Painting to Life Final Video Project: The Starry Night

“For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” -Vincent Van Gogh

The story behind our Starry Night Video:

A young and severely depressed man starts off in his lonely apartment, drinking and smoking his pain away. He feels empty and lost. Everything around him seems blurred, and the helpless feeling he faces on a daily basis makes his life feel like slow motion. He can only take so much of his lonely apartment before he goes out to get some fresh air, which he hopes will provide him with some clarity of his thoughts. Aimlessly, he roams the streets of downtown, and the drinking has made his vision blurred and disjointed. He takes some time to light up, then, he slowly continues to make his way towards the river. Along the way he talks to a homeless guy, which makes him feel comfort because he feels like he at least found someone who might understand him. This happiness does not last long, and he takes a seat under a large tree to light up once again. He ponders about his life and wonders where he can find meaning in it all. Finally, he makes his way to the water’s edge, searching for a glimmer of hope. As he looks up at the sky beyond the city’s lights, maybe he will find hope and wonder in the beauty of the starry night above him.

Derek and I did find out how hard it is to use video footage that is captured at night. The videos are obviously extremely dark and the night lights around the city make the images appear blurry. Nevertheless, we had a vision, and the editing process really helped brighten certain shots. Also, the dim lighting definitely helped create the helpless, and confused, and disjointed tone we were trying to get across to our audience. We tried to create a feeling of haziness and depression by shooting at night. We selected a location near Georgetown, which looks beautiful at night. The darkness in the video shows the darkness of the actors feelings and also provides a direct contrast to the illuminated artwork of Vincent van Gogh. The color at the end provides hope and allows one to look upon the stars and dream.

Camera Work:

0:04-0:15 : Mid Shot

0:15-0:23 : Truck In

0:24-0:28 : Close Up, Zoom In

0:29-0:37 : Zoom Out to a Wide Shot

0:38-0:50 : Wide Shot continued

0:51-1:01 Truck In

1:02-1:24 : Over the Shoulder Shot with a slight Pan Left

1:25-1:50 : Two Subject

1:51-2:19 : Zoom In

2:20-2:50 : Tilt Up

Background about the art, the artist, and our project: 

Vincent van Gogh suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy and other mental and physical disorders. He created his most famous piece of artwork, The Starry Night, while staying in an asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France. At the age of 37, he ended up shooting himself, yet suffered for two days before he passed away. We felt like the story we created was visually depicting part of his life. In the end, Vincent van Gogh found happiness in painting and creating beauty.

To learn more about the Vincent Van Gogh and his Starry Night painting visit his website! Or, check out Total History: Past, Present, and Future! 

Smart Phone Extra Credit Assignment

The wonderful photo world on an iPhone:

Since I have an iPhone, I decided to do the extra credit smart phone assignment and bought the Camera Bag and ProHDR apps. The two apps have similar qualities, yet there are a few main differences that make each app unique. I choose the food theme because I have this crazy recipe and food photography fetish.

Camera Bag:

This basic and cheap $1.99 phone app allows you to take a new photo or choose an old one from your photo library. There are four easy to understand symbols at the bottom of the screen. The first is a camera, which allows you to take a new picture. The second icon is an envelope, which allows you to immediately e-mail your picture. The third image is of a floppy disk, which allows you to save your photo, and the fourth, and final icon, is the typical iPhoto library symbol, which allows you to choose a photo from your phone’s photo library. These easy to read and understand icons make the app functional and user friendly. All you do is take or choose a photo and pick out a filter that makes the unique and helps capture the image exactly how you want to portray it. The different filters include: Helga, Colorcross, Lolo, Italiano, Cinema, Mono, Instant, Magazine, Silver, 1974, Fisheye, Infrared, Plastic, 1962, and Lightleak. Personally, my favorite filter is the Italiano, and I think it works great for taking pictures of food, particularly vegetables. If you just want to add a hip look to a photo, I would suggest Lolo, and if you have a dull colored photo of you and friend, I would recommend using the Magazine filter to brighten the image, giving it a glossy finish.

For more information about the Camera Bag app, check out their website!

ProHDR:

 This cheap $1.99 app is slightly more advanced than the Camera Bag app. First off, this app drove me nuts at first because I would accidently touch the screen, and it would begin to analyze the scene to take the picture. It takes two pictures, so you have to make sure to keep your hand steady. Otherwise, it will cause you to capture two different photos that the program combines. This is tedious because you have to hold the phone still for a longer period of time. However, what this is doing is capturing your image with exposed highlights and another for exposed shadows. Then, the app combines the two photos by aligning and merging the images, creating a stunning HDR photo. These high-resolution photos are so stunning that sometimes they appear fake and flawless, which can be nice depending on the photo and the result wanted. Similar to the Camera Bag app, ProHDR provides a handful of fun filters that can enhance the photo’s message. Unlike Camera Bag, this app has a frame category that allows you to choose from a large selection of black, white, and rainbow frames that provide your photo with a border. Also, this app allows you to add a text caption to a photo, yet, it does not allow you to move the text to a specific spot on the image. I found this app great for outdoor photos, especially large landscapes.

When you first go to take a picture, the screen has a grid set up on it, which is nice if you are applying the rule of thirds to a photo. These can also be taken off by clicking on the small image of a grid at the top left of the screen. The app also allows you to zoom in and out of an image, use a flash, set a timer that can be set up to wait for either 2 or 10 seconds, and turn the HDR setting on and off. In comparison to Camera Bag, this app allows you to choose a photo from your phone’s library or take a new image. There is also a settings function that changes the resolution of the photo and even a setting that vibrates the phone to signal that the picture was captured. One really helpful tool about this app is that it does have a help tool under the actions button on the right bottom corner of the screen.

More information about ProHDR can be found at Apple’s iTunes Preview!

The Photos:

This photo is a close up shot of a tomato, yet the Italiano filter in Camera Bag really changes the mood. It the colors make the photo more dramatic and intriguing.

This is the same tomato, but I snapped the photo while it was being washed because I loved the water flowing from bottom. I edited this photo in ProHDR and used the sepia filter and added the basic frame.

This photo is of a watermelon that I shot in the grass and enhanced using ProHDR. Utilizing the concept of negative space, I set the filter on vignette, added a thin white frame, lowered the brightness, increased the contrast, and turned the saturation all the way up. These enhancements made the grass look extremely green and made the red of the watermelon really pop against the luscious green background.

In this photo, I took a low angle, close up shot of the same watermelon, which provided a beautiful shallow depth of field to the image. All I did was go into Camera Bag and change the filter to Magazine, which brighten and enhanced the already vibrant colors of the striking photo.

This is another low angle, close up shot of the watermelon, yet the photo was enhanced in ProHDR. All I did was use the Glamour filter, lower the brightness, and increase both the contrast and the saturation of the photo. I particularly love the beautiful blue color of the sky, and I think the scene frames the watermelon to look juicy and delicious.

This photo of the watermelon was also enhanced in ProHDR. The original image was definitely lacking an artist look. After testing different settings, I ended up lowering the brightness, slightly increasing the contrast, and slightly decreasing the saturation. These enhancements give the watermelon a much darker look, create a nice shadow, and really make the natural light from the window stand out and contrast with the darkness of the photo.

This is a photo of a cantaloupe that I enhanced in Camera Bag. All I did was change it to the Helga filter, which really brought out the juicy texture of the fruit.

This is a photo of half a cantaloupe, parts that have been sliced, a knife, and a bowl filled with the cut up fruit. I like the photo because it tells a story of the process of serving the fresh fruit. All I did was go into Camera Bag and change the filter to Magazine, which gave it the glossy, bright finish.

This is a close up picture of fresh raspberries that I enhanced in ProHDR. I turned the brightness all the way up, slightly increased the contrast, and completely lowered the saturation. This almost makes the berries appear fake, but it also allows you to clearly see the detail and texture of the fruit.

This is a simple photo of cut up slices of an avocado. The normal picture was boring, but when I started messing with the filters in Camera Bag, it truly changed the mood of the photo. I applied the Italiano filter, which gave the photo the perfect, rustic look I wanted.

Visual Review #9: Gallery Visit

Chuck Close’s art at the American Art Museum:

I ended up going to the American Art Museum. This was my first time there, and I will definitely go back to enjoy the various pieces of art the museum has to offer. Honestly, I would love to just go to there with a hot drink and a good book and spend some peaceful time reading in the museum’s calming courtyard.

As I was one my way to In Vibrant Color: The Vintage Portrait Gallery, I walked into the Presidential Portrait Gallery. There happened to be a tour that was just finishing up, and I decided to join in with the group for the remaining time.  The last piece of art caught my eye because it was the most visually interesting. The tour guide then provided some background about the artist, and I knew that I wanted to write about this particular artist and his work. The artist is Chuck Close, and I was able to see his oil painting of our forty-second president, Bill Clinton.

Close’s background:

He was born on July 5, 1940 in Monroe, Washington. He is an American painter and photographer who is still alive and is known for his photorealism and massive-scale portraits. At a young age, many made fun of Close because he was not athletic and had a hard time keeping up with his classmates. He even had people tell him that he would never be able to attend college. On top of his own personal struggles, Close’s father was extremely ill and moved the family around to find a job that would provide them with needed health benefits. At age 11, Close’s father passed away, and his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Soon after, his grandmother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and the family lost their house because they could not keep up with all the medical bills. The icing on the cake is that Close then spent a year in bed with nephritis, a kidney infection.

Nevertheless, Close found a way to cope with all the misfortune in his life: art. He had always enjoyed drawing, and at age 4, he aspired to be an artist. For his 5^th birthday, his father made him and easel and bought him a set of oil paints. Since he was not athletic and initially rejected by most, he used art as a way of getting others’ attention.

In the end, Close did go to college and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington in 1962. Then, he attended Yale University for graduate school, where he completed his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1964. Following school, he lived in Europe on a grant, and then became an art professor at the University of Massachusetts. Unfortunately, in 1988, Close experienced a catastrophic spinal artery collapse that left him severely paralyzed. Now, he does not move his arm to create his masterpieces. The canvas is moved, so he can create an entire work of art without ever having to move or cause strain on his muscles.

I love the story behind Close because it proves that if you have a passion for something you love, it can overcome anything life throws at you.

Here is a little bit about the artwork itself:

The bright colored, oil painting is based off of a close up picture of Bill Clinton’s face that Close photographed himself for the 2005 cover of New York Magazine. He then, created grids on the canvas and the original image to replicate the information contained in the photograph with a series of abstract modules. The artwork looks like it was made on a computer or with the help of digital technology, yet Close did not use any sort of technology. He came up with the art the old-fashioned way: by hand.

Click here to find out more information on the artist Chuck Close and the American Art Museum!

Visual Review # 8: Title Sequence

I decided to watch and analyze the title sequence from the 1981 James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only. The sequence utilizes multiple design techniques that we learned about in class last week. As the typical James Bond music begins, the scene starts out with a white circle on the screen and then another white circle appears out of the first one to the right, creating a rippling line of repetition of the white points. The rolling circles move in a line across the screen to the right, and there are only two white dots seen at one time. This visual design is playing on the ideas of point, the relationship between multiple points, and lines with repetition. This scene is leading your eyes to the right of the screen where the last dot enlarges in size and becomes the lens of a telescope or camera. Inside the circled opening is the figure of a man to the left side of the screen. This sort of back and forth movement makes you wonder what is going on beyond the sides of the screen because the person has magically walked into the scene. The man, aka James Bond 007, suddenly stops in the middle of the screen and points/shoots his gun at the viewer. This is Bond’s signature move, which is paused in action on the black and white background. After the shot is fired and the image paused, red liquid begins to fall from the top of the screen and ooze over the image. This creates interest and is a great way of displaying blood through the rising and falling technique along with an emphasis on color. Through the red color, one can still see Bond in the circled eye opening. The telescope begins trucking back and forth, and Bond disappears as the circled opening turns white.

The circle then moves to the bottom right of the screen and drags up a new image that turns into a wide shot that fills the entire screen. The whole screen is now blue and is layered in front of Bond’s silhouette. Bubbles begin to appear, showing that Bond is underwater. The names of the actors begin to emerge to the side of Bond’s silhouette in bold, white lettering. The lettering is easy to read and stands out against the dark blue background of the swirling water. Suddenly, bubbles begin to rise upward and an image of a woman shows up in front of Bond’s silhouette. Underneath her, the title of the movie, For Your Eyes Only, comes into view in all capital lettering. The camera then zooms into the image, focusing the viewer’s attention on the woman’s mouth, which is singing the words of the title. This blue image then turns into the inside of Bond’s silhouette of him shooting a gun to the left side of the screen. This image allows the viewer to now read the names of the actor’s starring in the film, while simultaneously playing a visual game. The silhouette provides a frame for the next image of a close up facial shot of the woman singing the theme song. The close up of her eyes gives the perfect visual because it ties into the main title and theme song.

As the title sequence continues, the screen is then filled up with the blue water and bubbles. Another close up shot of the woman appears to the left of the screen and Bond’s silhouette of him shooting a gun at her appears to the right. Her heartfelt look combined with music makes the viewer feel sympathetic to her relationship with Bond that seems close but at a distance. The sequence ends with Bond’s silhouette being slid out of the screen to the right. Overall, the film’s opening title sequence is appealing to the audience because it does a good job of utilizing design techniques that create visual interest and draw the audience into the film’s plot.

For more information about the 1981 James Bond For Your Eyes Only film check out this website!

Assignment: Video Scavenger Hunt

This is Derek and I’s Video Scavenger Hunt Assignment. Derek videotaped my ice skating training session this past week. All shots taken were staged, yet we tried to make it look believable. We chose to tape myself ice skating because it is an artistic sport and is visually appealing. The initial shot of me skipping into the rink was fun to tape because Derek was simultaneously driving next to me and videotaping the scene we decided to create. For this shot angle, he dollied right and captured my moment of joy (don’t try this at home kids). Another humorous take was the tilt down shot of exhaustion. I had just got done training, and we thought this would ideally depict my emotion after a tough session. Although a short shot, one of my favorites is the mid shot of my skate that is seen by its shadow.

In the golf scenes, we were at the golf course with some friends. Doorie was practicing his putting, and we decided to place the camera at a low angle right behind the hole. This was able to capture Dorrie’s composure while putting the ball. While at the golf course, another friend by the name of Kyle was at the driving range practicing his long distance shots. We thought it would be cool to get a close up of the club striking the ball, highlighting the intensity of the action. To enhance the intensity of the swing, we kept the sound of the club hitting the ball.

To end the video, we set up to scenes that evoke two completely different emotions, anger then surprise. The first scene was shot from a high angle from the third floor of the SIS building starring the famous actors of Mohammed and Abdullah. Abdullah was “working” in his office on the second floor of SIS when Mohammed walked in and gave him some upsetting financial news. Abdullah then angrily reacts to the news by throwing his papers all over and kicking Mohammed out. The final shot is an extreme close up of CoCo Becker, one of the girls I skate with. She made the perfect actress of a look of surprise because she has great facial expression that conveys believable emotion.

Luckily, we had some great shots, which allowed us to keep the original footage with little to no editing. We chose the song “Bittersweet Symphony” by the Verve because it fit well with our particular scenes. The lyrics also worked perfectly with emotions we were trying to convey in the different scenarios. Overall, we had a wonderful time creating this project!! We hope you enjoy watching it!

Visual Review #7: Pride & Prejudice Movie Poster

Since one of my favorite movies is Pride & Prejudice, I decided to write about the movie’s poster. The poster is broken up into three parts, which creates a simple and easy to read layout. The top photo is a stunning over the shoulder, close up shot of Keira Knightley (who plays the character of Elizabeth Bennett). This shallow depth of field shot keeps Keira’s beautiful facial features in focus while, simultaneously, blurring Matthew Macfadyen (who plays the character of Mr. Darcy). If you know anything about the plot of Pride & Prejudice, this type of visual layout perfectly depicts the couple’s relationship. There is longing in Keira’s eyes, which is complemented by the turning of her head to the left and looking off into the distance. Although she at first despises Mr. Darcy, she cannot help but fall madly in love with everything about him. Macfadyen’s facial features are blurred and out of focus, yet his presence is bold and mysterious. His stance goes to show that he is stubborn and willing to prove his love for Elizabeth. Overall though, the lighting is what makes this movie poster so captivating. The warm tone provides a sense of warmth because one feels like the sun has just risen out of the sky and a new beginning awaits the two main characters. The lighting and colors also influence my emotions because I want the two to end up together and live happily ever after, and I think this type of photo is soothing and makes the scene feel surreal.

The middle section of the poster is the smallest. It provides the main title and starring roles of the film. I like how they put the dark words against a plain light background. This allows the audience to clearly see the title of the film without being overwhelmed by a busy background. Also, many people are familiar with Jane Austin’s book Pride and Prejudice, and the bold lettering centered on the poster brings the viewer into the words, then the pictures.

The bottom third of the movie poster is another picture from the film. It has the sun rising on the left hand side and Keira’s silhouette walking across the field on the right hand side. There is a tree on the left side below the sun, and the sunlight on its leaves makes the scene feel comforting and natural. On the right side, you see the clear blue sky. The warm, light colors on the left nicely contrast with the cool, blue colors on the right side. This contrast of colors could be representing the tension between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy throughout the film. This idea makes sense since they also use the quote “Sometimes the last person on earth you want to be with is the one person you can’t be without” on this particular section of the poster. The quote is also a type of decoy to gain readers’ interests.

The purpose of a movie poster is to grab the attention and interest of the audience, so they take action and go see the film. This poster visually grabs the attention of the selected target audience of hopeless romantics.

More information about the movie itself can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414387/.

Extra Credit: Photos

Harmoniously Organized

I took this photo of a tree trunk to represent a harmoniously organized photo. A harmoniously organized photo is typically a close up shot of an object that fills all or part of an image with visual texture. I took this picture at the lake, and I really liked  how such a close up shot could provide so much dense texture to a photo. This could be an intriguing background for an outdoors advertisement.

Extreme Foreground 

This is a photo I chose to depict an extreme foreground photo. I took this picture at the lake right after my cousin got done using the board and boots to wakeboard. I happened to look at where he placed the board and thought it would make a great photo opportunity if I moved the board and positioned my camera at the right angle. By choosing this closer and different viewpoint of the wakeboard, I think this extreme foreground provides a sense of depth to the image and makes the viewer wonder about the story behind the wakeboard.

Symmetry 

I was on my way to see a movie when I found this photo opportunity. I took this photo on my iPhone, and it perfectly depicts the idea of symmetry within a photograph. I bent down to be eye level with the doors handles and snapped this shot. I then took pictures of the door handles from multiple angles and viewpoints, but this one was the most interesting to look at. Symmetry within a photography normally conveys a sense of security, yet I feel like this particular photograph is more mysterious than anything else.

Repetition and Unequal Spacing 

I took this photo after I finished dinner at Seasons 52 the other night. This photo shows repetition in an image while also utilizing a compositional idea of unequal spacing because I did not place the subject of the light at the center of the image. The repetition of this photo is seen through the words that are reflected on the ground beneath the light. This type of repetition attracts attention and conveys a sense of conformity and harmony. Plus, I love this photo because the lighting was absolutely stunning on this particular evening out.

Visual Review #6: Rear Window

After reading the short story “It Had to Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich, I watched the film Rear Window, which turned words into visuals thanks to the brilliant film direction of Alfred Hitchcock. Now, I am going to turn the film back into words and compare and contrast some key elements of the story, talk about different camera shots, and comment on important elements of mise en scene.

During the film, you, the audience, are seeing through the eyes of the main characters and will experience the action of the film through their perspective. This is a subjective point of view because you see the actor watching someone or a scene taking place. Then, you see what the actor is observing, and finally, you see his reaction. However, Hitchcock does let the audience take part in the film because we see something Jeff misses while he is sleeping. We see the exit of the fake Mrs. Thorwald who leaves during the wee hours of the morning for the train station.

Here are some examples of the contrasts and comparisons between the short story and the film:

• In the short story, you are missing the romance. The romance between Jeff (James Stewart) and Lisa (Grace Kelly) plays a huge part of the film. Also, Grace Kelly was a beautiful and perfect choice for the role of Lisa because her physical appearance was feminine and sophisticated. The very first time you see her in the film is in a close up, slow motion camera shot, which is normally a great entrance for a main character. The slow motion creates sensual drama as she leans in for a kiss. The close up allows you to see all the details of Kelly’s face. The lighting of the scene casts shadows that makes the image unforgettable and creates a sensual mood  which adds to the romance the short story lacked. The outfit Kelly wore for this and every other scene enhances the importance of her femininity.
• The short story only included the murder of Mrs. Emma Thorwald. However, the film had many side stories of the different neighbors. These included Miss Torso, the ballerina, who is always dancing up a storm, Miss Lonelyheart, who almost attempts suicide, the Songwriter, who finally finishes a song by the end of the film, the Newlyweds, who are always having sex, and the couple whose dog is murdered by Mr. Thorwald. All of these side scenes/stories allow the film to be possible and add humor and other emotional elements to the film. They make the story more complex, making the audience and Jeff and Lisa wonder if it is ethical to watch the private lives of others.
• In the short story, Jeff only had one supporting character by the name of Sam. Sam seemed extremely distant and really wanted nothing to do with the murder Jeff was trying to uncover. Throughout the short story, Sam just did the favors/errands Jeff told him to do and never asked questions about the craziness of each request. On the other hand, in the film, Jeff had two main supporting characters, Stella, his nurse (who can be considered Sam’s more humorous, female film character played by Thelma Ritter) and Lisa Carol Fremont, Jeff’s “oh too perfect” girlfriend. During the film, these two characters are extremely involved in the Thorwald murder that happened across the courtyard, make their own predictions about how the murder was successfully pulled of, and risk their own lives to be apart of Jeff’s investigation. The two believed Jeff’s opinion that Mrs. Thorwald was murdered by her husband and fully take part in the plot, which is nothing like the short story. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the addition of these characters because they added a much-needed emotional element of humor to such a serious and eerie story. Yet, in the short story, the audience definitely questions Jeff’s sanity because he did seem much more crazy. You felt like he had made up the entire murder story in his mind.

Here are a couple elements of Mise En Scene:

• The Setting: You can actually see every window, which resembles a mini city or dollhouse.
• The Props: In the very beginning they visually depict Jeff’s character. They zoom into a continuous shot of his broken leg and cast, a broken camera, and the cover of a magazine. This opening scene shows that Hitchcock truly understood that he was telling a story through the use of visuals.
• The Music: The film opens with jazz music, which reflects the busy streets beyond the courtyards walls. The main music of the film is the song that the Composer is struggling to find the medley and harmony for, which he ends up finishing at the end of the film, saving Miss Lonelyheart from committing suicide.
• The Lighting: They used four different types of lighting that automatically changed with the flip of a switch. The four types include:
  • Morning
  • Afternoon
  • Twilight
  • Nighttime

The dramatic scene where Thorwald breaks into Jeff’s apartment includes many lighting techniques that create tons of drama. Jeff grabs his camera to defend himself and takes a picture to make the flash go off with every step closer Thorwald gets to his wheelchair. The flash leaves a sort of red color lingering for a moment, resembling blood and creating suspense and drama to the importance of the scene.

Here are some of the general themes:

• Since the audience acts somewhat like voyeurs, they are witnessing life’s relationships that are both good and bad. Originally, Jeff resists the ideal relationship because he always says he isn’t ready for marriage. Instead of focusing on his own problems of having a broken leg or having too perfect of a girlfriend, he watches the lives of others and concentrates on their problems. Again, the various dramas that unfold depict life and the relationships we all experience.
• Throughout the film, one can also see the incompatibility of male and female positions in society. This can be seen visually through the murder of Mrs. Thorwald and the scene where Miss Lonelyheart brings back a man and he forcefully starts to come on to her and she fights back, kicks him out, and ends up alone in tears. These type of scenes make us feel sympathetic, yet they also tell us that we need to know how to defend ourselves from the things we do not understand in the world. These are both external and internal struggles that we face on a daily basis. There is a major difference between a man and woman’s point of view. This can be seen through the Newlyweds who literally have sex all the time because that is what they expected marriage to be like and the way Lisa shows and even proves her love for Jeff through always talking about marriage and then being part of the murder investigation. Also, she seems so perfect to Jeff as well because she is almost seducing him through the food she makes him because he is immobile. At the end however, Lisa is reading Beyond the High Himalayas and then switches the book our for her personal reading preference of Bazar magazine. This is a great conclusion to the story because it shows that she found balance and was not going to abandon her more feminine life interests.
• The audience also gets a sense of isolation from the rest of society because you never really leave the apartment. It’s a world defined by a courtyard. Each apartment resembles a prison cell. This idea of isolation is directly addressed when the lady who has her dog killed accuses all of the neighbors of not being true neighbors. You never see any of the neighbors friendly interacting; they all keep to themselves.

More information about Rear Window can be found on the AFI’s Top 10 website!

Visual Review #5: Smucker’s Commercial

Smuckers Commercial – Grandpa’s Jacket – 2010 …

Since I am a Schmucker and related to the Smucker’s jelly family, I decided to write about one of their famous commercials.

The commercial starts out with Tim Smucker opening the barn to find Richard Smucker holding an apple, talking like an old man, and wearing their Grandpa Smucker’s jacket. Richard wants to be just like his grandpa one day and takes pride in the family business. The lighting really sets this scene because they use dim lighting except for the bright spotlight on Richard. The camera zooms into his face and allows the audience to see the details of Richard’s young and innocent facial features. The following shot shows the two brothers walking away with Richard’s arm around his older brother’s should, which depicts love, friendship, and the importance of family. From there, the scene switches, and the camera starts to zoom in on a close up of a Smucker’s jam bottle and the smearing of the jam on an English muffin. The close up of the jam being spread on the bread makes the audience hungry because the visual is quite appealing and looks yummy. The boys return to the screen and are walking through the apple orchard and cheerfully reminiscing about their grandpa. (On a side note the apple orchard is where J.M. Smucker started selling the first of the Smucker’s products, apple butter). The camera zooms in on Tim as he quotes one of their famous sayings, “I’ve never tasted anything so delicious,” which young Richard then repeats. This repetition of the quote makes it stand out and plays off of people’s emotions because it shows that Richard looks up to Tim too. The final image of the commercial is a wide shot of the two boys walking further into the orchard. The image is beautifully framed because the two boys are walking down a path that is framed with the tall, shady apple trees that cast shadows down on the boys strolling below. At the bottom of the screen, the famous slogan “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good” appears in bold white lettering next to the bottle of apricot preserves that they used earlier. This white lettering stands out great because it nicely contrasts with the dark background.

The commercial is relying on pathos, which is an emotional appeal used in advertising. The audience has a love for the boy who aspires to be his grandpa one day and make the world’s best jam. We are also more willing to go out and buy Smuckers’ jelly because we are supporting a family owned business that seems natural and encourages future generations to follow in their family’s footsteps. Smuckers’ commercials always incorporate the importance of family into their commercials by using their grandchildren. They also shot their commercials on their farm, showing that their products come from all natural produce that is fresh and well taken care of by a caring family. The setting of the farm also gives the audience a sense of warmth, nourishment, and healthy living.

Extra info about the Smucker’s and their products can be found on their website!

Visual Review #4: Roman Holiday (AFI)

I chose the film Roman Holiday for the AFI’s top ten assignment and was under the Romantic Comedies section. I have never seen this movie, and I was really excited to watch an Audrey Hepburn film. The film is set in Italy, and there is no place more picturesque than Italy. The film is shown through the eyes of the two lovers. Princess Ann feels trapped and decides to rebel by running away. She ends up drunk on the streets and is picked up by a handsome American newspaperman by the name of Joe Bradley. Later that day he figures out she is the Princess, and he decides to follow her after she leaves his apartment. He “runs” into the Princess again, where she lies and says she is a student. The two end up embarking on an adventure throughout Rome. They fall in love, creating a bond that will never be forgotten by either. Since he fell in love with Princess Ann, he decided to keep her “Roman Holiday” a secret.

Mise en scene:

After talking about mise en scene in class, the telling of the story through visual elements like camera movement, actors, costumes, and lighting really stand out. I used to overlook so many simple elements, and they really help tell the story through visual elements.

The setting, lighting, and music all help create the mood of the film. A specific moment when the music is perfectly chosen is when Hepburn wakes up after she is telling her about her “dream” and the music is soft and sweet. The camera zooms into her face, and when she wakes up, her eyes widen and the music immediately cuts off. One of my favorite shots of the setting and scenery is when Hepburn is standing on Bradley’s balcony and looking out at the beautiful Italian landscape. I have been to Italy, and this scene makes me feel the love and beauty of such a stunning country. I also love the scene where Bradley follows the Princess after she leaves his apartment, and they show a shot of the Trevi Fountain. The music and lighting is timed perfectly with the scene of Hepburn and Peck riding the motorcycle in front of the Colosseum. I think most people remember this shot the most because it gives the feeling of freedom but also gives the feeling that the Princess is finally in control of her own life. When they all go to the Mouth Of Truth and Bradley puts his hand in the mouth and then the music changes as he pretends to have his hand smashed. The dramatic music and Peck’s acting skills made me jump, which is the exact mood the director wanted to create before showing it was all a joke.

The costumes for the film were also superb. Hepburn is always dressed in light, white clothing, signifying reality and innocence. She stands out against the black and white background. Her white clothes create a great contrast with Peck’s much darker suits. The contrast between their dark and light clothing helps tell the story of how different they are when they first meet. However, there is a change of mood that can be seen through the costumes. When the Princess returns to the palace, she is wearing a dark, black robe. This is the first time we see Hepburn in dark clothing. She stands out against the rest of the setting, but it also shows that she is in mourning and that she is heartbroken to be back and away from Bradley.

Close Ups:

Since the beautiful Audrey Hepburn plays the leading role of Princess Ann, each close up shot provides the audience with the ability to see her facial details and clearly read her emotion. She was loved by many, so close up shots really stand out and do a perfect job of stating a point.

The very first shot you see of Hepburn is when she is walking into the banquet being thrown for her in Italy. I love how they do the close up shot of her feet to make the audience feel how long the introductions and bows took. She kept taking her right foot out of her pair of heels because her feet hurt so long from standing. It was an ideal camera angle to easily represent the pain of standing that long and a subtle way of foreshadowing how she was tired of the same old routine.

Also, having a close up of Audrey Hepburn, Princess Ann, right before her lash out/breakdown at the beginning of the film added to the dramatic scream of frustration because the close up allows the audience to see the sadness in her eyes. As she starts to tear up, the camera zooms in and then, all of a sudden, she screams and throws her face into her pillow. These simple camera shots help add to the mood and create a dramatic scene.

Another great close up moment is when Bradley sees the close up of the princess’ face on the newspaper. It is the first time he realizes that the girl sleeping in his apartment is the Princess. Again, this unique camera angle helps paint the perfect picture of shock that Bradley is experiencing.

The back and forth close ups between Joe Bradley, who is played by Gregory Peck, and the taxi driver clearly create a sense of confusion. They do not know what to do with Audrey, who they do not know is a Princess. They send dirty looks back and forth between one another because they know what they should do, but neither of them wants to take responsibility for the drunken girl sleeping on the bench. This same back and forth tension is seen when the Princess is telling Bradley to leave her at the corner before she goes back to the palace. In this same scene, they also build up the music to create drama and suspense. This back and forth close up routine is used again during the press conference to allow Bradley to subtly tell the Princess that he is going to keep her secret about her “Roman Holiday.”

The scene where Hepburn looks in the mirror and the camera zooms into the mirror allows the audience to see the sadness in her eyes. This helps foreshadow the cutting off of all her hair. The Princess looked into the mirror and was not happy with what she saw, so she took matters into her own hands for the first time and made a change in her look.

The close up shot of Hepburn and Peck dancing sets the mood for romance and love between the characters of the Princess and Bradley. This sets up the scene of the Princess escaping from the dance floor after the secret service men try to take her away, which ends with a close up shot of Bradley kissing the cold, wet Princess after she has escaped by hiding in the fountain to avoid being seen. This scene also shows how the Princess has matured and blossomed into a woman.

Zoom Out:

Another great camera shot was after she hops in the back of the truck during her escape. The camera starts with a close up of the gates closing after her and zooms out as she continues to travel further and further from the palace. The zoom out of the camera provides a feeling of distance and a new beginning.

I love the low angle camera shot when Hepburn is eating gelato on the Spanish Steps. It gives the effect that she is on top of the world. She is finally free from royal responsibility and she has the world at her fingertips.

Further information about the film can be found on the AFI’s website!