Final Project Blog

Posted on December 22, 2014 by stevenlensky

My role in the movie making process was the acting out spider as well as helping my group members in any way possible during the process. I was also the dramaturg. I read through the script as it was being acted out when Blu and Galvez were the only actors, and offered my advice to help the movie make more sense to the audience.

I’ve acted before on stage where you get one shot, and one shot only to give your best performance. You can’t sit down right before you go on stage and practice your lines, let alone first memorize them. This movie-making experience was drastically different. Even though, you might get multiple takes, there are so many other variables in filming that are not present while acting on stage. The camera angle had to be perfect, the costumes had to be sufficient, emotions had to be exaggerated since the camera zooms in, and the biggest factor, the memorization of the lines had to be spot on. I would say memorizing the lines was the toughest part of this movie-making process. My group could probably have saved a couple of hours if we took out all the times somebody messed up a line or the times when we just sat and repeated our lines over and over again. That’s why this process was so time-consuming and meticulous. I never want to be an actor, because I never want to do anything like this again. I was wondering, when producers make professional movies like this, how many shots does it take to make the scene perfect? How long does it take the stars to memorize their lines?

However, all that being said, I still had a good time making the movie. There were many struggles along the way, but it still was fun making the movie. The best parts were when somebody did something funny during the scene by accident. Also, it was hilarious when we were waiting for Waseem, the camera man, to start the scene, and we would just be staring at each other, trying to get into character. Then we would crack up laughing, and these moments were the enjoyable moments of the process.

I think the best thing is seeing everything come together to be the final product. It’s cool to see all the little challenges that come up when creating the film and then see the final film after all the editing. You never think the film or project will ever be good because so many things went wrong, but then it’s amazing how everything works out in the end. When we were going through some of the footage, it surprised me that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. After the background music and the additional sounds were added to the film and the editing was done, the film really felt whole to me and complete.

Overall, the film making process was an interesting one. I am very proud of the film. It was great working with all my group members and I am grateful for how well we worked together. This experience was well worth all the time put into it.

New York City: A Rollercoaster Ride

Posted on December 14, 2014 by stevenlensky

If I’ve learned one thing about New York, it’s that there are many more problems and dark sides to New York City than good sides.

New York City is perpetuated as the one place where anyone can make it big, that you just have to work hard for it. Even a frog and his Muppet friends can make it on Broadway. Not that simple! The idea of the “American Dream” is about as false an idea as it is a motivational and inspirational notion.

New York City is a dynamic place. It’s not just a red carpet where you walk down an easily navigable, expected path to fame and success. There are many roadblocks along the way that stop social hierarchical movement temporarily or might even hinder any further success. It’s the latter view of New York City that is the true one and the view that is not exposed enough to the American public. Let me say now to anyone looking to find success in New York City: It’s not going to be easy.

In the films Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Taxi Driver, the opposite ends of the class spectrum are depicted. In Edwards’ Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the glamorous, rich side of New York is shown, and in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, the prostitution, gambling, and drugs and the darker side of New York City are exposed. I think the true image of New York is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum depicted by these two iconic films. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but New York City is not all the glam that it’s made out to be, but it isn’t the home of the low class drug addicts either.

In New York City, anything is possible. One day, you could be better off than you had ever hoped for in your wildest dream, and the next, you could be sleeping outside on a bench. You never know what to expect. Oliver Stone’s Wall Street is the perfect example of the so-called “American Dream” hope, but also exposes the corruption that could land anyone in the dumps, as it did to Bud Fox. Bud Fox had has dreams to make it big despite being a middle class stockbroker. He tries to make it with the big boys, like Gordon Gekko, but he ultimately fails, it’s just not possible; it’s not the way that it was meant to be. There are so many obstacles in “making it big” in New York City. It could be a corrupt, unscrupulous, wealthy businessman that two-times you, and sometimes it is just the money. Taking on New York City is riding a rollercoaster. There are so many bumps and twists and turns and loops in along the way. You will find your morals and ethics challenged, as Bud Fox found, you will run into the insiders who at first are kind but then stab you in the back, you will have the failure moments when you question the reasons why you started in New York City in the first place. The point is don’t expect anything and don’t run around like a chicken with your head cut off when something goes wrong.

That being said, the people never here enough of the failure stories that might knock some sense into their brains when considering investing all they have into moving to New York City. If New York City only produced success stories, there would be no homeless guy on the sidewalk asking for money. New York City is neither black or white, but a gray.

It’s so hard to pick a favorite film, because they all depicted such different views of New York City. However, if I have to choose, the piece that stood out to me this semester was A Sucker Emcee. “I ain’t no sucker emcee.” This piece was hard hitting for me as I could relate to it. I felt that it was the most personal of the views of New York City that we witnessed this semester. Mums’ story gave me the message, “Imagine if this was you? What would your life be like?” He delivered the pain, the heartbreak, and the obstacles he had to overcome to be someone in life. I could relate to his dad dying from diabetes, since my dad has been diabetic since he was nine. That just made me feel grateful for what I do have.

Is New York City a place where your dreams come true or your worst nightmares surface?

Selling Out: The Artist’s Biggest Decision

Posted on December 7, 2014 by stevenlensky

Colin Wright stated, “Making money to support your art is not selling out. Allowing others to determine its direction, is.” Let’s face the fact, being an artist is a job, and artists still need to provide food for themselves and their families. That’s one thing. But completely compromising social and moral values for extra money is an entirely different thing.

An artist has two jobs: to deliver a message and one that is usually overlooked, to bring home enough money to support himself. It’s when the artist sacrifices his intended message for gimmicks that will bring home the dough that he can be called a “sell out.”

I don’t blame artists for wanting to be liked; that’s on the top of everyone’s list. However, there is a fine line between being liked for who you are and being liked by changing who you are. I also think a “sell out” includes random things for the sole purpose of appealing to the public. This is why movies like The Producers, are not at the top of my list. As I was watching the movie, I was thinking, “ What is the point of this movie?” There are so many pointless details that might make it commercially successful, bring home the money, and appeal to the public, but they take away from the message the artist is trying to communicate. Was the movie just for entertainment? Was the movie trying to say something about New York? If it was just for entertainment, it clearly highlights the essence of a sell out. If the artist had an intended message, the details would not have been as emphasized as they were. The one thing I took away from the movie was, “ What are the values of this artist, if any?”

However, I have to admit, an artist can still make a commercially successful piece, like a film, and not be a sell out. Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Oliver Stone’s Wall Street are great examples of successful films that still deliver profound messages about New York. Taxi Driver delivers the message that New York is not just the glam that everyone thinks it is; people still resort to drugs, gambling, and prostitution. Wall Street delivers the message that excessive greed and corruption still lurk behind the scenes and that is very tough to make it in New York. These films brought home a huge sum of money; Taxi Driver brought home $27.3 million and Wall Street brought home $43.8 million. Apparently these films were widely popular, while delivering their intended messages. Maybe it is possible to produce commercially successful work that has significant social or political value.

No one can deny the fact that you have to make money in the artist business. One way, unfortunately, is to sell out. Looking at the younger generation of artists, what we consider to be pop or mainstream today, a lot of them have fallen victim to the temptation of money, and along with the money, comes a world that they probably never wanted to be in. However, I do have to admit, many of the songs and music videos that they produce are actually very catchy and enjoyable. So is selling out really always a bad move?

Final Week

Posted on December 5, 2014 by stevenlensky

Week 9

Posted on December 1, 2014 by stevenlensky

It’s all about the music

Posted on November 24, 2014 by stevenlensky

Some Things Need to Change

Posted on November 23, 2014 by stevenlensky

One of the biggest issues in New York City is the perpetuation of stereotypes and racial inequality. This topic has always been close to my heart, in all areas of inequality in society, not just based on race. Being Jewish, I have experienced first hand what it is like to be racially or religiously insulted. I grew up on a part of Long Island that was not home to a large Jewish population. So, Jewish jokes went around, like the throw money on the ground and if you pick it up you’re a Jew type of thing. Also I’ve heard plenty of times, “ You’re so cheap, you’re Jewish, “ and it tore at my insides every time. If I’m a target of stereotypes and prejudice myself, it certainly isn’t right for me to go out and racially insult people or perpetuate stereotypes. This is the reason that I am so racially accepting and deeply angered when I hear anybody being treated unequally in any wake of society: race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

The scenes in Spike Lee’s films, Do the Right Thing and The 25^th Hour exposed these stereotypes and inequalities. Words were said about the Koreans, the Latinos, the Blacks, the Hispanics, the Chinese, mostly every race you can think of. Those scenes, to me, were like slaps in the face. My immediate reaction was, “Wow, that’s messed up, I don’t want to watch this movie any longer.” After I was able to control myself, I realized how true every word of those scenes was. Spike Lee captured the genuine hostilities, stereotypes, and attitudes of New Yorkers towards other New Yorkers. These stereotypes are never really at the forefront of the lives of everyday New Yorkers, but these scenes shed light on these overlooked feelings and animosities. Not enough people realize that these feelings and inequalities exist and affect major decisions, and some just don’t want to deal with them. The fact is that there existence is undeniable, and those who think that the stereotypes and inequalities that existed from the beginning are gone, are sadly mistaken.

I think Lee’s message is that these stereotypes do exist, that they are wrong, and need to be quelled. Just imagine if you were on the opposite side of all that gut wrenching and heart breaking yelling of the scenes in his two films. How would you feel? We all have something that could be made fun of or criticized in public, so who really has the right to judge other people over stupid minor details? No one does. Whenever I hear something being said on the basis on one of these petty differences, I want to punch the offender in the face. It only proves that the attacker is intolerant and maybe even insecure about his own life. The only thing that stops me from becoming so infuriated and insulting them about some petty detail is that I am a better person, and I don’t need to judge someone to feel good about myself.

The only moments that really stood out to me in Spike Lee’s films were the scenes exposing of the stereotypes. Those moments are also the only times when I can say that I was truly affected throughout the watching of all the films. Those scenes penetrated a moral value inside of me, alerting me to the fact that these things need to change.