REFLECTIONS ON CLASSS

Everything is a learning experience. From every class, in every semester, students take a little bit with them that they'll never forget and will hopefully help them along the way. I definitely enjoyed this class very much and I appreciate the labs being so hands on. there's something about being involved in the class that helps things register within you much quicker. The exercises with filming and lighting were two of which I particularly enjoyed the most. As media and film makers we are creative and activities as those help enhance that creativity and hone it. More then just a learning experience it was a class I know is enjoyable and furthermore that is what makes it so easy to learn from, its not a class you dread. rather its that class you look forward too. The only issue i had with the class was its time. It was 7:00-8:15 which is really late for me especially because I live so far away from the city but that is my own problem that I learned to deal with and if I was staying late for any class I'm happy that it was this one.

DARK DAYS

     The documentary Dark Days by Mark Singer is by far my favorite documentary in how vividly it portrays life and struggle and the dark times faced by some unfortunate people. The British filmmaker brings you into the dark lives of about a dozen homeless people living in an abandoned underground railroad station stretching from Penn Station past Harlem, right in our very own neighborhood. The film is shot in 16mm black and white film. The choice of making the picture black and white is one of grand importance. Like the title itself states, its about the dark days of these people, living in the virtual blackness of the tunnel, not knowing when a white light will shine upon their lives. When tracking through the tunnel, following their paths throughout it, things are nearly impossible to see. The black and white film further emphasizes the viewers sense of vulnerability. Not knowing what lies in the darkness which surrounds them.
    One specific scene which stands out is the interview with the homeless woman. She speaks of the loss of her children in  a fire while she was in jail. The interview is of a mid-shot with low-key lighting. Only half of her face is viewable, the other side remains in the darkness. Her distress and sorrow is evident and the darkness adds to the effect of her grief. A sympathetic viewer is then brought back from a black out to the image of her smoking from a crack pipe. There are various extreme close-ups on the pipe, her inhaling, puffing it out and getting high, trying to balance out her lows.
    It clear this is a dark time in her life. Consistently throughout the film, through the use of lighting, close-ups on crack, rats, garbage which they call food and the black and white film, we see just how black and white these peoples lives are truly. Singer successfully portrays this from the beginning until the end of the picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfxg6OQq0jE&feature=related

BLOG ASSIGNMENT ONE

Ana Prieto

Sam Stalling

FILMP/MEDP 150           

            Our culture in this day and age is so enveloped with media that besides being consumers of it we are becoming filters, rather, to the immense waves of media that hit us on a daily basis. From the morning talk shows you listen to on the way to work or the music blasting through your iPod headphones, to the countless advertisements that fill our buses, trains, TV and computer screens, media can be found any and everywhere.

            Because convergence is so much a part of our culture, we don’t realize its true variety, it has become the norm to have countless ways of doing something as simple as watching a movie. You can do it the old fashion way by going to the theater or you can rent or buy a DVD. If you want it on the go you can stream it online through Netflix or even upload it to your iPod. This synergy hence gives us consumers more options and control over how we like things done. The same goes for communication, you can call, text, email or BBM, just to name a few ways of reaching someone, with the single device, which is a cell phone. Convergence applies to all aspect of our lives aside from media.

            A current media sensation that really stood out to me was the rescuing of the 33 miners on Wednesday afternoon who were brought to the surface after being trapped underground for sixty-nine days. Around the world millions were watching this on television, listening on the radio, getting news updates on their phones and even probably googling the facts on such an event online. As a consumer having so many ways of obtaining information is crucial and comforting that one can be in the know 24/7 on what’s going on in our world. Almost immediately after the rescue already word was going around of movies in the works, television productions and books ready to be published on the event. Media wastes no time in creating entertainment out of anything possible, but is it appropriate already to be creating this into a subject of entertainment?