Week 3 is IN THE BAG
For week 3, we were assigned a wide array of different work to complete. Watching different facets of film noir was the key piece. This was my favorite part of the week’s work. As I have mentioned in previous write up posts, I have been trying to get into different Noir type movies prior to the week’s assignments. Another fun portion of the week’s assignment was to think about the visuals of storytelling. In a sense, what key elements in storytelling are present in Noir?
ABOVE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SCENES FROM “KILLER’S KISS”. THE MUSIC AND THE WAY THE CHARACTERS CARRY THEMSELVES ADD TO THE SUSPENSE THAT IS TRYING TO BE PORTRAYED WITH NOIR IN THE FILM.
The two movies I picked were “Chinatown” and “Killer’s Kiss”. Killer’s Kiss was an assigned film, but I chose Chinatown after reading over some reviews online on different Noir films and picking from what critics had to say about each. Killer’s Kiss would have to be my favorite. Interesting thing is, it is the older of the two films. When Noir comes in to play, up-to-date isn’t always the better option (given the film Noir examples from the week).
@CallhimCWALK @timmmmyboy Ironically, this happened at 1:06pm my local time #ds106 #4life
— Alan Levine (@cogdog) February 1, 2015
Just wanted to throw a bit of information in the post for any of those currently enrolled in the course that are having trouble. I used both email and Twitter to try and get some help. Twitter is by far the best way to get in touch with instructors and anyone else that can help. I was helped within twenty minutes of asking for it via Twitter. The #ds106 community is more than helpful when it comes to issues with your domain, topics, etc. Trust me, I know from experience.
The Visual Assignments for the week were fantastic. Exploring Noir in one’s own life can be quite exquisite. As previously stated, my wife is an excellent photographer; although I, myself, am not. I did however enjoy this week’s worth of photography work. I redesigned my own video game cover, told a little bit about how it is being married to the mob and even revealed some notes from a mobster’s fridge. Interestingly enough, I found out that I knew much less about computer software than I thought I did when doing these visual assignments. I guess being a regular photographer has its advantages!
Overall, this week was a great week in the world of Noir for me. I learned new and different techniques on the computer, as well as with photography. These new techniques in photography also gave me more of an interest IN photography, to the point where I will be taking more pictures now and trying to be more creative with doing so. Noir is still present in today’s modern film and photography. If you don’t believe it, check out some more old Noir films and compare them to that of today’s scary or mystery genres!
-CWalk