Plan for Assn #1

It feels so strange to wrap up this project--I've lovingly named it The Longest Ice Breaker EVER.

Dana and I listened to our soundtrack and took notes. We obviously listened to it in class too, but we wanted to really listen to it to gain some kind insight into an emotion or underlying story. We finally broke the sound into 3 acts--how narrative, I know!

Act I (The Prelude):

She (our 16-year-old protagonist) is out on the street. Dusk is approaching. She walks near shops and buildings. Others are not out on said street. The 6 PM bell rings in the distance. Night is falling. She's a man with a flower (he's not very charming or articulate, but she's bored and curious).

Act II (The Liaison):

The protagonist and the stranger go somewhere private for the night. Sex ensues.

Act III (The Epilogue):

She emerges back onto the street. The night is fading into day. Everything is normal.

We will present this story through manipulating the images (think animation-light). We are mostly adding color and filters to the images or class so masterfully captured and doing some fun things like making the pay phone dial itself.

Assignment 1b Reflection

The most important thing I learned from Assignment 1b is that Kristin is awesome. I was a little concerned that we weren't going to have a ton of fun together, but I was sorely mistaken. Our macabre little foray into the slaughter of farm animals was mostly her idea--I merely provided her with options and manipulated cool sounds to help us meet our goal of causing the class to cringe for just a moment.

My favorite sound was the thud that we sped up, slowed down, and repeated to serve as the chop of the knife. It was really rewarding when we put that moment together and listened to it. I felt incredibly accomplished after we listened to the soundscape all together.

I really wanted to create a complex soundscape that presented various interesting sounds. I feel that sometimes soundtrack projects like this only focus on the immediate sounds leaving little to glean from the fore and middle grounds—to put into visual art terms. I would have felt unfulfilled if I presented such a soundscape for workshop. I really think Kristin and I did a great job creating a soundscape that gave the class a lot to listen to, and also gave a very visual experience without any sort of visuals.

Light Observation #2

My Apartment: Midnight

· 3 tungsten lights (2 overhead fixtures, 1 floor lamp)

o 1 goes out; the sunroom is in shadow

§ Lamp light spills over the threshold (only a little)

· The far corner is ironically lit (there is a turned off lamp there)

o The lamp’s shadow is slightly to the left

o The hall is lit the brightest (newer bulb)

§ Light trickles all the way to the front door

· The door is getting lit from the hall & family room lamp

· The two computers and 1 TV

o The computer lights Anna’s face as she reads

o Caitlin is lit slightly; the duct tape gets more light (she’s packaging books)

§ Her glasses show the screen’s reflection

§ Her legs are lit by the lamp (she’s closest to it)

· My notebook is in her shadow

o I think my right side is partially lit by the lamp

· All the lights converge on the black semi-gloss coffee table

Inspiring Photos

Ok, so I know that we are supposed to choose 2 photos, but I'm going to go a little overboard--bear with me, please. All four of my photos were taken by Leslie Feinberg (read: my hero). She is a writer/activist for workers and the Queer Movement that has since suffered some severe health problems that turned her toward photography--as it is less taxing than writing scholarly articles and speaking at venues nationwide. Feinberg's photos are for the most party very political and tend to feature protests/parades, but the photos that I've chosen aren't political at all.

Screened-In_Sunset

The texture in this is really incredible. I also really like the light that's reflecting off of buildings.



Willow_Gentrified Tenement


I've always been drawn to photos that feature the contrast
between the organic and man-made.
The curves from the willow tree are starkly beautiful next to
the straight lines of the building.

Fence_Flowers Prevail



I feel like I can reach out and touch the fence,
and I would brush the petals with my fingertips.

Niagara Falls, first light


This is just incredible.
Words aren't enough.

Riegel Rd 6PM

The sun is setting. The tree tops are drinking light--spilling the tiniest drops onto bits of Spanish moss, bark, and (rarest of all) the ground. Sunlight kisses legs, profiles and metal (rims of glasses, bicycles, cars, etc.) No headlights yet. I can see my reflection and that of passerbys in the hood of the white car--as well as the movement on the street and the passing car on the road running perpendicular. The light reflects the brightest off of the metal loading dock in the distance--its doors are painful to look at. I can see the sun a little in between branches of the tree across the street. Its other side is the sole beneficiary of the direct sunlight; my side is engulfed in shadow.

Sound Assignment 1A

During the Assignment 1A workshop, I wrote themes for each sound library. My group’s theme was “aimless”. Of course, we had the assignment to guide us in collecting sounds, but we sort of just wandered around seeing what sounds we could collect and what sorts of things we could shake/drop/manipulate to make sounds that we thought would amuse the class.

I guess what I really learned from this assignment is to loosen up. I have a tendency to take my school work very seriously, and that often means that I forget to have fun in the field. Nate’s willingness to kick/shake things really helped me to remember that this stuff is allowed to be playful and fun.

I realize that this reflection should be more about what I learned about sound.

I think that forcing us to live without the visual will heighten my appreciation to sound. I began thinking intensely about sound during my Intro to Editing class last semester, but I didn’t feel like I really spent enough time on it—I was more immediately focued on getting aclimatized with Final Cut Pro. This part of the assignment—in addition to the second part—have really helped me think about sound and how useful it can be.

Sound Journal #2

My boss is clicking her knuckles on the table.
There is the clicking of mice and keyboards all around.
Veronica says something snarky so, I chuckle.
Anna sniffles as the printer hums as it gives Munashe the paper he needed.
A drawer opens and closes with a slick slide and soft thud.
Veronica retells a story she heard.
Apparently, the Chinese eat children
(Or wild cats, I can’t be sure)
The phone rings.
Someone is trying to reach Cathy, but she just stepped out.
My boss’s chair is clicking as she shifts her weight.
The assistant director’s sounds of toil are muffled by her wall.