I’d like to introduce Leanne Marshall, the Fashion Designer:
I see several dresses here that I would love to try on. For now though, I will look on admiringly as anything I sew inevitably looks no where near as nice as what you see here.
What do I love about this video? I love the close ups where you can see the tiny details in the dress structure etc. I don’t usually look at those kinds of things on my own clothes and it gives me a greater appreciation for the structure of the clothing.
Please meet this sound designer:
I thought it only right to feature a sound designer today after working with so many different people in the industry over the last few months. I don’t have as much use for an artist like this in documentary as we are supposed to be recording as we film and usually we are trying to take these kinds of noises out. Therefore I find this story fascinating.
The best part about this film? The editing. Recording the sounds is one thing, but to edit it together to make these noises sound like music is a real gift.
I’d like you to meet Victo Ngai. She is a very accomplished freelance artist and if you read the NY Times, the New Yorker or other similar publications, you’ve probably seen her work. How cool is that?! I bet most of us have seen her work at some point or other but never knew it.
I’ve been working with all sorts of artists over the last few months and it’s amazing how many are out there, but most people never realize it. This is one of the reasons why I like this film- it gives us a chance to know the artist behind the work in our newspapers.
And if you liked learning about Victo, then check out Like Knows Like, a project that shares the behind the scenes stories (just like this one) of those artists that inspire us, but for all intensive purposes are invisible.
I love the motion of this video, it may be slower than some, but it is such as beautiful demonstration of the human body in motion. This video shares a different side of dance and proves that dancing on a pole is not just for dark clubs with bouncers at the door- definitely against the grain of thought.
I expect that there are a lot of people that could identify with this film- playing for a team that we never imagined we could play with. When I rowed, I was always frustrated that the boys were so much faster than myself. I knew I had to be realistic, they were always going to be stronger and faster than me, but it still annoyed me none-the-less. This video just proves it all wrong. Perhaps a person won’t be able to match the speed or strength of others, but they can always compete in their own way.
I’m just going to dive right into the artistic aspects of this video. I love it! There aren’t many times when you find yourself entertained by old black and white stills- usually they seem flat and boring. Not in this film! The 3-dimentional effects and the layover of other images, such as the timeline, really make a difference. The graphics really help too and are another aspect that I really like.
It’s a bit longer than most videos that I post but I don’t feel like its any longer than most. It’s not an easy topic to address, especially when some could argue that we haven’t come all that far since 1968, but it was done beautifully.
This video doesn’t have any outstanding creative qualities about it even if it is nice to look at. There is nothing about the presentation that really stands out to me. The story however is one that makes me smile. These farmers have found a way to stay in their homeland and it is refreshing to hear about people achieving what may seem impossible for a nation that has had so many leave for a better life north of the border.
I couldn’t end my Winter Olympics theme without talking about skiing and snowboarding. I know I’ve already talked about them in the past and I promise after today I will try to keep it to a minimum… at least until next winter. I can’t guarantee anything though.
So here you are, my mountain sports tribute- and I’ve made sure to keep the videos short this time. Nothing too long.
SNOWBOARDING
I LOVE the use of the clouds and natural colors of the sun reflecting off of the different surfaces as well as the the few moving shots of the rider moving down the mountain. Considering all of the snow sports videos that I’ve seen in the past, this one is one of my favorites and actually makes me want to get on a board again. I’m not sure if my tailbone agrees with me though.
SKIING
So I’m not much a stunt person myself as I’m not a huge fan of the dropping feeling my my stomach as I free fall but I love the movement in this video. I feel completely mesmerized when I watch this and I’m intrigued by the song choice. In so many videos and even when on the slopes, the music blaring from the snow park speakers has a much heavier beat. This song gives it a completely different feel compared to the usual stunt videos. Combine the music with the slow motion effect at certain points in the film and it gives it a calming effect. Get me to the mountain!
[vimeo https://vimeo.com/10888247 w=640&h=300]
Admit it, you probably only know about bob sledding because of the movie “Cool Runnings” and maybe because you watched an event or two at past Winter Olympics. I know I didn’t know much about the sport until I watched this video. For instance, and this is going to sound ridiculous, I never really thought about the fact that there would be other bob sled competitions. Stupid I know but it isn’t exactly a sport that people take up in any place that I’ve ever lived. Well anyway, now that I’ve looked into the sport a bit more I’m all the wiser.
I won’t say that this film is the best film that I’ve ever seen and nor will I say that it’s the worst. It’s a bit slow, but it does builds the pre-race tension nicely. More to the point, I learned something from it and that’s the important thing- it conveyed the information.
Hopefully you’ve caught a few races these past two weeks and maybe even learned about a few sports that you’ve never even heard of before.
When I was little I dreamed of being a figure skater- in fact it was the only event that I liked to watch at the winter Olympics. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that my best friend skated and dreamed of going to the Olympics and I liked the sparkly costumes. My friend changed her life goals and didn’t go the professional athlete route but she is very talented none-the-less.
This video takes me back to watching my friend compete in competitions and how I always marveled at how effortlessly she seemed to move on the ice. I was lucky if I could make it around the rink once without falling over. I have only improved slightly to the point that I can actually skate forwards at a decent speed without hesitation. But that’s about it. Not only does this video display the grace and stamina that it takes to be a Olympic caliber skater, but I love the editing. It makes me feel as if I’m on the ice with her.
This wasn’t the end of my ice sport ambition- at some point I got over the sparkly costumes and wanted to play hockey:
My grandfather was an avid hockey fan and I guess it rubbed off. Hockey was another sport that I never took up and I’m guessing both of my parents were very grateful for that. It was the fact that I was going to have to take two years of skating lessons before I could even touch a stick and I was already 14 so that kind of killed that idea – probably for the best as I was able to take up rowing instead. In the end it was a more logical sport for me.
Having given up on the idea of playing hockey, this video makes me very excited for the hockey games this Olympics. The movement and on ice experience takes the audience with the team as they fly up the ice and puts you in the action. Almost as good as playing yourself- you just don’t have to worry about losing your front teeth.
So what are you favorite ice sports? Anyone going out to learn how to skate after watching these games?
emfirno 