PART 1
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16KtZZhIbKQDYuvUPUqTQaqps-1gkPnWM1Jv3MJY0zxA/edit?usp=sharing

PART 2
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16d5Yy24jGGJZLSGMG82-tJreeWLMbmIMwKkOpMtci4A/edit?usp=sharing

Blog 4: Film Analyzation

Jurassic Park - T Rex Breakout Scene

The sound design is the most important feature in this iconic scene. Every sound is incredibly deliberate and feels designed to build tension until the inevitable reveal of the full T-Rex. There's no background music, only the small, constant patter of rain to increase in volume as the characters accept the reality of their situation. The scene even begins with one of the most cinematic and iconic moments in film history: The slow, methodical thuds that are then visualized with the shaking of the water cups. It lets the audience know that even though we may not see it, something very big is about to happen and the time between the shaking water glasses and reveal are all about building tension.

The darkness of night only serves to further build tension. In this scene it's all about what isn't seen: we can only see parts of the monster, or its effects on their surroundings. Spielberg almost exclusively uses close ups to enforce a feeling of claustrophobia (with only one long shot in this entire sequence). Once or twice Spielberg pulls the camera in on actors as they come to conclusions or realizations, almost to highlight their ideas in a way that's shown and not told. One of the best shots is the first time we glimpse the T-Rex, she's chomping on the goat. Immediately we cut to the first POV shot that takes place outside the vans: The T-Rex looking down on the van and dropping a bloody carcass. The red stands out amongst all the black and foreshadows what's to come.

Final Film Project

"Cut To:"

Un Cuento de Bronx con Amabell Rodriguez

I sat down with Bella Rodriguez to discuss art, her inspirations, her heritage, and kids today.

Interview with Bella

Sound Cloud: Interview with Bella Rodriguez

Youtube:

MOMI, Oh My!

I'm a pretty big fan of museums, so this recent visit to MOMI wasn't my first, but it still held significant weight. Since starting this class I've grown a deeper appreciation for things like the zoetrope, Luminaire films, and the technology behind most of my favorite art. I even openly geeked out over displays featuring the advancements in sound and film recording. My conversations around all of the equipment weren't about how "cool" or "old" anything was; all conversation was imbued with a deep historical appreciation and of its development and importance in furthering today's recording strategies. 

One of the more notable exhibits was a station where guests could experiment laying down a variety of musical tracks to the same scene, illustrating musics powerful unconscious effect on tone. By playing with the options presented, I was able to manipulate a very tense scene from Paul Thomas Anderson's much underrated Punch Drunk Love. 

It was a lot of fun to play with the score of an emotionally weighted scene and explore the different potential avenues. It was a wonderful reminder of how sound does subconsciously tell the audience how to feel. The simple change in score can make an off kilter romance feel like a psychopathic man hunt, or a crime drama, or as if the action was too light, negating the tension on screen. I've had fun experimenting in my own work but this was the first time I was given the opportunity to play with another filmmakers project. It's powerful and reassuring experience.

EXT. HARLEM - EVENING

THE SOUND WALK

It's late, and as I ascend the subway platform I pass the only popular restaurant in the nieghborhood. It's vibrance has been quieted by the October chill and all I hear is the dull roar of unheard music and baseball from inside. A few passersby engage in conversations that fleetingly sound like they're referencing their feelings about other conversations.  

Once past the tavern, the first thing I notice is the almost rythmic sound of cars passing by. The slow build of cars rushing towards me from a distance crescendos and peters out under a dobblar effect. The steady stream of one after another forms the sound mark of my evening walk. It's ever-present and punctuated by the ocassional car horn. Not even my steady footsteps call as much attention as the constant, subdued array of passing cars.

Here and there my attention is drawn to random sounds in the distance. Sound signals of laughter, conversations, and the occasional yell. I hear a bang. The kind of bang I hear once or twice a week. The lack of screams or yelling proceeding it makes me assume it has to be a backfiring car. It's too far away to know for sure. 

I pass my local grocery store, the lone star in an otherwise vacant night sky. It's the one place where people are actively walking and talking to such a degree that I can't make out a single conversation. The encounter is brief and I descend back into the relative quiet of the neighborhood. A car rushes towards me from a distance and peters out under the doubler effect. The quiet is now only cut by the bark of an unseen dog until my jangling keys signal the end of the walk.

Define a Space

For this project I wanted to explore a transitory space that is vital yet overlooked. At first my partner and I chose the beautiful tri-cornered stairwell in the Hunter College Library, but I was quickly asked to leave as they do not permit shooting.

Wanting to maintain the integrity of the original idea, we moved into the stairwell in Hunter West where the original idea flourished with the richness and character of a more interesting location. The word 'dirt' kept popping up in my head as we shot and that propelled me to capture the small details that highlighted this theme; graffiti, grime, shadows, etc. I built on the that idea and explored the space by having a subject (my partner) utilize the space for its intended purpose. From there I highlighted the details and filth that surrounded its use.

I wish I had taken advantage of grabbing a few more stagnant shots to demonstrate how quiet the space was on its own. It would have been nice to juxtapose more shots of the space being occupied and unoccupied; however I'm happy with the end result and how it helps to define this particular space.