Final Project

https://vimeo.com/165923716

Extra Credit #2- Perfect Strangers

For extra credit, I attended the "Perfect Strangers" documentary by Jan Krawitz on Wednesday, April 20th, in the Lang Auditorium. The film discusses the importance of kidney transplants in the world, and how common it is for many people to be kept on a waiting list to receive a new, functioning organ. One of the main characters, Ellie, is determined to give one of her kidneys to someone less fortunate who is currently on dialysis. This person happens to be, Kathy. She has been on a waiting list for many years, and has been confined to her home for many years due to the extenuating circumstances of her illness. Ellie and Kathy were meant to be a match, until something within the system fell through and did not allow them to go through with the surgery. They were heart broken, but Ellie eventually decided to put her kidney on the market for someone whom she did not know. This way, it would make it easier for her to be less attached to the person, and not as disappointed if the surgery did not go through. She finally found another match, and donated her organ to a man that she had never met or had contact with. Kathy also ended up finding a donor, as well. The Q&A with Krawitz proved how difficult it is to be a film maker, especially since this film took a few years to come together with the lapses in time. However, I think she did a beautiful job in capturing the hardships of those in dire need of assistance, and highlighted how much transplants are needed in our country.

Blog #4- Museum Visit

During my time at the Museum of Moving Images, my group and I came across a lot of essential equipment that contributed to the advancement in film. A few that resonated with me most were the machines that dubbed sound, and the flipbook. When we entered the sound proof room there was a machine connected to a screen that allowed us to select different variations of films to choose from. When we entered the room our tour guide asked us which film we would like to see dubbed. Everyone was ecstatic about the Wizard of Oz, so we decided to go with that. It was the scene where Dorothy discovers Oz with Toto and looks around in excitement at the new environment she has been placed in. She says a few lines and then states the famous line, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore". Our tour guide selected two people from our group, one male and female, and they recited the lines that were written on the screen when scene was played back. The first go around was a test, and the second time it was recorded. Once the recordings were complete, the scene played back with their voices. It was especially entertaining to have a male voice in the mix since Dorothy's voice is high pitched. However, it went exactly with the mouthing of Dorothy's words and it was pretty believable. I wasn't aware of how the whole process of dubbing worked. I thought it was great to see it in action, seeing as though I believed it was more complicated than what I had seen at the museum that day. We also discussed how important dubbing sound into a scene can be, if an actor can't get their lines dictated correctly or the sound is not as crisp when reciting them the first time. Another element that we had seen was the equipment that took various pictures consecutively and turned it into an electronic flip book. I think the most important thing I had learned during our trip to the museum was that this technology is essential in film nowadays because of the constant advancements and expectations seen in media. It has allowed us to progress our forms of art and bring them to life in a way that can not be brought to justice in a simplistic way. They are much more realistic and easy to conceptualize, especially if they are actually in front of you. To see, feel and touch. Being behind the scenes of how certain equipments functions was much easier to understand as opposed to just reading about it. The hands on experience assisted with the understanding of the importance of them, as well.

Blog #3

The video I had watched was based around pairs of people in broken relationships, and are trying a social experiment to see if they could be improved. The social experiment questioned whether staring into the other person's eyes for four minutes could help improve their relationships. We get a lot of POV shots to see how the other person in the relationship is reacting/saying. Many of them begin the task with a few awkward giggles and smiles. There are also points in which they are speaking to their partners encouraging them to look into their eyes. We can get a sense of how difficult this might be without any sort of distraction. One of the men had even said the 4 minutes was too long! The music in the background was subtle, but was appropriate. It had a soft, classical sound with elements of the piano playing. It was definitely the type of music you would hear in a movie that is trying to tug at your heartstrings. Violins came into play when each pair began to break their silence and speak out on how they were feeling. It became extremely emotional, and many of them even cried. Each of the shots are similar; they begin with long shots of the pairs standing in front of one another. As they stare into one another's eyes, we see more close ups of them in order to grasp how genuine their reactions were in the moment. Most shots linger on camera for a while for this very reason. It wants to evoke some type of feeling from the viewer. In this video, I do not think there's a right place to cut or not cut. The less cuts, the more real it feels. I barely noticed the cuts, unless they were done so to portray another relationship on the screen. All in all, they meshed together very well. They did not feel distracting to me, especially since I was so focused on the actual interactions taking place. However, I do think the composition is essential because we see estranged/distant family members who eventually come together over the course of 4 minutes, and we are able to see that shift over the course of the video.


http://www.buzzpinas.com/2016/03/20/watch-video-do-not-watch-this-prudential-sg-video-if-you-cry-too-much-and-too-easily/

MEDP 160 Audio Project: https://soundcloud.com/maya-jaafar-628363331/mayas-audio-portrait

Extra Credit: Andrew Bujalski's "Results"

I attended the extra credit screening of Andrew Bujalski's film "Results". Danny, recently divorced, weathly and unhappy, decided to make a change in his life by starting to work on his fitness. He gets to know the owner of the gym, Trevor, and one of his trainers, Kat. He begins to work with Kat regularly and develops feelings for her. As a side note, Kat and Trevor had been involved in the past, as well. Danny tries to make a pass at Kat by conjuring up a band and a candlelit dinner to surprise her. She is completely taken aback by this notion, physically assaulting Danny, and no longer willing to work with him. Kat soon realizes she no longer wants to spend the rest of her life training others on their fitness, and would rather find her true passion in life. Towards the end of the film, Kat and Trevor end up being together and Danny's life does not really seem to progress in any way. To be honest, the film actually confused me. I was not sure if there was essentially a specific point to be made, or if that was how the director intended it to be. I was unable to attend the Q&A at 4pm since i had class at 4:10 that day. I did enjoy the acting, the choice of location (Austin, TX), and the actors. It had its lighthearted moments, as well as its dark moments of raw emotion. It left me wanting to learn more about these characters, but I felt as though I did not get to know as much about them as I would have liked to. The film had a lot of potential, but it sort of just fell flat for me (especially with the ending).

Blog #2: What I Hear

Spending a lot of time in the city, I decided to work on this assignment on a walk towards Central Park. I exited Hunter College and continued to walk towards 5th avenue. It was around 6pm. The prime time during rush hour. I hear sirens of ambulances. Cars honking. Someone behind me talking on the phone about a date they were about to have that night. The sounds were very rigid, loud and diverse. Coming off from all angles. New York City is a completely enriched space, and I often have a hard time distinguishing sounds since they usually all mesh together. So, attempting to hear them individually was a little odd. I think Manhattan, in general, is noted for its loud sounds. You can go to any area of the city and hear cars driving by, buses passing, people talking loudly, music blasting. It's just the nature of New York City that entices people. It is loud, fun, and wildly eclectic (visually and audibly). Once I hit Central Park, there was definitely less transportation noise. I mainly heard the sounds of bikes pedaling by and people's footsteps on the walk path. It was definitely more peaceful than my walk over, but both walks were completely different. Neither of the sounds I heard were unexpected, as I am extremely familiar with each of them! I am really comforted by the sound of New York. It brings me peace to know that i'm surrounded by so much motion, movement, and people.

Hello! My name is Maya. I am currently taking this course to fulfill a requirement to complete my BA in Media Studies. I am hoping to have a better grasp at understanding the functionalities of camera/film work, and the impact it could have on my personal work. I am not too familiar with filming, especially since the concentration of my major focuses more on the analytical aspect of media. Many of my interests lie in public relations and marketing. I have interned at Complex Magazine and have first hand experience with event planning. It was something that was essential to experience, because I realized it might not be exactly what I would like to do. So to be blunt: I honestly have no idea where I want to end up in a few years! The media industry is so broad that I still have so much to learn. I am passionate about the entertainment/music industry, as it is a huge part of our culture today. It surrounds us from every angle, and it is hard to neglect something that is displayed on every form of social media and television. It is fascinating to see the process in which publicity can have on a celebrity. Sometimes, that publicity is strategic in order to raise eyebrows, turn heads, and get to trending on Twitter. I want to delve into that world and understand how publicists make this happen and continue to have the entertainment industry on its feet. I just want to make sense of the crazy world we are engrossed in, and gaining more insight into it as I get older.
My worldview has been shaped on its own. I've never really had a specific role model or influence in my life.. It just came along with becoming more mature, responsible, and meeting a wide variety of people along the way.