Visual Review 5: Born This Way – Lady Gaga

At 25 years old, Lady Gaga has swept the world by storm, becoming the first true millennial superstar. Mastering the constant connection of the internet era, Gaga generated countless mini sensations through her style and videos. Her music inspires, upsets, confuses and engages. Each record she produces makes a statement. From interesting cosmetic and wardrobe choices to digitally edited scenes, Lady Gaga’s music video are truly incredible. Her success is a direct result of her artistic decisions, both lyrical and visual, and is the reason why I chose to review her work.

“Born This Way” became a smash hit almost immediately after it was released. The introduction to this music video is quite disturbing and might I venture to say.. disgusting. Gaga’s voice describes an infinite birth of good and evil while we watch her in labor – music resembling Star Wars creates an eerie atmosphere. Symmetry is used to illustrate a child being born into the world with a woman on either side, thrusting their hands forward and backward. Gaga exhibits a painful facial expression, with her legs spread between the two women as if in labor.

She continues to describe the birth of evil as the camera pans downward then upward. Black and white lighting is used to symbolize a sonogram. Shot from a low angle, we observe Lady Gaga struggling with inner conflict between good and evil. The use of lighting, lines, shapes and texture are remarkable and together create a kaleidoscope effect.

With the conclusion of the introduction, “Born This Way” kicked off with Lady Gaga bare skinned and empowered.  The lighting emphasized the natural, wholesome image Gaga wanted to portray – to love and accept your body and sexuality.This video could best be described as raw and rugged with Gaga dressed only in black lingerie, her tattoo and imperfections exposed for the world to see.

It shifts from a syncopated group dance scene to her sitting in a chair with exaggerated makeup. There is also a collective group of dancers piled together at one point – uncomfortably so I might add. The video is taken from the center creating an uncomfortable image of deformity.

Focusing on a child’s birth, “Born This Way” in all of it’s weirdness attempted to celebrate difference and promote equality, according to critiques. Personally, I lost interest in the song after having watched the video because of its unsettling nature but others may disagree. I pasted the link below for your convenience – thoughts?

Visual Review 4 – The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is everyones favorite classic fantasy film. From when I was a little girl, I imagined myself wearing Dorothy’s ruby red slippers, clicking my heels and reciting the infamous quote “there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home!”

One of MGM’s most cherished musical’s, The Wizard of Oz is about a lonely young woman from Kansas who dreams of a better place, somewhere over the rainbow.  Played by Judy Garland, Dorothy becomes caught in a tornado and is struck on the head. Subsequently she falls into a deep sleep. Unconscious, she dreams she is transported to a different place – Oz. There, she meets magical characters that strangely resemble those characters closest to her from her Kansas home. She arrives in Munchkin Land first and is instructed to follow the yellow brick road toward the Land of Oz where the Wizard resides. Only the wizard can help her to return home to Kansas. On her journey, she befriends 3 men who are also in search of the Wizard: the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. Upon the defeat of the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy and her friends are rewarded by the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy is able to return home to Kansas. Though filmed during the late 1930’s, The Wizard of Oz is just as entertaining today as it was then. Dorothy’s ruby red slippers and mesmerizing voice have and will continue to capture the attention of children and adults for years to come. 

The filming of The Wizard of Oz was groundbreaking.  Its visual impact was unheard of at the time. Although color cinematography was possible, black and white video was much more common. The artistic choice to shift from sepia tones to vivid technicolor hues was extremely effective. Black and white represented reality in Kansas, while the Land of Oz was shown in color. Those scenes that transpired in Kansas were presented in a very dull manner unlike those in Emerald City. Reds, blues, oranges, yellows and greens replace grays and browns as Dorothy’s house spins mid air and crashes to the ground. The distinction between the two helped separate fact from fiction and supported the imaginative illusion of Oz.

In terms of videography, the director incorporated several different techniques. The videographer focused on the Wizard, munchkins and main character Dorothy by zooming in on their faces. From panning right and left during the scarecrow scene, to dollying out as the tin man, scarecrow and dorothy skip down the yellow brick down, much of what we have covered in class is demonstrated in this film. It is obvious that no computer animation was used. iMovie and green screens did not exist. Special effects were not used when the scarecrow was set in flames nor were they used when the wizard took off in his hot air balloon. The photographer filmed from different angles in order to make each scene seem more realistic. For example, the yellow brick road is not endless. Where the sound stage ends, a one dimensional painting begins. In this movie, pictures created a sense of depth where animation today would have taken over.

Visual Review 3 – Rear Window v. It Had to Be Murder

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window is a suspense film based on Cornell Woolrich’s short story titled It Had to Be Murder. Out of commission with a broken leg, protagonist and photojournalist, Mr. Jeffries is confined to his tiny, sweltering courtyard apartment. To pass the time between visits from his home nurse, Stella and romantic partner Lisa, Jeffries uses his binoculars to stare through the rear window of his apartment and spy on his neighbors across the courtyard. There are several important characters including, a professional ballerina, “Miss Lonelyhearts,” a middle-aged woman, newly weds, an older couple, and a leering travelling salesman Lars Thorwald and his irritating invalid wife. One afternoon, Thorwald closes his window shades and from that moment forward, his wife is not seen or heard from. Based on a series of events and Jeffries observations, he believes Thorwald murdered his wife and disposed of her body. Not only does he does he watch Thorwald leave and return to his apartment 3 consecutive times in the rain carrying a briefcase, he also notices him clean a saw and large knife and proceed to wrap them in newspaper. Jeffries partner Lisa considers his theory and ultimately helps him solve this case and convict Thorwald of murder.

The basic storyline between Hitchcock’s film and Woolrich’s narrative is almost identical besides small changes in characters and excluded events. However, as can be expected, the film was much more telling. It is difficult to describe the environment and convey suspense quite like Hitchcock – especially without music and in a short story format. In the text, character development did not exist, nor did the author establish a relative connection to the protagonist, Jeffries. Hitchcock brought depth. He explained Jeffries injuries allowing his audience to empathize with him in his immobile state of boredom. They became emotionally invested. Woolrich simply combined a series of facts unlike Hitchcock who created a thrilling investigation. His motion picture enabled us as the audience to participate in his journey of discovering.

It is for this reason that the photographer should be credited for his strategic filming choices. At the beginning and throughout the film, Hitchcock uses low angles to focus on certain characters and incorporates panning to display the different scenarios in each apartment window. We are shown what Jeffries views through the lens of his binoculars and several scenes are shot from behind, facing the window as if we are standing beside him. I noticed that the videographer utilized depth of field to both illustrate Lisa and Jeffries facial expressions separate from what was taking place in the neighboring windows. Framing was also an incredibly important aspect of this film because it captured the events in each apartment. These decisions only added to the quality of the film and enhanced the story’s success.

Visual Review 2 – Photojournalist Eddie Adams

Eddie Adams was a Pulitzer Price winning American photojournalist. He was known for his portraits of celebrities and politicians, such as Fidel Castro and Mother Theresa, and his spectacular coverage of 13 wars.

Like many journalists, Adams was involved in the military. He was combat photographer who had served with the United States Marine Corpse in Korea. As a result, many of his photographs were of marine operations. His experience helped him to better understand and capture occurring events. From capturing desperate men in battle crying for support to the intense expressions of children cradled by their mothers and surrounded by soldiers, Adams helped shape intimate storytelling photography.

His most famous photo was of the Vietnam War, captioned “General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon.” Vietnam was unlike other battles, in that there was no censorship of any kind. Photographers at that point in time had incredible access which Adams demonstrated in his collection.

Adams watched as a Vietnamese general raised his pistol to another mans head. However, withins seconds, Adams picture of an interrogation transformed to a murder right before his eyes. His lens captured a moment in time that would impact the perception of Vietnam on a national level. His still photo caught the clarity of the gun, the expression of the victims face as the bullet entered his skull and the simultaneous reaction of the soldier witnessing the execution.

Standing a foot away, Adams accomplishment made several profound statements in regard to such a controversial war. In fact, he himself found the attention given to his work incredibly disturbing. “The anti war movement had viewed his photograph as one that proved that the American war effort was not worthy,” something Adams was not proud of.

Having touched on storytelling photography in class, I chose to review Eddie Adams work. How a single still image can have such a profound effect on an individual as well as an entire society amazes me. If I were to pursue a career in photography, I would only hope to capture such revealing, passionate and irreplaceable moments in time.

http://www.monroegallery.com/photographers/display/id/66

Visual Review 1 – Lazy Teenage Superheroes

Directed by Mike Ashton, “Lazy Teenage Superhero’s” uses graphics, skilled photographers and professional editing techniques to introduce four above average college students with super powers. Made exclusively for web distribution, this short film explains what superhero’s do besides fighting crime.  Through action and violence, Mitch, Cal, Rick and Tyler battle an animated insect looking robot and two “villains.”

Mitch has phoenix like abilities enabling him to appear and disappear in flames. A lover of “booze, women and everything in between,” Cal can manipulate electrical fields. He is formed by lightning bolts; Blue bursts of energy currents flow from his hands. Rick, referred to as the Hulk with terrible OCD, has strength powerful enough to facilitate mini earthquakes. With a single punch, cement pavements break because of the tremendous force he possesses.

The scenes transform from a natural outdoor setting to a still image resembling a comic book with bubble text reading the name and power abilities of each character. With four main male characters, a female figure was expected. Melody, an attractive brunette, made a thought out entrance. Knocking on the front door of their apartment, she is introduced like any woman would be in a man’s comic book – slowly walking forward with a bright light behind her silhouette. She was blessed with the ability to freeze time and space travel.

The transition between reality and animation is smooth and convincing. I was most impressed by both fights scenes involving the ninjas and evil villains Lazer Wing and Solario. When Laze and Cal battled one another I was reminded of Star Wars. Laze possessed two light sabers, one for each hand while blue electricity shot from Cal’s fingertips.

For an Internet made movie, it was very well made. I was amazed when Mitch punched Laze with such force that he flew backward, crashing through the glass window. Shards of glass scattered everywhere. Immediately after, Solario was introduced. Also able to control and throw flames, I noticed that the image coloring of his character was fully saturated to resemble heat.

Interesting tip and tutorial videos are featured to share how the short film was created so realistically. I enjoyed seeing how they recreated the battle frozen in time – flames and electricity spewing in different directions. Actors stood stationary in their positions during the final battle and the superhero animation was digitally added after the clip had been shot – SO COOL!

However, the storyline could stand revision. Although the digital editing is well done, if I were to do change this short film, I would bring about some sort of conclusion. The piece ended as Melody froze time mid fight and proceeded to walk through it. She called her fellow superheroes and friends amateurs just before the words “The End” flashed on screen. I would have either had the the villains or college superheroes prevail and hint at a sequel episode so that viewers would revisit my website.

Extra Credit Photo 3: Creative Selfy

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Extra Credit Photo 2: Motion Blur

Extra Credit Photo 1: Portrait with Prop