Digital Media Projects Screening 12.21 @3:30

Featured

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In our classoom. I’ll bring the popcorn. It would be tasty too, if each group could bring a treat.

Leading up, Post the video with your proposal. Do update that, if needed. Also post with your video 3 areas you most want evaluation/feedback on. Think in terms of Content: what you are expressing, your overall intention; Style and Tone: how you are saying it, consistency of look, feel, acting and so on; Media: composition of digital components, editing, special effects, and so on.

I’d like to give a quick hooray to all of you and the scrapbook unveils. They are super charged, intimate, colorful, sensitive, fun, informative, dynamic, profound, but most of all artful. Bavo/a to all your work and play this semester.

 

Tourist – Native Relations

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We hope to examine the cultural interactions between tourists and native New Yorkers. Prevailing stereotypes suggest that New Yorkers are brash egomaniacs while tourists are cumbersome roadblocks. A palpable divide exists between the two groups. Almost 50 Million tourists visit New York annually and the number is poised to rise. By facilitating tourist-native relations, we may ensure the mutual satisfaction of both parties and promote a kinder, more gregarious city.

Our group will visit three tourist hotspots: Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Grand Central Terminal, and film both tourists and natives to examine their modes of behavior. We will conduct interactive workshops designed to introduce tourists and natives; commonality of location will prompt conversation and establish common interests.

Group Members: Sharon Lin, Mark Stone, Camille Studer, Abhinaya Swaminathan

We would like to know what you guys think about these aspects of our production:

1)   Were our choices of locations appropriate?

2)   Did we capture stereotypes accurately? In other words, are these the prevalent stereotypes or did we miss anything important?

3)   What would have made our portrayal more effective?

The Right Way to Deal

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Welcome to our Mockumentary/Public Service Announcement about racism. We try to combine special techniques/effects, and acting + cinematic shots to make our video believable and informative. Our target audience is the general public.

We are showing how ignorance and stereotyping lead to mental stress and produce negative psychological effects i.e. the emotional pain suffered by the victim.
We want to explore why people commit these verbal crimes and how they can be settled. We are giving insight into the reality of racism and discrimination.

All of us have witnessed and suffered these stereotypes and we want to show how just how hurtful they can be. Personally, each of us encountered a situation concerning stereotypes. Kenny – walking down the street and being called offensive racial slurs i.e. General Tso. Sion – walking down the street and being called a dirty Jew. Quan – walking down the street and being asked to do math homework. Ngawang walking down the street and being called Chinese when in reality he is Tibetan.

We are writing an original script in which we devise different scenarios of how verbal racism is used and how do victims react to it.

Our questions are:
1) How is our acting? Believable?
2) Do you think we had enough integration of “different languages”?
3) Is there anything really distracting to our main point?

Project Proposal

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We are the explorers! Haha.. Our group is Keith, Anna, Derek, and Jessica. We are interested in exploring a day in New York City. The idea is the fact that we can find almost anything here. New York City is full of adventures and amazing places to visit. Even just roaming around the city there is so much to see, and that is why New York City is such a great place to be. It doesn’t matter what race or language we speak, New York City is home to all of us and we are all here for the same reasons.

We have chosen several locations, mainly focusing on the surrounding area of Baruch college. Some specific locations will be Shake Shack, the Flatiron building, and Astor Place. These are the places we want to film because these places are ‘home to New York’. Basically, these are some of the places that distinguish New York City from any other place in the world. These are some of the everyday enjoyments that we have access to all the time and we would like to flaunt that in our video.

We would like feedback on several things.

1. Did you get the general feel of New York as an amazing city?

2. How was the editing?

3. Was it believable?

#FoodSwag

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#FoodSwag: Michael Zaslowsky, Simon Toybis, Devon Khan, Isadore Betesh

 

The theme behind #FoodSwag’s video is to portray interaction through food.  We start at Ray’s Pizzeria, then we transition to a halal food cart and end with Shake Shack.  Pizza, halal food, hamburgers, and fries are all common foods that every New Yorker eats, unless something prohibits us from doing so.  Throughout the video these limitations are noted through geography and religion.  However, as New Yorkers, we don’t actually realize the limitations of food that some people have to go through.  By eating with different people we realize the limitations that others face.  The video touches on a few things, but there are many more limitations.

Pertaining to interaction, New Yorkers fail to realize how much food serves to help people interact with each other.  When we go to eat, we usually eat with other people and end up taking and hour to eat our meal because we are spending fifty minutes speaking with each other.  Our group, #FoodSwag took meal conversations a little deeper and portrayed different ethnicities and religions through our meals.  This just shows the scope of conversations that revolve around food because food is the one thing every culture can speak about.  People love food.

Even though New Yorkers in the city eat out a lot there are many places they haven’t gone.  Some people don’t know what halal is and some still haven’t been to other well known places like Shake Shack, Five Guys, Two Bros, and more.   For this reason, New York can always be an adventure and a new place, which is why we decided to make our video seem touristy.  There can only be a handful of New Yorkers that have been all over New York, and because New York is so ethnically diverse we are always experiencing new things.

As New Yorkers we fail to realize the role food plays in our lives other than the purpose of keeping up full and sustaining our lives.  Our group, #FoodSwag, stresses the role of food through conversations and learning about each other.  The range of food available in New York is unbelievable, which is one of the reasons New York is a great place to live in.

 

 

Questions the group has:

Is it clear, through the video, what points #FoodSwag are touching on?

As New Yorkers can you relate to any of the characters?

Are there any times where the video isn’t believable?

 

Culture Shock

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Last month I went to see Ch’ing-lish, at the Longacre Theatre. The show is about an American sign maker named Daniel Cavanaugh, played by Gary Wilmes, who goes over to China to try and secure contracts for his company Ohio Signage. From the very beginning it is obvious that Wilmes is lost in the Chinese culture. He hires an English “business consultant” named Peter, played by Stephen Pucci, who in the end is nothing but a schoolteacher to try and help secure him the contracts. The decision of who gets the contract will fall heavily on the shoulders of the vice minster of culture Xi Yan, played by Jennifer Lim. Although Xi Yan speaks almost no English her relationship quickly turns into an affair with Cavanaugh. Both Lim and Wilmes were excellent at creating a relationship while not really understanding each other, which makes for some very comic pillow talk. The play is very funny,  but by the end you are starring at a huge difference in the morals of these very different cultures.

Scene designer David Korins deserves a lot of the credit for putting together the set. Every room is put together by sliding walls and chairs; this makes the transition from scene to scene very smooth and quick. It adds a little excitement in that you always get to see what scene idea is a couple of seconds before the scene actually begins. Also the music played in-between scenes was Chinese and only adds to the fact that you feel like you are in China.

Wilmes had a difficult task in playing a character who was the lead of the show yet had to spend scenes looking confused and staying away. Most notably a scene where Cavanaugh just lets his “business consultant” Peter do all the talking because he has no clue what was going on. In that scene, I thought Wilmes did a great job of shifting his weight and looking like someone who wanted to be involved but just couldn’t.

The play is a comedy, yet at the end it gets to a very serious issue of what to with Cavanaugh and Yan who are having an affair. At the end Cavanaugh declares his love for Yan and tells her that he is ready to divorce his wife and start over with her. This disgusts Yan who immediately gets concerned and calls this a problem. Cavanuagh and Yan go on to have a whole discussion, in which they can barley understand each other, about the relationship. Yan explains how she has no interest in leaving her husband and that she can only be Cavanaugh as long as it is only physical, she sees it as an escape as a way to save her marriage. Because of the language barrier it takes Cavanaugh  a while to understand what is going on, Yan must go around and around explaining it many times. The audience, who has the good fortune of subtitles understands immediately. This makes for an interesting scene in which the audience can see Cavanaugh  shrinking and finally coming to grips with reality

Through out the entire play Lim does a great job of portraying someone who is barely understands English. She always puts on the right faces and seemed to draw connections between words out of nowhere. Lim also portrays this hard-nosed Chinese women who can flirt and yet seem totally at ease doing it.

All in all, the play is funny and even the fact that you are reading half of the lines off a screen only seem to add to the oddness of it all. The differences between American and Chinese cultures are very out there and are highlighted by the huge difference in thinking about the affair by Yan and Cavanaugh.

Pogossov steals the show

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Last month, I went to see Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at the Metropolitan opera. The most enjoyable performance of the night was that of Rodion Pogossov as Figaro. I thought he started off very strong with his famous aria “Largo al factotum,” and never really looked back. He took complete control of the stage and perfectly portrayed that laid back, know it all attitude that Figaro is supposed to have. Isabel Leonard, as Rosina,filled the entire stage with her voice. Leonard also looked beautiful on stage and graceful onstage.

Conductor Maurizio Benini has a lot of experience, and showed it all off during the opera. He had the chorus playing on all cylinders. Benini really showed off his expertise by maintaining the exact pace you would want and even allowing some of the singers, most notably Pogossov, to really stretch their voices and show off.

Director of production Bartlett Sher and set designer Michael Yeargan’s  showed off their creativity in the use of a giant anvil at the end of the first act. The first act ended with all the people on stage being very confused. The idea to actually have a large anvil lowered from the ceiling and crush the fruit stand brought some much-needed comic relief to the end show. The use of the anvil were brilliant ideas by Sher and Yeargen.  Also how they used seven or eight sets of doors to create houses, walls, rooms, for Seville,

There were also some things that made the show less enjoyable.  First of all, the body  language of Leonard bothered me.  Rosina is supposed to be a character who has a major transformation throughout the opera. I wanted to see Rosina start off as a trapped girl, and then go through that transformation into a girl who would ignore Bartholo and go off to marry the count. I feel like Leonard never really showed us that first side.  From the start of the opera she already seemed to be the hardened lady who is ready to fight off anyone who would stop her.

I was very uninspired by Alexey Kudrya as Count Almaviva. I thought he seemed very content to play second fiddle to Pogossov or even to Leonard. I wanted the count to be someone who would come on stage and grab your attention; he would be the person that you could not keep your eyes off. However, when I remember the opera the image of the count is hidden. I would also put some of the blame for Kudrya’s job on the director of production Bartlett Sher. As director of production Sher has to notice that Kudrya is refusing to take center stage and Sher must talk and persuade him to be more showy and louder in terms of body language.]

All in all, The Barber of Seville kept my attention and entertained me. Although there were a couple of flaws, most notably Kudrya’s refusal as the Count to take over center stage from Pogossov. However, the entire show is worth seeing because of Leonard’s extraordinary mezzo soprano performance but mostly because of Pogossov’s extremely inspiring performance as Figaro.

 

 

Il Barbiere di Siviglia At Lincoln Center: A Mediocre Performance Of A Legendary Opera

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If you are a fan of Bugs Bunny cartoons, then you maybe familiar with the episode titled “The Rabbit of Seville.” However it might surprise you that this episode is based on a very famous opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia. On Wednesday October 19th, I went to see Il Barbiere di Siviglia performed by the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. The opera is based on the play The Barber of Seville written by Beaumarchais. Gioachino Rossini composed Il Barbiere di Siviglia in 1816. Although the Metropolitan Opera performance had some good moments, the overall performance was disappointing.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia intends to make the viewer laugh while telling a romantic story. The story is about Count Almaviva (played by Javier Camarena) going to Siviglia to pursue the woman of his dreams, Rosina (played by Isabel Leonard). The only problem is that Rosina lives with Dr. Bartolo, played by Maurizio Muraro, who plans on marrying her. Luckily, the Count gets help from Figaro, played by Rodin Pogossov. Figaro is the city’s barber and one of his customers is Dr. Bartolo. Figaro uses his access to Dr. Bartolo’s house to help the Count and Rosina get married.

The storyline was not the only thing that was great about the performance. One of the other things that really stood out in the performance was the lighting, designed by Christopher Akerlind. The lighting was very powerful and the transitions from nighttime to daytime were seamless and beautiful. This was important to the story because several scenes took place during the transition from night into day.

In addition to the lighting, the performances of Javier Camarena, Maurizio Muraro, and Patta Burchuladze (Don Basilio) were outstanding. Muraro and Burchuladze had powerful voices that could be heard throughout the whole theater. Camarena’s voice was smooth and soulful. Their performances were some of the best that I have seen.

The performance of Rodin Pogossov was very disappointing. One of the most famous moments in this opera is Figaro performing “Largo al Factotum.” The singer is supposed to perform this number with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Mr. Pogossov was lacking energy and enthusiasm in his performance. Fiagro is a very important character in this opera because his energy and enthusiasm help the Count and Rosina end up together. Mr. Pogossov did not do the character justice.

The performance of Isabel Leonard was left something to be desired as well. Her voice did not carry well throughout the theater and it seemed like her performance was monotone. The musical number “Una voce poco fa” is supposed to have a shift of emotion from obedient to rebellious, but Ms. Leonard’s performance was lacking this shift.

Another thing that could have been improved is the set. The set, designed by Michael Yeargan, was made out of about ten wooden doors that were moved around the stage to create different settings. Although this was creative and left more to the imagination of the viewer, it would have been nice to see a set that represented the city of Siviglia. The playbill describes Siviglia as beautiful city with “intricate, winding streets” and “exotic traditions.” It would have been nice to see a set that featured some winding streets and beautiful buildings, but unfortunately this set did not.

One aspect of the production that really took away from its quality is the character Ambrogio, played by Rob Besserer. Ambrogio’s only purpose is to provide comic relief, but the style of the comic relief is very cheap. The only way that Ambrogio provides laughs is by getting hurt. In one scene, the Count slashes a tree and it falls on Ambrogio while in another scene, an explosion occurs off stage that causes Ambrogio to drop on stage with burnt clothes. If you are in elementary school and like cheap comedy then you might find this. However if you are a sophisticated person and like thoughtful comedy, Ambrogio will most likely annoy you rather than give you a good laugh.

Whether you should see this opera depends on your experience with opera. If you are an opera connoisseur, then you should see this production. However, If you are going to the opera for the first time and want to get a great first impression, then you might want to see a different performance. While this performance had its good parts, it will not leave you amazed and begging for more.

 

 

 

 

A Perfect Play on Broadway

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Have you ever experienced a language barrier? If your answer is yes, then the play Ching*lish will be very relatable for you. Ching*lish first premiered at the Goodman Theater in Chicago on June 18, 2011 and is now playing at the Longacre Theater on Broadway. It is written by David Henry Hwang and the Broadway production is directed by Leigh Silverman. Ching*lish is a must see Broadway play.

The play is a comedy that aims to show the audience how difficult but funny language barriers can be. The play focuses on Daniel Cavanaugh (played by Gary Wilmes), a businessman who runs a sign making company. Daniel travels to Guiyang, China to arrange a business deal with a local Cultural Center. Daniel noticed that many Chinese signs were incorrectly translated into English, so he offered the Cultural Center an accurate translation of the signs that they will put up. During his time in China, Daniel ends up having an affair with Xi Yan (played by Jennifer Lim), a minister on the Cultural Center board of directors. Xi helps Daniel get the deal and teaches him about Chinese culture.

Simply put, this play was amazing. There were only positives about the performance. The biggest highlight of the play was the playwriting. David Henry Hwang wrote an interesting story that is very relevant in the world today, because many people travel abroad to do business and struggle with new languages and cultures. There were many funny moments in the play, such as when Daniel tried to say the same word that Xi said in Mandarin, but ended up saying a completely different word. The audience was laughing out loud throughout the whole play.

Another highlight of the performance was the scenery, designed by David Korins. There were several different settings in the play, ranging from a restaurant to an assembly room to a hotel room. Each setting looked very realistic. It seemed as if the designer literally took an actual restaurant or hotel room and placed it on stage. The transition between sets was exceptional as well. In between scenes, the lights would go down and music would play while the sets rotated on stage. When the lights were back up, there was a brand new setting on stage that looked completely different from the previous one. The scenery was very enthralling and greatly contributed to the play.

This play would not be possible without the actors, who light up the stage.  Stephen Pucci was outstanding in his role as Peter Timms, an Englishman that lives in China and consulted Daniel during his visit. Mr. Pucci’s character required him to speak both English and Mandarin. Mr. Pucci’s Mandarin was excellent. His transitions from English to Mandarin were seamless and he spoke mandarin flawlessly. His Mandarin felt completely natural and unforced. Peter Timms Mandarin ability was crucial to the play, as it allowed Daniel to interact with the Chinese characters. He gets two thumbs up for his performance.

Gary Wilmes and Jennifer Lim brought their characters to life. Mr. Wilmes portrayed Daniel’s confusion and honest effort in understanding the people and culture extremely well. This was evident in every scene where Daniel tried to understand what people were saying in Mandarin. Ms. Lim portrayed a strong willed woman perfectly. Her best performances were when her character interacted with Daniel.

Ching*lish is a must see Broadway play. It exceeded its goal of entertaining the audience with a modern comedic story. The playwriting, acting, and sets were outstanding. There was not a single thing that was bad about this play. Ching*lish is definitely worth the price of admission.

Creating Custom Menus (and/or reordering pages) on your own ePortfolios

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I was just explaining to someone how to (re-)order pages on your own ePorfolio site, and I wanted to share this info. with everyone.
If the theme you are using supports a “custom menu,” you can create a custom menu through the dashboard (go to “Menus” under “Appearance” in the lefthand column).  To do this, you will need to:

1.  Input the “menu name” and then click “Create Menu.”
2.  Then you can add any pages or categories you want to the menu through that interface.  You can then drag and reorder the pages/categories within the menu (even creating subpages, by indenting them).
3.  Make sure to click “save” at the bottom of the menu after any changes.
4.  Make sure that you have the site set to display the menu you created (under the “Primary Site Menu”).

Custom menus are great!  But if you don’t want to use them (or if you theme doesn’t support them), you can go back and edit each page and order them under “Page Attributes” (the box under the “Publish” box – you will likely have to click that section to get the full box to expand/show you the options).  You can also designate “Parent” pages and create subpages that way.