Lumiere Film Response

I recently watched the Lumiere Brothers' early films. As two of the first moviemakers, they experimented with original cameras that captured the essence of life in Lyons. I already have a familiarity with the directors, as I am interested in film studies and currently pursuing a secondary degree in Literature- Cinema Studies. Knowing two of the first filmmakers ever remains quintessential knowledge for all who are as fascinated with the movies as I am.

I had seen the majority of the short films produced by the Lumiere Brothers, but one I had not seen was the use of rewinding along a demolished building. Originally intended as a documentary, the Lumiere's experienced a bizarre encounter: part of the wall being tore down suddenly collapsed into rubble. However, the Lumiere's discovered that by rewinding their footage, they could create an interesting cinematographic effect. The construction workers now appeared to be building the wall instead of tearing it down; this remains an effect that can only be done by the power of the movies.

In addition, the Lumiere Brothers documentary also brings an interesting spin to character development.  They use good contrast of black and white, and do so with elaborate costuming and dark buildings and props. Historians know that the Lumiere Brothers set up an excellent stage, because none of the people look at the camera. If they would have filmed during the day on the street, many people are bound to look at the camera; instead, the Lumiere's heightened reality by hiring a group of people to not look at the camera, creating cinema verite in the purest sense. They also experimented with genres, creating the first horror and comedy films that still prove relevant today.

I enjoy film history, and think it has a fascinating story. Considering it is one of the most powerful technologies in the world today, cinema remains an integral part of human history. Without the Lumiere Brothers, filmmaking might not have ever happened; for that, we thank these two individuals with a dream and a passion for the arts.

Thackara Reading Critical Analysis

John Thackara wrote an interesting critique about the modern age of design, called In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World. The Introduction and Chapter 1 of this book introduce the reader to creative ways of countering design problems. All in all, they remain a useful guide in repairing the rut that many designers face.

In the Introduction, Thackara interestingly uses the airway term of control, "in the bubble", to parallel how the world does not operate in such a style. Design is a creative process, and Thackara understands this when he writes about ten different methods to avoid the mindless design boredom that exists in the world today. In addition, while Thackara appreciates the benefits of technology, he emphasizes the creative power of the human spirit. Personally, I found this to be an interesting alternative opinion than the common consensus. This "less-stuff-more-people" method works in design because it is a largely creative enterprise, and Thackara is writing this book in order to teach people that message.

Chapter 1 is the first example of how Thackara is aiding the approach to "less-stuff-more-people" ideas of design. Entitled simply "Lightness", the chapter gives ideas on how global companies can begin to return to the "weightless" methods of creativity that technology and the Internet promised. I particularly found his discussion of improving existing products instead of creating new products to be interesting. Phones and GPS', for example, constantly need to be replaced; why can't companies instead offer upgrades and repairs for the ones we already have? This would add to the "weightlessness" of the world that Thackara is discussing.

Overall, I enjoyed these two chapters. The Introduction offered an interesting counterargument to design, while Chapter 1 was interesting in how the world is growing heavier under the stress of new technologies. While a little flawed at times, these two articles were all-in-all fascinating to read and intriguing to understand.

Assignment #2: Automat

​Logline: A young woman makes the difficult decision of choosing her professional ambitions over love.



​Treatment: It is nighttime, and a woman sits alone at a table in a Washington D.C. cafe drinking coffee. She is visibly nervous; she places her mug back on its saucer, and begins to drum her fingers on the table. She shakes her head, as if thinking better of it, and fishes into her pocket for a carefully folded up letter. She delicately unfolds the letter, and begins to read it; the letter is worn, and it is obvious that the woman has read this letter many times before. The camera zooms in on the letter; we see that the woman has been offered a position to be a writer at the Los Angeles Times. A young, handsome man, approximately the same age as the woman, enters the cafe; it is the woman’s fiancé. As the man walks happily over to the woman, she quickly and discreetly refolds the letter and slips it into her pocket. The man gives her shoulder a squeeze before sitting down; the woman offers a meek smile in return. The man takes the woman’s hand that is resting on the table, and makes a concerned expression as if to ask what is wrong. The woman reaches into her pocket and gingerly places the letter she had just been reading on the table. The man lets go of the woman’s hand and begins to read the letter. When he realizes that the woman has been offered a position at the Los Angeles Times, his eyebrows raise in surprise and he breaks out into a grin; he is happy for his fiancé. He jumps up from his seat and hugs her, but steps back cautiously when he realizes that she is not equally excited. He sits back down again, still puzzled. The woman points to the last line of the letter which reads: “Acceptance of this position will require you to leave your residence of Washington, D.C. and move to the Los Angeles area immediately.” The man sinks back in his chair, finally realizing the woman’s sadness. Wiping a tear from her eye, the woman fishes into her pocket once more: this time, she places her engagement ring on the table. Without saying a word, she picks up her suitcase, which was under the table, and heads out the door of the cafe quickly. The man sits at the table for a moment, and fingers the ring that the woman has placed on the table. We see the woman hurrying away from the cafe, suitcase in hand, headed towards an awaiting taxi. The man runs to the door of the cafe, waving his hands and calling after the woman. The woman does not look back.

Exercise #6: Logline and Treatment of "Winter Alley"

Leonid Afremov is a Russian-Israeli painter that frequently paints with palette oils. His works are highly colorful and expressionist. For this exercise, I chose his painting "Winter Alley" because I felt that a lot could be done with the striking colors and singular figure. Here is the logline and treatment for a potential film idea of "Winter Alley". 

Logline: A depressed man tries to ease his suffering by creating a fictional world on the alley as he walks home. 

Treatment: A nameless man is walking home in the rain, obviously upset and depressed. The man is holding an umbrella, which prevents the rain from hitting his face; but, he is still getting wet because he is unintentionally splashing in the puddles with his sneakers. He sees a group of friends playing, which only makes him more visibly sad. Then, however, the man looks to a tree on his right. He looks at it curiously, as the leaves on the tree are changing colors. There are now purple, red, and yellow leaves. The man continues to look around curiously, because everything is now seeming to grow colorful. He smiles because this new "colorful" world is a lot more happy than the previous dark colors of before. Even though the rain is continuing, the man begins to run through the alley while laughing heavily. The man continues to run until he stops at looks around. He then begins to slowly walk again, smiling and walking into the distance, the world more colorful than ever before for him. 

Exercise #4: Photo Essay

Photo Essay

With Jenna Cunningham and Frances Burkham, we created a Photo Essay about Eastern Market in Washington, D.C. We saw a wide variety of people, food, and goods throughout the area- a truly eclectic mix of objects. My interpretation of the trip and Photo Essay is that Americans enjoy the old fashioned shopping experience. People from around the city took the time to collectively shop at the marketplace, buying homemade items and foods.

My portion of the Photo Essay are the last three slides; namely, the woman at the counter, the scarf shelf, and the American flag backed by the sunset. The woman at the counter appealed to me as an image because it captured such a normal image: a mother taking her child to the cookie section to buy her a desert. Her dark jacket balances nicely with the colorful backdrop of the counter. It holds a lot of texture and meaning. I thought the scarves were also very colorful and interesting to look at. They had a lot of texture too them, and the continuance formed by the dangling clothing makes the viewer see how they are made below them. Finally, my favorite image of the whole essay is the American Flag. It matches nicely in the wind with the Washington D.C. coat of arms, and the sunset backdrop helps to create a truly powerful image.

Overall, I thought this Photo Essay was really interesting. 

Assignment #1: Photo Analysis

In 1982, Ron Edmonds of the Associated Press won a Pulitzer Prize for News Photography for covering the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. Edmonds was Reagan's personal photographer, and was covering an average-day speech at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Suddenly, as Reagan was approaching his car, Edmonds heard gunshots and the President ducked into his vehicle. The photographer then snapped the three famous images that skyrocketed his career and made front pages across the world.

The would-be assassin, John Hinckley, Jr., was a psychopathic criminal obsessed with the Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver and it's young star, Jodie Foster. In the film, Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a crazed man who attempts to kill the President; Foster plays a 12-year old prostitute. Hinckley claims that he tried to assassinate Reagan in an attempt to impress Jodie Foster. When we visited the Newseum, I was familiar with the story of John Hinckley, Jr.'s assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, mostly because of it's connection to Taxi Driver. I am a huge movie fan, so seeing Edmond's images immediately reminded me of the powerful effects of cinema. Movies can play an influential role in real-life events, as demonstrated in this memorable incident.

Ron Edmond's Pulitzer Prize-winning picture shows me the importance of taking advantage of situations. Had he taken the photo a second later, he would have missed the great shot. This demonstrates how careful and attentive photographers must always be. The image reminds viewers of the historical incident; it touches on the disturbing memory for those who remember the story and photographs.

On a technical level, Edmond's photo is a minor miracle, as it was taken quickly and without much preparation. Nonetheless, the image is a marvel to behold visually. While Reagan is at the center of the photo, the camera's unbiased equality of shot captures the entire surroundings. The Hotel can be seen in the background, as can various Secret Service agents. In the foreground, the President's car's windows allow viewers to see through the vehicle onto Reagan. The photo also shows the initial shock of the men who heard the gunfire. The framing puts Reagan in the center, with near symmetry around him in regards to people and walls. This creates a balance in the otherwise hectic situation. It has a subjective point-of-view, and is an eye-line shot of the event.

This image caught my attention on an emotional level because it reminds me of how crazy the world can be. The man who prompted this whole incident was a gun-wielding maniac, so criminally insane that he got a "not guilty" sentencing on these basis alone. I cannot even imagine our President being so close to death as Reagan was on that day. When I saw this picture, it gave me an overwhelming feeling of unsafeness and worry. It all looks so normal at first, but when you realize what you are actually looking at, it suddenly becomes disturbing and terrifying to believe.

All in all, I really enjoyed this masterful image from Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Edmonds. It showed me the power of the movies, the technical prowess of a photograph, and the chaos of the world. I hope another incident like this never happens again; but, if it has to, I hope that there's another photographer ready to take a powerful image right there along with it.

Exercise #3: Balance Images

Balance images are important to understanding why designers choose to make some objects balanced and unbalanced, and for what purpose that balance serves. Symmetry and Asymmetry are the simplest forms of balance images. 

Symmetry 

Symmetry is simply the split down the middle of an object, and if the two halves are identical, then the object has symmetry. Symmetry indicates order and organization, and the simplest representation of this idea are doors. These elevator doors at a metro station are symmetrical for common sensical purposes, and for making an easy divide that riders can walk in and out of. 

Taking it one step further, symmetry extends to organizing people entering and exiting a building. Here, at the Chinatown metro stop, a staircase in the middle of an escalator litterally splits the transport into two parts: up and down. The two escalators on the right (placed there because the "right lane" in America equals "forward") are going up, while the two on the left are coming down. Symmetry here makes life easy for travelers. Let's take a journey around Chinatown to continue our exploration of balance images. 

Outside of the metro, this building represents symmetry based on it's side. The three columns on the side of the building are evenly spaced (another characteristic of symmetry), and next to the first and third column there are two close-togther columns that complete the symmetrical feel. 

The final example of symmetry is this building, with two columns on the front facade being equal design and equal spacing. If you look closely, even the side of the building has windows that are virtually identical. These are strong examples of balancing, with equality in images and design. But sometimes, designers decide to make buildings that are asymmetrical. Why?

Asymmetry 

Take a look at the image above. Unlike the previous four examples, the image has no identical halves, yet still holds balance. Why is this? This object is asymmetrical, meaning the two halves are not identical. This modern art piece outside of the National Archives still has balance, however, because the shape still rests on the ground. 

The Smithsonian Castle also has the properties of an asymmetrical object. Even though it's not the same on both halves, each tower and column have special meanings. Asymmetrical objects are much more artistic, much more cool than symmetrical ones. 

See the tower at the front of the building? It breaks up the facade but still maintains balance in the building. As we return to the metro, look at how this building adds a sort of "corner" feel to the turn in the street. It's asymmetry adds artistic merit to the building. Though we enjoy the organization of symmetry, we like to look at asymmetry more.  

Finally, back at American University, the front of the Katzen Arts Center has asymmetry because the two halves of the building are not identical, basically because the curve in the front half breaks it up. The parking lot below is symmetrical, yet the building itself is asymmetrical because of the curve in the front part of the center. 

Symmetry and Asymmetry are important parts of balance images. I hope these examples have helped to clarify this!

Exercise #2: Visual Elements

The Gestalt Principles are elements of visual design that aid to the illusion of visual perception. They allow us to make mental images and impose meanings in our minds. They include Proximity, Similarity, Continuance, Closure, and Figure-Ground. The following images are examples of those principles. 

Proximity 

This image, taken from Total Film Magazine, is an example of proximity because it involves multiple layers of words and numbers placed together to form a new shape. The "By-The-Numbers" facts about the film Jaws form to create a shape similar to that of the title shark from the famous movie poster. They curve together at the top, much like the shark's nose; plus, they have proximity by appearing close together, and form a new group. 

This advertisement for LastExitToNowhere.com, from the same magazine as above, is also a strong example of proximity. If you look closely, you can see that each of the lines are actually several smaller images of the product (t-shirts and clothes design). Even though the images are quite different, they all form together to make a coherent shape of t-shirt designs. The proximity is enhanced by similar colors and word fonts. 

Similarity

Similarity occurs when objects that appear to be similar are grouped in the viewer's mind. A hierarchy is formed in this table of contents from a magazine special on James Bond's 50th Anniversary. A hierarchy is formed by the images above the table of contents because there are two clear groups of levels on the page. By placing the images above and together against the wordy table, the viewer naturally looks towards the top of the page. Each half of the page is naturally grouped together by the viewer. 

In addition, this image, a PR Resume Wheel from Sylvia Maria Presley, has clear levels of shapes that are grouped together by the viewer. Each of the words is split in half by the coffee cups, and the symmetry of the page demonstrates the split between "The Past" and "The Present". Groups are formed by the four quarters, as well as the similar background color of each of these quarters. 

Continuance

The next Gestalt Principle is Continuance, which basically describes that sensations are grouped into directions when the viewer sees an image with motion based on position. For example, in this ad on the back of the Bond 50 magazine, the 007 logo brings the viewer down the page and to the right so that they can see the Ian Fleming quote. The color and positioning of the logo demonstrate continuance. 

Much like the previous Bond example, this Samsung ad from Empire Magazine shows continuance because the chocolate music note leads the viewer naturally down the page into the stereo. This leads to the mental meaning of sweet, savory music smoothly blending (like chocolate) into the stereo system. This meaning can be greatly attributed to the continuance in the image. 

Closure

When I think of closure, my mind immediately turns to the USA Network logo. Through proximity, similarity, and continuance, closure and a sense of completion is completed in the viewers mind. We assume we know the shapes of objects based on context images close to it. For the USA Network logo, The shape of the "U" and "A" is awkward and almost incomplete when separated. However, when placed close together, they form an "S" from their tails and extensions. This is the perfect example of the Gestalt principle of closure.

Much like the USA logo, this clock from a book about D.C.'s Union Station assumes that viewers know certain shapes. Although the clock is not fully seen on the page, readers can assume that this shape will be a clock based on clues of numbers and second spots on the circle (even though, in reality, we don't know it will be a circle- we assume this as well). The photograph shows how we naturally perceive objects in certain ways based on our human desire to end shapes. 

Figure-Ground

Size and placement affect the perception of an object based on the concept of figure-ground, which also details that the area surrounding the object affects what we see. In this Snapdragon ad in Empire Magazine, the placement of the dragon eye in the phone draws in the viewer. But, when we look at the surroundings of the eye, we see a phone, implying that the figure-ground shows how snapdragon involves clear images made on a phone. All of this can be accredited to the visual design.

Another example of figure-ground appears on this back cover of the Union Station D.C. book. Depending on how you look at the picture, a viewer can see either the center post of the station, or the trains speeding by. Much like the famous image of the vase and faces, this Union Station picture shows dual meanings based on where you look. 

The Gestalt Principles are important to understanding visual perception, and these images are all clear examples of these ideas. 

Introduction

My name is Ryan Venezia, and I am a student in Professor Arnold's Visual Literacy class at American University. I am a Public Communications major, with a Cinema Studies minor.

Movies are my passion and my life. I enjoy watching, reading, and critiquing films of all kinds. Through this class, I hope to learn more about filmmaking techniques, to better appreciate moviemaking.

Check out my movie blog here:
http://moviecriticsclub.blogspot.com