Author: Joy Cheng

Concept and Story

As per the title of my project, “Hiraeth”, I wanted to explore the emotion of nostalgia and yearning in my life. One of the biggest struggles that I have come to face within the past year has been my inability to fully enjoy the present. I am always looking to the future and to what is coming next, yet when I look back at my memories, I only reflect wistfully on how my life was then.

I was inspired by my own personal journey studying abroad in London and Shanghai this year, as well as returning home to San Francisco for the summer. All of these places are by some form of water – a river, an ocean, or the sea. I associate places with sounds and colors. I wanted to encapsulate this emotion through three different visual metaphors: the sea, the sky, and birds in motion. 

This project was the one I struggled with the most yet the one I feel the most connected to. I changed my topic many times; initially I had planned to portray someone else, such as a food truck owner near our university dorm, but eventually I decided that my project did not necessarily need a subject in frame. Rather, I decided to focus on myself and my own story. 

Creation Process and Execution

I created my own storyboard separate from the one I turned in with my proposal. It allowed me to key in on a location for my video scenes. It also helped me brainstorm certain human subjects that I wanted to use in my video, such as children playing around and laughing. 

To depict Shanghai specifically, I wanted to choose a location that was easily recognizable. I decided on the Oriental Pearl Tower as it is Shanghai’s greatest landmark. I utilized camera equipment from the IT department, in which they provided me with a Sony camcorder-like device, as well as the generic Canon cameras, though I found the latter a bit too commercial-looking in effect. I was able to combine footage from both devices, as well as add some previous footage from my own iPhone. Challenges I encountered included audio issues, where I had to unlink my video clips from their original audio, as well as learning how to convert sound effects and music into regular mp3 files that could be used in Premiere. I had to adjust the audio volumes so that they all matched, and also added reverb effects on top of some of them. I also had to adjust the video clip scales so that they all matched – considering that they were coming from three different sources. 

My editing process included using Adobe Audition, color correcting for saturation, stabilizing shots, as well as self-learning how to add film burn and Super8 camera overlays.

Aesthetics and Results

I feel that the overall aesthetics component was conveyed well through my project. Firstly, I intentionally spaced out the audio elements. Between my Cantonese voiceover and English voiceovers, there is a section where only music is played and viewers can focus exclusively on the video clips. I wanted to create an even pace so that the audience could take in both what they were hearing and seeing, separately. I added variety to the mix by utilizing different languages, and then also adding in an additional voice, which is from a monologue by the actor Paul Mescal in the movie Aftersun. I also focused on creating an appealing color palette of pastels and pinks and purples, along with eye-stimulating clips of sun rays. Overall, I feel that the result reflected a good relationship between sight and sound, which was the objective of our project. 

Link to Google Drive for Reverse Storyboard 

Link to movie, Days of Being Wild

The memory I chose for this assignment was from the night of my high school graduation, in which I had woken up from a nap to a beautiful sunset casting shadows into my backyard and room. The noises and smells of my parents making me dinner also drifted in from afar. I knew I wanted to include specific sounds from those vivid scenes, so I included authentic reenactments such as cooking noises (cutting vegetables, grilling meat) and my backyard door opening and closing. The feeling I wanted to convey was one that was a drifting state. Starting off from a half-awake, dreamlike state, I wanted the listener to drift into the kitchen and discover themself in the midst of a conversation and flurry of action. 

The sounds I included were real. The vegetables I cut, for example, were truly the vegetables I ate that night, Cantonese caixin (广东菜心）along with the actual noise of grilling beef steak. I chose clinking glasses to create a gentle rhythm breaker, reminiscent of the champagne glasses that my parents and I drank out of that night. I also used a real clip of the TV station of my hometown, San Francisco’s Channel 8 Cantonese news reel, to create a realistic backdrop of what my home sounds like on a daily basis, even during celebrations. 

My editing process included adding effects to my clips and making duplicates of many of them to create a sense of rhythm and stability. Effects I used included reverb, echo, delay, and fading in and out. Challenges I encountered included learning how to use the audio equipment and controlling noise levels, considering that cooking tends to be a loud activity that is hard to multitask with audio recording. I had originally planned to add even more effects, but did not have enough time to explore the full extent of how each effect could be manipulated. Most of the feedback I received was regarding the context of my Soundscape. I believe I could do a better job in establishing that this was after my graduation day rather than simply a domestic/local family dinner feel. Overall, I feel satisfied with my end result, though given more time I could have made it even more detailed and sophisticated.

Rules of Obstruction 

1. No single edit may be longer than 12 frames, questions raised must be answered
2. Must be filmed in a miserable place, don’t show it (get close to something but don’t show it), the man has to be the director himself, the meal will be there but not the woman 
3. Complete freedom to do anything without rules, or reshoot in Bombay
4. It has to be a cartoon
5. Do nothing other than be credited as director and read a narration script

Jorgen copes with the obstructions surprisingly well and takes them all in stride; in fact, he seems keen to have rules to work by because they challenge him. All of the new versions of the movie he reproduces have different feelings compared to the original. Not only are they filmed in different locations, they utilize colorful cinematography and palettes rather than black and white. Each location then has its own speciality, such as the music change in Cuba, and the backdrop in Bombay. 

I found it fascinating that Jorgen struggled the most with “doing nothing”. I would assume that he, as a film director and artist, would work best under no constraints at all. But perhaps full artistic freedom does not generate the most compelling ideas; it is others as well as the world around us that we are inspired by. After watching this movie, I now feel motivated to explore more of the Danish film world. I know that Denmark has had quite a few famous directors and movie eras with cultural impact. It was also my first time being extensively exposed to the Danish language. In my unexposed ears, the spoken language sounds like a cross between Swedish and German. I look forward to checking out more of Jorgen Leth’s work as well. 

Steryl presents an argument regarding the development of documentation and perceived reality in relation to live broadcasting. He believes the “unbroken belief” of documentaries has been challenged because it is now being presented in a first-person, blurrier perspective. Previously, documentaries were meant to be objective. They were meant to be straightforward to both the mind and the eye. Now, however, documentaries focus on emotional appeal and evoking the primary senses. The documentary as a medium has now entered into an age that requires desire for intensity. 

Truth informs fiction in the sense that all fiction is shaped by reality. Even scientific fiction of dystopian fiction is influenced by the way real-world governments, systems, and societies function. In the same way, reality is shaped by fiction. The entertainment sector heavily influences economics. Take the hit Korean show Squid Game for example. In recent years, Hollywood has attempted to adapt its fictional survival game into one that exists in real life – despites its inherent messaging on its dangers, purely for the intensity factor and appeal. 

I personally care more about authenticity than representation in the media I consume. I care more about a filmmaker conveying their personal experience or cultural background rather than a random TV producer adding in a fictional character that just so happens to be a Person of Color just for the sake of fulfilling a quota. The latter often plays into stereotypes either intentionally or unintentionally too, which is negative rather than positive representation. The role of live broadcast is meant to be authentic and portray proper representation, to viewers who may otherwise find a setting or situation unfamiliar.

The memory I have decided to focus my Sound Memory Landscape on is from the night of my high school graduation. After a day filled with celebration, I returned home with my parents late in the afternoon. I took a long nap, since I had gotten up early to get ready for the ceremony, and woke up to the sun setting outside. The pinks and purples of the sky cast gentle shadows into my room. Despite my groggy state, I could smell  dinner being prepared downstairs. To some extent, I felt bittersweet, yet at the same time I felt nothing at all – even though this was supposedly one of my biggest life events. I vividly remember wondering if all the other “major” life events I would go through would feel equally anticlimactic. 

The sounds I want to capture include the dinner my parents made for me (ex: the sizzling of meat, the bubbling of the sparkling lemonade and champagne that I had, the clinking of glasses), the sound of our local Cantonese TV station playing in the background, and our conversation and laughter. I believe I can include excerpts of audio clips that can evoke this feeling of celebration, as well as how I felt during the closing and opening of chapters within my life. 

1. Joy Cheng, “The Moon is Our Home” 
2. Concept

The concept behind my diptych is celebration and unity in regards to the Moon Festival and National Holiday of this year (2023). As a study away student and American Born Chinese (ABC), it has always been my goal to celebrate a cultural holiday in Shanghai at some point in my life. As such, I wanted to include a personal touch into my diptych by utilizing traditionally feminine colors and objects, soft whites and pinks, to convey girlhood and womanhood. I personally also perceive countries (ex: motherland as a term) and the moon as an object as female, which ties the color palette to them as well. 

My first photo depicts a mooncake with a pink candle in it, a cross between the cultural and metaphor of birthday cake. The upper right hand corner of the white box is blurred, but states “Since 2020”, referencing the scale of celebration since Covid. I did some external research on the Lunar Calendar as well as the folktale of Chang E Flies to the Moon for this project. My second photo describes the cultural connotations of the moon in China in association with history and folklore. The themes that connect the first and second photo are present and past, light and dark. 

3. Process 

1. The process in staging my Photo 1 included choosing and setting up my objects. The mooncake I used was leftover from a potluck I organized with friends for the Mid Autumn Festival. A pillow case was used for the bottom patterned layer, and the lamp is my nightlight. I tried out various positionings for the objects, as seen in my contact sheet, but eventually settled on a photo that demonstrated the Rule of Thirds well. Problems I encountered including my first photo being too boring, and some of the photos I took being blurry. 
2. I manipulated my Photo 2 through Photoshop’s special effects and lasso tools, along with the Place Embedded function. I used the pen tool for additional effects. I also was able to mask many objects so that they would have transparent backgrounds.
   

4.  If I had more time, I would have spent extended time on getting to know Photoshop as a software and how to use its effects. I still don’t feel entirely comfortable with all its functions. I also would have taken photos with even more objects, but I did not have enough time to retake many of them.

DIPTYCH PROJECT – JOY CHENG

1. My overall concept for my Diptych is the Double Holiday, the theme of this year’s Fall Break. I want to represent the unity of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Holiday in China. The fact that they fell so close to each other on the calendar this year is a rare occurrence, and it holds a personal touch to me considering that I have never celebrated either holiday in China. I hope to convey a feminine sense of celebration, using lighter shades of red, such as pink, to represent my own sense of joy. 
2. I hope the other image that I am able to edit with Photoshop to use more literal elements rather than symbolic – such as a real representation of the moon and fire. If possible, I want to incorporate animal imagery and paint-like details so that it feels more experimental. 
3. I plan to take photos of a candle, a small bedside lamp, a mooncake, a pillowcase, and a ribbon. 
4. I am not 100% set on my Photoshop creation, but I am confident that I will pull shades of color from my image directly and warp some of my objects so that they look less recognizable.

Fred Ritchin offers insight into the modern development of photography into a widespread daily practice, a shadow of the rare and serious art it once was. Just 50 years ago, the camera and image was inaccessible to the general public. Now every person with a mobile phone can take a photo. Ritchen describes “digital fluidity” as the “nearly automatic manipulation of digital imagery…it’s easy metamorphosis into other media such as video, virtual reality environments and the like ”. An example of this is manipulation in photo editing software such as Software. A beauty centered example is the app 醒图, which allows users to touch up their makeup, facial features, and physical appearance overall. All of these editing processes allow the user to take away and add onto the original image, which in turn changes it from authentic to imaginary. This can be damaging because it convinces audiences to doubt the honesty of a photo. One quote within “In Our Own Image” stood out to me the most: “Photography will have to be treated less monolithically, with the understanding that, like words, images can be used for a variety of purposes and can be produced according to different strategies”. This is the assumption I make when viewing images, whether from journalistic sources or influences on social media: I am only seeing what they want me to see, and it may not be the truth. 

In its most basic form, photography should be able to convey and capture reality from the perspective of the photographer. In comparison to other forms of media, such as text, video, and books, it is relatively easy to understand because it does not require fluency or literacy in a language form, something Ritchin elaborates on in his writing. Even video, for example, at times requires dialogue and subtitles. Photos, however, convey emotion and meaning beyond those barriers. It is unfortunate that it is now so broad that it is considered less of serious profession and something anyone can do. 

Sound Visualization Exercise (Final 9.20) (1)

The song I chose for this assignment was “Cool with You”, a song by Korean pop group NewJeans. In terms of the media and art I consume, I tend to favor things that make me “feel” a certain way rather than technicality. I enjoy cohesive concepts that have strong color palettes and personal identity, that are refreshing and avant-garde rather than mainstream. Starting from their debut mini album, NewJeans has presented a refreshing music oeuvre that focuses on nostalgic melodies. Their music video designs reflect that same philosophy, using actors and actresses from well-known artistic movies, such as Tony Leung. Costume design is intricate and intentional. The NewJeans members wear long white gowns with flowy sleeves, with fairy-like makeup to match in a Cupid-esque way.

As such, I wanted my design to evoke the dreamy feeling of being so deeply in love that you do not know where they end and you begin. The relationship between the two insinuated protagonists is one that is complex. They are deeply intertwined with each other; the same is depicted in the “Cool with You’ music video. Key words I wanted the audience to feel were: interconnectedness, fate, and soulmate. 

The Gestalt principle I utilized most was Good Figure. In making every single one of the letters I used have a touchpoint, I successfully navigated the audience into seeing all of the objects as one figure. I also used Figure – Ground relationships, by using the certain drop shading of letters to create shadows, so that they would appear as more than they were when placed upon the ground. An example of this can be seen in the center of the piece, where “L”’s and “Y”’s are rotated  to curve around the “S” in black. I also pulled every font used directly from  the “Cool with You” music video based on a font pack made off of DaFont. 

My final product is one that looks immensely different from my mid-critique. The primary feedback I was given was that my first draft had shapes in it, which was not allowed as this was a typography-based assignment. I replaced some of my shapes with typography, but also added in other elements that would convey my concept better. I also added one more font. 

Lastly, the biggest point I could improve on if I had more time for my project is actually not the piece itself- rather, I had a challenging time cutting my frame, and parts of it were very slightly damaged in the process. I would like to learn how to better cut with the materials provided and improve on my hands on ability in the future.