Art Review

I will be writing my review on William Christenberry’s Alabama Wall I. This piece was made with metal and tempera on wood in 1985. It is placed on the third floor in the East Wing of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. As a photographer, painter, and sculptor who works with personal themes from his childhood experiences in Alabama, Christenberry was able to take a piece of metal and make art. He explores his experience with Alabama landscape by cutting license plates, advertising signs, and rusted metal and quilting them together. With the help of bright colors, Christenberry is able to contrast the sense of age that came with the rusted metal. The bright strip of color makes the piece look fresh and compliments the old signs. I learned that the repeated “36” in the piece is the numerical code for Hale County, the city Christenberry is from. Coincidently it also happens to be the year of Christenberry’s birth. His use of repetition whether it is the use of “36” or the shape of the rectangles is appealing to the visual eye. The blue Royal Crown sign stands out along with the strip of grey and red metal because of their size and color. Christenberry makes sure that the cut up signs and licenses are harmoniously organized. The piece is also very detailed. The use of rust emphasizes the age of the licenses and the lifestyle of Hale County Alabama. The holes for metal bolts throughout the piece are a thoughtful touch that reminds its viewers that the piece is made of things that were once used for other purposes. Christenberry’s use of color, shapes, and texture work with one another to form a thoughtful and intriguing piece. Christenberry offers the growth and aging on the landscape of Alabama by using old and rust pieces of metal. He captures details of erosion and decay on the landmarks of his past by using fading signs. The colors, angles, lines, sizes, and shapes of the multiple structures that make up this piece are harmoniously brought together. The textures of the different pieces on the canvas are important to the structure as a whole. It separates colors, signs, and the idea of new and old. Christenberry is able to compress time in his piece by showing changes in the license plates and signs. Christenberry accurately depicts the imagery of his past and home of Hale County Alabama. He is able to produce meaningful pieces made out of simple items.

Website Review

http://perezhilton.com

I will be reviewing the infamous website, Perezhilton.com. With its pink background and pink headline, it is evident that the website seeks to engage females. Focused on “celebrity gossip, juicy celebrity rumors, and Hollywood gossip,” the blog is very direct. The “news stories” are posted from newest to oldest with different shades of pink to differentiate each story. Identifying the top story is as easy as navigating the whole website. On the right hand corner above the title in bold pink writing it says “Top story” in all capital letters with three stars right next to it. Full entries are not posted on the page. Instead there are bolded and bizarre titles that grab the attention of the readers. Not all but most articles are accompanied by a picture or video.

I think I can come to the conclusion that this website in not kid friendly. While gossiping about celebrities, Perez frequently references to drinking, drug use, sex, and physical appearance. The posts often uncensored, cruel, and contains profanity. It was not long until I came across celebrity photos showing breasts and crotches. The advertisements on the side of the site also says a lot about the audience and appropriateness of the site. The advertisements promote sex toys, alcohol, dating sites, perfume, and women’s clothing.

The different shades of pink and different fonts attract a specific audience. The videos and photographs make the page more visually appealing. The website with its different tabs and search bar at the top of the page is very easy to navigate. You can easily choose to look at the home page, read more about an article, or view just videos or photos.

The website is also constantly updating its content. It sends off the message that the site is always up to date and relevant. Although Perez Hilton’s blog successfully covers gossip about celebrities, it is understandable why it has been criticized. The site’s use of attitude and negativity can easily upset celebrities and other credible celebrity bloggers. The picture of Perez Hilton himself on the headline of the website makes it clear that he wants everyone to know who he is and what he has to say. Regardless of  its critics, the simple yet highlighted with color website seems to make a lasting impression on its users.

The Wizard of Oz Poster Review

The Wizard of Oz, one of the most famous movies of all time is about Dorothy Gale, a girl that in magical land that embarks on a journey to see the Wizard who can help her return home. Released in 1939, The Wizard of Oz is constantly referred to until today. Attracting people of all ages, the movie itself along with the poster is appealing to most.

The movie poster is clear and direct. The title written in a fancy gold font gives off the message that the film is elaborate. The irregular font along with the characters on the poster gives the audience an idea that the movie is not realistic.

Based off of the size and brightness of Dorothy’s face on the poster, it is obvious that she is the main character. Her  hair, tied in pigtails shows that she is young and innocent. She is holding the dog close to her to portray that she loves and cares for him. Dorothy is also surrounded by the lion, the tin man, and the scarecrow. This way you know that they are important characters. In the right hand corner there is a witch. Her face is blurry but it is clear that she has an evil face expression. To emphasize that she is a bad character in the film there is little light drawn towards her. Instead, the corner of the poster with her in it is dark and dreary. Behind the characters theres a wide shot drawing to the wizards home. This emphasizes that Dorothy goes on a long journey. The Wizards house is not only glowing but is positioned under a rainbow. This depicts hope and happiness. The actor’s names are written clearly. With the first names in orange and the last names in a black and bolded style, it is hard to ignore the actors. The movie poster seems magical with its colors and details. With the popping out of the characters the movie is portrayed to be larger than life.

The colors and characters of the poster set the mood the film. We can easily differentiate the protagonist and the antagonist from the angles they are positioned in and the amount of brightness that is focused on them. The Fonts of the writing focuses your attention while the background set up the plot of the film.

The Wizard of Oz, one of America’s best fairytales has impacted people of all ages in multiple generations. From the novel, to Halloween costumes, the Wizard of Oz is still referred to and will continue to be to for the years coming.

The Force, Volkswagen Commercial Review

The little boy that dresses like Darth Vader makes audiences sympathize for his desire to use the force. Most people would love to be able to use the force which the boy could not have achieved without the help of  Volkswagen. As a Star Wars fan I assume that the car company wanted to advertise “the impossible made possible” in the 2012 Passat
In order to grab the attention of potential car buyers, Volkswagen not only showed a new car model with a cheap price, but also showed off the remote control car ignition. “Darth Vader” was portrayed as the villain in the house who wants to control things with force. When the father comes back to his son disappointed from not being able to use the force he decides to, with the help of the Passat remote control, let his son think he turned the car on with his force.
In the beginning of the commercial, in a low angle shot, we see the boy walking down the hall. This not only shows that the boy is the main figure in the commercial but it mocks Star Wars. As the boy goes from room to room trying to use the force, the angle of the camera also moves to show the difference in power. To emphasize that he is not actually moving anything, a close up of a still doll is shown. Most of the commercial was made to match the boy’s eye level. Even though we cannot see his emotions through his face, we can see it through his hands and body gestures.
Silence of the characters worked well in the video. It made the background music seem a lot more intense. The dog barks when the dad drives the car into the drive way. This sets up the significance of the car. When the boy is standing in front of the car trying to use the force, the music starts to slow down and creates suspension. You can see that the sudden loud noise of the car starting excites the boy because he jumps and looks back at his parents in surprise. The medium shot of the boy followed by the close up of the car key and then his parents are able to tell a story of their own.
The car is only shown for about ten seconds of the commercial but I still believe that it was well advertised. By focusing on the little boy and his family, the commercial becomes more relatable to families and makes the audience think of all the things they could do if they had that car.

Single Ladies Music Video Review

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY 

The Single Ladies music video by Beyonce although simple has caused quite a buzz. Although Kanye West’s attack on Taylor Swift might have had a lot to do with all the attention, the video can surely speak for itself. 

To start off, the video has no storyline. The duration of the video consists of three attractive ladies dancing together in a grayscale video. Although the video is greyscale throughout its durations, there is flashing from black to white that gives the illusion that theres a significant difference in color. The flashing of the color intensifies the attitude of the chorus “Shoulda put a ring on it.” Yes, there are not any vibrant colors but the flashing and dimming of lights along with the various camera movements make up for it. Mostly a medium shot, the camera movements consist of panning let, right and all around and zooming in and out. By incorporating the rule of thirds, the video is set up so that Beyonce, who is in the middle for most of the video is the center of attention. Regardless of how they dance and move the camera follows them while mostly focusing on Beyonce herself. 

Most of Beyonce’s videos incorporate some sort of dance but it is usually accompanied by elaborate sets, different costumes, and a decent amount of backup dancers. In this case all there was a blank backdrop, black leotards with high heels, and two dancers on either side of Beyonce. The bareness of the background and video was not distracting but intriguing to the visual eye. The simplicity of the video really allows the audience to focus on the choreography of the video. The changes in lighting and camera angles are able to show various images of Beyonce and her dancers. The 360 view of the choreography highlighted the complexity of the dance moves as well as the simplicity of the video. 

Through minimal alternative camera shots there was still a lot of movement captured. However, by zooming in and out on Beyonce’s hand with the bedazzled glove kept bringing my attention back towards their hands and ring fingers. Even if the music video was muted it would still be obvious that the song was about a wedding ring if not that finger. Although the song lyrics are about a break up, the fast pace beat and bouncing movement make it seem more uplifting. The repetitiveness of the song also makes the point of the song very clear. He should have put a ring on it. 

           Although the video for “Single Ladies” was probably a cheap and quick video to produce, it was able to capture a lot. From the message of the song to the dance movements, everything about the video was direct. This video shows that the best creations can also be the simplest.

 

The Lion King Review

The Lion King is one of the most famous Disney movies. Its use of music, animation, and color are able to get across different moods. Not only does it identify good from bad but it is able to capture the importance of family and friendship. Despite the facts that it is a children’s movies, it teaches good values.

In the Pride Lands of Africa, Simba, is born to King Mufasa. This seems to make everyone happy besides Scar, Mufasa’s brother. Upset about never being able to become King, Scar plots to kill Mufasa and Simba so that he can take the throne. He works with the hyenas to cause a stampede that later leads to Mufasa’s death. Scar makes Simba believe that he killed his own father and convinces him to flee the Pride Lands. Simba grows up with his new friends Timon and Pumbaa. Later in life he runs into his childhood friend Nala that tells him he needs to go back and help the Pride Lands. Simba eventually agrees to fight for his kingdom and battles Scar. He finds out his father’s death was Scar’s fault, fights scar, and takes the throne.

The use of color in the Lion King is a key visual component. In the beginning of the film the colors of the Pride Lands are bright and vibrant. There is a distinct difference between the Pride Lands when Mufasa is king and when Scar is king. To portray Scar as a bad character, the colors turn dull and dark in his presence. The whole mood of the film becomes gloomy.

The film starts with the animals of the Pride Lands walking towards the Lions on top of Pride Rock. This automatically gets the audience excited and makes them wonder what will happen next. The animals form a circle around the rock and portray a sense of community as Simba is shown to them. The stampede before the death of Mufasa was visually significant. It focused mostly on the legs of the antelopes but the movement and quickness along with the accelerating string based music built up fear and suspense for the audience. It is able to depict the feelings of helpless Simba trying to break free from the stampede. There are multiple occasions when the style and beat of the music correlates with the meaning and colors of the film. In the songs “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” the colors become brighter as the characters sing. Color is again used to change the mood of the film.

Although some have argued that the colors used can represent racism, I believe otherwise. If that were the case Rafiki, a positive character in the film that helped Simba return to the Rock Lands would have not been black. Without over analysis, what I do believe is that the colors used in the film were important in representing different moods in different parts of the film.

Review of Rear Window

Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rear Window, based off of Cornell Woolrich’s “It Had to Be Murder” almost entirely takes place in the living room of an apartment. Jeffries, a photographer wheelchair bound because of a broken leg spends his time off from work spying on his neighbors from his apartment window. The film starts off with Jeffries watching all of his neighbors until he suspects his neighbor, Mr. Thorwald of murdering his own wife. The rest of the film is Jeffries trying to prove that Thorwald killed his spouse.
By relying heavily on camera motions such as panning and titling, Hitchcock is able to keep the audience engaged. The camera motion allows for the viewer to fully understand L.B. Jeffries’ perspective of what is going on throughout the film. By panning left and right, tilting up and down, and zooming in and out, we are able to see into the windows of Jeffries’ neighbors. By using close ups and following different subjects, Jeffries is able to capture everything from the little dog being lifted up and down to the inside of Mr. Thorwald’s apartment. The repeated camera motions emphasize that Jeffries repeatedly sees the same things in the same angles from where he is positioned in the apartment.
In Rear Window, Hitchcock adds Jeffries’ girlfriend Liza Friedman to the plot. Not only was he able to appeal to the audience with romance but he was able to expand the type of camera motions. A medium close up shot of Jeffries and Liza was used on multiple occasions to highlight their romantic relationship as well as partnership in solving the crime. When Jeffries starts to use binoculars the point of view changes and we get to see close up panning into the apartment.
In the end of the film when Mr. Thorwald approaches Jeffries, Jeffries is able to delay him by using the extremely bright flash on his camera. To dramatize Mr. Thorwald’s entrance, Hitchcock darkens the image and uses a medium close up of him. The image of Thorwald being distorted by the camera’s flash emphasized that the light had an impact on his vision. The fact that the background of the scene is dark shows us how they were both affected by the powerful light.
Despite minor differences in the story, I believe that Hitchcock was able to bring Woolrich’s story to life. Although some may argue that Hitchcock used excessive panning, I don’t think that the film would have been as successful without it. He does a great job keeping the audience entertained with his use of different camera motions.

Photographer: Annie Leibovitz

http://annieleibovitz.tumblr.com/page/4

Annie Leibovitz has a unique style when it comes to photography.She does a lot of portraits of famous people and isn’t afraid to take risks. She does everything from nude portraits to portraits with nice, outside, scenic backgrounds. She is known for taking pictures in the Rolling Stone. One of her most popular photos was of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It was the 1981 cover of the Rolling Stone. Other famous photos include the picture of Demi Moore nude and pregnant, Whoopi Goldberg in a tub of milk, and her collection of Alice and Wonderland photos.

Visual Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMjavRu4v5c

The commercial starts off with an average American guy walking down the street. He gets distracted by an attractive woman in a black and red dress bending over to fix her heels. When the woman looks back and catches him staring, he panics. Before he has time to react she confronts him, yells at him in Italian, pushes him up against a street pole, and then pulls him closer to her. Seduced by her sexiness, he closes his eyes and leans in for a kiss to later find out when he opens his eyes that the woman has been replaced with a Fiat Abarth. 

The commercial does a good job targeting a specific audience. The advertisement first aired during the Super bowl. By casting an average looking man and a hot woman and airing it during a time where the audience is mostly men, the commercial was intended to attract American males. By making sure the woman was attractive and seductive, it is clear that the company had hopes to capture the attention of adult male viewers. I found the woman’s aggressiveness towards the man entertaining and a selling point for the advertisement. 

I like the way the commercial didn’t start off saying it was a Fiat advertisement. It instead hinted and made connections to the car type and style. The woman spoke Italian because the car manufacturer was an Italian company. She happened to be wearing the same colors as the car and even had a tattoo on the back of her neck of the Fiat logo. The incorporation of hints relating to Fiat in the commercial was clever and well thought out. 

On the other hand, I didn’t like how the woman was objectified and compared to a car in the commercial. The company wanted a woman that was sleek and sexy like the Fiat Abarth, but to me it seemed that she was sexualized. I also didn’t like that the company gave viewers a specific definition of beauty. It would be interesting to see a similar commercial with a man being objectified rather than a woman. I believe that it would increase woman viewers and attract more men to drive smaller and sleeker cars such as the Fiat. 

If there is anything that I could do differently it would probably be  to add subtitles so that people could understand what the woman was saying in Italian. Besides that I find this commercial to be very entertaining and effective. Before this commercial I had never heard of Fiat but now I can recognize the Fiat logo and the fashionable style of the car advertised in the commercial.