I had an great idea about something to make a blog about....
but I forgot it.
and I forgot to write it down (I think).
Those moments can be very frustrating, because it's on the tip of my head, but I just can't remember it, and now my brain feels squeezed.
edit: maybe it was something about surreal?
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
-14.2-
Arrrgh! I've been meaning to blog, but this year is so busy....I think I'll do blogs more in bullet points than long paragraphs like last quarter....otherwise, I don't think I'll get a lot done. I have things to say, but I don't have enough time to say them.
A quick blog on the STAC trip:
+ My picture theme was Escape/Freedom. It was a little hard getting shots of those, but I mostly focused on people/things leaving and going. I think I forgot to take some pictures in landscape orientation. Whoops! I also took some videos....
-When walking with my group, I saw some muslim vendors praying on their prayer mat. I wanted to take a picture of it, since that would be escaping the world to pray, and freedom of religion, but we had to keep moving...
-In the Guggenheim museum, I took a lot of pictures of doorways, or blank spaces (the freedom to do something there)
+The giant mobile in itself was impressive. I liked a few parts of it, but most of the images were....disturbing.
-I liked how you could
-The image of the giant foosball table, the multi-colored "z" squares, and the giant tree were some of my favorites
-The images of people hanging, death and that large statue....I didn't like that as much. It was depressing, and I was already feeling incredibly sad.
- I got in trouble for taking a picture because I didn't see the "no photo" sign (whoops >__>)
-I met up with my intended group (John, Jon, Mairead, Ellen, Jess, Emily, Julian and Julie)on the way back down the ramp.
+Group
-We managed to see the tree in all of its enormous glory. (I find myself thinking: where's the giant menorah?)
-After that, we more or less wandered around....went to Times Square....
-We went into the Sam Ash guitar store by Times Square. It was neat! There were all kinds of guitars...Mairead showed me some more chords....I have to ask her to show me again, because I sort-of forgot them by now .__.
-Then we trained it down to Barrow st. where we ate at 5 Guys. I know that it wasn't exactly the best place to eat, but we did have interesting conversation for the hour or so that we stayed there. John B. brought up this interesting movie: In Time.
It was about a world where time is used as currency.
+Play
-Luke summed it up: A soap opera
-I saw many parallels to Romeo and Juliet, but I'm glad that it had a happy ending.
-The dialouge went by fast, so some points it was hard to hear/understand/process what the actors were saying.
-It was very vibrant, and it allowed you to use your imagination (especially during the last scene, when everyone was changing costumes so fast!)
-The second half had more action
-So far I see that a lot of Shakespeare plays have themes of misunderstandings
-I doodled some of the actors/actresses. I also practiced drawing the differences between men and woman torsos using them as reference....
(I will now write down what I wrote in my notebook:)
-slingshot as a sign of sending messages was neat
-the actor of the servant has a very familiar voice (I think he sounds a little like the guy who reads the harry potter books on the recordings....?)
-ffff they put dirty jokes in there....was it because they knew that there was going to be a highschool audience?
-dawn (?can't read) the ravens eye
-lights under the eyelids
-neat how the shakers were used for the door, but also for the music
-the beginning, when they were all singing, WAS LIKE METAMORPHOSES! They even had the part about unwrapping your candy!
-Using a song to pass the time
-accidents can be good, but it may take a while for the good to work
-the war scene reminds me of STOMP (the very beginning)
A quick blog on the STAC trip:
+ My picture theme was Escape/Freedom. It was a little hard getting shots of those, but I mostly focused on people/things leaving and going. I think I forgot to take some pictures in landscape orientation. Whoops! I also took some videos....
-When walking with my group, I saw some muslim vendors praying on their prayer mat. I wanted to take a picture of it, since that would be escaping the world to pray, and freedom of religion, but we had to keep moving...
-In the Guggenheim museum, I took a lot of pictures of doorways, or blank spaces (the freedom to do something there)
+The giant mobile in itself was impressive. I liked a few parts of it, but most of the images were....disturbing.
-I liked how you could
-The image of the giant foosball table, the multi-colored "z" squares, and the giant tree were some of my favorites
-The images of people hanging, death and that large statue....I didn't like that as much. It was depressing, and I was already feeling incredibly sad.
- I got in trouble for taking a picture because I didn't see the "no photo" sign (whoops >__>)
-I met up with my intended group (John, Jon, Mairead, Ellen, Jess, Emily, Julian and Julie)on the way back down the ramp.
+Group
-We managed to see the tree in all of its enormous glory. (I find myself thinking: where's the giant menorah?)
-After that, we more or less wandered around....went to Times Square....
-We went into the Sam Ash guitar store by Times Square. It was neat! There were all kinds of guitars...Mairead showed me some more chords....I have to ask her to show me again, because I sort-of forgot them by now .__.
-Then we trained it down to Barrow st. where we ate at 5 Guys. I know that it wasn't exactly the best place to eat, but we did have interesting conversation for the hour or so that we stayed there. John B. brought up this interesting movie: In Time.
It was about a world where time is used as currency.
+Play
-Luke summed it up: A soap opera
-I saw many parallels to Romeo and Juliet, but I'm glad that it had a happy ending.
-The dialouge went by fast, so some points it was hard to hear/understand/process what the actors were saying.
-It was very vibrant, and it allowed you to use your imagination (especially during the last scene, when everyone was changing costumes so fast!)
-The second half had more action
-So far I see that a lot of Shakespeare plays have themes of misunderstandings
-I doodled some of the actors/actresses. I also practiced drawing the differences between men and woman torsos using them as reference....
(I will now write down what I wrote in my notebook:)
-slingshot as a sign of sending messages was neat
-the actor of the servant has a very familiar voice (I think he sounds a little like the guy who reads the harry potter books on the recordings....?)
-ffff they put dirty jokes in there....was it because they knew that there was going to be a highschool audience?
-dawn (?can't read) the ravens eye
-lights under the eyelids
-neat how the shakers were used for the door, but also for the music
-the beginning, when they were all singing, WAS LIKE METAMORPHOSES! They even had the part about unwrapping your candy!
-Using a song to pass the time
-accidents can be good, but it may take a while for the good to work
-the war scene reminds me of STOMP (the very beginning)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
-13.2-
-I was talking with my dad about this book on philosophy with the Harry Potter series. The conversation turned to philosophy in general, and then I realized that philosophy can be seen as egocentric.
-The conversation turned to art, since I said that Luke said that art can be seen as egocentric, and then my dad said that he doesn't really like the art that comments on other art because it's confusing. I could see his point, because there's a fair amount of art that's "inside joke" art...the general population is confused ("what is this BS?") and the art crowd is all "Ohhh, I see how this relates to that watch maker who was the grandson of this famous artist. How clever!"
I guess art can have a selective audience.
---Next up -> STOMP. I saw it during Thanksgiving break (but I don't have time to blog about it right now)
-GHANDI: The movie
-Making a cabaret song
-The conversation turned to art, since I said that Luke said that art can be seen as egocentric, and then my dad said that he doesn't really like the art that comments on other art because it's confusing. I could see his point, because there's a fair amount of art that's "inside joke" art...the general population is confused ("what is this BS?") and the art crowd is all "Ohhh, I see how this relates to that watch maker who was the grandson of this famous artist. How clever!"
I guess art can have a selective audience.
---Next up -> STOMP. I saw it during Thanksgiving break (but I don't have time to blog about it right now)
-GHANDI: The movie
-Making a cabaret song
Monday, November 21, 2011
-12.2-
I just heard this on TV:
"Come see the mid-season finale of 'The Walking Dead' "
....MID-SEASON FINALE? Oooh, definitely wanna go see that mid-season finale.
....my Dad and I laughed.
"Come see the mid-season finale of 'The Walking Dead' "
....MID-SEASON FINALE? Oooh, definitely wanna go see that mid-season finale.
....my Dad and I laughed.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
-11.2-
A few weeks ago, I felt like drawing something, and this is what I came up with (it's a little morbid)
I also wrote something along with it:
The Plague Doctor looked back at the deserted town. The doctor had seen the last of the population, completing the contract. His notebook was almost filled to the brim with names...names of the young, the old, female, male. Everyone in the village had died. Except for him.
He sighed and moved onwards, hoping that the next place would have live ones to work with. Although, there had been rumors that fellow plague doctors had frightened people away. Was it their face, or more appropriate, lack of face? Their black clothes that looked like the bringer of death?
The doctor looked over at a field. The grass was lush and green. It must do the earth good, to have so many underneath it. Plenty of fertilizer.
The sky was grey, but not raining. Was the worst to come? Perhaps...or maybe it rained while he was inside, and the storm was passing.
His thoughts wandered back to the town. How sad. He had barely talked to anyone. The sick were too weak to even breathe, the healthy avoided him. Why?
He was only a man. All he wanted to do was help fellow man, but now man was dead.
And he was lonely.
He sighed and moved onwards, hoping that the next place would have live ones to work with. Although, there had been rumors that fellow plague doctors had frightened people away. Was it their face, or more appropriate, lack of face? Their black clothes that looked like the bringer of death?
The doctor looked over at a field. The grass was lush and green. It must do the earth good, to have so many underneath it. Plenty of fertilizer.
The sky was grey, but not raining. Was the worst to come? Perhaps...or maybe it rained while he was inside, and the storm was passing.
His thoughts wandered back to the town. How sad. He had barely talked to anyone. The sick were too weak to even breathe, the healthy avoided him. Why?
He was only a man. All he wanted to do was help fellow man, but now man was dead.
And he was lonely.
-10.2-
I saw Metamorphoses again
Quick notes:
-The scene with Phaeton reminded me a little of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (since the doctor/psychiatrist were female and the patients were all male )
-I forgot to mention this, but I loved the costumes and the masks. I was talking with my parents about the show, and my mom put it in good words "the costumes were only suggestions".
-I was reminded of acting class when Psyche sneaks up on Eros....hm......
Brief discussion (since I have to go to bed soon):
Portfolio: Some parts were stronger than others, I admit. I wasn't sure if I should be creative, or be conservative and save time. (I like what I did with "What is Art"....however, I worry that it may be cheezy. Oh well.)
WIP Art project (are we getting too tired to work on them?)
-It would be fun to record our thoughts, however I didn't expect our project to come out sounding negative....I want to make it a little happier, but I don't know if that would ruin the project.
"Real Life"- I loved how the movie seemed so serious and scientific, but somehow came off as a comedy. It was funny when they put dramatic music when the psychologist, Ted, and Albert start arguing, and when the cheezy montage does little to nothing for the plot! My favorite part was the ending where the house was set on fire "THIS IS REAL LIFE! THE HOUSE IS ACTUALLY ON FIREEEE!!!" I also liked those guys with the recorders on their heads.
-I liked the line "art, isn't that borrowing things and putting them together, isn't it?" (<-paraphrased)
-The scene where Albert Brooks starts to reference movies was great, too.
Lost in America- I didn't like this movie as much. The acting was good, but I didn't like either of the characters. They seemed too neurotic....
I found it interesting, a point brought up in our post-movie discussion, how you can go searching for yourself, but realize that you didn't actually need to search, since you were who you are. (Would that be a paradox, then, because you needed to go looking for yourself to find out that you are yourself?)
-I also found it impressive that they found a spot to park large enough to accommodate a large RV in NYC at what looked like rush hour.
-A good line: "Everyone says I'm the best man. They're right. I'm the best man today standing besides this guy who's the groom who's going to marry life" (paraphrased)
Star Trek episode:
-I love watching Star Trek episodes! It's neat to see the original cast....(I'm curious about the other editions, though. That episode of the next generation we saw was the 3rd episode I've seen out of all the seasons, so far.)
-I thought this episode was going to be the one where they were all in togas
-Can 1 person change history? (If the person wasn't around, would someone else come up with their idea?)
-I found it interesting...the fact that peace may not always be the answer at certain times....
-Kirk's reaction to the police=priceless. "Uh....Officer, I can explain...this here, my friend, is obviously Chinese...."
-Funny how the girl seems sort-of insignificant, at first, but then becomes extremely important due to random events.
-An interesting choice to pick the depression as the time period they jump into. I wonder why the writers chose that? (It's fascinating how old history seems....the depression was only 30 years from then, and this episode is only 40 years from now....)
-Good line: "I can't tell you how to find happiness, but....live on, because it's worth it. "(paraphrased)
-Interesting line: When the woman thinks about what time Spock and Kirk belong to...she says that Spock seems to belong wherever Kirk is, and that Kirk doesn't belong there.
Quick notes:
-The scene with Phaeton reminded me a little of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (since the doctor/psychiatrist were female and the patients were all male )
-I forgot to mention this, but I loved the costumes and the masks. I was talking with my parents about the show, and my mom put it in good words "the costumes were only suggestions".
-I was reminded of acting class when Psyche sneaks up on Eros....hm......
Brief discussion (since I have to go to bed soon):
Portfolio: Some parts were stronger than others, I admit. I wasn't sure if I should be creative, or be conservative and save time. (I like what I did with "What is Art"....however, I worry that it may be cheezy. Oh well.)
WIP Art project (are we getting too tired to work on them?)
-It would be fun to record our thoughts, however I didn't expect our project to come out sounding negative....I want to make it a little happier, but I don't know if that would ruin the project.
"Real Life"- I loved how the movie seemed so serious and scientific, but somehow came off as a comedy. It was funny when they put dramatic music when the psychologist, Ted, and Albert start arguing, and when the cheezy montage does little to nothing for the plot! My favorite part was the ending where the house was set on fire "THIS IS REAL LIFE! THE HOUSE IS ACTUALLY ON FIREEEE!!!" I also liked those guys with the recorders on their heads.
-I liked the line "art, isn't that borrowing things and putting them together, isn't it?" (<-paraphrased)
-The scene where Albert Brooks starts to reference movies was great, too.
Lost in America- I didn't like this movie as much. The acting was good, but I didn't like either of the characters. They seemed too neurotic....
I found it interesting, a point brought up in our post-movie discussion, how you can go searching for yourself, but realize that you didn't actually need to search, since you were who you are. (Would that be a paradox, then, because you needed to go looking for yourself to find out that you are yourself?)
-I also found it impressive that they found a spot to park large enough to accommodate a large RV in NYC at what looked like rush hour.
-A good line: "Everyone says I'm the best man. They're right. I'm the best man today standing besides this guy who's the groom who's going to marry life" (paraphrased)
Star Trek episode:
-I love watching Star Trek episodes! It's neat to see the original cast....(I'm curious about the other editions, though. That episode of the next generation we saw was the 3rd episode I've seen out of all the seasons, so far.)
-I thought this episode was going to be the one where they were all in togas
-Can 1 person change history? (If the person wasn't around, would someone else come up with their idea?)
-I found it interesting...the fact that peace may not always be the answer at certain times....
-Kirk's reaction to the police=priceless. "Uh....Officer, I can explain...this here, my friend, is obviously Chinese...."
-Funny how the girl seems sort-of insignificant, at first, but then becomes extremely important due to random events.
-An interesting choice to pick the depression as the time period they jump into. I wonder why the writers chose that? (It's fascinating how old history seems....the depression was only 30 years from then, and this episode is only 40 years from now....)
-Good line: "I can't tell you how to find happiness, but....live on, because it's worth it. "(paraphrased)
-Interesting line: When the woman thinks about what time Spock and Kirk belong to...she says that Spock seems to belong wherever Kirk is, and that Kirk doesn't belong there.
Friday, November 18, 2011
-9.2-
I've been meaning to blog, but I will have to do my planned blog tomorrow, for I want to comment about Metamorphoses!
I loved the production! The effects of "swimming", Morpheus!Ceyx in Alcyone's dream (now that I think about it, that part reminded me a little of Wicked, when the witch of the west rises into the sky...), Midas' daughter turning into gold, Vertumnus transforming into other people, the gods wandering the "city", and the window where the gods appeared (I was surprised to learn that they were just sitting on ladders...it looked like there was a platform up there!)
The addition of music was a good decision. A lot of the time, plays don't have music, but I think music keeps the audience involved in more than one way. (Which makes me wonder, what was the original play like?) It was funny when Ellen walked down the aisle reminding people to be polite, and take no cellphones. I wished that the microphone for Ellen was a little louder, at the times when she was singing, because it was a little hard to hear her over the music... (I was surprised to see Peter there...he's in my soc. class, and I didn't know he was involved in the band!)
It was interesting how the Greek plays could be taken and modernized. I actually imagined Midas as some rich playboy living in the 21st century instead of an old Greek king from way back when. It was a neat tie-in at the end, when he manages to restore his daughter (at first I thought it was going to be a solemn ending by talking about dying, but then that scene send you out of the theatre feeling happy.)
I wondered:
-If there were any influences from Bill Bower's performance in terms of setting etc. (Bill didn't use a lot of fancy props, and the show used simple things to convey ideas, too)
-What would happen if I had animated the birds (as soon as I saw that scene, I knew what I would draw out)
-If I should see this again, tomorrow!
Great job, Everyone!
I loved the production! The effects of "swimming", Morpheus!Ceyx in Alcyone's dream (now that I think about it, that part reminded me a little of Wicked, when the witch of the west rises into the sky...), Midas' daughter turning into gold, Vertumnus transforming into other people, the gods wandering the "city", and the window where the gods appeared (I was surprised to learn that they were just sitting on ladders...it looked like there was a platform up there!)
The addition of music was a good decision. A lot of the time, plays don't have music, but I think music keeps the audience involved in more than one way. (Which makes me wonder, what was the original play like?) It was funny when Ellen walked down the aisle reminding people to be polite, and take no cellphones. I wished that the microphone for Ellen was a little louder, at the times when she was singing, because it was a little hard to hear her over the music... (I was surprised to see Peter there...he's in my soc. class, and I didn't know he was involved in the band!)
It was interesting how the Greek plays could be taken and modernized. I actually imagined Midas as some rich playboy living in the 21st century instead of an old Greek king from way back when. It was a neat tie-in at the end, when he manages to restore his daughter (at first I thought it was going to be a solemn ending by talking about dying, but then that scene send you out of the theatre feeling happy.)
I wondered:
-If there were any influences from Bill Bower's performance in terms of setting etc. (Bill didn't use a lot of fancy props, and the show used simple things to convey ideas, too)
-What would happen if I had animated the birds (as soon as I saw that scene, I knew what I would draw out)
-If I should see this again, tomorrow!
Great job, Everyone!
Friday, November 4, 2011
-8.2-
Misc. bullets:
-T-shirt design....I wonder who won? Ashley? (I saw her design mounted by Gane's workspace, so it's a good assumption she won....?)
-STAC trip moma+chelesa+bill the mime-put into the portfolio. But generally, it was very relaxing, and I had a great time :D My group had a lot of noobs, but they were cool to hang out with. I also discovered that Julian was in the jazzband in Middle School...interesting. I didn't really talk to him, then, but now I do, and he's a fun person to be with...! (Yay for penguins!)
-art: birth of a baby (literally)-this could be considered art, since it's "gods creation" or "life's creation" (someone/something's creation). It could even be seen as the creation of a woman since, technically, it's her energy that's being put into making the baby cell by cell....
-Steve Jobs: live life like you're dying<-it's almost impossible. If I did that, I wouldn't go to school, or do my homework...!
-Blogs: I'd love to look at them all, since it seems like there are good ideas being put onto the internet, but it's hard to find time to do that....I've got to try to set up a system to look at one a day or something....hm....good idea....
---
Art project: Today seemed a little slow. I found out from the group that our project was put in a trash bag, and almost thrown out (for some reason by someone). I was considering incorporating that into the project, but when I saw what we had, it looked fine. You couldn't tell that it was put in a trash bag.
The period seemed a little slow, but I liked Luke's idea about putting a personal experience with sound in the box so it would allow the audience experience what's inside girl's heads (maybe we should put more positive thoughts, too besides complaints about body types etc. girls don't complain 24/7 although it seems like a lot of them do, haha).
I liked the idea of getting into someone's head. Maybe I can do something with that at a later date.
I just wanted to write a short blog post at the moment. I'll add on more, or make another post later....
Favorite joke of the week:
"Gimme a drink." A Neutrino walks into a bar.
-T-shirt design....I wonder who won? Ashley? (I saw her design mounted by Gane's workspace, so it's a good assumption she won....?)
-STAC trip moma+chelesa+bill the mime-put into the portfolio. But generally, it was very relaxing, and I had a great time :D My group had a lot of noobs, but they were cool to hang out with. I also discovered that Julian was in the jazzband in Middle School...interesting. I didn't really talk to him, then, but now I do, and he's a fun person to be with...! (Yay for penguins!)
-art: birth of a baby (literally)-this could be considered art, since it's "gods creation" or "life's creation" (someone/something's creation). It could even be seen as the creation of a woman since, technically, it's her energy that's being put into making the baby cell by cell....
-Steve Jobs: live life like you're dying<-it's almost impossible. If I did that, I wouldn't go to school, or do my homework...!
-Blogs: I'd love to look at them all, since it seems like there are good ideas being put onto the internet, but it's hard to find time to do that....I've got to try to set up a system to look at one a day or something....hm....good idea....
---
Art project: Today seemed a little slow. I found out from the group that our project was put in a trash bag, and almost thrown out (for some reason by someone). I was considering incorporating that into the project, but when I saw what we had, it looked fine. You couldn't tell that it was put in a trash bag.
The period seemed a little slow, but I liked Luke's idea about putting a personal experience with sound in the box so it would allow the audience experience what's inside girl's heads (maybe we should put more positive thoughts, too besides complaints about body types etc. girls don't complain 24/7 although it seems like a lot of them do, haha).
I liked the idea of getting into someone's head. Maybe I can do something with that at a later date.
I just wanted to write a short blog post at the moment. I'll add on more, or make another post later....
Favorite joke of the week:
"Gimme a drink." A Neutrino walks into a bar.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
-7.2-
Note: Ohno! I forgot to talk about the STAC t-shirts! I loved a lot of the STAC t-shirt designs! (I completely forgot that we were supposed to submit them last(?) Tuesday). I meant to ask everyone for advice about my idea on Facebook, but I didn't get to it. Oh well.
I'm glad people picked the winning designs (I was surprised at Ashley's design, since I haven't seen her do a lot of art...It was very ascetically pleasing. I think it was my favorite!) It'll be a hard decision to choose which one to use as the final choice!
Monday: Felt like Dada. I woke up in the morningfeelin' like Pdiddy (that's a rapper, right?) and I felt like putting on my wig. It wasn't a statement or anything. I just felt like it.
Acting class: The idea of everyone manipulating everyone really bothered me. Manipulating usually has more of a negative connotation to it than a positive one. It's brought up a couple of issues in my life recently, so it really bothered me. (It also seems that I'm still stuck in Holden's writing style, goddamit, haha.)
I can't remember where I heard it, but the idea of putting a character on the person you're talking to (in order to help you with your acting) seems familiar. When we got into arguments, it reminded me a little of the Jim Bonni workshop. We always started off with pairing off and getting into shouting matches. I guess getting angry loosens you up a little, too, since when you actually get mad (or any other strong emotion, I suppose) you forget what everyone else is thinking of you and get lost in your feelings, if you're not careful.
I was just reading Ellen's journal, and she reminded me of Koans. The idea of a Koan is interesting, yet sort-of frustrating. It reminds me that I have one more thing to search for when I'm looking for myself. I've come up with a couple possible Koans, but like Ellen, I'm not sure if they fit. I'll list them here, but I don't feel like explaining them at the moment.
Is it possible to gain attention by hiding?
Can you survive living opposites?
If you don't know who you are, how can you live throughout the day?
Is it possible to follow and lead?
Is it good to withdraw or blow up?
---
Drama/Quiz: Drama is not my thing. I felt REALLY uncomfortable as the quiz questions kept on coming. Was that just a rant? My mind went blank, and I couldn't/didn't put down anyone's name. If Luke chose everyone, then we should trust his decision. If there are changes to be made, decide them at the end of the year....we're just starting out, and there are a lot of noobs, so we don't know each other THAT well, yet.
(I admit, perhaps I need to reach out to the noobs more...I'll try doing that more!)
---
Hanna
I vaguely remembered watching some commercials for the movie, and thinking it looked exciting, however, the first time I saw it was on Thursday.
It's scary when you see an idea that is similar to yours.
From...about 7th grade to now, I've been playing around with some characters, and one of them is very similar to Hanna. Both were experimented on by the government, and both had outside help in escaping. And both, when they were in their teens were caught again (except it wasn't my character's choice, and he didn't re-escape).
It slightly bothers me that I'm not exactly original, but what can you do. At least the two characters aren't exactly alike.
I liked the movie, although it was really violent at times (the three most disturbing scenes, to me, were when Hanna broke fake!Marisa's neck, when the french guy stabbed the hotel(?) owner with a pen, and when Eric stabbed the French guy through the head with a piece of wood). The action scenes reminded me of Matrix (especially when Eric gets ganged up on in the parking lot) and of ninjas/Chinese action movies (especially the scene where Hanna is running along the shipping boxes).
While watching the movie, I remembered last year how subconcious was symbolized by water, underground, and forests. Then I noticed that the movie could be broken into 3 parts: Hanna in the forest, Hanna coming out of the forest, and Hanna returning to the forest. I wonder if that was intentional (it probably was)...that could symbolize many things.
-Hanna is nature (in the beginning), yet synthetic (later on in the movie)
-I wonder if humans can have their emotions manipulated even before birth.
I hope we discuss this more on Monday. I like hearing everyone's insights and putting in my own, to see how everyone reacts to it. Sometimes, like during the art discussion, I get a great thought and then I have to wait my turn to speak, so I write it down....if I don't get to say it, I usually put it on my blog, here. But I'd rather that I said it during the discussion, since I like hearing what other people have to say/add on/disagree with my ideas.
I'm glad people picked the winning designs (I was surprised at Ashley's design, since I haven't seen her do a lot of art...It was very ascetically pleasing. I think it was my favorite!) It'll be a hard decision to choose which one to use as the final choice!
Monday: Felt like Dada. I woke up in the morning
Acting class: The idea of everyone manipulating everyone really bothered me. Manipulating usually has more of a negative connotation to it than a positive one. It's brought up a couple of issues in my life recently, so it really bothered me. (It also seems that I'm still stuck in Holden's writing style, goddamit, haha.)
I can't remember where I heard it, but the idea of putting a character on the person you're talking to (in order to help you with your acting) seems familiar. When we got into arguments, it reminded me a little of the Jim Bonni workshop. We always started off with pairing off and getting into shouting matches. I guess getting angry loosens you up a little, too, since when you actually get mad (or any other strong emotion, I suppose) you forget what everyone else is thinking of you and get lost in your feelings, if you're not careful.
I was just reading Ellen's journal, and she reminded me of Koans. The idea of a Koan is interesting, yet sort-of frustrating. It reminds me that I have one more thing to search for when I'm looking for myself. I've come up with a couple possible Koans, but like Ellen, I'm not sure if they fit. I'll list them here, but I don't feel like explaining them at the moment.
Is it possible to gain attention by hiding?
Can you survive living opposites?
If you don't know who you are, how can you live throughout the day?
Is it possible to follow and lead?
Is it good to withdraw or blow up?
---
Drama/Quiz: Drama is not my thing. I felt REALLY uncomfortable as the quiz questions kept on coming. Was that just a rant? My mind went blank, and I couldn't/didn't put down anyone's name. If Luke chose everyone, then we should trust his decision. If there are changes to be made, decide them at the end of the year....we're just starting out, and there are a lot of noobs, so we don't know each other THAT well, yet.
(I admit, perhaps I need to reach out to the noobs more...I'll try doing that more!)
---
Hanna
I vaguely remembered watching some commercials for the movie, and thinking it looked exciting, however, the first time I saw it was on Thursday.
It's scary when you see an idea that is similar to yours.
From...about 7th grade to now, I've been playing around with some characters, and one of them is very similar to Hanna. Both were experimented on by the government, and both had outside help in escaping. And both, when they were in their teens were caught again (except it wasn't my character's choice, and he didn't re-escape).
It slightly bothers me that I'm not exactly original, but what can you do. At least the two characters aren't exactly alike.
I liked the movie, although it was really violent at times (the three most disturbing scenes, to me, were when Hanna broke fake!Marisa's neck, when the french guy stabbed the hotel(?) owner with a pen, and when Eric stabbed the French guy through the head with a piece of wood). The action scenes reminded me of Matrix (especially when Eric gets ganged up on in the parking lot) and of ninjas/Chinese action movies (especially the scene where Hanna is running along the shipping boxes).
While watching the movie, I remembered last year how subconcious was symbolized by water, underground, and forests. Then I noticed that the movie could be broken into 3 parts: Hanna in the forest, Hanna coming out of the forest, and Hanna returning to the forest. I wonder if that was intentional (it probably was)...that could symbolize many things.
-Hanna is nature (in the beginning), yet synthetic (later on in the movie)
-I wonder if humans can have their emotions manipulated even before birth.
I hope we discuss this more on Monday. I like hearing everyone's insights and putting in my own, to see how everyone reacts to it. Sometimes, like during the art discussion, I get a great thought and then I have to wait my turn to speak, so I write it down....if I don't get to say it, I usually put it on my blog, here. But I'd rather that I said it during the discussion, since I like hearing what other people have to say/add on/disagree with my ideas.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
-6.2-
It's been a while since I've blogged.
Acting class ('should have wrote more about this sooner, since I forgot a lot.....whoops!):
-It was interesting when we all "became" another person. I had a hard time thinking of a name, though. I mainly got the sense of quiet observation.....
-I find it better doing things with a group of people, or at least another person. It's easier that way, since everyone's doing it so you don't feel like you're being stared at, or that you're being stared at, but you can stare at other people, or that you're being stared at, but at least someone else is, too.
Be Kind Rewind:
-It was fun working with different people. It was very different than last year, indeed. We had less time to do it (if I remember correctly) and we had a group that had slightly more non-actors than actors (3:2)
-I think the main problem of our Be Kind Rewind was that we all had different visions of the plot, and there wasn't enough time to straighten it out. I thought our plot was going to be some sort of horror version of Groundhog day, where at the end, the radio kills the girl, but it evolved into something different.
The Georgians
-I remember that there was something going on with Russia and Georgia a few years ago. It was on the news....besides that, I know nothing of Georgia.
-I (coincidentally) happened to be eating a Dannon yogurt on the day they came in XD
-I wonder if they'll send us whatever they decided to use.....
Power Project
-At first, we had trouble deciding if we should talk a little, or just do whatever fancied us at the moment.
-We came up with a rough idea of a building, but then we gradually ended up doing 3 separate projects
-On Friday we came together and thought about how we could combine our projects into something meaningful. We may....just may, be almost done.
"Art"
I wrote a lot about it, but here are some main points:
-Something as out of the ordinary (although it can be ordinary) that generates a reaction and strengthens/changes a viewpoint.
-Art is what you think it is, however many people agree on a general definition
-Art is someone making a decision(s) and forcing others to make a decision(s)
Misc:
-Someone put a urinal in a museum since there's paintings in a bathroom. Why was/is it not appropriate for that latter to happen, but not the former?
-"Emotion-changing masks". It was funny, since I came up with a character that uses those when someone starts a fight. They just slap a happy/calm mask on the angry person, and they cool down.
-While we were talking about art/ the power projects, I noticed that people used either "I" "We" or "They" when they were talking.
I'm excited for another city trip. I hope we get to go on the highline since we'll be in Chelsea! It's a nice place to take photos!
Acting class ('should have wrote more about this sooner, since I forgot a lot.....whoops!):
-It was interesting when we all "became" another person. I had a hard time thinking of a name, though. I mainly got the sense of quiet observation.....
-I find it better doing things with a group of people, or at least another person. It's easier that way, since everyone's doing it so you don't feel like you're being stared at, or that you're being stared at, but you can stare at other people, or that you're being stared at, but at least someone else is, too.
Be Kind Rewind:
-It was fun working with different people. It was very different than last year, indeed. We had less time to do it (if I remember correctly) and we had a group that had slightly more non-actors than actors (3:2)
-I think the main problem of our Be Kind Rewind was that we all had different visions of the plot, and there wasn't enough time to straighten it out. I thought our plot was going to be some sort of horror version of Groundhog day, where at the end, the radio kills the girl, but it evolved into something different.
The Georgians
-I remember that there was something going on with Russia and Georgia a few years ago. It was on the news....besides that, I know nothing of Georgia.
-I (coincidentally) happened to be eating a Dannon yogurt on the day they came in XD
-I wonder if they'll send us whatever they decided to use.....
Power Project
-At first, we had trouble deciding if we should talk a little, or just do whatever fancied us at the moment.
-We came up with a rough idea of a building, but then we gradually ended up doing 3 separate projects
-On Friday we came together and thought about how we could combine our projects into something meaningful. We may....just may, be almost done.
"Art"
I wrote a lot about it, but here are some main points:
-Something as out of the ordinary (although it can be ordinary) that generates a reaction and strengthens/changes a viewpoint.
-Art is what you think it is, however many people agree on a general definition
-Art is someone making a decision(s) and forcing others to make a decision(s)
Misc:
-Someone put a urinal in a museum since there's paintings in a bathroom. Why was/is it not appropriate for that latter to happen, but not the former?
-"Emotion-changing masks". It was funny, since I came up with a character that uses those when someone starts a fight. They just slap a happy/calm mask on the angry person, and they cool down.
-While we were talking about art/ the power projects, I noticed that people used either "I" "We" or "They" when they were talking.
I'm excited for another city trip. I hope we get to go on the highline since we'll be in Chelsea! It's a nice place to take photos!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
-5.2-
I've been meaning to write up a blog about the field trip, but I somehow didn't get to it until today. Oh well.
I thought the field trip was a success! Although pretty much everyone got soaked, we saw and did a lot. Now our libraries are that much fuller. I was a little disappointed that most of the floors of the Whitney were closed, but then again, that could have been a plus for us, since we were tired (physically and mentally). My mom sometimes says that you have to see what you want to see before your eyes get tired of looking at art, so I think by the time we got to the Whitney, a lot of us were almost 'art''ed out.
At the sculpture garden: I've never been there, and it was nice to see a 10-foot statue right at the beginning (well, the tree came first, but in the actual museum). I thought the garden would be outside, since the word garden brings images of the outdoors, but the inside was interesting. I liked exploring the tunnels and finding artwork in them. One of my favorite parts was this long dark hallway. I'm not even sure if it was part of the exhibit, but you could go on both ends of the hallway, and it was a different experience on each side. One side was lighter, facing a pitch-black hallway, but you couldn't go down it since it was roped off. The other end was on the pitch-black side. You could see the light, and if people were there, people. I didn't go down the dark hallway, though, because I wasn't sure if you were allowed to. Megan took a picture of the hallway, and it looked creepy when it showed up on flash, too.
At PS1: I think my favorite parts about PS1 were the sound room, the "dungeon" on floor zero, and the wall of pictures in the 9.11 exhibit.
-It was cool hearing the individual voices along with the whole chorus. Everyone sounded a little different, even if they were singing the same part. Some were louder than others, some had a more gravely voice, some had more vibrato...
-When I went down to the "dungeon", I thought that it would be a cool place to film something. I didn't understand what it had to do with the 9/11 exhibit, though. Then again, I didn't read/find the explanation that had to do with it.
-The wall of pictures in the 9.11 exhibit were sad. I found myself focusing on this one of a sleeping child and a woman in the service. I thought it was sad, but when I read the description about it in the booklet, it was even sadder (I thought the woman and child were mother and child, but it turned out that the kid lost their parents and were at the memorial service for them).
At the Whitney: I've passed by the building before, and I've never realized that that was the Whitney! I thought it was somewhere by Chelsea, and was a white building...
As I said before, most of the floors were closed off. It was also a little hard getting around the museum, since the elevators were slow and there were a lot of stairs (ew, exercise... haha). But I liked when you looked out of the windows at the Whitney, the view of the city looked a little like it was a painting! It was also good that we got to see the building before it got moved. A bit of history.
-I saw three floors. The first floor exhibit was ok. I think it would have been a different experience if we came in at a time where the actor was interacting with the exhibit.
-Floor 3 was interesting, since it was an artist at the Bauhaus. However, I wasn't that impressed with the majority of his work. I didn't care for the out of proportion figures. I liked his work like Bridge V and Broken Glass. They were more abstract and had lots of shapes.
-Floor 5 I liked a lot. The first installation you walked into cut the room in an interesting way. I didn't realize that the giant L's were all the same shape until I read the text on it! I liked that it gave a different perspective on the shape, and made it seem interesting. I think I like big, abstract, instillations (like at the Dia Beacon).
At dinner: Before dinner, we ran into another group. Twice. I find it funny how there's a huge city, and somehow people can run into each other. It's nice, actually. We split up and went into Trash and Vaudeville for a bit, then walked up and down St. Marks. Dinner was good. I was in the mood for something a little healthier like soup, but we ended up eating hamburgers and all. Oh well~ I got to try pizza fries. That was different.
The play: I LOVED THE PLAY. It was funny how the actors had straight faces on, but they were doing very dramatic stuff. And the fact that they took things literally, made it all the better. I was looking up the name of one of the plays they put on, and I found the original play. I skimmed through it (I don't have enough time to read it all, since I still have to write up my Dada reflection) but the gist of it had a different meaning with the dialogue than when it was preformed on the stage that night.
-I found those shark hats hilarious.
-When the narrator was yelling at the people at one point in the play, was that intentional? Or could they really not hear her?
I wonder what happened during the 3 minutes of silence during other showings. I guess the actors get a kick out of seeing how the audience reacts during that part.
I hope to have another field trip soon!
(Maybe to raise funds for STAC we could hop on a train and preform or do something in the streets :) ? But I think you need a permit for that...that would be interesting, though.)
---
(Note to self: You have to write about Dada day, also)
I thought the field trip was a success! Although pretty much everyone got soaked, we saw and did a lot. Now our libraries are that much fuller. I was a little disappointed that most of the floors of the Whitney were closed, but then again, that could have been a plus for us, since we were tired (physically and mentally). My mom sometimes says that you have to see what you want to see before your eyes get tired of looking at art, so I think by the time we got to the Whitney, a lot of us were almost 'art''ed out.
At the sculpture garden: I've never been there, and it was nice to see a 10-foot statue right at the beginning (well, the tree came first, but in the actual museum). I thought the garden would be outside, since the word garden brings images of the outdoors, but the inside was interesting. I liked exploring the tunnels and finding artwork in them. One of my favorite parts was this long dark hallway. I'm not even sure if it was part of the exhibit, but you could go on both ends of the hallway, and it was a different experience on each side. One side was lighter, facing a pitch-black hallway, but you couldn't go down it since it was roped off. The other end was on the pitch-black side. You could see the light, and if people were there, people. I didn't go down the dark hallway, though, because I wasn't sure if you were allowed to. Megan took a picture of the hallway, and it looked creepy when it showed up on flash, too.
At PS1: I think my favorite parts about PS1 were the sound room, the "dungeon" on floor zero, and the wall of pictures in the 9.11 exhibit.
-It was cool hearing the individual voices along with the whole chorus. Everyone sounded a little different, even if they were singing the same part. Some were louder than others, some had a more gravely voice, some had more vibrato...
-When I went down to the "dungeon", I thought that it would be a cool place to film something. I didn't understand what it had to do with the 9/11 exhibit, though. Then again, I didn't read/find the explanation that had to do with it.
-The wall of pictures in the 9.11 exhibit were sad. I found myself focusing on this one of a sleeping child and a woman in the service. I thought it was sad, but when I read the description about it in the booklet, it was even sadder (I thought the woman and child were mother and child, but it turned out that the kid lost their parents and were at the memorial service for them).
At the Whitney: I've passed by the building before, and I've never realized that that was the Whitney! I thought it was somewhere by Chelsea, and was a white building...
As I said before, most of the floors were closed off. It was also a little hard getting around the museum, since the elevators were slow and there were a lot of stairs (ew, exercise... haha). But I liked when you looked out of the windows at the Whitney, the view of the city looked a little like it was a painting! It was also good that we got to see the building before it got moved. A bit of history.
-I saw three floors. The first floor exhibit was ok. I think it would have been a different experience if we came in at a time where the actor was interacting with the exhibit.
-Floor 3 was interesting, since it was an artist at the Bauhaus. However, I wasn't that impressed with the majority of his work. I didn't care for the out of proportion figures. I liked his work like Bridge V and Broken Glass. They were more abstract and had lots of shapes.
-Floor 5 I liked a lot. The first installation you walked into cut the room in an interesting way. I didn't realize that the giant L's were all the same shape until I read the text on it! I liked that it gave a different perspective on the shape, and made it seem interesting. I think I like big, abstract, instillations (like at the Dia Beacon).
At dinner: Before dinner, we ran into another group. Twice. I find it funny how there's a huge city, and somehow people can run into each other. It's nice, actually. We split up and went into Trash and Vaudeville for a bit, then walked up and down St. Marks. Dinner was good. I was in the mood for something a little healthier like soup, but we ended up eating hamburgers and all. Oh well~ I got to try pizza fries. That was different.
The play: I LOVED THE PLAY. It was funny how the actors had straight faces on, but they were doing very dramatic stuff. And the fact that they took things literally, made it all the better. I was looking up the name of one of the plays they put on, and I found the original play. I skimmed through it (I don't have enough time to read it all, since I still have to write up my Dada reflection) but the gist of it had a different meaning with the dialogue than when it was preformed on the stage that night.
-I found those shark hats hilarious.
-When the narrator was yelling at the people at one point in the play, was that intentional? Or could they really not hear her?
I wonder what happened during the 3 minutes of silence during other showings. I guess the actors get a kick out of seeing how the audience reacts during that part.
I hope to have another field trip soon!
(Maybe to raise funds for STAC we could hop on a train and preform or do something in the streets :) ? But I think you need a permit for that...that would be interesting, though.)
---
(Note to self: You have to write about Dada day, also)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
-4.2-
All right. Time to talk about "From Bauhaus to Our House". I meant to say something during the discussion, but all of my points were said already...and I didn't think of anything to add on before I had to go to music.
I'll jot down the main points:
-I've never, seriously, read a book about architecture before. Last year, I had this pocket guide to architecture last year (which I lost....twice... >:( It has my name in it, though) but I mostly used that for reference on buildings around the world.
-I liked the book, and how it was written, but I disagreed with some things Wolfe said. Architecture is constantly evolving, and the "International Style" is just a phase architecture is going through....
-Related to the previous bullet, I wondered if Wolfe would be complaining if architecture hadn't changed. If he'd say that architects were being 'yellow-bellied and....bourgeoise'
-The "International Style" reminds me of suits. Most people think they're uncomfortable, and they still wear them. And the style is spreading everywhere. And it looks the same. (Don't get me wrong, I like suits. But that's how they can be compared to the glass boxes.)
-Wolfe used the phrase "take it like a man" a lot. (He was being sarcastic, right?)
-He thinks that this new style got rid of all the 'real' talent. The less-talented/lazy/smart-alec people got to shine in the "International Style"
-Most modern cities look similar now days....
-(Ellen pointed this out to me when I asked her during lunch...and this was brought up in the discussion) Wolfe uses a lot of religious terms to describe the architects.
-(From the discussion) I never noticed that you see more detail the closer you get to classical architecture, and vice versa. I thought that was an interesting detail.
-(From the discussion) I also liked how Danny (I think?) pointed out that the folded paper showed how functional it was. The paper airplanes couldn't actually fly and the paper cathedrals couldn't be entered....and that's how the architects applied this way of thinking to buildings and the "International Style" was the result.
---
I wanted to talk a bit about acting class 2, but I don't have the time...so I'll quickly write down these two bullets:
-....Wait. Aw, man. I forgot what I wanted to say
-(I think this was it) The main point of the class was that your body can affect your mood, and your mood can affect your body. I think I remember reading something like that in this book about body language that I have. For example, if you cross your arms, you tend to feel angry/defensive feelings.
- When Luke mentioned that "we did this during our childhood". I agree. I find it harder to 'pretend' now days, especially with other people, since people don't do it as freely. And I miss that. A lot. It's funny, since I was thinking that a lot last year, and this year.
---
Some quotes I found from the STAC blog on Dada, that makes sense to me, and how to approach Dada:
And it doesn't have to make sense, because we're at a time where we make our own sense - our own personal sense - of the world.
My ideas these days on the process of creation center around the decision making involved
I'll jot down the main points:
-I've never, seriously, read a book about architecture before. Last year, I had this pocket guide to architecture last year (which I lost....twice... >:( It has my name in it, though) but I mostly used that for reference on buildings around the world.
-I liked the book, and how it was written, but I disagreed with some things Wolfe said. Architecture is constantly evolving, and the "International Style" is just a phase architecture is going through....
-Related to the previous bullet, I wondered if Wolfe would be complaining if architecture hadn't changed. If he'd say that architects were being 'yellow-bellied and....bourgeoise'
-The "International Style" reminds me of suits. Most people think they're uncomfortable, and they still wear them. And the style is spreading everywhere. And it looks the same. (Don't get me wrong, I like suits. But that's how they can be compared to the glass boxes.)
-Wolfe used the phrase "take it like a man" a lot. (He was being sarcastic, right?)
-He thinks that this new style got rid of all the 'real' talent. The less-talented/lazy/smart-alec people got to shine in the "International Style"
-Most modern cities look similar now days....
-(Ellen pointed this out to me when I asked her during lunch...and this was brought up in the discussion) Wolfe uses a lot of religious terms to describe the architects.
-(From the discussion) I never noticed that you see more detail the closer you get to classical architecture, and vice versa. I thought that was an interesting detail.
-(From the discussion) I also liked how Danny (I think?) pointed out that the folded paper showed how functional it was. The paper airplanes couldn't actually fly and the paper cathedrals couldn't be entered....and that's how the architects applied this way of thinking to buildings and the "International Style" was the result.
---
I wanted to talk a bit about acting class 2, but I don't have the time...so I'll quickly write down these two bullets:
-....Wait. Aw, man. I forgot what I wanted to say
-(I think this was it) The main point of the class was that your body can affect your mood, and your mood can affect your body. I think I remember reading something like that in this book about body language that I have. For example, if you cross your arms, you tend to feel angry/defensive feelings.
- When Luke mentioned that "we did this during our childhood". I agree. I find it harder to 'pretend' now days, especially with other people, since people don't do it as freely. And I miss that. A lot. It's funny, since I was thinking that a lot last year, and this year.
---
Some quotes I found from the STAC blog on Dada, that makes sense to me, and how to approach Dada:
And it doesn't have to make sense, because we're at a time where we make our own sense - our own personal sense - of the world.
My ideas these days on the process of creation center around the decision making involved
Monday, September 19, 2011
-3.2-
Lots of things this week. Exploring Dada and acting classes...!
I'm in the group for Dada art....and we've been Dada-ish about the project.....(I'm not sure if that's great for organization). I think we're going for individual projects. I have some ideas, but it's more from the historical standpoint of Dada (after WWI). The problem is, every time I think of an idea, it doesn't seem "out there" enough. It has a clear meaning behind it, when (I think) it's supposed to have the meaning of "just confusion".
Acting class! I had meant to blog about this last week, but better late than never!
Here's some thoughts:
-Haha when Luke said to get your shoes ready when Danny went up, I saw Sarah's bare sock poking out behind a rack of props....what a great mental image!
-It seems that there's layers of acting. So far I've seen 4: What's going on, what's supposed to be going on, what the audience thinks is going on, and what you think is going on.
-You can use a situation that you're familiar with in order to react correctly in a situation you're not familiar with.
-I felt nervous when we were trying to pick up the hat, and it only increased as it came closer to my turn....however, I felt ok afterwards (and almost wanted to do it again).
-While waiting for my turn to go, I kept on imagining myself in appropriate situations...but when it was my turn, those situations seemed to have disappeared. (I also felt that if I tried to use those situations, they wouldn't come off as 'real').
I will talk a little about "Bauhaus to Our House", but I'm getting kicked off, so I have to do that tomorrow....or when I get a chance.
On a final note: I'm excited for the trip on Friday! I've been to PS1 a few times, but I haven't gone in a while....the last time I went, they had chickens there, haha.
9/13----
random dream I had on Tuesday:
-There was this mushroom sculpture
-Son(?) of the artist made a simpler mushroom sculpture to remind everyone of what the bigger mushroom symbolized (which was something about someone dying and something about falling off a building)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
-2.12- Blog Quotes
"In a sense, I am a newbie every year because I have to learn how to work with the new community."-megan
"Rules are made and only meant to be broke within reason. Rules aren't made to be broken only for individuality, there should be something more. "-megan
"I've been thinking though. Thinking about thinking. Since human beings have the power of intelligence, we have a tendency to over think everything. We believe that we are creatures greater than anything created in the universe. At the same time though, we still do everything all the "lower" forms of life do. We still eat, digest, take a crap, and reproduce. What's so profound about that?"-Ellen
"In a weird way, it makes me think about if my brain was a museum and I was taking a tour. I don't know, it was just one of those activities."-Ashley
"You can be the best candidate in the world but the best candidate doesn't always win, the most popular with the most money will be the one to win. "-Mike H.
"Now thinking about it , it makes me laugh because the web is about me so i have no one to impress besides myself ! "-Gigi
"Rules are made and only meant to be broke within reason. Rules aren't made to be broken only for individuality, there should be something more. "-megan
"I've been thinking though. Thinking about thinking. Since human beings have the power of intelligence, we have a tendency to over think everything. We believe that we are creatures greater than anything created in the universe. At the same time though, we still do everything all the "lower" forms of life do. We still eat, digest, take a crap, and reproduce. What's so profound about that?"-Ellen
"In a weird way, it makes me think about if my brain was a museum and I was taking a tour. I don't know, it was just one of those activities."-Ashley
"You can be the best candidate in the world but the best candidate doesn't always win, the most popular with the most money will be the one to win. "-Mike H.
"Now thinking about it , it makes me laugh because the web is about me so i have no one to impress besides myself ! "-Gigi
Thursday, September 8, 2011
-2.1-
Working on the wall reminded me of some sort of interface I saw once...like the wall, it had little "webs" of ideas(?). There was a big idea everything connected to, and then littler ones branching out.
Before we started the project, I thought everyone would follow the rules, and we would all write the same way, but it turns out that some people purposefully (?) bent the guidelines, and we all had our own different style of capital block letters. This resulted in everyone's wall coming out a little differently not only in interests, but the shape of the web, the handwriting, or even how people drew their lines connecting to their likes!
While working on the wall, it was a little crowded, which wasn't that fun, and my arms got sore from holding them up for a long time...however, I liked that a lot of people were chattering, and there didn't seem to be any problems with space and such.
I think this was a great 1st group project for the year! It's a good way to find out about people...we can walk up to the wall and look at everyone's interests....I didn't get that much of a chance to look at the wall, but just from the few webs that I looked at, I found some interests I had in common with other people!
If you were looking at the wall in a metaphorical point of view, this could be considered a "class picture".
-Will edit later into a proper paragraph-
Thoughts about the wall:
-It reminded me of something...an interface or something else....
-I think it turned out to be an good introduction piece for STAC. We can just walk up to it and see the person's name and what they like....
-I expected everyone to follow the rules, but some people didn't. However, I found it funny how some people purposefully(?) bent the rules, while other people stuck to them.
-Everyone's "web" came out a little differently...whether it was the shape, or the handwriting...the way the thoughts branched out....
-It was a little crowded on the wall, which wasn't that fun. Also, holding your arms up for a long time made them sore.
-We did the wall sort-of spontaneously, so I was wondering if it would look better if we planned it a little more
-We were all on the same wall, but we all had our own little corners...(SYMBOLISM of how we're all in STAC, but we all have our own interests~?)
-I wish we had more time to look at it before writing a journal about it.
Before we started the project, I thought everyone would follow the rules, and we would all write the same way, but it turns out that some people purposefully (?) bent the guidelines, and we all had our own different style of capital block letters. This resulted in everyone's wall coming out a little differently not only in interests, but the shape of the web, the handwriting, or even how people drew their lines connecting to their likes!
While working on the wall, it was a little crowded, which wasn't that fun, and my arms got sore from holding them up for a long time...however, I liked that a lot of people were chattering, and there didn't seem to be any problems with space and such.
I think this was a great 1st group project for the year! It's a good way to find out about people...we can walk up to the wall and look at everyone's interests....I didn't get that much of a chance to look at the wall, but just from the few webs that I looked at, I found some interests I had in common with other people!
If you were looking at the wall in a metaphorical point of view, this could be considered a "class picture".
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
STAC 2011 -1.1-
A new STAC year!
I...don't know many of the newbies, but I hope that will change as the year goes on! I'm looking forward to what sorts of trips and activities we'll be doing this year.
About today in class, I got excited when Luke mentioned animating, perhaps. I finished an animation over the summer (Link to youtube), and I started another one also (I put a WIP video of it on my Facebook). I mostly have been doing ideas based off of songs, and not using original characters, though...
I'm waiting for the book to come in the mail, but I heard that it contains advanced vocabulary. Ellen told me that she had to look up a lot of words when she was reading it.
Misc. comments on the Star Trek episode yesterday:
-They chose a woman to play the androgynous alien so ppl could relate to the relationship between the alien and the man more than just if it was a man and another man actor. They'd be able to understand the frustration, not just gay rights supporters
-'Could see it as transgender people, also, since the alien felt like they weren't the right gender (?)
-blogging thought will edit later
I...don't know many of the newbies, but I hope that will change as the year goes on! I'm looking forward to what sorts of trips and activities we'll be doing this year.
About today in class, I got excited when Luke mentioned animating, perhaps. I finished an animation over the summer (Link to youtube), and I started another one also (I put a WIP video of it on my Facebook). I mostly have been doing ideas based off of songs, and not using original characters, though...
I'm waiting for the book to come in the mail, but I heard that it contains advanced vocabulary. Ellen told me that she had to look up a lot of words when she was reading it.
Misc. comments on the Star Trek episode yesterday:
-They chose a woman to play the androgynous alien so ppl could relate to the relationship between the alien and the man more than just if it was a man and another man actor. They'd be able to understand the frustration, not just gay rights supporters
-'Could see it as transgender people, also, since the alien felt like they weren't the right gender (?)
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
-51-
'Been up to quite a lot this summer, art wise and movie wise!
In late June, Mom and I went to see the Dia Beacon. I enjoyed it! It was all modern art (as in, mostly shapes and giant instillations). They even had an interactive exhibit (it was by Franz Erhard Walther: link)!
It would be neat to visit there with STAC sometime.
I liked Richard Serra's sculptures. There was this one that looked like a giant bronze(?) boat. If you walked on one side, it felt like it was going to fall on you, it was a bit scary, but on the other side you got a completely different feel from it!
Interesting thought:
My Mom and I also learned from a gallery attendant that Richard Serra is sort-of bad tempered, while this other artist we were going to see, Louise Bourgeois, is very nice...However, when we saw her sculptures, we weren't that impressed (but she did have a giant spider sculpture, which I thought was impressive!)...
Does personality have a lot or a little to do with the art the people create? (I suppose it depends...)
(Here's a quick video I took of one of Richard Serra's sculptures...video and cameras weren't allowed, but sssh, I couldn't resist it, the view was fascinating!)
---
Below is slightly copied from another site I blog on:
I've been seeing a lot of movies recently...but they've all been good in their own way:
-Super 8: Saw this with a friend. I liked the kids filming their movie, but it got less suspenseful after seeing what the monster actually was.
Summarized in 3 words: A Violent ET
-Buck: Saw this on Tuesday with my mom~ What a great movie. It's a documentary, but you were given a new perspective on horses, and this amazing "horsewhisper", Buck. It was interesting to see how he lived. He traveled around the country all year (except one or two weeks, I think) and didn't see his family a lot.
He kept on saying that the horses show what kind of person the owner is. At one point in the movie, he came across this horse who was so wild, it had to be put down. The owner seemed normal, but it made me wonder what kind of person she was...
Summarized in 3 words: Horses Equal Lifestyle
-Transformers 3: I went to see it yesterday with my friends purely for the special effects (the most I knew about transformers was from my little cousin XD). However, I ended up liking the red guy (because he had awesome scythe-like weapons) and Bumblebee (I thought it was interesting that he was mute except if he used audio from the radio)
Summarized in 3 words: CGI Machines Attack
-HP7 (pt2): It was enjoyed seeing the book in movie format, with the characters moving and breathing in real life, but they had to cram so much plot into two hours that it felt rushed...I cried when my favorite characters died when I was reading the book, but the movie didn't feel the same way.
Summarized in 3 words: Book was better
---
I've been working with this music program, UTAU, and it's very interesting....
UTAU It's a free program that's based on the principle of Vocaloids (started in England and made popular in Japan). You record your voice (or use other people's) to make a "voice bank". Then you can use your voice in the program to make yourself sing songs! You can also change your voice by making it lower and higher, which can create different results (it's fun to see how you'd sound as a guy, or with a higher voice...).
However, you must have the background music to the song you want to sing. UTAU only does the singing part. You have to combine music with voice on an editing program (I'm using garage band).
You can create your own songs, and have your UTAUloid (your voice) sing them, or have your UTAUloid sing other songs created by other people. I haven't created a song yet, but I hope to in the future!
Anyways, here's a song I did a cover of, as an example of what a finished product may be. It's the first song I did, but it provides a good example of the different voices and such you can create (all of the singing is from the voicebank I recorded).
I know, I know, it's anime/manga. But it doesn't need to be. Japan just made it popular by giving the singers mascot(?) characters that were drawn in the anime style, and it just caught on that way.
---
Going on with other news:
I'm happy to say that I've been keeping up with my daily practice!
I do most of them on an oekaki (a drawing site) and someone suggested that I try coloring them. Well, I did, and here's the result:
---
Speaking of Modern Family, I've been doing a little marathon of the first two seasons...I've grown to love the show! With all of the characters, who on their own are funny, interacting with each other, it just makes the show better! Great actors and great writers!
Well, that's all for now!
In late June, Mom and I went to see the Dia Beacon. I enjoyed it! It was all modern art (as in, mostly shapes and giant instillations). They even had an interactive exhibit (it was by Franz Erhard Walther: link)!
It would be neat to visit there with STAC sometime.
I liked Richard Serra's sculptures. There was this one that looked like a giant bronze(?) boat. If you walked on one side, it felt like it was going to fall on you, it was a bit scary, but on the other side you got a completely different feel from it!
Interesting thought:
My Mom and I also learned from a gallery attendant that Richard Serra is sort-of bad tempered, while this other artist we were going to see, Louise Bourgeois, is very nice...However, when we saw her sculptures, we weren't that impressed (but she did have a giant spider sculpture, which I thought was impressive!)...
Does personality have a lot or a little to do with the art the people create? (I suppose it depends...)
(Here's a quick video I took of one of Richard Serra's sculptures...video and cameras weren't allowed, but sssh, I couldn't resist it, the view was fascinating!)
---
Below is slightly copied from another site I blog on:
I've been seeing a lot of movies recently...but they've all been good in their own way:
-Super 8: Saw this with a friend. I liked the kids filming their movie, but it got less suspenseful after seeing what the monster actually was.
Summarized in 3 words: A Violent ET
-Buck: Saw this on Tuesday with my mom~ What a great movie. It's a documentary, but you were given a new perspective on horses, and this amazing "horsewhisper", Buck. It was interesting to see how he lived. He traveled around the country all year (except one or two weeks, I think) and didn't see his family a lot.
He kept on saying that the horses show what kind of person the owner is. At one point in the movie, he came across this horse who was so wild, it had to be put down. The owner seemed normal, but it made me wonder what kind of person she was...
Summarized in 3 words: Horses Equal Lifestyle
-Transformers 3: I went to see it yesterday with my friends purely for the special effects (the most I knew about transformers was from my little cousin XD). However, I ended up liking the red guy (because he had awesome scythe-like weapons) and Bumblebee (I thought it was interesting that he was mute except if he used audio from the radio)
Summarized in 3 words: CGI Machines Attack
-HP7 (pt2): It was enjoyed seeing the book in movie format, with the characters moving and breathing in real life, but they had to cram so much plot into two hours that it felt rushed...I cried when my favorite characters died when I was reading the book, but the movie didn't feel the same way.
Summarized in 3 words: Book was better
---
I've been working with this music program, UTAU, and it's very interesting....
UTAU It's a free program that's based on the principle of Vocaloids (started in England and made popular in Japan). You record your voice (or use other people's) to make a "voice bank". Then you can use your voice in the program to make yourself sing songs! You can also change your voice by making it lower and higher, which can create different results (it's fun to see how you'd sound as a guy, or with a higher voice...).
However, you must have the background music to the song you want to sing. UTAU only does the singing part. You have to combine music with voice on an editing program (I'm using garage band).
You can create your own songs, and have your UTAUloid (your voice) sing them, or have your UTAUloid sing other songs created by other people. I haven't created a song yet, but I hope to in the future!
Anyways, here's a song I did a cover of, as an example of what a finished product may be. It's the first song I did, but it provides a good example of the different voices and such you can create (all of the singing is from the voicebank I recorded).
I know, I know, it's anime/manga. But it doesn't need to be. Japan just made it popular by giving the singers mascot(?) characters that were drawn in the anime style, and it just caught on that way.
---
Going on with other news:
I'm happy to say that I've been keeping up with my daily practice!
I do most of them on an oekaki (a drawing site) and someone suggested that I try coloring them. Well, I did, and here's the result:
 |
| Mitchell from Modern Family |
Speaking of Modern Family, I've been doing a little marathon of the first two seasons...I've grown to love the show! With all of the characters, who on their own are funny, interacting with each other, it just makes the show better! Great actors and great writers!
Well, that's all for now!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
-50- edited
Editing this a tad bit. I saw the movie "The Social Network" yesterday. We finished watching it at 12 (almost exactly), so I didn't get a chance to write a little about it.
I thought the movie was well done. The acting was convincing, and I thought the last scene was powerful: The creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is sitting in a chair constantly refreshing the page to see if his ex-girlfriend will be his friend [on Facebook]. Then it shows a close-up of his face and text pops up reading: "Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionare today" (I think those are the exact words).
This scene shows that money does not = happiness.
-'Thought that almost everyone in the movie were being really nasty to each other...even though some parts were most likely dramatized, I hope college isn't like that.
-Most of the women (except maybe Mark's ex-girlfriend) were portrayed as...groupies. I didn't really like that, but I suppose that's showing that most of the girls that Mark knew were like that (?)
-I found it interesting that his parents were never there, or (almost) never talked about.
I'm going to get a Facebook when I turn 15, but it's interesting to know the backstory behind the site.
---
I've been meaning to announce this, but I was very surprised to see this on youtube one day...an ad for cafepress, but the STAC t-shirt was on it! I saw it a couple more times on some different sites, so I took a picture of the ads, and voila!:
----
This is from yesterday:
I just saw the green lantern. Just jotting things down:
good:
-costume
-airplane scenes
-scenes where he's using his ring
-?
eh:
-character development (not much)
-female lead (but that's ok because most superhero movies don't have that)
-plot (fast paced)
-originality to the comic (but that's ok I guess? Iron man I heard wasn't that true either)
-not enough "broship"
-tone (the whole movie had dark colors, but they also had some funny moments which didn't.... flow)
-they forgot an important thing: the rings don't work against yellow (which seemed to be pretty important when I wikipedia'd the comic)
random:
-I also saw John there. I said hi.
I thought the movie was well done. The acting was convincing, and I thought the last scene was powerful: The creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is sitting in a chair constantly refreshing the page to see if his ex-girlfriend will be his friend [on Facebook]. Then it shows a close-up of his face and text pops up reading: "Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionare today" (I think those are the exact words).
This scene shows that money does not = happiness.
-'Thought that almost everyone in the movie were being really nasty to each other...even though some parts were most likely dramatized, I hope college isn't like that.
-Most of the women (except maybe Mark's ex-girlfriend) were portrayed as...groupies. I didn't really like that, but I suppose that's showing that most of the girls that Mark knew were like that (?)
-I found it interesting that his parents were never there, or (almost) never talked about.
I'm going to get a Facebook when I turn 15, but it's interesting to know the backstory behind the site.
---
I've been meaning to announce this, but I was very surprised to see this on youtube one day...an ad for cafepress, but the STAC t-shirt was on it! I saw it a couple more times on some different sites, so I took a picture of the ads, and voila!:
Isn't that odd?
----
This is from yesterday:
I just saw the green lantern. Just jotting things down:
good:
-costume
-airplane scenes
-scenes where he's using his ring
-?
eh:
-character development (not much)
-female lead (but that's ok because most superhero movies don't have that)
-plot (fast paced)
-originality to the comic (but that's ok I guess? Iron man I heard wasn't that true either)
-not enough "broship"
-tone (the whole movie had dark colors, but they also had some funny moments which didn't.... flow)
-they forgot an important thing: the rings don't work against yellow (which seemed to be pretty important when I wikipedia'd the comic)
random:
-I also saw John there. I said hi.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
-49.2-
Well, I'm done with testing for this week, so I have the time to write!
I have mixed feelings about the end of the school year. I'm happy since, well, no more tests and homework (except the summer reading project) for a few months, and I can catch up on sleep, but I don't get to see people as much over the summer, and next year the seniors will be gone...
I'm curious about the new STACies. I didn't talk a lot to the eighth-graders when I was in middle school, so I don't really know what they're like...I mostly heard about 8th graders and our grade getting in, but I wonder if there are any sophomores/juniors coming in also...
---
I thought STAC night turned out great! I remember coming last year, and the two years were really different! This year was more organized, and we took people into the STAC room, but last year had more improv.
I think the asian forest turned out well. It was fun working on it, but I wish we could have left it up longer...I hear plans for changing around the room for next year, and that sounds exciting~
---
Yesterday, I went into the city with some friends and my mom. We went to the Met. to see this exhibit on the roof, and the fashion exhibit on Alexander McQueen. We saw the roof, but the fashion exhibit had a really long line (over a half an hour wait)! However, the Richard Serra exhibit caught my eye and we popped in. The art was very simple, but I liked how it took up space (one piece was two 20(?)-foot pieces of black paper pinned to opposite sides of the wall). The funny thing was that my friends were wearing outfits that fit right into the exhibit!
-we also walked about 52 blocks (82->42->50-something)!
---
I also did a digital painting today, and I thought it came out pretty good.
I have mixed feelings about the end of the school year. I'm happy since, well, no more tests and homework (except the summer reading project) for a few months, and I can catch up on sleep, but I don't get to see people as much over the summer, and next year the seniors will be gone...
I'm curious about the new STACies. I didn't talk a lot to the eighth-graders when I was in middle school, so I don't really know what they're like...I mostly heard about 8th graders and our grade getting in, but I wonder if there are any sophomores/juniors coming in also...
---
I thought STAC night turned out great! I remember coming last year, and the two years were really different! This year was more organized, and we took people into the STAC room, but last year had more improv.
I think the asian forest turned out well. It was fun working on it, but I wish we could have left it up longer...I hear plans for changing around the room for next year, and that sounds exciting~
---
Yesterday, I went into the city with some friends and my mom. We went to the Met. to see this exhibit on the roof, and the fashion exhibit on Alexander McQueen. We saw the roof, but the fashion exhibit had a really long line (over a half an hour wait)! However, the Richard Serra exhibit caught my eye and we popped in. The art was very simple, but I liked how it took up space (one piece was two 20(?)-foot pieces of black paper pinned to opposite sides of the wall). The funny thing was that my friends were wearing outfits that fit right into the exhibit!
 |
| she even blends in! |
-we also walked about 52 blocks (82->42->50-something)!
---
I also did a digital painting today, and I thought it came out pretty good.
 |
| I was getting a little caught up in getting all of the shapes, so I decided to leave it at this reference |
Saturday, June 11, 2011
-49-
Well, there's a lot to talk about, but it's late at night...so I think I'll have to put a "49.2" blog up tomorrow- or sometime later this week...(probably tomorrow)
I just wanted to post the end result of the math project. I think it turned out well, considering I, uh, procrastinated quite a bit on it....*insert coughing sounds here*
I just wanted to post the end result of the math project. I think it turned out well, considering I, uh, procrastinated quite a bit on it....*insert coughing sounds here*
Sunday, May 29, 2011
-48--
Wow. I haven't posted on here in a while...I should have found some time for doing this, but I kept on forgetting...
Anyways, I fixed the video from the last post, since I took pictures and fitted them into the video, so everyone's work is in there at least once, if not more.
The year is going by fast, but these last two weeks are dragging out because of all of the projects that we're getting.
I like in math class, that we have the option of doing a comic book for a project. I really wanted to make one, but I didn't have any ideas at the time (and I don't think I'd be able to finish it on time), so I'm going to do a photostory/animation type thing instead.
The asian forest is coming along all right. I'm willing to do the work needed for it but I just need to know exactly what to do for it. I think the end result will look amazing though|!
Anyways, I fixed the video from the last post, since I took pictures and fitted them into the video, so everyone's work is in there at least once, if not more.
The year is going by fast, but these last two weeks are dragging out because of all of the projects that we're getting.
I like in math class, that we have the option of doing a comic book for a project. I really wanted to make one, but I didn't have any ideas at the time (and I don't think I'd be able to finish it on time), so I'm going to do a photostory/animation type thing instead.
The asian forest is coming along all right. I'm willing to do the work needed for it but I just need to know exactly what to do for it. I think the end result will look amazing though|!
Friday, April 29, 2011
-47-
Painting workshop day 4.
I created a video, since those expressionist animations were very inspiring!
A little bit of background, but not much (I wrote some reflections in the video description also).
A lot of people (including me, hahaha....) forgot their art supplies for today's workshop, so Luke decided to take a break from portraits and we did expressionist art instead. It turns out that I knew a bit about expressionism since I saw an animation of this expressionist on PBS (Luke showed us the animation, and I recognized it)! Luke also showed us some work of one of his friends...I love watching animations like these...
I'm sad I didn't get a chance to take a picture of Sarah's finished work though... I think I got everyone else's in there though. (I went into the STAC room and took a picture of whatever paintings were in there).
If you didn't want your art to be on youtube, tell me, and I'll take it out of the video.
I didn't really think about what to do with this. Maybe once or twice, I got an idea (the sun, the beach, leaves on a lake) but past that, I did what looked interesting/felt right/felt nice... It was fun using a lot of different mediums also!
I created a video, since those expressionist animations were very inspiring!
A little bit of background, but not much (I wrote some reflections in the video description also).
A lot of people (including me, hahaha....) forgot their art supplies for today's workshop, so Luke decided to take a break from portraits and we did expressionist art instead. It turns out that I knew a bit about expressionism since I saw an animation of this expressionist on PBS (Luke showed us the animation, and I recognized it)! Luke also showed us some work of one of his friends...I love watching animations like these...
I'm sad I didn't get a chance to take a picture of Sarah's finished work though... I think I got everyone else's in there though. (I went into the STAC room and took a picture of whatever paintings were in there).
If you didn't want your art to be on youtube, tell me, and I'll take it out of the video.
I didn't really think about what to do with this. Maybe once or twice, I got an idea (the sun, the beach, leaves on a lake) but past that, I did what looked interesting/felt right/felt nice... It was fun using a lot of different mediums also!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
-46-
Last day of acting workshop. I was wondering when the last day was going to come, and it snuck up on us! There were interesting improvs today
-I noticed that when we improved, we've used a lot of sibling situations, and most of the situations seemed to turn into arguments...I wonder what this means, and if this says anything about the group....hm...
I think one part I'll miss about the workshop was in the beginning when we settled down and did some meditations. After doing that, I've felt calm and refreshed (especially today).
I learned a lot about using your current feelings to make acting more natural. Also, sometimes if you use your "mask" (what feelings you show to the world) while you're improving, sometimes the situation can change what you feel at the beginning to something different by the end...
-I noticed that when we improved, we've used a lot of sibling situations, and most of the situations seemed to turn into arguments...I wonder what this means, and if this says anything about the group....hm...
I think one part I'll miss about the workshop was in the beginning when we settled down and did some meditations. After doing that, I've felt calm and refreshed (especially today).
I learned a lot about using your current feelings to make acting more natural. Also, sometimes if you use your "mask" (what feelings you show to the world) while you're improving, sometimes the situation can change what you feel at the beginning to something different by the end...
Monday, April 25, 2011
-45-
This month, I've had a lot of experiences with art/film. I took a figure drawing class and
During vacation I've seemed to be watching unusual films. In the past three days, I've watched a show about a Times photographer and a japanese silent film.
I've also eaten excellent ramen from a ramen bar sort-of place in the village. (no, not that village you prisoner fans)
---
I had the figure drawing class a few weeks ago. There was a live model (not nude, but she only had her underwear and bra on) and we worked in charcoal. The teacher there talked a little about the type of poses that we would be drawing and gave us tips on how to draw (ex. a standing person is usually 8 heads tall while a sitting person is 6 heads tall). After that, he let us practice drawing the model in a series of 2 minute poses and 5 minute poses.
We went over four major poses (standing, sitting, crouching and laying down) and started a little on how to draw clothed figures. He gave us more tips, like drawing the figure first, then the clothes over the figure and that there are 7 types of folds: spiral, c fold, radiating, pipe, zigzag, crushed and inert). The model changed into a dress, and we did another series of 2 and 5 minute poses (they were going to do a 15 minute pose, but I had to leave to go somewhere else.
I liked getting more experience of drawing people, and learning a bit on how to draw clothes (since that gives me trouble a lot of the time when I draw people). I'll put up a few pictures after I take a cleaning break, or tomorrow.
The movie about the photographer I saw was a documentary called "Bill Cunningham New York". It was about this times photographer (who is now about...80?), Bill Cunningham, and his unique lifestyle. He takes photos for fashion spreads in the times.
From what I got, Mr. Cunningham seems to be dedicated to his job (a couple of times in the documentary, he nearly got run over) and his job seems to be his hobby...and his life!
I also thought that it seems like a hard thing to do to film a documentary about something current. You can't re-take a scene...the only footage you have available is the footage you have to use...
The japanese silent film is called "Naked Island" (translated name anyways). It wasn't what I expected of a silent film since, well, it wasn't completely silent (You could hear footsteps and the water.) It was silent in that there wasn't much talking.
The movie was about a family living on a barren island. They had a day-to-day repetitive lifestyle which consisted of bringing water from the mainland to the island in order to water the plants (with meals and sleeping in between). The film is slow-paced and gives off a calm, but monotonous, feeling. I admit, I dozed off in the first ten minutes of it, since the sounds of the water reminded me of being on the beach...and I had a late night's sleep.
It follows a year of their life, from the time they plant their crops to the time that they harvest them. The biggest event in the movie was when one of their sons die...! However, they have to recover in order to carry out their daily tasks and keep on living.
I also went and saw an exhibit on young artists at the Japan Society in NYC. The theme of the exhibit was that not all japanese art was "kawaii" (coughcoughIthinkweallknowwhatI'mtalkingaboutcoughcough). It had some graphic pictures (like a mountain of office worker corpses that, interestingly, looked like a traditional asian painting from afar), but it also had beautiful art, like this triptych (I think it could be called a triptych) of samurai riding on armored animals, and a giant screen of paper cutting art that you could walk around...
I also saw the musical "Memphis" yesterday. It was pretty good since it caught my attention, but I felt that the music wasn't that memorable...
...I've also re-energized (is that the appropriate word...?) my love of the works of Shaun Tan by re-watching his short film (here is the link: [link] if you'd like to check it out).
During vacation I've seemed to be watching unusual films. In the past three days, I've watched a show about a Times photographer and a japanese silent film.
I've also eaten excellent ramen from a ramen bar sort-of place in the village. (no, not that village you prisoner fans)
---
I had the figure drawing class a few weeks ago. There was a live model (not nude, but she only had her underwear and bra on) and we worked in charcoal. The teacher there talked a little about the type of poses that we would be drawing and gave us tips on how to draw (ex. a standing person is usually 8 heads tall while a sitting person is 6 heads tall). After that, he let us practice drawing the model in a series of 2 minute poses and 5 minute poses.
We went over four major poses (standing, sitting, crouching and laying down) and started a little on how to draw clothed figures. He gave us more tips, like drawing the figure first, then the clothes over the figure and that there are 7 types of folds: spiral, c fold, radiating, pipe, zigzag, crushed and inert). The model changed into a dress, and we did another series of 2 and 5 minute poses (they were going to do a 15 minute pose, but I had to leave to go somewhere else.
I liked getting more experience of drawing people, and learning a bit on how to draw clothes (since that gives me trouble a lot of the time when I draw people). I'll put up a few pictures after I take a cleaning break, or tomorrow.
The movie about the photographer I saw was a documentary called "Bill Cunningham New York". It was about this times photographer (who is now about...80?), Bill Cunningham, and his unique lifestyle. He takes photos for fashion spreads in the times.
From what I got, Mr. Cunningham seems to be dedicated to his job (a couple of times in the documentary, he nearly got run over) and his job seems to be his hobby...and his life!
I also thought that it seems like a hard thing to do to film a documentary about something current. You can't re-take a scene...the only footage you have available is the footage you have to use...
Miscellaneous thoughts about the movie Bill Cunningham NY:
-liked the moment when he took a picture of someone and it showed the actual picture in the paper
-liked a transition in sound (I'm not sure if it was intentional or not) when there was applause and it turned into the sound of cars passing by on the street
-I found it interesting how he noticed a general trend in the fashion each...week (I believe it was a week)
-I liked seeing places in the film that I've been to and were familiar with
-The movie made me wonder if he ever rode by while we were walking in the city. Before I saw this movie, I think I wouldn't have noticed him (while I was in NYC during the break, I looked around once or twice, but he wasn't in the area.)
The movie was about a family living on a barren island. They had a day-to-day repetitive lifestyle which consisted of bringing water from the mainland to the island in order to water the plants (with meals and sleeping in between). The film is slow-paced and gives off a calm, but monotonous, feeling. I admit, I dozed off in the first ten minutes of it, since the sounds of the water reminded me of being on the beach...and I had a late night's sleep.
It follows a year of their life, from the time they plant their crops to the time that they harvest them. The biggest event in the movie was when one of their sons die...! However, they have to recover in order to carry out their daily tasks and keep on living.
I also went and saw an exhibit on young artists at the Japan Society in NYC. The theme of the exhibit was that not all japanese art was "kawaii" (coughcoughIthinkweallknowwhatI'mtalkingaboutcoughcough). It had some graphic pictures (like a mountain of office worker corpses that, interestingly, looked like a traditional asian painting from afar), but it also had beautiful art, like this triptych (I think it could be called a triptych) of samurai riding on armored animals, and a giant screen of paper cutting art that you could walk around...
I also saw the musical "Memphis" yesterday. It was pretty good since it caught my attention, but I felt that the music wasn't that memorable...
...I've also re-energized (is that the appropriate word...?) my love of the works of Shaun Tan by re-watching his short film (here is the link: [link] if you'd like to check it out).
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
-43-
Painting workshop day 3 *the other day wasn't official workshop day*.
Today I learned a way that you can bring out what you want people to see in your painting. You darken the lines around the area you want the eye to be drawn to.
Today I first started with the picture from the packet from the Charlie Chaplin movie, since I was playing around after the movie and drew the shapes of the image of the tramp and the flower girl. I liked the result, but I tried doing the same thing on the painting, and was having a harder time...
I used another reference of Charlie Chaplin, and I did better. I was having trouble getting the eyes down, but Luke showed me how to whip it out.
When I got to the point of playing around it the colors and thickness of the paint, I had a little trouble. I usually like painting smoothly instead of globbing it on, but it's another way of doing things, so I might as well try it out.
-random bullet: ...The paint feels neat. I was trying to take some off (it was blending too much in a spot I wanted white) and it was squishy~
Today I learned a way that you can bring out what you want people to see in your painting. You darken the lines around the area you want the eye to be drawn to.
Today I first started with the picture from the packet from the Charlie Chaplin movie, since I was playing around after the movie and drew the shapes of the image of the tramp and the flower girl. I liked the result, but I tried doing the same thing on the painting, and was having a harder time...
I used another reference of Charlie Chaplin, and I did better. I was having trouble getting the eyes down, but Luke showed me how to whip it out.
When I got to the point of playing around it the colors and thickness of the paint, I had a little trouble. I usually like painting smoothly instead of globbing it on, but it's another way of doing things, so I might as well try it out.
-random bullet: ...The paint feels neat. I was trying to take some off (it was blending too much in a spot I wanted white) and it was squishy~
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
-42-
Acting workshop day 4. Today we did more of visualizing than last time (I like calling them meditations). We learned that there's a mask (what you show to the world), a lower self (the bad side of you), and a higher self (why you're here). We also learned that verbs lead to feelings. I found it a coincidence that he mentioned masks since at the poetry celebration on Monday, my poem was about masks (and also a coincidence, Sarah's was too)!
I think I'm opening up a little, but I still need to be more relaxed in order to improv. (and act) better...
-I'm putting this into my response, but in the beginning of the Charlie Chaplin movie I was reminded of the workshop when there was just noises instead of actual dialouge since we were doing that in some of our improvs also...!
I think I'm opening up a little, but I still need to be more relaxed in order to improv. (and act) better...
-I'm putting this into my response, but in the beginning of the Charlie Chaplin movie I was reminded of the workshop when there was just noises instead of actual dialouge since we were doing that in some of our improvs also...!
Friday, April 8, 2011
-41-
I suppose the last blog could be related to this one, but today was painting workshop day...three I think?
Today's workshop was a little shorter since it took a while to get the commercial done.
Today I learned how you can measure the reference you're trying to paint. I hadn't really done anything like that before (I mostly eyeball) but it is a handy trick to use!
I think I'm still in the "picture perfect" way of painting, but I like the idea of giving yourself a time limit to do a painting...that way you have to focus on getting the impression down first before concentrating on the details.
-I wonder how a painter could take years to finish a painting...? Is it because they wanted it "picture perfect"?
Today's workshop was a little shorter since it took a while to get the commercial done.
Today I learned how you can measure the reference you're trying to paint. I hadn't really done anything like that before (I mostly eyeball) but it is a handy trick to use!
I think I'm still in the "picture perfect" way of painting, but I like the idea of giving yourself a time limit to do a painting...that way you have to focus on getting the impression down first before concentrating on the details.
-I wonder how a painter could take years to finish a painting...? Is it because they wanted it "picture perfect"?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
-40-
I was thinking...and I realized this: painting with shapes reminds me of cell shading.
I was on an oekaki (drawing board online) and I saw this picture, which is a good example I think
link to example
the shading here you can see the shapes...
-random tidbit end-
I was on an oekaki (drawing board online) and I saw this picture, which is a good example I think
link to example
the shading here you can see the shapes...
-random tidbit end-
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
-39-
Acting workshop day 3! I felt that I didn't do as well on the improv.... or else I did all right since people who are backup to a leader don't say much...? (in the scene, Gigi and I were part of a gang. It was a little hard trying to say anything or react since I couldn't really find a place to say anything in).
-I liked the lyrics of the song that we heard. Especially the first two lines:
"you've got such a pretty smile
It's a shame the things you hide behind it"
---
I did another painting today, but on newsprint. The reason for newsprint? Well, the canvas I was using, I painted on it and the paint wouldn't come off (I thought that you could wash off the paint even if you left it for a day or two...I was wrong!)...
-I liked the lyrics of the song that we heard. Especially the first two lines:
"you've got such a pretty smile
It's a shame the things you hide behind it"
---
I did another painting today, but on newsprint. The reason for newsprint? Well, the canvas I was using, I painted on it and the paint wouldn't come off (I thought that you could wash off the paint even if you left it for a day or two...I was wrong!)...
 |
| this is the back of the newsprint I painted on. I thought it looked interesting, so I decided to post it up |
Sunday, April 3, 2011
-38-+ -38.5-
I wasn't sure if we were supposed to put up our daily painting (for the painting workshop), but here's two that I've done so far:
<-I was having a hard time with this one, and ended up not finishing it
-will edit later about more things about this week-
---
The movie on Friday, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" didn't really impress me. I felt really detached from the movie. All of the characters were lying, or not themselves (since they were all drunk), so all of the events that happened aren't "real". The only part that was of interest was when it was revealed that the child was a figment of the couple's imagination (at first I thought this, but then I thought that the husband killed the kid since it's suggested that the husband killed his parents).
"Urinetown"...at first, I was turned off by the title (at first, I actually thought the title was "Your in Town" since I only heard people talking about it), but if you keep in mind that it's a parody, then it's an enjoyable show. The music was really challenging but since we practiced a lot, by the last show, I was really comfortable with the songs so I could even play the high notes like high B flat! I'm glad it's over since there aren't any late night rehearsals (plus homework after that) but I'm also sad since the music was fun and I got to know the people in the pit better.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
-37-
Acting workshop day 2.
Today we learned that you can use your imagination to make your physical self respond (ex. imagining a happy scenario would make you smile while imagining a scary scenario would possibly make you tremble). I got really depressed when we imagined a sad scenario, and it was hard to pull myself out of it until much later. I admit, it was uncomfortable to be so sad in front of everyone, but others I could see reacted in similar ways, so I wonder if they felt that way also.
Interesting point said during the workshop: -If you try to hold back what you're feeling it'll stick with you, but if you just feel how you are feeling, then it'll be done and gotten over with.
-Would you call acting manipulating your emotions...?
an odd thing: -I decided to check out a super hero cartoon (Justice League), and now I'm seeing superhero references everywhere. For example, in two days, superheroes popped up three times! (when I was buying art supplies for the painting workshop, there were mannequins painted to look like spiderman, superman etc. on the shelf behind the counter...the day after that, Sarah was talking about an idea for the bully commercial about a student superhero (?) like superman...the period after that, in band, a superman reference was made...)
Today we learned that you can use your imagination to make your physical self respond (ex. imagining a happy scenario would make you smile while imagining a scary scenario would possibly make you tremble). I got really depressed when we imagined a sad scenario, and it was hard to pull myself out of it until much later. I admit, it was uncomfortable to be so sad in front of everyone, but others I could see reacted in similar ways, so I wonder if they felt that way also.
Interesting point said during the workshop: -If you try to hold back what you're feeling it'll stick with you, but if you just feel how you are feeling, then it'll be done and gotten over with.
-Would you call acting manipulating your emotions...?
an odd thing: -I decided to check out a super hero cartoon (Justice League), and now I'm seeing superhero references everywhere. For example, in two days, superheroes popped up three times! (when I was buying art supplies for the painting workshop, there were mannequins painted to look like spiderman, superman etc. on the shelf behind the counter...the day after that, Sarah was talking about an idea for the bully commercial about a student superhero (?) like superman...the period after that, in band, a superman reference was made...)
Monday, March 28, 2011
-36-
Painting workshop Day 2!
I was nervous when the period started, since I didn't get supplies...but I'm glad that Luke let us borrow some of his. Right after school I went to the art store and got them, so now I'm ready for the next one...!
I admit, I wanted to get painting right away... so I was a little fidgety during the demonstration. But once we got around to painting, it was difficult. First I was going to slow, then I wasn't doing the drawing...it was a little frustrating having to keep on washing off the painting... I wanted to go through the process and get something finished, then see what went wrong and erase and try again. But stepping back and looking at it, I suppose it's important to do be able to do each step right.
This workshop is quieter than the last one, but at the moment, quiet is necessary since we're all concentrating on the shapes and how to start on the painting.
I was nervous when the period started, since I didn't get supplies...but I'm glad that Luke let us borrow some of his. Right after school I went to the art store and got them, so now I'm ready for the next one...!
I admit, I wanted to get painting right away... so I was a little fidgety during the demonstration. But once we got around to painting, it was difficult. First I was going to slow, then I wasn't doing the drawing...it was a little frustrating having to keep on washing off the painting... I wanted to go through the process and get something finished, then see what went wrong and erase and try again. But stepping back and looking at it, I suppose it's important to do be able to do each step right.
This workshop is quieter than the last one, but at the moment, quiet is necessary since we're all concentrating on the shapes and how to start on the painting.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
-35-
First day of the acting workshop. We did a lot of feeling exercises...and it got very loud...but it was nice. I learned that it's better to act as someone who would feel as you are feeling at the current moment.
The only thing is, I don't know if I was feeling anything. I felt sorta...empty-ish inside I guess you could call it.
edit: It was interesting to see everyone else's reactions during the workshop also. I think some people got more emotional since they were more open to letting their feelings show....?
---
http://whatthecrap.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/dude.jpg <-ref. for 1st day shape drawin' yeah
The only thing is, I don't know if I was feeling anything. I felt sorta...empty-ish inside I guess you could call it.
edit: It was interesting to see everyone else's reactions during the workshop also. I think some people got more emotional since they were more open to letting their feelings show....?
---
http://whatthecrap.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/dude.jpg <-ref. for 1st day shape drawin' yeah
Monday, March 21, 2011
-34-
First day of new workshops! I forgot to check my e-mail so I nearly forgot!
We're doing painting. But with emphasis on shapes than trying to make it..."picture perfect". Literally.
The examples Luke showed in class reminded me a little of Picasso. With shapes being dominant over realism. I wonder if Picasso's paintings looked similar to those paintings when he was changing styles...
The drawings we did today turned out all right. I think I liked my first one (the one we traced). It was fun doing the second ones though, if you forgot about makin it look good and just "cut stuff."
Doing a shape-ish drawing for a day doesn't sound too hard, but then again I'm behind on my daily practice by a day or two... I hope I'll be able to keep up wirh everything...
Also, I forget what type of brushes we're supposed to get...ehehrh
We're doing painting. But with emphasis on shapes than trying to make it..."picture perfect". Literally.
The examples Luke showed in class reminded me a little of Picasso. With shapes being dominant over realism. I wonder if Picasso's paintings looked similar to those paintings when he was changing styles...
The drawings we did today turned out all right. I think I liked my first one (the one we traced). It was fun doing the second ones though, if you forgot about makin it look good and just "cut stuff."
Doing a shape-ish drawing for a day doesn't sound too hard, but then again I'm behind on my daily practice by a day or two... I hope I'll be able to keep up wirh everything...
Also, I forget what type of brushes we're supposed to get...ehehrh
Sunday, March 20, 2011
-33-
I saw a commercial in which there was a brush that drew a car and was reminded of the workshop on Friday (which also reminded me that I didn't blog about it yet!) I don't have much time to write, so I'll add on more as I think about it, tomorrow.
The workshop was very unexpected, but I enjoyed it. I kind-of get the feeling that in art, this year we're working on simplifying everything before working on the details. Doing the basics.
Brush painting was harder than I thought! The brush picked up a surprisingly large amount of ink. I was reminded a little of how the ink pens (not ballpoints) hold ink! There was also the issue of water. You had to balance the amount of ink, and amount of water, in order to get the kind of stroke you wanted to.
I hope to do more in the future.
Misc: I had a book about brush painting at home. I also have tried to create a brush effect through digital art, but it's very hard. (I tried doing it again during the weekend, and ended up doing something else.)
--- In other news, I'm re-watching Iron Man for the...third or fourth time. Thanks to STAC, I'm noticing more about how the music is used, and thinking about the special effects, and how they filmed things. I also forgot that Jeff Bridges was Obidah. He looks really different than his role as Cogburn...amazing what actors can do!
The workshop was very unexpected, but I enjoyed it. I kind-of get the feeling that in art, this year we're working on simplifying everything before working on the details. Doing the basics.
Brush painting was harder than I thought! The brush picked up a surprisingly large amount of ink. I was reminded a little of how the ink pens (not ballpoints) hold ink! There was also the issue of water. You had to balance the amount of ink, and amount of water, in order to get the kind of stroke you wanted to.
I hope to do more in the future.
Misc: I had a book about brush painting at home. I also have tried to create a brush effect through digital art, but it's very hard. (I tried doing it again during the weekend, and ended up doing something else.)
--- In other news, I'm re-watching Iron Man for the...third or fourth time. Thanks to STAC, I'm noticing more about how the music is used, and thinking about the special effects, and how they filmed things. I also forgot that Jeff Bridges was Obidah. He looks really different than his role as Cogburn...amazing what actors can do!
Monday, March 14, 2011
-32-
Whoops! Forgot to blog for last week, so I'll write a little about what I was thinking...
All of the work we did with our voices last week made me pay attention to how both I sounded and how other people sounded. I've always liked listening to voices, but now I notice how that the people who's voices I like bring out their consonants...I think I'm starting to do that also.
---
Today in STAC art, I was surprised that we were doing characterchures. I was happy since I could work on line drawings even more...
I also was reminded that there are many ways to draw people. I usually start out with the face shape, then work in the details, but I noticed that Ganes started with people's nose, and I remember, from a conversation with Sarah, that she draws people's eyes first....!
All of the work we did with our voices last week made me pay attention to how both I sounded and how other people sounded. I've always liked listening to voices, but now I notice how that the people who's voices I like bring out their consonants...I think I'm starting to do that also.
---
Today in STAC art, I was surprised that we were doing characterchures. I was happy since I could work on line drawings even more...
I also was reminded that there are many ways to draw people. I usually start out with the face shape, then work in the details, but I noticed that Ganes started with people's nose, and I remember, from a conversation with Sarah, that she draws people's eyes first....!
Monday, March 7, 2011
-31-
Last week's movie was....interesting. I don't really know how to talk about it (I think even our discussion of the movie in class was shorter than usual!) I was interested the whole time, but I also wasn't interested. Part of the movie brought your attention to it, like the plot, but the dreary scenery sort-of let your other half of your mind wander around....
In other news, STAC art last week really brightened me up. I had just come from a math assessment and I was feeling horrible since I didn't get to finish, but then we got to see one of my favorite movies that I had watched when I was little. I had forgotten about some of the songs, like the one with the characters from greek mythology and the one with all of the animals doing ballet.
While watching it again, I was reminded how well-done the animation sequence was... I found myself wondering how they got it that smooth since I tried doing some things like that, and it turned out to be pretty rough...
In other news, STAC art last week really brightened me up. I had just come from a math assessment and I was feeling horrible since I didn't get to finish, but then we got to see one of my favorite movies that I had watched when I was little. I had forgotten about some of the songs, like the one with the characters from greek mythology and the one with all of the animals doing ballet.
While watching it again, I was reminded how well-done the animation sequence was... I found myself wondering how they got it that smooth since I tried doing some things like that, and it turned out to be pretty rough...
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