Blog 4 - Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook

In the scene the characters are shown in their most vulnerable moment. The scene style is a long duration shot in which the characters are shown with a dialogue and a jump cut as a implication of tension. The character Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) is a widow who everyone regards as “slutty and weird.” The character Patrick or Pat (Bradley Cooper) is a divorced man with bipolar disorder. In the scene, both characters have become more acquaintance with each other and could be described as “friendlier.”

The scene starts with a shot of Tiffany seating at a dinner table. Then, Pat moves into the shot, the movement and the angle of the camera creates the illusion of time. The camera is positioned at a 180-degree angle to project the characters without confusing the viewer. The scene is taken by the style of long duration by the characters dialogue. The scene is important to the movie because it is where both character are becoming more comfortable with each other but Pat is a troublesome character that creates tension throughout the movie. The sounds on the scenes are diegetic because the music played inside the dinner is a part of the scene. The part where Tiffany throws the bowl and the utensils to the floor, the music from the dinner gets lower and the sound of silver and breaking of the bowl takes is higher o imply her anger and to match the movement that the character just created. In the dinning room, the lighting is Hard Key and it used to display the character without any shadows and to show the space and the tone of the dialogue between the characters.  
Tiffany storms out of the dinner and is followed by Pat; there is a jump cut in the scene because it has to create the indication of tension between the characters. The sounds outside the dinner are matched by the traffic and the movie theater background noise. In the street, the lighting in the scene is a Low Key; it is used to create a sort of shadow, tension and it is related to the dramatic scene. The scene is the beginning of the portrayals of each character’s real emotions and the start of a connection between the characters.   

Extra Credit - Nam June Paik: Becoming a Robot

Nam June Paik:

Becoming a Robot

   The exhibition was presented in two floors at the Asia Society and Museum. Nam June Paik was a visionary artist and innovator. He was considered the “father of video art.” He used the combination of technology and science. He uses the magnet against a TV to see the outcome as a experiment. The TV was blurry and it looked as bunch of lines (sort of a hypnotizing.) His creations are very interesting in my opinion. As I started on the second floor of the exhibition, I perceived a very interesting history regarding his work. The work that impacted me was the Robot Brain created in 1965; it is two metal boxes with computers, cables, connection, from 1961, on wooden base under glass done (as shown in the exhibition.)

   I encountered a work that was created by Nam June Paik with the collaboration of Howard Weinberg and Charlotte Moorman “Topless Cellist” created in 1995. I founded very interesting at the usage of a technology and art as a representation of a female body. The two small screens used as a “bra” and the cello as a cover and a representation of art. The usage of angles in the small screens to portray the face of Charlotte Moorman was very detailed and carefully planned. The music from the cello and the movement of the instrument was a movement that required precision; it was requirement for the creation of stability in the movement of the screens used as a “bra.” There was a room specifically dedicated to Charlotte Moorman. I saw her work and her clothes. There were precisely 13 pieces of clothing, 7 photos of her career and a poster. Charlotte Moorman is described as a very important contributor to Nam June Paik’s work.

   There were many exhibitions of Nam June Paik’s work but I will be focusing on the Family Robots (1986), three camera participation (1969-2001) and Golden Buddha (2005).

The Family Robots is constructed by The Father, The Mother and The Baby. They were all built in 1986. The Father and The Mother are built by vintage televisions and radio casings and monitors, tuners, liquid crystals; the displays are in color and silent. The Baby is built by thirteen television monitors and aluminum armature color, the display is in color and silent. (The shapes are built to portray a robot with a head, arms, torso and legs.)

   The three camera participation was located on the third floor in its own room. The room was composed of three cameras with three different shades, a TV and addition lights to illuminate the space. As I stood in front of the three cameras, I saw into the TV a shape of my face in three colors as a shadow. The reason for the illusion of colors is given by a closed circuit transmission, it occurs when a  signal from a video camera is delivered to a monitor directly through a cable link and projects onto the monitor screen which projects red, green and blue.

   The Golden Buddha was the last exhibition I stopped by. It was located on the third floor. The Golden Buddha consisted of a Bronze Buddha with permanent oil maker, a 27 inch monitor and a closed circuit video camera.  The exhibition was really attractive with all the colors, cameras, screens and artistic values.         

          

The Final Exam - Continuity Project

• The continuity project , initiated with the idea of a Hunter College student (Alan) trying to reach his final undergrad exam. Throughout the film, the character will be running, in order to make it to his exam. It was the final exam for him to graduate on time. At the end, the final was cancelled.
• The first shot, shows the character in his home studying for his final and realizes that it was already late. The second shot shows his apartment. The third shot shows him walking towards his bike, but it was stolen so he must run. The next part is a sequence of the character running towards his destination (Hunter College.) The next two shots shows him going into the Hunter College building and going up the stairs as fast as he could. The last scene is his realization of the cancellation of the final exam.
• Alan was the actor and we both had the opportunity to shot with the camera. We both directed the scenes when we were shooting. When we were editing, we both had the same ideas to piece together to create the film.
• The .mov file was given in class.

Credits: 

• Filmed and edited by : Yuliana Chu and Alan Marchio.
• Actor: Alan Marchio.

·