Final video project

Paper Cut from Jordan Nadell on Vimeo.

Final Blog

The piece of media I have selected to analyze is actually a movie review from a little while ago.  This video has been taken from a long catalog of reviews, but has been selected based on the running time of the video, which goes over 4 minutes.  The reviewer himself is Bob Chipman better known by his online persona as Movie Bob.  Movie Bob used to write, edit, and narrate, reviews on his own YouTube channel, but now he creates content for the "escapistmagazine" website at "escapistmagazine.com."  The film he is reviewing in the video is the James Bond film "Skyfall" which came out in 2012.  In his videos, Bob reviews films by reading from a script he has written and dubbing a collection of screen shots and video clips.  not only does he use clips from the film he is talking about, but he also takes images and clips from other films, movies, and sometimes even video games, to help better illustrate the points he is trying to make.  one can tell from watching his videos that he has had a lot of practice, because each clip and image lead into each other so well.  This style of editing captures the viewers attention by switching from image to image in such a quick succession that the viewer is paying even closer attention in order not to miss the next image.  The sound quality of the narration and video clips is also top notch as no interference or distortion can be heard, this is a sign that Bob is using high quality equipment to record and edit.  Bob opens and finishes every video with and intro and outro credit sequence, and credits all the people that have helped him work on the video, as well as citing and crediting every image and clip taken from a copyrighted property.  It's this type of craftsmanship and love for the form that makes me excited to join the world of media.  Hopefully one day I will be able to put out a quality product like this one.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZiJsxR336w

Sound Cloud Link

 https://soundcloud.com/jordash11/project-2-final-wave

Museum exhibit extraordinaire

This post is being made in regards to the field trip my media 160 group took on the 26th of March to the museum of the moving image.  First I have to say that it was a lot better than what I expected, even if the complex was smaller than I thought it was going to be, but I really liked the way all the content was set up.  I still love the classic spots in NYC like the Met or the museum of natural history, but this place definitely holds a lot more of my interests.  It is in a pretty good location that isn't too hard to get to (even if I did arrive late due to slow running M trains and a few missed stops).  The most informative section of the tour would be when the guide broke down the three different sounds found in film, that being dialogue, music, and sound effects.  He used a clip from Titanic and broke the scenes sound down step by step.  This had the most pertinent information for our class, because it actually dealt with the way audio is used and what different techniques could be used in this field for the future.  The rest of the tour was nice, because we got to see a bunch of movie props and costumes.  The history side of it was pretty dry with the older cameras and kinetoscope.  I was able to stay in the museum myself for a little longer after the class left to see the actors wall and costumes more. I was really excited to see the arcade section, but then disappointed to see how small it was.  They did have Super Mario though and Sonic, so that's a plus.  Overall it was a good experience, and I wouldn't mind going again.  

Sound Walk

I have decided to begin this little journey at the entrance of the hunter college west building, my destination being central park.  I begin walking down 67th street trying to clear my mind to better tune myself to the sounds of the city around me.  I first hear the usual cars, buses, and occasional people talking as I walk.  It's cold today, and both the sound and the bite of the wind is making sure I know it.  As I get closer to my destination, I find that the loudest and most difficult sound to cancel out is my own inner monologue, keeping one's mind blank is harder to do than at first you may think.  Eventually I arrive at the park, and begin moving farther away from the noises of the streets.  Soon, the sound of birds and fellow walkers begin to fill my ears.  As I walk deeper into the park, the sounds of the cars and buses become quieter until they eventually become just a whisper, save for the occasional honking or siren that breaks the air.  As I walk, something else begins to happen, it feels as if the random thoughts in my head become quieter as well and are now forming the narrative that you are reading now.   Even the wind seems more gentle as I sit on this rock writing.  I feel that this place holds a type of duality between nature and the modern.  The sounds of both the park and the city surround me at the same time, yet I know that the confines of this park do not nearly match the entirety of the city itself.  So now I will leave this place and its peaceful sounds and atmosphere, to walk back to the university, where the chaotic sounds wait to greet me again.   

Here it is, the link to my first video https://vimeo.com/88361920

Artist Statement

"What kind of artist are you?" this question can be as difficult to answer as the question"what kind of person are you?" What I really enjoy doing is making people laugh and feel good about the content I create.  Comedy is and has always been a very big influence on me, and I believe the key to good comedy is subtlety.

 My favorite kinds of stories are the ones that play with time or intersecting plots.  This is a reason why the twilight zone still remains one of my favorite shows.  Sci fi and fantasy in general have always been big influences on me since I was young, and that can include anything from comic books, to classic Greek mythology.   I feel that stories of fantasy when done properly can really capture the mentality or values of a society more than people realize.

 As for as people are concerned, I would say that I am influenced by people who can work with almost nothing but still can make something really good just by depending on themselves, in fact, I enjoy watching internet personalities more than television ones now.  What I like most about them is the passion that they have for what they do.  Even if no one is watching, creating content is just something that is a part of them, and I hope to capture that type of energy in the projects I create one day.

I hope to use this class to further test my creativity and technical skills, and look forward with sharing it with as many people as I can.