Final Project Post

Piotr and I worked together to make a silent film for our final project. My contributions to the project was the concept, storyboard, acting and some directing. Piotr had a couple of directorial ideas as well, and he also worked the camera and edited the project. Overall, we had a bit of trouble managing our time to get it done, so we ended up filming outside of class time. 

This is the lovely storyboard I drew

You can check out the actual film here.

MoMI experience

So the trip to the MOMI wasn't exactly intellectually stimulating nor did it present much that I didn't already know. What I’ll do instead, is just talk about a demo and how the experience really brought forward just how important it is an an element in media. The one demo I experienced at the MOMI actually had to do with sound, and particularly the Foley artist. There was an animation taken from the Simpsons (there were other animations, this was just the one I played with) where Lisa is taking a test, and she's incredibly nervous, and all these things around her are making it worse. Essentially, the program allowed me to choose how these different things sounded, including limited options (which included the sound actually used in the show). It was very interesting to me how these different sound effects could change how dramatic it was, like the sound of a pogostick being less dramatic than a jackhammer. I found it really amusing how arranging each of the sounds in a way that just adds to the drama, or purposely lightens it, and how that can affect the way the viewer can perceive the way Lisa feels during her test, and it also shows just how important using the right kinds of sounds is for setting the proper mood. It’s all about how the scene is supposed to feel, and how it could feel like instead, which has to do a lot with how loud the sound is, how frequently it is heard, how long it is heard for, and the scene I worked on had absolutely no soundtrack music playing (which makes me wonder how it mightiness changed the mood further if there was).

For the media I chose to look at, I decided to use an anime called Code Geass. The clip opens up with a high angle shot on a war machine, following it as it travels to its intended location. Then there’s a cut to a head shot of a character. This cut is made primarily because he goes from explaining a situation to giving an order. The next cut brings up a low angle medium shot of some characters, which helps indicate that there are numerous characters involved, and also clearly shows the means of communication. The next shot is an extreme close up on the leader, showing his determination and his ability to trust the character he is communicating with. Next cut brings a high angle head shot, which gives the feel that the viewer is in the machine and is looking out from it. The next few shots establish a visual connection of where all the different characters are, and how they plan to maneuver each other. These images continue to follow similar patterns, which helps to give the feel of what it is actually like being within and taking part of the battle. In every shot, the main subject is centered on screen, and the connection from one shot to the next is determined by the communication, whether it is characters talking to each other, or if the communication involves visual confirmation. The latter is used primarily as a way to seamlessly switch from one side of the battle to the other. The shots also are very fast paced for the most part, which helps give the idea of how quickly everything in a battle has to be communicated and then performed. The non diegetic soundtracks are used in a similar way in order to give the sense of intensity and mystery that comes with facing an enemy under such conditions. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrkASCbaHHE

Sound Assignment from Scott Fleisher on Vimeo.

Soundwalk

For my sound walk, I decided to just walk around randomly and observe what I heard. Some of the things I heard included the wind, which was steady and smooth. I heard the purring of car engines and the friction of tires against the asphalt. The engine was very rough and abrupt, while the tires sounded smooth, but also sort of like they were ripping at the road, as if a cat was continually being removed from a couch where their claws were just digging in. The leaves ruffled, often hitting the ground or each other, making short ripping sounds, or prolonged scratching along the concrete, which was rather unpleasant. I walked by a harbor near my home, and I heard the waves, soft and smooth and flowing, much like the water moved. The cars remained part of the background, so together they sounded almost like tires pushing through a decently sized puddle, smooth, flowing, the friction ignored. Near the harbor was the train station, and a train came along, its metal force coming to a slow halt. I walked beneath the train platform, to hear the clacking of the wheels on the rails, loud and repetitive, and then faded into the wind. I walked along into the shopping district, where the tremor of car engines and the clamor of people’s voices reigned in the afternoon air. Listening to a clamor of people is much like listening to water, as it has an odd way of keeping consistent with itself, and the tapping of shoes was faded, yet present.

Hunter Skywalk from Scott Fleisher on Vimeo.

Artist Statement

I like cartoons. Cartoons can do anything.

When I look at the world, it is nothing like a cartoon, yet cartoons have the ability to emulate it. I wondered how it could just create anything, and then just roll with it. Characters can have over-the-top personalities or very down-to-earth realistic ones. Backgrounds can give off the feel of being in a real setting, or one that is too vibrant to exist outside itself. I think that cartoons are impressive in these ways, because they still find a way to relate itself to the world. I find myself able to sympathize with cartoon characters, curious about what it would be like to live in the fantasy world, wonder how even the most unrealistic cartoon can reflect meaning on the world around me. Cartoons can say and do whatever they want, and they have the freedom to explore any perspective, any trend, anything that pertains to people.

As I am, I’m not much of an “artist” as an “enthusiast.” I explore cartoons a lot in my free time, typically focusing on animated works. Although I have dabbled with drawing a little bit (and hope to get back to it), I mostly observe the way cartoons are crafted, looking at things like tone, mood, color shading, the way the characters are made, among other things, and over time I began to realize how cartoons showed me a lot of different things about the world, and forces me to recognize how vastly different everything and every person in the real world is, as well as highlight patterns and problems in relation to the way humans behave. As someone who focuses on humanity as a whole, my biggest goal as an artist is to try and show others the information that cartoons have shown me.