Blog Assignment #3: Reflections on Sound Design

http://youtu.be/WGN1F6HEE1Q 

(Transcript can be downloaded here. It's in HTML format because I couldn't find a way to export to PDF in Celtx.)

This scene uses a number of subtle sounds to create a certain atmosphere for the scene. The sounds were all mainly diagetic, while the music was all non-diagetic (excluding Miguel’s lute playing, as we could see when Tulio was annoyed and stopped him.) The listening mode was mainly causal, however there was at least one moment where a semantic sound was used (Tulio’s face smacking into the guard’s chestplate sounded more like metal on metal, and him “whipping” out the small dagger- it literally sounded like a whip), and one where a referential sound was used (Tulio’s landing at the end of the scene augmented with a “honk” sound.) Space is represented through the sound as well; one shot cuts to a distant angle for a couple seconds and the sounds of the duel change timbre, gaining more echo and a slight hollow sound. The gasps and cheers of the crowd maintain a relatively low intensity throughout the scene, providing a flat ambient “background” sound.  Overall, the scene doesn’t incorporate a huge abundance of sounds, but the ones used are used very effectively. You can even hear light shuffling of feet as the characters change stance or the soft crinkling of paper as Miguel gestures at Tulio with the map. Subtle, but effective.

Blog Assignment #1: Deconstructing Characters

The first character is the Hero, Chance.

Chance is represented well by the colors of fire. Fiery orange and yellow are very bright, energetic and optimistic colors, associated with ambition and happiness. He is very driven and optimistic in his pursuits, though he doesn’t always think everything through, choosing to rush toward his goals. His personality is bright and optimistic as well, though he has a one-track mind once he sets his mind to something, which goes back to his strong ambition.

For shape, the shape of this bird in flight matches up with Chance’s character. The bird has a rounded shape to it that would be even softer when not in flight, but while in flight, strong triangular shapes are created, representing Chance’s powerful ambition and single-mindedness in his goals once he’s had the chance to “fly.”

Lastly, the lone sphere in this image, surrounded by darkness aside from one singular light source, represents Chance’s situation on Earth. He is surrounded by darkness, both literal and figurative, yet he manages to keep his own “light” glowing when others around him gave up on hope long ago.

The second character is the villain, General Atiri.

The shape of the Great Pyramids represent General Atiri in many ways. The solid, triangular shape and build represent his unrelenting stance against outsiders and change, which, like the pyramids, has stood up against change for many years.

Despite being from an alien planet, the colors of (present) Earth best represent General Atiri. The natural green and blues are not present in future Earth, but are prevalent on Atiri’s planet.

Strong, natural sunlight best represents Atiri. He is not one to be shrouded in darkness, and he lives in a place where there is no pollution to block out the sun.

Blog Assignment #2: Finding Your Howl

http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/51.01.YourHowl

Flaum references a story written by a classmate in the fifth grade. The story involved a tiger in a zoo who tried to escape his cage by leaping out, but every time he leaped out of one cage he landed in another one. Flaum uses this story as an example of how life works. We live in our own personal “cages,” and though we may try to escape them by taking the clear route of jumping out, there is no escape. The only way out is to leave our comfort zone and tunnel out, and in that way find our “authentic voice.”

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/gavindegraw/idontwanttobe.html 

The lyrics of the song “I Don’t Want To Be” by Gavin DeGraw encompass a way of thinking that I have more or less lived by. In general, the song speaks of being yourself, but in a more transient sense than the clichéd idea that you should always be yourself. For instance: “I don’t want to be anything other than what I’ve been trying to be lately, all I have to do is think of me and I have peace of mind” – I’m not the kind of person who hates or dislikes myself or the way I act or look. There are times when I’m not happy with myself, but I never have to ask, ‘Who am I?’ I am who I am at this moment. It’s impossible for me to be anyone else but me, because everything I do is an action I myself chose to do. I sometimes see friends talking about how they hate themselves. I can’t hate myself, because I am me. To hate myself implies being outside myself and looking in, that the hate is a separate entity from myself, or even that my “self” is separate from me. But neither of them are. It’s all me. Everything I see and think and experience is a part of me. If I were to think I hate myself, the real target of my hate would probably have little to do with me and more with how I see myself through the eyes of society. And if I linger on how others see me enough to hate myself, then- well, just look back to this song. I can look at the world through the eyes of others, but I only need to look at myself through my own eyes.

It’s not that I think society has no effect on me. Because I am this self-aware, whenever I can, I acknowledge what societal factors have had an effect on the way I think or act. I acknowledge them and I accept them and let them be integrated into who I am here and now, and I don’t let myself be pressured into doing things that I don’t truly want for myself.

Aside from that, this song also fits well with the way I think in terms of being an atheist. I don’t need a higher entity in order to have peace of mind. I need only think of myself, and who I want to be, rather than who a higher entity(s) or their followers think I should be. That is my peace of mind.

All in all, this song speaks to me in that it reflects some of the inner thoughts and frustrations I have when faced with friends and people who have issues with themselves or with their identity. It gives me an outlet for that frustration, while also reminding me that I am not alone in this ‘enlightened’ way of perceiving myself and the world around me. It serves as a reminder for me of what’s really important to me when it comes to simply being alive. I can express myself how I want to without my thoughts being cluttered by things like ‘I hate myself’ or ‘I hate how I look’ or ‘Who am I?’ or the many other social pressures that seem to chain down and stifle so many people around me. This song describes the core of my howl.

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