Commercial Review – Southwest Airlines

I did my commercial review on a Southwest Airlines commercial.  I chose Southwest Airlines because they always tend to have funny commercials.  The tag line they used for quite a bit was “Wanna get away?”  They would incorporate the tag line in their commercials by showing funny awkward moments where the actor would want to get away and they would follow it with their current special deals.

This commercial begins with a panoramic shot of two friends playing video games in their apartment.  The apartment looks very neat, with a flat screen TV mounted on the wall.  The set is also made to look as if it were night time.  This can be seen by the street lights coming in the window and the lamp being on.  The next scene focuses in on one of the actors.  In this scene the actor is explaining to his friend how to play this new baseball video game by using the controller as a bat.  To convey this, ball park music and a shot of the video game are showed on the TV as well as the actor swinging the controller as if it was a bat.  In this sequence the camera focuses on the TV to illustrate that the game is mimicking the character’s movements.

In the next scene the main character tells his friend to use the controller to throw him a pitch.  The friend not grasping the concept literally throws the controller at the TV.  During these sequences a panoramic shot switches from showing the characters, to showing the TV screen.     After the controller strikes and damages the TV, the camera focuses in on the characters faces as they look stunned.  The main character because he can’t believe his friend just threw the controller at the TV, and the friend because he obviously just damaged an expensive looking flat panel TV mounted on the wall.

In the next shot the camera switches its focus back on the broken TV, which detaches from the wall and then goes crashing down.  The camera tilts down to follow the TV’s crash to the floor.  The ad then switches to display the current specials from Southwest Airlines with a map in the background showing their routes across the country.  Overall I think this was a funny commercial which grabbed the viewer’s attention and was able to convey their message in a humorous manner.

Movie Review – Alien

The movie I chose to review is Alien directed by Ridley Scott.  The film stars Tom Skerrit, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto.  I chose this movie because Alien was the first of its kind in the horror sci-fi genre.  The movie is about a crew of 7 aboard a towing space craft named the Nostromo which is returning to earth with minerals aboard.  In transit the ship receives a transmission thus awakening the crew to go and assess the situation.    Upon receiving the signal, the crew is ordered that it needs to investigate the signal as it is there lawful duty to figure out whether this is a distress code.
The crew tracks the signal from a nearby planetoid.  Officer Ripley (Weaver) believes the code to be a warning signal and is reluctant in discovering the origin of the signal.  On orders from her superiors they investigate only to find an alien spacecraft with alien remains.  Executive officer Kane is attacked by an alien species which molds to his face.  Against Ripley’s orders Kane is brought on the ship without being quarantined.  The result is the spread of the Alien aboard the spacecraft causing havoc to the crew.
The crew must then fight off the Alien species off the ship.  While doing so Ripley discovers that the primary mission all along was to bring the alien species back to earth alive for research.  Science Officer Ash is more concerned about preserving the alien species then killing it and saving the crew.  Ripley also realizes that Ash is actually a robot and not a human.  Ripley along with the rest of the crew fight to kill the alien species, in the end Ripley is the only survivor left.  
The movie won an Academy Award for best visual effects.  Despite being shot in 1979, the movie has incredible visual effects.  The definition of the movie had to be ahead of its time as it still looks great today.  The majority of the movie except for the part where they visit the planetoid takes place aboard the Nostromo spaceship.  The camera tends to focus up close on the characters throughout the whole movie using a high definition shot.  
The movie is basically shot under two different lighting’s.  Aboard the ship it is usually very dark with dim lights showing the structure of a spaceship with wires and metal in the surroundings.  In the shots where they are in the control rooms, labs, or common rooms the background is white and very bright.  This is done to perceive a modern simple look.  The control room is composed of all illuminated buttons portraying a highly technological atmosphere.
When the Alien species is filmed, it is always filmed in the low light scenes such as the vents.  The Alien looks very detailed despite the low lighting, and this was probably done purposely to prevent any flaws from showing.  In the scene where engineer Parker goes looking for the cat, Jones, the camera focuses on his face to show his fearful expression as he reluctantly searches for the cat.  The movie does a good job of building up the scene by having the cat jump out of nowhere making the character jump back.  The scene is followed with Parker entering a dark room with water or rain pouring down.  The Alien ends up creeping down, and the cat’s expressions in the background let us viewers know that the Alien is in the room.  I thought the cat’s expressions in the scene were perfect.  At the conclusion of this scene Parker is killed by the Alien.
In other notable scenes, there is the camera which zooms in on Science Officer Ash after he is exposed as being a robot.  The crew attacks Ash after Ash attempted to kill Ripley.  In this scene where Ash is dismantled by Brett the crew engineer, the camera focuses in on Ash and the wires and goo which pour out of his head.  This scene again had to be the first of its kind in this era.  The camera and special effects in this scene have a decapitated Ash continue acting.  I thought it the effects looked good for even today.  
All in all although it seems that the camera angles and scenes were all shot the same, the quality and special effects used were remarkable for a movie made in 1979.  Even after 30 years the movie remains one of the best sci-fi movies ever.  This is largely due in part to the detail used in the background, special effects, and realistic like plot.  The movie does a good job of being as realistic as possible for being a sci-fi film.

My Lumiere video is titled Apartment 510.  The story goes..a mysterious outbreak has hit D.C.  The military is going door to door to find out what has happened.  Apartment 510 seems to have some clues…

My other Lumiere cuts:

http://youtu.be/hOiCK39k6SQ

http://youtu.be/aWjZ7CxKH6E

http://youtu.be/K_Wps65uIBQ

http://youtu.be/HCTUDMrbTUQ

D.C. by Night

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This photo essay is on touring part of D.C. at night.  I’ve always thought that many of the monuments and parts of the city look even better lit up at night.  The effect the camera also has in night mode also allows the pictures to really stand out.

For my night I started at the Lincoln Memorial, showed in picture 2.  At night time the memorial really stands out as it is all lit up and has a glowing effect.  In the 4th picture I am by the Memorial Bridge which looks incredible lit up at night with the light reflecting off the Potomac river.  In the 5th picture, we have a view of the Georgetown waterfront in the distance.

Moving on I headed towards Capitol Hill.  I took this picture as I was stopped at a red light.  Although it came a little blurry, I thought out of all the pictures I took of Capitol Hill, it looked the best with the road leading up to it.  I then headed towards  the Navy Memorial Archives.  There I took the next 3 pictures shown.  It was a bit touching as red roses were laid out all over the square in observance of the fallen soldiers.

I then proceed back towards the Lincoln Memorial and stopped by the White House to a shot of it at night.  Thanks to the night shot mode on the camera, the picture actually came out pretty well.  The White House was actually not lit up and was surprised the picture came out as clear as it did.  To end the night I took a picture of the Washington Monument as the sun was rising.  The back drop from the sky line made the picture and monument really stand out.

Nespresso

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This photo essay is on my morning espresso.  Every day in order to function properly I need my daily dose of caffeine.  I achieve this by drinking coffee I make with a Nespresso machine.  This essay illustrates the process of how the espresso is made.  The first three pictures illustrate the process of inserting the espresso capsule and locking it in the machine.  Pictures 4-7 show the espresso being brewed into the cup.  The last picture is the finished product, my caffeine dose.

 

The music video I have selected is the Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve.  I chose this music video because I like the song and believe the music video is unique.  The music video starts off with the lead member of the band, Richard Ashcroft, walking up to a side walk in a city.  He is wearing plain black clothes in the video.  The video is shot in a granny setting, making the colors and people contrast more to the surroundings.  The camera starts facing him and is moving backwards as he walks through the city sidewalk.  The camera eventually alternates views in the video.  The angle switches from facing him to giving the viewer the view from Ashcroft’s perspective, as well as behind him and looking ahead.

Once the vocals begin, Ashcroft begins to walk down the side walk.  He walks singing the vocals and is zoned out of his surroundings.  While walking down the busy sidewalk he constantly runs into people and acts as if they don’t exist.  The interesting part here is that some people take offense, while others are too busy to be bothered by his careless actions.  Throughout the video, the camera remains focused on him rather than his surroundings.

The music video seems to follow his lyrics.  His lyrics go “I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down”, hence why we are following him through the streets.  The song implies that Ashcroft only knows one road, that we are all just trying to make ends meet, that we are slaves to money and then we die.  In the song he then prays for a melody to help him cleanse of these worries and be free. “Well I never pray, But tonight I’m on my knees, yeah, I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me”

The music video suggests that he has found that cleansing symphony and thus why he is walking down the street without any care for his surroundings.   Walking through the street singing his song without any care he echoes the lyrics “I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now, But the airways are clean and there’s nobody singing to me now”

The video continues with him walking carelessly though the streets, worrying only about himself and not his surroundings.  He eventually is joined by the other members of his group and they all proceed to continue walking down the street in the same fashion.  I believe this is an excellent music video and seems to go well with the lyrics.

Lyrics Source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/bittersweetsymphonylyrics.html

Music Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyu1KKwC74

Photographer Profile- Kevin Carter

Source: Kevin Carter March 23, 1993 Ayod, Sudan

I chose photographer Kevin Carter as my profile photographer.  After viewing this picture and learning the story behind it, I have been intrigued by the story and the story behind the photographer.  This photographer’s life shows the hard side and dilemma photographers face when looking for the perfect shot.  Kevin Carter, took this picture in Ayod, Sudan in 1993.

The story goes that Carter and several other photographers were with the United Nations while the U.N. was distributing food to women in the village.  According to João Silva, a portuguese photojournalist also at the scene, Carter was shocked by the famine.  The UN told Carter and the other photojournalist they had 30 minutes to take pictures and then they were leaving.  Carter hears a whimpering noise from a nearby bush.  He investigates only to find a staving girl crouched over attempting to make her way over to the feeding center.  In the background was a waiting vulture.  The mother was apparently at the feeding center getting food for her and her family.  After taking the picture Carter chased the bird away but left the girl as she was.

After taking the shot, Carter would sit under a tree and cry from the sadness surrounding him.  The photograph would go on to be published in newspapers around the world and even win the Pulitzer Prize.  Outrage ensued after the picture was published, and many activists wanted to know what happened to the girl and why she wasn’t picked up.  Carter and other photojournalist were told not to touch famine victims as they could transmit diseases.  Carter receives outraged letters and phone calls.

On July 26, 1994 Kevin Carter took his life.  The photo controversy along with other personal issues took a heavy toll on Carter.  There is a documentary called The Death of Kevin Carter which showcases his life and the controversy behind the picture.

Bophuthatswana policemen executes AWB member, Alwyn Woolfardt.

Source: Kevin Carter, Bophuthatswana, March, 1994.

Sources:

http://www.kevincarterfilm.com/synopsis.html

Wiki- Kevin Carter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Carter)

The Pulitzer Prize Photographs- Capture The Moment, Waiting Game for Sudanese Child-Kevin Carter (Published by Newseum, Washington, D.C.) Page 170-171

Video Review #1

The video I have chosen for the first visual review is a soccer tribute to the Brazilian player Ronaldo.  This is a short tribute video made after he announced his retirement last year.  I have chosen this video because I believe Ronaldo was one of the best players if not the best player to ever play the game.  Throughout his career he was plagued with several career threatening injuries causing him to miss out months of playing time during his prime.

The video starts off great showing Ronaldo celebrating after scoring goals with a mellow classical music in the background.  It then makes a bold statement saying “The man who dominated out hearts” followed by live commentary of him scoring various goals.  I feel as if the commentaries from the games, along with the roars of the crowds in the background really emphasize how great of a player he really was.

The video then display another statement which says “The man who ruled the world”.  This statement is accompanied by more of his great moments from his career with commentary in the background again emphasizing his greatness.  The video then touches on the downsides of his career when he was injured.  The statements “The man who suffered a lot” is followed by footage of his two most serious injuries.  Injuries which threatened to end his career.

The video then states “The man who challenged injuries”, and shows the journey taken by him in rehabilitation.  The footage then cuts into his comeback of him scoring more goals, specifically in the World Cup which followed his injury.  Again the creator of the video uses live commentary from famous games in which he played to make the highlights stand out even more.  The use of commentators using words such as “extraordinary, Ronaldoooo, goal” and the slowing of the clips really bring out his achievements.

The video ends by illustrating the last moments of his great career.  Once again the producer of the video uses slow motion in the clips, along with video editing to emphasize on Ronaldo.  Some of the clips are black and white, and focus solely on Ronaldo.  He begins to end the clip with “Ronie will retire”, “You will never see him again”, “You will never see his smile again” all to emphasize the point of the video.  The video ends with a clip and commentary of Ronaldo’s goal in the 2002 World Cup Final.  This goal led Brazil to seal the victory and World Cup against Germany in 2002.  The clip ends with a black and white video of Ronaldo kissing and waving the camera goodbye.

Overall the short tribute does a great job to chronologize the career of Ronaldo.  Of course, the tribute is geared towards those with some soccer knowledge as many of the moments shown in the clip would be only be significant or known to soccer enthusiasts.  The music, the shots, and commentary work wonderful for the short video tribute to Ronaldo.

Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djwf4qxEolA

11 Pictures

Beautiful

I chose this picture to describe beautiful because this is a picture I took in Liguria, Italy where I grew up.  This is the first thing that came to mind when I thought of beautiful, was my hometown.  This picture was taken above the hills and does a great job to show the beautiful coast line.

Serenity

I chose this picture to depict serenity because it is the calm before the storm.  It is a ship out in the ocean about to approach a hurricane.  The picture does a perfect job to show a calm ocean and horizon on one side, while on the other we have a huge storm approaching.

Source:

Nat’l Weather Service Photo Gallery
NOAA/National Weather Service, Portland, Oregon Forecast Office

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_isabel_photo.htm

Texture

The water and waves were a perfect depiction of texture to me.   The wave really brings out the texture of the water in this image.  Not only that but it is a pretty cool picture.

Source: PaigeTheSailor http://imgfave.com/view/1037079

Power

A fighter jet to me is a perfect description of power.  Jet engines allow these fighter jets to defy gravity and do incredible things due to their sheer power.  This picture shows the force of the jet engines, it is emphasized by black and white except for the flames coming from the jet engines.

Source: Kevin Walker

http://pixdaus.com/unnamed-jet-afterburner/items/view/221118/

Repulsive

This picture is a an example of a cop using his radar gun to catch speeders.  I chose it to describe repulsive as I find speed traps repulsive.  The picture does a good job as the focus is on the officer while a passing by car is blurred showing movement.

Source: Scott (Crazyphotoman)

(http://flickr.com/photos/crazyphotoman/6245936/)

Hard

I chose this picture to depict hard because this water dam shows how this concrete wall can stop and contain water.  The picture shows a massive strong structure used as a barrier.

Source: AlessandroFromVismara

(http://flickr.com/photos/fromvismara/4902952562/sizes/z/in/photostream/)

Shape

I chose this picture to describe shape because a bullet has a unique shape.  This picture from Guy Sagi’s album shows a bullet in motion.  It is traveling so fast that it emits smoke.

Source: Guy Sagi

(http://flickr.com/photos/fearandloading/4302416134/)

Silhouette

I chose Jason Christopher’s picture to depict silhouettes as he is photographing top models.  This picture shows the traditional skinny, tall models.  The picture emphasizes on this by displaying their long skinny legs.

Source: Jason Christopher

http://www.top-fashion-photographers.info/photos/jasonchristopher1.jpg

Negative Space

I chose this picture of a jail cell to describe negative space.  I chose this picture because to me it defines negative space as it is a picture of a small jail cell, and with a gloomy feel to it.  The toilet dug in the ground further shows how small this space really is.

Source: Sharon Duran

(http://flickr.com/photos/sharonduran/5807993039/)

Low Angle

This is one of my favorite pictures.  It is a self shot of a fighter pilot from a low angle while he is flying upside down.  This picture is not only cool because being it is taken inside the cockpit of a fighter but also showing a nice view of the panorama below.

Source: Telluride Photo Festival

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45335054@N05/5944266396/

Negative Space

This picture I took was taken to describe negative space.  I intentionally wanted to open the trash chute and take a picture of the chute.  Instead when I opened the door to the trash room I found all the trash piled up in front of the trash chute.

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