Claire de Lune Films

A visual and literary glimpse into the mind of a freshman film student.

[clairedelunefilms]

UNF Final Reflection

Presentation link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/249832615/UNF-Pitch-It-Only Takes-One-Heart-Yours-1 

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BIW0WlS9L0&feature=youtu.be 

Radio link: https://soundcloud.com/user374163356/unf-radio-spot

Many of our early errors were technical. We didn’t use the right fonts, and our proposal felt like four individual presentations instead of one. The initial client feedback helped us to put all this in perspective: at one point, a UNF representative suggested adding the word “yours” to the back of our tagline. This way, we are more directly connecting to audiences, as well as making our whole concept more thematically secure. This provided the connective tissue we needed to solidify our presentation, and I am proud of how far we have come. The final presentation at the UNF office was proof that a healthy team effort can make a great campaign. Not just our group, either: it was exciting to see how each group took a raw concept and built on it. The evolution of each project was remarkable.

We had worked on this specific project so much that we were confident in our ability to convey our points. The goal for this campaign was to encompass all branches of the UNF, as the final tagline can be applied to multiple situations. Through our video, audio, and print advertisements, we sought to catch the attention of people of every background. Our campaign was not meant for one particular age demographic, for example. We wanted to send the message that anyone can help, something that not enough people are aware of. As a college student, I often feel powerless, and unsure of what I can do to help. The main objective of this campaign is to tell people that there is always something they can do. For example, a Nothing But Nets donation can be as small as ten dollars. That’s completely reasonable for a college student!

I believe each group also grew together throughout the semester, not just over the course of this one assignment. JJ, Michaela, Carolyn, and I worked together from the very beginning with our PowerPoint on various elements of design. It was in part because of this cohesiveness that we were confident going into our final presentation. We knew that we were a connected group, and we believed not only in ourselves, but also in each other. 

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It Only Takes One Heart. Yours. (Emma Claire Martin, Michaela Blain, JJ Blake, and Carolyn Schneider)

Our video advertisement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BIW0WlS9L0&feature=youtu.be 

Our radio spot: https://soundcloud.com/user374163356/unf-radio-spot

This was quite a unique experience, I must say. I’ve never presented a marketing pitch to a room of professionals before. Ultimately, it was an experience that will be useful later on in life, when I give presentations for potential employers. I typically feel comfortable speaking in front of a group of people, and I was confident that each member of my group had worked hard enough to know what they were talking about. It was exciting to see weeks of work culminate into such an exciting conclusion (other than the revisions we will make during finals week, of course).

I was impressed by the presentations of each group I saw. Everyone seemed to know what to say and how to say it, and I have to believe the UNF crew was impressed as well. They seemed open to all our ideas while we presented them, and then proceeded to genuinely thank us for our time and effort. Although my group members and I were hoping for some more specific feedback from them, I cannot say I was disappointed with the overall experience.

I think the most important skill I learned from this project was developing brand coherency. It was fun, engaging, and worthwhile to tackle the challenge of connecting a collection of print ads with a video component and a radio spot. I learned to constantly be aware of fonts, colors, and taglines. I am very pleased with all that I learned through the UNF project.

[clairedelunefilms]

Rain (2014)

Inspired by Leonid Afremov's painting: "Rain's Rustle"

[clairedelunefilms]

Rain Debrief

It was the kind of project that took a great deal of cooperation. One of the most difficult aspects of any group project is managing multiples schedules, and trying to find times that work for everyone. Once we’re able to select a few afternoons, we still have to coordinate who is bringing which props, who is printing out which scripts, and who is renting out which equipment. Once all that comes together, the challenge of actually filming begins.

         In the production phase, my group collaborated nicely. We each divided up the roles so that no one was doing more than someone else. Michaela and I wrote the script and acted in it, JJ directed and worked the camera, and Caroline edited and worked the microphone. Through all of this, however, there was constant input. JJ and Caroline influenced the script, while Michaela and I made suggestions for editing. These kinds of projects only work when everyone is constantly communicating.

         Most of the challenges we faced were technical. None of us had much experience using an external microphone, for example. Finding locations to shoot was also a struggle: the Metro was often too noisy, and one scene was cut short do to impending construction.

         Overall, it was a great learning experience. Working together in a group can be a daunting event, but when everyone puts effort into the project, it is often exciting and fun. I had a great time travelling around campus and Tenleytown to film our scenes, and I know this experience will influence the way I work in group projects for years to come.

[clairedelunefilms]

Rough Cut

Here is the link to our rough cut 

It is a very, very rough cut.

[clairedelunefilms]

UNF Reaction

Before he began to review our projects, Benjamin Pickup explained his stoic composure. He told us that, though he wanted to be warmer and more responsive, in the real world we might face clients who are not so amiable. He then proceeded to give each great fantastically constructive feedback, highlighting both the strong and week points of each presentation. He made a clear effort to give each group praise before diving into what could be improved: this way, he captured their attention, and made his criticisms easier to receive.

Many of the things he noticed will indubitably help us moving forward – not just for this specific project, but rather, for all projects. Basic tips like “proofread for typos” are applicable in every academic or professional environment, while other, more specific pieces of advice such as “be aware of your demographic” will help us with future marketing opportunities. For my group (“It Only Takes One Heart”), his feedback was to develop our idea further. He loves the tag line, and shows us the potential it had – potential that we had overlooked. In preparation for the final presentation, we will take his feedback seriously and expand upon our current concept.  

[clairedelunefilms]

Enchanted, Robin Hood Men In Tights, and Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog are all examples of Musical Parodies (links below.) This is a genre that takes key elements of Musicals and emphasizes or exaggerates them for comedic purposes. My partner Michaela and I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to parody the well-known Letts v. Anderson conflict, as well as take shots at the overly cheesy moments in musical and romantic films. 

My favorite part of this project was working with the actors. Everyone had different schedules, so we had to get each shot over with quickly - this presented a chaotic level of fun. We had to make sure we were getting the correct shots, while also going through lines with the actors, and securing space to film without disturbing the surrounding people. It felt exciting, if not somewhat silly, to maneuver a space to get dramatic angles. We decided that a low camera angle would emphasize the anger of the two "gangs" at their confrontation, and that a comedic zoom effect during the opening laundry scene would set a tone of humor right from the start. 

Similarly, we tried to parody some specific shots, such as the cliche "meeting through the bookshelves" scene. We didn't just stop at parodying the romantic and musical genres, however - we also mimicked specific shots from West Side Story, such as the Letts students snapping in the beginning. Although we faced some technical difficulties in the end, it was an overall great experience.

Here is the version with labeled shots 

Enchanted, Robin Hood Men In Tights, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

[clairedelunefilms]

O Brother Where Art Thou?

The scene opens on a medium shot of the three fugitives awoken by the police. The palette is dark blue, which stands in stark contrast to the eventual firestorm we witness later on in the scene. The camera pans up with Everett as he realizes the arrival of their captors, and the glow from their torches illuminates his face. There is still strong apparent contrast in the barn, with dark shadows covering about half the shot. Here, Everett says a line that becomes a running gag for the rest of the scene: “we’re in a tight spot.” This adds humor to the otherwise perilous situation, as it is very clear to the audience that “tight spot” doesn’t quite capture the magnitude of Everett’s troubles.

The camera then takes on the POV of Everett as he slowly makes his way to the edge of the barn. Here, we have a wide shot of the authorities, as well as their torches, dogs, and car. When the camera cuts back and forth between the police and the three runaways, it also alternates between a bird’s eye view and a worm’s eye view. When focused on the police, the camera is positioned high and aimed down; when focused on Everett & Co., the camera is positioned low and aimed high. This advances the dynamic between the three prisoners and the police, because although technically the police are at an advantage authoritatively speaking, the trio is still able to outwit and outrun them throughout the film.

When the police begin shooting, there is a theatric spotlight on our protagonists. The camera not only cuts between bird’s eye view and worm’s eye view, but also between close-up shots of the trio and wide angle shots of the authorities; this makes the next shot particularly intriguing. The camera looks directly down on the man preparing to burn the barn, breaking the flow of angles. Next, the bottom left corner of the screen is lit up in brilliant warm colors as we back away to view the initial burning of the wooden barn. The rest of the shot remains dark and cool.

As the flames rise, so does the camera. There is a gradual pan up following the flames and drawing our attention to chief of police. The camera travels the length of his body and eventually flips to reveal his face, bringing us to one of my favorite shots in the film. The camera is at a high angle as the chief of police looks up, the raging fire reflecting in his dark glasses. There is something ominous about the fact that he is wearing sunglasses at night, which seems fitting for a character meant to represent the powerful and mythical Poseidon. In his round lenses we have high apparent contrast between the flames and the rest of his outfit, but also symbolic contrast in the sense that Poseidon is the god of water, while this man deals in fire. I also can’t help but wonder if this scene is an homage to the iconic reflective sunglasses of a near identical character in Cool Hand Luke, where the absence of eyes makes the antagonist all the more menacing. The scene quickly crescendos in both sound and sight, with loud gunshots and screaming accompanying the chaotic fire. This scene makes a graceful transition from dark, quiet, and peaceful, to bright, noisy, and chaotic. 

You can watch the scene here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPImdMknAO4 

[michaela-at-au]

Michaela: Actor/Writer

Emma Claire: Actor/Writer

JJ: Producer/Director

Caroline: Film/Editing

Rain’s Rustle: Leonid Afremov

Michaela + Emma: Writing via Google Docs

JJ (all of us really): Sunday completely devoted to filming

Caroline: Editing will happen throughout the week

Park:...

[clairedelunefilms]

About two or three years ago, I allowed my poor eyesight to transform from being a bother to being an inspiration. I used to be truly annoyed at my inability to see anything beyond the reach of my arm, but now my nearsightedness is integral to my artistic vision. I am fascinated by the concept of sight in general, but especially how we culturally and individually determine the “right” and “wrong” ways of seeing. I am told that my glasses correct my point of view, but really, they are just adjusting it so that I can see like everyone else. What I take my glasses off, I can see perfectly fine – I just see a different world.

         I wanted to explore this concept through a series of photographs. The first piece is the most literal: what a scene looks like both with and without glasses. The beauty of editing software is that you can change a photograph to show people what you want them to see, but this literal representation still didn’t feel right. There are more ways to see the world than just “clear” and “blurry,” and I wanted to capture all different perspectives. The focus for the series quickly became framing, and how things can look differently when framed in a certain way. I wanted to emphasis the contrast between what is in the frame versus what’s outside it, so I changed the levels of clarity, color, exposure, and saturation.

         Above are my ten favorite compositions from the series. Some of them were highly staged, such as the apples and the glass; others, however, were stumbled upon by pure chance, such as the American flag. Something I love about photography and cinematography is that the best shots are rarely staged, but rather, they are discovered. 

[clairedelunefilms]

UNF Advertisement

I chose this photograph from the UN Foundation flickr page. First of all, something about smiling children encourages people to want to help. This photograph is also aesthetically pleasing for an advertisement, as the subjects are concentrated in the southeastern half of the page, leaving the northwestern corner uncluttered, and available for text. I paired an old saying with the inexpensive donation requirements to create the slogan – the first thing a person would see upon finding this advertisement. The eyes are then lead down to a smaller text box that goes into more detail about the program. Finally, I placed contact information in the bottom right hand corner for balance. 

[clairedelunefilms]

Record Of A Life

Approaching the curved wall of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs, I did not expect to see such a tightly arranged collage of artwork. Each picture spoke its own story, and yet, they all weaved together to describe the human experience. On this wall I observed moments of passionate joy paired with moments of severe tragedy. The nationally remembered paired with the extremely personal.

Glancing through these images, one of them caught my eye in particular.  What first struck me about Record Of A Life was its obvious usage of contrast, color, symmetry, and framing. What kept me looking, however, was its content. Many of the bordering photographs exhibited the kind of devastation or delight that we can put a name on. That is, a scene from our history we recognize as a specific war, or notable Olympic game. I knew right away that this photo would require outside research, and that made it all the more intriguing.

Preston Gannaway won the Pulitzer in 2008 for Record Of A Life, a photograph featuring cancer victim Carolynne St. Pierre and her family. The image is divided into thirds, each fragment an individual story that narrates the bigger picture. The left side of the photograph is easiest to decipher: loved ones surround a person who is gravely ill. The deep blue of the bedroom wall contrasts strongly with the light pink in the room to the right, which shows a teenage girl doing her hair in the mirror. The center of the photo is a wall that’s symbolic presence is just as important as its physical presence. In terms of composition, the wall serves to accentuate the many lines and geometric shapes in the scene, from the picture frames to the mirror. Symbolically, it separates the two scenes, although they are clearly happening in the same place at the same time. Both scenes are framed by open doors, and the mirror further frames the girl on the right. The photograph manages to have elements of both symmetry and asymmetry: the scenes are balanced in size, shape, and distance from the center, but are also asymmetrical as they contain different amounts people and clutter.

What I did not know upon viewing this photograph was that it is actually part of a series. The last few weeks of Carolynne St. Pierre are documented in a way that is artistically beautiful and tragically real. Over the course of 19 photographs, we see Carolynne coming to terms with death, her husband making funeral arrangements, and her three children saying final goodbyes. I was immensely moved in clicking through these heart-breaking photographs, and I returned to Record Of A Life with a new appreciation and understanding. The girl on the right is Melissa St. Pierre, Carolynne’s daughter. The photo’s description explains that she is preparing for a gymnastic meet, and that she has been spending less time at home as her mother gets sicker. The fragmented nature of this photo emphasizes one of the hardest parts of dealing with grief: life goes on. When a loved one suffers from terminal illness, there are still gymnastic meets to prepare for in the other room. This doesn’t desensitize Melissa, but rather, compels the viewer to feel her pain. She has to balance the bright pink world of school, friends, and gymnastics on the right with the blue reality of a dying mother on the left. 

Proof that I went to the Newseum (I didn't think it appropriate to take a selfie next to such an emotionally heavy photograph).

[clairedelunefilms]

Little Moments of Greatness

            The list my partner and I were given was challenging, but not impossible. Some items were easy to find, such as “Circles,” “Something Red,” and “Water.” Other items proved more difficult to find, such as “Nature Fighting Back,” and “Someone in Uniform.” On our way to the Newseum, Michaela Blain and I organized our lists by pairing up each Item with an Element/Principle of Art. We attempted to create one coherent list, but sitting there on the Metro we realized that some of these shots we would just have to stumble upon.

            And we did. But these moments were not simply handed to us: we found them because we kept our eyes open. Art is a conversation between the artist and that which they hope to capture, and this project help me to develop those “conversational skills.” A successful artist must always keep their eyes open. A keen photographer should be able to notice balance with the blink of an eye; capture contrast with the click of the shutter; and see the exposure, framing, parallelism, textures, and patterns of the world in a way that is so practiced it becomes instinct. This scavenger hunt was made possible by turning ordinary happenstances into little moments of greatness. 

[clairedelunefilms]

Photo Scavenger Hunt

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[clairedelunefilms]

September 25th, 2014 - A series of exploratory cell phone shots around campus. Already I am beginning to notice shapes, colors, and patterns more consciously than before starting college. I can feel my appreciate of the oft unnoticed contours and contrasts of the world expanding, and I am so excited to begin working with more advanced equipment and editing software. 

[clairedelunefilms]

            Upon typing “Magazine advertisement” into Google, I received a plethora of bright, colorful, and busy search results. The page was crowded with hair products, designer shoes, luxury vacations, and cologne that comes in more scents than grains of sand. The first image that my eyes stuck to had me recalling a quote from The Non-Designer’s Design Book about the use of negative space: “an ad that has lots of white space within it stands out on the page, and a reader’s eyes can’t help but be drawn to it” (Williams 138).

            Pepperidge Farm’s popular snack food, Goldfish crackers, uses the power of white space in its advertisement. In a magazine, Pepperidge Farms no doubt anticipated its page to be surrounded by flashy advertisements, as is common in the magazine business. Flipping through a magazine, one might become acclimated to the bold colors and crowded pages, when all of the sudden, one turn of the page brings you to something new. The strong contrast of the Goldfish advertisement draws attention, whether consciously or subconsciously. The ample white space combats the clutter of the rest of the magazine.

            From a design standpoint, an abundance of visual elements and principles are employed wisely. For example, there is clear alignment throughout the page: a vertical line down the center, and smaller text flushed left in the corner. There is noticeable repetition in the falling Goldfish, and a variety of texture, from the smooth cheese to the rough grater. The type font is easy to read, but also subtle: it does not assault the eyes, but rather, gently draws them in. The shape of the piece lends itself to an organic rhythm: although there is obvious alignment in the falling Goldfish, their path is curved and slightly scattered, implying natural motion. 

            From a message standpoint, Pepperidge Farms successfully uses color, semiotics, and general creativity to convey a specific meaning. The overall color pallet is very down-to-earth, using mostly warm, subdued colors to create an organic, healthy aura. Most of the Goldfish crackers are the same color of the cheese block, emphasizing the text at the bottom that reads “baked with real cheese.” The ad avoids usage of more candy-esque, “less healthy” looking colors to convey the message that, although they are a tasty snack for kids, they also have real health value. Nothing in the page diverts from this organic pallet. The ad is playful enough to attract children, and professional enough to make parents consider purchasing Goldfish.

            Finally, Pepperidge Farm advertisers creatively draw on semiotics to design a simple, message-bearing, and comprehensible ad. The image of the Goldfish cracker is already iconic enough that it needs no explanation: once a symbol has reached that stage in its life, advertisers have more creative freedom. The ad tells its viewers that its crackers are made from real cheese by artfully implying that the cheese itself turns right into Goldfish. Our eyes can recognize the iconic snack food the instant we see the page, making this message easy to translate. The only extra advertising needed is a small Goldfish bag in the corner – a more official logo than the falling crackers – and a short tagline that is the same color as three of the Goldfish. The designers of this advertisement clearly knew what they were doing, as they cleverly used many elements and principles of art and design.

[clairedelunefilms]

UN Foundation Post #2: Strengths & Weaknesses

A particular strength of the United Nation Foundation’s new campaign is its mood. The positive music (described by Ben Pickup as “upbeat corporate) manages to be optimistic without sounding overly cliché or bubbly. They skillfully emulate a flagship quotation said by their founder: “You do not have to be a world leader — or even a billionaire — to make an impact. If we are going to turn things around, we all need to do our part to make it happen. Change starts with you.” One thing that could be added to the campaign, perhaps, would be clearer instruction on how to get involved. They visibly convey the message that “change starts with you,” but there could be more emphasis on HOW that change starts in the first place.

I believe our class can offer a fresh perspective on the United Nation Foundation’s goal of reaching youth. Often times, bringing new eyes into a project generates a wealth of ideas that may have been previously overlooked. Also, we can think about the campaign from two separate perspectives: both as designers and as audience members. We will endeavor to use the skills learned in class to aid in the design of the campaign, while also having inside opinions on what would appeal to our demographic.