White Noise

In our last unit of Ollywood, we found out about the principal components of a film after creation: altering, scoring, and enhancements. So as to comprehend the significance of these components, our class broke down a few visuals showing how altering structures film, how music score sets the mood and the enhancements of special effects. For my propelled investigations of Kurosawa, I was entering during the time spent concluding my capstone. I led my very own Field Experience to YouMedia as an incredible method to use their space for equipment and editing software. Making this film I needed to set an alternate tone from my past tasks, I dove into the aesthetic and make importance into what I place inside the frame. The greatest challenge I faced during this unit must be the detail of sound. I deliberately put myself where I needed to mess around with sound, I needed to feel the befuddled energy I felt the first occasion when I snapped a photo with the camera, and the first time I had made a complicated effect on Adobe Premier and have that equivalent feeling with sound. It wouldn't have been an Akira Kurosawa study without the opportunity to watch his films. For the last unit, I watched Kurosawa last film titled Dreams. Dreams was altogether something new for Akira Kurosawa specifically his editing process. Akira expressed that altering had dependably been so natural for him, he would take an hour toward the finish of each scene that was shot and alter it on the spot. That was unquestionably not the situation for his last film made in the 90s when altering programming started to incorporate shading evaluation and CGI. I took motivation from Kurosawa's exploratory expressive decision by creating something other than what's expected from my typical style. ROLL THE CLIPP!

White Noise (2018)

pg-13 | 7min 44sec | coming of age | 27 January 2019 (USA) |

Director: Genesis Andrade

Writer: Genesis Andrade \ improv.

Stars: Ayana Sterling & Genesis Andrade

Description:  

White Noise follows a girl as she disengages herself from her feelings when shes faced with a significant other she obscures her battle of self-control by concentrating on time.

Annotated Bibliography

1. Dreams. Dir. Akira Kurosawa. DVD. Warner Bros. (United States) Toho (Japan), 1990

Dreams is a 1990 Japanese-American magical realism film of eight vignettes written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was inspired by actual dreams that Kurosawa claimed to have had repeatedly. This film has influenced the purpose of White noise. Kurosawa implements a compilation of shorts that share a common thread of focusing on Humanity. He does this by utilizing a wide shot all through the young man's voyage as it underlines on the on the truth of the fantasy. This led me to believe the audience empathy would focus on the world than the emotions of the fundamental character. I pursued this idea by excluding the audience perception of the main character and including her surroundings inside the frame in order for the audience to build their perception of her by themselves.

2. Kurosawa, Akira, and Akira Kurosawa, and Akira Kurosawa. Seven Samurai: and other screenplays. London: Faber and Faber, 1992.

This book holds the screenplays of three films directed and written by Kurosawa. Ikiru (1952) recounts the excruciating story of a Japanese government employee dealing with seniority and passing. In Seven Samurai (1954) the occupants of a little Japanese town utilize a wandering group of samurai to shield them. In Throne of Blood (1957), in view of "Macbeth," a samurai is urged by his significant other to slaughter his master. I utilized this book for a presentation I conducted to have the students annotate the script as I show the scenes of Throne of Blood.

3. Kurosawa, Akira, and Bert Cardullo. Akira Kurosawa: interviews. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2019.

This book holds several interviews that quote Akira Kurosawa's. I was so interested in getting this book because there are nearly any interviews with Kurosawa on the internet. I wanted to learn more about Kurosawa as a person by reading the way he answers to question so this was a very enjoyable read.   

4. Prince, Stephen. The warrior's camera: the cinema of Akira Kurosawa. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 1999.

This book discusses Stephen Prince study of Kurosawa's films. Prince discusses how Kurosawa had influenced well known Hollywood directors some being, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and George Lucas. Most importantly it talks about Kurosawa's visual symbolism that touches on the post-war Japan dynamic systems. I used this passage to understand the easternized influences in western culture.

5. Wilde. Dir. Brian Gilbert. 1997. https://youtu.be/l4x3ADf0eBo. 9 May. 2009 <https://youtu.be/bcIClng5K94>.

Wild is a documentary on Oscar Wilde touching on his complex creations and sexuality. Wild had discussed a specific quote that stuck to me, “Does Life Mimic Art or Does Art Mimic Life”. As I looked into what it means for art to mimic life or life to mimic art I had seen it as anti-design v.s modernism. This brought the question of art taking its shape or art being modified. I then compared this to the irony of the film Dreams and how it builds collective dreams into reality. Which I then used as inspiration on forming my scenes.

6. Yoshimoto, Mitsuhiro. Kurosawa: film studies and Japanese cinema. Durham: Duke University Press, 2019.

Yoshimoto starts off mentioning Kurosawa's films immense impact on the way the Japanese have viewed themselves as a nation and on the way the West has viewed Japan. Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto definitively analyzes Kurosawa’s entire body of work, from 1943’s Sanshiro Sugata to 1993’s Madadayo. Yamashita then argues the tension Akira had stirred with his works. He discussed the “problematic” image Kurosawa portrays and the effects that have on japan's image and the West image on Japan. Yamashita then analyses the cliches of Japan's social-cultural and Institutional dilemmas being shown in every piece of Akira’s work. He then goes to reflect on the larger issue of Japanese film history by seeing the recurring negative patterns of national and cultural identity. Although Yoshimoto had strong opinions towards the works of Akira he acknowledges Kurosawa achievements. The biggest reason I read this was because I wanted to. I wanted to get a different perspective on Akira's work and the negative effect his films had caused towards the “partnership” of Japan and America.

In conclusion, this has been one of the most influential experiences that changed me in many different ways. The feeling I got when I read articles, books, and videos about Akira Kurosawa forming eastern and western cultures had made me love film even more. I had really enjoyed the internal investigation as it led me to absorb the external investigation more profoundly. By knowing the history I was able to pinpoint Kurosawa's metaphorical stylistic choices and build better analyses. I was always the type of person who learned more on hands-on experiences to perform an understatement of a subject it was very interesting how I had felt otherwise in my Independent Study. I've never felt so driven to learn more about the history of anything! ever! but having the opportunity to dive into my passion in an annotative lens changed the way I see myself as a leaner. I can only really thank Brent for allowing me to have me in his class again and work with my discoveries along the way. 

1) what is one unexpected thing you learned /experienced?

2) How did wl1 work toward

What's your meaning of life?

Welcome to the second unit of the senior humanities class "Journalism." In this unit, called "photography." we explored the photographic side of journalism. We spent a lot of time looking at influential photographs. We discussed how these photos influenced the public and how we take photos today. One of my favorite assignments was when we picked one photograph from each decade of the 20th century. I really enjoyed looking through photographs of the past century. It was interesting to see the historical events captured in influential photographs. For this unit's field experience, we went to Columbia College to sit in on an introductory journalism class. We were able to learn more about journalism while getting to see what a college class looks like and feels like. We also participated in Chicago Ideas Week. For this action project, we had to interview someone about what they thought the meaning of life is. I had some trouble trying to figure out who I should interview, but the simplicity of asking the person I spend my time with made the most sense insightful.

Day Dreaming a Meaning

GA, "run", 2019

"We gaze in what seems to be important at that moment, what passes through your life is a choice of what you practice.” In response to my lingering questioning of life Gabori Partee had curiously sparked several more questions through our conversation as we sat on a stoop staring at the trees. I had asked Gabori what specifically seems to be holding meaning in a moment as I was curious as to what is it the dictates substance in his life. I saw the frustration in his speech as he ironically concludes by saying how It becomes increasingly too difficult to come up with life’s ultimate lesson because it depends on how that lesson reveals suitable to your life at that moment. The lesson that we might think applies to our life varies because of all the different challenges that we have currently and the ones that are upcoming in life. It then became clear to me that Gabori is one to hold true through thinking that living in the present is what sets a person's future. As I continued to question I had asked what is it that dictates one's “ultimate lesson” in which he responded by saying it's like a mental game of patience and acceptance. I then paused by taking in on what he said as I felt like it deeply resided in my life as well. As the sun began to set we headed towards the river where he then questioned, “ Would one want to look back on their life and think that they did not accomplish all the things that he or she had hoped or wish that things had turned out differently? This just means that you have not fulfilled all the tremendous things life brings.” As he took a moment to recollect his thoughts I proceeded to ask if he is one to hold regrets. Very confidently he remarked on regrets not being existent as it is what builds your life to construct on everlasting change and practice by the moments. He had then brought up how “patience is underrated as it is easier to overcome for a human than acceptance of one’s situation or state. Therefore, having a meaningful life establishes life’s greatest lesson.” It was evident Gabori had sensed in what a life with meaning looks like so I had questioned him on how a life without meaning looks like. He voiced that, ”such as death, fear, and aging, which are all elements to having a meaningful life. So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." Gabori’s answer unclouded the conclusion of what it means to have meaning, it was clear to him that in order to find life looking in would never be the solution to that never-ending question of life as it is important to see yourself in others and your surroundings in order to see what grounds you. He frustratingly points out, “ If people could apply this approach to their own life, things would be better for all of us but some people are too devoted to themselves that they cannot find their purpose in life.” As the scene began to get dark our conversation took a turn of its own as we discussed how death plays a big part in it too. Gabori explains how preparation and acceptance illustrate the importance of dealing with the fact that we all are going to die at some point. “Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it. If people accepted that they are going to die, people would do things much differently. Knowing that you could die at any time forces one to really appreciate life and the people in their life.” As it becomes obscure into a paradox of how one thinks life is meant he ended our conversation with, “Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” Taking in moments of silence I then felt as if I was ready to capture the image. I had taken my image with my DSLR camera so that I will be able to have the most control over the aperture, shutter speed, and the overall composition. As I noticed outside had gotten darker I immediately knew I needed to change my settings so that I will be able to capture him with as much light as I can manipulate. I set my settings to 800 on exposure so that I can overall brighten up the frame without using to much grain, the shutter speed had been set to 200 frames per second so I can capture a cleaner motion picture, and lastly the aperture was set to f 2.8 so that I can have as much light come in as well. Now that I was ready to capture my shot I had asked Gabori in the count of 3 to run pass me so that I can capture a moving image. Luckily on the first try, I was able to obtain the image we had both wanted. Overall I was more than happy as to how my image and my interview had gone and felt as if was a great way for me to combine something I love into my learning.

Greening the Screen

This is the second and last unit in my senior STEAM course Economics. In this unit, we looked more in-depth about thinking like an economist. What led us to our internal portion of our investigation was a book by Kate Raworth titled, "Doughnut Economics- 7 ways to think like a 21st-century economist". In order to tackle the 7 parts of this book we paired in two and prepared a mini-lesson presentation for our peers. The importance of this was to understand the book's proposals in bettering the economy while saving the eco-system. For the external portion of our course, we visited We Work where we then met up with Rheaply. We had the opportunity to talk to the CEO and team members of this company where we learned how their business is innovating a circular economy by sharing professionals resources inside their industry. With the knowledge a
nd experience we gathered up we then took action into our learning by thinking how do we view the economic world. I decided to have my focus be the sustainability in film production. By taking Raworths lesson of a closed-loop economic system I am proposing for this model to be imposed in the film industry.

Greening The Screen

GA, "sustainable filmmaking", 2019

   As we imagine ourselves creating a story in action our mind immediately goes to wanting the best location, costume design, storyboard, equipment, etc. Although in pre-production, production, and post-production is meticulous in thinking about whom and where our sponsors and resources are coming from, we still tend to lose our focus in the waste that gets made behind the glamour. Sustainable film production isn't a new topic thankfully but nevertheless is it enforced or talked among our culture. One of Raworth's passage speaks on a circular economy. A circular economy works in eliminating waste and the production of it by ways of sharing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling in the results of having a decrease in pollution and carbon emissions and an overall balanced community. Although this isn't an idea that raises surprised heads it still raises questions as to how this can be infiltrated in a working society. This is the same question Raworth asks us as she states, "the job of today's economist is to figure out what kind of finance systems, regulations, and government support is needed to make that happen because the design will already do it but the finances, government, and business need to realign with redesign meaning that an economist job is to figure out how do you design the institutions to make this possible." This exact idea of thinking the solutions are already set for us but placing ways we can have this be a requirement in our growth as individuals, business owners, and community builders is what influenced me to think of this in a field of film. Filmmaking becomes scary when data shows that the making of a big-budget blockbuster can generate 3000 tonnes of C02 and one hour of tv production generates 9 tonnes of C02. This data puts you at a halt when you closely look at the quick changes that can be practiced within these film studios. My model focuses on the benefit of sustainable production. The amount of money that can be saved by reducing set construction by 20 percent and then reusing 25 percent of the material could save about $20,500. This being just one form of the bigger solution comes from turning accessibility to credibility. On our FE we spoke to Rheaply where we discussed how they use a circular economy module in working with the businesses. This led to the relationship between film studios and how much more of a closed net it can become if transparency was set in a way that was accessible for them. One of the team members that we spoke to at Rheaply spoke on how creating a platform that allows businesses to be part of the process allows Rheaply to gain credibility and allows the business to reduce waste through partnerships in their community. Although America is not confined to this type of model... yet, this is when we have organizations like the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to learn from. The BAFTA encourages sustainable production through a selection of 12 of the U.K.’s largest production companies. Consequently, the Academy has its own carbon calculator and a nonprofit organization named Media Greenhouse that promotes sustainable production practices in the industry. This form of placing value in waste reducement is what sets us up to want to meet the standards. Fortunately, when thinking of cinematography as a worldwide language we have a grand hope that America will to learn from studios like the UK and become a closed net community.

Cited Works
- “News.” Sustainability Could Play Leading Role in the Film Industry – Green Production Guide, https://www.greenproductionguide.com/sustainability-could-play-leading-role-in-the-film-industry/.

Voice of the Century

The third and last unit of my Senior Humanities course News coverage. In this unit, Sound, we learn all around sound news coverage. We tuned in to diverse podcasts and inquired about the voices of the century. This was an task where we had to choose a voice from each decade of the 20th century that speaks to what happened in that time period. We did comparative assignments. I truly preferred this task. It was a cool way to encounter sound from history. For our Field Encounter this unit, we went to Roosevelt College to see a photography display around worker detainment centers. This FE would have lined up superior with our photography unit, but there was sound within the show. For this action project, we had to form a podcast profiling and famous or influential voice. I had a difficult time considering of who to profile, but when I thought of powerful voices I knew I had to do Michael Jackson.

Tune In:




Read Along:

TIME	WHO	WHAT
0:00 0:50 1:15 1:37 2:33	GA Erin GA Father GA	“When we think of Michael Jackson, we think of his high-pitched shrieks, twirls, moonwalks, and impactful songs that changed music forever. His mark on the industry alone is enough to make him a legend — but that’s not all people remember him for. One of the most significant ways Michael Jackson influenced the world was through global culture. The music legend wasn’t just famous in the United States. He was famous all over the world, Through his influence, he was able to bring a sense of connection — He envisioned the world coming together in peace and harmony and created music that unified.Jackson's music took root in R&B, pop and soul. His play on different mediums and pop culture had gravitated all kinds of people to take a listen and tune in. These are some voices captured by the love of Michael Jackson” “There are so many songs out there that I feel like are inspirational but one of them I would say Man in the Mirror because that one really represents wanting to make a change and that change has to start with yourself before letting that out towards everybody else. I listened to him a lot when I was younger but one of the songs I remember listening with my brother was leave me alone, we used to always re-watch that video over and over again. I don’t really know why but I just always remember him being someone I listen to to this day.” “ Just like the youth gets impacted by the voice of Michael Jackson lets not forget about the old soul who grew up listening to Michael Jackson” “My favorite song is Billie Jean, I like the music of that song. My first time when I listened to was when I was in high school. Now that I am older and in my early 50’s and sometimes when i feel tired in the job I listen to that song and I get more energy because of the music makes me remember my young age and gives me so much energy to finish my job” As it seems to be Michael Jackson gave life to many people and that is why he is one of the most influential voices of the century.”

Investing Time

This is the first action project for Economics: Risking Value course. On our first unit we had learned the basics of how economics can help you make decisions, in order to understand the substance of the question we had analyzed the balance between supply and demand, human behavior in react to personal beneficial incentives and tested out the math behind simple and compound interest. As we dipped our toes deeper into this unit the next question we had to ask ourselves is what does the decision making looks like and play out in real-world scenarios. By doing so we learned how markets in different goods affect each other on an economic scale and how does that affects the decision making the process. Now that we grasped the logic between decision making we then transitioned into answering our action project guiding question: What will you do after high school? as much as this question had built a lot of scared faces and mid-life crisis thoughts our collected analyzations had prepared us to take action in calculating decision making.

Preaching the Chicago Streets

For our very first Action Project as seniors in our Humanities journalism class we explored the news values. News values is what dictates any news source whether it be an impact, proximity, immediacy, or conflict. As we looked at several newspapers from different times we were able to get a wide range of perspectives on how much of an impact it has. In order for us to understand what it takes to write story like so we had to learn how to spot fake news and certain vocabulary words that intel if the newspaper is  biased based or opinion based. For this action project we were given the freedom to choose a story of our choice and write about it. I chose to write a news article using impact as my news values. I had researched and interviewed one of Chicago's icons to let Chicagoans and myself no more about the man we see preaching on State Street. I hope you enjoy!