Central Park Bandit

Sabrena Project 3 from Sabrena Jewth on Vimeo.

Blog Post # 4: Blackfish

Blackfish is a documentary based on the orca whale named Tilikum. The documentary also shows the mistreatment of other orca whales in aquariums,tactics used to capture them, and trainers who have been attacked or killed. This documentary was constructed in a way to give the audience insight from many different aspects. You see and hear stories from whale trainers, whale capturers, and orca whales. The scene starts off showing a close, physical and emotional bond a mother and baby orca whale shared. The trainers discuss the bond between the two. What really made it hard to watch was when the mother and baby orca whale were separated. Here is where the scene transitions.The baby was transferred to another aquarium. As soon as the baby was taken from her mother, the mother whale began to cry, moving around the aquarium in search for her child. Whale trainers that have worked with the mother whale said she was very quiet until the day her daughter was taken from her. The whale trainers brought in a senior research scientist to analyze the long range vocals. According to the scientist, she was looking for her daughter. Another thing that was touching was through out the pain, the other orca whales tried to help console her. An example relationship of the sounds to images would be when the mother whale cries. In that scene sad music is played, as the camera focuses on the mother orca whale. As the camera shoots her in a medium close up for about 6 seconds , you see and hear her grief. Also every time the whales were shown, the color was low key lighting which changes the mood and makes the scene somber. Through out that five minute clip, the director constantly switches from personal interviews to the whales which makes the cuts obvious. The personal interviews from whale trainers talks about the whales behaviors, since they are the ones who personally know the orcas. Also the trainers discuss their anger towards their ex-employer Sea World, since they are the ones mistreating the whales and employees. What is being said by the interviewees, is determined by the length of the shots. Visuals shown, goes to accordance to what is being said. It makes the scenes more powerful. This documentary was perfectly edited because you are able to hear personal stories and the visuals shown went with what was being said. Personally this documentary made me angry and sad to see how immoral and money hungry these large corporations are. They would go any length for money, putting their trainers and whales in danger.

Natasha's Experience As A Dancer

Blog#3: MOMI Experience

The Museum of the Moving Images was an educational and interesting experience. I did not really know much about movie and television production until I came to the museum. One of the exhibits that I found interesting was the Titanic exhibition. Watching television, it never occurred to me how important every bit of sound was. At the exhibit I learned that for a certain scene, there were close to one hundred sound clips that were put into that scene. First we watched the clip with only dialogue, which was a bit weird. I did not feel any type of emotion, except that it was a bit funny. Then when the sound was added, such as people screaming, and the boat falling apart, I began to feel a sense of sadness. Sound is a crucial aspect in film making, because it makes the story more engaging. Another thing I learned about sound is, what is used to create it. I never thought about what was used to generate certain sound effects. For example in that same scene, while the boat was breaking, the ropes on the ship were snapping off. When I was told that the sound of that was a gun with a silencer I was a bit surprised because I would of never really paid any mind to that. Now I know that certain sound effects are made by foley artists who use other objects to imitate sound, which makes sense. I am sure that it costs more to damage a ship than to purchase a gun to get a certain sound. The changes in technology have definitely changed the way we experience them. From not being able to hear any dialogue or to watch television in black and white. The way we hear and see television has come a long way.

Blog#2: Sound Walk

Today the weather was warm in the Bronx, and everyone definitely took advantage of it. I decided to go for a jog around my neighborhood. As I begin to walk everyone’s outside having fun. The old men are sitting out in front of the bodega playing dominoes, slamming the table, and speaking in Spanish. As I turn the corner, traffic is backed up because of the garbage truck, everyone is pissed off and honking at one another. Heading on to Westchester Avenue, the main strip, trains are passing by, blocking out all the other noises for a few seconds. Then the sound of cars driving and people talking once again resumes. I turn in to St. Lawrence Avenue and Beyoncé’s Drunken Love is playing and young girls jumping rope. As the girls are playing jump rope, I hear the sound of the rope hitting the floor. The sound is repetitive until she loses balance and trips. Her friends burst into laughter and I just chuckled a little bit. When I got to the end of the block I slowly jog my way to the park. I hear my heart beating and cars driving by. Once I make it to the park, I take a break and sit on the bench. I continue to hear my heart beat and I hear myself inhaling and exhaling. While taking a rest, the kids are screaming and crying as their playing in the park. Sitting near the swings I hear the metal screeching as the little boy rocks back and forth. As I continue my work out, I pass near the soccer field and the guys are yelling at their team mate in Spanish. I have no clue what was being said but it did not look and sound very nice. Then I pass the guys and girls that are playing handball. I hear them grunting while their hitting the ball with all their might, and also the sound of the ball bouncing back. I pick up the pace and begin to jog again, this time I decided to put my iPod on and listen to my work out playlist.

Short Takes on Health and Justice Documentary

The Short Takes on Health and Justice, were five mini documentaries combined into one. Each documentary covered a particular matter, but all pertaining to public health. All of the stories were very personal, not only with the people being documented, but the directors. The first documentary Silent Exposure was based on the director, Christopher Nostrand’s father. Christopher’s father was a former Marine who served in the Vietnam War. During his time there, he was exposed to Agent Orange which contains dioxin carbon. Years later he passed away, his family never received compensation or was he part of the Vietnam War memorial.  This film documents a touching journey as him and his family look for answers.  The second documentary I Speak Birth, by Diana Quinones documents experiences mothers had during labor. Health professionals such as OBGYN, doulas and midwifes discuss child labor during the past and present. They discuss how the hospitals can improve on the birthing process for mothers.The third documentary Stigma Continues, by Bryan Mark Urbasitis, and Liz Clarey documents individuals and their experience being HIV positive. They discuss the stigma that comes with having HIV and how they are coping with it.  They are trying to educate and spread awareness. The director is also HIV positive, so this made the documentary more personal for himself. The fourth documentary Rockaway After Sandy, by Karen Binger, Jing Wang, Claudia Zamora, documents victims of hurricane Sandy. Victims have either lost their homes or are living in their homes which are not in the best conditions. A lot of victims are not receiving the help they should, so they are taking matters into their own hands. The film discusses actions the government, community, and volunteers are doing to restore Rockaway. The last document Our Space, Our Food, Our Bed-Stuy, Samantha Riddel, Makia Harper, Uki Lau, and Phung Tra-Khamphoungvong, is about the accessibility and cost of eating healthy in Bedford Stuyvesant. Residents, shop owners, and gardeners discuss their concern with providing healthy, affordable options for the community. They are trying to provide healthier options at their stores as well as building a community garden. All of the directors created their documentaries which talk about issues and solutions that advocates are doing to improve public health. Another similarity is the lack of resources available, and how it brings everyone together. The interviewees  are interviewed alone, shots are medium close ups. This makes it more personal and gives insight to their own personal issues.  All of the documentaries cover health issues that are not being addressed properly and are trying to get justice.

Define a Space

Winter Morning in NYC from Sabrena Jewth on Vimeo.