M.J & MEDIA 150

Michael Jordan has created one of the greatest marketing designs known: himself. Jordan has created a multi million dollar symbol that is a representation of himself flying through the air for one of the most memorable jams in NBA history. No other player in other sport has sold more sneakers or collectors items, (not including sports wear: hats, shirts, sweats etc.), than this man . I wonder how he came up with his marketing idea, but then I understood how he did it, he had to have taken my MEDIA DESIGN CLASS. No maybe Michael already knew what he was doing when he marketed himself.  The image above shows you what Mike wants you too see. He is centered, arms and feet are angled in a certain way so that if you had a pencil you could actual make a perfect circle around the image. The proximity used makes us focus simply on the representation itself and whatever  other events we want to attach to the representation. 

Now look at the difference:

Here proximity is used but in a more powerful and creative way. The word JORDAN is now taking up the spaces that were blank before. The font is a ridged edge and is incorporated in the whole frame, leaving very little blank spaces. The next word that catches my eye is the word: A  I  R .

      This is written in a much more delicate font but is still just as effective as the enlarged "Jordan" behind it. The reason is that the spacing between letters gives the viewer "room to breathe  in AIR" so to speak. These words are sharpened by the white color use and the black background. Also, I noticed that the use of the color red makes the symbol strong in the center, almost like the heart of the image. As the heart of the image, the letter "i" sits dead center which is supposed to be representing us: the fans, and Michael Jordan: the icon. Its pretty evident to see that proximity, or spacing, along with fonts add on greatly to the intention of the marketing tool. Colors are just as important just ask Coke and McDonald's who both rely heavily on the "red effect" to take hold on people's eyes daily. Michael did play for the Chicago Bulls but still not a bad time to go with red and black. 

Jordan is forever apart of our culture, even if you never heard of basketball, you have heard of Michael Jordan, at least that's what I think. I do believe that the minds behind the marketing designs, promotions, and commercials there was intent to attract and control consumers to believe they could actually "fly" But the only thing that was flying was money out of people's pockets and not a cent added for the manufacturers and underpaid labor workers in Indonesia. 

They give us fashion.

M.J. Please Help 

The Godfather-

The feature length film I will choose to talk about is the Godfather. Francis Coppola examines the "mob lifestyle" in a way that has changed the outlook on "gangster" films ever since they've been viewed in America since the early 1940's. There are a few scenes in which Coppola sets out to have the viewer feel a emotion rather than search for it. His delicate choice of what sets in the frame and what does not has to do with Coppola's ideas for liberty and peace by any means necessary. The last shot of the film for example, Michael Corleone has just explained to his wife that he did not set up his sisters boyfriend's death, but of course he was lying, and soon after Michael's status shows that he has become the head of the family and we see how Coppola chooses to separate family and business through composition of camera work. He has Michael's wife on the outside of the room, zoomed up face shot of her, and then we have s hot of Michael in the dark lit area of the room, and the door shots on him being admired as the next Don. Throughout the film Coppola uses the camera as his sword and shield. There is also a murder seen by the corn fields, and there is a shot of the Statue of Liberty that is in the distance. The look of the shot portrays a feeling of finding your own liberty in a place where everyone is supposed to be"Free". The technical choices of the film such as lighting, tilt, panning of characters, and angles of the camera makes the movie more realistic during the gun battles but these techniques are emphasize Italian tradition at the dinner table. The Godfather is one of those films where you can not turn away fora second because you might miss a scene that shows the cinematographer motive through the film. The movie is shot in an very neat fashion, there isn't a lot of discourse with the camera, meaning there is not to much tracking and panning of characters immediately when the film starts. The tracking and panning, and play on lighting sneaks up gradually in the film, providing its audience with traces of action but solidifying pure emotion with dialogue that flows naturally. There is also a scene where Don Vito is introduced, the lighting in the room represents the dark inequality that is cast upon mere men, representation of power among others. We later see lighting when the wedding scene becomes more in depth, resembling family, trust and honor. The "look" and the "feel" of the Godfather rises through a climactic finish as the Corleone's reestablish themselves as a powerful family. Coppola provides his audience with more than just a mobster story, he grips the family values and morals by the throat and dips it int illegal actions so that one man, Michael, can be tested. The Godfather has to be one of the most influential films of all time and represents how foundations can be created with a camera, setting up emotional views and reflecting themes of independence, innocence, guilt, pleasure, betrayal, and personal power.

My Trip to the Museum of the Moving Image

So this is my first blog created for my class trip to the Museum of Moving Image and I must say it was a pretty cool experience. The tour guide was about 25 or so, this made it a lot easier for me to connect with her because sometimes they can give you those tour guides that should be at an Art galleria or something. Anyway, this guide was totally cool. She showed us these old photos of great actors and actresses and she broke down each demonstration like if she created them herself. She was very open to questions and allowed us to look at what we wanted but still kept it tight knit. There were a few demos which allowed you to participate and I took full advantage. There was a recorder and a screen and what I had to do was simply 'stay in motion' for five seconds. What would happen as a result was the camera would cut down each motion in a five second recording into thirty frames or so, and simplify each of my motions. This was a great experience because not only was it free, but I had a chance to collect the shots at the end and a chance to create my own flip book. Another demonstration that my whole group sat in for was when our tour guide took us to the audio section of the museum. I was thrilled to learn that film is made up of 50% audio and that without sound, movies would be very different. Even during the silent area, there was always some kind of music or sound to set up an emotion. Anyway, we were all watching two screens, one had Pro tools on it, the other had a freeze frame of one of the scenes from Titanic. The tour guide played the scene for my group and began to explain the certain sounds from the dialogue , to the splashing of the water, to the simple thuds of people falling on the deck. These sounds were emphasised from simple uses of natural items. For example the "thud" comes from a potato sack being pushed off a chair. The ship breaking down is the sound of a lion's roar in reverse. Finally the sounds of a gun with a silencer came from the extension lines whipping off the ship and splashing into the water. Sound is very necessary to keep a film at its peak form. We even learned about the importance of thematic music. Understanding that when Jack and his girl reunite from time to time, the overplayed Celine Dion song actually had a purpose, the melody would softly play in the background. The Museum of the Moving Image has so much fun and factual stuff that allows you to participate and learn at the same time. I would advise it to anyone who wants to step away from the ordinary "look but don't touch" museums and wants to learn details of film, photography, and video games.