Link To Brian's Portfolio

MediaP 150 Final Blog

This semester was a truly wonderful and pleasant experience. We learned a lot of background information when it came to talking about the different methods of capturing images and video. Learning about the history of the development of how news was spread to the world was extremely interesting beginning with the printing press to Morse code and so on. The lectures were very informative and Marty Lucas is a very well-spoken individual who’s experience really carries into the education of the students. I do wish however that he did not quite move as quickly with the slides in order to jot down all the information but it is understandable that time was limited too so not a biggie there.
However I say the most superb and fun experiences came in the smaller sessions which involved the actual use of the camera as well as practicing with lighting. I’ve always wanted to experience what being behind the scenes was like and it was awesome watching how especially three-point lighting posed an important factor on the shade and the color of the subjects within the screen. It set the tempo and mood of it. We were able to shoot video, exhibit close-ups, capture images and also modify those images in order to establish that tone of their significance. I absolutely liked learning how to use photo-shop. I am not keen especially on technology and the usage of those programs but just being able to learn it was big for me because I can use it now for future projects whether it is changing or adding an image within another image. I can change the layout of how pictures look, add people, remove subjects not wanted in the picture, this opens a doorway for creativity and really upholstering the true nature of it. It is an art that is what it is. I can record images or videos of nature or any live or sports event and load it onto photo-shop and really play around with the many features and components of the program Though I wish we worked on more lighting and recording images, I absolutely enjoyed this semester of Media Productions 150 and will take these little things I picked up from it and try to master the skill and craft of what I learned.

Designs: Yankees Pinstripes

Design indeed is everywhere! Design can mean so many things to different people. They can go from designs of pure enjoyment and beauty such as team logos or company logos to the symbolism in politics and values. However, personally a special design I absolutely enjoy and respect are those of the Pinstripes. As they say The Power of the Pinstripes signifies the greatness and success of the greatest sports franchise of the world, the New York Yankees. Something about it, just the image of the pinstripes really represent and bring forth what the Yankees have been about not only what they meant to New York, but what they meant in history of the nation as well as many significant times. When one thinks of the Pinstripes they immediately can come up with figures such as Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera, the great teams a decade ago with Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, Andy Pettitte, David Wells, etc. Pinstripes mean different things also depending on the age of the person paying attention to it as well. Older folk no offense intended, when they see pinstripes, they see guys like Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Ron Guidry, Bucky Dent, Lou Piniella, Willie Randolph, Chris Chambliss, Bobby Murcer, etc. The pinstripes represent the greatness of the team in those different eras that people grew up in. Of course it goes back to Legends such as the Babe, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Roger Maris. The pinstripes were indeed important and could have been seen as representing America in WWII as Joe DiMaggio took up role in the military. Pinstripes represent this sense of pride, greatness, love, and loyalty for the team and also the history of the team. Of course this is one perspective, a whole different perception can be seen by say Boston Red Sox fans..
Here is a link regarding the development of the pinstripes and the background behind it: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/history/uniforms_logos.jsp

Media 150 Stamp Assignment

Graphic Design

Graphic Designs represent the symbols of nearly type of media promotions, and advertisements in this day and age.  Hence these designs are presented in and with a variety of different forms and meanings.  They convey many of the symbolism and notions of thought and ideas today.  From postcards to posters, to team logos and jerseys, graphic design places the images as the center piece.  These are the main symbols that express the meaning and the idea represented behind the image.  You can find graphic designs on simple things such as stamps or driver’s licenses and even money such as the eagle representing America and its ideas of freedom and liberty.

            Graphic Design started back as recently as typing and producing typed written material with its keys and symbols as simple as the alphabet.  It explains the importance of typography and how it laid the foundation for graphic design to exist.  From the developments of Claude Garamond to the Sans Serif system, this paved the way for the development of fonts and this more or less standardized the method or style in which particularly letters and symbols appear on computers today.

            Graphics also has a big influence on politics leading from the persuasion of one party from another.  Graphics presents those ideals that are instilled in it, so what it portrays are those very same ideas that are perceived and delivered to the media, the public which influences opinions.  The more eye catching and interesting the graphic, perhaps the more attraction it has to its audience but it also must represent ideas and thoughts that its audience would want to pay attention to.  Graphics holds and represents many of its symbolic value that influences and persuades its media. 

Media 150-Blog #2

              There are many feature films and videos and documentaries that contain the very element of camera work as well as style and various shots to really capture the emotions and feel that bring out the mood of what is being presented.  Being that I am in love with the beauty of nature, the particular show “River Monsters” which also can be considered part documentary is the center of my focus.  Especially with videos involving nature, there tends to be very important camera work involved in order to capture every little detail of the subjects as well as the angle to incorporate the main person who is hosting the show and directly dealing with the subject or species. 

            “River Monsters” uses a medium shot when interviewing the protagonist and host of the show as he discloses the dangers or his wild experience in trying to capture or fish a certain specie.  The show goes from a short interview right to the setting out in the wild.  Camera angles here include the “over the shoulder” view sort of the third person view to give the viewer a sense of what the environment looks like as if you were standing next to the main guy in person.  Here includes beautiful panoramic views and scenes of the river which is from a certain “high angle” shot or viewpoint looking down into the river and also you get forests and trees in the background.  At times, the wide-angle shot is present to captivate the entire surrounding environment.  When the species is actually captured, the camera men seem to use many close-ups to capture the frontal face or body the animal of the fish.  Extreme close-ups are also used to capture the details and to explode the size of the fish’s mouth in order to fully view the size of its teeth.  Close-ups are also used to show the protagonist’s fear or adrenaline as he is attempting to capture these species out of the water.  “River Monsters” is deemed in my view as a show that utilizes nearly every type of camera shot with various types of camera angles.  Their methods can tend to get fancy due to the many different details of the natural aspects that the show is trying to present.

Blog Assgnm1

Media can easily be found just around the corner in this age.  It comes from the very news feeds broadcasted on air, on television.  In fact today, television is still perhaps the major source of technology in terms of where media is channeled.  Programs like CNN broadcast media, all the local stations in New York such as Fox, CBS, WABC all present news and covers the stories in society.  However the question of how media starts is an interesting one.
    Before our current day technology, perhaps to the beginnings of civilization, perhaps back to the age of the Greek and Roman civilizations, people began taking an interest in the occurrences and the events of life in their society.  People wanted to do more than just carry on with their daily activities.  They wanted to see what was happening.  Sports was definitely a major part of daily life and events that occurred especially in the Roman and Greek civilization.  Sports was a big part of life and people attended these events and if they did not have the ability to they certainly participated in them.  Eventually people began to follow sports, even report them. 
    Not just sports but perhaps the statuses of the kings, the royal family, anything interesting that was eye-catching or interesting became part of the social media.  The invention of the printing press later on enabled a new age of spreading news after an age where religion and the bible was pretty much the word of society. 
As convergence comes into play, older methods of news sources such as the newspapers or film can be viewed on the internet through this new engine of seeing and experiencing media.  The internet can be considered a relatively new platform where the old platforms are still being promoted.  Technology was a major fundamental basis of exploring and experiencing media however the beginnings of media can be traced back to ancient times.