Blog Assignment 8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX6dHWyqwNo

Blog 8

The director of this film cleverly utilized this revamped version of the Beatles’ song “I Want You” and was able to change the meaning or theme of the sequence from a love song into a musical number that expresses the very real fear of being drafted into military service. This is exemplified in the scene by how the protagonist is forcefully processed through what could be compared to as basic training. The theme is didactically imposed upon the audience because of how the camera reveals how he would rather lie about how physically and mentally incapable of military service he is rather than risk going to war.

One way that lines help reinforce the theme is at the very beginning of the sequence the camera tilts from up to down depicting a wide intimidating government building as ominous music begins to play in the background. Because of the fact that building takes up the entire shot and is shown from top to bottom it understood that it is a frightening place, likely because of the long vertical and horizontal lines that frame the building in the shot and the slow descending motion of the camera that makes it appear even larger. Rhythm also is another element that helped reinforce the theme because of how the director utilized specific shots in the sequence such as; the close up shot of the protagonist’s feet slowly climbing the stairs of the building, and the shot of him double-taking at the realization of two large images of Uncle Sam reaching out at him which functions as an establishing shot from his point of view as two military figures drag him onto a sort of assembly line for soldiers. These examples and others reinforce the theme of apprehension against military service by depicting the main character as weak and diminished in size in comparison with the “officers” training him. The director also accomplishes this in many ways, first by exposing all of the trainees in their underwear in contrast with the all so similar looking officers who are fully dressed in matching uniforms, and also by displaying fighting moves on the cadets while simultaneously dancing.                             

Blog Assignment 7

Blog 7

My first image is of the character Goku from one of the greatest animated programs of my childhood “Dragon Ball Z”, while my second image features a character from possibly my most favorite hyper violent anime series “Afro Samurai”. Each one captures a unique intensity that is created from elements in the image such as; color, to create a point of interest within the frame, and movement, which helps structure the rhythm of the animation. Although both images use bright oranges and yellows in the shots, each one has a different function. For example the bright pillars of energy around Goku are parallel with each other with him in the middle making him appear taller and more powerful, however the orange and red sky in the background of Afro (that’s his name as well as the title of the show) directly contrasts with the cold blue and brown color of the ground that he is standing on, possibly symbolizing his struggle. Another quality of color the images use is darkness to attract and/or hide the focus, for instance in the image of Afro the eye is immediately drawn to the point of his sword because of its brightness and linear/curvilinear design that creates contrast brings us to the rest of his body which is darker and further away from the camera. In comparison, the image of Goku is framed by the darkness behind him and the pillars which center him in focus. Elements of movement are also present in both images such as the overlapping action created in the first image while Goku is yelling his aura burns and writhes around him creating the impression that he is on fire, but in the second image Afro is standing straight up, however there are curvilinear lines all around him that denote movement like his headband blowing in the wind and the smoke rising off his cigarette that contrast with him. Although the two images depict different directions, both of them similarly show weight in simple ways like the ripped and baggy clothes that each character is wearing, and in non-realistic ways such as the pointy hair that stays straight up when Goku has his head backwards and Afro’s flowing wispy afro that stands up.                        

Blog Assignment 6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUpggXGHYjk

Blog 6

“How to Play the Violin” is one of many in a series of humorous original animated videos created by a Youtube user named Jason Steele and his channel also called FilmCow and Secretagentbob. As Jason directed/designed this short he made a lucrative choice to only depict a few changes to the total sequence from shot to shot, in fact the only transitions to speak of is a couple of cuts to close ups and a zoom out at the very beginning to isolate a nervous Johnny and then place him in the room standing near his much larger, more intimidating father Ron. In this way, he maintains some of the rules of film but violates others. For instance Jason is able to maintain the 180 degree rule in his animation by keeping the background of the house and the room they stand in as 2D props rather than an actual setting, and by keeping with one shot and having characters walk on frame he maintains the audience as a single objective point of view. Another rule of film that the online video “How to Play the Violin” maintains is the rule of thirds, it accomplishes this by keeping the main characters in center frame for the entire duration of the video and only allowing one character to leave after a new character has already entered. One rule that the clip failed to establish was the 30 degree rule. It fails to establish this rule because of the lack of transitions within the sequence and also because the director likely had no new information that would be expressed by changing angles. The first reason/excuse Jason could have used for breaking the 30 degree rule was that the video itself was too short to include a lot of expensive shots and transitions. The simplicity of the shots also help the humorous aspect of the animation by making the video easier to watch the director widens the range of his audience to a younger demographic. Jason Steele displayed an excellent talent for directing by including even a couple rules of film that might not otherwise be acknowledged in a short animation.