Hunter Penguin - Final Project

Hunter Penguin
Here is the final project mixing audio / video recording and editing, a work of collaboration between Audrey Leonard and Benjamin Cosso.

Tym's Interview 2.0

Tym's Interview 2.0 on SoundCloud

Here is an updated / improved version of the audio assignment. The interviewee's voice has been given more gain so the juxtaposition with the background music and effect is clearer / smoother.
The secondary layers (music and cafe ambiance) have been re-cut so specific noisy parts that interfere with the interview have been taken off. It has also been shortened a bit.

BLOG POST #3: Relationships Between Shots

Matty Mullins - Glory (Official Music Video)

For this assignment I have chosen a music video, easy choice to meet the length requirement of about 3 minutes. This choice is primarily because the visuals, ambiance and special effects in this video are extremely impressive to me, and testify of the amazing editing skills of the filmmaker behind it.

First striking characteristic of the video, the light setting; light plays here a crucial role in the storytelling, to follow the lyrics and create a contemplative, divine infused ambiance.  Mostly sunlight is used in that sense, with long and extreme long shots of outdoor landscapes, and medium or close-up shots of the main character and the reflection of this intense light on him. On top of that, the whole clip is recorded in a red(ish), amber tainted light setting, which adds to this surreal, mystic, divine ambiance.

Cuts are pretty smooth and seamless as the pace of the song is rather slow. Slow motion is used in a good half of the shots to emphasize even more the story, which revolves around a character in awe, facing the depth of the creation that surrounds him. Extreme close-up shots show the tattoos, earplugs and different facial expressions of the singer as he contemplates the scene around him before being elevated in the air, moment when the shot goes 180 degrees to show the earth upside down, probably using a mechanical arm to revolve the camera and obtain a perfectly smooth visual of what is happening.

Other specific/ impressive ways of filming are used, such as a shot of the character driving, while the viewer can notice what is happening outside of the car, reflecting on the front window.

An impressive, well realized video clip in which the visuals constantly emphasize and duplicate the ambiance  and lyrics of the song.

Museum Of the Moving Image Report, 04/15

An hour was a bit short for a full visit of the museum and go over all the exhibits in detail. Nevertheless, it was an interesting tour, as we had the chance to connect with the early years of American cinema. 
As an international, I did not recognize any of the famous pioneers portrayed on the wall, at the exception of Clint Eastwood and Charles Chaplin. It was an opportunity to discover some of the legendary American movie characters, and how Hollywood casts slowly evolved to incorporate actors of different ethnic backgrounds, as the society was changing.

It was also interesting to learn a bit more about the economic pattern of the film industry and the early development of the commercial exploitation of fictional movie characters, with an extended collection of magazines, figurines and all sorts of gadgets inspired from Star Wars or Star Trek characters.

The hair and make-up section was as well quite impressive, and I could catch a glimpse of all the different fields of work and jobs necessary on a movie set, and how long, precise and constraint bound was the process of creating specific outfits or make-up effects to achieve a level of accuracy in making an individual look old, or like an animal (Planet of the Apes).

On a technical level, many film cameras of the early beginning of television were available to see, and one of the striking aspects of those pre-digital era tools was that they were fairly bigger and a lot heavier than what is being used nowadays, probably restraining the possibilities in terms of angles and speed in a moving shot.

Audio Assignment

Audio Assignment: Tym's Interview

Here is the first version of this audio assignment. An updated / improved version can be found on this blog!

The Soundwalk

            It is 2:02 pm on a sunny Wednesday afternoon.

I am sitting on a bench in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.

A quiet, relaxing space, although quite restraint, so a lot can be heard in the background from the noisy madness of the city.

           

 The audio foreground is a mixture of voices of people passing by or sitting at a certain distance and discussing, along with the continuing chirping of the birds. I can notice the crispy sound of the plastics wheels of a stroller rolling on the concrete covered with small branches and other natural waste left by the snow that has just melted.

           

In the background I try to distinguish and identify each individual sound from the constant superposed layers of sounds of urban activity. I can distinctively hear a dog barking for a few seconds and can tell it must be far from my position, although it might be inside the park.

Unrelentless traffic noises are the primary layer of sound in the background. Too many different juxtaposed sounds that seem like a constant sort of wind blowing from which emanates some specific, recognizable, familiar sounds every other second. A police or ambulance siren whistling, cars honking, at times loud noises of probably heavy objects hitting a hard surface, I imagine some construction work is taking place nearby.

A new foreground sound is noticeable as a person sits on the same bench, a couple of meters away, and unfolds a wrapped sandwich. That noise masks the background sound, which disappears as soon as some sound that my brain evaluates as closer can be heard.

 I assume that being now used to the urban jungle, my brain processes the audio background as silence subconsciously, which allows me to rest more easily in a noisy environment.

Define a Space Assignment: Haunted Auditorium

Here is my take on this first assignment (Vimeo link above).