FIN!

Although I enjoyed this media class, this is not what I expected one of my last courses at Hunter College to look like. I often found myself enjoying the small class and dreading the lectures. The review section, took the information that we learned and put it into practice. This was the most enjoyable part. Media should be something that people are actively learning how to create, not something just taught through textbooks, and I found us just textbook learning in the Lecture. It was disappointing that with such a qualified professor and media maker, that he spent most of the class time reading off slides that he provided for us. I enjoyed his presentation of his own documentary, but I would have loved if he used real film, to teach lessons of lighting and picture composition as apposed to basic textbook diagrams. Working in media classes all semester, I would have hoped all the tech things that go into the class had been up to date; it was very frustrating sitting in a media class that had poor quality microphones and speakers. This often depressed me, seeing that I pay my tuition out of pocket. I enjoyed the work we did with Photoshop which helped better my understanding and skills. Although I probably will never put up a web page, its good to know and appreciate what computer programmers go through and memorize. If a good class is measured on if you learn something useful, mission accomplished.

When I think of one of the biggest media makers of my time, Rupert Murdock isn’t the first name that comes to mind, its Kanye West. Above being one of the greatest musicians of the hip hop culture, his third album cover spoke loudly for his style, message and music. The artwork by Takashi Murakami worked to speak to an audience who had yet opened the CD. As the first aspect of the music experience the colors instantly pop out at the view. The bright pinks, yellows and purples scream that Kanye is Here. He uses unbalancing to spotlight his bear character; the picture almost pits him against the “system.” As appose to classical balancing, this album cover overloads one side putting the focus on the open space. This cover works so well for me due to its vibrant colors, which isn’t something you see on a hip hop album. The abstractness allows all people to analyze the cover to their liking. This work affords a shock value that hasn’t been seen in hip-hop, it works to be so different, that it entices the average hip hop fan. Essentially this album cover works on many levels, on the surface, its functional as an album cover, it covers the CD, tells the artist name, and the album name. As a form of art and Media, it challenges what people think “rap” is and gives a hint that the album will be doing the same. Kanye delivers on these at all fronts.

Capturing Horror

On the wake of Halloween, it is only fitting to talk about how a movie like “The Blair Witch Project” uses specific filming techniques to invoke strong feelings of fear and realism. Essentially, the directors’ specific use of the camera allows the audience to leave he theater with a clear understanding of what the message and purpose of the movie was.
The major technique the director focuses on is lighting and focus. These techniques are used to not only give a certain look to the movie but to evoke a certain feeling. As a mock documentary, the director and cinematographer have the responsibility to make the film look as close to a documentary as possible, by using a 16mm camera, and a free hand filming style; it helps make the film seem realistic. Instead of using big budget lighting and cameras, the 16mm gives the authentic feeling of a documentary. As a horror film with the premise “documentary gone wrong” there has to be given a sense of techniques that persuade you to be fearful and force you to assume the real fear that the actors feel. This is achieved with heavy use of low light in many of these scenes, this technique gives it a more raw feeling, thus making the action in the movie come off as authentic and more eerie. In many shots this authenticity is formed with the use of the shaky frame, the movement in and out of focus, and the inability to keep the subjects within the frame, added to the camcorders portability.
On of the best techniques used is the extreme close up of the main character in the tent scene. The cameras focus on face, sell the ideas of fear and terror, as the audience watch as tears and snot drip down her apologetic face. This film uses filming techniques to the extremes in order to clearly convey a feeling and message.

Convergence

News, Blogs, videos, movies, music, and Facebook, are just a few of the tools that I control at my fingertips. I’m not a duffle bag carrying nomad, but a media consumer in the new age of media. My duffle-bag of mediums…a cell phone. When I think of media convergence, I don’t have to travel farther than my pocket. In a day and age where the cell-phone is as common to people as a wallet it is very easy to see how different medium come together. From film-makers creating short films on Ipods and phones to film watcher able to watch movies on their computers, media is slowly coming together due to the advancement of technology,
This media convergence allows media consumers to become their own media makers, and media makers to connect with vast amounts of media consumers. With new mediums like twitter, Facebook and Blogs people are able to be their own journalist, writers, and creators. As technology grows and advances, media has been doing the same.
Our society often highlights this convergence that is rapidly happening around us, whether it be systems like Ipad that allow us to do many different things from making music to listening to music or televisions that check our emails and Blogs, media is in abundance. Gone are the days where no TV meant no news. It’s astonishing how many different ways people have access to information. As I write this Blog post I’m astounded with the amount of ways I can post it, from my phone, to my computer, stream it through Bluetooth, or emailing it. As media converges, it is very easy for us to become Media Whores.