Lone Wolf. Final Project

Lone Wolf from Lucas Lowman on Vimeo.


It was very interesting filming something with no dialogue. I have never done it before but it was a great challenge that I intend to take on again in the future. It was difficult to find good lighting but I think we did a great job with the tools available. I am very proud of this little film.

MOMI

I had been to the Museum of the Moving Image once before. I went there to see an advance screening of the film The Raid 2: Berandal, I bought a ticket to take a tour but I had very limited time so it was a pretty rushed tour, so I was much happier the second time I came with the class as it was much more comprehensive and I could actually take my time and look at the things that intrigued me the most. We started the tour with a look at actor’s portraits from Hollywood’s heyday. These portraits seemed all so perfect and angelic. It was crazy how they were able to make all these people look so mythical. I really enjoyed the make up and prosthetic section. I love The Mask so seeing a recreation of the make up test was super cool. The merchandising part of the tour I found the most humorous, it really showed that we live in a consumer society and no matter how outrageous the product if it has a popular IP behind it, it will sell.  I really loved seeing all of the different types of cameras they have used over the years. I basically was able to pinpoint when “shaky cam” became a viable option for directors. The sound design section was really interesting, I was glad they had a section on foley artists as they have an incredibly unique job. I also loved the part of the tour when they showed how important a film’s score is in setting the themes and mood. I was disappointed I wasn’t able to more thoroughly explore the gaming section but I guess some things need to be saved for my third visit.  

Scott Pilgrim Scene Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7vyrudcgOQ

For my scene analysis, I chose one of the final scenes of Scott Pilgrim vs The World directed by Edgar Wright. Edgar Wright is known for his extremely fast and frequent cuts that do a great job of not only telling a story visually but also adding humor. The scene starts to play out at a really fast pace, with a ton of cuts occurring within the span of 18 seconds. It feels much like a comic book, as if I’m looking at the movie panel-by-panel rather than frame-by-frame. The scene slows around the 30-second mark. There are quit cuts back and forth from Scott to his band members he’s addressing making a regular conversation seem somewhat frenetic yet not chaotic. Around the 1-minute mark a cut is used to exemplify the villain slamming his feet down, which helps give the feel that he’s much more intimidating. A fight scene starts around the 1:25 mark. The fight scene goes at a breakneck speed that is unrelenting with quick cuts happening faster than you can comprehend. The action feels almost super human thanks to this. Cuts are then used around the 1:33 mark, which take the action into literal panels so that the panel feel of the film now becomes literal. The sounds within the piece are very inline with that of a retro video game they fit the shots perfectly. A red aesthetic is used in the latter half of the scene whereas a bluer aesthetic is used in the beginning. This transition of blue to red occurs during the fight scene. There some smooth cuts but most are very fast and hard, but it never takes you out of the action.I chose one of the final scenes of Scott Pilgrim vs The World directed by Edgar Wright. Edgar Wright is known for his extremely fast and frequent cuts that do a great job of not only telling a story visually but also adding humor. The scene starts to play out at a really fast pace, with a ton of cuts occurring within the span of 18 seconds. It feels much like a comic book, as if I’m looking at the movie panel-by-panel rather than frame-by-frame. The scene slows around the 30-second mark. There are quit cuts back and forth from Scott to his band members he’s addressing making a regular conversation seem somewhat frenetic yet not chaotic. Around the 1-minute mark a cut is used to exemplify the villain slamming his feet down, which helps give the feel that he’s much more intimidating. A fight scene starts around the 1:25 mark. The fight scene goes at a breakneck speed that is unrelenting with quick cuts happening faster than you can comprehend. The action feels almost super human thanks to this. Cuts are then used around the 1:33 mark, which take the action into literal panels so that the panel feel of the film now becomes literal. The sounds within the piece are very inline with that of a retro video game they fit the shots perfectly. A red aesthetic is used in the latter half of the scene whereas a bluer aesthetic is used in the beginning. This transition of blue to red occurs during the fight scene. There some smooth cuts but most are very fast and hard, but it never takes you out of the action.

Hardcore Parkour

Sounds

As I sit on my patio in the heart of the East Village I listen to this city. I hear rustling of some sort coming from someplace nearby and it’s bugging the hell out of me that I can’t figure out where or what it is. I hear some school kids from the school next to me. I have no idea the specificity of their conversation all I know is that one is taking place. The wind is strong today a soft roar that becomes ambient background noise. That one action and sound creates many others. A breeze creates a ripple effect. The leaf skating across the ground, that damn rustling from nowhere all occurs because of the roar of the wind. Of course I hear the cars you will always hear the cars. The motors, the honking, sometimes the tires screeching as somebody puts on the brakes a bit too late. It snowed earlier today and I pondered if snow has a sound. Rain, hail, wind they all have distinct sounds but what of snow? Is it silent or just incredibly quiet? I can hear the kids in the apartment above playing loudly; when you’re so young that’s the only way you know how to play. It is cloudy today but the sun keeps trying to come out; it paints the buildings in a yellow light before the clouds come back to smother it. Light does not have an audible imprint but it should. My doorman just walked into the neighboring courtyard to have a smoke, the pitter patter of his feet, the tired yawn you let off during a break, I hear it all and it crafts a story. Sounds give actions a needed gravitas and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Stairs.Define A Space.Project1

Artist Statement

I am a cynical man and my work will more often than not reflect that. I like to create highly contrasted visuals as well as characters. I like visuals that pop off the screen and themes that hit you with sledgehammer force. Subtlety can be useful, but I like smacking my viewer in the face rather then gently caress them. Noirs and the pulpy barebones films of yesteryear inspire me as well as the 80’s neon aesthetic. I like my heroes to be a bit villainous, and my villains to be a bit heroic. I like my women powerful and enigmatic. Some of my favorite directors include Nicolas Winding Refn, Martin Scorsese, Edgar Wright, Kathryn Bigelow, and Neil Blomkamp. I like everything to be ambiguous in regards to my characters, their motives and whether they’re good or bad. I like challenging my viewers rather than holding their hand. My works will be meant for escapism. I want the action to be brutal and the spoken word to be ambivalent. Industrial settings interest me way more than rural ones because I believe there is so much more going on in the streets than in the fields. But there are stories to be told everywhere and it is my duty as a creator to build them and tell them. There will be no damsels in distress in my works. I like the slow burning mystery as much as I like the in your face action movie. The themes explored in my works will clash more often than they click.