(#5) "This Is the End"

       Yes Mr. Frodo Baggins, yes it is. I think I can speak for most people and say that there were mixed feelings associated with this project. So...I'm going to break up this blog into two sections: the Good, the Bad, and the Presentation (if you don't get that reference, just at least pretend to get it). 

Let's start with the negative aspects of the Genius Project:

       Even though most of these spawn from my own procrastination, the Genius Project was very stressful. Like, I mean incredibly stressful. I found myself cramming a lot of the work in towards the end. And I know that we needed enough time to show progress in something, but this project just seemed so long and dragged out. And to be honest, this project has been exhausting. It's taken up so much time out of the already-little sleep I get and I'm overjoyed to be done with this.

And now onto the positive aspects of the Genius Project:

       My favorite aspect of this project was giving the kids the opportunity to try something new. Even though at times it was annoying, I'm glad that I was able to find a way to express my loves for films through paint. The amount of freedom we got during this project was good because school can often feel like a prison. Because it is. One of the many freedoms we got was to pursue anything we wanted, which was awesome. Also, it was so much better to write blogs in our own voices. I hate being forced into writing in a formal tone because it all feels so fake.

And finally, the presentation:

       Overall, I think the presentation went very well. When I walked into the audion, I was internally freaking out. Some of that freaking out externalized in the form of shaking, tapping, and saying, "Crap, crap, crap, I'm almost up, crap, crap". Leading up to my presentation, I couldn't help but think about how I was going to be on a stage with every single eye on me. It was just me, my Prezi, and my crappy paintings. It also didn't help that everyone before me did amazing. Yet, as soon as I started, the 4-5 minutes felt really relaxed. When I was writing my script, I tried to incorporate comedy and humor because if people were laughing, then it would help calm me down. Thank God they laughed because I think I would have just crumbled into a ball if they didn't and there was nothing but an awkward silence to fill the room.

       I'm just glad the presentation is over. I never got the chance to present my final script in front of someone so I was going in blind and without any real feedback. This kinda relates to my theory that the less you prepare, the better you do. Yeah, I know that sounds incredibly stupid, but it has worked out for me. I used to stress and practice about a week in advance, and it didn't really help because I was worrying too much. For this presentation, I finished my final script the night before. I have sort of attained this care-free mindset about the presentations and how I write them which has given me better results. But it's definitely not for everyone. 

       I could give a really sincere goodbye to my "blog followers", but I'm not because I don't like you. Any of you...I'm just kidding. It's been kinda fun and kinda not all at the same time, but it was definitely an experience I'm glad to have been a part of (even though I don't think I'd do it again). I would have liked to end this dramatically or meaningfully but I'm too tired to do that, so Ferris Bueller is gonna help me out.

My Final Movie Recommendation #10:

Title: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virture of Ignorance)

Director: Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu

Starring: Michael Keaton | Emma Stone | Edward Norton

Date Released: October 17th, 2014

Thank God I've Reached My "Final Destination"

So, major change in plans. You know how I said I was going to make four movie posters in the beginning, because you guys have been keeping up with my blog, right? Anyway, yeah....that's not happening anymore. I'm only doing three. Why you ask? Because I procrastinated horrendously and forgot about FBLA States so now I don't have any time to do a fourth poster. I barely even got my third poster done in time. As you freshmen can see, I am not a model sophomore and I would highly recommend to not do whatever I do. I'm currently writing this post-presentation because I had finished my third and final painting right before my presentation day (literally, I finished it the day beforehand). Sorry, it's late but it doesn't make any difference so without further a do, here's how the final minimal movie poster came to be.

Unlike my other posters, for the film The Deer Hunter, I’ve decided to combine two scenes into one poster due to their comparisons and contrasts. If you briefly skip over to the blog with the analysis I did for this movie, you can get a better understanding of the scenes and why I’m going to say what I’m about to say. My main goal was try to use the same images for both scenes with only slight differences creating an symmetry that would be both aesthetically pleasing and symbolic. To begin with, I decided that the background would be a fern green kinda color due to the repeated cinematography relating to nature and the forest. Because the revolver was the cause of conflict and suspense in both scenes, I felt that two revolver chambers would be perfect as the centerpiece: one with three bullets, the other with only one. As I was planning this out, I found that the poster seemed a bit empty and that there was a lot of open space which was bothering me. So, I chose to add deer antlers on the outside to add to the symmetry and aesthetic. I hope that anyone who has watched this iconic film will remember the feelings of suspense, thrill, and sadness through my painting.

Now, it was time to get to it, but before I walk through my painting process, I wanted to talk about brushes in this blog. So, with each painting step, I’ll let you know which brushes I used and why based on research.

The first step was the background, as usual. Because I am covering a large surface area, I chose the type of brush used to paint larger surfaces such as walls. It is made with polyester bristles because those work better with latex and acrylic paints whereas natural bristles are used more for oil-based paints. To be honest, this is my favorite part of the painting process because it is so relaxing and stress relieving and I don’t have to worry about it too much. Also, based on that Handy-Dandy Acrylic Made Easy: Getting Started Book, I have learned to take long brush strokes in order to cover as much area with each stroke and to evenly spread the paint.

      The next step was to paint the font. The title font used in this film was much harder to do because it was thinner than the others. Because I had to pay attention to detail, I used a liner brush and a flat-tipped brush so that I could get straight edges to make it look neater. Because I wanted to step up this painting and make it different, I decided to play with the font. The Deer Hunter is known to for is raw nature so I wanted to create a font that embodied that aspect. So...I decided to not fill in the font all the way to create a "scrapped" look. It's harder to explain so here's a picture:

      It was now time to paint the centerpiece and I started with the two revolvers. I wanted the one on the left to have three bullets and the one on the right to have one to symbolize the two scenes and their similarities/differences. In doing this, it also brings back suspenseful and tragic emotions as you remember the scenes. The other part of the center piece was the deer antlers which surrounded the two revolvers and were simply there to add to the aesthetic and symmetry. Because this poster was full of symmetry (the antlers/the revolvers), I stressed a lot about trying to get everything perfect, and overall, I think it turned out pretty good. For this part, I used a liner brush, a flat-tipped brush, and a Filbert brush because it has rounded tips. Here's the final product.

      I felt that the double meaning of the revolvers stepped up this painting. Unlike the other products I have created, I thought that I did a good job in portraying what Cimino had in mind when he was directing these two scenes. For me, suspenseful and tragic emotions fill within my head when I see the two revolvers with different amounts of bullets within them. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this painting has turned out. Even though this sounds basic, I really liked the green that was used because it helps to capture the mood of this film.
      We can also use this blog as an overall reflection for the painting process. Though I won't be painting like Monet any time soon (or ever), I have definitely become more comfortable with painting utensils as well as creating my own "masterpieces". I also have mixed emotions about this project. To be honest, it was very stressful to paint and at times, I wanted to punch something/someone. But, other times, it was very peaceful and stress relieving. All in all, I was glad to have chosen this project because I was able to work with movies in a different way.

Movie Recommendation #9:

Title: Chinatown

Director: Roman Polanski

Starring: Jack Nicholson | Faye Dunaway

Date Released: June 20th, 1974