Analysis of Video

In the video segment we created for Rosstein clothing, we wanted to showcase different styles of individuals of which the brand would appeal to. In order to convey appealing design elements in the video I wanted motion. Particularly with someone wearing the sweatshirt jogging and another longboarding. Which progresses to group shots of people having fun together and also studying. I made sure to keep continuity by going from outside shots to inside, then back to outside when they are leaving and it is a night shot as the last scene. They start blending when Ivy, our female model is shown in the library, then Varian our longboarder and Davante the runner have their final shots before they too enter the Holland. Obviously not everyone who will see this will know the campus, however it shows Ivy there, then Varian is longboarding toward that direction and Davante is running with the Holland in the background. It wouldn't be visually appealing or make too much sense to have different scenes from inside, night time, and different outfits all mixed together out of order, which I feel is a way of keeping harmony.

When I envisioned the video I wanted a song from this specific group because it is upbeat, diverse and they came to Dixie a couple months ago.  I would say this would be another example of harmony as the music helps the visuality of the whole project. I believe it takes multiple senses to get a story across in an appealing manner. 

After laying the footage I wanted to match the song as much as possible and had the specific idea to try and lay promotional words and stills in a fast-paced motion going along with the beat toward the beginning of the video. The quick motion is eye-catching as the promotional words flash with our models and the clothing, leading back into a motion shot of our longboarder. There was contrast and even figure/ground in the simple black and white logo at the intro along with the title slides. Contrast within the quick frames between words and stills. Another example of contrast includes the particular scenes when the group is sitting down together, we tried to mix and match everyone around based off their clothing and style, different styles of people interacting on a variety of different levels.

Clearly there is a lot of emphasis in each shot of the brand, which I wanted it to speak for itself. I showcased the different types of logos presented in the older styles offered, like the paisley R. Forever, the brain rifle logo, and the hockey jersey logo along with the other prints. The shirt that CJ is wearing has the Pacifico type that we liked the most, and the R. Forever shirt is where we based the hashtag ad campaign off of. 

The logo at the beginning before the music even starts is the identifier, as well as our campaign idea of #R4EVER sparatically involved in the fast shots and the fade out in the end. 

As far as other design principles, I made an effort to have a variety of shots that followed the rule of thirds, involved motion and flowed with the proper vector lines. The intro shot of Davante running up the stairs had many different takes where I worked with certain angles of the staircase at the Holland building. Many shots wouldn't work out with tree lines or other aspects of the landscape and lighting. I am now very aware of accidental mergers from learning about that in class and try to make a conscious effort to avoid that issue. 

I really liked the shot of Varian the longboarder going past the fountain and around, there were a multitude of shapes in that shot, the water's motion establishing a constant vertical vector that he passes behind, then he curves and comes closer to the camera. I also loved the sequence of all of them laughing and smiling. I was going in a circular motion in between all of them, with the cuts you can't see the others around them but you see from the flow of motion and even the eye contact where the next shot will come from. Particularly when Davante in the red is laughing and looks to his left and the next scene is Ivy laughing as well. 

The ending scene with the clock tower's red glow looks great as Ivy jumps on CJ's back to the left of frame with #R4EVER in white. Lots of the clothing used in this video are black and white, as were the titles, logo and even this shot with the highlight of red. I felt that those were the highlighted colors in the ending of the video as 3 had black shirts and one had a red shirt. Also inside the Holland there are white walls with accents of red and red chairs. Unfortunately this did not go according to our original color scheme, basing it off the maroon and greener hues from the newer clothing designs. Lots would have been different if we received the clothing shipment. However, there is some balance and consistency found within the production design of wardrobe and set with what we had to work with. 

Rosstein Video

#R4Ever preproduction

Rough outline/Treatment:
Different styles of people all representing Rosstein in the college age range.
Shots of Varian longboarding, Davante jogging wearing the Rosstein Jogger hoodie, Ivy wearing the hockey jersey listening to music on campus, CJ hanging with the gang, just doing his normal routine.
Shots of everyone together hanging out.

Original ideas (subject to change based off of lack of clothing product):
studio shoot with two models, male & female. Each standing in the same place while the clothes change gradually faster in a flashpoint fashion while black screens with words such as "independent," "freestyle," etc.
Final shot of our group wearing Rosstein in the studio. Ending with #R4Ever.

Mis-En-Scene: American Sniper

Art Director:

The art director works very closely with the production designer, in fact, all above the line roles like this work closely together including DP and director. All are involved in the artistic feel and look of the film. The art director seems to have more of an organizational role in terms of budgeting, project management, overseeing set construction and even coordinating special effects, etc. According to media-match.com, the art director begins working several months before shooting even begins. They have a big role in pre-production. 

This particular scene is of American Sniper, where Chris Kyle is sitting in a bar back in the states for his first time in a while, and has a phone conversation with his wife who had no idea he was even back in the country. The set itself is a bar which is typically lower lit but there is a grungy green aspect to this sequence. The bar is very old-school, telling by the light fixtures and style, even in the wardrobe department it has a 1970s-80s look. The lighting is dark, only highlighting certain aspects of his face during this dark and confusing period in his life. His wife has a bit more light in her home but still has a darker, green look as the walls are a mint color and even her sweater. The art director had to follow the guidance of Clint Eastwood, the director, the production designer and organize the set design teams while simultaneously working with budgeting just to make this pivotal scene have the right feel and look to portray what Eastwood thought would be appropriate for the storyline and capture the atmosphere and emotions of the couple. This video is actually a breakdown from Clint Eastwood himself on some of his direction given on this particular scene.

Both of the art directors who worked on this film worked on over 30 other films within the art department and 5-6 films as an art director. Many of which are very popular films in the past several years like Minority Report, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Catching Fire & Interstellar. 

Harry E. Otto

Dean Wolcott

Favorite Director

So I have thought for years that my favorite director was Christopher Nolan. He has been very successful in the last decade or so and has become a huge name in Hollywood. His films are epic with great storylines and visuals. 

However, as I did more research as to quantity of films I generally like, the answer came to be Steven Spielberg as the winner. Probably the most successful and famous director/producer, Spielberg has created a multitude of "classic" films that are generally loved by the public. Not only that, but as I researched more, he has produced over 150 pieces, written over 21 stories and screenplays and has been credited as a director for over 53 films/shorts/series. For example, I had no idea he wrote the story for The Goonies, or that he directed The Color Purple and Hook. He was a producer for the Band of Brothers series that I love, and was an executive producer for the Back to the Future series among other commonly known pieces of work. He has had his hits and misses, but as a whole has created a lot of classics that I grew up with. I also appreciate that he has been diverse in his career, dabbling in different aspects of film production even including editing. Fun fact, after being rejected twice from USC's film school, in 1996 after achieving fame, they awarded him an honorary degree and made him a trustee. He didn't finish his actual degree until 2002, 35 years after starting college.

Compose Your Frame

This is an unedited photo I took in Trieste, Italy. I feel the rule of thirds falls on the bottom right corner with the wavy sidewalk and the 2 individuals walking, as well as the trees on the right side, I imagine the image diced into 9 pieces as was shown to us on the board the other day. The main vector is a the diagonal dock/sidewalk leading to the middle of the sea. This was taken at Miramare, a castle at the edge of Italy and Slovenia. I think the principles of a successful photo exist for a reason, the entice and draw the eyes in specific directions, even if unintentional.

Again another raw image from the top of the Duomo di Milano. The vectors here are self explanatory as the plethora of spires are layered in the image, and the diagonal structure across the frame, ending in a point in the lower right corner, following the rule of thirds as well. The art of the ancient building speaks for itself and provides a multitude of images to influence the viewer. Mostly all architecture in Italy, and I imagine across the globe, have similar design principles intact for the same purpose of drawing the viewer in, establishing beauty and sending out a desired style or message. In a lot of places I was able to visit in Italy I think the message would be greatness by the vastly huge building and design principles, even in such historic times.

Make Up Assignment-Student Campaigns

Analyzing some of the more eye-pleasing campaign ads for this year's student election, I felt this poster was classically mimicking the Shepard Fairey Obama campaign that is so iconic in our generations. Not only is this a smart idea connecting to our psychological preset of the icon. The 2-3 colors used follow a design principle that I learned about last semester in my Communication Design class. We had to make a poster using only 2-3 colors. We also learned about using color that is opposite of reality like having a purple sky for example. The simplicity and blend of the colors pop and are enticing. 

An even more simple design, I actually loved the typography, the spacing between the letters and sizing, how they are balanced and gradually decrease in size and value of content. The white lettering in contrast to her bright shirt work well together. Not much design principle in regards to photoshop like the other, however the design of the type is sufficient for the desired response. I love the background colors, I feel they all blend well together.