The production of M. Butterfly was unlike anything I’ve seen before. It most likely seemed so out of the ordinary since a few days before we had seen a classical opera in which the whole thing was sung in Italian. The sudden transition from an opera that made me want to sleep to a Broadway show that had me laughing constantly made M. Butterfly seem that much more interesting.

One aspect of the production that intrigued me was the set design. In the beginning of the show I was wondering how they would be able to create a variety of different settings with those gray panels but the changes surprised me. It was similar to the set design in Madame Butterfly in which they also had those sliding panels. The difference was the wallpaper and patterns shown, which made it very clear that they were in different locations. I wondered how much practice it took to bring out the right panel each time and how many of them there were backstage.

Another thing that I enjoyed was the acting – when Rene would break the fourth wall, it made me feel like I was a part of the piece and drew me in more. For example, when Rene and Song argued over whether or not to show the audience a particular moment, I felt like I was actually there watching someone telling a story instead of watching a show. While we were watching, I kept wondering how the actors felt when they were nude in front of an audience for the first time. Overall, the show was very intriguing and it pulled me in so much that I didn’t even realize that hours had passed when we left.

The production of M. Butterfly surprised me on so many aspects. This adaption of the story is nothing like anything I imagined, which is what makes it so unique and really makes the audience think and influences them to broaden their perspectives on the play. The set design was very intriguing, it was very minimalist in the beginning with the mobile boards and the chair and then gradually got more elaborate with more moving pieces and furniture. Despite the new props that were added in addition the set boards were always there in some ways to remind the audience that this is a flashback. The transition from scene to scene was signified by the boards so in a way they were almost like the equivalent of pages or chapters in a book. Also as the play went on the set complex, just like Song and Gallimard’s relationship and at the ending scene the set went back to being bare representing the fact that their relationship which once blossomed is now nonexistent.
Another factor of the production which interested me was the exceptional acting. The actors surprised me by breaking the 4th wall on several occasions. This occurred in the arguable cour scene climax when Gallimard says does not want to relive the court scene and also when the officer comes into Songs house and Song asks her for a baby. Gallimard desperately wants another ending for his tragic story and several times he said that he looks for one, but fails to find one. He even tried ending the story at the reunion of him and his butterfly, but Song tells him that the audience must know the entire story, not just the parts he reminisces and fantasizes about. At the end we posed with the question, we don’t know if Gallimard loves Song or really even his “butterfly.” I personally think he was just obsessed and in love with the idea of his butterfly. The fact that women would yield to him was what he subconsciously always wanted and when he saw the opportunity where his fantasy can come true, he took it. Just like Song stated when they first met, European men were infatuated with the idea that an oriental women would fall for a European and would give up her life for him. Song even suggests a role and race reversal, if European women fell for a Chinese businessman who then proceeded to betray her. Song tried to show a more raw take on the opera Madama Butterfly, but Gallimard, ever the romantic, acknowledged it but never understood it and became or took the role Madama Butterfly in the end. The ending scene where Gallimard put Madame Butterflies’ makeup on is when he realized his fate and his tragic story.

The second visit to our site really brought together everything that we were thinking of doing. It gave us a much more defined and structured plot, an effective way to incorporate our urban space, and a better feeling of what our plan was for the final piece. We were able to finalize our decision of specifically which subway to use and even focused on a specific station. Our idea for the Urban Space iMovie is to create almost a dream-like setting while incorporating significant events we have seen, heard, and felt while on the subway line. The subway is a very diverse place in of itself from the smells, sights, sounds, and overall atmosphere it is a world of its own. We wanted to show what the subway is like while still creating a story focused on a girl and her flashbacks to the train ride or rides she has taken in the past. Although it may seem at parts to stray from the sight, we always bring it back with flashbacks or eerie videos of the subway in its prime.

The thing I love about the Q line is that although it is a new subway line, there is still a sense of age to it and every time I pass over the bridge and see the city as a whole, I get this familiar feeling that almost brings me back in time. The view is absolutely breathtaking and its so interesting to see others on this line because they do not even for a second look up from their phones to see what could be one of the most beautiful views of New York City. Every time I am on this line I am simply mesmerized by it, and that is something else we would like to capture in this iMovie. Even something as insignificant as a subway line has the power to capture a whole new world of experiences.

On the ship that represents the plight of the Africans who were brought unwillingly to New York is an engraved map of the African Burial Ground that shows its size and location relative to its surroundings. Our group loved the representation and it inspired a “Draw My Life” approach to our project. We want to frame the video as a “Draw My Life”- for the very beginning at least- and start it off with us exploring the location of the ground or at least keeping it in perspective.

The size of the burial ground is remarkable- it winds through five city blocks, but the monument itself takes up one city block. It’s incredible to think about all of the graves that are underneath the ground and how much history is buried there. It’s also horrifying to think about how people tried to recklessly excavate this vast site. I think the map also speaks to how isolated the ground is. I passed by the African Burial Ground every day for four years and had no idea what it was or that it existed until this year. Chances are, if you ask anyone, they also won’t know what the African Burial Ground is unless they work on that block, where the information center also is. The burial ground, not just physically but also the idea of it, seems to exist only within this space. Our group found that tragic.

The entire point of our I-Movie is to raise awareness of the ground, but also celebrate the history of these people. We are aiming for our video to showcase the burial ground and explain its significance, hopefully inspiring other people to check out the ground and look at the images of hope dispersed throughout it.

This image was taken on the boardwalk of Coney Island. When an average person thinks about Coney Island they think about the beach, the boardwalk, the amusement park and the food available there. They might not necessarily remember the abundance of murals and art found in Coney Island. This picture includes both of these aspects on Coney Island. Coney Island is a diverse area which contains landmarks which are cultural and for entertainment. This image contains the rides in the background, the boardwalk, the beach the stores and the murals which are why this picture to me seems like a comprehensive and fair way to picture Coney Island. This picture is fair, especially to display this time of year because so much of the picture consists of the expansive sky which is a calming sight, this is relaxing nature is exactly what one feels at this time of year and this time of day when visiting Coney Island.

My group visited Coney Island in the afternoon on Saturday, it was a lot more populated than the last time we visited which was before noon on Sunday, there were definitely more people and the stores were now open. The arcade was open and there was music blasting from many stores and on the boardwalk. There were many families and elderly people taking walks and some people were exercising or jogging. Although, we know that the population on Saturday wouldn’t compare to that during the summer; there was, however, a significant amount of activity going on here which we were able to get footage of like of stores and shops like Nathan’s which were full and had long lines of people waiting to order. The arcade just opened and was filled with several families. We already had pictures and some footage of the murals, but now we also have footage of activity in stores, the beach, and the boardwalk. We came across many families either sharing food or taking a walk with younger kids. In my picture, there were seagulls caught mid-flight, and often we saw kids there chasing the birds while their parents watch over them. Despite the colder weather Coney Island still had activity, this tells us that Coney Island caters to a different demographic of people depending on the day of the week, time of day, and season. It practically transforms between seasons and we were able to capture the peacefulness and relaxing nature of Coney Island during autumn.

After experimenting with different shots and locations in the subway, my group has decided to do a story based around a girl passing through the subway. She dreams of almost every situation possible whether is bad or good.  We filmed outside the Q station in avenue H. There, we saw a rocking chair which we used to show the girl (Michelle) sleeping and waking up from the dream. While in the avenue H station, we shot a clip of her experiencing a bad event, which was her being followed by a creep. This is one of the several unfortunate situations that could be experienced in the subway. Interestingly enough, most of our situations will be negative since the best thing that can happen in the subway can be going to your destination as fast as possible without experiencing any delays. The upcoming negative events could possibly include : bad A/C, loud passengers, angry beggars, and, of course, train delays. Fortunately, this picture that is displayed here is a positive side of visiting the subway. This picture was taken after the journey to the Q was taken and 42nd was visited. Here, we see a band playing in the center of the station. The significance behind this is that these people had the freedom express their music. They also let out some inspiring quotes before transitioning from songs such as “Do not let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do”. I noticed one other group singing in this station when I took the pictures. The difference was that they were college kids and I knew they were college kids because they had a sign that said “broke college kids, ya feel?”. I feel like this is a remainder that everyone is working hard to make a living and they will do whatever it takes to achieve their dreams. I’ve started to see  that taking the subway is a symbol of “the grind” the never ending journey to achieve one’s passions