TMA 319
A comprehensive look at my work in the BYU media arts department's class TMA 319: Advanced Fiction Production.
About me, I guess.
14 January 2023, 21:31
Personally, I think "About Me" sections on portfolios aren't necessary because the work behind the artist should speak for them rather than the artist themselves. I enjoy the intrigue and the mystery of silence outside of art. Unfortunately, my people-pleasing complex urges me to honor my grades and I don't want to get docked points on this assignment, so here's a little about me, I guess.
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I'm from Vermont. "Wow I've never met someone from Vermont before!" You are correct; there are about 8 of us and we tend to either never leave our hometown or leave the country entirely so the chances of running into us are very low. I have a mild obsession with the Vikings, I cosplay, and I love fixing things. For Christmas this year my dad got me a huge toolkit and I keep waiting for my roommates to break a chair or the toilet or something so I can put it back together.
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I've been making movies since I was very young. I discovered iMovie on the desktop my dad let my sister and I use, and with it created all sorts of nonsense, including an adaptation of a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip which is up on this website. Every school assignment in middle school ended up being a video, and in high school I joined a film class and created a lot of work I was really proud of. It's honestly a pile of garbage, but it started my career and I'm thankful for all of it. A large amount of that's up on this site somewhere, too. I've been working as a professional videographer and editor for roughly seven years now, and today am working towards my degree so I can build a larger portfolio of educated and informed art that will allow me to work on creative projects rather than mostly commercial. I might just implode if I can't create the stories currently living in my mind. I also hope to graduate to on-set work rather than existing only in the post-production twilight zone, as I hate sitting at a desk all day and really do love talking to and actively working with people.
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So that's me! I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor this semester; feel free to leave comments under any of my posts or contact me privately via the contact page in the navigation bar.
5 Cool Things
14 January 2023, 21:40
This assignment asks that I post about five "cool" things that I like. While I'm not sure the things I really like can be considered "cool," I'll talk about them anyway and hopefully by the end you'll agree with me.
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As stated in my "About Me" section, I have a mild obsession with the Vikings. I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Norway, and there discovered I have a lot of Norwegian and even Viking ancestry. There's a lot more to them than pillaging and buff dudes in horned hats. In fact, the actual Vikings didn't have helmets with horns on them at all. A lot of Vikings, also, were peaceful members of society who gave their women and children rights and had harsh consequences for people who violated those rights. While they were still often slave owners and traders, they were very forward thinking when it came to human rights at the time. Ask me about them! I'm about to start reading the Poetic Edda so I'll have even more cool things to say about them as I go through it. (Image: overexcited missionary Alison at the Viking Ship Museum in Akershus, Norway.)
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Since we're all filmmakers here I'll stay out of my favorite films (ask me about them!), but I will mention how much I enjoy studying and being a part of fan culture. There's a lot of stigma surrounding fangirls, cosplay, and conventions, but I find all of these things to not only be a source of reprieve from stress, but also a source of inspiration. It's fun to see how much a piece of media can inspire other people to create, and it makes me really excited to make media that does that for people. I'm also a cosplayer myself, which has given me a huge amount of respect for costume and character designers. That stuff is NOT easy. It's super worth it when your favorite artists give you free merch because they like your costume, though (yes, that really happened). (Image: me as Jinx from Arcane at FanX SLC.)
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I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember. I grew up sitting on my dad's lap as he played classic 90's PC games. My favorites were the Myst trilogy and Tomb Raider, but Tomb Raider was, and still is, my most favorite. I thought Lara Croft was the coolest lady to ever exist; any woman who could jump higher than her own head and risk her life in the name of curiosity and spite alone is worthy of the greatest of accolades. Honestly I wonder how she hasn't become a feminist icon by this point. She's unfortunately greatly sexualized, but she's also stronger, smarter, and has more murderous rage than all the other characters combined. The first game also features a very interesting female antagonist. It's an incredible series and I've played a lot of the games tied to the name. I also, of course, own all of the movies under the same title.
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Before I decided for sure I wanted a career in the film industry, I was convinced I was going to be a roboticist. I joined my high school's robotics class and became not only the singular girl in the robotics program, but also the one and only undefeated battle-bots champion of the school. If I had been better at math I would have been a brilliant engineer, but unfortunately I hated math enough I made a music video about it and then earned a C in the class, so that path was closed off to me. I still love messing with old electronics and learning how things work. Someday, I'll learn a proper programming language and make a robot again, but for now, I'm happy watching the Battle Bots tv show and pulling things apart for fun. (Image: a blurry action shot of my high school battle bot (white) destroying its opponent.)
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Something a lot of people don't know about me is that I'm an archer. I've only received a small amount of formal training, but it was enough that my parents trusted me with a bow for Christmas when I was about 12 or 13 and I've enjoyed shooting ever since. Growing up in the woods meant there was never a lot to do, so I used to wander the woods I lived in with my cat and my bow and shoot at stuff. This, movies and video games being my favorite pastimes meant I grew up very socially awkward, but it makes for some pretty funny stories (and pictures) now. I still love archery although living as a student means I haven't been able to practice in a few years, unfortunately. (Image: me, 15 years old, hair dyed red, wearing combat boots hitting bullseyes and thinking I was the coolest kid on the block. Someone PLEASE teach her social skills.)
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Disclosing these things, I'm reminded of a headline I once read entitled, "We Should All Know Less About Each Other" and I'm wondering if I've disclosed too much about too many weird and niche things and will now be an undesirable person to work with. I promise, I won't force my nerd agenda on anyone and I'm excited to work with all of you.
Arresting Images
14 January 2023, 23:16
This assignment's purpose was to take three pictures that could be the opening images of a film. They also needed to embody what Kubrick calls a "non-submersible moment," or a moment that lasts forever.
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IMAGE ONE:
I enjoy extreme close-ups. It means the director wants the audience to think about the really tiny details, that there's something viewers may not have noticed that should be examined. Seeing this image first in a film would tell me possibly that the story has something to do with nature, with details in the natural world and things we have no control over. Maybe this film is asking an audience to examine the beautiful details of their own lives. This image spoke to me as many other images speak to me in that it simply was very interesting to look at; it provided something common that you don't often pay much attention to as you pass it. I think this image was successful in at least serving as eye candy, even if that message isn't obvious.
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IMAGE TWO:
A car hood is open, and multiple oil bottles rest to the side of a closed oil valve. This image tells a story of mechanical issues, with problems that are actively being fixed and the know-how required to fix them being present. Whether the car is fixed already or not is still a question. I liked this image a lot because of that specific question - is the car working yet? Why does it need to be fixed? How can we fix it? It's a theme that rises above mechanical issues and asks us what issues we may face in our lives and personal relationships. I honestly think whether or not this image is successful is relative to the imagination and level of curiosity of the viewer.
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IMAGE THREE:
While the composition of this image is for sure the weakest of the three, I like the contrast between the three objects. We have the Christus which is a symbol of Christianity, a pillar of Selenite which is a symbol of pagan belief, and a tiny Japanese rock garden which is a symbol of both Shinto and Zen Buddhism. All three rest peacefully next to each other, white and reflecting a warm yellow light, in front of a TV. This could be used in many different contexts, but what I imagined was that possibly the person who would assemble these three things together either believes in all three or enjoys religious symbolism in their home, to be reminded of goodness and light as they enjoy various media. I think this image was successful in at least sparking a curiosity in the viewer, whether or not they understand the symbolism immediately. The color contrast between the religious symbols and the black backdrop helps these things stand out in their environment.
Points of Emphasis
21 January 2023, 23:22
This assignment's purpose was to take three purposeful pictures with clear points of emphasis.
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IMAGE ONE:
Places that are decorated for events (in this case, a wedding reception) are perfect places to take pictures because everything is intentional and matches with each other. I'm guessing they didn't imagine that even the cups would match. The lines of the table and chairs lining up with the lines of the cup feels as though the cup was designed for the space, although the bright reflection in the gold around the rim sets it apart from the rest of the space and features it in this image. The decor on the table even seems to rest atop the cup like a tiny crown. I don't know what the purpose of this image would be; in a film, perhaps water or the color gold would be meaningful to the story. I think I was successful with this image.
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IMAGE TWO:
I find the color contrast within this image to be very interesting. While the beige pants and carpet and the black and white wall, backpack and pillow fit in together, the controller features buttons of varying colors and the hands holding it are pink. I think this color differentiation helps us understand the subject of this image is the controller. I think I was successful in this image because of the way in which it stands out from its surroundings.
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IMAGE THREE:
This image may not be as interesting or clear as the others, but I think based on the materials and the background it's clear the subject of this photo is the broken car pieces lying on the ground. The contrast between the materials - wood chips vs. plastic and metal - could be a very poetic statement on how man will always be forced to return to nature, one way or another. I think this image was also successful, even if it might not be as obvious or as clear as the other two; the point of emphasis is clear enough at least.
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Depth of Field
28 January 2023
This week's assignment was to take three photos that show depth. These three, either together or separately, must contain 1. perspective, 2. size difference, and 3. textural diffusion, overlap, or tonal separation.
Note: Some weeks you win some, and some weeks you lose some. This week I lost a lot so one of these pictures I ended up taking many weeks ago and I'm not entirely happy with the quality of these images. Enjoy anyway!
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1. Perspective & tonal separation. This is my kitchen. It has some really interesting lighting design that creates leading lines not only via the cupboards and walls but also with the light on the floor. Normal I feel like this kind of an image would come off as creepy, but the light is so warm and the fairy lights are so welcoming that it looks very inviting. I think the lighting on the trash can helps with this, too. It's harder light, but just soft enough that we can tell it has curves, not edges.
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2. Perspective & size difference. This is from the MET in New York City and is the perfect example of how size can change how things are viewed. The people in the background with the large archways and building versus the statues up front makes for a very deep and interesting image. I love how grand this image makes everything out to be; it's not quite threatening or overbearing, but it is very large and quite mysterious. Why are people gathered here? How did they get something so large inside this building? Why did they position these statues in the places that they did? They did a great job arranging these pieces inside the museum.
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3. Textural diffusion & overlap. This was just something really weird that happened to my fork before I took my first bite. My guesses for how it happened is that it was a weak fork, it was like this before I noticed, or a ghost did it to mess with me. With how my week went, my theory is the ghost. While more shallow focal lengths are usually an easy way to make an image flat, this little space here with the fork and the chicken feels quite deep given the lines and shine on the chicken and the difference between the regular tines and the bent one on the fork. This image is very visually pleasing to me and I enjoy looking at it. It feels very satisfying; I think it's because I'm hungry and that chicken looks really good. Unfortunately it was actually not great chicken, though.
Depth of Field Pt 2
4 Feb 2023; 22:04
This assignment also deals with space, but allows for varying degrees of it. We had four options: Flat space, limited space, Ambiguous space, and/or contrast of flat or deep in a single image.
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1. Limited space.
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2. Contrast of flat and deep.
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3. Ambiguous space. We usually expect healthy flowers to be tilting up toward the sky, or at the very least, directly out toward us as we view it. This image contrasts the living with the dead; the dead flowers point downward while the living flowers point in many other directions, confusing our perspective. Which way is up? Are we sideways? It's difficult to orient ourselves. I took this picture because the contrast between life and death is interesting to me, because hyacinths are my favorite flowers, and because these ones were on the brink of needing to be thrown away and I wanted to preserve them somehow.
