Flipbook

A Clockwork Orange - Nadsat

In the novel and movie "A Clockwork Orange," a dialect is used called Nadsat. Many of the words have a Russian background in them. They either are spelled exactly the same way as their Russian counterparts or only have a letter or two different. A few examples of this include "droog" which is Russian for friend and "zhena" which is Russian for wife but in Nadsat is zheena. Other words are completely made up by Anthony Burgess. An example of this is "staja" which is a combination of the words "state"and "jail." Some more words have roots in English words, French words, or slang.

More Stop Motion

More stop motion things that I did not think about until later. It comes from South Park. The first things Matt Stone and Trey Parker ever did for South Park was a stop motion short introducing some of the characters and a small story about Christmas. The first ever episode is also made by stop motion. Each frame is made of construction paper and it took 3-3 and half months to complete.

Stop Motion

Below are a few links to examples of stop motion videos. The first link is the one that was seen in class. This video took an incredible amount of time, effort, and talent into making and because of that, it became an incredible video. The next video is also a very amazing video. It relies heavily on actual people to be part of the story rather than drawings or inanimate objects so getting every part of it to flow can be a little harder. But it pulled it off brilliantly. The creator of this video mixed several different scenes together into one piece to make for a very great story. The third video I just found to be a fun video with a neat little twist that I was not expecting. Although it was done with animation, it was made to resemble action figures and did this very well. Because they resembled action figures, stop motion was used to make it look like they were real and it became an entertaining video to watch.

http://vimeo.com/993998

http://vimeo.com/robinking/tenthousandpicturesofyou

http://vimeo.com/3784524

A Trip to the Moon

Wow, what a weird video. The video itself was very odd, but the soundtrack that was added to it was completely out of place and did not seem to match the style of the video. The soundtrack seemed more like something that you would find in a video game rather than an older movie like this. Also, I think I would have preferred to have seen this in black and white rather than in color. The way that the color was added to films like this is pretty fascinating, but I think it takes away from what it could have been. For the video, it is crazy to think that this was something that they thought of as a possibility for what is on the moon since nowadays we actually do know. To come up with something like this would basically have to come from a child who does not know anything about the moon.

The Great Train Robbery

This video is truly amazing considering it is 110 years old. It really shows the great capabilities that filmmakers and actors had back then even though their technology was very simplistic. This is one of the films that definitely led to films becoming a huge part of our daily lives and directly led to movies such as "The General" which was made about 23 years later. The soundtrack to this film was somewhat out of place, which makes me curious as to what the original soundtrack would have been like. Also, it was sort of odd how only certain things were put into color including the woman's dress during the dance scene.

Abelardo Morell's Camera Obscura

http://www.abelardomorell.net/photography/cameraobsc_49/cameraobsc_57.html

Some of these "pictures" are truly amazing. This is something I really had no idea about but the simplicity of it along with how great the pictures come out is remarkable. The fact that you can do this anywhere is great so any beautiful landscape or architecture can be captured for a little while. I like how at the beginning of the pictures he shows you the camera obscura and the simplicity of it as well as how he is able to flip the images. Two of my favorite images though I put below. To me, these are just great examples of how clear and beautiful the images can be.

Blackface

Blackface has been used for white actors to portray black people in movies, theater, and other forms of art. But is it racist? This is a hard question to answer. Back when blackface was first being used, it was most definitely racist. White actors were being portrayed as black because people did not want blacks to work for them due to racism. It was a generational idea with slavery being in the not too distant past. Nowadays on the other hand it is quite different. While there is still racism around, black people are accepted into every day life just like any other person.While blackface can definitely be used as a racist move if not used properly, it should be linked with the art that it is being used for. There is usually some sort of message that is being portrayed by the use of blackface, like in the movie Tropic Thunder.

Robert Downey Jr. in this movie plays a white actor who plays a black character in a movie. Director Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. use this character as a way of lampooning actors in the past who used blackface in racist ways.

People unfortunately tend to be too sensitive to certain subjects. This gets people into trouble when they try to do something harmless, like in this next video.

That should be compared to something like this next image.

This was from a video that was shown in class. It comes from the singer Die Antwoord in the song Fatty Boom Boom. While I know nothing about this this woman, she seems like a very disturbing person which is very evident in the music video that this image is taking from. It is offensive, but in the society that we live in it is something that should be just looked past. Once we are able to do that, society will become a better place.

Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly

Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly is a unique look at the the story of Madama Butterfly which we heard about in class. The way that it was made seemed to make it more for kids because of the animation aspect of it, but once it really started, you could tell that that was far from the case. It turned out to be even sad and disturbing story because of the depth that animation can go into to tell a story. At the start of the video there is a very erotic scene between the main character and her lover. He then goes away and leaves her pregnant and lonely. She eventually gives birth and raises the child, all while waiting for her lover to return home to her. When he does return, he has wealth and a new family. He then takes the child away from the main character and leaves her. This is then followed by the main character leaving in despair and then committing suicide, shown by her taking off all of her skin and then tearing off all of her limbs.
At first it seems like a true love story. There are many different feelings that you have while watching this that is done very well by the animation. I felt sad for her that she was left alone to raise the child yet happy that her lover had returned. Once she is betrayed, I again felt more sadness through the rest of the video. The use of animation helps to portray things in this story easier than live action movies would be able to do. More sensual images can be used without actual nudity and things can be made more disturbing by using the opera without actually being disturbing in nature.

Opera in Pop Culture

One of my favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption has a great scene involving the use of opera. The main character Andy turns on an opera for the entire prison to hear which quite literally stops everyone in their tracks. While no one is able to understand what is being sung, the beauty of it makes them feel free.

While not from an opera, V for Vendetta uses classical music extremely well throughout the entire movie to help bring out its messages.

Raul Cuero's Interview

Raul Cuero said a few things in his interview that can be used in every day life in order to become a more creative person. One of the first things was that people spend to much time on electronic devices and not paying attention to their surroundings and nature. He believes that nature is one of the keys to a person becoming more creative because they have the visuals to help understand how things work and can try to apply those things to what they are doing. Instead of staying inside all day doing nothing, a person can go out for a walk and will have more knowledge around them to gain that would help them out more than just what is on a computer or other electronic device.
He also mentioned communicating with others on a personal level. You are able to share ideas with each other and gain knowledge with them or through them. This can be seen through children as they are playing together when they are young. This is also why people go to a school or to a job instead of staying home and doing everything. You learn a lot more this way rather than attempting things on your own.

Art vs. Design

This article makes a good point about how art is something new and creative compared to some "art" which is based on the design of previous artists. Art is something that a person should feel from within which then comes out into their work. Design is just doing art using other peoples style so it is not really coming from within yourself but others. Unlike artists who can do whatever they want without have to rely on others, design you cannot really steer too far from the "instructions" of past art.

Juan Carlos Delgado

Juan Carlos Delgado's work is a great example of multimedia. By definition, multimedia is a form of art where the subject is intentionally changed over time. In Juan Carlos Delgado's work, the statue in the room changes based on how many people are in the room. The room and the statue are in cold temperature. Every time a person comes into the room, they are adding their body heat to the room. The more people in the room, the more body heat. This heat makes water condense onto the statue which then forms ice because of the cold room. This is a very interesting piece of art that really shows how multimedia is a form of art.