Relationship Between Shots

Pan’s Labyrinth was directed by Guillermo del Toro in 2006, and won an academy award for best cinematography that year. One scene in particular that I decided to analyze is towards the beginning of the movie, when Ofelia first experiences the fairy that will lead her throughout the rest of the film. The scene begins with a shot of Ofelia walking away from her mother and toward the camera, looking up above her head out of the frame. This is an example of an open frame shot since it is calling the audience’s attention to something that is not pictured in the frame. The shot is cut to one of the trees from straight below, and pans down to the back of Ofelia’s head as she walks deeper into the forest. What proceeds is a succession of rapid cuts that are a perfect example of continuity editing, since the viewer can barely notice that there are cuts happening. They simply follow the movements of Ofelia, which are to bend over, pick up a curious rock from the ground, and bring it in front of her face to look at it. Each action has a brief shot of its own, each no longer than 2 seconds long. We then watch Ofelia continue to survey her surroundings as she slowly walks toward the camera, until she stops and appears to spot something in front of her. The camera then jumps to what she is looking at, as she starts to walk toward it. A few seconds later in the scene, we see an example of point of view editing when we watch Ofelia place the small rock she found into a larger rock with a perfect sized hole for the smaller. After a large insect jumps out and surprises the audience and Ofelia, the camera jumps to Ofelia’s startled reaction to the bug.

MOMI Reflection

The mission statement of Museum of the Moving Image claims that it “advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media.” After my visit to the museum, I would say that it succeeded in fulfilling this goal. There were several different aspects of the museum that I found to be interesting. The first of which was the historical walk through of images and film that the museum portrays for its visitor. The exhibition entitled “Behind the Screen” allowed me to put concrete objects behind the concepts I have been learning about for years. Seeing some of the equipment that was used for filming became much more interesting when I was able to see all the detail in its physical being instead of just looking at a picture on a projected screen. Another exhibit that was very exciting for me to see was the Jim Henson Exhibition. The exhibit focused mainly on The Muppets since it was his most famous achievement, but I was delighted to find tucked away in a corner, some of the puppets used to create one of my favorite childhood movies, The Dark Crystal. I never would have imagined the detail that went into the costume design and overall production of these puppets. Not only did Jim Henson create a brand new world for his audience to step into, but he put into it painstaking detail that can be overlooked, but when focused upon is marvelous.

Final Project

Project 2: Audio

What I Hear

Footsteps knock down the stoop. A squeaking gate opens, closes. Above, leaves rustle around the chirping birds on their branches. Below, they crunch on the pavement beneath the feet of morning commuters, runners, and the mail-woman wheeling her cart. The pavement is wet from the overnight rain, so the sounds are damp and saturated. The light on the corner turns green and the brief quiet abruptly ends. The idling bus engine, before barely noticeable, roars into action, only getting louder as the B38 approaches and then dissipating quickly behind me. The light turns red and brakes screech as cars, trucks, and buses roll to a stop. A car alarm kicks off in the distance, echoing through the streets. Through an open door, the sound of steaming milk and the smell of coffee drift out onto the street and mix with the sounds of the street. I go into my favorite cafe and grab a cup of coffee because the smell is too good to resist. Outside, deep construction sounds bang against buildings and pavement. A man walks brightly by, singing a happy tune to himself with no earbuds in. A few seconds later, a biker rides by in the opposite direction with a stereo on her back, but I can’t make out the tune. I start walking again, past a supermarket. The doors slide open for me even though I’m not going inside, and registers “beep boop bop” away for three seconds before the doors shut again. I descend down the subway steps and all the sounds fade away.

Define a Space

Define-a-Space-vimeo from adele ratje mundell on Vimeo.

Artist Statement

In today’s modern world, I believe people need to see to believe. There are countless newsworthy events happening every second of every day all around the world, and the only way for the public to have knowledge of them is through the news media.  Photography and video are powerful mediums that allow people to feel present in a space where they are not, and privy to information they may not have been otherwise. We as a society are addicted to being visually stimulated almost constantly. Through youtube, television, movies, news, and more, there is a practically endless stream of visual media of all varieties for the public to consume at any given time. Maybe, then, the best way to inform the public is through the media that they are accustomed to and comfortable with.

As a child, my parents never withheld information from me if I asked a question to which the answer may have been beyond my maturity level. If I couldn’t understand something, it was left at face value until I grew older and was able to put old information into a new context and understand what I had been told. The point is that just because a person in a certain country may not be in the correct context to understand issues going on in another country, or in an obscure section of our own, doesn’t mean that we should be cut off from the information in the first place. Video and photography are excellent ways to introduce individuals to ideas that they may not be familiar with. They can be the bridge that the public uses to pass from the realm of their own knowledge to the infinite realm of the unknown.

What I feel passionate about is not just adding in quantity but in quality to the lexicon of news media that exists in the world. The way the media portrays important events to the public is key to maintaining a society based on truth and fact, which is a value that I feel is absolutely essential to uphold.