The linked video is a scene from one of my all time favorite movies, Big Fish. The movie itself can be outlined as a series of events that have minimal effect on each other, yet they all feature the same eccentric main character and a vignette-like structure where each sub-story blows a real-life metaphor (is that oxymoronic?) out of proportion.

What blows my mind about this clip in particular is how the scene itself is all presented to you. You accept the poetry that introduces the vignette and then it becomes literal. The scene navigates through the fantasy of frozen time and is brought back to reality by becoming logical again. Ironically enough, that is done by combining the same fantasy that forced this scene with something more in line with reality; time will “catch up” to what should be the actual time after its done messing around. The story feels so real in your head, yet it is turned into a complete fairy tale right in front of you.

This is the type of juxtaposition that makes film such a cool medium. Your images don’t have to speak for themselves, they can be supplemented by music and strong writing to make an even bigger statement about what you think and, more importantly, provide insight into how you think.

-Gylmar

Since starting as an intern in spring quarter 2011 I have learned more about photography, cinematography, and the various fields of media than i have the previous 18 years of my life (granted the first few years I wasn’t quite aware of what the thing with the lens that was pointed at me was doing). Around this time I know that most folks are looking at finals and thinking that the world is coming to an end and all problems will be solved by a pot of coffee and some Sour Patch Kids, but what I remember most about this point of the quarter last spring was not how I studied for my Math 20E class or how many cups of tea I boiled to stay awake studying, rather I remember sitting in the TTV studio editing my intern project and finally seeing everything come together. Before Triton Television I had dabbled in a few video projects but nothing quite on the scale of creating and producing an original video. As such, I will say that I was a little frightened but the wave of gratitude hitting that export button was unnerving and awesome at the same time to say the least. So my message to the interns that have finally completed their video projects for the quarter is CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’VE MADE IT! In the years to come I hope that you look back at your video with pride because it was your first stepping stone into a group of people that will undoubtedly change your life. I know that I still have a few years left in this awesome organization and I can’t wait for the crazy adventures to come. Thank you to all the veteran producers that have educated me and welcome to all the new producers and staff!

—–Darren

Photograph Shui

If compared side-by-side, photography is a lot like feng shui. Feng shui, for those who have no idea about the eastern philosophy, is the aesthetic placement of objects in a region to balance and improve spiritual energy. Most of the time people employ feng shui in their bedrooms or living rooms in an effort to maximize and redirect spiritual energy towards an aspect of life they wish to improve—ranging from incredible sexual, romantic life to power and wealth. But how does this relate to photography?

Simple. The elements of feng shui in a room runs parallel to the elements of a photographic shot!

In feng shui the placement of specific colors in a room promotes harmonious energy. To illustrate, a cherry red lamp placed in the southern area of a room would promote ‘fame’ energy for its owner. The photographic equivalent would be color contrast of subjects and backgrounds. An isolated deep blue subject in a color contrasting orange background would promote attention of the subject—similar to the placement of colored objects promoting certain energy.

Drawing from another example, the type of objects placed in feng shui to promote spiritual energy is comparable to the type of subject selected for a photographic composition. The famed miniature waterfall used in feng shui is used to support and nurture the “flow” of energy. Likewise in photography, subjects that capture the viewer’s eyes result in “flowing” attention throughout the entire picture. The end result: a solid balanced composition and a better appreciation of the photograph.

Angles and lines in feng shui play a critical role in the direction of spiritual energy. The importance of lines and angles are so great that the Disneyland in Hong Kong shifted their front gate by twelve degrees to accommodate feng shui. In similar fashion, lines and angles are vital to the composition of photography. Lines may lead a viewer’s eyes around the work while sharp and soft angles escalate or de-escalate tension in a photograph.

At the end of the day, feng shui and photography go hand in hand. There are millions of other examples depicting this relationship. But perhaps, the more interesting question is this: If you take a picture of a feng shui room, would it be elements within an element?

By: Basil Trinh

Picture Credits:
Dan Tobin and http://www.ceastudyabroadblog.com/2007/12/take-great-photos-while-you-study.html

1. We own thousands of dollars of equipment and a small African nation
2. For every project you successfully complete, we plant a tree
3. Having a door code gives you a great place to store your corpses
4. We’re starting a new Spanish speaking station called “Tritonmundo”
5. Our cameras are so legit that they can expose your Triton Eye
6. Get VIP entrance to all the hot UCSD events, like “Chancellor Fox’s Quarterly House Party”
7. You can use the same equipment used on the sets of “Iron Man”, “House”, and “Backyard Sluts 4″.
8. It’s like going to a discussion class except it’s perfectly acceptable to sleep with your TA for a better grade.
9. We’re fueled by Red Bull and egotism
10. You can trade in your Triton Tallies for back rubs from Patrick

-Joseph

I learned a couple things working on the Pub After Dark: Stone Foxes video that are applicable not only to video production, but probably to life in general too (sorta):

1. Procrastination, always always always a bad idea. It’s the age old problem that plagues us all and it got me here; coming to the realization that there was an event I needed to cover a day before the actual event. Pre-production and planning are important. Thus bringing me to the next point…
2. Live concert coverage? Way easier when there is more than one camera recording the action. Totally worked out anyway, thankfully, since the pub is fairly small and I have awesome ninja camera skills. Still, remember kids, team work is the key to good videos
3. Never, never, NEVER switch to auto. Don’t do it. If you have professional aspirations– DON’T DOOO ITTTT. I was silly and didn’t realize I had a neutral density filter on my camera lens, so I filmed on auto ISO. Remember (and this is really more a note for silly me), if you’re tempted to switch something to auto because you can’t seem to do it manually, check it again, because you probably missed something important.
4. Procrastination, again, it’s bad.
5. Ear plugs. Yes, I know it’s fun going to a concert, rocking out, and allowing the band to blast out your eardrums; but, you may notice a lot of concert crew and even the band wears ear plugs. There’s a reason for that. Protect your ears or suffer tinnitus for days!

Of course, most importantly, stop complaining and have fun!

–Jen Chau

UUGGGHH!!!!  TWENTY-FOUR FRICKIN HOURSS!!!! YEAAAA!!!!  THAT’S RIGHT!

As you can tell, we (the 24-hour play festival team) survived the beautiful 24 hours of pain and labor.  And out of all the pain, squealing, and pushing, a beautiful baby emerged, and there was much applause.  The baby, of course, being 5 epicly awesome plays that looked FANTASTIC, especially for being written, rehearsed, and setup for in 24 hours straight!

It was a wonderful shoot, despite my emoness in my last blog, I am so glad that I was able to be part of such a amazing, fun production.

To all those who missed out, don’t worry, we filmed all the performances.  But really, next time come.  UCSD’s theater students are TOP-NOTCH.

Now it’s time to go through labor pains again and birth yet another baby, the VIDEO (and probably a preview video before that).  Good luck editing Sean!  Hahahaah, jk.

The video shall be out sometime before the Fall Quarter ends.  Keep Posted!

Till Next Time,

Victor Shiu

PIKE kicked off the new quarter with a party of epic proportion at Club Voyeur in downtown SD! Enjoy Pikes of the Caribbean!

~Bogdan Z

So after spending the night in the ttv studio, waking at 4am, brushing my teeth in the Old Student Center bathroom, and chasing actors, directors, and producers around Galbraith Hall, I am now plopped down on a comfy cushioned seat unable to even feel my head…I wonder how Sean Estelle is still standing…or how any of the amazing people in the 24 hour play festival are still operating.  My God, it’s only 9!  another…how many hours left?  12? 14? 18?  crap.

Someone please help me out…one man crew here.  Also, the doorcode to the studio changed…so I can’t upload my already full 32gb card.  This is why you always bring extra cards (which I did, but I don’t want to risk being jammed up later).

Well, if we ever make it out of here alive, look forward to an EPIC short-doc behind-the-scenes video of this AWESOME 24 hour play festival featuring Company 157 and Nomad Theatre Company (Sean, is that right?).

Alright, Peace…

Till I see the light of day again,

Victor Shiu

They really did this...and showed it w/o edit....That should be enough...

Looking at theater listings these past few months have been a little depressing.  I mean just looking at the title of the films will make you drive right out of the parking lot.  Even Disney saw this and figured that they’d make a few extra bucks (which turned out to be millions) by reposting a classic film back into theaters.  Needless to say, movies just suck these days.

That being said, I still enjoy watching movies in the theaters.  There’s really nothing that can quite beat the movie watching experience of a theater.  So when 50/50 came out with all its great reviews and whatnot and with really nothing else in theaters besides dolphins and werewolves, I figured I’d watch it for the theater’s sake.

I was astonished.  I think that’s the right word, astonished.  I mean compared to stuff like Breaking Bad or Madmen, this film is nothing amazing, but I was seriously surprised.  This is truly some great storytelling.  I knew the film was about cancer or something, and so I had expected this film to be a little overdramatic.  But Jonathan Levine (the director) and Will Reiser (the writer) have done a remarkable job at keeping the story real.

50/50 really captures the youth of this age, then it throws mortality at the youth and sees what comes out.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance was nothing short of emotional.  And when I say emotional, I don’t mean a lot of crying and sympathy and lovey-dovey crap, I mean he really embodies the character of an awkward young adult complete with the set of quirks, humor, passive-aggressiveness, shyness, and pain.  When I watch Gordon-Levitt in this film, I am truly watching a 27-year old with cancer.  All the reactions, developments, and habits in the character are exactly what I would expect to possess a young person that has just found out about his terminal illness.  Seth Rogen also very much embodies that asshole of a friend whom you can’t stand but can’t very much depart from.  With these two great performances, I really have to give props to Mr. Levine.

Now I’m not saying that realism is what makes a great film.  In fact, it tends not to.  What I am saying is that 50/50 captures and transmits emotion in a way that projects realism.  In short, I laughed, I cried, I connected in ways that I probably would in the scenario of the film.  This film really toyed with me.  It made me laugh when I didn’t expect to and made me cry right afterwards.  The development of characters, story, and emotional power was truly remarkable (and in a 100 minute time-frame, finally a film that does it right!).  Will Reiser really knew how to tell a story.

Not everything about this film was great.  The cinematography was adequate and so was the editing.  Both had their moments and also had their non-moments.  My excited review of the film came partly from the fact that I haven’t watched something of this substance for awhile (I mean how far can you go with summer blockbusters?).  But I don’t want to downplay this too much.  This was a great film, and I highly recommend everyone to watch it.  In fact, I’ll put money that it’ll at least be nominated for an Oscar if not more.  The chances are probably more than 50/50…okay, that was a corny tag.  Sorry.

-Victor Shiu