Blog 5

 

1)  This is a still from Toy Story 3. In this image deep focus is being used to convey conflict. The shot keeps both the toys and fiery environment around them in clear focus. The toys terrified facial expressions and wide eyes exaggerate their shared conflict in their overwhelming environment, which adds to the tension. 

This picture is from Toy story 4. This still shows shallow focus being used to convey character development. Bo peep is in focus while her background is completely blurred, drawing the viewers attention to her and her expression. This scene shows how Woody views her, symbolizing that the whole world fades out and she's the only one he's focused on. By isolating her in this way, the scene highlights their bond and emphasizes her significance in Woody’s emotional journey.

 

This is a still from Toy Story 2. This still shows how soft focus is being used to convey character. Woody is isolated from his friends and appears very small in comparison to his surroundings. This scene shows how soft focus makes the landfill environment feel overwhelming, highlighting woody's vulnerability. The burring edges of the world, shows the immense threating space he's trapped in. 

2)  This is a  picture of Legos that I took. The image uses deep focus to convey development. All three figures remain clearly visible, but the cheese-head Lego is infront of the others, creating the sense that he's walking away. This can indicate his growing importance while other remain the same.

This is a picture of three Legos that I took. This picture uses shallow focus to convey character. The cheese head Lego looks isolated and emphasized. He becomes main-character of this shot because he's right infront of the camera making him the main focus. 

This is a picture of three Legos that I took. In this picture soft focus is being used to convey conflict. The blur suggest instability or uncertainty, which can be interpreted as the character feeling unsure of what to do because of recent high tension events. The motion blur emphasizes the sense of hesitation. 

3)   Creating my still photos presented a variety of challenges, each unique to the type of focus I chose. For the first question, I selected deep focus to convey development. This proved to be the most difficult because positioning the three Lego figures at the perfect distance so that none appeared blurry was extremely difficult. I spent a lot of time adjusting their placement and changing the lighting, trying to ensure that the figures in the back remained just as sharp as the one in the front. After many attempts and repositioning, I finally captured a shot where all three figures were clearly in focus, successfully showing development in the scene. For the second question, I chose shallow focus to convey character. Compared to deep focus, this was much easier because the adjustments I had made in the previous question helped me understand how distance and focus affected clarity. My main task was to refine the setup so that the subject stood out without losing the effect, which required less trials and adjustments. For the last question. I chose soft focus to convey conflict, and this was an entirely different challenge. Initially, I tried shaking the camera to create a blur, but the result looked messy and uncontrolled. After experimenting, I surprisingly found out that applying Vaseline to the camera lens worked very well. It created a soft, fuzzy, almost fairy-like filter that suggested instability and uncertainty, aligning perfectly with the sense of conflict I wanted to convey. Overall, these challenges pushed me to think about how technical choices like distance, lighting, and focus techniques all interact with storytelling. The trial-and-error process was annoying at times but it ended out being rewarding, as it taught me how small adjustments can communicate conflict, character, and development visually.

Blog 4

 

This is a still from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse when Miles first masters one of is strongest powers, the ability to generate a venom strike. This scene conveys development using angle. The close up on Miles's facial expression and body language, shows both disbelief and astonishment. The slightly low frontal angle helps Miles seem more powerful since he is higher up

This is a still from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse when Miles is fighting his opponent on top of a space train. Leveling is used to convey conflict because the angle is tilted so that makes the background appear slanted. This creates a feeling of imbalance and chaos. His facial expressions and hand positions further shows his determination as he is focused and using his powers against his opponent. 

This is a still from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse when Miles is fighting The Spot. Height is used to convey conflict because The Spot is obviously taller then Miles, which visually places him at a disadvantage. The conflict is emphasized as Miles is looking upwards while punching The Spot, making the imbalance of power more apparent.

This is still from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse while Miles is getting comfortable using his powers, falling through the city. Distance is used to convey his character because Miles appears very small in the frame compared to the large city around him. This emphasizes his isolation and worldly pressures. Since the city is far below, and Miles is rushing towards it, this might suggest Miles rising towards his role as Spider-Man and embracing it.

This is a picture I took of a Lego. This picture shows how angle is used to convey character. By the camera positioned below the Lego it makes the Lego appear powerful and strong.

This is a picture I took of a Lego. This picture shows how level is used to convey character. In this image, based on the camera position being eye-level to the Lego, it makes it appear balanced. Eye-level shots normally present the character as being relatable or equal to the viewer 

This is a picture I took of two Lego's. This picture shows how height is used to convey conflict. In this image, the Lego to the left seems to be taller then the Lego to the right. Which can leave the viewer to conclude the taller Lego is more powerful, as it appears more imposing, and adds tension to the interaction.

This is a picture I took of a Lego. This picture shows how distance is used development. With the Lego being far away, the distance can be seen as a sense of journey or development . Also with the Lego looking smaller due to the angle, it may represent the next step of something as well.



3) While taking the pictures for this assignment, I faced a varied of challenges depending on the concept I was trying to convey. For the first question, I struggled on imaging how the angle could express character, development, or conflict, but I eventually deciding to focus on character. This was more difficult than I expected and made me realize I need to pay closer attention to how filmmakers use angles to develop characters, as it’s something I hadn’t played close enough attention before. On the other hand, question two was very straightforward. To make the Lego appear smaller, the idea to take the picture from above came to mind immediately, and after only a few attempts, I was able to get my desired picture. For question three, using height to convey conflict was also manageable, but achieving the drastic height difference I envisioned proved to be much harder than I expected. I had to try many different positioning and camera placements until the imbalance between the characters was visually clear. Question four, however, was the most challenging. I wanted to convey development without making the Lego appear weak, which required creating a sense of distance. To do this, I had to step farther back with the camera, but if I wasn’t careful, the composition would flatten or diminish the Lego, completely undoing the effect I was aiming for. Reflecting on this process, I realized that small changes in angle and distance can dramatically affect how the viewer interprets the subject. While some concepts were easy to replicate, others demanded trial and error, which ultimately ended up helping my understanding of how perspective and positions can be used as storytelling tools in photography. This experience highlighted the importance of patience and careful observation when attempting to convey abstract ideas visually.

Blog Post Three

1)

In this still from the first Avatar movie, the bioluminescent seeds falling from the tree against the dark gloomy forest in the background create contrast. The glowing seeds surrounding the character, guide the viewers eyes to him in the center of the screen. 

In this still from Bad Guys 2, there is a drastic color contrast from red to blue. This bright red on the characters makes them instantly stand out from their blue background. It also pulls your attention because the sense of urgency the characters bring, based on their movement and facial expressions. 

In this still from the Jurassic World movie, the dinosaur's size grabs the viewers attention immediately. The small man on the right helps to illustrate just how big the dinosaur is by comparison. The size difference can also create a sense of danger and suspense.

In this still from Bad Guys 2, the characters are facing the viewers and looking towards the camera, which creates the sense of frontality. The characters expressions can further draw the viewers because of their wide eyes, open jaws and body postures. 

                                                                                    2)

This is an image took by me. This image shows contrast because of the neutral colored background and the one green apple. The green apple guides the viewer's attention because it's different from the other red apples.

This is an image took by me. This image shows how color guides the viewer's attention. With the black dark background and bright yellow Lego, the viewer's eyes will immediately go to the Lego in the center.  

This is a picture took by me. This picture shows how size guides the viewer's attention. You will instantly notice the size difference between the Lego and the stuffed animal. When the two are beside each other they help create a drastic height difference.

This picture was took by me. This picture shows how frontality can guide the viewers attention. The Lego facing directly towards the viewer's in the center of the frame helps make the mood seem confrontational or makes the Lego seem dominant. This is because the viewer's attention will go to it with no distractions.

 

                                                                                3)

When creating this, I found my challenges were not exactly evenly split between all four questions. For example for the first image, were I used four red apples and one green apple against my desk to show contrast, the process went very smooth. It was easy for the green apple to stand out immediately so there wasn't any trouble. But when taking the color pictures, there were way more troublesome areas. I placed a yellow Lego against a black shirt, expecting the color difference would make it easier for the Lego to show up. In reality, the Lego looked very dull and pale. So I had to consistently change the angle of lighting to get a picture the Lego popped out in. From this challenge I learned the lighting is just as important as a color that seems like it would "pop". When taking the size pictures, it was also pretty tricky. The hard part was finding the right partner for the Lego. Many of the things I paired it with didn't have much of a size difference or it had too much of a size difference. From this I realized the importance of a clear size guide but not overwhelming. Lastly, when taking the picture demonstrating frontality I had the least amount of challenges. I simply found a neutral toned background, put my Lego infront of it and took the picture. Since there were no distractions and the majority of the screen was taken up by the Lego, it would immediately draw the viewer's eyes to it. 

#2 Rule Of Thirds

"Still image from Spider-Man Across The Spider Verse, June 2 2023"

This is a picture of the landscape at the beach. This picture does not follow The Rules Of Thirds because the structure in the front is completely off centered and so is the lifeguard post.

This is a picture of the landscape in front of the ocean. This picture does follow The Rule Of Thirds because the structure is directly on the right line and touches the top right focal point. 

This is a picture of a stuffed animal. This picture does not follow The Rules Of Thirds because the stuffed animal is in the center of the frame and not on any of the guide lines. 

This picture does follow the guide lines. As you can see the position of the animal has shifted to the left which is exactly where the left guide line is. Therefore it does follow the rules. 

This is a picture of two stuffed animals and it is not following The Rules Of Thirds. This is because the animal in the middle is not following any guide lines which leaves the animal to the right to also be pushed off and uncentered. 

This picture is following The Rule Of Thirds. Each of these animals is on a guide line which allows them to be the center focus. They both also hit the focal points. The eyes and landscape in this picture are also aligned with neutral spacing. 

This picture is following The Rule Of Thirds because both stuffed animals are on the guide lines and is hitting each focal point. They are also facing each other, having a moment of intimacy.

This picture is also following The Rule Of Thirds because both characters are still touching the focal point. Now, one animal is turned away while the other is not, this creates a moment of conflict or threat. 

5(a) This recognizable still image is from the Lion King Movie. In this image the rule of thirds is being used to point out the birth of a lion cub, Simba. And his role to be king. The other character holds Simba up, reaching to the top left focal point and hitting the left guide line. This shifts viewers eyes immediately to Simba, because he is at the top of the frame. Also because all the other characters are slanted down to the right, making Simba appear even higher. Allowing him to be the center focus. The Rules Of Thirds in this scene show Simba's role in the movie. Illustrating the idea of him becoming something big, powerful, and above all. Not just Simba's role but also his close family and friends. The Rules also shows how his family views him. Judging by their facial expressions, positions, and placement near Simba you can tell they love and wish nothing but the best for him. With no hidden evil motives.

5(b) The image used in 4(d) shows the tension between the animal on the left and the animal on the right is pretty high. By the way they are positioned, there is a sense of intimidation, fear and even stress. These feelings can be read by the spacing between the characters. If we are to compare the spacing between the animals in the previous picture 4(c) we would be able to tell that the animal on the right has moved back. The body language already indicates that the animal to the left got too close to the animal on the right, to the point that the animal on the right had to step away. Possibly because of fear. The Rule Of Thirds helps tell the desired story because of the focal points and guide lines. Depending on how far or close the animals are, a different story can be told.