Communication
August 18, 2008 at 9:14 pm (photography)
Tags: beautiful pictures, hawaii, lei, Sen. Obama
Holy Acknowledgment Batman, Time to Take Comics Seriously
August 18, 2008 at 5:45 pm (Movie review)
Tags: batman, comics, heath ledger, Kill the Batman, Oscar, The Dark Knight. Way too soon, the joker
In Hell, it is most probable that its master resembles this: a controlled yet maniacal entity, void of empathy. Satiated by nothing. Existing to feed on a self prepared diet of chaos, destruction and the looming fear of reckless violence and death. You see, Its goal is not one that logic or human perspective or material gain can affect. The goal, says the Joker ‘is to send a message.’
On Sunday, I experienced The Dark Knight at Universal City Walk’s IMAX Theater. Director, Christopher Nolan shot 6 powerful sequences of this stunning film in 70 mm IMAX format–the world’s highest film format resolution. The resulting rich and vivid imagery transports the audience into a personal experience in Gotham..engulfed in roaring blue flames, dodging flying sparks from a thrashing overturned big rig, and feeling the flights and fights of Gotham’s hero as they happen. What an experience!
But is an action packed, audience engaging, visually stunning movie with a well formed storyline enough to gain the attention of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science? Should be!
Oscar’s Purpose
The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. (wikipedia)
In a recent LA radio panel discussion, comic book and movie fans expressed hope that their genre will receive recognition from AMPAS. The Teen Choice Awards and MTV Moon men are great, but there is the perception that that comic book inspired films are high on The Academy’s ‘to snub’ list. With such successful releases as Transformers and The Dark Knight, it will be interesting to watch how this genre will be treated during the next reading of Oscar nominations
If excellence is what they want, Heath Ledger’s work must be seriously considered. His performance as Batman’s long time nemesis, The Joker, was amazing. A relentless and evil psychopath devastating the heart of Gotham in order to test the code of a conflicted Batman-whose effectiveness is being called into question by those he serves.
Ledger’s Joker is not a flesh textured cartoon. He is the personification of an entity absent of light and hope. His face-a pasty, painted canvas for a kniffed-in, infected grin set underneath the dark windows to a dead soul with nothing to lose. There is no Heath Ledger reflecting in The Dark Knight. There is the devil and his whims.
The film raises several philosophical questions including the value of a life, the heart of humanity when challenged, the definition and code of a hero, and the measure of actual results vs. honorable intentions. The untimely death of Heath Ledger certainly inspires deeper ponderance of some of these topics. But make no mistake, the heartfelt outcry for Ledger’s work to be acknowledged is born out of our appreciation for Ledger’s masterful immersion into a character so well developed that a sense of dread remains long after the final credits roll.
As joker said “This city deserves a better class of criminal. And I’m going to give it to ‘em”.
Mission accomplished, Mr. Ledger.
dae
This is Not A Photocollage
August 18, 2008 at 5:25 pm (Creative Process, photography)
Tags: Jerry Uelsmann, passion makes it not like work, Photocollage, photography, Photomontage, Untitled
A Philosopher’s Desk by Jerry Uelsmann
In the forward of the beautiful Jerry Uelsmann’s book, Photo Synthesis, A.D. Coleman explains the difference between photocollages and photomontages.
Neither of these terms should be used as an umbrella to cover what are two radically different forms of photographic image making. They are far from synonymous.
Photocollage
The French word collage means “gluing”; the craft process is that of pasting varied materials together. Photocollage, then, involves the cutting up and reassembling of parts of photographic prints or reproductions of photographs. In itself, this does not require any photographic activity. Because many forms of such imagery can be generated without the use of a camera or a darkroom, it has attracted not only photographers but visual artists from outside of the parameters of photography.
This moving photocollage is by conceptual artist Barbara Kruger: www.barbarakruger.com
Photomontage
Montage means “assemble/putting together” in French.
Strictly speaking, photomontage is the superimpositon of one image on another, this can be achieved in such a way that both are simultaneously present and visible, that is they show through each other or so that the added images appear integral to the depicted scene.
Accomplishing this requires photographic methods. One of these is “double” or multiple exposure done while the negative is still in the camera. Montages can be executed in a darkroom, as with multiple printing (exposing the printing paper to part or all of several negatives in succession) and combination printing, or the “sandwiching” of the negatives simultaneously) These are the techniques in which Uelsmann has specialized. In such cases, both the image components and the techniques involved are purely photographic in nature.
Most of Uelsmann’s work is Untitled.
Jerry Uelsmann My Favorite Photographer: http://www.uelsmann.net/
Apply this advice to your craft
August 18, 2008 at 3:20 pm (Creative Process)
Tags: American jazz pianist, art advice, Bill Evans, creativity, The Universal Mind
Scenes from the movie “The Universal Mind of Bill Evans – Creative Process and Self-Teaching”.
Thanks to sareston for posting on Youtube.
Visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/sareston to see segments 2 and 3.
Wiki: Bill Evans
William John Evans: (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous and influential American jazz pianists of the 20th century. His use of impressionist harmony, his inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and his syncopated and polyrhythmic melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Denny Zeitlin[1] and Keith Jarrett, as well as as guitarists Lenny Breau and Pat Metheny. The music of Bill Evans continues to inspire younger pianists like Fred Hersch, Ray Reach, Esbjörn Svensson, Bill Charlap, David Thompson, Brad Mehldau[2], Geoffrey Keezer, Lyle Mays and Eliane Elias[3]. Evans is an inductee of the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
Walk the Line-Review
August 18, 2008 at 3:12 pm (Movie review)
Tags: I walk the line, Joaquin Phoenix, Johnny Cash, June Carter, moving love story, Reese Witherspoon
If you hope that “Walk The Line” will delve into the pathology of the talented, complex country singer who dressed in black as a form of empathy for society’s outsiders, you may want to just enjoy the lyrics of Cash’s song, Man In Black and wait for Hollywood’s next attempt.
This is not that film.
“Walk The Line” is the engaging love story of Johnny Cash and June Carter. Johnny’s admiration for June is sparked as a boy,enjoying the voice of 10-year-old June Carter as she belts out a song over the radio. The film focuses on Cash’s rise from poverty to prominence and his reckless pursuit of June Carter in the midst of a failing marriage and a fierce, losing battle with substance addiction.
The strong performances and the chemistry between Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny) and Reese Witherspoon (June) saved this film. Phoenix embodied the entity of Cash-from his intense stares, to his simmering passion and gravelly voice. Witherspoon gave a strong performance as June Carter as the sassy-crowd pleasing performer, the determined rejector of Cash’s advances and finally,Cash’s compassionate lover.
Although many of the questions I have about Cash were not answered in this film, it is worth watching. Since scales are fun and useful.. if I were to rate it as a biopic, it would receive 2/5 hearts. But as a love story, it deserves 4/5.
The Making of Love
August 18, 2008 at 2:34 pm (Creative Process)
Tags: bjork, Creative Process, robots, style
A version of the creative process: Bjork- All is Full of Love
How:
