Who's Philip K. Dick?

Who is Philip K. Dick?  Before reading this article, I honestly would not have known.  Maybe I've been living under a rock, but it seems to me that for a man that has contributed so much to the world of art and technology, he has not nearly got enough recognition.  This is the first I am ever hearing of Philip K. Dick, but I can remember hearing references to the films Blade Runner and Minority Report since I was young.  Although I have never read his novels and still don't know much about him, this article gave me a great sense of all that Dick brought to the world of science fiction.  He was bold.  He was odd.  He was unconventional.  At the time, these were the qualities that made even his colleagues question and judge him.  However, we now see what a pioneer and creative genius Dick actually was.  He saw his genre in a different way than other authors and filmmakers did.  He saw that science fiction did not need to be so "cookie-cutter;" involving the same themes and settings and general ideas in each story.  He broke boundaries and showed audiences a new take on sic-fi that was shocking, yet ultimately appreciated for its originality.  Philip K. Dick was like no other, and, sadly, as the article says, "...we will not see his like again."

"Rape, Ultra-Violence, and Beethoven:" Fun with Droogs

Anthony Burgess: genius or oddball?  Probably both.  In fact, it was probably the oddball side of him that fed his genius.   How else would someone come up with Nadsat?  This confusing language of the teenage crowd in the futuristic society that Burgess created was formed with the input of many other languages and dialects.  According to most sources, it is a combination of Russian and English words that are slightly altered, along with words the author created himself with the influence of Russian and English slang.  Some words go from being as obvious as eggiweg (egg) to as ridiculous as mounch (snack).  The language, although sometimes a burden when reading the book or watching the film, is honestly fascinating.  It shows an extra mile that Burgess went to in order to truly create a futuristic society that was foreign to his readers.  It adds such a mysterious and almost fun element to the story, and keeps things much more interesting.

Flip-book Flower

Unfortunately the video wouldn't load, but when I figure it out I'll get it up! Here are some pictures from random points in the animation for now. 

Ten Thousand Examples of Talent

While scrolling down videoartes.com, the first thing that caught my eye was obviously the frozen image of an overly dramatic girl with ridiculously exaggerated tears of mascara scribbled down her cheeks.  So of course I had to click on it, and, just like almost everything else we are assigned to watch in this class, of course it blew my mind.  I cannot even fathom the technological and artistic talent it took to not only come up with a story line, but to take the pictures and piece them together to create such an awesome animation.  To me, this seems like something not everyone could do.  I feel that the artist had a vision in mind; a clear idea of what she wanted it to look like, and all she had to do was put her ideas into action.  I feel that this sort of a project isn't just something you can create on a whim, which is how I usually do anything and everything.  I am a HUGE fan of stop motion, and I truly respect artists that do it so well because I am aware of how tedious and time consuming it is. This art needed planning, and the end result was honestly incredible.  

Ten Thousand Pictures of You

Cinemagraph Quickie!

I loved that we quickly touched on cinemagraphs in class the other day; they fascinate me!  I had to quickly share two of my favorite blogs that have had their own fun making cinemagraphs.  Enjoy!

Ann Street Studio Cinemagraphs

The Glamourai

Final Shot

         "The Great Train Robbery," so similar and yet so different to Melies' "A Trip to the Moon."  Different in the genre of movie and the lesser use of such theatrical methods, yet similar in the way that it broke barriers in the world of motion pictures and paved the way for new, innovative ideas.  For example, this Edwin S. Porter film was one of the first to shoot on location, as opposed to those before him that used backdrops and props to create a setting.  Porter was also one of the first to employ techniques such as parallel editing, which is basically the alternating of two or more scenes.  In our fast-paced world of technology, the idea of this being something new and fascinating is almost comical, but Porter was paving the way for filmmakers and editors everywhere.  In "The Great Train Robbery," the costumes, suspenseful music, and overall storyline set the precedent for future westerns, and the film will forever be one of the first great narratives.

The final shot of the film, a literal shot directly at the camera that startled audiences everywhere

Melies Takes Us to the Moon

         Everything about Georges Melies' "A Trip to the Moon" makes me smile.  The exaggerated acting, the elaborate set designs, and every other aspect right down to the slumber party on the moon give the short film a certain charm.  Although part of the reason for the smile on my face while watching was because of how silly it all seemed (the hand-painted color, the faces on the moon and stars, the lack of space gear and knowledge of space travel, etc.), it is so interesting to think of what a breakthrough Melies' films really were.  During a time when motion pictures were still so new, it must have been remarkable to watch a full story played out and projected in front of you.  Melies combined techniques and machinery from the theatre, and this gave his films a much more interesting quality.  He also experimented with different editing techniques such as dissolves, which can be seen all throughout "A Trip to the Moon."  As a magician, Melies had showmanship and a love for theatrics.  It's safe to say that these qualities shine through in his film work.    

Almost Magic

       The concept of the camera obscura is still completely baffling to me.  Incredibly fascinating, but baffling.  It is almost as if it is a magic trick that I just need to see to believe.  That being said, I am still aware that it is science behind this incredible phenomena.  As the pictures were shown to us in class, my jaw dropped to the desk.  And don't even get me started about my internal reaction to the video that showed how it was done!  Unbelievable.  Now that I am looking through the camera obscura work of Abelardo Morell, I am in no less awe than I was in Wednesday's class.  His work is not only amazing because of the skill it takes to create a camera obscure, but also because of the beautiful images he chose to shoot.  As a native New Yorker, my favorites were all of the photos shot in my city.  Here a just a few to take in and enjoy:

Among these I could not pick a favorite.  They are all gorgeous, each one is unique... and made with magic.

Lighthearted comedy? Racism?

           Is the Mintsrel Show racist? Hmm, let's think about this.  Um, YES.  I'm a New Yorker living in the 21st century and even I was offended.  The general concept of the show itself is one issue to analyze; the fact that a white man is going to the trouble of painting himself black and throwing on his best Alabama accent for comedic effect is a little ridiculous.  What's so funny about the way someone else naturally looks and speaks?  To make it worse, the white woman of clear status in the scene fires questions to which the "blackfaced" answers very unintelligently.  Clearly, the implications are that southern, black men are not intelligent, and the audience can't get enough of the white entertainer mocking the man he is portraying.  When the way another human being lives is being made fun of for the entertainment of others, there is clearly something wrong with society.

Tragic Simplicity

       After watching Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly, my immediate reaction is, "wow."  Actually, let me try that again.  "WOW."  To tell the truth, I was really unaware of what I was getting myself into as the clip first began, and I definitely had to play certain scenes a few extra times just to be sure that my eyes were not deceiving me.  That being said, the story that is told through the silence of Madama Butterfly is one of so much beauty and passion, yet sadness and hurt, and I was truly blown away.
       The first aspect that hit me was the music.  The soothing sounds flowed in such a way that put me into a trance, and into a mood that was both happy and sad at the same time.  I have hardly ever come into contact with music that could do such a thing, yet this music played sounds of sorrow in a very sweet way.  Thus causing mixed emotions, much like the mixed emotions of the clip.  Happiness is in the air in the very beginning, when the girl and her lover share a romantic night in the field.  Yet this quickly shifts to a more depressing mood as the sunlight vanishes along with the sailor.  A continuing roller coaster of emotions occurs throughout the entire story, and the opera music that plays throughout really adds to the effectiveness and power of the story's meaning.
        The animation.  So simple, yet such a perfect way to go about telling the story.  The unique dolls used gave everything a more personal feel, and the simple movements of each of the figures are what helped the complex story to be more easily followed and understood.  Less truly is more in this case.  As her former lover returns to take away their child, a big, overdone display of emotion is not needed to express her pain.  She simply places her hands over her eyes and her agony is immediately felt.  I feel that effortless animation and the simple pieces used as the set are what drew me into the story even more.
        What would the story be without symbols?  I felt it was necessary to save this for last considering how prominent each of the symbols are and how greatly they effect the story.  For example, as the delicate, pink butterfly flutters on screen at the start of the clip and lands on her head, I instantly knew that this was a symbol of innocence.  After a night of making love, she awakes to find that the butterfly has left her;  her innocence has been taken away in the blink of an eye.  Further along in the story, it can be seen that the fish in the tank symbolizes her daughter in the womb, and the birth of her daughter is clearly symbolized by the breaking of the tank.  As the daughter grows older, the two share a strong bond that is shown by the string that attaches them.  This bond is only broken when the sailor returns to the island and cuts the string to take the daughter, thus breaking the bond.  In her despair, this inconsolable mother rips away her skin and breaks apart her body.  I feel that this is used to symbolize how she feels inside.  After watching her lover be with another woman and take away her daughter, who was her only real reason left to live, it is safe to say that she felt torn apart and broken hearted.  She breaks herself down on the outside to match her feelings on the inside.  After being used by a man she stayed loyal to for years, only to have him return and take her child, who could honestly blame her for feeling defeated?  She commits suicide because she sees no other reason to live.  Although the ending is tragic, the story itself and the means by which it is told are truly beautiful, and I would watch it again and again.