#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.

Packaging Designs

I love this design. The colors are so bold, the highlights on the green stand out. The type or font of Coco makes it look like bubbles and they flow into one another. The different chunks of fruit floating in the coconut water really make it look appetizing because of the textures and appearance that the water is real. 

This design is a joke. Drunk panda-fish with red lipstick on a noodle bag. Doesn't have any relation with the actual item. The drawings with the mug of beer are poorly done, the colors are all over the place, and even the title of the bag has awful yellow and red. It's just all ugly. I would laugh at this bag and walk away from it. But who knows, maybe in the Japanese culture this is captivating.

Gestalt Pragnanz.

Pragnanz Exhibit/display: Reality is organized or reduced to the simplest form possible.

From this photograph of the artwork exhibit on display we quickly see two triangles and a square in between. When we actually examine it, there are many different shapes, textures, designs that are more complicated than what initially meets the eye.