Blog 4

     Rear Window is a 1954 mystery thriller directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and is considered to be one of Hitchcock's best films. Throughout the semester we have learned and discussed about various types of shots and film formats used in film production. I'm choosing to analyze the opening scene of this film to highlight some main-points learned from lecture and lab.

     Rear Window was filmed in Technicolor which we learned in class is a color motion picture process known for its costly, yet rich in color results that is created with what is essentially black and white film stock by combining two or three separate strips of exposed film tinted with special dyes. The film was shot entirely at a studio, including an enormous set on one of the soundstages. In the opening scene there is careful use of external diegetic sound, including natural sounds of the city and music drifting across the apartment building courtyard to James Stewart's apartment.

     The Golden Ratio-the rule of thirds, is established immediately in the opening scene when the audience is introduced to the courtyard of the apartment complex through the three window panes of the Stewart's apartment window. The three window panes break up each of the three views of the courtyard for the viewer, allowing for the large and complex set to be easily understood and dissected. Also, narrativization is used effectively within this opening scene where the use of space is making space tell a story by showing the public and personal lives of the tenants within the apartments.

     The smooth moving long shot is used initially once the camera starts to introduce the people and their lives in other apartments. This technique is used to define people and their space while introducing us to the potential characters of the movie. The camera uses a close up shot of James Stewart's head to detail the perspiration and then pans to a close up of the thermostat to explain his perspiration. From here the camera switches to a medium long shot to show a closer look at each character’s life within their apartment. This produces a more intimate relationship with the viewer and the audience.

     From this point the camera utilizes the medium close shot technique to offer a more detailed and intimate showing of the main character of Stewart. The camera moves smoothly and quickly to each article of importance to illustrate Stewart's life and personality. The scene ends with a medium close shot introducing Stewart's initial dialogue.

     The film shot techniques discussed in lecture and lab have made me now aware of the shots in the countless films that I have seen in my lifetime. I now continue to view and analyze film with my new found techniques and appreciate learning the simple foundations to film production.

Final Project 3

Gambling Advice from Paul Hunter Zaid on Vimeo.

Audio Portrait - Project 2

Blog #2- Field Trip/Museum of the Moving Image

            I was fascinated by the relatively simple process of recording voice-overs in the simple and unglamorous sound booth. Two members of our tour group recorded their voices over dialogue from the film Wizard of Oz, following the same procedure that actors use when dubbing their lines in post-production. Two of my fellow classmates did a hysterical voice-over to the scene in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy says to Toto, "I don't think we are in Kansas anymore." I'm truthful in saying that it was a priceless recording that received a big laugh.

            Moving image technology has changed in the obvious manner of how once elaborate sets and props were made to scale and authenticity as the only way to recreate the image for use in media. Today, with technology and large budgets there is a need to cut corners at every possible angle as well as creating images digitally using computers versus actually creating them. The Technicolor motion picture process has been replaced by the Eastmancolor process of fusing the three film strips into a single roll for a less expensive means to record in color.

            Also, small scale props were created to depict large spacecraft such as those depicted in Blade Runner. These props were created with great detail with only a limited area of the prop complete, and then was filmed with nothing to scale the prop and were easily produced and filmed for a scene that would otherwise be impossible or too expensive to produce. I am always fascinated by this technique because as one watches the completed film one has no idea that the reality of the prop is small and relatively hollow except for the detail of the object that is actually filmed.

Linda Blair says Happy Halloween Media 160!

Blog Assignment 2: “What I Hear"

     I live in South Bushwick along the JMZ train where there are several keynotes and sound signals that are part of the New York City soundscape. In my neighborhood there are several keynotes such as the J or Z train passing through on the above ground train track, the huffing and puffing of the B38 bus to downtown Brooklyn, the typical city traffic-with cars honking their horn, and of course the often heard ambulance siren coming or going from Woodhull Hospital.

     A soundmark that is distinctive of my neighborhood that I have heard for over the past two years is the almost daily, 3 p.m. shout of "Hey Boy!" from a yet to be seen neighborhood man. On Sunday's I hear the woman who goes through the buildings trash and takes the soda cans and containers for cash deposits. Also, a new distinct sound is the rim shop that is being constructed next door to my building, coupled with the sounds of children from the middle school down the block.

     This exercise has made me fully aware to all the sounds that happen in my neighborhood and city. Coming from a rural setting where there are only four sounds; birds, farm machinery, crops blowing in the wind, or the perfect hum of a car going down the gravel road that I resided on. The city offers so many layers of sounds, whereas a rural setting offers only a few, yet enjoyable sounds. I realize after writing this I miss the sound of quiet.

Define A Space

Define A Space from Paul Hunter Zaid on Vimeo.

Project 1-Define Your Space