Blog Assignment #7

Step1

Step2

            I chose the sense from the movie, Scent of a Woman. In my opinion, the theme is romance, and this story is about how a blind wardroom rekindles the enthusiasm for life. Especially in the upper sense, this sense show to audiences that how a romantic feeling that the old wardroom can give to women even though he is a blind person. Moreover, this sense is active because the director gives the active personality to the blind wardroom; also, this sense is around a graceful dance that gives audiences a active emotion indirectly but also stronger.

Step3

           I choose a sense of Scent of a woman. For shape, both of Al Pacino and leading lady have the rounded heads. Being different than triangle head, rounded heads are not willing to have sex as soon as possible. In my opinion, the rounded heads always symbolize people are mature and modest, especially for Al Pacino, because he is a gentlemanly actor, he make the role’s mature personality deeper; therefore, audiences can find a feeling as grace when Al Pacino and leading lady played a vague dance instead the sexual hint. For movement, the director used more object movement than camera movement for this sense. I think the reason why the director did this is he wants to highlight the Al Pacino’s role’s positive emotion although he was a blind person.

            For the week one’s two of six binary, I choose the color and light. The Scent of a woman used bright light since I think the director want to give audiences an emotion that Al Pacino’s role is a positive person even though he was experiencing a horrible wound; also, the leading lady is a young and powerful maiden that set Al Pacino’s role brighter because he had a serious physiology defect. In addition to color, the director also makes a bright light environment. In the dancing floor, we can see the sunshine came from some big windows. Also, in the sense, the sunshine reflect on both Al Pacino and the leading lady’s face that make them look happy and pure even though they are a old blind wardroom and a beautiful young lady, which not looks like a normal couple. The movie, Scent of a woman, used the bright light to make audiences forgot every disharmonious elements to focus on the graceful dance.

Blog Assignment #6

            I choose two pictures from the TV show NIKITA season2 episode 4. I choose those two pictures from two different senses, two different environments, and two different genres. I am going to discuss in three points, color, lighting, movement.

            First of all, the first picture is in a warm hue with red and yellow. Those two color are two analogous warm colors that give audience a mood that the environment is safe and hypnotic that making people relax their vigilance. Inversely, the second picture is in a dark hue with dark blue, dark purple and black, which also are analogous colors. Dark blue, dark purple and black give audience a feeling as dangerous and intense. For saturation, the first picture is medium saturated that suit the hypnotic environment. The second picture use a ramp saturated on the curtain. In other part in sense, the second picture also is medium saturated. Related to the hue, first picture’ brightness is bright, and second is dark.

            Moreover, the light in the first picture is bright since the sense is in daytime and the sense has a window. In addition, the bright light gives the audience an emotion that the sense is safe. The light in the second picture is darker because the environment in the second picture is a closed room. The light in the second picture are only from the lamps that give audiences constriction mood. Furthermore, the first picture doesn’t give a clear shape by shadow of the character since the director doesn’t want the audiences paying too much attention on character because of its hypnotic atmosphere. Oppositely, the second picture gives character a clear shape by shadow to show she is the main object in the sense, and there is more shadow on her face to symbolize her evil personality. In addition, the bright light in first picture symbolizes there is peaceful atmosphere in the sense, and the dark light in second picture symbolizes an immoral atmosphere.

            Furthermore, the movement in those two pictures is different. In the first picture, the line of chairs’ back and the border of table constitute parallel movement lines, and in the second picture, the pattern of curtain is parallel movement lines. Moreover, the director doesn’t use overlapping movements in the two senses. In addition, the second picture has more weight than first one because of the dark color usually looks heavier.

Blog Assignment #5

            Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2’s preview is the video that I chose for blog assignment week3, and I m going to discuss it in three ways, 180 degree rule, rule of thirds, and 30 rule.

            First of all, the director crosses the 180 degree rule at the beginning part of Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2 because the main character is moving while he is on screen, and director establish a new 180 line in front of main character. In the medial part of Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2’s preview, the director also crosses the 180 degree rule since the camera dolly cross the 180 line during that shot. After that, the director crosses the 180 degree again because there a huge chimpanzee enters the sense; however, the director follows the 180 degree rule in most time and the director doesn’t use the illegal way to cross the 180 degree way.

            In addition, Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2’s preview follows the rule thirds. For example, the main character and the dead monster constitute a perfect thirds rule’s sense at one minute and twenty-two second. In another instance, at 46 second, the main character’s cape’s hat, his lower jaw, the ceiling of hallway, and the spark constitute a 3 thirds rule’ sense.

            Moreover, Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2’s preview’s director doesn’t really use any rule of 30. I think the reason is the sense doesn’t have any visual conversation, and the camera always focuses on the main character. Furthermore, in the fight part, the director chooses to dolly the camera instead to use the rules of 30.

            For the Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2’s preview’s director himself/herself. I think he/she did a great job. He/she use the appropriate ways via the 180 degree rule and the rule thirds to show the tension environment and main character’s mixed emotion.

Blog Assignment #4

LISTENING FRAMEWORK

(SIMPLIFIED)

Sum41 So Long Goodbye

LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)

Tempo [slow, medium, fast]

Slow

Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]

Guitar, synthetic beat

Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]

Soulful; light; hypnotic

LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]

Guitar, viola

Structure/Organization [how is the song built? Order, patterns, etc.]

Intro/ Verse/ Guitar Solo/ Verse 2/ Viola Solo/ Verse/ Finale

Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]

LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

- Height [high and low of frequency]

Low pitch

- Width [stereo panning left/right]

Both left and right

- Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]

2-3 similar layers.

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Sum41 Hell Song

LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)

Tempo [slow, medium, fast]

Medium, fast

Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]

Guitar, drum, bass

Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]

Funky, intense, prominent

LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]

Guitar, drum

Structure/Organization [how is the song built? Order, patterns, etc.]

Intro/Guitar Solo/ Verse/ Guitar Solo/ Verse2/ Chorus/ Guitar Solo/ Verse 1 repeats/ Chorus repeats/ Finale

Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]

LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

- Height [high and low of frequency]

high pitch

- Width [stereo panning left/right]

Both left and right

- Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]

4-5 similar layers.

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Sum41 is one of my favorite bands. I chose their two songs, Hell song and So Long Goodbye as items to compare.

            First of all, Hell song has an irregular rhythm because Hell song is a mutative punk song. On other the hand, So long goodbye is a regular, and it is more like a traditional madrigal. For intensity, Hell song is a loud punk song that shows the singer’s anger. Inversely, So long Goodbye is a soft love song that shows the pure emotion. Hell song has a high pitch, and So Long Goodbye has a low pitch because of their musical genre. For timbre, Sum41 builds the Hell Song more complex than So Long Goodbye because they use a mutative way to arrange the Hell Song with instruments, such as furious guitar’s sounds and drum’s sounds. On the other hand, the So Long Goodbye has a peaceful and simple arrangement of melody because mostly, the So Long Goodbye only has guitar and viola solo as accompany. For speed area, the Hell Song has a medium speed at the refrain part and has a fast speed at the climax; in addition, So Long Goodbye only has slow speed over the whole song because of its love genre. For organization, both of the Hell Song and So Long Goodbye are ordered, but the Hell Song has a little chaotic part. That is the end of second time of refrain that Sum41 doesn’t finish the entire refrain as first time, then, they directly sing the climax.

            In addition, for time and tempo, the Hell Song is an allegro song and So Long Goodbye is an andante song. For source, drum, guitar, and bass drive the Hell Song because of its punk genre. On the other hand, So Long Goodbye is only driven by soft guitar and viola solo. For groove, the Hell Song is funky, intense, and blasting. Inversely, So Long Goodbye is soulful and hypnotic.

            Moreover, the Hell Song’s lyric is angry, intense, and disgruntled because its punk genre usually is against to social rules. On the other hand, So Long Goodbye’s lyric is peaceful since it is a love song that lyric writer often add the graceful words in the songs. For melody, both of Hell Song and So Long Goodbye have the easy-learn melodies.