Audio Commentary - Movie Scene

Audio Commentary - Fallout

Reimagining Visual Framing

            In the first image, there is a house, floating in the air, dominating the LEFT THIRD of the image. Because the house is dominating the left third and there’s not much else to balance out the image on the other half of it, our eyes are immediately drawn to look right at the house before examining the rest of the image. I would call this image AMBIGUOUS SPACE because of the awkwardness of the house being in the air and us, as the viewer, not knowing from where exactly we are looking. By adding buildings in the bottom right, where the man appears to be heading, it gives the image a sense of DEPTH, assuming that the buildings in the background are the same size as the one in the foreground, just at very different distances. Both the images give a dark and somber feel, with the grays and browns highlighting everything, the two show great AFFINITY in color and emotional feel, but CONTRAST greatly in context. Both images require an ACTIVE mind to determine its meaning and feel because through imagery alone it is difficult to know what the artist was thinking.

            For the edited image, I decided to zoom in on the man in the bottom right. The lines below the man give us the feeling that the man is receding in to the background of the image. His coat waving in the wind is also telling us that the man is moving toward the background. The edited image, to me, feels a little more relaxed, while the original feels dark and depressing. I chose to focus on the man because I really liked that particular little section of the image. The man seems on his own, on a mission apparently, and from the looks of the color, dark clouds and far off background, his mission will not be easy and there seems to be little hope.

Response to "Brainwashed"

Seth Godin's "Brainwashed"

   "Acknowledging the Lizard",  was a very interesting concept that I have never really encountered before. It makes perfect sense, I have just never thought of that 'gut' feeling as being a lizard brain. It's always a good call to go for it all, go with the gut and not be afraid of judgement because only in judgement can you find ways to improve your professional work and creativity. The idea of 'resistance' is also an interesting concept and I find it to be a slight factor in posting these blogs. After reading this I have a little more appreciation for the blog entries. The second "layer" that I liked the most was "Connect". So I often I find myself wasting time using Facebook for non-important things when I could be using it to friend and contact people I know who know other people in the business because it is very important to make connections and contacts to increase job opportunities.
    As I mentioned, after reading this I have a better understanding of the reasoning behind these blog assignments week after week, however I feel it is starting to become busy work. It is a bad time of the quarter for such a question, considering that stress is at a peak during the middle of the quarter, but I see the legitimacy of these entries.

Garageband AppleLoops Project

My Song

Cover Songs

       I have selected the “Hey Ya” by Outkast, not even because I like the song because compared to its acoustic version the Outkast version does not compare. The acoustic version I heard, I believe on an episode of Scrubs, was by Obadiah Parker, played by just him and an acoustic guitar. Both songs feature the same LYRICS and MELODY, however the RHYTHM is slowed and the INTENSITY is much lower because Obadiah Parker sings his version with an acoustic guitar while Outkast uses a variety of instruments and drum beats. The OBJECTIVE material found within the lyrics seem much more involved and heartfelt than when sung over a hip-hop/pop beat. The two songs have a great AFFINITY, as they are identical in lyrics and melody.

            The lyrics are identical, however when sung with an acoustic guitar at a slower pace, the words are much easier to hear and clearer to understand, which makes the song seem more emotional and meaningful than it seems as a rap version. The intensity of  Parker’s singing voice is much less than the intensity of Andre 3000’s unorthodox singing/rapping style. There are quite a few songs that I’ve heard and albums that feature artists that do this very thing, cover hip-hop songs with acoustic instruments. Ben Folds does a great version of Dr. Dre’s “Bitches Ain’t Shit.”

            The hip-hop version is much faster and much more intense. The song is driven by a heavy drum beat, featuring bass and snare. There is an acoustic guitar also in there but it is barely audible. Other than the drums, the melody, the sung lyrics, are much less of a force than they are in the acoustic version. Andre’s voice is much louder and intense. The chorus in this version also seems to be louder and more intense, it contributes more to the driving drum line than the chorus sung by Parker. Parker’s chorus slows down the song, while Outkast’s helps drive it along.

            The songs are in fact very similar and show a great affinity, while at the same time, the portray two very different moods. In Outkast’s music video, there are a ton of shots showing people dancing and having a good time listening to the song and “shakin’ it like a Polaroid picture,” it is shown as being happy, upbeat and fun. Through Parker, it seems much more emotional. The lone voice, and somber acoustic guitar add a very heartfelt vibe to the song. Even in listening to the song it is very easy to start tapping along or bobbing your head because “Hey Ya” by Outkast is a very catchy upbeat song. The driving drums, catchy hook, and upbeat tempo make it a very easy song to listen to and enjoy. On the other hand, Obadiah Parker offers a much more somber feel, almost sad. Even though the Outkast version is the big hit and was on top of the charts I prefer the acoustic version, mostly because I’m a fan of acoustic songs, especially acoustic guitars and piano, there are a lot of acoustic covers of songs out there but this particular cover I like more than its original.

Soundscape

Soundscape