Animation Project

http://youtu.be/iEG-uNk7Jxo

Hyper Haiku

http://fmundergrad.hunter.cuny.edu/~peplinskic/

Blog 4 Reflections on the course

I would have to say that my overall reflections on the class would be rather frustrating, since I felt that I had a rather hard time with the technical aspects of the class. I will admit that what it made rather frustrating was the lack of help and not being able to understand the concepts. I did feel that I learned the stuff better when taught to me one on one since I felt as though it was easier for me to understand. I was surprised that I did finally manage to grasp Final Cut Express after endless frustration. I will admit that the HTML assignment gave me the most trouble since I tried doing it but couldn't remember how to understand it that well.

Video Project

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/32328194?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

Blog 3 Production Notes

In terms of my video project that I did based on my interview with Queenie, I think that there are some things that I might have done differently.  I think that one of the things that I would have differently if given the chance, is that I would have liked to have gotten better film footage that complimented the audio piece. I would have liked to have been able to shot my video portion in a much clearer way. I would liked to have learned how to use the video camera better in terms of recording my footage for my audio portion. If I had to say what I learned about making a film, is that it is a lot harder than I expected since it involved a lot of knowledge of how things work technically.  If there was anything else that learned about making a film in a surprising way is that creativity can only get you so far. I guess I would say that I might need a better sense of direction.

If I had to say if there was anything that I was happy about in terms of  the project is that I managed to get up with learning how to use Final Cut Express to help me with the editing which was rather frustrating. I would say that I was also happy that I was able to work with somebody it made the shooting experience rather fun and enjoyable for me. If there was anything that I wanted to change, I would say that I could have came up with a better interview that might have gotten more attention.

I would have to say that editing and creating a video project has made me realize, that making a film can be rather tough, because I respect the aspects of what it takes to make a film. I will admit that It can take a lot of patience to do so, but film is a rather wonderful piece of art that should get more respect.

Tower Heist

Blog 2: Sound and Image relationships

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay0h8Hp20Dw

For my 2^nd blog, I decided to talk about the trailer from the film Tower Heist to see how it relates to sound and images. The basic premise of the story is about the hard-working staff of a Columbus Circle high-rise find out they have fallen victim to the Ponzi  scheme of one of the tenants, a wealthy Wall Street businessman named Arthur Shaw, they conspire to rob his penthouse residence. The story is based on the real life Bernie Madhoff Ponzi scheme in which he defrauded celebrities and investors by $65 billion.

            I would have to say that in terms of the relationship of the sounds to the images, I would say that it shows a sense of wealth, privilege and power. One example in particular that I can think of is a  wide shot that establishes Arthur Shaw in his penthouse suite swimming in his pool and the Benjamin Franklin $100 bill enlarged in his pool in both wide and closeup shots. Another example that I can think of is when Josh Kovacs mentions to his employees how anyway who invested with Arthur Shaw was defrauded and a shot intertwines with the old man smiling at a chess board showing that his sense of wealth and power has made him smug and arrogant.      A scene in particular is when Arthur mentions to Josh that he owns a private island on Belize but says that he is a Astoria boy deep down which seems to add a sense of arrogance to his character particularly the way he belittles him.                                                                                                                                 It also shows a sense of beauty, since one wide shot shows the gold plated doors Columbus circle penthouse as Arthur Shaw is departing.  In terms of the sound images to one another, I would say that it adds a sense of intrigue and mystery. I guess what I mean by is especially now knowing if the employees will succeed in their plan to get their revenge. What I mean by is when Josh hires a man named Slide who happens to be crook as a way to help the employees in their plan for revenge against Arthur Shaw.  Slide even attempts to explain how a robbery can change at any moment and how to prepare for it. A particular one in which I can think of is when Odessa attacks a security guard with a mail a cart. Chase mentions that Odessa might have gone wrong which interplays with a moment in which she is waiving a gun which shows that she might have an agenda of her own.

            In terms of how the shots are organized, I would have to say that they are organized based on the pre-fraud scheme and after the scheme happened in which the gang are plotting their scheme to get their revenge.  What I think determines the lengths of the shots, is how important that they are to the film such as showing the staff members doing their jobs when Josh is mentioning what people love about their hotel particularly the employees and their devotion to the place.                                                                          Other ways that I can think of how the shots are organized is how the staff plan their revenge. One scene in particular that I can think of, is when Joshua and Slick get involved in a car chase, the confrontation between Josh and Arthur in wide closeup shots adding a sense of betrayal and anger.  In terms of the order of the shots, I would say it depends on how the events of the film unfold and its relevancy to the story. It is rather hard to find a right place to cut since it seems as though the shots seems to follow in just the right pace.

            I would have to say that the cuts are seamless because I think that the scenes that are shown in the trailer seem to be based on what is going on in the film and have a right rhythm to it.

audio piece

This is the audio piece that I did with Queenie. She talks about her experience from moving to Hong Kong and Immigrating to the United States.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/30689319?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/30689319">Untitled</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user7063561">Chris Peplinski</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>