Blog 10A: Freak Factor

Freak Factor

David Rendall provides 14 steps on how to overcome your weaknesses with one key factor in common: don't overcome your weaknesses. For most people (including me), this seems backwards, but Rendall contends that efforts to fix weaknesses often fail and the time is better spent building on strengths.

Unfortunately for Rendall, I disagree with him on just about every step. Like Step 3: Flawless - There's Nothing Wrong With You. In this "step", he states that every strength has a corresponding weakness, and vice versa. Adventurous people are usually irresponsible and realistic people are often negative. He then goes into different weaknesses, like addiction and dyslexia, and talks about the benefits gained from each one if you harness the power of the weakness and use it to your advantage. Where Rendall lost me on this one is when he talks about a drug addict who switched to being an Ironman Triathlon Addict. He talks about his road to recovery, how he started multiple non profit organizations to help other addicts, and how he didn't try and fix his addiction. The next sentence is, "he has lost everything again. he’s had cars repossessed and houses foreclosed and that is after becoming sober. his financial losses are due to his fanatical pursuit of the organization’s mission and he makes no apologies". Yeah, sounds like a great idea to me.

The next step, "Dont Try to Fix Your Weaknesses", lists reasons why you should ignore things you aren't good at.
It is slow. It is difficult to make progress in our areas of weakness. Its difficult to do anything worthwhile in life. Just because it's hard doesn't mean that people should ignore it. Working on a weakness might help you find other strengths that you can use to your advantage. For example, I used to be really bad at socializing with people I didn't know very well. I was awkward at small talk, so I realized the problem and battled it, forcing myself to be put in situations where it was required. Over time, I became much better at it. When I went to California for an internship, I was working with a very talented cinematographer. While we were setting up lighting equipment, I started up a small talk conversation that grew into a very intelligent discussion on DSLR cameras. He gave me advice on lenses, the name of a good website, and his business card in case I wanted to email him about any questions.
It is painful. We don't enjoy working on our weaknesses. And? I don't enjoy going to class every day, but I do because I believe a degree will help clear the path that I want to follow of thorns and branches. I don't enjoy these blogs but I do them because getting a good grade in the class will make things easier in the future. Sometime things suck, but the end result just might be worth it.

Step 6: "Focus: You Can't Do Both". Easily the most common excuse I hear. Focusing on strengths and weaknesses takes up too much time, effort, slows progress, is difficult, doesn't work, blah blah blah. Kind of like how you can't have a job and work on a project at the same time, you have to quit your job for it. You can work on both at the same time, you might just have to cut down on the three hours of television you watch every night or the time you spend reading these manifestos.

I found my weaknesses very early on in life by simple self reflection and listening to the constructive criticism of others. I am not a people person, I would prefer to sit in the back and make pizzas at Donatos instead of working up front with the customers. I am not a big reader either, and creating a good story involves analyzing the structure and content of other stories. I procrastinate very frequently, My weaknesses define me as a person, but if I work to eliminate them, I believe that will only make me better.

Blog 8A: Superhero Powers

Click here to listen to the First Act of "Superpowers"

Easiest assignment ever. Spider man is the superhero of all superheros (Superman sucks). Although I haven't had any experiences like Chris Ware where I thought I was actually a superhero or wore a costume hoping that someone would think for a split second "that guy is a superhero!", I used to dream about slinging webs out of my wrists and saving hot babes from complete destruction. You could go anywhere, but unlike teleportation, you get to experience the traveling in a whole new way. Of course, I never dreamed about being evil. I always wanted to be the superhero, never the villain. Superpowers are meant for helping people who cannot help themselves. I am drawn towards both Peter Parker and Spider man because one is easy to relate to and one is easy to dream about. Peter Parker is a completely normal guy, just like me, but also has the ability to change into Spider Man. This inspired me in ways to try and transform myself into something greater than myself.

Extra Credit Assignment

Here is a picture of a research project at the Creative Expo

The project was about a new way to store information using three dimensional hologram space instead of traditional two dimensional ways like CD's and blu-ray disks. Although I looked at a lot of other creative projects, this scientific one caught my eye. The student involved with the project explained the process to me, which involves a lot of chemistry and math, but I didn't understand it completely. He said they are using a new compound that is easily created to store information, and storing it in a 3D area allows a lot more information to be held than before.

Hero/Villain Assignment

Villain Picture

Villain Animation

Joke Video Critique

I chose to contrast my video with this video

 There are noticeable differences within the first few seconds of each video that helps contrast the two and stand them apart. One example is the use of lines. The other video has a very strong usage of lines made by the table, couch, and counters that helps frame the main character and separate them from the rest of the background. In our video, the usage of lines was a lot weaker and may have negatively affected our video. Although it was weak, there were still some lines that helped frame the main character in our video, like the implied lines from all of the office supplies and the card on the table. 

Another key aspect of the videos is movement. There is an affinity between the videos when it comes to using movement to emphasize important objects in the shot. For instance, to emphasize the train in the other video, nothing else is moving while the character plays with the train. The same goes with the bandana being put on the main character in our film; while it is being tied, nothing else is moving in the tightly framed shot. This being said, the movement during the office scene may take away from the phone call, but it places importance on the frantic and busy aspect of the scene.

Overall, both videos utilize these key topics to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the film. The video my group created is below, and the other video can be found with the link above.

 

Video Game Audio Critique

In a video game, lighting is very important because it helps focus attention on important objects, invoke emotion, and create shape and depth. I chose portal 2 because it has an aesthetically beautiful environment with creative and puzzling game play.
A good example of using lighting to create emotion is given right at the start of this level. After falling through a tunnel, you end up in a mysterious place, with bright fires that create harsh shadows in the corners.
PAUSED: The hard lights that point to the wall helps the player identify which walls they can shoot portals at. There are three lights; one closer to the player that is usable, one that is not, and one that is usable but on the other side of the fence. Without those intense lights above the walls, it would be difficult to separate them from the rest of the less intensely lit environment and would result in much slower game play through a part that is supposed to be pretty easy.
Most of the usable walls are lit with lights, especially if they are far away. Here are a few examples.
If this tiny pathway wasn't lit brighter than its surroundings, many players wouldn't think to jump and walk on it. Because it is brighter, it is separated and easily identified.
When the "do not enter" signs start popping up, the player knows that something difficult is coming up. The lighting creates an affinity with the danger signs when it progressively gets darker as the player moves on, up to where it is almost black. The game designers put this as a very symbolic way to create a buildup of suspense when traveling down this path.
PAUSED: The way lighting can create space is used when the player looks up at the ceiling of this seemingly endless room. The top of the room through the fog seems to be really bright, reinforcing the idea that you are reeeallly far down when contrasted with the dark corners that are all around you. It is also very blue, creating a mysterious or sad emotion, while dispersing throughout the entire room. When the light gets more dispersed, it helps create distance between the player and that object.

Video Response to "How to be Creative"

How to be Creative

(The video above is just me reading what is below. It kept cutting out because I couldn't simultaneously read what I wrote and record at the same time, and however I am exporting seems to be incompatible with blogger. Below are some of the images that I put in the original video)

After reading more and more of these "How to"'s, '#' steps to spark creativity manifestos, I agree with them less. I've come to the conclusion that the summation of all these writings, put together in one sentence, speaks "You don't need to read these". Differences aside, they all convey the idea that creativity resides within yourself. I feel the same about these blogs, but I understand why they are required.

I did agree with the "dying young is overrated" step, but that's probably because I get extremely annoyed with drugs. From taking adderal to study for a big test to using dangerous drugs in order to get that "creative edge", it all bothers me. If you can't pass the class without using adderal, then you shouldn't be taking the class, and if you can't make a great piece of art without smoking weed to see the vision, then you shouldn't be creating the art in the first place. That is like giving marijuana a title of "co-author", and if I'm going to do that, then weed better start scheduling some shoots or getting me coffee or something.

Even before finishing the first step to "being creative", I found myself in disagreement with the author. "Ignore everybody". I'm pretty sure a blog we read or a video we watched last week stated that great ideas are found in the combination of smaller ideas between people. I believe that the greatest story ever created doesn't have one author. Listening is an important skill, and being able to use constructive criticism to your advantage is even more important of a skill. Do not ignore anyone; that 'spark' of creativity might be encoded in their words when they tell you that your idea sucks.

I am in between agreeing and disagreeing on the last step I picked, which states that the most important thing a creative person can learn, professionally, is to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do and what you are not. I agree with MacLeod that a line should be created, but I think what a lot of people do is create the line too close to familiar ground instead of venturing out a little bit farther, and I think that's where a lot of artists tend to sell themselves short. You have to keep going until you get a little uncomfortable, go a little bit more, then settle down for a bit. Once you get comfortable with that, repeat. I don't think you should ever take a permanent marker, draw a line, then say "I'm not budging from this spot". World changes too fast for most people to do that and still "climb their everest", reaching that highest goal that they set out for. Get a dry erase marker instead, and draw with that.

Memento Audio Critique

For some reason, the audio part of these videos do not seem to work right. I've typed out basically what I said, and the pauses are still in the video

Additionally, blogger refuses to upload the video every time I try to export. The original video is here, but the times will be off. Hopefully I can get the video up soon

0:15 eyes are lead to the object by lines of fingers and use of lighting
0:24 Teddy is framed by the stair railing
0:47 space is created in the hallway when he picks him up and slams him on the other wall
0:51 during the conversation, your eye has to move across the screen, showing the harsh contrast between the characters
1:08 paused: a great example of framing. Leonard is framed by the white curtain in the background, while Teddy is framed by the darker walls. The lines used in the video help subconsciously make decisions on what we think about the characters. There is not very many visual depth cues, which might make the hallway seem very small and compact.
1:45 paused: this part is really interesting. When it cuts to the wife from Teddy, the eye has to move, but when it cuts to the wife from Leonard, the eye does not have to move at all. This creates a connection between Leonard and the wife, while creating distance between Teddy and the wife. When it cuts from Teddy to the needle, however, the eye does not need to move at all.
2:24 as the conversation gets less heated, albeit more interesting, the eye has to travel less distance between Teddy and Leonard. This is at the turning point where the audience begins to believe Teddy over Leonard.
3:26 Leonard is framed by the small, cracked pillar.  The lines don't go past the screen, symbolizing his diminishing foothold on the truth and his power in the conversation.
4:19 The lines created by his fingers lead the eye straight to the photo

Visual Framing

Original Photo by Sally Mann

Reframed

This photo, taken by Sally Mann, encompasses a variety of skillful photo techniques that affect the viewer subconsciously. In the original, the usage of lines is very powerful with the horizontal band running across the child's eyes, his arms following the same pattern underneath, and the vertical object coming up by his chest. All of these lines lead the viewer to the head and upper chest of the child. Although blurred, the background is still distinguishable as a pond with the bank on the other side. The water acts as a depth cue, but not very well because of the blur and angle of the photograph.

By re-framing the image, I emphasized the bottom left section of the photo. Although the use of lines is still apparent, it is much weaker than in the original because there is less of it. By focusing in on part of the photo, the background has also become much more dissolved, creating an ambiguous space. Also, by realigning the photo, the use of the rule of thirds is much stronger. The band falls right on the top third line, which helps create points of interest and is the first spot your eyes look at.

There are many obvious affinities between the two photographs, such as use of lines and rule of thirds. The photos are contrasted in many ways as well, such as the shot type. The first picture is more of a medium shot from the waist up, while the re-framed picture is much closer. Just like the Hung Fuey (or whatever it was called) cartoons, when the shot gets closer, there is usually more emotion or it is more intense.

Critiques

Song:
Mary Swick
Michael Mulig
Adava Gerace

Soundscape:
Chelsea Kardos
Mary Swick

Brainwashed

Brainwashed Article

Seth Godin has a very interesting outlook on the creative process, and in this article he presents seven layers that are vital to reinventing yourself. The first is about "Acknowledging the Lizard", which may sound ridiculous, but is something that every artist struggles with. In this case, the Lizard is that annoying little voice in your head that tries to discard every idea you create in fear of being made fun of. Before an artist can complete a potentially magnificent idea, he must always overpower the Lizard and continue to work out the idea. There have been many times that I have begun to flesh out an idea and stopped because I thought people may not like it or understand it, and in these psychological battles, the Lizard won.

The second layer that I identified with was the "Fail" layer. Godin suggests that artists must fail in order to succeed. This idea has been presented in a trillion different formats, like Michael Jordan talking about how many game-winning shots he's missed. For me, though, its a little different.
I have never succeeded.
And I never will.
My definition of success is to be completely done. I fail everything because I never want to be done with anything. When I 'finish' a movie and watch it, it is impossible for me to watch it without finding everything that is wrong with it. The day that I can watch a movie I made in its entirety and cannot find one mistake is the day I will succeed, but I believe that day will never come. It is because I fail, every single time, that I will become better because I will never be satisfied with what I create.

I can relate to Godin's layers until he starts applying them to school. While he basically talks about school being useless, I believe school is wonderful. It is not what we learn in math class that is important. Memorizing factors of 32 is no different than memorizing the rule of thirds. By figuring out what makes up 32, you understand the number even better than before, similar to understanding why the rule of thirds is important to follow.My knowledge of calculus may never help me in life, and I could certainly advance without knowing it. It is how I learned it that is important. Working out problems over and over again helps student develop techniques to solve other types of problems as well. It allows us to remain calm when stressful situations arise in class or during a video shoot, and that will help us create solutions to make our final product better.

New playlist2

99 Red Balloons

The song that I decided to choose is 99 Red Balloons, originally done by Nena and covered by 7 Seconds

Original

7 Seconds Cover

Although the lyrics are the same, there is a very noticeable difference between the two songs. The melody, which is basically the tune that you hum along to, is very similar but it is driven by different instruments. In Nena's version, there is a heavy synthesizer, while in the 7 Seconds version, the song is driven by the distorted guitar. With the guitar and the heavy drums, the intensity of the 7 Seconds seems higher, although the synthesizer can get pretty loud at times. The pitch of the Nena version is a significantly higher than the cover with the synthesizer playing higher notes than the guitar. Distorted effects on the guitar also changes the timbre of the instrument, making it sound more complex than the basic synthesizer notes.

The most interesting difference (or rather, similarity) between the original and the cover is the speed. Even though the two are singing the lyrics at the same speed, the 7 Seconds version seems faster because the drums are playing very rapidly.

Soundscape

Finding Your Howl

The story that Jonathan Flaum tells is about the only kid in his fifth grade class to get an A on a certain writing assignment. The students had to write a five-page long story, and the student achieved this by writing about a tiger attempting to escape from it's cage at a zoo. The tiger plans carefully and trains hard to make the jump out of its cage, but when it leaps out of its prison, it lands in another cage. To reach the five page minimum, the child repeats this action over and over.

Connecting the cage with the tiger helps us realize that the 'prisons' we surround ourselves in, which are made up of our fears, doubts, and weaknesses, are created by ourselves. Moving to a different country or trying to act differently won't change anything; to escape your cage, you have to thoroughly understand it, and instead of trying to leap out of it, you have to dig deep into the cage. Breaking through the dark unknown without the feeling of safety is the only way to create your true self.

I recently discovered a quote and have been trying to adapt it into my creative lifestyle: Don't wait until you know who you are to make something.

Do we create or do we discover?

http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/49.06.14Ways
(Click the picture on the left to get the article)

In this article, "Fourteen Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas", Mitch Ditkoff suggests possible solutions to every artist's worst nightmare: creative block. Everyone has been stuck in that 'no idea zone', but sitting in a chair with your head on the table may not be the best way to find a spark of inspiration. Ditkoff starts by explaining two basic thought processes relating to the process of getting an idea; either you create the idea by yourself, or you 'find' the idea, suggesting that all ideas that people obtain are preexisting. Then, he goes into all of the different mindsets that creative people should try to attune themselves into while trying to become innovative.

The first one that stuck out to me, something that bugs me time after time whenever I visit a movie theater or watch student films, is Noticing and Challenging Existing Patterns and Trends (#9). I have noticed that over half of the student films I have ever watched begin with/end with an alarm clock going off, mainly because I did it in one of my first movies and thought someone was trying to copy me. Now, I stray from alarm clocks as much as I can, and I feel like doing so will push me to come up with original ideas on how to start a story. Hollywood does an amazing job at noticing trends, but a terrible job at challenging them. Certain formulas for stories make the most money, and that is what most production companies look for. As an aspiring film director, I have complete disgust for it, but I understand why they do it. My only hope is that one day, the general public starts to challenge the traditional story-lines and demands more creative context.

The next one I didn't realize the tremendous effect it could have until earlier this year. Hanging Out with Diverse Groups of People (#10) can help create ideas faster than anything else I have tried. A few months ago, I went to lunch with someone I met at orientation but never really talked to until we had a class together. Just by listening to his ambitions and one of the stories he told me, I began formulating a great movie idea in my head that I plan to make in a few years. Hanging out with the same people every day means subjecting yourself to the same familiar activities and conversations. I strongly believe that real life experiences can help amplify the level of intensity or artistic emotion in a creation. Surround yourself with people you are unfamiliar with, be receptive of their ideas, stories, and beliefs, and be sure to pack a pencil and some paper.

Suspend Logic (#14). This is by far the most important part of creating ideas. Do not trash an idea before fleshing it out because its 'stupid'. While explaining the idea of one of my short films to a friend, I realized how dumb the idea sounded. "I want to make a movie where you can 'see' sounds". I almost scrapped it (the only reason I didn't was because I was on a time crunch). That idea ended up winning me multiple awards, including an entry to a contest that ultimately put $3,500 dollars into my pocket. The same goes for other films that I've watched. If I think a movie is stupid because of the title/cover/intro scene, I become easily encouraged to stop paying attention or stop watching the movie altogether. Early judgment is my worst enemy. While coming up with an idea, withhold all judgment and practicality until the very end; you might create something spectacular.

The last one ends with a question "What can you do this week to suspend practicality, logic and rationality in service to birthing your big idea?"

I did this while working on a script for one of my movie ideas I want to make when I have the resources. One of the scenes involves transforming a supermarket into a Vietnam jungle. I couldn't find a way to add water into the aisle. At first, I thought it would be too complicated or ridiculous to pull off, but I suspended my judgment and tried finding a solution. Outside of the aisles, I can put some form of water slides that can flood water through the end of it. As crazy as it sounds, it makes sense drawn out. By suspending logic, I created a solution to a problem that almost caused me to throw away a potentially interesting scene.

Inspiration

As a video production major, I tend to dissect movies and point out flaws instead of sitting back and enjoying a flick. There have been few directors who continue to impress me so much that I get 'sucked in' like the rest of the crowd, completely oblivious to the outside world while engulfed in their created story.

The first director to do this was Christopher Nolan. When watching Memento, I ignored two phone calls and postponed going to the bathroom because I did not want to interrupt the 'backwards' flow that the movie was executing so perfectly. I watched Memento when I was still debating between potential majors in the summer of my Junior year in high school. From then on, I became hooked in the production world.

The story is told with a great emphasis on subtext, particularly with having an unreliable narrator. The viewer learns very early on that the main character, Leonard, has a brain condition that inhibits him from creating new memories, resulting in him forgetting everything that just happened every ten or fifteen minutes. This creates doubt in the viewers mind at some moments as to whether or not the story being told is true.

The second director that caught my attention was Quentin Tarantino.

What I like about Quentin is his style. He has an incredible knack for creating Tension and Release in his movies. The example above may not create an uncomfortable feeling out of context, but during the movie I was on the edge of my seat. Another great example is the cabin scene of Inglorious Basterds, when the Nazi general is interrogating the owner of the home while a Jewish family is hiding beneath the floorboards of the room. One shot holds for at least two or three minutes straight, without any camera movement or dramatic character action, and creates so much tension that it is unnerving to watch.

Michel Gondry, in my opinion, is the most creative man ever to exist, ever.

During the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", the viewer notices an incredible contrast between the main characters. Clementine is spontaneous and outgoing, while Jim Carrey's character is introverted and shy. This contrast sparks many arguments between the couple. Eternal Sunshine also has a subjective meaning. During the movie, the characters' memories become so painful that they erase the memories of each other, yet at the end, fate brings them together. Should they give their relationship another try, or is failing once enough of a sign to quit?


All of these movies have great aspects that I want to creatively incorporate into my future films. These directors have truly earned the respect they have gained, and I can only hope to create a work of art that is half as good as theirs.

iPhoto Image

Photo I took in San Francisco