Blog #3: Reflections on Sound Design

For this assignment, I'll be transcribing one of the most well-known scenes in a movie I love, (500) Days of Summer. Here is a link to the scene:

http://vimeo.com/13768746

And here is my transcription of the scene into script format:

In this scene, the only sounds are causal sounds--the dinging of the elevator, the clicking of shoes, the quiet rustling of movements, and music coming from Tom's headphones. These noises are literal and true to what we see; there is little need for semantic or reduced (acousmatic) sounds. The usage of purely causal sound creates an effect of realism in the scene, which is not only generally appropriate in many non-animated films, but particularly appropriate for a film such as (500) Days that is supposed to be true to real life. The sound designers seem to use listening modes to further demonstrate this realistic feel.

This scene uses minimal sound, causing a bit of the scene to be nearly silent. However, this silence is used effectively and with purpose. If there were music (other than what was literally playing from Tom's headphones) or other noises placed into the scene, it could have affected how we viewed time within the scene. For example, if there had been slow-paced music, it could have given the audience the impression that the scene itself was more slow-paced. The sound designers do not abuse their power to create subjective time, contributing to the simplicity of the scene. They also do not rely on added sound to create an emotional effect or particular tonal center. Although this may seem uncreative, I think it's what makes the scene’s tone so charming and relateable. It is undramatic, and more manipulation of sound would have only tainted the pure emotion of the moment.

Blog #2: Finding Your Howl

In this blog entry I will be referencing to Jonathan Flaum's Finding Your Howl, which can be accessed via http://changethis.com/.

Finding Your Howl discusses a story about a tiger who is stuck in a cage. The tiger uses his outstanding jumping ability to leap out of his cage, only to find himself landing in another; the cages are lined up infinitely in the tiger's world. Flaum finds this story representative of life's struggles--they eat away at our souls and become a part of us. Though we try to "solve" them, we inevitably fail because we carry them around as if we belong to them. The only way to escape them is to let that part of us die.

This idea is intriguing to me and inspires creative thought, just as many other things I've read or heard have. Perhaps the quote that has had the strongest life-changing effect on me is from the closing scene of my favorite movie, A Single Man:

“A few times in my life, I've had moments of absolute clarity. When for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. It's as though it had all just come into existence.
I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be.”

What initially struck me about these lines was that I knew exactly the feeling the narrator was talking about. I'll never forget the first time I heard these words: I picture myself, mouth agape, consumed by the fact someone else experienced this feeling I felt so strongly about, and they were able to put it much more eloquently, precisely, and beautifully than I had been able to. In that moment, I was sold on the idea that this feeling was something real and certainly significant.

About a month before I saw A Single Man for the first time, in July 2010, I had written in my journal about the exact feeling that quote describes. I was unable to put it into words very well, mostly because of my previous lack of understanding of this feeling. I described it as a "joy for life": a moment when, no matter my problems or anxieties, everything would feel absolutely fantastic. This is correct, but after hearing the quote, I understood that these moments are an escape from the cycle I so easily get trapped in: a cycle of worrying, thinking too much, being too solemn, and not being honestly happy. It speaks to people who realize that life is, in a way, pointless and inevitably going to end. We are the people who get trapped in this cycle, and we are born into a mood of heart-wrenching realization.

It’s because of who I am that the quote taught me so much. It took me until I analyzed it to see that perhaps life is pointless, but there is nothing wrong with that. Things are the way they are, so that means they are meant to be that way; there is no use in worrying or being consumed by your pains. I now know this, but like the narrator, I can't always feel it. The quote is about moments when I can, and everything around me becomes clear as day.

Absolute clarity. If the feeling were to have a name, that's what it would be called. When you feel it, suddenly you’re torn away from the swirling, chaotic contents of your overworked mind that is so consumed by the past and future. You are thrown into the present, and the world around you has never been so crystalline or composed. You feel true contentedness.

I'm not sure why I experience these moments, but as the narrator in A Single Man says, they're enough to live for when you feel you have nothing else. Existence itself is something to be fascinated with and comforted by; the purity of the present is just obscured by our tendencies to hold onto concerns of the past and preoccupy ourselves with thoughts about the future. What we fail to see, more often than not, is that life is happening right now. The world around us, at each present moment, welcomes us with open arms. Because I know this, I know that every anxiety issue, every sadness, and every over-analysis is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. There is absolutely no reason, ultimately, to be unhappy. Life is bittersweet that way, because not only do we not have the capacity to feel this way about it all the time, but because it is closer to its end with every ticking second.

But I believe that if we embrace the present, we are timeless, and therefore our existence is limitless. This belief has fueled my passion for life and creative thinking.

Blog #1: Deconstructing Characters

My protagonist: Kukka Floyd

Photo 1: Color

The colors in this photo represent not only Kukka's cool temperament and down-to-earth vibe, but also allude to her passion for nature. She believes that there is nothing more lovely than the Earth itself; it gives her the purest form of happiness. Sometimes people refer to her as a "hippy" because she is so earthy, but don't let this fool you. Kukka can be intense, much like the greens in this photo. She has extremely strong opinions and although she is currently merely working as a journalist for an environmental magazine, she hopes to one day create a groundbreaking phenomenon that will spread information about societal, political, and environmental issues.

Photo 2: Light

The way the sunlight comes bursting out from behind the clouds is an appropriate way to light Kukka because its characteristics reflect hers: she is brimming with life and opinions, but sometimes conceals this behind her calm demeanor. She is currently, as a journalist, only partially expressing her progressive ideas--just as the sunlight in the photo is only partially exposed. The light in this photo comes from the sun, a natural source, so I found it appropriate to illustrate the pureness of her heart and the earthiness of her ideals. However the light of the sun is intense, properly illustrating Kukka's immense hopes of provoking societal change.

Photo 3: Shape

I found this vase to be representative of Kukka because of its slender shape. Kukka values her health--you can often find her eating organic foods, drinking tea, and hiking. I also found this vase's smooth, sloped appearance appropriate for her because of her gentleness; as previously mentioned she is calm, but also soft-spoken and polished. To take the metaphor even farther, one can also consider the fact that this vase was crafted with great care and its design is more complex to create than its appearance would initially suggest. This same secretive complexity exists within Kukka, who is much more than meets the eye.

My antagonist: Jonathan Scudmore

Photo 1: Color

The color grey embodies Jonathan's character because of its reputation of being dull, cloudy, and sometimes dark. Jonathan is rather uninteresting on many levels, seeming to lack emotional depth and complexity, just as the color grey is generally emotionless. As Kukka's boss at the environmental magazine, Jonathan's "grey" personality only seems to suppress her innovative ideas. He has a tendency of being grumpy, much like a little grey rain cloud, and is not a supporter of change in American life. Because of this, he serves as a rather grim antagonist who is in the way of Kukka’s plans to impact society.

Photo 2: Light

A dim light bulb would create a fitting vibe for lighting Jonathan Scudmore's character for a few reasons: first, because they create a shadowy, rather colorless context for him. He is not a pleasant person, so darkness suits him well. Second, a light bulb is a tiny source of light--unlike Kukka's lighting from the sun, Jonathan's lighting comes from a small, insignificant, artificial source. Lastly, an exposed light bulb represents Jonathan's lack of secrecy or depth when it comes to his beliefs. Because he is a serious and emotionless person, he is also straightforward and uncompromising when it comes to his opinions.

Photo 3: Shape

The photo of this dead tree illustrates Jonathan because of the tree's frail, angular, thin, and scraggly frame. This tree stands tall, but is sickly all the same; this is demonstrative of the inner workings of Jonathan's being. He is not a fan of physical activity or eating much, and he often forgets to trim his fingernails. He is stubborn and unmoving, yet his positions have hardly any solid reasoning and it is only a matter of time before his backward mentality must be put to an end--just like this dead tree must be cut down.

The end :)

Wonder Woman, my favorite super hero