Post-Production Reflection

Gabby's Hungry Adventure from Chang Jung Lu on Vimeo.

I made the final video with Michelle, who I've known for a long time so I knew it would be a fun experience. We easily came up with a topic for our video, which is something we can relate to: the struggle of finding food in Hunter. Almost everyday we face the difficult question of what can we eat that day, so I thought making this video as a way to make fun of that would be enjoyable for us to do.

Michelle came up with the idea and I instantly agreed and then we went to plan out the scenes with a storyboard. We originally wanted to film mostly in the cafeteria as our actress, Gabrielle, another friend of ours, looks for food but she finds it incredibly difficult with the outrageous prices. Unfortunately, our story had to change quite a bit after getting kicked out of the cafeteria after being there for a few minutes. So we had to brainstorm for a bit about what we can do to use the footage and audio we already collected and we decided to incorporate the vending machines, which are equally frustrating and unreliable. So we were able to keep our theme even with the change we had to make with scenes. Looking back on it, this part was the most frightening time for me when making this video because of unforeseen circumstances and time constraints, so I'm glad that we were able to handle it and pull through.

I'm also very grateful at how patient Gabrielle was despite our changes and directing. It was really awkward and funny at first when filming and recording her, because we couldn't stop laughing since our topic and the script was so funny to us, but when it came to getting the scenes done we worked well and fast. Michelle and I pretty much filmed everything together. We took turns taking shots of the scenes. If there was a scene someone had a specific image for or just felt more comfortable doing, we would let the other person do it. I feel like we shot the scenes pretty equally based on who was comfortable filming certain scenes.

The audio was also split evenly. Sometimes when someone was filming, the other person would be busy recording audio, such as the room tone to get an ambiance sound in case we wanted to use the background sounds of the cafeteria or hallway instead of using music.

With editing, I feel that the editing was split evenly as well. Michelle would piece the clips together in a cohesive manner, to make sure our story made sense and flowed. Then we would both look over it to make sure we both agree on the length of the shots and if we liked how everything looked. Since we both had a similar image in mind of how we wanted the video to look like, it wasn't too hard to come to agreement with the video. I found many of the sound effects and the background music to use for our video, which Michelle seemed to like very much after showing her what I found.

I think we are both very pleased with the outcome of our video. Creating this video was great experience and I'm happy I got to do it with my friends, which I'm pretty sure made it that much more fun. To be honest, I don't think the video could have came out as well as it did if I were to have done it on my own, so I'm glad I was able to do it with Michelle.

Field Trip to the Museum of the Moving Image

During our visit to the Museum of Moving Images, the class got the opportunity to view different aspects of post-production. Many of the exhibits I got the chance to view involved the manipulation of sound effects and the breakdown of all the audio involved in making a scene. One exhibit our tour guide took us into, we had the opportunity to break down a scene in the Titanic, specifically the one when the ship is starting to sink. We were able to view the scene with selected audio, ranging from sound effects, dialogue, and music separately and together. The part that interested me the most was learning how the sound effects were originally made. For example, Cal was seen going through a window onto the deck of the ship. The sound for the water running through the small hole was created using a vacuum sound and a lion’s roar played backwards. Normally, I would not associate these sounds together, but they did make a believable suction sound. Also when one of the smokestacks snapped in half, an elephant sound was used. Hearing the elephant sound by itself, it’s easy to recognize the animal’s sound. Placed with the image of metal bending, the sound is less recognizable as an elephant which shows how important context is when putting sounds together with the scene. The musical score also adds a very strong emotional component to the scene. When listening to dialogue or sound effects separately, it only sounds awkward and scripted. The orchestral music adds more dimension to the scene by adding crescendos to more dramatic points of the scene such as when viewers watch a long shot of people running haphazardly across the deck. The music helps emphasize the important points of the scene the director wants people to notice and adds an emotional charge to very intense scene. I feel that the music is what makes people more invested into the movie they’re watching and enhances how they experience viewing it. 

Relationships Between Shots

For this assignment, I decided to analyze a clip from the series Once Upon a Time, which I started to watch a few days ago. This television show brings a new twist to fairy tales as the characters are thrown into reality with no recollection of their true identities due to a dark curse. In this episode, the main focus is on Snow White and Prince Charming’s first encounter before the curse.

Their first meeting wasn’t the most pleasant, especially since Snow White was portrayed as a thief. She stole from the prince and traded his possessions, including an engagement ring, for gold and after much arguing she agrees to help the prince retrieve it. The scene starts with a medium shot of both Prince Charming and Snow White walking away together and they exchange the possessions they recuperated, Snow White’s gold and the prince’s ring. They both seem more amicable compared to their first meeting. The music throughout this scene enhances this easy going mood by providing a slow paced soft instrumental. The next shot shows a close up of the pouch holding the ring, which Prince Charming takes out and examines. He playful comments to Snow White, “I know, not your style,” to which she impulsively responds, “Well, there is only one way to find out,” and she takes the ring away from him. The camera follows her hands and a shot of her placing the ring on her finger is shown. Then the cameras follows her hand as she lifts it and the viewers are given the opportunity to view her smiling face as she observes the engagement ring on her finger. The next shot is then reversed to show Prince Charming’s face, who is staring at the ring and at Snow White in wonder. This close up allows people to view the many conflicting emotions the prince seems to be facing at her actions. At this part, high pitch piano notes are played to give the moment a more reflective mood, which begins as the prince stares at Snow White, showing a change in his thoughts about Snow White as a person. Unfazed, she continues to ramble on about his future fiancé as the prince remains flustered and silent, and the camera proceeds to go back and forth along with the dialogue with close ups of Snow White and Prince Charming’s faces as they talk. The cuts seemed seamless since they followed the dialogue and the camera’s perspective changed according to whoever was speaking at the moment. It was as if the viewer was there in front of them, watching them go back and forth with their conversation as both hesitated with saying goodbye. These also edits helped bring more attention to Snow White and the prince’s subtle reactions to one another, like slight pauses in conversation and lingering glances.  

At the end of their banter, the camera continues the reverse shots, but now Snow White walks away from the camera as it reverses the shot to show the prince staring after her. Then Snow White begins to turn around to watch the prince, which cues another reverse shot to show the prince walking away. The music at this point also becomes very low and less dynamic than before since their meeting is slowly coming to an end and draws the viewers’ attention more towards the characters’ actions.

This emphasizes how they’re parting ways, similarly to their present situation of separation. As the flashback fades, the next scene is revealed which brings the reader back to the present, at the hospital where Snow White waits outside of the emergency room for the prince and she learns that he apparently has a wife.

This scene helped add more depth to the story by contrasting Snow White and Prince Charming’s first meeting to their first reunion after the curse. Even without their memories, it seems as though the past is repeating itself by including a third woman into the situation. Later in the show, a close up of Snow White’s hands shows her twisting the engagement ring she played with it in the flashback. Without the previous scene, viewing the ring later on in Snow White’s possession wouldn’t be as significant without a backstory.

Assignment 2: Audio Portrait

https://soundcloud.com/yessenia-somerhalder/audio-project

For our second project, I was required to conduct an interview and create an audio portrait of a fellow classmate. I decided to focus on my classmate, Michelle and her love for photography. I decided to portray how she began to explore the medium and how she feels about cameras and its dominant role in her life.

Soundwalk Assignment

I decided to spend my hour during the soundwalk at grand central. I took the 4 train to Grand Central 42nd St. As I stepped out the doors, the familiar train announcement of "Stand Clear of the Closing Doors" was the last thing I heard as I walked up the stairs. Walking into the station, I immediately heard the walkie talkies of the policemen there go off as usual. I sat on the steps and closed my eyes in order to hear the different sounds around me. This was slightly unusually for me since I'm usually in a rush whenever I take the trains and I like to listen to music instead of focusing on the sounds around me. While sitting down in grand central, I immediately noticed the sounds of conversations and intelligible chatter. These sounds seem to echo off the walls and meld together. I would also hear the train announcements as they start to pull out of the station to head northbound in other areas of the state. I would hear random laughter and the occasional baby crying. Another sound that I found myself surrounded with was the sound of footsteps as everyone rushed to their perspective destinations. The tapping of the soles of their feet ranged from a fast tempo, which was more common to a slow, languid gait. These sounds were expected since I was within the MTA system which is generally busy and crowded, especially around 5pm, which is when rush hour generally starts. I walked down to the food concourse, where more chatter could be heard along with the clatter of plates and forks as people ate their food which smelled great by the way. It wasn't as loud due to the absence of a high ceiling, which enhanced the acoustics of the station, but the area was just as crowded. I would also hear the wheels of the occasional custodian. There was a lot that was going on at this time which made it somewhat difficult to categorize all the sounds I was being submerged with, but it was a familiar soundtrack since I spend most of my life in the busy city of New York.

Assignment 1: Defining a Space (The Art Department)

Defining a Space from Yessenia Fabian` on Vimeo.

Creative Statement

I’m continuously trying to learn more about myself as an artist while also learning about the world around me. I like to think of myself as an avid doodler since much of my inspiration comes from cartoons and anime that I grew up with throughout my childhood. My interest in drawing stems from the animated worlds of my favorite characters such as Bugs Bunny, Pikachu, and Cardcaptor Sakura. However, I felt as though accompanying these characters on their journey every Saturday morning just wasn't enough and I wanted to try to create my own characters and landscapes on paper instead of simply watching them on my television screen from the living room floor.

The more I drew, the more I became interested in experimenting and exploring other mediums and drawing styles. Before I knew it, I found that I discovered a new way of expressing myself and gained a new perspective in the world I’m living in. Two years ago I participated in a summer program with Groundswell, a community organization that brings youth, artists, and organizations together by using art to promote social change. I spent the summer collaborating with other artists to help paint a mural that embodies the neighborhood within it was placed. This program opened my eyes to the possibilities of connecting with your audience through art, and how effectively messages can be conveyed in ways words just simply can not fully express. At first I didn't think I would be able to do anything with my art, but by working with other artists who share the same passion and interests, I learned that are countless possibilities in which I can do what I love.

I am hoping to learn how to express myself in mediums such as graphic art, film, and animation. Just like how I developed a connection with cartoons during my childhood, I am hoping to create a similar personal connection with my audience. I feel that images can capture meaning and emotion in a more effective way than words can try to express. I believe that art pieces that causes the viewer to pause and compels them to take an extra minute to think about the issue addressed are the most successful, and so I hope to be able to engage in compelling conversations with my future audience, with or without words.