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Two commercials on TV have really caught my eye recently. A sprint commercial where a voice over states a bunch of statistics, the visual concept of the commercial demonstrates good visual transitions within the commercial. The transitions between the cars, and people, between the phone is extremely fluid in motion.

The other one is the Kia car commercial where the hamsters are on rollers on streets and high ways. It’s a great metaphor that represents how other cars are obsolete compared to the new Kia. The Kia car pulls up and two hamsters are driving it.

Both have a clear focus to the message they are sending, but using two different concepts in different ways.

Transitions

A common line I find funny is that, “when one door closes, another one opens.” This means that when something comes to an end, something else will then come up. But when is it your job to open that door. Do you have to sit back and wait for someone to open it on the other side? Or do you have to walk up to one and see whats on the other side. I think that this concept could be communicated well into a minture short story in film. When to push, and when to wait. And when finds that waiting around for something doesnt work…

That’s It, That’s All

The most influencial movie I have seen for me to date.  A snowboard movie produced by Quick Silver broke down barriers in the snowboard film industry.  Making snowboard films is something that I can see myself doing after I graduate college, I did it as a kid, in high school, and as well as college.  And this film blew my mind.  The shots, use of graphics, effects, music, everything.  What I liked most about it is how it gave you an insight into how snowboard movies are made.  There is a shot where they show a dolly and track being used on top of a mountain, that’s dedication to a shot.  They use countless helicopter shots and there is a scene in a bedroom just fooling around where a diva light can be seen.  Also, they use the walky talky’s from the helicopter pilots snowboards as a voice over, telling them when to drop and where to go.  If you are into snowboarding, film making, or just a good movie, watch this movie.

 

http://www.thatsit-thatsall.com/

http://framesandfields.com/215/JonathanP/Jonathan.html

Transitions

Out of all the topics to choose from class I think transitions are what we face the most daily.  Abandoning is a bigger concept that happens once in a while, leaving somewhere or something happens everyday but you never thinking about it.  Leaving to go to lunch, but isn’t that a transition?  From one place to the next?  So is there such thing as leaving?  I believe that life is a transition, from every aspect and every angle.  In the game of lacrosse you need to transition the ball from defense to offense.  And then settle it down on offense.  Then you have to physically transition yourself into a better position to score.  Then its a transition from that game to the next.  Every practice is a chance to transition your game and your skill.   You transition from year to year.  Get better then the next.  You build on tradition but never look back.  Transition = Life.

Inspiration

I have dificulty sometimesordering an idea or focusing in on a certain topic or area.  When looking over others websites from our websites Greg’s gave me a clear sign of what direction looks like. http://framesandfields.com/215/GregK/Greg2.html

He focused in on abandoned submarines and took the topic of abandonment to a specific topic, empty ships at the bottom of the ocean.  I am trying to focus in on my subject of abandonment and I think I am going to narrow it down to abandoning your childhood.  Making others question like I have been, do you choose to abandon your innocence? do you actually even lose your innocence or the inner child?  I think the best thing that could come from someones piece of work, whether it be a painting or a film is a question.  Leave the person wondering the same things you were thinking when you made a film.

Evolution… a transition

An image that came to mind when thinking of a child growing older on a playground.

Empty Swing

An Empty baby seat represents abandoning your childhood or loosing your innocence.

Transition

Its funny that my subject transferred from one subject to another when I came up with a visual idea from my swing set.  Originally an empty swing to me represented loosing your innocence.  I brought up the idea in class and had an entire short film thought up of a kid entering a playground and through different camera shots, showing him age.  For example him getting into the top of a slide going down and coming out the bottom an older version.  Then swinging on a swing and jumping off and landing yet another older version.  Someone in class pointed out that this wasn’t abandoning your childhood but rather the transformation from a child to an adult.  I enjoyed this idea more and thought the two subjects could be intertwined when the last shot is the empty swing, and a new child runs up and sits down and begins to swing on it.

End of year assignment

The end of the year assignment is exactly what I went to college to do. Making movies, editing, filming, bringing my ideas into something to be seen through cinematography. It seems like hard, but rewarding work. An idea came to me the first day of class for the final project. Having a college student make marjuwana brownies… his room mate comes in as he is leaving for class, sits down, talks to friends in the room, becomes hungry and eats them. In class we discused how short films are a chunk of real time where it isn’t common to go far into the future. My idea to bend this rule was to have a short film in real time but out of order. Taraintino it. He eats the brown, then everything becomes warped and using effects through final cut make everything through his eyes become warped and colorful. I am very familiar with effects so this would be the fun part. Then he is woken up by his room mates not knowing what happen. The last scene would be from their point of view, walking in on his room doing something outrageous and ridiculous. From everything seen in class that Derek plays this idea seems to push boundaries with the real time switching and the fact it deals with illegal drugs. Most of the films are things that shock people and I think that this would be a short film that no ones seen before. Also, when I think of the idea, all the shots, angles, and lighting already comes into my mind and there are some great shots I feel would make this short film even better.