Reno’s Subculture!

The image is an outdoor light with a wind bell or a windmill. The outdoor light has an art piece. Reno has an art event such as ARTOWN. Artown’s mission is to strengthen Reno’s arts industry, enhance our civic identity abd national image, thereby creatinga climate for the cultural and economic rebirth.

• Personal Perspective
  • When I was trying to get a picture of Reno subculture, I was watching a row of buildings along the Reno downtown street. I did not get any idea of Reno subculture. When I gave up taking a picture in downtown, I looked up to the sky. At that time, I found an art piece on the outdoor light. I did not know that the lights have art pieces. Every out door light in downtown has wind bells, wildmills or advertisements. I was so surprised to know that thing. Now, I understand thet city of Reno is getting to make the Reno art be famous. I just knew ARTOWN. I thoght that Reno have ARTOWN during particular time. However, Reno is doing everyday activitites to make the art be more popular. It is a really good effort.

• Historical Perspective
  • In 1997, Artown has grown into what the national endowment for the Arts calls one of the most comprehensive festival in the country. Reno is getting down to make Reno Art be more famous. 87 organizations and business offering about 300 visula, performing, and humanities events in 50 locations citywide, during the entire month of July. Approximately 285,000 people attend the festival. The art piece was a symbol of the festival, ARTOWN.

• Technical Perspective
  • The image has some graphic vectors. The pole of the light and the edges of the building are vertical vectors. These vertical vectors have visual strong power and are beautiful. The light source was comming from the left. The light of the color was blue because the light sources was sun, so I feel the images has cool atmosphere. This is my first time to have experience to take a blue photograph.

• Ethical, Cultural and Critical Perspective
  • The image has nice geometrical shapes. A wind bell looks like a windgauge. When people just see the light, they do not it is not an art piece or a sculpture. However, when people see every outdoor lights and look around downtown, they can understand that the lights relate to the art. Artown has all performances such as music, dance, paiting, sculptures and other works.

That’s Questionable!

A drop shadow box behind the capital “Q” gives a three-dimensional illusion to the layout, helping to attract attention to the display. ( Figure 8.31 p.146)

I think the way to display the letters became common, so the three-dimensional illusion was not effective today. If the magazine editors of the newspaper editors should think of the new way to display the letters to attract the viewer’s attention effectively. For example, I think that the simple might me one of the good ways to represent something. Today, everything was decorated too much. After going back to the basics, the designers have to get new ideas.

What is Your Zeitgeist?

The image is that Michael Jordan was playing against Allen Iverson. The image was in the first season for Allen Iverson. At that time, I belonged to the basketball team, so this image was my Zeigeist.

• Personal Perspective
  • The picture reminds me of my youth. I was absorbed in playing basketball when I was a junior high and high school student. Before Allen Iverson joined in NBA, I loved Michael Jordan. When I watched a game of Allen Iverson, I was riveted on the play of Allen Iverson. I was a big fan of Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson. I could not say which players I liked more. The picture represented the first time they met. I really remember that Iverson’s crossover on Jordan. When I watched the play, I felt happy and unhappy because I like both of them. In this year, Allen Iverson got Rookie of the Year in 1996-97, and Michael Jordan was named the Most Variable Player of the NBA Final 1996-1997. These two events made me so happy, and I wanted to play basketball like Jordan and Iverson. I can’t forget the image and it is my Zeitgeist.

• Historical Perspective
  •  A lot of basketball fans cared the face-off between Jordan and Iverson. At that time, Allen Iverson spoke evil of Michael Jordan. He said that MJ was too old to play basketball. He also said that he did not respect MJ even he was a great basketball player. Therefore, the mass media and many basketball fans looked forward to watching the game. Iverson tried to get points over Jordan boldly. In fact, Iverson was a big fan of Jordan. When he was a college student, he put on Air Jordan11. He cursed Jordan to try to beat him. The picture represented Iverson’s courage and one of the great historical basketball event.

• Technical Perspective
  • It is so difficult to analyze the lighting because of the image about the sports such as a basketball game. I think the spot light was coming from the right because their cast shadows appeared the left of their bodies. The lighting of the stadium was coming from the ceiling, so I think the fill light did not exist. It was low key light and slow falloff. The image was really well-balanced. It was a kind of symmetrical image. MJ’s hands made the graphical vectors. Framing was used to shoot the whole bodies. The image had a great depth of the field. The image gives us the feeling if being at the game.

• Ethical, Cultural, and Critical Perspective
  • The image was one of the  historical basketball picture.  At that time, the media said that Allen Iverson might be the next Michael Jordan. Signifers were Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and the scene of the face-off. Signified was the time to change to the next generation. It is denotation. Michael Jordan had accomplished great achievement, such as a three-peat. Allen Iverson might have make good records. The image means that the then superstar and the future superstar produced a tense atmosphere. It was an analogical code. Moreover, their shoes represent the importance of the business in sports industry. Jordan put on his brand shoes, Air Jordan. Iverson put on Question I, which was made by Reebok. Many people wanted to buy their shoes to play basketball like them or have same shoes. Nike and Reebok created the shoes on which the NBA players want to put. The signature models of the shoes means the popularity. It was connotation and Metonymy.

That’s Questionable!

Figure 7.1 (Page 95)

Stereotypical images can be seen in the strangest place. Men’s head are neatly arranged but women’s figures are haphazardly placed in a mannequin supply warehouse.

I think it is not stereotypical image. Because of the number of the men’s and women’s heads, the warehouse might be for men.  If I can see the same number of the heads and the positions of the heads were different, it would be a stereotypical image.

Analysis of the Album Cover

This album cover was Kobukoro’s one. Kobukuro is a Japanese famous band. Kobukuro consist of two members, Kentaro Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda. I think the album cover is the simplest cover of what I have ever seen. The colors of the cover are black and white, but the cover has some strong meaning.

• Lighting
  • The spot light is coming from the left because of the cast shadows of the footprints. The fill light is coming from the right because of the cast shadows of the foot prints. It is fast fall off. I think the lightning way was really successful because the cover has a powerful impression even black and white colors were only used.
• Composition and Framing
  • The composition of the cover is kind of symmetry. Two pairs of the footprints make a good symmetrical design. Flaming is not so close-up, but we can see the detailed of the attached shadows of the footprints. The composition is really simple. The cover consist of the title of the cover and two pairs of the footprints. The contrast of the sizes of the foot prints is good because the footprints represent the personalities of the members. In fact, one member is much taller than other member. It is a good way to express the personalities. The letters and two pairs of the foot prints make a good triangular shape. It is also a good well-balanced composition.
• Meaning
  • The cover is their best album’s one. It is a kind of their corpus. Signifiers are the title of the album cover, the two pairs of the footprints and snow as a background. The footprints means their history or biography. It is connotation. Snow represents blank. Blank means zero. It is connotation. I think they want to remember their original intention when they release the best album. It is one of the successful album cover.

In short, the album cover has a good composition, a combination of the colors, and good meanings. I think the cover can be more effective. If I were the director of the album cover, I would use the footprints which are moving to forward. They did not dissolve the band and they continue with the band. The cover makes me think that they have already stopped their musical movement. The director should think of the listeners’ feeling.

That’s Questionable!

All shock advertising is not used for commercial reasons.(p68.) 



I think the advertising agency or the public relation agency should consider what the ad cause in the world. The agencies should have take care of everything about their works and ads. Sometimes, the companies, which made some product, apologized to make a product which had a fault or a defect. Similarly, the  advertising agencies should have same kind of responsibilities for their works. 

Analysis of the Movie Poster

Because of the cast shadow of the box, the key light comes from the left and the fill light comes from the left. Because of the attached shadow of the key ring of the heart, it is slow fall off and high key light.

The poster has red ribbons as graphical vectors. They are vertical and horizontal. It was well-balanced. The names of the casts and the title are the horizontal graphical vector. The red key ring is the vertical graphical vector. The poster consist of the vertical and horizontal lines, so it is so beautiful geometrically.

Signifiers are the title, the names of the casts, the white box, the red ribbon, the red key ring of the heart. They are analogical codes. The white box and the red ribbon make up the meaning of “present”. It is denotation or an index sign. The white means snow. It is connotation. The present and the snow make up the meaning of Christmas. The red heart key ring and the present make up the meaning of love. It suggests that the movie has the love and Chrstmas story. It is metonymy.

I think this poster was really successful because the design of the poster was really simple and beautiful, and it has a lot of meanings such as connotation and metonymy. The combination of the colors and the objects was really effective to expree the concept of the love story on Christmas.

That’s Questionable!

One of the strongest forms of communication is when words and images are combined in equal proportions (p.64).  

 I think the image sometimes has stronger power than words in communication.  The image and the visual communication are universal. Recently, the business and the advertising industry become more and more international. The visual communication must be more important than linguistic communication.  

Change The Frame, Change The Meaning.

   

The picture was from the article about Obama’s win in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia primaries. 

 His happy face made me choose the picture. The framing composition is an Extremely Close-up , CU. CU is used to express a feeling of happiness. I think it is really effective. We can’t see the his whole face but we can imagine how his head is. 

 The white of his teeth help the picture have clean and pure impression. The color of the background is black, so the his face stands out from the background. The picture has the white and the black, so the picture is so impressed. 

 At last, the picture might have a political bias. The picture seems to take part in Obama’s win. The editor of the picture may view Obama’s win in a favorable light. Because of the composition, I think so that.  

That’s Questionable!

“A viewer will scan an image based on previous experiences and current interests, seeing certain parts of the picture and ignoring others. “(P47. Movement.)

It was not always accepted.

When people see the object which they cannot imagine or cannot understand, they just can feel it. Feeing is more important than their experiences and interests.