communication lab

The goal of our video was to portray something lighthearted as everyone is going through a difficult period right now. Through out video, we wanted to say the college is the best time of our life and youth despite any hardships you face, and you are the only person capable of making that happen. This project allowed us to reflect a lot because we were able to look back of past footages to help convey our message. Combing videos with my Andrew allowed us to remember all the fun times in Shanghai despite my stay in Shanghai being cut short. Despite the situation, the memories and people that I met in Shanghai will always be a big part of my college memories.

Some challenges we faced was working on the video quality since we had to send the videos between each other back and forth. Since we are both in different locations, we would send edited and non edited versions back and forth which would reduce quality. However, we did not find time to meet over zoom to work on the project together.

If we were given more time I would emphasize more on the visual metaphor aspect. I think the script we had written helped portray our message but we could play around with our videos a bit more to leave the audience more space for interpretation. Furthermore, our project did go through various changes of idea. Because our original idea did not have a point of conflict or contrast, we added a different element to show the expectations and reality of college life. In addition, I think it would be nice to actually film clips throughout Shanghai in the future, and can be a plan if we come to revise this project in the future. This can also be a project for how the times has changed. Overall, this project allowed for a great outcome and something that my partner and I can look back on and reflect on all our good memories. To us, college has been the moments in our life so far.

If Anything Happens I Love you

This is the trailer that I used to reference my storyboard, but the full film is available on Netflix.

 

 

Concept

When the project was first introduced, one specific memory came in mind, because those were my happiest days. Due to current situation, I often myself reminiscing those days. I am happiest when it comes down to good food accompanied by friends or family which is what my memory for this project involves. The memory I have chosen is when I was able to dine at a fancy restaurant with my sister. The way I wanted to portray this memory was a sequential order.  I started off with sound off getting ready and used the sound of the elevator to make it seem that it was the subway, and I was on my way to meet her at the restaurant. You could also tell I was outside through the background sound with birds. From there, instrumentals begin and that is the main background noise because the restaurant was so tiny, no one really talks and focuses only the meal. Since it was omakase style, I added additional sounds to replicate the sounds that I recall when they prepare the food in front of you. Finally, it fades into the same sounds as the beginning to show that I have left, and I am back to my mundane life. 

 Process

While this was a rather simple memory, it is one that I constantly like to revisit. In that moment, I was not only happy, but also at really peaceful state because this also took place right when the semester ended. I was able to reward myself for my hard work and think about the all the things I can look forward to during my break. Because my mind was very calm and relaxed, I wanted my composition to do the same. I did those by having specific sounds that each section can be focused rather than have a lot going on because in that moment, I was only focused on the food and environment, and that composition follows how my day was played out.

Conclusion

If I had more time with this assignment, and for future improvements, I would definitely experiment with more recordings. In addition, I also think that it would be interesting to replicate this audio through recordings that I take outside. One of the main challenges I faced was that I was limited to what I can record in my dorms, but this did allow me to think outside of the box. I think that it was a fun experiment and found sounds that I would not typically use if it weren’t for the constraints of not being able to go outside. 

Steyerl talks about how the “unbroken belief” of the documentary form is challenged. The idea of “unbroken belief” in this context relates not to the truth in content, but emphasizes how the truth in the content is portrayed. A better example to break down the “unbroken belief” by Steyerl states “They are perfectly true documents of that general uncertainty… The abstract pixels that flicker across the screen are the crystal clear expression of a time in which the connection between images and things has become questionable and is under general suspicion”. This quotes gives a basic summary because documents typically highlight real life events, scenarios and or things. However, the documentation may leave out certain aspects or only focus in certain things which relates to the pixel, and ultimately how the documentation is presented. Rather than questioning that documentary, the focus is shifted into the commentary which highlights this idea of unbroken beliefs.

Furthermore, certain movies and films are based on a true story.  The truth informs the fiction because it is the foundation and will provide the framework of a real picture. Fiction informs the truth by tying in a different aspect of reality, and makes the audience question its realism. While it is likely to happen, it isn’t the truth.

The significance of authenticity and representation of the truth in the media that we consume on a daily basis is that it allows us to know what is happening in our world. The are many significant events that happen on our daily lives and the way we receive and perceive that information also depends on the authenticity and representation of it in the media. In addition, the role of a live broadcast helps give authenticity and representation in the media because it occurs in real time. While it is happening, the media is reporting at the same time and usually this erases some chances of cuts and edits that could potentially hide the truth.

Shanet Yang, City Reimagined

Concept

The concept for my diptych was to create something that did not exist in our world, and reimagine it in a that it could. Through my photo diptych, I wanted to create a feeling of surrealism by incorporating elements that can be found through our daily lives. However, the sizing and composition stems from reimagining the things and places we see into something that can only exist in our imagination which is why I decided to have my background set as flowers and blend multiple places into the picture to make it look like an actual destination. 

I paired these image by playing around with photoshop. While I had an idea of what I wanted to convey, I did not know how to get to message across. As I like the composition of flowers that I originally took, I wanted to incorporate this into my final work in someway. These two image relate to each other because I decided to shrink the bigger things in life and focus on things that are smaller which is how I ended up using the flowers as my background.

Process

My original idea and final design is quite different. My original concept was to do something with a coffee shop and give off the vibes as someone sitting in a coffee shop on sunny afternoon. However, to capture this, I wanted to go out and take pictures on a nice sunny day. The plans did not go as I had imagined so I took took pictures of the objects and places I was around. Because things did not go as I had plan, I decided I also wanted to incorporate this idea of expectations vs reality in my photo diptych.
As I was creating the second part of my image I wanted to contrast the edited pictures of a sunny day because it was actually very gloomy that day. To create this contrast, I did not experiment with the colors of the cloud and turn downed the overall saturation after I brightened up the reds. To come up with the composition I had, it was mainly experimentation because I found that the best way to get ideas onto the screen. While I wanted to have sketch before I edited, I found myself constantly restarting and that got me nowhere, so I decided to work directly on the photos.

Conclusion

While the drafts I worked with are quite different from my final, I would improve my project by erasing the sun as I have received feedback that it draws attention away from the battle half of the diptych. Furthermore, I would also take out some flowers that framed the sun to create a visual balance between both halves. Although I did not take screenshots of my previous drafts, I learned a lot through photoshop, as well as being able to experiment with all the tools offered. Coming into this class, photoshop was something that I was interested in, so I am glad I got to experience the features through my photo diptych.

What Ritchin means with the phrase “fluidity of the digital” is the versatility of digital media and its capability to change into a different medium. In the reading, In Our Own Image by Fred Ritchin, he states “changing the architecture of the image-moving from chemically processed grain to discrete electronic pixels-we are not creating another photographic genre, but another medium…its easy metamorphosis into other media such as video, virtual reality environments and the like, its ephemerality on the screen, are some of the profound differences from the paper-and-film based photograph” (xii). With the different form of digital media it is easily transformable into something which caters to the the term of fluidity. An example that exemplifies this is the photographs by Brandon Woelfel. In his photographs he always carries a unique cold blue theme throughout his works but it helps his works tell a story. While his focus is typically on a person he often brings in elements of a fairly lights, rainbows, and sometime flowers. With his artistry and the different objects together it works as a way in which the person is a fantasy world while everything he takes a picture of is in our modern world.

Photography is a medium in which its capability is beyond capturing just reality. In comparison to books, photos and photography is able to portray something words cannot express. While books can describe reality, photography is able to show what reality is visually. Based on these two comparison, this is where the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” stems from. Nevertheless, both mediums are a powerful mode of communication that can show their messages in different ways. While photography has the potential to capture something beyond reality, I think it is also capable of capturing the still moments of reality that we encounter today. Photography is an instant snapshot of the present which is why its means of communication can portray a variety of things. 

The overall concept for my Diptych is a visual that will give off warmth and cozy feeling as you look like it. The idea that I would like to convey is the feeling of sitting in a coffee shop on a Sunday afternoon just to pass time.

 Since the existence of both images complete the project, the conversation I want my two pictures to create and convey is the stillness and beauty of being in your own world. When I envision chill Sunday afternoon at a coffee shop, I see it is a personal time where you are able to relax and take some time for yourself before you start on the new week. With this mindset, the pictures should provide a minimalist look but also enough to to provide warmth and motivation to keep going. 

The images I plan to take will typically be in bright setting since I want to give off the warmth of a sunny afternoon and my concept will revolve around coffee. In addition, I think it would nice to to include greenery and plants as well as symmetrical architecture and windows.

 I will most likely be editing the color of my pictures a lot because I not very picture will have the same lighting or the lighting to fit the atmosphere. In addition, I also see myself cropping things for the collage as well as editing things out to fit the idea of still life. 

Shanet Yang, One Summer Day, Joe Hisaishi

The concept behind my design was to show the different parts of the song as they played an integral role in the progression of the song, as well as plot line and development of the character, which was something I wanted to display. In my design, I wanted to convey a story which is why I found it important to have all the different sections work together but show signs of contrast at the same time.
Furthermore, my design reflects Gestalt theory because on the placements of different letters and shapes, it would portray movement. The previous projects such as the One Black Square influenced my design because I had to be strategic in placement but also use the negative and positive space to convey my meaning. Without the background of the black squares, the usage of space would not be as effective because you cannot rely on colors to convey your message, and can only be done with the
placement of black and white letters. The different principles I explored when designing my poster was similarity, proximity and symmetry.

The first step I took in designing my poster was listening to the song and drawing anything that came to mind when I heard the song. After the initial listen, I would piece together the different elements and see if it would fit the song. The drawings I would make ranged from curves, lines, and circles and in the end, I would piece together the distinct sections I heard while drawing some repetitive elements to represent the repetitiveness in some parts of the song. When I was satisfied with my sketch, I would ask my peers what they felt and saw in my poster without letting them hear the song to see if the picture can portray my meanings without any context. However, for my first draft, the message I wanted to show and what my peers saw were quite different. The mid-critique influenced my design decisions significantly and I ended up redesigning my poster for the final critique. During the mid-critique session, I was told that it resembled aspects of a military as my usage of “k” reminded them of morse code. This was quite contrary to my intention which was initially placed for the resemblance of rain. Because of that comment, I also reconsidered the usage of zig zags because I thought it was not representative of the soft melody that was used throughout the song. The first picture shown above was what I had for the mid-critique. In the end, I designed to place the different elements closer together and would use some of the same letters in different sections so it would not look as separated as it did in the first draft. Finally, I turned all my zig zags in to soft waves because the song itself is really flowy and soft.

finalsound3 (A3 printing format)

In conclusion, this final poster helped me visualize the song way better than my first draft, and my peers were also able interpret it similarly. Given more time, I would change the black letters on the bottom to something more wavy so that the poster is more visually balanced with the waves on the top. In addition, I would also experiment more with the features of illustrator and the printing as well since the final print was a little different that what I had on my computer. 

Choose an existing system or technology of earth/human culture and write a short text and an accompanying visual description communicating this chosen system or technology to the aliens in this fictional short story. 

For this project, Andrew, Jeeho and I chose to introduce the concept of a pedometer to the heptapods. The picture shown above is a visual representation of how a pedometer functions and will also help the heptapods understand how a pedometer works. The main usage of a pedometer serves as a technology for humans to keep track of our movements and step count. To begin, the basic concept of a pedometer is a small device that can be attached to various parts of our body and the movements will be calculated by swings.The pedometer also has a small lever arm inside which moves up and down based on movement. The movement of walking is described as the body swinging from one side to another side and to capture the step counts, it is attached to the ankle and multiplies the number of swings by the average length of your steps. Because the anatomy of humans and heptapods are different, the way in which humans and heptapods walk are different. Humans have two legs that we walk on and two arms while the alien has “four legs, three non-adjacent arms curled up at its sides..limbs had no distinct joints…it’s “torso” rise atop the rippling limbs as smoothly as a hovercraft…seven lidless eyes ringed the top of the hetapod’s body” (Chiang 5). This description shows the fluidity in movement of the heptapods whereas humans must move each joint individually due to its anatomy. By introducing the pedometer to heptapods, we not only introduce a functional technological device, but also highlight how humans move. 

 

How would you describe it, based on your understanding of the linguistic characteristics of these alien’s mode of communication? 

 

The heptapod communicates in a way similarly to humans as they also verbally communicate and have the same senses as humans. For example, they also have eyes and a medium for verbal communication. When communicating with the aliens about the pedometer it would be best to demonstrate the usage of a pedometer visually, since they have eyes, as there is a very big language barrier. It would be best to use a person using the pedometer as he walks around. This would allow the heptapods to understand that by walking, the numbers on the pedometer will go up. Furthermore, it would also be best if we dismantle the technology and show that when the lever inside is moving up and down the step count increases. The heptapod will then understand fully how the machine works without any verbal exchanges. In the reading, it shows how the heptapod can understand simple concepts so it can be inferred that this type of communication is feasible. However, it is easier to communicate verbally but the most efficient way is to demonstrate visually as the alien’s language has not been translated completely.