Author Archives: Michelle Pedreros

About Michelle Pedreros

I love to read and sleep

Final Project Blog

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My Role in the film was the Dramaturg. I researched the time period in which our movie was going to be based on as well as the style make up and attire. Although Noelia was in charge of costume design, I used her ideas to complete my costume. For the first two days I did not act because spiders role came in on the third day. For the first two days I was co-directing with Jalissa and Chris and we all gave our ideas as to what would look best on screen. We changed some of the scenery and told the actors of that day what to adjust or add.

In regards to the filmmaking process, I have to give props to all actors’ directors and producers that make movies. This process was a pain. I know I am not cut out for the acting life. It was very difficult to memorize lines with no consistency or plot. I was Spider and I had more of a continuous plot yet I was still having trouble. I wasn’t really a fan of the script. It was a little monotonous and confusing. I understand the authors point of view however its a little irritating that its open to so many interpretations. I guess that’s the beauty of it.

The location that we were able to find for our interpretation of the play was beautiful and the costumes were also very nice I thought it would be fun to preform and show off my “skills” but after a while it was getting frustrated and i could feel the pressure. I couldn’t help but laugh when i messed up and that took away about 5 mins every time. The crew was getting a little annoyed as well. I was happy that we were bale to pull it off but i wasn’t expecting it to take three days when every other group was able to do it in one. My favorite part of this was the few times we actually all worked together on a scene. Other than that i didn’t really have that great of an experience even though i was pretty optimistic about it.

NYC : Behind the Scenes

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I strongly detest the “which is your favorite” question.  If the choices were between  blue and red i would choose purple. It’s hard to pick one out of a group when they all could be valid choices. That is how i feel about the works of art we have seen and read in this class. There were some pieces that i preferred over the others, however i feel there was truth and accuracy to everything we were introduced to, even Birds with Sky Mirrors. I might as well share my opinion on this work. I believe anything can be art or a work of creativity and although Birds with Sky Mirrors was not on my top 10 list, i loved that the dance was meant to bring awareness to environmental problems. I appreciate the creators vision and i commend him on his confidence to make this dance public. Although i didn’t really understand  what this play had to say about NYC, i soon realized that this is what living in the Big Apple was all about. Diversity and exceptionality. Although most parts of NYC have been gentrified, there is still so much diversity within it. There are also a variety of opinions and ideas about it that have been brought into the light by the artists. That is why its almost impossible to pick just one work.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Muppets Take Manhattan developed the idea that NYC is the place where all dreams come true. Miss Holly Golighlty ran away from her home town to live a better life in NYC. She wished to have a life that was similar to the vision she had of the store Tiffany. The Muppets believed that if they were to present their play to one of the producers in NYC they would automatically get hired and make it to broadway. Obviously to Kermit, NYC was the place to be and the place where anything could happen.Both of the films showed us that NYC is a place that is dreamed of. It is supposed to be a place where you can find work, live a good life and be wealthy without any problems, however the characters eventually realize that the fantasy world they create in their minds is nothing more than a dream. But it is a dream that many people have.

On the other hand the idea of survival of the fittest and that “Cash is King” is how you’ll make it in NYC. In Wall Street, Bud Fox is pressured by the idea that in order to make it big you need money, you need to be in a high class and you need to be greedy. Money runs the world and we live for it. Its true we must be greedy in some occasions however Gorden Gecco drilled this idea so far into Fox’s head that he lost sight of what truly was important to him. Sadly money does run the world, and this movie held truth to its statements. Their are both corrupt people and honest people, but people with money have an advantage and they take take it.

There is good to every bad and bad to every good.

 

Bringing Booty Back

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Whenever my mom would tell me thats she’s nervous for the future generations i would always roll my eyes at her. But now that I’m thinking back, i realize that i know exactly where she’s coming from. People really will do anything for money. I mean its pretty much always been like that but now even more so.  Drugs, sex, and nudity are everywhere, its super publicized but what makes it worse is that its the new norm. My mother told me that back in the old days it used to be harder to access anything that was this type of rated R material. People used to disapprove of such things. CBS was fined during the super bowl when Janet Jackson had a wardrobe “malfunction” and it wasn’t even their fault! But now thanks to social media and the publics approval, we can see Kimberly Kardashian’s rear end wherever we go. Wheres the shame people? Okay i understand the artist behind the photo was trying  “break the internet” but why did he or she have to go about it this way? It was supposed to be prestigious and artsy but i just think it was an easy way for her to get some more money and the magazine to gain more publicity. But come on, where has the world come to? She’s famous because of her sex tape people, how is that okay?

Its depressing but the only way to survive in this world is by making money. However thats getting harder and harder to do. Sadly, celebrities musicians and other artist are forced to become mainstream and sell out in order to make it big and to say on top. Yes it is possible to be original, stick to your morals. create something with social/politcal value and make money off of it. It has been done before. But those artist who are not as talented as Michael Jackson are forced to succumb to the pressure in order to stay in the money making competition. Unfortunately theres only one thing left to do for these people and that is to sing about that junk in your trunk. Its like a chain reaction really. Someone decided that if your bring booty back  you’ll gain popularity. So let me introduce to you Nicki Minaj’s “hit” Anaconda. Apparently it was ranked number two on US Billboards Hot 100 songs. Congratulations Nicki, your butt song made it big and you got tons of money for it. But this is where i am confused. Has anyone actually stopped and listened to her lyrics or watcher her video? If you have i’m sorry for you and what the heck? How is that ok? Besides the fact that its degrading to women, its just dumb. She says nothing substantial within the song and i’m pretty mad at myself for actually knowing the first verse, but i’m blaming that on the radio stations that overplay their music. I have to give her credit though she knows whats she’s doing and she knows what she has to do to make her money. She is selling out and sadly its working for her. She is throwing her integrity down the drain in order to please the public and get the popularity she craves. If she was to sing about a social issue and actually wear clothing in her video would she make as big of an impact on her fans as she did with this song? I would like to think so.

We are living in a world influence by social media and people do not know where to draw the line. Enough is enough. It is possible to stay original, to value morality, and to move people without becoming mainstream. Just because some jumps into a cliff, doesn’t mean we all have to. There must be some way to to be able to balance art an money.

 

 

Not Much Has Changed

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Although i live on Long island, New York City has been a part of my life since i  was a wee child. I have lost count of the amount of times that i have been to Jackson Heights, the Lower East Side, and Times Square. They are all different and really all the same. Regardless of the movies I have watched, my perspective on the big apple has not changed, if anything it has been supported. NYC is grim, exuberant, dark and dreamlike. There is bad to every good and good to every bad. I personally don’t want to live in NYC. Its pretty expensive, really crowded, traffic is crazy and i actually like peace and quiet. But its pretty awesome to visit. Maybe i don’t appreciate new york as much as people from different sates because I can visit anytime i want. But i personally feel it isn’t all that it’s worked up to be. People have this idea that New York City is the place to be  if you want to make it big. It’s supposed to be the place full of opportunity. However its not that simple and not that perfect.

Of all the movies I have watched, none have really impacted or influenced my views. However I do believe that all of the films had something valuable to share that i happen to agree with. I will start with Breakfast at Tiffany’s because it was my favorite out of the selection. I personally liked the movie because it was funny and very cute. Audrey Hepburn did a good job of playing the naive yet charismatic Holly Golightly. I think the most valuable thing that i got out of the film was that NYC was the place that would make your dreams come true. Holly ran away from home at a very young age and chose to go to the land of opportunity. She tries but fails to fit into the wealthy class and has this false image that if you are wealthy nothing can go wrong with you, just like Tiffany’s. MoonStruck, The Muppets Take Manhattan and Wallstreet, all have a similar view about NYC. If your there something good is bound to happen. The muppets believe if the go to New York, they will have their big break on broadway without a sweat. Bud from Wall street believes that if you live in New York have money, you really are somebody important. And In Moonstruck, Loretta and Ronny go to an opera and act as if they belong to that type of lifestyle.

I’ll Be Back

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I was super excited about going to the MET for the first time. A three hour show seemed overwhelming but i was able to push that thought aside. Everything went smoothly upon my arrival, i was a little pressed for time but had enough to grab a bite to eat. Time was actually passing by pretty quickly and it started going downhill from there. I didnt get to see the fountain, i was surrounded by crowds of people, some of which were breathing down my neck, and then I frantically searched for my professor to get the tickets as the usher was telling us that doors were closing soon. In between the running around i did get to catch a glimpse of the opera house it self. It was adorned with a beautiful red carpet and i could feel the glamour radiating off the chandeliers. ;From the people? Not so much. I was expecting to see a lot more fur and jewels than i did, everyone looked elegantly casual which made me feel a tad overdressed.After getting the pointless binoculars, i scrambled to my seat hoping i wouldn’t break an ankle going up the steep stairs. I was so high up that i could practically touch the ceiling. There was no leg room whatsoever and we were all packed in like sardines, at least in the family circle we were.

As far as watching the performance , Carmen started out beautifully. I love classical music as well as instrumental. The piece they opened up with was very exciting. However i was lost once the curtains opened. I could not see who was singing, i was scared to move forward because of the people behind me, i spent more time trying to adjust my binoculars than actually looking through them. I lacked the skill to read the subtitles, listen to the music and actually look at the performers. I wish i was able to attend the opera during a time which i was not as tired as i was that night. I didn’t understand what was going on, where they were and why they were singing in french if they were in Spain. I didn’t even know they were in Spain until they sang about bullfighting. Im not quite sure how people can go to operas spontaneously without having some sort of background information about the play. If you spent time reading all of the subtitles you would miss the performance, and if you watched the performance without subtitles, it would b very difficult to catch on to what is actually happening.

I liked the storyline, it reminded me of Romeo and Juliet because of the tragic unavoidable death of Carmen, although im not exactly sure why she had to die or why she was compared to the bullfighting. It was very exaggerated and dramatic in a good way. Quite frankly, i didn’t like “Carmens” voice. The actress did a wonderful job portraying the flirtatious character but i didn’t necessarily enjoy listening to her voice. Micaela’s voice on the other hand was beautiful. Its so sad she had a small number of parts. The scenery was beautiful and so were the costumes. It was all visually remarkable but i wasnt able to appreciate it because of the prior circumstances

Even though i didn’t have a great time that night, i would go back. I feel like this was an experience that you must practice. I didn’t know what i know now and i feel like i should go back, and when i do i would be more prepared. I dont think opera is an old person pastime, i just feel that the are more able to visit than us young folk. Besides the fact that its expensive to have a great seat, i think its possible to enjoy an opera reagrldess of class or status or age group, there just needs to be the right cricumstance. For example i know that i must not go to the opera at night and that i should do my research before going to a performance.