Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Monday, May 2, 2016
8 Reasons Why the Museum of the Moving Image is Awesome
Watch out MoMA, there's another museum with a four letter moniker in town. The Museum of the Moving Image, or MoMI, has plenty of cool and exciting features that are sure to please casual museum goers and snooty types alike. It's a great museum for families as well. It has retro video games and cartoons to keep the kids awake, as well as props and costumes from classic films to make the grandparents feel all fuzzy and nostalgic. Here's a list of things that make MoMI so dang awesome:
There are stations in the museum that allow you to create your own animated masterpieces. Each station has a surface with several 2D models of characters and props. Using a touch screen monitor, you can control a camera above you to shoot your animation frame by frame. Once your done, you can playback your animation and watch your characters come to life. I totally felt like Tim Burton for a minute.
As part of the museum's "Behind the Screen" exhibit, there's enough vintage merch to make a geek shed a tear. They've got Everything from souvenir lunch boxes to a C3PO tape dispenser.
No, seriously. A tour guide at the museum told me this. That's freaking cool.
Another awesome interactive feature of this museum: personal flip books. There's a station where you can capture yourself and/or others doing whatever, and convert it into a series of images which you can purchase at the gift shop in the form of a flip book.
This is just a sample of the many pieces of film and TV history kept at MoMI.
In one of the museum's many nooks and crannies, you can play some classic arcade games like Space Invaders, as well as some retro console games like Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo or Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis.
The museum screens more than 400 films every year! See for yourself.
These are just a few things MoMI has to offer. I strongly encourage everybody to visit MoMI and experience these things for themselves. So stop looking at this screen and go to Museum of Moving Images to... look at... other screens!
Click here to see the current and upcoming events and exhibits at MoMI.
8. You can make your own stop-motion animation
7. Tons of retro memorabilia
As part of the museum's "Behind the Screen" exhibit, there's enough vintage merch to make a geek shed a tear. They've got Everything from souvenir lunch boxes to a C3PO tape dispenser.
6. The building is designed to resemble the set of 2001: A Space Odyessey
No, seriously. A tour guide at the museum told me this. That's freaking cool.
5. Souvenir flip books
4. Gregory Barasmian's Feral Fount
This amazing kinetic sculpture is used by the museum do demonstrate the zoetrope effect that that is the foundation of film. The sculpture spins, first with the lights on to expose its true form. Once the strobe lights go on, the sculpture comes to life.3. Costumes and Props from films and TV shows
FAKE GORE WARNING
This is just a sample of the many pieces of film and TV history kept at MoMI.
2. Video Games!
In one of the museum's many nooks and crannies, you can play some classic arcade games like Space Invaders, as well as some retro console games like Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo or Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis.
1. Film Screenings
The museum screens more than 400 films every year! See for yourself.
These are just a few things MoMI has to offer. I strongly encourage everybody to visit MoMI and experience these things for themselves. So stop looking at this screen and go to Museum of Moving Images to... look at... other screens!
Click here to see the current and upcoming events and exhibits at MoMI.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
"Relationship Between Shots" Assignment - "Jordans" scene from Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing"
Spike Lee is a director who is know for incorporating many creative types of shots in his films. His films are also known for their beautiful compositions, which work perfectly with the different types of shots he uses. This is something made clear by Lee's 1989 film, Do The Right Thing. In this particular scene, we see the character, Buggin' Out, get into an argument with a stranger after he steps on Buggin' Out's Air Jordan sneaker.
The scene previous to this one involved the main character, Mookie. In order to make a smooth transition into a scene that centered around Buggin' Out, the scene starts with Mookie and his coworker stepping out into the street. The two engage in a casual conversation and then Buggin' Out appears and greats Mookie. After this, Mookie and his coworker walk away. Directly after they exist, the stranger enters the shot and pushes into Buggin' Out. This is what leads to the altercation that the scene is centered around. What makes the transition from the previous scene to this one so smooth is that Buggin' Out makes a natural entrance into the scene. Rather than there being an abrupt change in scenery, the scene starts with the characters from the previous scene entering a new exterior space and interacting with the character that the focus shifts to. It is from that point that the scene begins to develop.
During the conversation between Mookie and Buggin' Out, the shot is positioned as a medium close-up with a side view of the two characters. Mookie's co-worker, Vito, is positioned on the opposite side of the camera. Vito is shown head-on and more of his body is shown than the other two characters, making him appear more exposed. This works with the film since Vito is one of the very few white characters who inhabits the dominantly black neighborhood that the film takes place in, making him stand out. Mookie and Vito exit and the stranger enters from the same direction as the exiting characters. The stranger comes from off screen and immediately bumps into Buggin' Out. This makes the viewer just as surprised by the character as Buggin' Out is. Buggin' Out then looks down and sees that the stranger scuffed his sneaker. There is an extreme close-up of the scuff mark which quickly zooms out to show the whole sneaker. This is a great shot in that it reflects how severe the action of scuffing his sneaker was, rather than allowing it to seem like a casual occurance that isn't that big of a deal.
We then follow Buggin' Out with a tracking shot that shows him from the side as he chases down the stranger. By showing this from the side, it allows the viewers to see the onlookers from the sidewalk start to be become aware of the situation, which explains why they all crowd around Buggin' Out while he argues with the stranger. The film incorporates shot/reverse-shot during the argument between the two, showing Buggin' Out with many members of the neighborhood beside him. The stranger, on the other hand, is alone with a set of stairs shown closely behind him, giving the impression that he is up against a wall. This set of shots does a good job of showing the support that Buggin' Out has in contrast to the vulnerability that the stranger has through being a white person in a black neighborhood.
The scene previous to this one involved the main character, Mookie. In order to make a smooth transition into a scene that centered around Buggin' Out, the scene starts with Mookie and his coworker stepping out into the street. The two engage in a casual conversation and then Buggin' Out appears and greats Mookie. After this, Mookie and his coworker walk away. Directly after they exist, the stranger enters the shot and pushes into Buggin' Out. This is what leads to the altercation that the scene is centered around. What makes the transition from the previous scene to this one so smooth is that Buggin' Out makes a natural entrance into the scene. Rather than there being an abrupt change in scenery, the scene starts with the characters from the previous scene entering a new exterior space and interacting with the character that the focus shifts to. It is from that point that the scene begins to develop.
During the conversation between Mookie and Buggin' Out, the shot is positioned as a medium close-up with a side view of the two characters. Mookie's co-worker, Vito, is positioned on the opposite side of the camera. Vito is shown head-on and more of his body is shown than the other two characters, making him appear more exposed. This works with the film since Vito is one of the very few white characters who inhabits the dominantly black neighborhood that the film takes place in, making him stand out. Mookie and Vito exit and the stranger enters from the same direction as the exiting characters. The stranger comes from off screen and immediately bumps into Buggin' Out. This makes the viewer just as surprised by the character as Buggin' Out is. Buggin' Out then looks down and sees that the stranger scuffed his sneaker. There is an extreme close-up of the scuff mark which quickly zooms out to show the whole sneaker. This is a great shot in that it reflects how severe the action of scuffing his sneaker was, rather than allowing it to seem like a casual occurance that isn't that big of a deal.
We then follow Buggin' Out with a tracking shot that shows him from the side as he chases down the stranger. By showing this from the side, it allows the viewers to see the onlookers from the sidewalk start to be become aware of the situation, which explains why they all crowd around Buggin' Out while he argues with the stranger. The film incorporates shot/reverse-shot during the argument between the two, showing Buggin' Out with many members of the neighborhood beside him. The stranger, on the other hand, is alone with a set of stairs shown closely behind him, giving the impression that he is up against a wall. This set of shots does a good job of showing the support that Buggin' Out has in contrast to the vulnerability that the stranger has through being a white person in a black neighborhood.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
The Ferry (Sound Walk Project)
I ride the Staten Island Ferry almost every day. I live on Staten Island but I go to school, work, and other work related meetings and events in Manhattan. Because of this, I've developed a close relationship with the ferry. I know its sights, sounds, and smells as well as I know the ones in my own home. In a way, I do a "sound walk" on the ferry pretty frequently. Sometimes I read or listen to music but usually I just sit there. I think, daydream, fantasize, and do every other thing people find themselves doing in solitude. However, I figured that it would provide a different experience now that it was for a class project. This time, I would have to listen for something I could write about.
My sound walk occurred at 9:30 PM, going from Manhattan to Staten Island. They say that where you sit on the ferry says a lot about you. For this ride, I decided to sit on the outside deck on the upper level of the boat. There were one or two other people sitting in this area, but they were seated too far away from me to earn an accurate description in this blog post. Let's just pretend that one of them was Eddie Murphy and the other one was three little people stacked up in a big coat trying to pass as one person. But of course, this project is not about what I saw.
While the boat was still docked, I heard small waves crashing into the side of the boat. I could also hear the hum of the boat's engine. This hum grew louder as the boat started moving. About a minute into the ride, an announcement was played on the intercom. Its the same announcement I've been hearing twice a day for what seems like my entire life.
"May I have your attention please? Welcome aboard the Staten Island Ferry. Please listen closely to the following safety announcements. During docking, please blah blah blah blah nobody's actually listening to this and I'm probably scaring the shit out of the tourists."
I paraphrased a bit but you get the idea. Once the calm robot voice stopped talking, I was able to pay attention to the subtle noises around me. Sitting outside of the ferry provides a much more sensational experience then sitting on the inside. The sounds of the boat are louder on the outside, and you can hear the distinct sound of the ocean being pushed aside by the mammoth boat. It's a very relaxing mixture of sounds, and it can put you in a pleasant hypnotic state. That is of course, until the second announcement comes on.
"May I have your attention please? The ferry will be docking shortly. For your safety, please stay off all blah blah blah blah blah there's literally a coast guard boat behind us with a machine gun on it haha wtf."
So that's what you get when you ride the Staten Island Ferry at night; the calm symphony of the Atlantic Ocean, and the handsome voice of a faceless speaker box.
My sound walk occurred at 9:30 PM, going from Manhattan to Staten Island. They say that where you sit on the ferry says a lot about you. For this ride, I decided to sit on the outside deck on the upper level of the boat. There were one or two other people sitting in this area, but they were seated too far away from me to earn an accurate description in this blog post. Let's just pretend that one of them was Eddie Murphy and the other one was three little people stacked up in a big coat trying to pass as one person. But of course, this project is not about what I saw.
While the boat was still docked, I heard small waves crashing into the side of the boat. I could also hear the hum of the boat's engine. This hum grew louder as the boat started moving. About a minute into the ride, an announcement was played on the intercom. Its the same announcement I've been hearing twice a day for what seems like my entire life.
"May I have your attention please? Welcome aboard the Staten Island Ferry. Please listen closely to the following safety announcements. During docking, please blah blah blah blah nobody's actually listening to this and I'm probably scaring the shit out of the tourists."
I paraphrased a bit but you get the idea. Once the calm robot voice stopped talking, I was able to pay attention to the subtle noises around me. Sitting outside of the ferry provides a much more sensational experience then sitting on the inside. The sounds of the boat are louder on the outside, and you can hear the distinct sound of the ocean being pushed aside by the mammoth boat. It's a very relaxing mixture of sounds, and it can put you in a pleasant hypnotic state. That is of course, until the second announcement comes on.
"May I have your attention please? The ferry will be docking shortly. For your safety, please stay off all blah blah blah blah blah there's literally a coast guard boat behind us with a machine gun on it haha wtf."
So that's what you get when you ride the Staten Island Ferry at night; the calm symphony of the Atlantic Ocean, and the handsome voice of a faceless speaker box.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
4/1/16 AD CLEANSE DAY (Project for MED 399)
It's hard enough living in New York City without having products and services shoved in our faces on a constant basis. It seems that every empty space in the city has been filled with ads on top of other ads. It's nauseating
Posters which are often plastered in neighborhoods like SoHo, often times on the wooden barriers of construction sites, are also easy targets. Remember, no ad is safe. Whether they're pedaling jeans or your favorite band's new album, tear that shit down! (The ad for the album could make a cool poster for your apartment!)
And of course, the best example of the overbearing ads in NYC can be found in the subway. There you'll find ads on the walls of the stations and platforms, on the walls within the train cars, and even on the trains themselves.
As you probably know, I'm not the first one to complain about advertising in public spaces. Companies have looked to every possible object or screen that they can put their names on. It's impossible to escape. If you look straight, you'll see a poster. If you look up, you might see a billboard or an airplane banner. If you look down, you might see an ad on a parking lot divider. (That's a real thing.) And if you accidentally pop a curb because you're distracted by one of those parking lot divider ads, you can get a parking ticket with an ad on it. (Also a real thing.)
These ads are defacements. They've turned our city into an ugly mess of colors, words, and airbrushed models, and our city is crying because of it. It is our job as New Yorkers to clean up this mess. What I'm proposing is simple. I'm calling upon all of you wonderful New Yorkers to beautify your city by removing these ads. I'm talking about subway ads, posters, even billboards if you're bold enough. On April 1st, go forth and take back your city!
Subway platform ads are easy. They are large sheets with adhesive backs that can be easily cut out with a razor blade or box cutter (both of which are legal to carry in New York :) .) Simply cut along the edges of the ad and rip it off by one of the corners. You can even cut up certain parts of the ad and stick em on to other ads (no glue or tape required) to create some fun collage art!
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| Creative vandalism is definitely encouraged! |
Most importantly, have fun with it. Be as creative as your mind allows. If you find a way to knock out a big target like a billboard or bus ad, you'll be a hero in all of our eyes. It's like an awesome game where everybody wins!
So save the date. April 1, 2016. The day we clean up the commercial diarrhea that's stinking up our city.
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