Flip Book Animation

War of the Worlds

I listened to this as I was driving home from class and can understand how people thought it was real.  They did an excellent job of making it sound like aliens were invading Earth.  It was really eerie when they would cut back and forward from the reporter to the music.  The most convincing part of the broadcast was when they would lose contact with the on-scene reporter.  It made the listener think something bad was happening and they were listening to it as it happened.

I believe a lot of the confusion happened because there was no disclaimer at the beginning.  The disclaimer was at the end of the broadcast.  Since it was presented as news, there should have been a disclaimer at the beginning for all of those gullible people who would believe it was real. 

A Clockwork Orange - "Singing in the Rain"

I think Stanley Kubrik used the song "Singing in the Rain" for the shock value and to contrast the more innocent version by Gene Kelly.  It shows the extreme contrast from dancing around in the rain to the violence in A Clockwork Orange.  It is also a reflection of what was happening in society at the time.  The Vietman War was happening when the movie was made and released.  The indiscriminate violence of war was reflected in the random violence inflicted upon the couple.  The singing added a perverse element to their rampage.

Stop Motion - ParaNorman and Coraline

 

I have always been a fan of stop motion animation.  ParaNorman is one of my favorite movies.  It is a beautifully-made movie with a great story and lots of comedy.  Coraline is also well made with a very creepy storyline.  I have always wanted to make a stop motion short and I plan on making one for my final project.  I have a few ideas to try so I will see where I can go with them.  It would have to be a very short clip because I don't think I have the patience for the meticulous process involved in creating stop motion.  I like getting things done fast and moving on and that can't happen with this process.  

Trip To The Moon

I loved this movie.  Even though it was crude, it was fascinating to watch.  I remember seeing parts of it in the movie Hugo so it is still relevant more than 100 years later.  It is an amazing piece of film history.  I liked that the story was easily followed with no dialogue or subtitles.  I think the lack of dialogue makes you appreciate the film more since you have to pay closer attention to the action and the details.   The art of film making has moved forward by leaps and bounds.  It is almost unbelievable when watching a movie today, with all the technology used, that they started out in such an unrefined format.

Stage Door - Titanic - No Moon / Autumn / Finale Act I

I wasn't aware that Titanic had been made into a musical.  I loved the movie but I did not like this clip from the musical.  Based on this clip, I would not want to see the complete musical.  I am a big fan of Broadway musicals but I thought the lyrics and dialogue in this clip were terrible.  It was extremely boring watching the interaction between characters.  I know it doesn't have a happy ending but this was painful to watch.  I read that it won five Tony awards, including best picture, in 1997 so I probably shouldn't judge it based on this clip.  Maybe I would see it, if I had a free ticket.

Examining the Self Symposium

Professor Vaughan's presentation provided a unique perspective of her gender identity struggles and it's influence on her art.  The Back of My Head and Brows and Bangs series reflect the internal struggle with gender identity with a symbolic hiding of the face.  They are simple drawings but are very dramatic once you know the artist.  The faceless drawings reflect the treatment directed toward transgender human beings by those who don't understand.  Ignorance is why 42 transgender people were murdered for no other reason than the way they were born.  Project 42 is a fitting memorial to those human beings as she attempts to make their spirit live again.

Racism

I don't think racism will ever cease to exist in the United States.  There are too many people passing their hatred on to their kids and too many who believe every word in the bible.  I grew up around racism in Kentucky and still hear racist comments when I go back for a visit.  As long as racist people continue to have children, the cycle will never be broken.  The Jesus freaks would probably still have slaves if they could get away with it, since slavery is in the bible.  It's the same reason they despise gay people.  These are the same people who were outraged with the Coca-Cola Super Bowl commercial. 

Many people in this country and in the world never learn from history.  They will always hate people who are different.  Lessons were never learned from the treatment of Native Americans, African Americans or the Jewish people.  I spent a year in Bosnia and saw how hatred can manifest into genocide and the destruction of a country.  After the horror of the concentration camps, it boggles the mind how genocide could happen in the 1990s. 

Gay people are now the group being targeted because we were born different.  I recently read a story about a Russian actor who said gay people should be burned in the ovens.  I can't even begin to understand how someone could have so much hatred in their heart to want me burned in an oven because I was born gay.

Which group will be next???

Wicked

I am a huge fan of Broadway musicals and Wicked is one of my favorites.  I have seen it twice and will see it again.  I enjoyed parts of the behind-the-scenes clips but sometimes I would rather not know how something is done.  It takes away the illusion like learning how a magician performs a trick.  As an artist, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the first sketches and how those simple sketches transformed into what is seen on stage.  It helps me grow as an artist to see that side of the musical and hear thought processes of the artists who create it.

Oculus

This technology will create an amazing movie experience.  Three-dimensional technology took the action from the screen and moved it toward the viewer.  The Oculus will do the opposite and move the viewer into the movie.  Becoming one with a movie is an awesome concept and you will no longer have to be annoyed with people talking during a movie.  It will probably cause a lot of motion sickness depending on the type of movie.  I don't think I could wear it and watch a movie like Gravity.  I can't wait to try it. 

Toy Story 3 - Deus Ex Machinae

LOTR - The Eagles are Coming Deus Ex Machinae

Deus Ex Machinae

Three examples of Deus Ex Machinae in popular culture:

1.  The claw that saves all the toys before they burn in Toy Story 3.  

2.  The bacteria that kills the invaders in The War of The Worlds.

3.  The giant eagles that save the day in The Lord of the Rings.

The Birth and Life of Opera

I have never been a fan of opera.  I always thought it was boring and only for old snobs.  The one time I considered attending an opera, my partner vetoed the idea.  Apparently I have been missing out on a beautiful art form.  I have always been a fan of Broadway but never knew the connection with opera.  This video offered a very informative history lesson.  I did not know opera was associated with revolutions and made powerful, political statements.   I now see opera as a very interesting form of art and entertainment.  After watching the powerful scene from Salome in class, I now want to watch the entire opera.

Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly

Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly animation is a very creative interpretation of the opera.  It creates a roller coaster of emotion from the throes of passion to the depths of despair.  The music climaxes in both pleasure and pain and easily connects the listener to both scenes.  Even though I could not understand the lyrics, I could easily follow the story and experience the emotions.  The expressions of sexuality, passion, loneliness, despair, rejection and heartbreak were easily interpreted in the simple animated characters.  It was a very sad moment when the umbilical cord was broken.  The couple's last connection was severed; leaving her alone with a broken heart.