What I hear

I did my sound walk around the subway which in a sense is a neighborhood in New York. As I walked down steps to the platform I heard very little. It was quiet enough to hear the sound of crumbing paper as people turned the pages of their books and newspapers. As a train approached the station, it broke the pseudo silence. Its’ brakes roared as they brought the train to a stop. Then again there was a silence, which was even quieter then before as people waited for the doors to open. As they did sound came flooding out, penetrating the silent platform. As I boarded the train I realized it was emanating from a loud conversation that three men were having as they leaned against the door across from the one I was entering. Then in the foreground I heard the very familiar ding-dong that warns people that the doors are closing followed by a galloping sound created by people running down the stairs in an almost always futile attempt to catch the train. This noise evaporated as the doors shut, terminating with a clicking noise. Then there was a whining noise in the background created by the train, as it got up to speed. It sounded as if the train was struggling.
These noises repeated time and time again as the train hopped from station to station. The roar of the brakes, the ding-dong of the doors, the galloping sound of people running, the click and finally the whining of the train as it got back up to speed. I thought by listening closely to the subway I would hear things that I have missed the thousands of other times I have ridden the subway but I had heard all these sounds before. Then I realized separately they were just noises but together they made up a sound track that I have heard every time I have gone beneath New York, to ride the subway, a sound track whose ever presence is comforting.

Museum blog

While at the museum I discovered the large role that the cinematographer has in the production of a film. I knew the position existed but I thought it was more of a director’s assistant that voiced the orders of the director to the camera men. Yet it is in fact much more important then that, I would go as far to say that the cinematographer is the unsung hero of film production. He or she determines the lighting and camera movement and thus the effect the shot will have on a viewer.
There is a 3rd dimension to film production one that surpasses what is being said and how the actors are moving when they say those lines. The 3rd dimension is the mood the shot is given by the cinematographer, which it does not have initially. The shots of a movie center around the actors so a viewer sees them as the most important elements, when in fact the cinematographer has told you where to look and how to feel about the story those actors are telling. The viewer of a film is only looking at a screen and listening to audio via speakers. Yet the filmmakers have to make the viewers feel as if they are really there. This is, in some ways, a magic trick and the cinematographers are the magicians.

artist statement

Artist statement
Jake Potent


Hi my name is Jake, I started making media in 8th grade creating short movies about every day life. I was inspired to do this by Kevin smith and his series of comical takes on the life of young adults. I have always seen film as the most dynamic way to express an idea. As I have grown political documentaries are what interests me most and I hope to make one at some point. I believe it is important to examine political events in retrospect in order to learn from mistakes that have been made and documentaries give you a way to share your findings with the public. This creates a well informed electorate and hopefully results in better choose of leaders and representatives.

stamp

what i see

To do this blog assignment I choose to watch “No End in Sight,” a documentary about the invasion of Iraq. The technical choices in this film are incredibly consistent and do a lot to reflect overall themes. When video footage is shown of Iraq is often archive footage that was taken from handled cameras held by citizens of Iraq and not journalists. This adds to the feeling of chaos. In addition the footage usually starts with a split screen of two different film strips, showing the same type of action which gives the viewer a feeling that what is happening in the footage went on all around Iraq at the time and thus are not shoots of isolated events. This type of footage is also shown throughout many of the press conferences that are incorporated in the film, in which top members of the administration at the time are saying that such chaos is isolated or grossly exaggerated. The footage works to directly contradict this and is an example of the filmmaker’s tendency to show the viewer, rather then say it through narration, adding to the film’s effectiveness. Interviews also work to contradict these prevalent press conferences. These interviews are shot with low light and the subjects are often lighted in such a way that half their face is in darkness. This gives the effect of the interviews looking like they are from behind closed doors. The interviews with Iraqis are shot with the subjects being completely silhouetted and it is not to hide their identity because their names and origins are given in text. It works to reflect an overall theme in the movie that the Iraqi people really did not have much of a face while the invasion was occurring or thereafter and as a result little attention was placed on securing the safety and wellbeing of the Iraqi people. The most interesting footage in this film is when parts of interviews from different subjects are pieced together to create a debate between the two subjects; they are not directly talking to one another but are contradicting or opposing each others views on an issue. This characteristic of the film add authenticity to the points that are trying to be conveyed throughout and also gives you an idea of the conversations that should have happened long before an invasion but because of a communications break down this did not occur.