Module 3 - Party On

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMzPOYrQOoo&feature=youtube_gdata

Please see my attached video on Architecture and Interior design.

Module 3 - Imaginative Bridges-Part 3 - Ready, Set, Jeopardy

http://www.gilligcoaches.net/JeopardySetDesignProposal.JPG

There is one TV show I do watch, almost in Rain-Man like fashion and that is Jeopardy. I love the competitive nature of the game, while keeping the atmosphere as relaxed as possible. The All-Blue theme is subdued, promoting all those brains to think about the answers that are awaiting questions to be asked. The set-up is straight-lined where Alex Trebek stands between the contestants and the TV screens that carry the answers. The background is very plain, so distractions are kept to a minimum. The TV screens are basically eye height for most contestants, keeping eyestrain down and the word “JEOPARDY” is spelled out in large letters behind Trebek’s podium. This whole stage is geared toward showing off the people and their brainpower, not self-promotion.

If I could paint my room a neutral blue that would be sweet, but as an Art Room I probably would end up painting murals and other things that would distract the students’ attention. I stand between the students and the white board, just like Trebek, and deliver information about the lesson. Otherwise, as I have said before, my room is very plain. It is set up to promote creativity while providing artistic samples of artwork throughout the centuries. 

Dave, Oprah - Oprah, Dave

I see David Letterman’s set as masculine and Oprah Winfrey’s set as feminine. Dave has (from right to left) the hard line of desk, chairs, (open space for monolog/acts) and then the band. Oprah’s set is easily changed and has no secure format; it changes to fit the need of her guests. There can be soft chairs in a close setting, or the stage can be wiped clean in seconds if there is a performance by a guest/act. The background of Letterman’s set has bee the skyline of New York for decades. It changes every once in a while, but it stays the same at the same time conceptually. As I flip through Yahoo Images, I see Oprah’s background changes readily. http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/qvKaDcd1gUo/Nicole+Kidman+Keith+Urban+Oprah+Show/KidqdI3m6Kn/Keith+Urban shows Oprah standing in front of a large pixilated TV screen, while http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images%3Fp%3Doprah%2Bwinfrey%2Bstage%26b%3D22%26ni%3D21%26ei%3Dutf-8%26xargs%3D0%26pstart%3D1%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701-s%26fr2%3Dsg-gac&w=625&h=417&imgurl=www.palmspringslife.com/core/includes/phpThumb/phpThumb.php%3Fsrc%3D/Palm-Springs-Life/May-2010/PSST-Chocolate-Lovers-Indulge-With-Oprah/THEOPR1.cc.jpg%26amp;w%3D627%26amp;q%3D85&rurl=http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/May-2010/PSST-Chocolate-Lovers-Indulge-With-Oprah/&size=69KB&name=Oprah+Winfrey+in...&p=oprah+winfrey+stage&oid=ff15c2a9f9c25635beb8b6c358432287&fr2=sg-gac&no=29&tt=7320&b=22&ni=21&sigr=133qngo2v&sigi=156ur47ht&sigb=141kffmpm&.crumb=eLfjfK2olsh has Oprah standing in front of a mock-fireplace and http://www.chicagoscenic.com/images/gallery/tv/08-oprah-02.jpg shows a multi-TV laden stage, complete with a fake guest for set up. I am not that much of a TV watcher, so neither set stirs up many feelings, or emotions. I see both as being practical, but Dave’s is more professional and Oprah’s as more interchangeable. 

Module 3 - Imaginative Bridges-Part 2

I enjoyed looking at everybody's pictures on Facebook. I can tell that you all like the luxurious life. I prefer to keep things simple for a variety of reasons; mostly: I am hard on material things. Some people are just meant for quaint, small, secure areas, not the Ritz. If I were to go into some of those buildings, with their bright color walls and carpeting, I would feel like Jed Clampet moving his kin folk into the mansion on Beverly Hillbillies. If I were host, or guest, in one of those wide open spaces, it would seem as I would not be paying you any attention, because my mind would be wandering all over the room. The tree mural on the wall, the staggering wall system, even the decoration on the wall would all be cannon fodder for my mind. I like it small and simple. Give me nature on the outside and simplistic on the inside. If you can keep me close, you can keep my attention.

Module 3 - Imaginative Bridges

The only way I can think of bridging this assignment into my classroom is how I can set up my personal space. Mostly, I am at the mercy of each building, with this year actually having a room, this being a rarity. I usually get to push an Art Cart from classroom to classroom and I have to adapt to each teacher’s design. When I do get the chance to set up a room, I make it very practical. My walls are filled up with art posters and I tell my students that they will fill in the holes with their artwork. The buildings I am in are all about my age or older (45). My own children go to a rural district and the buildings here are only 10 years old, or less. It would be nice to have updated architecture, but not mandatory. I can think of 1000 other things to spend all that money on instead.

Smaller Is Better

Why do some people feel that bigger is better? As I read the Susanka articles, I get the feeling that they think the only beauty in architectural interiors means having large, open spaces, with vaulted, or cathedral ceilings. Pump in some artificial lighting and decorate the walls with attached ornaments and the room will be like heaven on Earth. I am quite the opposite. My idea of cozy is simplistic. If you give me a small, two-room cabin, with windows to let in the sunlight, I am the happiest camper in the park.

The picture I chose is off the Internet (http://www.tinyhousetalk.com/wp-content/uploads/tiny-cabin-living-and-fireplace.png), but it loosely reminds me of a friend’s cabin near Rose City, MI. He has a three-room cabin that has minimal lighting (a 50’s style, round florescent in the “kitchen” area (this includes the dining area and wood burning, pot-belly stove) and a moth-stained 60-Watt light bulb in the “living” area (this includes two fold-away couches/beds and a recliner. The bedrooms are just large enough to hold bunks and have no lighting at all, just windows to let in the sun. Toss in a TV and hunting gear and you have his cabin…the coziest place on Earth. The picture is very simple, shows how natural lighting is provided and demonstrates how to provide and keep heat in a small, enclosed area. Smaller areas bring people closer together and tighter bonds result from that closeness. The furniture situation needs only to accommodate maximum capacity and creative thinking can have that furniture double as the bedding. Go ahead and keep your large, expansive rooms, with all of the unnatural lighting and appeal. For me, I prefer to stay out in the woods in a cabin that will bring its inhabitants closer together.

Module 2 - Imaginative Bridges

I try not to use too much video in my classroom; it can be an addictive tool. I have seen some teachers that implement at least one or two videos per week and it becomes more of a babysitter, than a teaching tool. They show cartoons, or musical based videos that have nothing to do with an assignment and I find it wrong. I only get to see my students for one hour per week and I try to utilize as much of that time with personal contact as possible. This is not to say I do not believe in videos in the classroom, rather they should be used sparingly and should have direct impact on the lesson being presented. 

The Real Detroit Video & Commentary - Module 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKTY3OUqk34

During this year’s Super Bowl, Chrysler presented an ad that showed a lot of Detroit’s finest points (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc). The commercial was an instant hit with a lot of people, not just because it showed positive things, but it represented a city that is on the verge of resurrection. Detroit has long been associated with urban decay and corrupt government. The city has lost a million citizens and the businesses that were there to support it over the last 50 years, but it still presses on. I thought the commercial was very well written, narrated and presented. The filming of the commercial was very much “NYPD Blue,” with the camera wagging all over and having many little clips spliced together to form a single shot. The narration is all about how Detroit is its own entity and speaks loudly about the character of the city’s resilience. Detroit is best known for being the birthplace of the automobile assembly line and the production of cars since then. The music of the commercial starts off slow and subdued. It builds up through a continuous, choppy guitar 4-count strum to a choir on the Fox Theater stage crescendo. Musician, Eminem presents the pitch-point, “This is the Motor City and this is what we do,” just before a “Imported From Detroit” slogan appears on a white on black background over a Chrysler emblem.

Our assignment was to develop a “compelling” video, with a twist; try to stay away from the normal “Aww” and “Ooh” getters. As I struggled with this assignment I contemplated the absurd: a toilet paper commercial for related a body part (complete with music naming the location), but did not wish to offend my classmates, or professor. I also thought about the touchy-feely: a commercial that drums up support for your local fire department. I really had a hard time thinking of what I can do that is compelling, with a twist, without being gross, or sappy. It was not until late Friday night (10 February 2011) that the idea of twisting the Chrysler 200 ad hit me. BUT, when it did come to me, it was very clear how I wanted to shoot my portions and what items I wanted to include. The video I chose to shoot was contrary to Chrysler’s. We both intentionally set out to show a side of Detroit that needed to be displayed. Detroit has a lot to offer, but it also has a lot to avoid. I wanted my viewers to experience this through the imagery.

I called up a friend of mine and asked him to be my cameraman as I drove around Detroit, looking for items of opportunity. We strafed the neighborhoods, shooting targets of opportunity and used the Chrysler 200 commercial for a loose template on certain things (The Fist of Joe Louis, the flag pole left behind from Tiger Stadium at Michigan/Trumbull). The Chrysler Headquarters is up in Auburn Hills, but I had to drive past it on my way to Detroit, so it became fodder, plus, since I was making a parody of their commercial, fitting. We started filming at the Detroit Zoo and zigzagged our way through some of the neighborhoods looking for dilapidation and decay. It was not hard to find necessary footage. We were very happy when we came across a few dogs at a street corner. One of the dogs, as if on cue, started rummaging through a plastic bag on the ground, looking for food. We saw some graffiti that said, “Please Kill Me,” but we did not get a clear enough shot of it and I could not implement it into my video. Yhat would have fit very well into my version. As I was editing the footage we had just taken, I thought of closing out my parody with an M&M character as a twist on Chrysler using Eminem for their spokesman; just a weird sense of humor thrown in my video.

For my background music, I chose Black Sabbath’s, E5150, which is an intro to Mob Rules. The long, choppy guitar gave me ample time to narrate my question/story about Detroit. It took forever for me to play the song with Windows Media Player, record it with Audacity and convert it to a WAV file for usage. It was hard to get the music volume loud enough to be heard, without being competitive with the narration. After the background was established, I had to go back, switch around the footage pieces and make them fit the timing of the sound. It was quite the experience.

Video Project

I don't know about you, but this video project has me quite stumped. I have done tons of artistic flat work, but video? I have no clue what "compelling" theme to promote. 2 days left though...better get going.

Product Placement Productions Presents:

What kind of imaginative bridge can I talk about between film/television and an art class? Without art, there is no film or television. Art is the foundation between the two entities. It takes composition and lighting. It takes item placement and viewpoints. It takes colors and design too. You name it; art has had a hand in what we find appealing in today’s world. The question is: How much does art play a roll in the making of a movie, or TV show?

How many times have you watched a moving picture show and said, “I can do that!” Making quality film productions is not as easy as you might think. You have to think about the camera angle, the lighting, the composition, and the placement of every item within the shot. The facial features of the actors, or the contortions thereof, can lead to negative viewing. What would you do if your actor had a huge mole on their left cheek and had to film a love seen? You would shoot it so the camera only sees his right cheek. A case in point for product placement would be Budweiser’s Bud Light Super Bowl Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trc9Nu_e6qE

Doritos Ad Review For FB

http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/?finalist=7861

Just like a true kid….wait until the last minute to do something they have been asked to take care of.

I was sitting around the TV with 12 firemen when this commercial came on. We were judging all the commercials while waiting for the Super Bowl to come back on. It was like being at a teenage party and somebody says something dumb. The riotous laugh that came up when Grandpa’s ashes hit the floor was real loud. We knew what was going to happen before they even showed it. They did not need to literally show the reunion, but it was cool.

Now, coming from an artist’s viewpoint, I can find the humor very easy in this ad. The music is not overbearing; just a series of guitar strums accented with a continuous drop-snare beat, which was interrupted with the dropping of the ashes onto the floor.  30 seconds moves by real fast with all of the action that takes place, from the guy watching TV to all the clean up and resurrecting via the power of Doritos. The guy’s face looks painful as he is desperately sprinkling Doritos into the fish tank and confused when the fish comes back to life. He tries again with the dead plant and has that “Yeah, I’m Good” look when it works again. The last look we get of the bad house sitter is “Oh Crap, how is this going to work” as he hears the key enter the lock. But, how many people notice that the guy barely quits munching the Doritos, even as Mikey and Grandpa hug all over each other? Personally, I liked the Doritos ad that had the guy sucking the finger & sniffing the pants of his coworkers. This was disturbing, but funny at the same time.

Crossing Video Over To My Room

Working in the Lansing School District presents a lot of challenges; one of which is the lack of available technology. I teach in three different buildings and one has me doing "Art-on-a-cart." You try showing a video to 10 different classrooms when each teacher has different set-ups (if any at all).

I would love to be able to create a "documentary" about different art movements and the artists that worked in each. If I ever get the opportunity to use technology in my art class, the kids eat it up. The trick is to make the subject matter interesting, so that the students do not just phase out and ignore what the lesson. I did find and present a cartoon video biography about Leonardo da Vinci. I usually have "Tootsie Roll Quizzes" when I give art history, but I made this one real interesting. I placed $2 on my desk and challenged my 5th graders to get 100% on my test. One of the questions had obscure information, but I told them to listen very hard to one particular section. Needless to say, I kept my $2

For those that ask what a "Tootsie Roll Quiz" is - I present biographical information (movie, reading, lecture...) and the students get to take notes. I ask Who, What, Where, When, Why & How questions and the kids get to use them notes to answer the questions. As I administer the quiz, I walk around the room, repeating the information over and over, throwing Tootsie Rolls to the first child to answer my question correctly. I give the quiz again a week later, but without the notes and it is amazing how well the kids remember the information. Try it!

Video Information

Hi All!

Would it surprise you if I told you I hate to read? I do! I hate it with a passion. I used to be involved with "Speed Reading" a long time ago, but even that became boring. I would finish off a book in one day and I never spent time burning off energy (highly necessary for somebody with ADHD).

We are starting to work with video...yea!! We are narrowing this down by talking about documentaries and research video. To me, one of the best documentary videos has to be Ken Burns - Baseball, a nine "inning" saga that talks about the origins of the game and brings you up to modern day. As a baseball freak, this history on speed is just the thing that interests me.