Senior Footprint Project

Introduction

My senior footprint video was created with the intention of telling a story with as little use of words possible. I created a video showing my journey through high school which I learned in the past 4 years. Choices, was my topic as I demonstrate using lighting and angles to tell a high school story of the common choices every high schooler will have to make. Lighting and Angles give my video the emotional connection and say the words that aren’t heard.

Side Lighting

Rodrigo Cunha: Senior Footprint Project

Within this scene the use of lighting started off the story as it shows an angel and a devil opposing on my shoulders. The use of side lighting is essential to demonstrate the two choices where half of my face is covered in shadows and the other half is bright, this creates a conflicted, mysterious, or dangerous look to the subject. Side lighting allowed me to go wherever I really want to with the video because it was used in the very beginning of the video, as this is a very relatable topic the viewer understands the conflict in this story where every student has had to make similar decisions.

High Angle

Rodrigo Cunha: Senior Footprint Project

This scene successfully uses high angle photography to bestow an overlooking character on me, as I had made a bad decision and listened to the devils conscience I was caught cheating. The use of high angle photography is this scene gives the audience a sense of the subject being weak, powerless, and trapped as in this case the angered teacher looks much bigger and powerful is looking down at me. The audience is effected by high angle as they feel my fear and resent the bad decision I made and almost root for me to change.

Non-Diegetic Sound

Rodrigo Cunha: Senior Footprint Project

This scene was the climax in my movie where I decide to make the change and listen to my good conscience and do the correct thing, the change in song to a more exciting happy song tells the audience something has changed and becomes a more vibrant mood in the video. The use of non-diegetic sound sets a reaction and a mood from the audience where the characters in the movie can’t here but it helping the acting tell the story. This clip of the movie had the best use of the non diegetic sound as within the scene the use of high key lighting was also used to create a happy, and joyful change in the movie as it had all been black and white and downhill.

Conclusion

The use of many different techniques helped me achieve my goal of telling my story of how the choice of doing the correct thing is going to make you happier than doing the wrong thing. Where the system of high school is very hard to make your way around kids normally believe that they can and end up struggling more than the person who isn’t cheating, fighting, or sleeping in. The use of angles, lighting, and non-diegetic sound in my movie told the full story which began with me making bad decisions and being unhappy, afterwards flashing back to the beginning and showing exactly what it would be if I had been good. The theme of my story accomplished my goal of showing each viewer how high school is made of decisions and you can make it easy or make it hard by doing right or by doing wrong.

Joyful Lighting

Introduction

The film Edward Scissorhands starred a man created by an inventor, the death of his inventor who he believed was his father left Edward as an unfinished creation. His appearance and lack of social knowledge left him neglected by the suburbs he lived in. Tim Burton the director of the film uses different resources regarding emotions and tones by using lighting and angles to generate a feel of the film. The targeted technique utilized by Tim Burton is high key lighting, where the lighting in the scenes are made to create a bright and open looking scene, giving the feeling of happiness, joy, and peace.

Scene Analysis 1

Edward within this scene is being given an early Christmas present from his Inventor inside the cookie factory where he was created. It was a small moment of joy and peace where Edward and The Inventor believed this was the final touch to make him appear normal. High key lighting is used in this scene to create a euphoria for the viewer as well as feel Edwards emotions. The flooding of light all throughout the image represent the joy, happiness, and peace which allow the viewer to take part in being joyful for the characters in the scene.

Scene Analysis 2

Once Edward was found by Peg and welcomed into her home with a real family, Edward began to cut anything that needed cutting as essentially thats all he knew how to do. He wasn’t welcomed very well by the public, he picked up attention from the people in the neighborhood that he cut almost anything well. He began to cut hair of the women and kids in the backyard of his new home and he was content with the positive attention he was receiving. The use of high key lighting in this scene is crucial towards the viewer as a sign of happiness, and peace. Viewers are effected by how bright everything within the scene looks and make the viewer feel glad for Edward and how the community is accepting him for who he is and how he has overcome this big adversity.

Conclusion

Tim Burton uses high key lighting to portrait happiness throughout the film to give the viewer hope and a different view of how good and bad people can be once something different comes around. The scattered use of high key lighting in points of the film generate a relationship with Edward and the viewer, of good intention, and makes the viewer want to see Edward succeed and happy. The use of Lighting to create an emotional connection with the viewer is very important because doing so tells much more of a story than just the use of words. Without lighting there is no distinction in between joyful and depressed. On the other hand without the subject of the scene saying or doing anything the tone as been set by lighting. Tim Burton did a very good job with the use of this technique because he drew the viewer in to the joyful scene and connected with them. Once the viewer was hooked he dropped a very different mood of despair which made the movie unpredictable and told a very good story.

Show the Story

Introduction

Tim Burton uses diverse angles and specific lighting to create and generate a well told story that make sound irrelevant. He directed the animated film “Vincent” which told the story of a young boy who lived a normal life, in contrary his imagination told a dark story about what his intentions are.

Alive in The Darkness

As Vincent is coming in through a hall filled with light he drags his way towards a dark room, as he stumbles into the darkness his imagination takes over. The author uses Low Key Lighting as the picture floods with darkness and barely any light is present, Tim Burton does this to create suspense and suspicion. Doing this he conveys to the viewer a scary thought with a lot of suspicion within the reader.

Two Sided

Once Vincents imagination is set off he looks around in his room with his face covered by light on one side and none on the other. The director used the lighting technique of side lighting where half of the subject is covered by light and the other half is within a shadow. The technique is used to create tension and make Vincent seem dangerous. The director used this to make sure the viewer understands that his imaginations aren’t something light they are mysterious and dangerous.

Photo by Tina Floersch on Unsplash

Conclusion

Lighting is the most clear way to translate something to a viewer, a picture tells a story. The story of Vincent and how his normal life opposes his imagination can be told without words due to the different angles and different kinds of lighting. While words explain some things, lighting and angles make the viewer feel the story.

 

Presenting Success

“When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.” – Jose Mourinho

What does the common person think of when they here the word art? They think paintings, movies, sketches, sculptures, photoshop. Most of the time they think of something crafted by someone. Anything that is mastered or worked on by someone is a form of art.

 

Statue of David – Known as a famous piece of art a presentation

 

 

 

 

 

Camine Gallo published an article in Forbes that is titled  “70% Say presentation skills are critical for career success”. In soccer its the same way for most players today, they perform in practice get a salary make a team and when the day comes to present their skills to the world they either make it or just don’t impress as they should. For example the Brazil international team loss against Germany in 2014 they thought they were gonna win, and Brazil biggest loss they had ever had.

Meme of Brazils biggest loss

As Gallo states that the fear of presenting is very real in todays modern day America, for him he uses something to help him keep on track and new so that is it innovative and helps people understand how incisive and clear he wants to be. It’s very relatable to soccer coaches as people believe they are very cocky people they say their players are the best and his team, so all eyes are there and trusts himself and his team to perform and succeed. For example Jose Mourinho has so much trust in himself and the team he builds that he has won a major championship in every league! He doesn’t fail to impress many people. When he knows he’s gonna win he makes it clear before the game and intensifies his image to all that watch.

Jose Mourinho – Most successful manager ever

On a separate video David JP Phillips shares his thoughts on powerpoint and describes it as an art, then asks a question that puzzles me. “Why do power points look the way they look, how can we except the way they look as a form of presenting them for your well being?!” This quote is very similar to ads when it comes to presenting clothing or athletes, they want to present an athlete and get their word across with a slogan they created. For example the risk everything nike commercial where they got the worlds top players of different nationalities and placed them in this commercial in a very simple but interesting way.

Risk everything Nike commercial – Best and most known players from every country. 

“If it isn’t written, Write it yourself” Mr. Phillips says as he had gone through similar problems with boredom in presentations, he read books, searched for seminars, and tried books but then he came across this quote that sparked his intelligence in presenting. As in many of the players I have looked up to is because of the belief in the quote “If it isn’t written, write it yourself” because theirs no better way in presenting success if you don’t leave your comfort zone, or try something unexpected. Lionel Messi signed a contract at age 13 with FC Barcelona a famous club in Spain. He moved from Argentina to Barcelona and became the worlds best player 5 times.

Ronaldinho Gaucho – “King Of Barcelona”

Lionel Messi – Best player in the world 5 times

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The big idea of presenting is making it so its not one of the others. If its not written for you write it yourself and present it yourself, The big idea isn’t so big its simple but shows so much more intelligence in its simplicity.

“Im not a number i’m not the same, I different”

– Jose Mourinho