Scene Deconstruction

One of the themes of this movie, and this scene in particular, is that people cannot live their lives to the fullest until they accept that they are going to die someday. This scene is especially important in the portrayal of this theme because it is when one of the characters finally accepts the lesson. In this scene, the theme is told in a very didactic way. One of the main characters is literally explaining it to another one, which is about as didactic as a theme can get without it being explicitly stated to the audience by a narrator.

                

         One of the elements this scene utilizes well is line. As soon as one character grabs the other character’s hand, a very important line has been created. This line shows who is in power. When their hands touch, Brad Pitt is sitting and the line tilts up toward Edward Norton. As soon as the hand starts to burn, however, Edward Norton drops and suddenly the line shows that Brad Pitt in control, because he is higher up. The line between the characters creates a subtext of power. Although this particular scene is told in a very didactic manner, there is still a lot of subtext going on in this scene as well as the whole movie. The subtext is easy to create due to the unreliable narrator. Additionally, the diagonal lines of Brad Pitt’s collar shows that he is a forceful, driven character. As Norton tries to resist him, there are quick cuts to some vertical trees, exemplifying his stubbornness when it comes to change.

             Another one of the elements that this scene relies heavily on is movement. The movement between the two characters exemplifies the tension of the scene. There are a lot of small, quick movements going on as one character is trying to hold another one still. Once the movements come down to a minimum, Brad Pitt’s character gives the other character the vinegar, and Edward Norton’s character falls down to show that tension has been released. The movement helps with the theme because one character is trying to get the other to accept the fact that he will die, but the other character is resisting, just like the way they are moving. Their conflict of interest is also exemplified by the movement of point of interest, which changes every time the camera switches between characters. There is very limited camera movement in this scene except for one particular shot that tilts down from Edward Norton’s face to his burning hand. It is no coincidence that the only movement the camera makes in this scene occurs at the same time that the character accepts his face. This camera movement symbolizes the shift in Edward Norton’s character.

Animation Deconstruction

Both of these images are from the Pixar film Monsters Inc. Both images feature the same amount of saturation, due to the style of the film. The first image, however, uses a lot of vibrant hues for both the characters and the background to show the energy in the scene. In the second one, however, the hues are warmer to give a sense of being in a safe place. The first image is also much brighter, because it is during the day, while the second image has lower brightness to show that the little girl is getting ready for bed. As far as lighting, the first image is very well lit with few shadows to create the mood of admiration and happiness. There is actually a sort of spotlight effect on the center characters to symbolize the admiration they are receiving from the other characters. The spotlight shines on the two monsters as the other characters adore them in slightly darker lighting. The heavy shadows used in the second image, along with the girl’s facial expressions, give off a mood of fear. She is afraid of the antagonist of the movie, who is pictured in the drawing she is holding so that the storytellers can tell the young audience what she is afraid of in a didactic manner. The movement of the characters in each scene is very different. In the first, the two main characters are sort of strutting to show their pride. These characters are using slow, large scale movements to show their high status in the scene. While these two characters have very different models, their movements parallel each other. In contrast to these movements the little girl uses very small, quick movements in comparison to show how afraid she is. Secondary movements happen when the big blue character walks and his hair fluffs around, which also happens to occur with the girl’s pigtails when she shakes her head. The green character has the secondary movement of his bag swinging back and forth. The principle of squash and stretch is displayed in the blue characters large stomach, which bounces up and down as he walks.

Storyboard Imitation

(I don't have anything to scan my storyboard onto the computer, so I will give it to you in the lab)

The scene of these men talking in a bar in the film Reservoir Dogs by Quentin Tarantino is a great example of how dialogue scenes with multiple characters should be shot. In this scene, the director rarely breaks any of the three rules, and when he does he has a clear purpose for doing so. The rule of 30 is always followed, as every consecutive shot switches angles at least thirty degrees. The rule of thirds is usually followed, because the point of interest (in this case, the heads of the characters) is always put on an intersection of the imaginary grid in the shot. This rule is broken, however, when only Mr. Orange is in the shot. In these shots, Mr. Orange talking is the only thing happening in the frame, so he is obviously the point of interest, yet the director puts him in the center of the shot. The director does this to show that during this scene, Mr. Orange is the center of attention. He gets away with this because there is nothing else in the frame to distract the viewer, so Mr. Orange doesn’t have to be on one of the intersections. The rule of 180 is followed, although it may seem like it isn’t at times. Because there are three characters listening to Mr. Orange, the 180 line shifts depending on who is talking back to him, and once you take that into consideration you realize that the director has not broken the rules at all. At first the camera has to stay to the left (if you’re facing Mr. Orange) of the 180 degree line, but once Eddy speaks up the 180 degree line changes and therefore the director can move the camera to whichever side he wants to begin the conversation between them.

Song Deconstruction

I am going to compare a the listening framework of a song and a cover of it.

Electioneering by Radiohead
Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm)

• Tempo: This song has a very fast tempo, except for the very beginning and a small part before the guitar solo.
• Source: The rhythm of this song comes from the drums, along with a lot of help from the cowbell and tambourine.
• Groove: The song has a sort of modernized 60's rock feel with a hint of eastern sound in a few parts.

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

• Instrumentation: The instrument that stands out the most in this song is the crazy lead guitar, which is heavily distorted and does the most for the song. The song is almost a battle between the lead guitar riffing and the lead singer wailing his lyrics about corrupt politicians. Underneath it is some rhythm guitar and a grooving bass track. Finally, there are the drums, the cowbell, and the tambourine keeping time.
• Structure/Organization: The song begins with a quick intro, then goes straight into a verse. This is followed by the chorus, another verse, and the chorus again. After the second chorus, there is a slow breakdown, and then the tempo picks back up and an energetic guitar solo finishes the song.
• Emotional Architecture: The eerie sounds that the song starts with makes you question where the song is headed, and then the actual song begins and emotion starts to pick up. Energy peaks twice at the chorus, and then drops down to a low to build tension during the breakdown. This tension is released with the guitar solo, which is the part of the song with the most emotion. Overall, the song is a roller coaster of emotion with its biggest drop and peak at the very end.

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

• Height: The song has a lot of height. The bass is very low, which contrasts the very high notes reached by the lead guitar and the singer's voice.
• Width: The song has a decent amount of width. Right from the very beginning the eerie intro pans strange sounds left and right. During the actual songs, there are several instruments, particularly the guitars, that only play on a certain side.
• Depth: The song has a good amount of depth. There are around 5 instruments that are playing at any given time, and that's if you count the tambourine, cowbell, and drums all as one instrument.

Electioneering by Cold War Kids

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm)

• Tempo: This song has a very slow tempo, especially compared the original song.
• Source: The rhythm comes from the very simple drums.
• Groove: The song gives off a very minimalist feel with some hints of blues because of the singer's voice.

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

• Instrumentation: This is a much simpler song compared to Radiohead's version. The only particularly noticeable instruments, and certainly the ones driving the song, are the singer's voice and the drums. Some piano does come in for the latter half of the song, and if you listen closely there is some intermittent bass work. A couple other instruments chime in quietly and rarely.
• Structure/Organization: Much like the instrumentation, the structure of the song is very simple. There is a quick intro of the drums playing the rhythm, then a verse, a chorus, another verse, and another chorus. The drums play on for a few more bars and the song ends.
• Emotional Architecture: The emotion during the song does not really vary at all. The song gives off a very dry tone throughout, and the only instrument that seems to be doing any work is the singer's voice. Again, the contrast to the original is astounding.

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

• Height: The song has a good amount of height. The bass, although it is quiet, is extremely low, and the singer goes very high, especially during the chorus.
• Width: There is very little width in this song. The instruments do not pan left and right very much if at all.
• Depth: The depth in this song is also limited. Like I mentioned before, there are really only two consistent instruments. At certain points the bass, piano, drums, and voice are all going, but overall there is not a lot of depth going on.

The combination of this Radiohead song and the cover of it by Cold War Kids is a great example of how differently the same song can be approached. It’s simply amazing how one interpretation of a song can make me want to jump around and yell but a different interpretation of the same song makes me sit still and sends shivers down my spine. Yes, the songs have exactly the same lyrics. It is, after all, a cover. The melody is generally the same, although they are in different keys. The organization is the same, although the cover has no guitar solo (and no guitar, for that matter). Even though it is the “same song,” the similarities basically end here. In the original, the tempo is very high; it is an energized rock song. The cover, on the other hand, is a slow, brooding, interpretation. Radiohead’s original is incredibly intense, but the cover is not intense at all. In fact, I would just describe it as tense. The song is so slow and the singer’s voice is so screechy that it is kind of a frightening song. The instruments in the original, especially the lead guitar, are quite distorted and have a lot of timbre. Everything in the cover is clean, almost to an uncomfortable extent. I would describe the cover as “brutally honest.” These different versions are so different that it seems to create different meanings for the same lyrics, or at least different attitudes. The lyrics, as they are written, are satirical and meant to be written from the perspective of a corrupt politician who “trusts he can rely on your vote.” In Radiohead’s version, it makes me feel angry towards this politician, because he sounds arrogant and irritating. In the version by Cold War Kids, even though the lyrics are exactly the same, it makes me feel afraid of this politician, because the slow tempo and the way the song is sung makes it intimidating. Which one is my favorite is a difficult choice, because I love both of the songs, but if I had to choose I would pick the Radiohead version, because I enjoy the lead guitar and quick pace. That being said, I still enjoy the cover because it is such a dark derivative from the original.

Reflections on Sound Design

Reservoir Dogs, Commode Story scene

This scene from Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs uses several elements of sound to enhance and manipulate the experience for the audience. Towards the end of this scene we see a fantastic example of the Gestalt principle in action. Using the concept of figure and ground, the sound of the hand dryer is immediately brought to the forefront of the soundscape, so much so that the other sounds are barely audible. We can also see that use of proximity and similarity between Freddy's dialogue in the bar and his voice over in the bathroom. Although both examples are him speaking, the bar music cuts off whenever it switches to voice-over, which helps create sudden tension. When he is talking in the bar, the story seems just like a regular guy sharing a funny experience. On the other hand, when his dialogue is contrasted against the silent background of the bathroom, the story seems like a dangerous encounter that could lead to severe consequences. Time is also affected by sound in this scene. As the hand dryer continues, the sound’s tone changes to make it seem like time is slowing down. So this is a perfect example of speed and loudness affecting subjective time.

Brainwashed

http://changethis.com/manifesto/66.01.Brainwashed/pdf/66.01.Brainwashed.pdf

“Acknowledging the lizard” is the idea of identifying the part of you that is slowing down your creative process, and then silencing it. One might argue that the biggest rival an artist has is himself, the lizard part of himself. The lizard is afraid of failure, afraid of change, afraid of risks. A successful artist cannot have this part of their brain controlling their lives. Another layer is “make art.” It makes sense that if you an artist, you must have art that has yet to be made. However, simply making it is not enough, which brings us to the ‘Ship’ layer. No one should let their art sit in their mind or their room where no one can see it, they have to get it out there, they have to get people to listen, see appreciate their art. The lizard will absolutely hate this, but it must be done.

I am actually surprised that I am saying this, but honestly I think that these blogs are very connected to these layers and the process of reinventing myself. My instinct is to dismiss weekly assignments as mundane, unnecessary busy work, but this blog has actually been very helpful for me. Reading these articles and writing these blogs, I have learned more about my strengths and weaknesses as an artist, and I have put serious thought and effort into reinventing myself. These assignments are stirring legitimate changes in not only the way my creative process works, but also my perspective on life in general.

 To be honest, if not for this assignment, I would have probably eaten Cheetos instead of reading this article about reinventing myself as an artist. At this very moment, instead of thinking “these are delicious,” I am thinking “I have overcome my lizard to the point where I am not afraid to make art, but I have issues when it comes to ‘shipping.’ I need to fix this, because otherwise the only thing I will ever create will be a handful of unfinished projects that no one has seen besides me.” Clearly the latter is simulating my brain in much more positive way. By writing out my thoughts in these blogs, I have brought to life ideas that I did not know were even in my mind. Once I write explicitly what I need to do in order to succeed, it seems obvious, but while it was just an idea in my head, it was vague and difficult to pinpoint.

Most importantly, these blogs have made me hungry for more self-examination and improvement of my creative process that will extend beyond just the winter quarter of my freshman year in college. It is not enough to reinvent myself and be done. I want to be constantly and consistently reinventing myself not only as an artist but as a person.  No matter how great an artist becomes, there is always space for improvement; space that the artist should constantly be filling up. This quarter, in more ways than just this blog, has started up something inside me that I will not allow to be stopped by anyone or anything. As it says in Brainwashed, we are living in a time where our opportunities as artists are virtually limited, and one would have to be a fool not to take them.

My lizard has an issue with posting this blog, but I’m just going to ignore him.

Finding Your Howl

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

The second half of this article is about the story the author’s fifth grade classmate wrote. His story was that of a tiger trying to escape a cage by jumping out, but every time he does, he lands in another cage. The author of the article finds this tale to be representative of the process of finding true freedom. We cannot take the quick way out; we must deal with our cage instead of trying to escape from us. We cannot escape the cage, because it will never leave us, but we can destroy it instead.

 “When you’re haunted by the demons that’ll never let you rest

Not shy in front of crowds but shy in front of just one guest

Not dumb enough to win at the game

But not smart enough to dumb it down and take it away

It’s black and white

Like space at night

If you wanna be like us you better work every night”

-Julian Casablancas, My Drive Thru

These lyrics speak to me in a big way because they discuss the way I see the journey to success and freedom as an artist. Much like Jonathon Flaum discusses in Finding Your Howl, I have come to the conclusion in my life that the only where that I will reach a place I want to be is through a large amount of pain and hard work. In a short amount of words, Julian Casablancas says a lot about this process. The way I see it, Casablancas elaborates on the problem and the infinite hassles revolving around it, but then turns around and comments on how obvious the solution is.

The problem is the difficulty in reaching success. No matter what someone aims to do in life, there will always be obstacles. The greater the goal is, the more terrifying the obstacles are. In relation to the lyrics, these obstacles are the “demons that will never let you rest.” These demons are what pester most people into quitting, for one must deal with them in order to get where they want to go, and they are always a force to be reckoned with. These demons can be anything from people trying to bring the dream down to one’s own lack of confidence. Confidence is what I feel the next line is talking about. Often people appear to know exactly what they are doing in front of others or a ‘crowd,’ but really when they look at the mirror, they are “in front of just one guest,” and they feel terrified. I would be lying if I said that I have not often pretended to be in control while on the inside feel completely lost. But one must deal with their issues inside to get results outside. If someone does not think they cannot do something, they are right. Before an action can be done, or a goal can be reached, or a dream can be achieved, one must truly believe that he or she has the ability to do so. In my opinion, self-confidence is the most important factor in any action, no matter how large or small, but the larger the action, the more self-confidence it takes.

Next, Casablancas discusses an issue that I personally struggle with very much with many goals I take on, doing the dirty work. What I mean by that is, in order to do something great, one has to do an incredible amount of work that he or she will not consider ‘great.’ Everyone has to start from the bottom, and many people might look at work they consider ‘beneath them,’ and either abandon the task altogether or try to skip ahead, both of which lead to failure. People see the ‘game’ but don’t consider themselves dumb enough to stoop that low, but by refusing to play, they take away their opportunity to win. As Casablancas explains, if they were smarter, they would “dumb it down and take it away.” Stop being pretentious, grit your teeth, and grind through the difficult work. I have found myself many times wasting time trying to find a shortcut to a desired goal instead of buckling down and doing what I know must be done.

After all of this talk about the difficulty of reaching a goal, Casablancas is very concise when he explains solution. In his words, the solution is “black and white.” In order to be like him or other successful artists, “you gotta work every night.” All of the discussion on obstacles and goals boils down to this simple fact: if you want something, you have to be relentless. The only way to be the best at something is to do it all the time every day without ever letting up. For me, a true understanding of this concept is the most powerful tool I have as an artist. Now is the time to work towards my goals tirelessly. I’ll have time for a break when I’m dead.

Deconstructing Characters

The protagonist: The exploiter

The colors of the exploiter are red and blue. Red is to represent freedom, and blue is to represent truth. This character is all about free speech and is a huge opponent of censorship in a time when it is dangerous to have that stance. The colors have to be very vibrant, because it shows that he wants things to be clear and out in the open. This serves as a contrast to the bleak colors of his antagonist. The blue and red also work well together aesthetically as they are both primary colors. 

The lighting that the Exploiter is usually portrayed in is a sort of glowing. The exploiter should always appear as he is emitting light wherever he is. This lighting is representative of the way the Exploiter uses investigative journalism to uncover government secrets the people deserve to know about that are kept in the dark. The exploiter shines his light, and similarly, uncovers truth wherever he goes. The lighting shows portrays him as the hope for the people who cannot see through the darkness that the government has created with its lies and secrets.

The Exploiter’s look is based on several triangle shapes, because triangles are well defined and the Exploiter does not like things that are vague, because he sees vague information as a way to trick people into thinking everything is fine, when in face the opposite is true. Additionally, since a spearhead is commonly a triangle shape, it also shows how the Exploiter is the ‘spearhead’ of a rebellious movement against government censorship. The triangle shape portrays the Exploiter as a leader, someone who is not afraid to be the first to say something is wrong with the way things are.

The antagonist: Agent 001

The colors of Agent 001 are black, grey and white. This monochromatic color scheme is representative of the censorship agency he works for. This agency wants a world where the truth is not clear, and everything is a sort of a mix of lies and truth in which nobody can tell the difference which is which. Essentially, it is a monochromatic color scheme for Agent 001’s monotonous idea of a perfect world. The way his colors essentially lack any saturation at all is a striking contrast to the Exploiter’s vibrant blue and red.  Agent 001 and his employers want the world to be ‘colorblind,’ so to speak, to the dangerous methods of the government.

Agent 001 and any other agents that may appear in a story are always depicted in shadows. Agent 001 should usually be barely visible, much like the secrets he keeps. It is Agent 001’s job to keep things hidden, so he himself should always appear to be hidden. This type of lighting is representative of the way the government does not want its secrets to be brought into the light. While the exploiter is always trying to uncover something with light, Agent 001 is always trying to hide something with darkness. The two are in a perpetual battle, for their goals are completely opposite.

Agent 001’s look is based on a square, because squares are so rigid. The rigidness represents Agent 001’s unflinching obedience to his employers, due somewhat to brainwashing but also to misguided views on his past. Square is also a good shape to represent big government, because the square sort of creates a metaphorical fence, with the edges representing the law. No matter how unjust a law may be, if a citizen steps ‘outside’ of these boundaries, his motive is not taken into account, he is punished. Agent 001 does not make exceptions or bend the rules, he is rigid, like a square.