Blog #3

Californication Season 1 Episode 7 ending -- link

FADE IN

INT. BECCA’S ROOM – NIGHT

HANK walks into BECCA’S room. Becca is laying in bed with her eyes closed and her earbuds in her ears with her iPod playing “Passenger’s Seat” by Death Cab for Cutie. Becca opens her eyes and shortly notices Hank in the room.
                BECCA
               (with “Passenger‘s Seat“ playing in the background)
Hey.

Hank smiles and walks to Becca’s beside and sits.

                HANK                                              
              (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)                              
         Hey. What are you listenin’ to there? A little fallin’ asleep music? Little Jonie Mitchell Blow on the Tracks?
                BECCA
               (with “Passenger’s Seat” playing, looking down)
        Death Cab for Cutie.
                HANK
                (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)
        Wow, you really know how to hurt a guy.
        … … …
        Hey…uh…I know, tonight, got a little ruined.
                BECCA
                (with Passenger's Seat” playing in the background)
        I know. I’m used to it.
                HANK
                (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)
        Yeah well I’ll uh…I’ll make it up to you, I swear.
                BECCA
                (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)
        I know.
                HANK
                (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)
        Do ya?
                BECCA
                (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)
        Sure. You never mean to let me down…but’cha do.

Hank sighs.

                HANK
                (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)
        Yeah, I guess I do.
                BECCA
                (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)
        You know, it’s all well and good to talk about happy endings…but if a person can’t deliver, if he keeps screwing up…well eventually I guess you kinda just have to say fuck you. Or words to that effect.

…

Hank looks breathe-taken.

Becca reaches to the table and grabs a bill from her nightstand and hands it to Hank.

                BECCA
                (with Passenger’s Seat” playing in the background)
        You can keep the change.

Becca turns to her left and sleeps.

Hank looks down with a disappointed look on his face.

FADE OUT

This scene is made for me just because of the underlying music in the background. This scene is done extremely well, using sound to its advantage. The listening mode in this scene is mostly semantic because you're accidentally hearing the song in the background as you're listening to Becca and Hank go back and forth. The song talks about trouble times and needing direction, two things Becca definitely is experiencing at the time of the scene because of her dad's unfortunate irresponsibility. The song also sets a depressing mood for the scene, being a slower song with a soft-spoken singer. Time is also executed superbly in this scene; while Hank and Becca are talking about their terrible night, the song talks about feelings within the same tone. You can constantly find yourself fading in and out between the scene and the song if you watch the scene a few times. The meaning of the song definitely drives home the mood of the scene at the end, when the song plays over silence, rather than the two characters conversing.

Blog #2

Read "Finding your Howl" by Jonathon Flaum here.


In Flaum’s article, he recalls a story from a fifth grade classmate about a tiger in a zoo. The story discusses how the tiger is strong and can jump great length, so he plans his escape from the zoo. Once the tiger musters up the courage, he jumps out of the cage…only to awake in another cage in another zoo. Flaum wants the readers to know that the tiger story is undoubtedly true; “there is no where to run”. The tiger has became apart of the cage that is in-turn also apart of the zoo. The cage is a prison, but it is also where the tiger has to live…so it is a home. The tiger can’t just leave, he must travel through dark depths of his foundation, until he reaches the light at the end of the tunnel on the other side. To find new perspectives, new views, and new environments, we, like the tiger, must rid ourselves of what we know to be “true” boundaries, like the cage, and open ourselves up to the unknown, like the tunnel.

“All those things that weren’t supposed to happen? They happened. What happens next is up to you.”
- Hank Moody

    This quote speaks to me not only because it was spoken by one of my favorite actors, David Duchovny, or because it was spoken by one of my favorite characters, Hank Moody, but because of what it means. Hank puts it plain and simply: bad shit is bound to happen. So much in our everyday lives, we expect things to happen the way we want. Then, when things don’t happen the way we want, we get upset about it, like life owes us something in return. The fact is, shit is going to happen regardless. There isn’t a rulebook that life plays by, things just happen. Instead of hoping for the best, we should prepare for the worst. This is how I live my life.
    Making it successfully through life depends greatly on your actions, but mostly on your reactions. Most likely, you won’t be able to be successful in life alone. You have to work together with others. While people like to hope they can depend on others (and definitely, people surround themselves with people they can depend on),  it won’t always work out this way. Because you have to depend on others, you also have to prepare and expect others to fuck up. Being successful means if you take a hit, you take it in stride and come back even stronger than before.
    I depend on my friends and family for my success. I know sometimes these friends and family might mess up, and it’s up to me to take whatever comes at me and use it to my advantage. Hank’s words echo in my head every day.

Blog #1

Character: Kirby
Colors:  Pink
Light: Show him in brighter lighting
 Shape: Round

 Pink represents Kirby's characteristics in many ways. The color of these flowers just emits a sort of softness. Generally, pink is a lighter, more uplifting color. Kirby, being a character that is constantly traversing the skies and clouds, mostly floating to get around, automatically fits perfectly to the color pink. The pink flowers in this picture radiate happiness, much like how Kirby tries to maintain peace and encourage happiness. Pink also symbolizes sweetness, being the color of Valentine's Day, cotton candy, and flowers like these. The sweetness of pink translates to Kirby's heroic, but caring nature.

 Kirby's character would be depicted in a light manner to represent many aspects of his character. Much like the man in this picture, Kirby is a champion. Kirby thwarts the efforts of his opponents to save people from evil and destruction. The beings of Kirby's world depend on his ability to triumph over others, so showing Kirby in light like the man above also symbolizes he is succeeding, in other words..."the good guy always wins." Putting Kirby in the spotlight like this man also confirms his importance. Being the main character of his story, Kirby is more likely to appear lightened up.

 

Kirby is also round in many ways, just like these marshmallows. The marshmallows round shape allows it to appear soft because of the lack of sharp edges or corners. Kirby, the happy, caring hero, is round to show his soft, squishy body. Not only is he physically soft, but he is emotionally soft, protecting the beings of his land from harm. Pointed characters appear more harsh at first, compared to Kirby's roundness, which instantly makes him look safer and harmless. Marshmallows are less threatening, being rounded, than a knife, which is pointed and sharply edged.

Character: Metaknight

Color: Blue, Silver, Purple

Light: Shadowed

Shape: Pointed sword and shoulderpads

Metaknight’s armor is blue, silver, and purple mostly over his entire body, minus his signature yellow sword. These colors, being darker, represent Metaknight’s antagonistic character well. Dark blue colors allow characters to appear much more mysterious and conflicted, like this dark blue water. The purple and silver of Metaknight’s armor exude a feeling of nobility, considering Metaknight is a knight…it is fitting that he is colored this way. Aside from the mystery and nobility that come from these colors, they are also a good contrast to Kirby’s light, uplifting pink, making Metaknight the perfect rival for Kirby.

Metaknight, being the character of mystery and illusion, is often depicted in shadows. Shadows allow the child in the picture to be silhouetted, but still unidentifiable. Metaknight’s character wants to remain hidden, so he can swiftly overwhelm his foes. This shroud of mystery is often associated with antagonists.  Darkness is often linked to wickedness and evil, as well. The child in the picture almost seems evil just because we cannot see his face (you often fear what you cannot see). While, not every antagonist is “wicked” per se, the methods of Metaknight’s madness is much different from Kirby’s, making the contrast of shadow versus light great for contrasting Metaknight and Kirby’s conflicting characters.

While the Kirby universe is full of mostly rounded, soft-looking characters, Metaknight is one of the few with edges and points in his design. Instantly,  the points of Metaknight’s sword and armor attract the eye and convey his nobility. The sword in this picture has your eyes travel along the lines of the edge of the sword to the point, much like Metaknight’s blade. Attracting your eyes to the blade automatically shows Metaknight’s worthy strength, and the points of his armor represent his worthy defense. These “edges and points” depict Metaknight’s contrast to Kirby’s completely rounded character as well.