‘so?’, he shrugs,’what good has he ever done for anyone? he just sings’

well yes technically he was a singer and that’s obviously where he earnt his millions but he was THE singer for a whole generation and even myself (being Gen Y my first memory of michael was him being a ghosty figure with a greasy mane and a strange cow-boy getup) it was the karaoke song to go to, the dance moves you imitated, the music you had disco’s to- sure he just sang, had weird obsessions and spent exorbitant amounts- but his songs really galvanised people- everyone around the world know’s who he is and his songs

its certainly a sad day, when someone who is sooo firmly in the public eye ceases to be it makes us wonder what happens to us when we cease to be, his impact around the world is almost universal- what would be ours?.

As a society i think we do have a slightly macabre obsession with death. Michael’s life seems to be but a circus and his death seems no different, lets hope the press steps back a bit, pays there respect and don’t turn his death into another 5 page spread media blitz. Cashing off someone’s death, although a sad reality its nevertheless what seems to be happening these days. When all else goes down the drain, lets hope that dignity retains its withering frame.

such is life you say- well good on michael for having given us his all ( which unfortunately has impacted on his privacy) over the last few decades, his energy, commitment and dazzling displays of talent certainly leave us all with something to remember. As a society i hope we will have the dignity to remember him for his work, his dance, his songs.

‘so?’, he shrugs,’what good has he ever done for anyone? he just sings’

well yes technically he was a singer and that’s obviously where he earnt his millions but he was THE singer for a whole generation and even myself (being Gen Y my first memory of michael was him being a ghosty figure with a greasy mane and a strange cow-boy getup) it was the karaoke song to go to, the dance moves you imitated, the music you had disco’s to- sure he just sang, had weird obsessions and spent exorbitant amounts- but his songs really galvanised people- everyone around the world know’s who he is and his songs

its certainly a sad day, when someone who is sooo firmly in the public eye ceases to be it makes us wonder what happens to us when we cease to be, his impact around the world is almost universal- what would be ours?.

As a society i think we do have a slightly macabre obsession with death. Michael’s life seems to be but a circus and his death seems no different, lets hope the press steps back a bit, pays there respect and don’t turn his death into another 5 page spread media blitz. Cashing off someone’s death, although a sad reality its nevertheless what seems to be happening these days. When all else goes down the drain, lets hope that dignity retains its withering frame.

such is life you say- well good on michael for having given us his all ( which unfortunately has impacted on his privacy) over the last few decades, his energy, commitment and dazzling displays of talent certainly leave us all with something to remember. As a society i hope we will have the dignity to remember him for his work, his dance, his songs.

Let There Be Light

A still from Stanley Kubricks’ “Barry Lyndon” ( 1975)

 “Films are light”

( Legendary Italian director Federico Fellini, quoted from Malkiewicz 1992 p.1)

Lighting is one of the 3 basic tools of cinematography ( Bobker 1979), with the other elements being camera and lens choice. More then merely a tool, lighting or the lack of light, creates the crucial atmosphere, drawing viewers into the world of the film. As Lee R. Bobker ( 1979) succinctly states “Lighting, then, is the substance with which the filmmaker ‘paints’”. ( p. 79).  The use of light to create mood, give character and communicate emotionally “has elevated lighting for film from its craft origins to its present artistic level” ( Bobker  1976 p.76). Indeed lighting combines both artistic creativity and technical ability in order to achieve its desired effect on screen. The following photographs highlight various aspects of lighting in the context of the mis-en-scene.

Night: Cafe

please note that though I did not physically take the photograph ( I’m in it), I did select the camera settings, the angle and told my friend to press the button. I was the only one wearing dark enough clothing to block the light out and create this effect,

Lighting is dependent on costume, camera angle, props, set and the position of it subjects to convey meaning in a scene ( Malkiewicz 1992 p. 6). In this photograph, taken inside a café/bar at night, the black clothing, hair and eye colour of the foreground subject contrasts well with the glowing lamp positioned on the left hand side of frame. The lamp emanates a warm orange hue, illuminating the rest of the café. The bent over position of the mid-ground subject causes the light to catch his fair hair as well as shading his grey sweater with a reddish hue. This is reminiscent of  Cameron Crowe’s nostalgia-tinged Almost Famous ( 2000) with the use of lighting transporting us to the heady days of rock ‘n’ roll.

 The low lighting in this photograph is reminiscent of Wong Chi-Ming’s work, the lighting designer for Wong kar-Wai’s visually lush film “In the Mood for Love” ( 2001).

Note the saturation of yellows in this scene creating a dream-like feel.

Note the reds in this scene, a not so subtle emphasis on the underlying sexual tension between the two leads

The saturation of yellows and red lighting in the film is referenced in this photograph as well as the wide colour palette,seen in the cocktails, that comprise the whole mis-en-scene. The source light provided by the lamp falls in intensity creating a chiaroscuro effect ( Buchan 2006) from the mid-ground to foreground.

The mirror in the background of the shot however provides the necessary reflection to lighten the foreground subject without compromising the mood of the photograph. Note the white tables and colourful cocktails that offset the low lighting of this photograph. Again we must look at lighting in the context of all the other elements in the mis-en-scene to bring out the intended atmosphere.

Fly Screen Door

Taken without a camera flash my intent was to use the natural light from the door as a form of dramatic contrast with the interior of the house. Coupled with the diffused light from the window, these natural light sources create strong silhouettes of my father reading the paper, as well as the door and window frame. The stark contrast between the two light sources immediately creates interest in the viewer. As Kris Malkiewicz ( 1992) points out; “The light is there to direct the viewer’s attention, the darkness to stimulate it” ( p.2). In this photograph we are immediately drawn to the fly screen door and what’s outside the door yet we are left to wonder who the man is and what sort of house we are in. A still from the 2004 Oscar winning documentary feature Born Into Brothels demonstrates the powerful use of this contrasting technique.

Note how the silhouette of the girl powerfully expresses her loneliness and subordination in the hands of her own family.

The light highlights the vertical lines of the doors ( including the doors and windows outside), creating a sense of order and symmetry in my photograph. Note the reflection from the glassed covered painting on the right hand side of frame which subtly uplifts that side from total darkness. 

Federation Houses

A gothic scene in the streets of melbourne

This photograph was taken on a recent week end trip down to Melbourne. The use of flash in this shot catches the branches of the tree on the right hand side of frame. The flash also bounces onto the grey car making it a point of contrast with the moving white wagon and the federation style houses in the background.

The cloudy grey skies complement the dark colour palette of this scene which evokes a sombre mood to the overall photograph.

The famous cover image of psycho, with the gothic architecture of the house is exaggerated with the use of lighting. As a complementing art form light must always work with all the various elements in film and photography.

The iconic image of "Psycho"

Therefore it is obvious that lighting has an ephemeral quality. It can affect our emotions and subconscious, subtly or dramatically ‘colouring’ the scene of a film. 

By: Roxie Vuong

Student: 10719159

Reference List

Bobker, R.L. 1979, Elements of Film, Scott Meredith Literary Agency, New York

Buchan, S. 2006, Animated Chiaroscuro, Aurora, viewed 3^rd November 2008, <http://www.aurora.org.uk/?lid=450>

Kaufmann R, & Briski, Z. 2004, Born Into Brothels,  viewed 2^nd November 2008, http://kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/film.php

Maliewicz, K. 1992, Film Lighting, Prentice Hall press, New York.

Young, D. 2003 Felliniana Archive, viewed 3^rd November 2008, <http://www.felliniana.com/news.php>

i guess it ain’ that bad afterall- for some strange reason i had always thought i would be doing environmental law- now it all seems rather possible- i think i can do it- as oprah says you can, just not all at once- well i kinda think you can do at least 3 things you love at once

dancing, studying, and filming as well as drawing and writing and teaching on the side- its all good

Its like i can no longer relate to wanting to see my boy over finishing my assignment- for gods sake is there even a struggle, stuff the boy for now and finish your goddam assignment because it is due very soon and you can soon see him- i don’t know, maybe i’m a twisted old cow but its strange i’m only 18 and already i feel so over the whole dating process and the superficiality of clubbing and that shit

not getting into clubs because you don’t look better then the person next to you or because you’re not

white or because you haven’t got the right clothes- you would hope that would have ended in high school but it seems in life that there’s always something or someone to judge you- the funny thing is, we willingly put ourselves out there to be judged, in the hope that we will be accepted. Why do we still take snobby establishments and doorbitches and bastards to tell us if we’re acceptable enough to their standards- total bullshit i’m telling ya

I think i’m on to something, not sure how it’ll go. But hey- do we ever?

I still tutor english when i can but its nowhere near enough to pay the bloody rent. Man living in Leichhardt for 180 a week is such a rip. All that glamour about being in “little Italy” wears off when Pia, our freako Sicilian landlady comes knocking.

I’ve signed up for a short writing course at Griffin Theatre company…. for 550 bloody bucks! ahhh that’s almost 5 weeks worth of living rent-wise. But i gotta admit its pretty exciting working with renowned playwrights and other wannabe writers ( hope they’re not too pretentious). Still not sure whether i want to write for screen or stage- i rekon since i’m still a nube at this i might as well try both out!

Met up with Brian today for $5 steak at the Lansdowne- funny bloke, not half bad actually though too early at the moment for anything.

Not thinking too much of Dan anymore- i still hold that it was for the best. Though it was bloody embarassing when i bumped into his good mate Pete yesterday. Awkward doesn’t quite fit the description. As a writer i better come up with something better. Something that explicitly describes the outright surprise and falsity of the whole affair. I knew it would happen, just not quite so terribly…. well awkward.

oh darn well i’m going to write up my synopsis for that screen/play that’s been banging about my head for a while- i think i might call it Platform 22 (no special reason for that number, i’m not Chinesely superstitious though i can’t stand odd numbers.

Found a pretty cool, rather trippy, video- on writer’s block of course- i mean what else really?

 )

Being an Australian Born Chinese ain’t easy…

Man talk about embarrasment! well an old school friend called me up today to ask if i could possibly do some promotional/escort work ( no not “that” sort of escorting- strictly PG stuff) at the Hilton Hotel for these Chinese VIP’s. There’s alot of mulahh involved with this sorta work but the catch, “you speak chinese right?”, well i speak a bit of Cantonese, “aren’t they all the same thing?” she asks perplex ( the notion has never struck her airy mind before), no actually they’re completely different dialects but you can’t expect anyone in PR to understand such complexities. So i lied and told her i knew ( like totally) , partly to save myself from the shame of not knowing the language and mostly coz i really want to get away at the end of the year ( 300 bucks for a day’s work? heck yeah!) . Its so warm these days i can just picture myself getting hideously cheap massages in some dodgy part of Bangkok. 

The worst part is that me ma’s a Chinese school teacher so its always been bloody embarrasing being the daughter and not knowing a word of it. Besides the basic stuff its kinda difficult now that my tongue’s so used to western speech.

I”m a banana- through and through-yellow on the outside but unmistakably white inside. Seem’s like whatever i do I’m fighting a losing battle in trying to preserve what little language skills i have left- seems a bit of a shame since China’s supposedly the world’s newest superpower- oh great so now i gotta learn Mandarin ( its the official and formal dialect in China)- isn’t cantonese good enough anymore?

I’ll ring me ma and see if she can give me a crash course in the “Offical” dialect of Chinese

not much you can do when all you need to break into a sweat is sit on your butt, well this youtube clip i found a few minutes certainly put me into a sweat- pretty hot stuff from a bunch of local guys

although i might be moving towards acoustic and god-help-me whimsical related things i still haven’t lost my hard-core action roots. Nothing better than a good ‘ole fight Jackie Chan style!

all this talk about Thailand’s making me want to run to the nearest beach( which is an hour or so away) and sleep under the stars…

summer’s almost here- i can feel it