I think most people get comfortable with their perception of reality and easily get stuck inside of that box. Once upon a time I was a kid who would sit in front of this magical wood box that showed black and white pictures with static distortion, and I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. The magic of that black and white TV had more of an impact than I thought as it also helped to shape my view of the world. I think the word that describes it might be nostalgic. It characterizes a “simpler time”.

Fast forward to today after spending time working with 3D applications and WOW “That’s one giant step for man, one giant leap for mankind” (quote from Niel Armstrong) kind of difference. Before this class, I never realized how much that I thought in a 2D mindset. Now that my eyes are open, I can’t unsee what I have seen. My thought process is different and for the better. For one, my image editing is improved through taking 3D into consideration with object placement and lighting in photographs to create more of a window effect. 3D is also something I am taking into consideration with video in the same way as photography. I will continue using and improving on 3D use as I am sure that I have only begun to scratch the surface of possibilities.

The future of films truly is an exciting topic. With the rise of AI quickly taking hold and becoming widely available to the public, we now must ask ourselves “are multimedia jobs at risk?”. When we look at AI generated videos on social media and we see people loving them with comments, likes and shares it is easy to see how people can be entertained through AI with very few people being able to spot the AI use. This new technology also has the benefit of being more affordable to create as you now just need a good computer with an internet connection and a subscription to AI software. No more paying actors and all the headaches involved with that. No more buying expensive cameras, lenses and microphones. No more spending countless hours editing video and audio or doing retakes. Now you can simply type a text prompt and create stunning advertisements, commercials, YouTube content, full length films and cartoons. That being the current ability of AI, what will the future of AI be like as technology further advances? Now with all of this said, I wonder what my role in this new future will be. Obviously giving up is not an option. I believe that my best course of action is to invest in a good computer and learn how to utilize AI, not just to create AI videos. I now see myself utilizing AI to enhance my creations using a mix of both my photography videos with the AI generations. I believe this will be the best way to incorporate real life with AI which will be beneficial for where AI does lack ability.

Propaganda is defined as information that can be biased or misleading and used to promote a point of view. My favorite movie that fits this has got to be Mike Judge’s film “Idiocracy”. Of course, I could just write about movies such as “Reefer Madness” which was a film created to scare people with mis information about cannabis so that new laws could be passed outlawing its possession and use. I could also go in depth about the reasons for it, but I’m not trying to beat a dead horse on an overplayed subject. Instead let’s talk about “Idiocracy” and why the film is not only relevant in today’s world, but also why the message sticks so well and will probably always hold true. This movie utilizes big name actors and a 2+ million-dollar budget to create an epic comedy to convey a point of view on how society is and where it is headed. This combination of use does an amazing job at captivating the audience with a political subject that offends people without any backlash. Because of this the message of inflation and lack of priority on education really takes hold and makes people think, at least subconsciously. While propaganda is usually misleading information, I must wonder if this really qualifies as propaganda given the events of inflation since this movie’s creation in 2006 when a cup of coffee was still under buck. Certainly, this movie may qualify to be a warning of the future.

example 1

When special effects are used correctly in films, they will draw an audience into the scene and for a moment they will believe what they are seeing is real which enhances the message being sent. It truly takes some creativity and ingenuity to pull off special effects correctly. In the early days of film people had to truly innovate to create special effects and even. In today’s world we have a lot of shortcuts with the rise of computer technology, but these shortcuts do not and never will replace the creativity needed to perfect them.  When special effects are done poorly it is easy to spot and then the message of the film is distorted as the viewer exits the belief in what is being shown. Kind of like putting up an invisible wall.

My all-time favorite special effects ever created comes from the 1993 film “Jurassic Park”. The special effects were so well done that they were very believable and drew me in through the entire movie. They used robotic and animatronic dinosaurs with custom made skins mixed with computer technology, CGI. They also use 3D storyboards which I found interesting, especially compared to my chicken scratch storyboards. Since the making of this movie, special effects have even further advanced and with the progression of technology I am excited to see what films will look like in the next 20 years.

example 2

The movie Metropolis continues to influence generations after its release back in 1927. The movie is a silent film that tells a story of a rich kid with a big heart who is lured by love to go explore the lower working class in search of the beautiful woman he seen. While he is exploring the workers’ city, he witnesses an explosion and becomes empathetic to the workers. He pleads with his father (The boss), but his words are dismissed and so is he. He then leaves behind his comforts to join the working class. Events quickly spiral out of control as sabotage is played out by the boss, even risking his own son. Chaos spreads until the mad scientist is defeated and the robot is seen. The boss has a change of heart, and the working class and boss make a deal with the son being the mediator.

Though my summary of this film was over simplified, the impact on the film industry was huge. Movies such as Frankenstein, Star Wars, The Matrix, Batman, and the Fifth Element, were all influenced by the film Metropolis. In the movie Batman, the city of Gotham got its look from Metropolis. Deeper than appearance is the class war between rich and working. This narrative is seen in many popular movies. I think that’s where the movie Metropolis really stands out. The theme of class war. A problem that is still relevant today as it ever was and that is why movies that portray it are popular. We all can relate to this.

Why audio is half of the production in creating videos 

Would the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” have the same vibe if they used different music? No. For me the music in the movie truly gave personality to Peter Quill and overall life to the movie. Watching the guardians rock, especially baby Groot, out as they take on their enemies really engages the audience. Music was carefully selected in this trilogy to have a similar feeling which tied all 3 movies together, 4 if you include the Christmas Special.

 The music has become part of the brand just as much as the characters themselves. Example, when you hear the song “hooked on a feeling” by Bjorn Skifs and Blue Swede do you think of the band, the radio station or do you think of the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy”? Another example where music has been a big part of the movie is my video posted on YouTube “Paper Guns” without adding my song to this video it would have made absolutely no sense at all. The song added depth to video by giving it attitude and justifying actions portrayed.

Of course, audio is not just about the music. Have you ever tried watching a video where the vocals were distorted and covered by a windy hiss? Most videos that have poor audio quality are quickly dismissed even if they have a great image. Another aspect to think about is sound effects. The right sound effects can really draw in an audience or amplify emotion in a scene.

After doing some research on color storytelling in films, I am in awe of the complexity of understanding in the simple use of colors. The use of color to evoke different emotions, draw attention, and signify change is completely mind blowing. What is more earth shattering to me is the fact that I have never noticed the significance of color use in movies before. This is because film makers use color so well that it blends into the film without being obvious while also having its effect on the viewers. Of course, there are some exceptions to this such as “Sin City” where the film makers create scenes with obvious use of color.

From hand tinting films to digitally altering the pixels the use of color in videos has come a long way since it was first used in 1895 for the film “Anabella’s Serpent Dance” or the first natural color film in 1909 “A Visit to the Seaside”.

As a student learning to create digital videos I am now thinking more deeply about my use of color and how it will affect my videos. Will I keep my same color pallet creating a brand that lets the audience know that I created the video? Or will my color pallet change with each film to highlight what I want the audience to notice or feel? Knowing now how much of an impact color has on the video, I will be giving it more thought when creating characters or backgrounds in scenes throughout each video and I will be more carefully editing my videos to use color to my advantage.

“When I meet God, I am Going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first.” –    German physicist Werner Heisenberg.

This quote is fitting for this essay because although turbulent flow is not easy to understand mathematically, it is able to be seen in art. Van Goghs painting of Stary Night is a great depiction of this.

This is a concept that when utilized it will help captivate and intrigue the audience. Turbulence can be used in moving pictures by using animation to visually entertain the viewer while giving audio and visual information. This helps the information be easily retained with a higher attention span.

When we experience well designed moving pictures that contain information, we are interested in it inspires us to learn more and create our own projects. On the other hand, when film is monotone with little to no movement the viewers can quickly lose interest and become distracted by more turbulent outside sources which ultimately do not inspire or educate.

In conclusion, if you are trying to gain a following, make a point, or inspire people then it must be done in a way that captures the viewers’ attention and understanding the concept of turbulence is the best way to do that.