Reflections on the Class

I thoroughly enjoyed this class. I have felt that it is a pretty basic introduction to film and media production techniques. There is only so much that a class can offer in such a short amount of time. Seeing that my class only met twice a week, it was an adequate amount of time to offer insights into many basic aspects of the media world. Techniques and tutorials for certain programs such as Photoshop really peaked my curiosity. I had never worked with Photoshop because I felt it might be too daunting of a program to learn. It has many intricacies and functions. However, when you take your time and really try to learn at a slow pace, it ends up not being so hard. When computers are worked with in a class, you expect to learn nothing but how they can cater to your special needs. However, I feel as if when dealing with computers, we should no longer have to learn about the ideas that have brought us to our day and age. We should only be looking forward. Although it is interesting and awe inspiring about how the internet was created, old ideas are now null and void. Since college is a training ground for job placement in the future, and we are now in the technologically most advanced time period, it is safe to assume that everyone knows how to use a computer and the internet by now. In my opinion there should be less time spent on learning stagnant principles that were left behind when new and more readily usable technology is the only type to be concerned with. On the contrary, I think that the slow steady pace that this class took in explaining things in Layman’s Terms put me at ease. I was able to grasp things more clearly instead of being anxious about due dates and absorbing knowledge in a rushed manner. My T.A. was also very helpful in assisting me when at times I felt overwhelmed with new processes I was not familiar with. This class was a great learning experience and I appreciate its accessible and simple structure.

Design I Like

A particular design that I have always been compelled by and drawn to is the album cover art of a hard rock band that I listen to constantly, Every Time I Die. The cover art for which I will discuss upon is from their release, Gutter Phenomenon. I was actually perusing the surprisingly diverse selection of albums at my local Best Buy, when the covert art of this band caught my eye. I instantly had to stop and pick it up because it was so intriguing. It had a very radical and absurdly dangerous look to it. There was everything I would ever want to have on an album cover; snakes, bears, a hawk, and a guitar. That easily draws me in for a victory. I probably would have even bought this album for the cover art alone even if the music was a letdown. The design of the cover represented everything that the music tried to convey, pure and utter chaos. As the art displays, there are snakes and animals intertwining with the gutter, going every which way. This composition is not limited to a normal flat plane constraint. The band name is sprawled on an angle and the animals thrown about. This band’s music has many changes in time signatures and you can easily relate that to the movements of a snake or serpent. Snake’s bodies are never bound by a straight line; they writhe and contort. This album was waiting in the aisles and once I made eye contact, it totally pounced on my expectations; its functionality made it ready to strike. The affordance of this design was really hard to put my finger on at first. The graphic nature of its composition would most likely turn most people off. It doesn’t have exactly the most user friendly aura to invite a listener; the band’s name has a very harsh ring to it and the album art isn’t exactly warm and motionless. On the contrary, its inharmonious conception is what drew me my suspicion and curiosity. In design, a conceptual labyrinth is important in order to keep our cognitive motions guessing. There is nothing like the thrill of the hunt.