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.