Blog Three: Reflections on Sound Design

Where's the money, Lebowski?

This scene from, The Big Lebowski, has a way of building suspicion and making the audience feel as if they were invaded upon very quickly.  When listening to the audio of this scene, it uses causal sounds as well as referential sounds.  It goes from silence to pure chaos within a split second.  The audience hears sounds they would expect when they see the Dude’s satchel slams into the wall, destroying it as he flies past.  When the Dude is practically being drowned in the toilet, the water bubbles and when he is lifted, the water splashes everywhere and he gasps for air just like anyone would expect.  A referential use of sound that stood out to me was right away when the man that attacked the Dude began screaming like a maniac.  This was done to make the audience feel panic and a possible adrenaline rush.

            We are given the illusion in the start of this scene that there is more sound than there really is.  The only sounds you hear are the attacker yelling, the Dude yelling, running and slamming.  Yet, when you hear it you feel as though it is an invasion with more than two people causing all of that sound.  The intensity of the start of the scene has little to no sound, just white noise and then jumps to using very high volume once the Dude is attacked.  When the Dude is told he is married, the pitch of his voice becomes higher due his disbelief that the attackers can’t see he is clearly single.  The Big Lebowski uses realistic sound that the audience can relate to.

Blog Two: Finding Your Howl

Finding Your Howl by Jonathon Flaum

Flaum refers to a story about a tiger that is trapped inside his cage at the zoo.  The tiger builds up the courage to escape his cage.  It goes to jump over the wall, but finds itself in yet another cage.  As the tiger continues to try and get out, it finds it’s forever trapped.  This story explains that we stick to our normal lives and build up a wall that keeps us safe from the world.  Flaum points out that we must abolish our old way of living.  If we do not destroy our past, we cannot create a new future.

From the song, Two Step, by Dave Matthews Band...
"Celebrate we will, 'cause life is short, but sweet for certain."

For several years, I have considered this small bit of lyrics from the song, Two Step, by Dave Matthews Band to be of much significance.  Sure, there are better things that have been said, but I love everything about this lyric.  It is extremely simple, yet gives a message that I consider worth living by.  As I grow up, it seems as though time only goes by faster.  Dave Matthews is making a point that life is short, so embrace it and be thankful for what you have/had.  I appreciate this message so much because I incorporate it into my every day life.

            In high school, a teacher by the name of Sandra Kucinich-Horn, introduced me into the world of media.  From that day forward, there was no turning back.  I have no other passion that is nearly as strong as this one…the passion for movie making (or television shows for that matter) and being a part of the process it takes to create one.  I came to Ohio University kind of clueless, but immediately got involved my second weekend at OU with creative people.  I met Jeff Kolada, who really steered me in the direction of Video Production.  I was originally set on the idea of film, but Jeff changed my outlook.  Entering into this world we have created full of video production students, led to giving me an opportunity to work on multiple projects.  I have been accepted and given the opportunity to express my creative thoughts to my piers while working on projects.  It has allowed for great interaction amongst the crews I have worked with.

            “Celebrate we will, cause life is short, but sweet for certain…” helps remind me to be happy and make something of my little time in life, especially here at OU.  It has allowed me to broaden my experience and learn more than I ever could have imagined about something I am passionate about. 

Outside of video production/movie making, this lyric from the song, Two Step has impacted my overall outlook on my own life.  As mentioned earlier, it is a simple message.  This leads me to the point that it gave me the idea that I need to live a simpler life.  It is something I am still in the process of working on, but the idea is engrained in my head.  My life will never be easy or all that simple, but there are plenty of ways to simplify the way I go about my daily life.  Becoming more organized is a great way for me to make my life less chaotic.  Along with making changes, appreciating the little things is yet another way to living more simply.  I enjoy looking at typography and graphic design sites quite a bit.  It helps influence me, even.  There is no need to make things in life far more complicated than they are.  By making a situation more complicated, I could put myself in a position where my creativity lacks because I am too distracted by problems.

Ultimately, creativity should be celebrated.  Without creativity, there is no life.  I was born with a brain that is nearly incapable of comprehending science or math.  In other words, I am right-brained.  I have always been hands-on with how I communicate and with how I understand things.  Creativity plays a huge role in the way I understand, think, communicate, etc.  It is something I value and celebrate every day.  Our lives are worth being celebrated.

Character Deconstruction

Stella, the Antagonist

A complimentary color scheme best fit my vision for Stella, the villain.  With the dark green, it was used to symbolize Stella's feelings toward Jane, the protagonist.  The dark green represents two feelings; jealousy and envy.  Stella is drowned by these feelings because her boyfriend, Mark, cheated on her with Jane.  Stella is envious because Jane has what was hers and jealous because she does not have that anymore.  The variations of red used for Stella represent her anger.  She is enraged and does not care what consequences she will face with killing Jane.  Stella's envy and anger have taken over.  As a result, her outfit symbolizes those emotions.

Stella is a villain who is evil, and it has made her ugly inside and out.  To emphasize this, I figured that harsh lighting would be appropriate.  Her envy and anger took over her body.  The harsh light is used to emphasize the way Stella looks because of this transformation.  It brings out the crazy in her.  The lighting creates a prominent shadow behind Stella.  I wanted to create a large, dark shadow to give the audience the sense that she may hide in the shadows.  It gives her a creepier feeling with a big shadow behind her body to emphasize her own physical being.

Stella's body shape like a inverted triangle.  Stella was given this shape to give off a sense of threat to those in her way.  I wanted her upper body to be broad, and seem as though it was like going up against a wall.  Her lower half is less broad.  She is enraged and has grown to be evil with the intent to kill, but she is giving off a vibe as if she is stronger than she really is.  Her lower half of her body represents that she is only so strong.  As for Stella's facial shape, it is much like an inverted triangle as well.  I gave her a narrow face to represent a semi-animalistic or alien-like feel.  Again, that is to go along with how evil she is.


Jane, the Protagonist

Jane, the protagonist, went with complimentary colors as well.  The purple used for Jane is meant to represent that she is bold.  The value in the color is meant to add depth to the purple, making it a bit more realistic.  As for the yellow used with Jane, it is meant to symbolize that she is a happier being.  She is confident, radiant, and an uplifting person.  As a side note, the yellow is also meant to compliment the green in Stella (the villain's) look as well.  Jane is a person with good values, so her colors are there to represent that.

The lighting for Jane is meant to be warm and radiating.  The light source is shining on her body facing forward.  This is to show she is well lit and to give an overall sense of being good natured.  Jane is there to give off a warm and welcoming feeling to those around her.  With her stance facing the light source, it signifies her strength and confidence.  The shadows placed on Jane are there to show the direct light source.  There is no reason to have Jane hidden in the shadows, she is meant to radiate a sense of welcome.

The shape of Jane's figure represents that of an hourglass.  She stands strong with this shape.  She is very confident.  An hourglass shape is that of strength.  Not only is she broad at the top, but your lower half is as well.  With a figure such as this, it shows strength throughout the body.  No part of Jane is frail.  The hourglass figure of Jane's allows for her to stand on her own two feet with a sense of balance.  The shape she has is one that will not give up, but can take some wear and tear.