Introduction

In our conceptual unit, we were encouraged to expand our creativity and skills to many different mediums. We found our distinct style and form through learning techniques on new tools. We also learned how to create technical work through professional tools and software. The diverse array of skills I’ve developed during this unit will be very helpful in future projects to create to my full potential.

English/Digital Media

Art Reflection

Soon after my introduction to the world of Freestyle, we took a trip to SF MoMA, where we were given the opportunity to observe many different kinds of art and analyze them with more thought than we’d usually do. We picked out a favorite piece, took a good photo of it, and then reflected on what made it stand out to us, using the topic of “awe” to define our feelings for the art we saw. In Digital Media, we learned how to use audio recorders and Premiere Pro tools to create a video with a voiceover of our reflection.

I appreciated the opportunity to think on meaningful art pieces, and learn how to use Premiere functions,

Parody Production

The Parody Project was my first experience with professional production. I got to write my own lyrics, hop in a recording booth, and then edit my audio professionally with Adobe Audition. I wanted to make something fun, silly, and relevant-so I made my song about performative males, a stereotype that was gaining popularity at the time of writing this song.

My parody is about the trend of “performative males”, which is a stereotype describing men who do certain, stereotypical feminine actions they believe will impress women, like drinking matcha, wearing certain clothing, listening to specific music, and more. I did this to the song Ghostbusters because it’s catchy, fun to sing to, and popular enough for people to recognize that the song is a parody. 

I struggled a lot with figuring out my idea for this song. At first, I tried to think of over-specific topics, like the meme of a Victorian child trying a Sour Patch Kid, or getting trapped in a sinister Ikea. I wrote lyrics to both of these ideas, but they fell flat. I had a spark of inspiration late at night, and wrote my lyrics for a performative male version of Ghostbusters, and I was having such a good time humming along that I knew this was the one. This process, as frustrating as it was, was actually very fun for me, as I got to stretch to my creative limit and indulge myself in a project that appealed to my sense of humor and fun.

My lyrics are pretty joking, mocking the trend of performative males. While it isn’t serious in any sense, I do think there is a weird stigma around certain stereotypes that really don’t mean anything, like being a man and listening to Laufey. While doing it JUST to impress a woman is very excessive, which my song makes fun of, I’d honestly rather have someone put on a show to impress me instead of someone being a jerk to my face. I’m really proud of my effort and sound. I think I managed to sound good and professional, and maintain the vibe of the original song, while still making it sound goofy and parody-like. My harmonies aren’t perfect and I honestly just sang whatever I felt like, which helped it feel more fun for a listener.

Parody Lyrics

(Performance!)

If you’ve got male friends that you can’t endure
Whatcha gonna do? (Contact me!)
If you wanna discuss feminist literature
Whatcha gonna call? (My number!)

Last week I scored the winning point to end period cramps
I drink matcha and I save 3 kittens every day (Thanks for sending me 10 grand)
I only listen to underground music like Laufey
Let’s complain about complex societal issues (Thanks for sending me 10 grand!)

If you’re a Clairo fan
And need a perfect man
Who can you call (My number!)
A tote bag in my hand
Vinyls of the best bands
You can listen if you call (My number!)

Last week I scored the winning point to end period cramps
I drink matcha and I save 10 kittens every day (Thanks for sending me 5 mil)
I only listen to underground music like Laufey
Let’s complain about complex societal issues (Thanks for sending me 5 mil)

Whatcha gonna call? (My number!)

If you need a man
With a helping hand
Just call
(My number!)

I’m not afraid of those cramps
Gonna protect the girls
I’m not afraid of those cramps
(LADIES, LADIES)

Whatcha gonna call? (My number!)

Mm, If you’ve had enough of
Uneducated stuff, baby
Better follow
My Insta!

Let me tell you, ladies
My heart is just that good

Last week I scored the winning point to end period cramps
I drink matcha and I save all kittens every day (I’m not afraid of those cramps)
I only listen to underground music like Laufey
Let’s complain about complex societal issues (Got a Labubu on my pants)

Don’t fall for that man, no no…
(Performance!)

When he walks into your life
Don’t expect to be his wife
If I were you I wouldn’t call
(That number!)

Whatcha gonna call? (My number!)
Whatcha gonna call? (My number!)
Think you better call? (My number!)
Whatcha gonna call? (My number!)
I can’t hear you!
Whatcha gonna call? (My number!)
Louder (My number!)
Whatcha gonna call? (My number!)
What can you call? (My number!)

Photoshop Blend Mode Editing

In Photoshop, we learned how to use different blend modes to professional modify and spice up our photography.

Using Photoshop blend modes creatively with my photos has taught me how to enhance my photos to further my creative vision and make them more visually appealing. I value having the ability to apply these to not only photos, but artwork, to demonstrate my skills and make my work more professional and complete.

I do a lot of artwork, and I intend to use these new tricks to make my artworks stand out and look more professional. I can use blend modes to get the lighting of my work perfect, enhance the subject, and create a more “photo-like” vibe that will appear more appealing.

DSLR Practice Photos

We also learned the functions of our cameras. We learned how to use depth of field in Av Mode, exposure in Tv Mode, ISO in P-Mode, and some extra functions like the flash and White Balance. We practiced these through different scenarios like night photography and portraits in front of backgrounds.

I’ll be honest-at first, I was very confused. In the moment, I could do what I was told, but it was very difficult to retain the information of all the different functions, buttons, and abilities of the camera, and how to use them. I was okay with depth of field-I understood focus well and was able to apply it to different contexts. Night photography was a bit more difficult for me, though. I struggled with messing with the exposure, and couldn’t make my photos blur in a meaningful way, However, as the rest of the concepts began to click into place, with White Balance and ISO being very comprehensible to me, I realized that I probably just needed practice. I’m still working on the skills, but I truly believe I have improved in my skills and have become a better photographer from this experience.

Film

Our conceptual section in film started with learning the most basic skills of a fimmaker–how to deal with exposure and focus on our cameras, and how to edit in Premiere Pro. We had a little scavenger hunt project, where we familiarized ourselves with types of camera angles and functions. Our first real, individual project was the Experimental Films, where we were given a vaguely nonsensical statement, starting with “the feeling of __” and had to utilize visual techniques to project that feeling onto a viewer.

Experimental Film – OTIOSE

This was the statement I had to work with and convey through experimental film techniques.

This screenshot contains the Premiere Pro project file for my Experimental Film. There are tracks for both audio and video–I worked with these, chopping them up and putting them together, to eventually create my final film piece. To the bottom left is where all my files are-the raw videos that would eventually be cut up and edited to create the final product. The timeline, taking up the rest of the bottom part of the screen, was where all the actual cutting and editing took place. On the top is the display of what the film looks like, alongside a few more editing controls.

Film Exercises

Through the Scavenger Hunt video, we familiarized ourselves with common film techniques we’d never used before. We were given a list of different kinds of shots–whether it be camera angles, lighting, focus modes, or just videos of specific items or movements. We got to have fun trying to tick off as many as possible before our time ran out, and then got to edit the video as a group, exposing us to collaborative film work.

With our Green Screen exercise, we learned about Chroma Keying and how the green screen worked, unlocking a helpful tool for editing.

The DoubleMint exercise exposed us to another kind of editing-video cropping. We learned to place two of the same person interacting in a scene, as well as how to keep the camera steady and order our actors on precise timing so that the illusion could be maintained.