Silfer project

1) There is some great cinematography in this piece
2)It is compelling because there is a sence of mystery at the end. What ends up happening?
3)I really dont have a connection to this work i just like the cinematography

What did you change about the video?

Whale Rider response

1) Name two situations where Koro ignored signs of Pai’s ability and aptitude to lead.

When she led in the boys at the beginning of the school and when she beat the boy in a taiaha fight.
2) Discuss the scene where Rawiri took up the taiaha again. How does this change carry on for Rawiri in the rest of the story?

Rawiri becomes more confident in himself and starts taking better care of him self and becoming a leader.
3) When the community walk away together, Paikea comes from behind them and walks alone back towards the big
whale. What did that image make you think about Paikea?

She wanted to prove to Koro that she could be the chosen leader of the tribe even though she is a girl.
4) When Pai is in the hospital how do they know Koro has changed his attitude towards her?

Koro stays in the room with Pai until she wakes up.
5) What is the significance of the waka? Describe the waka scene that struck you most, and explain why.

I honestly cannot remember what the waka was.

artists statement 2

Bucktown Anthem from Fereshteh Toosi on Vimeo.

This project was a collaborative project I worked on with two other people. The project was supposed to tell about a specific community in Chicago. We decided on the area of Bucktown, because Arbob was familiar with the area. Our first job was to find out about the area. 

We all met up in Bucktown one day and walked around the area to get more familiar with it. We wanted to interview a lot of people, but it was not exactly a nice day out and there were not many people outside. We did, however, manage to interview three or four people and got a general understanding on what bucktown was all about. Residents of bucktown see it as kind of an oasis in the city. It feels more like suburban living than living downtown. At least until you get past Western Avenue. Then you get into gangs and drugs. 

After getting a general understanding of the area we started discussing what to do for our project. After talking to each other we found out that Arbob could rap and make hip hop beats. I play guitar, so we decided to record a song because Arbob had a free hour at a recording studio he could use. 

We ran into a problem when we found out that the only time we could get into the studio was after the project deadline. We decided to stick with the song and just do a live performance of it. 

One of the guidelines for the project was we had to use at least one "gleaned" item. A gleaned item is something taken and used in an unorthodox manner. We actually used two gleaned items in this project. The underlying melody to Arbob's beat was from a song by the Alan Parson's Project, the song is commonly known as the Chicago Bull's theme song. Also, the "drum kit" Siobahn was playing was actually a rock band drum kit for an Xbox 360. We wished we could have gotten into the studio and actually made a recording of the song, but I think we did a good job for the limited time we had to put this project together.

This project just basically asks the question "What is it like to be in Bucktown?" The hip-hop beat showed how past Western Avenue is kind of the rougher part of the area. The rock portions (such as the distorted guitar over the beat) reflects the "suburban" part of the area. This piece is saying that while some of the area is rough, some parts are great places to raise a family.

I think audiences will take this project for what it is, just a song. I do not believe they will have much reaction to it, but hopefully they find it entertaining.

The strongest part of this project is the way the beat, guitar, and drum went together so well. The project could have been stronger if we had made it longer and if we actually recorded it, but since we didn't have a whole lot of time we did the best we could.

Gleaners and I

What was most suprising to me was that there is so much food wasted by farmers.

The film compares to gleaning because she is gathering shots from people who dont mind being filmed, like the farmers dont mind the gleaners.

The other artists portrayed gleaners as beggars, she portrayed them as people just trying to get by.

Stranger with a camera

1. I honestly cannot remember what her logic was in finding peace in her father's death. If I were in her position though, I would be outraged. Her father was killed for really no reason. If it were me I would probably be so enraged I may try to find him and get revenge. I cannot say for sure though, because I have never been in a situation similar to that.

2) A lot of photographers take advantage of situations to get pictures that will make them look good. Some take pictures that can make things look much worse than they are, which can ruin a person's reputation and possibly their lives because of one picture. In a visual image the person isn't there to defend themselves against what people are seeing to explain what is really going on so it can be very harmful. Filmmakers have a responsibility to keep things objective so they don't make their subjects look bad. If something they shoot is harmful to someone they should not use it.

3)The camera can be threatening because of the negative connotations a picture or film can have. To avoid people being uncomfortable with it, a filmmaker or photographer should first ask the community they plan to shoot if they are fine with the filming. Then, they need to ask all of the people they are filming if they mind being in the shot. If they say no, don't shoot them or any of their property. It's that simple.

Artists statement

Artist’s Statement

My project was an adaption of Sophie Calle’s project The Hotel. I went into the bathroom of three different apartments and took pictures of the shower, medicine cabinet, and sink. I paid particular attention to the products that were there. My hope was to find out by how many products they had how long it took them to get ready.

I had a lot to contemplate with this project. I wanted to keep it voyeuristic so the people who’s stuff I was photographing didn’t have a chance to hide anything. But at the same time, I felt bad exploiting them without them knowing. I finally decided that the best way to go about it was to take the pictures, then tell them that I did and was using them for a project and assure them that they would remain completely anonymous. I had originally taken pictures of 5 apartments, but 2 wished not to participate and were actually quite angry about it.

I chose a photo project because it is extremely difficult to get an idea about somebody’s identity without any sort of visual. I thought the best way to do it would be a voyeuristic photo project because then the person had no time to prepare. If they have time to prepare then you are seeing the person they want you to see, not who they actually are. 

My main goal of this project was to find out why it takes women so long to get ready to go somewhere. I knew they had more stuff they did to get ready, but I did not realize how much more. I realized that women use so many things to get ready that there is no way they will be able to get ready to get dressed up quickly. Especially when women want to do their nails or put on makeup, that takes up most of the time judging by how much there is. 

I think this project shows that women have a lot more they want to do to get ready then men do. But this project could be criticized in a few different ways. First of all, I had to use people I knew, so therefore I already had an opinion about their habits. Had I done strangers there would have been no way I could have known how long they take to get ready. However, there would have been no way for me to get into a stranger’s bathroom to take pictures without their knowing.

I am hoping people see this as a look into the other sex’s lives, but I know some people will view it as an invasion of privacy. That is what I thought when I first saw Calle’s project. This was not meant to exploit any individuals, this was merely meant to get an insight into why women take so long to get ready.

Iran

Persepolis confirmed a lot of what I thought about Iran although, I do not take what was said as absolute truth. From the things I had heard on the news and in newspapers and other media, I had a view of Iran was everybody taking sides and you were either for your side, or against it, no middle ground. Persepolis made it seem like everybody was a radical and that nobody wanted the new form of government when in reality that may not have been true. It was a view of Iran from one person's perspective. I'm sure other people in Iran were very much for the new government.

Project proposal

My project is a combination of a re-enactment of Sophie Calle's project and the Do you wear your heart on your sleeve project. As I realize that this is a public forum, I would like to insist that the details of my project not be discussed with anybody out side of the class because if everybody knew what my project was there would be no way I could get this project done.

I am going to try to figure out how long people take to get ready to go out by photographing the contents of their shower and the styling products/makeup they use. If at all possible, which it will not be easy to access, I will attempt to sneak into their bedrooms and photograph their closets to see how many clothes they have. I will have to use subjects I am already friends with in order to first get into the apartment and then the bathroom. This is another reason it is very important nobody outside of the class knows of the project because if people know I did this I could lose friends over it. 

Persepolis

Did her mother die or just faint?

How many kids did she know that went to war? or died in war?

How was her uncle who fled caught?

Identity

If you look in the dictionary, the definition of identity is "sameness of essential character." But what does that mean? Just being yourself? Basically, what makes you, you? To me, identity is how you view yourself, and how others view you has nothing to do with it. If you listen to what everybody else is telling you, you will be getting thirty different opinions, so how can you possibly form an identity when everybody is telling you something different than the last person told you?

I like to see myself as a confident person. I try to remain as optimistic as possible about any situation I am in. I like to try to think highly of myself without getting egotistical and snobby. If you cannot convince yourself you are a good person and are good at what you do, how are you going to convince others of that? I also try to be generally nice to people. I am a pretty trusting person until you break my trust. If somebody needs help with anything, whether it be helping with work or being there to listen or being there to give advice, I try to be there for anybody who needs me.

I'm not exactly sure how other people see me. I like to think they see me the same way I see me, although I know that is not always the case. I do have a tendency to rub some people the wrong way, but I am not going to change myself just because somebody doesn't like me. I have noticed that a lot of these people though who initially did not like me, ended up liking me after they took the time to hang out with me and get to know me. So I guess once people get to know me they see me as just a generally nice person.

2 Questions

Is it just me, or does this feel like group therapy to anybody else?

What is the whole point of this class? To teach us how to make decisions about other people?