Here I will share with you readers my thoughts on current happenings within my Art & Tech class, and any related events. I will also be following up with assignments and posting here accordingly for them. Hopefully I manage to carry through properly, as this is my first blog, heh.
This epic silent film was written by Abel Gance, and was published in 1927. It follows the life of Naopléon, and his years earlier in life as they led up to him being one of the greatest military leaders. Gance was able to experiment with many techniques that hadn't been seen or dared in cinema before this film, including the creative use of camera motion, expanded screens, different camera perspectives, and close-up shots. He was very intuitive and risky in these ideas, but they obviously paid off for him.
When the film first premiered in Paris, it was so long that they had to show it over two nights, with the film lasting just around nine hours! Another complication it reached was that Gance used triptych shots for the last 20 minutes in order to capture the grandeur of the finale. Using three separate screens to film the vast size of the army, he place them side by side to create a horizontal layout that allowed the audience to really see the intensity of the scene. The only problem was that many of the theaters didn't have screens large enough to properly project this trick, so showings ended up being very limited due to these restrictions.
Napoléon is considered a wonder in the film world due to the series of innovations it introduced that are now widely used in the industry. Without Abel Gance taking these rewarding risks, the styles of movies we know today could have evolved very different over the course of time.
When I was watching this short film, I have to say I was impressed at how they were able to bring the camera outside to film some of the scenes. Usually, with other short films around this time period, all scenes would be indoors with minor props set about to give the feel of being in the outdoors and forests. Edwin Porter did a magnificent job using body language from the actors in order to bring out the full story of what was unfolding in this silent film. With only the clicking of the slides and frames to keep my ears busy, it was nice to be able to understand what was going on just from the visuals.
I noticed once or twice, for the rather violent or potentially harmful moments against the actors, that Edwin did the stop-frame edits. He'd stop filming, have everyone freeze where they were, and replace one of the actors or objects with a dummy, and then continue filming. This would not be able to be picked up on unless someone was looking for it, and it'd make the viewers think that the violence received by the dummy was actually being received by the actor that had just been there.
I also believe that they used blanks when they were shooting their guns, to create the sudden smoking effect without actually shooting anyone. At first I thought they were just using puffs of smoke, but in the final scene where the robbers are in a face-off with the townspeople, I realized that the horses were acting jumpy; so I feel it's right to assume there must've been sharp sounds, such as is typical in shooting a blank from a gun.
Overall, I actually rather enjoyed this film, and was rather disappointed at how short it was. It makes me more appreciative of how the creators and writers were able to make a whole story begin and wrap up in such a short amount of time, unlike today's movies which drone on for hours to tell the whole tale - not that it's necessarily a bad thing, though.
I was so excited to receive this assignment to investigate and look into Melies's "Trip to the Moon".
Having seen Hugo, which I absolutely love and adore, I had a bit of a background knowledge on the story of George Melies's movies and how he revolutionized the film industry. He provided a creative mind that no one had even contemplated working with - his films were literally "something out of a dream". From the way he envisioned his works, to the manner in which he thought up ways to bring them to life, he was incredible. And, seeing as he started his whole career as a magician, it's no wonder he was able to think in a new perspective and to think of new ideas that would change the way everyone thought.
The idea of traveling to the moon is brought up in this 12 minute short film. There is a group of astronomers who try to think up ideas of how to get to the moon, and after much debate, they decide the best possible way is to place themselves in a rocket - in the shape of a bullet - and literally shoot themselves to the moon. It's only as they're in the process of reaching the moon do we know that the moon has a face, and feelings. The bullet rocket ends up shooting into the moon's eye, hurting and upsetting the moon in the process.
As the men exit to explore the moon, they find themselves confronted by truly strange experiences, such as giant mushrooms, transformations, and weird creatures that certainly do not want them there. These creatures capture the astronomers and take them to their leader, who ends up being shattered to bits by one of the astronomers. Fleeing for their lives, the astronomers try to escape, only for the leader to attempt and foil their escape by tampering with their bullet rocket. However, despite it all, the astronomers survive and are found and carried away by a steamboat that finds them in the ocean, and they share their delight in their experience.
I watched Hugo the other night, and am completely in love with it and the history it aims to tell its viewers. This story, along with George Melies, are the main focus of the history that is revealed and explored in the movie, and I for one will keep re-watching it to see if there's any more details I can pick up on.
Film and its origins and progression have always been an interest of mine.
In Peter Pan, where Cathy Rigby (Peter Pan) demonstrates the flying capabilities of her character, the technology is very important to engage the audience in the reality that they're meant to believe. With the thin, yet highly strong and durable, wires and harness holding onto Cathy, she's able to easily glide up and around, even preforming some acrobatic flips and twists to make it appear as though she truly has the gift of flight. The colorful lighting and childish glee associated through the tune and the other children's engagement with Peter Pan, the excitement is portrayed wonderfully.
I do appreciate Cathy for having control over her body as she soars, so that it doesn't just look like her body is being flung around. I give her a lot of credit for being able to hold her body in certain positions, such as leaning forward or back, to help contribute to the illusion that Peter is in full control of his flight.
"Defying Gravity" from Wicked had a spectacular display of lights and emotion in the set. It is all too easy to be enveloped in the mood and experience that is being presented, not only by the musical number itself, but also the way the lights are used. Deep blues and bits of lighter blue to insinuate a bit of mystical magic, with sparkles here or there to show that it's a positive, awe-inspiring sort of music. As Alpheba soars into the sky on a moment's notice, with veils of blue draping beneath from her, it's obvious that the audience was supposed to be in shock and awe. The light brightened a bit, rotating to show a change in pace or mood of the storyline. As others rushed in, with the smoke and fog at their feet, there was an excellent example of using props and special effects to really get the audience deeply involved in the story being told.
Shirly Jones sings "The Sound of Music", and there is an elegant sort of grace shown here. Her beautiful outfit, with the dazzling background filled with enticing signs and twinkling lights, the audience is captured and held in by her voice as it's exemplified by the stage set up behind her. Sometimes less is more, such as here where it's blatant that the focus should be Shirly and her solo, so the background isn't nearly as busy as it could be. The set gets the audience in the mindset of a graceful sort of poise, though simplistic in the sense that there is no dramatic movements so that all eyes are directed to Shirly and her words.
In "42nd Street", there is an abundance of focus on the colors and the light used. There is a surplus of twinkling lights almost everywhere the audience looks, from the title letters to the borderlines and the steps, themselves. The cast is wearing a multitude of outfits consisting of shimmering sequins that reflect all the light back, only contributing to the spectacle. Even their shoes are shiny so as to amaze the eyes of the audience. It is truly a sight to see, with the exciting and rhythmic dance motions and movements for the number. The lights that shine down on the cast add a hint of color to them, with the main focus being the couple in the center as they wear blue as opposed to the rest.
The cast was also engaged with the audience, which was very interesting as they ran around the theatre.
"King Herod's Song" from Jesus Christ Superstar is a great example of how well color and light can be used in a musical number. This piece has a lot of blues and reds, each complimenting the other as they're backed up against each other in the outfits, the set pieces, and even the background lighting and walls. The golden "H" stands out brilliantly, now making sure that all three of the primary colors are present, each complimenting the others wonderfully. The dazzling sparkles and shining on the cast members' outfits, save for Jesus, the audience can easily understand how Herod and his underlings have the good life, and are really proud of it by flaunting it around. There's a sense of pity set up for Jesus, as he's there, backed away from the "party" wearing not much more than a cloth robe - which is exactly the mood that the people are supposed to be in.
"The Circle of Life" from Disney's The Lion King is, by far, one of my favorite Broadway numbers. I'm a sucker for Disney, and when I saw this number, I couldn't help but watch it over and over again. The use of bright and beautiful colors is incredible, as the oranges and golds and yellows and reds create the feeling of warmth and comfort. The costumes and set designs were... unbelievable. The mechanics used made me wish I could create something like that, as the costumes were manipulated to represent the desired animals, such as rhinos or cheetahs. The cheerful and energetic dancing numbers make the audience watch in awe, sharing in the cast's excitement, while the incredible use of lighting and color keep them watching and eagerly waiting for more. The busy motion of the cast members flowing gracefully, creates a sense of beautiful nature that the wild is known for. As everything seems to "flow as it should", everyone can feel and understand the meaning of "the circle of life" - everything works according to how it's supposed to, even if it seems like it might not.
It'd be an understatement to say that "Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious" from Mary Poppins definitely used colors to their advantage in this number. With the idea of how atrocious and crazy that particular word is, the exuberant use of various colors, some contrasting and others complimentary, helps get the audience into thinking the same. The outrageous outfits and makeup worn by some of the cast members on stage causes the need to laugh or giggle, which is exactly the whole point of this piece. The swift and energetic movements give off the feeling of a game, of something fun and exciting, and with this tied in with the colors, this musical number exemplifies itself very well.
I've personally always been a fan of the Jazz music, finding it to be an odd, yet unbeatable combination of a steady beat - urging me to dance - and the flow of the soul. I'm always one to fall for swing dance music, and so Jazz has had a place in my heart for quite some time.
Jazz originated from the hearts and souls of black slaves in America, who used music as a source of some sort of freedom, which eventually evolved into their own music style. It had basically been a prerequisite of Blues and Jazz music that they grow from the heartfelt emotions, whether they be joy, longing, or just pure energy. As jazz began to grow, it migrated up north to cities such as Chicago and New York, where they became a staple; Chicago became very well-known for its fair share of Blues artists. With technology advancing so that it became more and more easy for the public to have access to different sources of media - i.e. music from the radio - it was no surprise with how quickly the people started to catch on to the swing of Jazz.
During the 1930's, Jazz became an essential source of escape, happiness, and enjoyment for the American people as they suffered through the trials of the Great Depression. Even with the greater part of the population suffering through poverty, music was still something that could be shared with ease, and its ability to lighten the spirits of the people was contagious.
Before when we were talking about the methods people went through in order to manipulate their voices for Opera, I couldn't help but think of this man. He's fantastic, and can mimic dubstep just with his voice! It's definitely worth checking out - I always replay it over and over again!
(accidentally posted this on my other, testing blog, haha. time to repost.)
I must say that when I heard we were going to be studying and looking into Opera, my first thoughts were "Oh, exciting!" and then I did a double take and it turned into "Oh... opera..."
But then we actually started looking at different operas, and I realized that there's actually a true, unbelievable art form at work that requires all this dedication and creativity and talent! After watching The Birth and Life of Opera, I find it hard to comprehend how much actually goes into each and every opera there was - and there's a lot of them! I always found it hard enough to think of intriguing characters and plot lines for my personal creative writings, so I have a much better appreciation for opera, which goes a million and one steps further than that by creating a tangible, visible, and audible new world!
And not only did it come to master so many different talents, but it did so progressively as to not lose its tie with the people it used to create these wonders. There were so many leaps and changes that were aided in being brought about by the shifts in storylines, plots, and characters used for operas. Seeing and hearing about them now, I'm sure that I couldn't appreciate it nearly as much as I could've if I had been there when all the hype was actually happening. It's hard to imagine being there alongside 10,000 other people, all lined up and eager to listen and see the exciting drama and love unfold onstage.
Personally, I think it's an understatement to say that opera was and still is an important influence on the world and its arts.
Hey. Sorry that I might switch things around for a while - I'm still getting used to this blogging way of life, and so I will most likely be testing the waters around until I feel a bit more comfortable. I've got a new layout, though, one that is more interesting and colorful. and out~
I had the pleasure of watching Pjotr Sapegin's adaptation of Madama Butterfly, an opera by Giaccomo Puccini. This short adaptation was animated, and I find it to be an amazing work of art just for that, seeing as I've tried various types of animation and always found it to be extremely challenging.
On to the story, now. I cannot even say how much I loved the manner in which Sapegin decided to tell this wonderful tragedy - the simplicity of the layouts and the animation itself forces the watchers to quit looking at the superficial details and acknowledge and appreciate the underlaying messages. I felt much more interested in the actual storyline and what was happening. The emotions and body language was perfectly touched upon so that I could not only understand, but feel connected to and sympathetic towards Madama Butterfly. The hope she clings to, and her pure sense of love and devotion is more than captivating as she awaits the return of the Lieutenant.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who absolutely loves the abstract symbolism in this animation. I'm always one to fall in love with stories that are able to bring in new ideas to resemble something so well-known. The stages of her pregnancy and mother-daughter bonding was fantastic, and I felt as though the fish in the fishbowl resembles the protection a mother offers her unborn child by bearing it safely within her own body. And the umbilical cord that wasn't cut? I love it, though I was confused at first, heh. As someone who feels an oddly deep connection to my own pets, namely the bird I've single-handedly cared for and raised for over six years, I can completely understand and relate to that feeling - the inability to be disconnected to the one you can't help but love.
And, with this in mind, I also empathized with Madama Butterfly at the cruel separation as the Lieutenant returned only to steal the daughter away. I ended up losing my bird only a few weeks ago as he flew away, unable to come home due to unfortunate circumstances, and so the connection I felt with Madama as she literally tore herself apart was frighteningly strong. The need to create something else, to start over new (which is conveniently what butterflies symbolize) could easily be seen as the only option for a grieving, deceived mother. Another thing I noticed was that both the Barbie wife and the Lieutenant squeaked when they moved, as though their "perfect bodies" and "perfect selves" were phony, and underneath there were problems (perhaps with their souls or hearts?).
Overall, this adaptation was incredible and amazingly artistic, I'll probably watch it a few times more than I already have just to see if I can catch on to anything else.
