t like that surfing shit… rock has been going downhill since Buddy Holly died”. In this scene, Coppola could be hinting at the initial disapproval people had when rock music took a turn in the 60s. With the help of Murch’s soundtrack, Coppola is able to weave in context about the early 60s, which is timeless in its effect on portraying society during that decade. Milner, being the drag racer and tough guy he is, disapproves of the surfer, hippie lifestyle that was associated with the late 1960s, just shortly after this story takes place. “Surfin Safari” is a light-hearted and happy song that bothers John, revealing his stubbornness and bitterness as a character, especially towards Carol whom he cannot seem to understand. It is in a way contradictory that Murch would chose a song so happy and lighthearted in this scene, because of the hostile environment that John creates with Carol, yet by doing so,  John’s bad attitude is further exaggerated. 

      In the opening scene of Martin Scorsese’s film titled Mean Streets, the film’s main character Charlie wakes up to a nightmare of the taunting words, “you don’t make up for sins in church, you do it in the streets”. Next, Charlie is filmed looking at himself in a dimly lit mirror. This moment of self reflection makes it seem as if Charlie is disappointed in the man he has become and the lifestyle he has chosen to live. The song Be My Baby by the Ronettes begins, and a reel of short films proceeds on screen, shown in a much smaller frame mimicking an at-home video. Clips of Charlie as a baby being baptized, as well as characters Johnny and Theresa are juxtaposed with the song, originally written about a woman’s love interest. 

      A possible connection between Charlie and his internal conflict with religion can be made to Scorsese’s song choice, where Charlie is symbolically begging god to be “his baby”, asking for forgiveness for his lifestyle full of sins. An interesting similarity between two groups–the mafia and the church– arises when Charlie’s feelings of obligation towards both religion and his mob ties become problematic for him. The song Be My Baby has an otherwise light hearted tone, but in the context of the story it is clear that it relates to Charlie’s need for approval from god and his feelings of guilt towards the mafia.

     Another notable reason Scorsese used the song Be My Baby is likely to foreshadow Charlie’s relationship with both Johnny Boy and Theresa. Charlie is warned by his Uncle Giovanni, to stay away from Johnny Boy because “honorable men go with honorable men”. This creates an issue for Charlie because he truly cares about Johnny and feels morally conflicted. The lyrics, “And if I had the chance I’d never let you go” are representative of this complex relationship where Charlie continues to show compassion towards Johnny Boy, even when it gets difficult and complicated. Charlie is also in a relationship with Theresa, unbeknownst to Johnny Boy. This is a more obvious connection between Be My Baby and the context of the movie, and could be seen as Theresa’s way of calling to Charlie that she will “adore [him] ‘til eternity”. A strong theme of belonging and obligation are expressed in this opening scene, where friends, religion, and love create an internal battle for our protagonist Charlie. 

     Later on in the film, two barroom sequences are accompanied by  Rolling Stones songs to give more insight to the characters Charlie and Johnny Boy. The first song, Tell Me, is similar to Be My Baby in that it can relate to Charlie’s complicated relationship with god. He wants gods “love again” and for god to accept him although it may be “hard to reason” with his lifestyle. Part of this scene was shot from behind Charlie, as he walks through the bar filmed with atmospheric subjective lighting marked with red, low light, symbolizing Charlie’s guilt and sin. It is interesting to note the way everyone in the bar smiled at him as he danced through the bar, yet he still seems to feel devilish because of a lack of connection with god. Charlie is also shown in this shot admiring a dancer at the bar, who he questions his feelings for because of the color of her skin. Charlie is then shown burning his own finger, symbolic of his internal struggle and now self-punishment for feeling attraction towards a black woman.

      When Johnny Boy is introduced in the bar, a much more upbeat and lively song called Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones is played, with lyrics representative of Johnny’s self-destructive tendencies. The line “I was crowned with a spike right through my head, but it’s alright” is particularly meaningful because it symbolizes Johnny who ignores the fact that his life is crazy, and falling apart and does whatever he wants to have a good time. This scene is also filmed with red atmospheric subjective lighting, in this case symbolic of the danger Johnny puts himself in and how he is in a sense a liability, who causes problems for both himself and Charlie.

The Girl Can’t Help It  

     In the 1956 film titled The Girl Can’t Help It, a long shot is used in the opening scene displaying Tom Miller–one of the films protagonists–in black and white. As a jab at television during this time period, Tom Miller “extended” the original narrow view, as well as called for the film to change to color, who he credits to “Deluxe”. Films in color were something that could only be seen in theaters, so leading with an image that resembles television at the time, and then transitioning to the brighter and better image that was unique to films, was a powerful way for Hollywood to encourage audiences to continue spending money on films. The long shot allows the camera to stay focused on Tom Miller without reframing, as he makes these improvements to the audience’s view. The audience also gets a good view of the instruments set up behind Tom in this frame, foreshadowing one of the films’ main ideas: music. Tom is placed in the direct center of the shot, in front of the instruments, and dressed nicely, giving the audience the idea that he is of importance and holds some sort of power in the film to come. 

Jailhouse Rock

In the 1957 film Jailhouse Rock, Vince Everett, played by Elvis Presley is introduced in a bar scene where he accidentally kills a man with a punch to the head. Everett is shown immediately after, in a close-up shot chosen by the director to emphasize his immediate feelings of panic and regret as he watches the life leave the face of this random man. Vince is a rebellious, rude and stubborn man throughout Jailhouse Rock, although in this scene we get a sense of his soft side. This soft side is later revealed in his relationship with Peggy, whom he mistreats but ends up showing his love to in the end. The early close-up of Vince foreshadows this growth that he experiences as a character. If a different shot, such as a long shot were shown, it is possible that a different–more ruthless and mean–interpretation of his feelings may have been received by the audience.

Another shot utilized by the director in this film is a medium close-up. In the end of the story, Fats, Vince’s ex-cell mate attacks him and Vince is reluctant to hit back. This is a display of tremendous growth in Vince as a character who would earlier fight seemingly anyone. A medium close-up shot is chosen when Vince is in the hospital, unable to talk, and Hunk comes in to visit him. He apologizes, and expresses his sincerest regret by laying his head on Vince. The medium close up allows for this intimacy and emotion to be displayed. Hunk lowering his head to Vince’s level is symbolic of his view of Vince–as an equal. The medium close-up is the perfect scale for the director to express this emotional and affectionate moment.