Trip to The MOMI

On November 25th, I visited the MOMI in Queens, NY. This museum had props and costumes from movies like "Mrs. Doubtfire" & "Beverly Hills Cop". In the MOMI, they show how film came about, all the transitions and changes the film world went through and how it changed the world. There were rooms that showed the evolution of a television set, movie cameras, how people once saw movies (in black & white, movie theaters, etc.) and movie sets. This museum also had rooms to show how movie production worked. I participated in the voice overs; voice overs are important because if during filming sound is distorted in any way, you can go behind the scenes into a production studio and record whatever lines got messed up. Also, if you need to replace certain curse words for a clean version of a movie or show, you can record over the original take and add it into the movie. The way we experience moving images today is different than when moving images were once created. Moving images started as simple flip books; pictures drawn on sheets of paper in different poses or positions to make them appear as if they are moving. Moving images were also once projected through magic lanterns which were popular in the 18th century. The magic lanterns had slides that you would change to see different images. Today, moving images are as simple as a movie; Apple has a live setting on the camera so that you can see what happens prior to snapping the actual photo, this is a moving image. Without constant advancing technology, we wouldn't have many motion pictures today or television shows. Thanks to movie production,moving image technology will always give us the best of the best.

Relationships Between Shots

In the movie "Mrs. Doubtfire", Robin Williams plays Daniel Hillard who poses as a nanny in order to be close to his family. One of the scenes in the movie is a montage distinguishing the relationship between Mrs. Doubtfire and the children and this montage shows the many faces of Mrs. Doubtfire and the duties of the job as well as a shot of Daniel being "his self" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqNEZ_QgvI4). In this scene, the song "Dude Looks Like A Lady" by Aerosmith is playing as the background music. This song was a perfect fit for this montage because the audience know that Mrs. Doubtfire isn't a "Mrs." in the slightest. The scenes that were picked for this montage were great because you can see the trust and happiness in the relationships between Mrs. Doubtfire and the three children, how much Daniel is actually enjoying being Mrs. Doubtfire in the dancing clips, the improvements Daniel is making in his cooking as Mrs. Doubtfire and how tough Mrs. Doubtfire is in the robber scene. All of these clips were seamless and placed strategically; the montage links to the song in the background and to the setting of the scenes (outdoor shots are sunny or bike riding as a group show an upbeat attitude). The shots are organized well because they show all the sides of Mrs. Doubtfire including Daniel's emotion towards his former wife dating and Daniel drinking beer in his boxers. I believe this montage contributed to the movie plot very well because in the beginning Daniel was skeptical at this nanny gig and the montage shows how well everything started to go for him as Mrs. Doubtfire.

Gabby's Audio Portrait

https://soundcloud.com/nyaisha-cali-taylor/audio-portrait

What I Hear...

Walking through Brooklyn at eleven in the evening is like the eye of the storm, tranquil yet mysterious. I hear leaves brushing up against the concrete when the wind picks up, I can hear the chimes on the front porches of the houses. As I walk further I began to hear the cars' wheels on the wet pavement. I can hear ambulances very faintly in the background. I can hear some television shows as I walk past apartment buildings and the exhaustion of the MTA buses that drive by occasionally. The sounds that are meaningful to me are the sounds of the wind and raindrops as they land in puddles and hit my face. I enjoy any sounds relating to nature and weather. The sounds that I closely relate with my neighborhood are the sounds of distant ambulances, stray cats playing and trees rustling in the wind. I believe the ambulances are the soundmarks of the neighborhood. Going on the soundwalk is really peaceful; it allows you to meditate with the universe and using your ears as eyes and understanding your environment differently. I enjoyed this activity because you get a chance to meditate and relieve other stress from your daily life.

Link to project #1; define a space.

https://vimeo.com/141466199

Artist Statement

My creativity sparks from my inner child-like flame; I have an almost naive outlook on life and I believe that there is innocence in every situation. You see, I never got to be a child because of my extracurricular activities that forced me to grow up when I could've stayed immature a little longer. I started as a ballet dancer at the age of five, for a little girl from an impoverished neighborhood, I wasn't expected to experience such a sport. As I began to excel, I was recommended to take pre-professional classes with the sixteen year old teenagers when I was only 8. Because I was surrounded by older influences, I began to mature at an early age, this set me apart from most of the kids in my own neighborhood because they believed I thought I was a "know-it-all". My outlook on life began to change because I was being exposed to different areas. My mom always wanted me to know that there were better things waiting for me outside my own neighborhood. I was fortunate because many of the other kids didn't travel like I did, they didn't know that there were greater things than what we were predisposed to. My way of thinking was different than the kids in my age group, at that time I was the only child and didn't have many friends to play with. I was alone so often that I began to think and analyze the world around me. I knew that nothing was really expected of me because of where I'm from, but I also knew that where I was from didn't make who I was. At dance school, people knew me for my talent and wanted to befriend me because they were intrigued by my rapid advancement, whereas, kids from my own neighborhood only saw me as a "bougie rich girl" because I went to one of the most prestigious dance schools in NYC. I began to notice the real reason why I didn't have friends at home; I was a challenge. Anyone with a powerful dream or a dedication to anything that will allow you to be exposed to something better than what you're used to, you become a threat in your own community. I posed a threat to those of my neighborhood because I was the proof that my neighborhood didn't define my being and wouldn't define my future. In my future endeavors as a writer, filmmaker or actress, I want to show that no matter what limitations seem to be set for you, you can always break the barriers and reach for the stars AND the galaxy. My motivation is my neighborhood because it showed me the good and the bad that comes along with anything in life. I know that I want to escape this psychological jail that tries to restrain my talent and creativity. I'm constantly influenced by people who excelled greatly that came from impoverished neighborhoods such as Michael Jordan or Esther Rolle (who is a Hunter alum). I want to show everyone in my neighborhood that you can do anything you set your mind to and if you allow where you're from to define who you are, then you'll be a slave to your own mind.