Project #3

Project#3 Tailed(Quick Time) from Ivan Oh on Vimeo.
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Sound-Image and Image-Image Relationships

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9h7oB0TpLY

I examined a film Farinelli (1994), directed by Gerard Corbiau, starring Stefano Dionisi (as Farinelli), Enrico Lo Verso (as Riccardo Broschi), Elsa Zylberstein (as Alexandra), and Jeroen Krabbe (George F. Handel). The scene I took a closer look, is considered as the best scene of this film; that Farinelli sings Handel’s aria Lascia ch'io pianga, which is soprano aria included in opera Rinaldo.

This scene is well-made, in terms of performing, directing, and editing. As the climax of this film, also as a resolution part of the plot structure, the director had to release all tensions that built by this point. Especially, emotional tensions and forces formed between two main characters Farinelli and Ricardo. Director shows the important characters reaction while Farinelli sings aria by cross cutting. And also, includes scenes that contains a true story about Farinelli’s castration which Farinelli doesn't know until this point in the film.

Ricardo manipulates Farinelli’s talent for fortunes and women, however, he anxious about Farinelli ditches him and knows the truth about his tragedy (Ricardo lied for long time that Farinelli had to be castrated for surviving from fatal disease that he had in youth), and also taken him by someone else. At this time, Handel, the greatest composer in Baroque period, recognizes Farinelli’s talent and asks him to perform for him and royals in Italy. Ricardo couldn’t get away from Farinelli’s insisting on performing Handel’s piece. In this scene Farinelli sings Handel’s Lascia ch'io pianga (let me weep) to large audiences, including Ricardo, Alexandra (who truly loves Farinelli and steals Handel’s music pieces for him), and Handel. This scene composed well because this scene reveals the truth while Farinelli performs, Ricardo put Farinelli into the bath that filled with opium water that soothes the pain coming from castration, and the past memory of castration put between present scene (the Farinelli’s performance). Which reinforces increasing emotional tensions for both audiences of this film and the audiences in the story. The music is a diegetic sound. As the aria ends the audiences in the film standing up to praise and cheer, Farinelli seems happy and also very sad, because he, now, knows about the truth.

The experiencing of videographing environment around Hunter College

Seheon's Project01 from Ivan Oh on Vimeo.


Thanks to Frankie and Laura.

Sound Project / Interviewing Vanessa Yip

This is my Audio project. I enjoyed having a conversation with Vanessa and I've learned how to use audio recording device and, as well as interviewing skills.

SoundWalk

A Music that Water makes.

I live in 79^th Street in between York and East End Avenues. I love where I live. My apartment is surrounded by water, the East River. I love being in a place, where is close to water; the ocean, the river, the pond, the brook, and a drop of tear. Water is an amazing source of sound we hear. It seems not, but water has many different sounds.

I waited a rainy day. In a small apartment, when you in deep silence, water tell you as soon as rain starts. I hear the raining sound, which drops of rain hit on air conditioning, its outdoors side fan cover, the ac at outside makes a tin sound when rain drops hit its case. The sound of the raindrop is very rhythmical. Although there aren’t any organized pitches for this raindrop sound it is enjoyable, because they are natural and unpredictable.

At the outside of my apartment, I can walk along with the East River. I closed my eyes and listened carefully at sounds that I can hear; from small sounds to big sounds (not the loudness). These small sounds are more interesting than big sounds. The big sound in New York City is probably noises made by cars and people. But the small sounds are; made by animals and human; especially in a rainy day, you can hear dogs are shaking their body to take off water on their fur. And jogging people make special sound only in a rainy day, when they running over dirt, the wet-dirt make sound with the runner’s shoe sole, the friction of the shoe sole surface and wet-dirt is more regular pitch and stable frequency because these runners are trying to maintain their speed.

These sounds I hear in a rainy days. Which gives me a calmness and peacefulness.

After Visiting Museum of Moving Image

I enjoyed that how MoMI (Museum of the Moving Image) displays the footage of historical and technological advance of moving images. But personally, I liked to have an experience as a time-traveler, when I walked down to the last section of MoMI, where they re-constructed an early times movie theater. While I was seating in the 'Egypt themed' movie theater, I would imagine myself as an audience in 1920s movie theater. And I had a thought that watching movie and going-movie-theater were much more important in the people's life in that time. Because movie theater did not only exhibit movie, but also they offered a place to seat and to have an experience like a tourist in Egypt. In contrast, people in this day, do not go to movie theater as much as people in 30s and 50s, and people in this day wouldn't be excited by how movie theater designed. The role of movie theater in this day is merely projecting film but does have characteristics that old time movie theater had. Ostensibly, the MoMI attempt educates its visitors about the development of filming and technology. However, on the other hand, I felt that people in 21st century mostly rely on moving images; they informed by watching TV and entertained by watching TV and movie, yet they don't see how those are made, it made by many people's elaboration, and it is a conglomeration of human technology of moving image and the outcome from inventors' painstaking works. Thus, I will more appreciate to people whom contributed to make any films and TV programs.

Artist Statement

Of all the many types of visual arts, I have to say that film is my favorite visual art. I absolutely adore making and watching films. Film is the ultimate medium because people communicate their lives through film. This medium is participatory because it requires a human to watch with eyes, to hear with ears, and to think with the brain. Appealing to all possible senses and faculties, film and video offer a vastly opportunity to communicate with people on an everyday basis.

Personally, I want to get important messages across in my video, and to have audiences share my imaginations and my perspectives of our common world. In order to make an outstanding piece of video art, the artist ought to be aware of the varieties of art forms, such as photography, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, etc. Yet, the most important part of videography and filming is all about understanding the scientific dimension of light (color) and the technical field of the camera devices; these aspects exist beyond audience's line of sight in front of a screen. The artists should have a solid grasp of these technicalities through filming, directing, and editing.

Although, in this day, we have advanced computer technology that allows us to retouch and re-edit artists’ films and video arts, the true artist must know how to effectively use a camera. For example, I was inspired by a couple of cinematographers and film directors who had made use of a film camera to its maximum capacity. One example, Tarsem Singh (Director of The Cell, 2000, The Fall, 2006, picture left), uses minimal computer graphics to create exotic and lively colors throughout his films; Singh, only choosing materials (clothing and make-up) that reflect the richness of color that is visible to human eyes through the camera, also uses cinematographic skills that capture what other people haven’t seen before from other films.