WEBSITE ASSIGNMENT - HYPER HAIKU

http://fmundergrad.hunter.cuny.edu/~attiasl

PORTRAIT OF A PERSON project

I lowered the volume of the music signifigantly since the audio-only version, and after the conversion, it still sounds really loud and overpowering :( sorry. "HOME IS WHERE MY MOM IS"

Untitled from linda attias on Vimeo.

A PORTRAIT OF TANNYA VIERA, BY LINDA ATTIAS

BLOG POST # 3

Production Notes


I did my project on Tannya Viera, about how many times she’s moved in her life so far. I felt really good about the questions I asked because I got very clear and long answers as a result. I did not do very much planning for the video that we took, the idea just kind of came to me at the last minute, but I think it worked out nicely. Tannya had more than enough photos for me to use, I found a perfect picture that went with almost everything she talked about. Learning how to edit was really exciting, I have multiple friends who do it for a living, and I felt like I got a little taste of how much work it actually is. I feel like I watch TV, commercials and movies completely different now; I can really see all the hard work it takes to create even something small, and it makes me appreciate it more. If I had the chance to do it over, I probably would have taken, or found more footage, I mainly just have Tannya riding on the train, but I would have loved to include video of her and her family, or her and her boyfriend, instead of just photos of them. I also would have given myself more time to plan, and maybe a little more time to edit ( I wish I knew that the lab was open during break). Overall, I’m happy with how my project turned out, if I could change one thing it would probably be the sound, it might have been fun to change it up a little or add some background noises instead of having one song from beginning to end.

"HOME IS WHERE MY MOM IS"

Untitled from linda attias on Vimeo.

An audio portrait of Tanya Viera

BLOG POST #2

SOUND-IMAGE and IMAGE-IMAGE relationship



For this assignment I chose a Volkswagen commercial titled “The Dog Strikes Back”.
I think the editing in the commercial makes a significant contribution to the storytelling of this piece, because it is from a dog’s point of view, which normally is hard to do unless the dog is talking. It starts of with a sad or lazy looking dog, and sad music in the background which helps the viewer understand what the dog is supposed to be feeling. The dog looks out the window, and the next shot is the view out the window and there is a red car driving down the street. Then right afterwards the dog tried to go out the doggie door, but the next shot from the other side of the door lets the audience know that he doesn’t fit through it. it then cuts to a shot if him looking in the mirror, making sad noises, the way the shots were edited and the sad music and noises makes the viewer feel bad for the dog without having to say anything. Once the music changes, to a more up-beat, motivational song, the dog starts to “work out”, he doesn’t eat the scraps on the floor, and the shots and music together show the viewer that he wants to get in shape, and stop being lazy. the different exercise shots, and the back and forth day and night shots show the viewer that time is passing, and its not all just happening in one day. When he gets out of the pool, he shakes off in slow motion , which emphasizes that he is almost there, and then the mirror shot come back, but this time instead of a sad little whimper, he barks with confidence.
Eventually the dog accomplishes his goal, and the next time he sees the red car he can run through the door and chase the car. The repetition of places before and after makes a more powerful effect. Most of the shots were obvious, to emphasize the duration of time, and the dog itself, but some of the cuts were seamless, for example when the dog is running across the yard and night, and then running the other direction and its all of a sudden day time. I do believe there is a “right” place to cut a shot, but I also believe that it is up to the editor, because there is lots of room for creativity, a different cut would say a different thing.

WHAT I HEAR

I start my walk at around 8pm. I walk out of my house, and the first thing I hear is the clanking of glass bottles, one of my neighbors is a bottle collector, I hear the screeching of her dinky grocery cart scraping against the sidewalk. Across the street, a bus pulls up and stops, I hear the loudness of the breaks. I continue to walk, I hear a familiar sound of wheels on pavement, and of course, I stop and look up to see some boys skateboarding at a vacant basketball court close to my house. I hear the slamming of the board to the ground after every attempted trick and the occasional cheering and clapping by the other boys that are watching. I walk a few more blocks to a busier street. Passing cars are the only things I hear for those few blocks. I start to hear loud pop music leaking out from one of the dollar stores I approach, and as I pass it, I hear a different song being blasted out of the discount electronic store next door, as if they were competing. I hear a bike bell ring as a cyclist glides by me; I hear the keys of the guy walking in front of me dangle with every step he takes. A woman walks by me quickly and I can hear the loud tapping of her heels on the ground. All of a sudden the JMZ train above my head comes, and the sound drowns out all the loud pop music and people talking on their phones for what feels like an eternity, I can even hear the doors open, and I hear the train robot say “please stand clear of the doors”. The train passes, and things feel so much quieter. I can hear other people’s phones ringing and cars honking at pedestrians in their way. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard “hey mami” enough times. As I come to a stop light I can hear the walk/don’t walk sign beeping as the red hand flashes.