Inside A Beautiful Mind

On this scene of A Beautiful Mind our tragic hero is waking up after being doped when entering the mental 
institution.

 

        The very first shot is of John’s point of view. The angle of the camera, the blurriness and the quick closing of the lens, gives the viewer the notion that what we are seeing is through our protagonists eyes. While his vision is readjusting itself, we hear an echoing voice. At the very end of this shot, we get a glimpse of John’s hands twitching as if he is just waking up and then we are directed to a shot of his medicated facial expression.
      
     As he is awakening, he hears whispering voices and creaking furniture, giving it a thriller tone. He turns his face to figure out where the noises are coming from, and then the cam is directed in a quick and rough manner to where he is looking. Therefore, the audience follows the noises along with John. When he first sees this imaginary man, a dark toned melody plays in the background and lets the viewer know that this is bad! The melody playing in the background suddenly transforms into a sad piano tune at the moment the doctor and the audience realizes that John is in fact hallucinating and having a conversation with no one. 

     When the doctor comes in the picture, the organization of the shots is clearer. When John is speaking we are set behind the doctor and seeing John within a distorted background. Once the doctor talks back we see John’s sitting position from behind while getting access to the doctor’s clear front view. As the conversation goes on, we get close ups of John alone and the doctor when they are speaking toward one another. These shots of their short conversation are determined by the length of their phrases, it’s really just a back and forth. This back and forth is also used when the imaginary man joins the picture. I felt like the cuts in the conversation scenes were not as seamless as to when he jumped out of the wheelchair or was being dragged out of the office. But, perhaps its just because I was following the assignment too carefully. 

     The arrangement of the scenes, from the moment John jumps out of the wheelchair, is essential to the emotion that the scene sparks. We first get a medium front shot of John jumping, and then we see him falling from a long side shot. When John is on the floor he sees one of his hallucinated characters in a corner sitting and looking down at him, while John is looking up at him from the floor. Then we as the viewer are split into two… One shot shows us John and his reality which is him on the office floor of the doctor who is standing behind him seeking help. On the other side, we are once again placed in John’s point of view by seeing this imaginary man who is a product of John’s illness. 

      The scene takes place around earthy colors with a dark tone. Even the last shot in which the surrounding characters, the floor and the walls are all white, there is a darkness accented with shadows. The shots of the imaginary man are purposely set in an even darker area of the room and he is set behind big furniture and a black pillar giving us a sense of shame and hiding. I also feel that the fact that John is on the floor and most of his point of view shots are from a lower angle looking up, is a significance of this character hitting a low point in his life/on the film. John’s POV are indispensable in order to sympathize with him and to understand what is real and what is not, since he cannot.

Final Project. Disfrutalo!

final from jessica riascos on Vimeo.

Museum of the Moving Image

As someone who has been living In Queens for over 10 years and claims to have a High interest in film, it was a walk of shame to discover this awesome museum of the moving image. I enjoyed how modern the atmosphere is, yet most of its items are classic and from older generations. We were first introduced to a wall of stars which carried black and white photographs of all the big stars from early films such as Shirley Temple and Charlie Chaplin, before the industry moved to California.
The first aspect of media production that stood out at first was the costume and makeup design. There is just so much to it that when viewing the film, one does not take into consideration the making of  plaster head casts or how they were able to capture a "bleeding leg under surgery." That was actually the most fascinating piece of art work for me which appeared in the well known film The Black Swan. Honestly I don't even remember that scene but to see in detail, how much work was put into this fake leg just for a few seconds of a scene, made me even more conscious of other unthinkable tasks that takes place in order to complete a film.
(Not the best pic, but it's the only one I got)

It was not until the very end, in which we were all welcomed into the world of sound effects. I learned that there are three types of sound classification in film dialogue, music and sound effects. Now we were shown a clip from Titanic and we were informed of the tactics and play of sounds from Foley artists. I did not have any knowledge of such a job/ career p, and neither of the fact that the sound of the falling tanks of the Titanic were elephant cries. It really was a lesson about sound and interpretation and how much sound effects are needed to complete a strong impact. And of course once again I am left with more admiration towards the world of film because of all the little pieces that must be well thought out and put together in order to make that one film.

A Sound Walk

   When given the assignment to take a sound walk I pictured myself drifting by at a place like Washington Square Park on a beautiful, sunny day. However, those days have yet to come and I found myself walking with the company of my lime green umbrella through a grey and rainy day in my neighborhood, Jackson Heights. Although I love my neighborhood, there is something about rain that seems to accentuate the unattractive dog poop and dirt of this diverse place. My first instinct was to focus on what my eyes were seeing; therefore I had to talk myself into putting it behind and focus on the sounds.

     The highlight of the walk was the sound of the falling rain unto the ground, the cars, trees and my umbrella. It was as if each drop made a different sound; some falling heavy, others lighter and together making up a rhythmic beat. For a Saturday in my neighborhood, I found it to be pretty quiet, not as many cars passing by, of course until I reached the main avenue of Roosevelt. Having left my cell phone behind cause me some anxiety. I am so used to running somewhere, and doing something that walking aimlessly without nothing else to do but to listen, was quite the challenge for me.

     As I walked towards the big avenue the sounds grew louder. A woman passed me by and our umbrellas clicked unto one another, then only her fading steps and my steady ones were to be heard. As I reached Roosevelt Avenue and focused on the sounds it was chaotic; the above ground 7 trains, people’s steps unto the wet pavement, baby strollers being pushed, car tires, door slamming, wind, drizzle and  the chit chatting of people in Spanish, English and other languages I could not detect. There is just a lot of sound going on. I did not stay long, I could not. 

     This is a place I walk into everyday and I guess my mind has developed its own mechanism to avoid being affected by this hectic environment. My realization from this experience is that I tend to place a higher value onto images and the visual aspect of all, and that although sound plays a big role, it is not acknowledged as quick and naturally. It gave me a deeper understanding on the importance of sound, and its effect on the human mind and body. Sound absolutely opens up the mind for imagination and interpretation. 

Extra Credito! ;-p

      La eterna noche de las doce lunas or Eternal Night of the Twelve Moons directed by Colombian director and producer Priscila Padilla, reflects a grand development in Colombian cinematography and film. Colombia can be considered as an underdeveloped country within the film industry, and its major productions are soap operas. From the few films that have been successful on a local and international level, the core of its triumph relies on its storytelling which revolves around drug cartels or the infamous Pablo Escobar. In this documentary, even a person like me who was raised in Colombia, found something new and authentic. An unspoken indigenous society of Colombia is presented, but its major theme is the essence of the Wayuu women. As a conventional culture, the Wayuu’s definition of a woman orbits around the subjects of virginity, housework and motherhood. These beliefs maintain rituals that for many, would now be considered absurd and misogynistic. However, despite her ideals, the director truly projects her utter respect towards the Wayuu’s culture. As a viewer, one is not just exposed to these eccentric customs but a deep understanding is also transmitted. 

       The cinematography is simply organic and smooth. I found it quite different from other Colombian films I have watched in the past, which tend to be grainy and “dirty,” with more of a “green balance” instead of white. The setting is outdoors and it seems like there was major use of the sunlight to capture all the vibrant and idle colors of nature throughout the day. Many of the shots are more focused on the environment and display the people as being part of it. There are lots of cut-in shots, such of the characters’ hands and feet which contributes to making the characters and their environment more personable to the viewer. Nevertheless, what really did it for me was the rawness of the sound. It is solid! This film captures the Wayuu’s environment mainly through sound from its beginning to end. The sounds of the grass in the wind, the fly nearby, bare feet splashing through mud; it was just sensational to me.

¿Qué Sera? Saturday at Hunter College

¿Qué Sera? from jessica riascos on Vimeo.