Hero: Art Movie Reflection

Hero: Art Movie Reflection

1)    Hero is a very serious and thought-provoking movie; it contains no humor, which is usually found in movies made to please a mass-market audience. In addition, Hero lacks a distinct beginning, middle and end. It focuses, rather, on the thoughts (fabricated stories and real flashbacks) of Nameless and the King’s true and false suspicions of the stories he is told. The movie’s somewhat abstract storyline can result in initial confusion for the average viewer. Finally, Hero contains extremely surreal elements (such as lack of gravity and color changing scenes), which do not appear in box-office movies.

2)    I believe the director succeeded in making Hero an inclusive movie in several ways. Rather than crafting an extremely nonsensical plot, Zhang Yimou appeals to the logically minded (and Hollywood-accustomed) by creating a linear storyline (although each original story within the plot is re-told). In addition, he refrains from using too many strange effects (i.e. odd-looking or misplaced costumes, subjects or colors), focusing primarily on the beauty found in bodily movement and in small, everyday objects and situations (i.e. rain drops falling on metal).

3)    I absolutely loved this movie!! Ever since I can remember I have had a huge admiration for Asian culture, and specifically for martial arts (they take so much discipline and focus!). Previous to watching Hero, my idea of an art movie consisted of a frustratingly ludicrous string of ugly and unusual videos. I guess that icky stereotype was reinforced by the fact that I had only ever seen a few badly made, short art films. Hero, however, was incredibly different and beautiful. It really made me stop, think and appreciate how the human mind works in relation to the natural world around us.

4)    In the Golden Forest scene, the color yellow plays a huge role in enhancing the action sequences between Flying Snow and Broken Sword’s servant-girl. Aside from providing a beautiful and striking contrast between the red garments worn by both women, the dreamy color reflects Flying Snow’s inner sentiment; she does not wish to fight, having already slain Broken Sword herself. As the scene progresses, however, the color seems to take on a new energy. As Flying Snow concedes to the servant’s demand of combat, the bright leaves become her main weapon in destroying her enemy’s advances.

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3D Apocalyptic Scene: Brainstorming

3D Apocalyptic Scene: Brainstorming

a)     What do you think could be a possible end of the world? How do you think this particular disaster would affect the physical environment? (i.e. Would there be a lot of explosions, charred buildings, etc.)

I think that a possible end to civilization could be a result of the world’s increasingly power-thirsty governments (specifically in China, North Korea and America). I believe it is almost inevitable that modern civilization will collapse in a nuclear war between these world superpowers, with the rich of each country cleverly using the poor and uneducated (by convincing them that they are noble rebels) to further their own causes. In regards to the physical environment, I think there would be a lot of dead trees and strange new plants (perhaps growing out of broken machinery), destroyed buildings and transportation systems (e.g. a train track covered in rubble and/or crumbling roadways and car wrecks), and scattered pools of water.

b)    What particular aspect do you think you would like to show in your piece of art? Ex. The psychology of the survivors, the physical world and how it’s been rebuilt? Perhaps a more positive world, where we are ecologically and socially harmonious with the future landscapes?

I think I would like to focus on the way the survivors re-build their civilization and the ways in which they tailor the old world to fit their new, harder way of life (e.g. they could be using old car parts to hoe their crude garden). I will also strive to show a sense of hope emanating from the people in the scene.

c)     What are ten things that you think would survive the disaster that you would like to portray? Why do you think these things in particular would make it?

-       Machinery parts (for use as tools)

-       Car shells (for use as boats)

-       Oil barrels

-       A tattered swing-set and/or children’s toys

-       An old fall-out shelter or crumbling buildings

-       Cracking pavement

-       Gas masks

-       A broken TV or computer

-       Tattered furniture

-       Rats and insects

I think that these things would survive because, in places where nuclear bombs were dropped previously (such as Nagasaki and Hiroshima), most metal and well-made technology and wooden objects did survive, as well as insects.

d)    What could serve as a symbol of hope in your picture?

I think a little child could serve as hope in my picture (he or she could be playing with car or machinery parts as toys while being watched by a parent). They will serve as a reminder that there will be another generations of humans in the future.

e)     Take a look at the art or T&T (Tyler Brett and Tony Romano), specifically, Onward Future. These artists depict a future that can be recognized because their vision is based on trends we see around us now. They offer a chance to imagine and understand what the future may possibly hold. What do you think about their art? What do you think makes their work appealing to others?

I think the pieces made by Tyler Brett and Tony Romano are very logical, clear, and almost cute in their depiction of life after disaster. Although their artwork is not quite “my style” (I would probably not create post-apocalyptic scenes using their techniques), I think what I mentioned above could be factors in why it is appealing to many. Their color schemes and illustration style remind me of my childhood Tintin comic books, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

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Photography Contact Sheet

"The Invisible" Montage: Reflection

Name: Antonette Nolan

Montage Title: This Is War

Medium: Photoshop

Date: Friday, February 20th 2015

Technical

            Within This Is War I used several new tools and technical steps that I had not previously had much experience with. These include using the clone stamp on the forest behind the cabin, refining the edges by feathering when deleting the background surrounding the body of Christ (and other images), and opacity changes on nearly all layers.

Idea or Concept

            My initial idea of “The Invisible” consisted mainly of the dangers and evil (demonic influences, Satan) found both in the spiritual realm and on earth, the moral entities (angels, God) and the two forces' connection with humanity. The concept changed slightly as I worked on the art, however. I found myself viewing the piece as a representation of spiritual warfare more and more as I progressed. This, obviously, lead me to title the piece This Is War. The missiles and bombs, soldiers, and gas mask impart a sense of the tension and 'war' between good and evil. Even the feathers, to me, speak of war. As a child I was nearly always pretending that I was a Native American or Amazon warrior (I guess that is inevitable when growing up with a lot of fairly violent brothers), and thus the feathers remind me of fistfights and wrestling ('wars') of days past.

Influences

            No particular artist (that I can think of!) influenced my work in this project. I did, however, find myself contemplating several hip human rights-focused Facebook pages and their promotional material when I was working on the montage. I think that they at least may have affected how I used different opacity levels in certain areas (especially the gas mask within the clock face).

Composition

            I balanced the composition asymmetrically, with most of the “weight” in This Is War on the left side (specifically in my dark portrait photo). I intended most of the emphasis in the montage to be on the portrait, and believe I succeeded for the most part through use of contrast and uniqueness (my face and the peacock feather are eye-grabbing as a result of both the stark difference in value and because the feather is in an unusual place), and size (the portrait is by far the largest photo in the foreground). My eyes first focus on the portrait of myself on the left, then move up and right to the cabin, the clock face, the figure of Christ, and the gas mask in the right-hand corner. They then move down the figure’s legs and with the soldiers and flying birds to the middle of the window. They follow the lighter birds down to the rocket and missiles near the bottom left-hand corner and keep with the flock of birds which moves up and towards the leopard’s open mouth and body (which leads back to the Christ’s corpus). Each of the images is placed on a specific angle and made a certain size in order to push the viewer’s eye in a circular motion around the entire montage.

Motivation

            I have, as I explained in my brainstorming piece, always had an interest in both good and evil spiritual influences on earth. My strong conviction that calling up demons “for fun” is incredibly ignorant and dangerous was, I suppose, the real ‘backbone’ in terms of this piece’s motivation. I wanted to explore and create visual depictions of the very real threat that Satanic activities pose to the human soul.

Critical Assessment

            Personally, I found the figure of Christ and the gas mask on the clock face the most interesting and successful part of the entire montage. The opacity differences and overlap of layers really surprised me with an edgy-yet-classy end result. If I had had additional time, I believe that I may have replaced the image of the log cabin with another that ‘goes with the flow’ in a more seamless manner. As well, I would attempt to load and use new bird brushes; I had to reuse (and thus rotate and erase parts) of the few I had access to. 

"The Invisible" Montage: This Is War