kirsten johnson

One of the most compelling and anxiety inducing moments of Kirsten Johnson's presentation was her having everyone in the room line up in front of each other and stare into each other's eyes. Unlike what's expected from the norm of presenting to a large group of people where you'd expect just to listen to the presenter just speak and maybe have some slides as a supplement, Johnson does the opposite and tried to make herself as interactive with everyone as much as possible to keep the energy going and not make it passive. Making everyone stare at the person across from them but for two minutes straight was something that definitely wasn't easy for anyone. From a personal standpoint, being someone who's terrible with eye contact to begin with made it especially hard for me where I had broke eye contact less than fifteen seconds in. However, it was pretty obvious that for many it was hard to last the full two minutes to stare and not have any reaction when it comes to having that sort of closeness to a perpetual stranger. Though stressful, doing the activity itself was something that was eye opening (pun somewhat intended) when you relate the action to what happens during real life filming and that's what Johnson tried to show us in a unique way. Being patient and immersing yourself in the subject that you're filming is important to be able to capture the true feeling. Time is of the essence where it's not until you're found in a situation where you have to wait or do something for an extended period of time that you realize how long even two minutes can be. Just like how she mentioned how long she had waited in one location to get a specific shot, staring into someone's eyes can feel like an eternity but there's something that can be captured in those moments without even realizing and that's what makes it worth it in the end.

extra credit // cameraperson response

    The things one decides to film is, in some ways, an extension of one's soul and how they see the world. Kirsten Johnson's Cameraperson encapsulates that sentiment on her travels around the world for her films.Watching the film definitely gives you the sur le vif feel as each country she's in and her experiences there are a slice of life of just a small glimpse of the more hustle and bustle that goes on daily even Johnson's not filming.

    What makes watching the film more enjoyable is how Johnson connects herself with the shots in the locations she's in that she almost becomes one with the location itself, thoroughly blending in with the background as she lets her subjects shine instead. It creates a sense of intimacy instead the sometimes awkward feels with nonfiction films where you can tell there's a gap between the subject and the filmmaker. Even the simplest of actions from Johnson makes the film come to life more. One part that stood out particularly was her initial opening credits in Missouri where the cloudy sky is being filmed when the lightning appears for a split second and you can hear a gasp behind the camera followed shortly by the loud boom of thunder. The gasp feels like a breath of life to what initially was a still shot and Johnson follows this style to make scenes more interesting such as when she's filming her twins in her apartment or speaking to the nurses after they helped deliver children. Being able to blend in while also intruding into quiet moments quite naturally work to her advantage as by doing so invites the viewer onto a more personal level where it's like you're behind the camera with her as each shot is crafted so gently that make up the memories of her twenty-five years and you're on a journey through her memory with her as well.

continuity: hello tragedy

link to project

shanel interview // then and now

editing analysis

    For the scene I'm analyzing, I watched Train to Busan which was directed by Yeon Sangho. The film's about a man and his daughter on their way to Busan, Korea to see his ex-wife for his daughter's birthday but on their way, they along with the other passengers are trapped on the train in the midst of a nationwide zombie outbreak. Train to Busan is one of my favorite movies and one of the reasons why I love it so much is because of the film creates rising tension with the way scenes are edited to keep you on the edge of your seat while watching because of how seamlessly they flow.

  The shot at the beginning (0:02 - 0:10) sets up the building tension of the passengers trying to block off the zombies and failing as they start running away from the doors. While the last of them start to run off out of the shot, the shot is still maintained as the zombies break through the glass doors and pile over. What makes this shot more interesting to look at is how the medium shot is relatively empty which gives the zombies breaking through pop out more with the dark military uniforms on in contrast to the mostly white train station. We also see in the shot the glass doors break down one after another as the zombies are almost bleeding out from the doors to get out piling on top of each other while running. Continuity editing is used in the next shot with the zombies running off camera and then you see the passengers running up ahead to match with the zombies. While running, it cuts to the the train leaving the station where the passengers run past the view and then cuts to the zombies maintaining the continuity and smooth transition as it starts to evoke fear that the passengers might lose to the zombies. The director's intent of using medium shots makes it more effective as it feels like the viewer is watching the scene only a few feet away almost like a wallflower.

   One of my favorite moments in this the scene is the the combination of using the 180 rule and continuity starting from the 0:59 mark. The use of the 180 rule going back and forth between Seokwoo (black suit) on the train with his hand out and Sanghwa (blue suit) running to grab his hand to get on the train in the foreground while in the background you see the zombies on their way. With the shot the film uses, it establishes how high the stakes are for Sanghwa to get back on the train to limited safety. Continuity is used excellently here at 1:04 where Sanghwa is running straight and then takes a turn but with continuity shifting the turn and run from a different angle, it progresses the story smoothly showing Sanghwa take military armor to fight back to protect himself getting back on the train in just a span of a few seconds. It then cuts back to the 180 rule where Sanghwa gives Seokwoo the warning to turning around just in time and then cuts into more action in the scene before it lulls to a calm with Seokwoo getting back on the train safely. The whole thirty seconds is done brilliantly with the editing to show interesting storytelling and evoking emotion from the viewer.

(if anyone decides to watch it for the first time, please have tissues ready)

define a space

link to project

soundwalk

  
    Walking around the Grand Army Plaza area in Brooklyn early in the morning gives off a different experience and feeling compared to what it would feel like if I showed up there maybe even an hour later.
   Showing up around 9AM on a Saturday morning serves a calm and somewhat quiet lull around the area. Though I can't physically see them, I know there's different groups of people spread around everywhere. On the outer circle of the concentric circle pathways that make up the streets, I can hear the impeding thuds of sneakers against the stone walkways as they're running up behind me being part of the Half Marathon going on. I can hear a couple passing right by me cheering each other on to keep up their paces together and the soft laughs coming from both of them as they keep going on up the path.
   Walking further up to where the all the statues are, I hear the rush of water coming from the Bailey fountain as the water hits the falling and rustling leaves from the trees as they both hit the ground, making a unique sound. I hear a dad calling for his toddler in an amused tone for him to wait up for him near the John F. Kennedy monument. Walking by them are two girls sipping on their Starbucks drinks rather loudly and talking about how they're annoyed at all the chirping of the birds early in the morning.
  Towards the center of the outer circle paths while dogs are being walked by their owners and hearing the clangs from their leashes, there's people padding up the marble stairs of the library to join the group of around fifty people crowded at the top of the steps as they're sifting through books for the book sale going on and there's sounds of the wooden carts being shifted, the sound of pages being flipped, and coins being dropped while all the conversations of book lovers melts into one tone that mixes with everyone's sounds across the street by the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch where a farmer's market sale is going on and someone playing a Jamaican steel drum excitedly and surprisingly right in front of the arch. The most fascinating thing about all of this is that no matter how many different sounds were surrounding me while walking, it still doesn't feel as noisy as you would think it is which really gives it the feel of an early morning walk with different sorts of background sounds while walking in relatively quiet and park filled neighborhood far area from sounds of public transportation and traffic that gives way to be able to hear more distinct sounds than normal.