Photography

Photography is much different than it was when it was first invented.  Camera obscura was the first time the outdoors was projected onto another surface.  This light was then exposed to a plate covered in chemicals and later developed in other chemicals to permanently keep the image on the plate.  Many of the original chemicals used were toxic and took a long time for the photograph to remain.  Different chemicals improved upon the time and safety.  Then, motion was captured by using many glass plates and then played through a variety of methods that quickly moved the frames in front of a person's eyes.  The next step was to use film strip instead of glass plates.  After that, sound was recorded in synchronization with the moving images.  This slowly became modern-day film.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops

The film about the Carolina Chocolate Drops was an informative film that followed the band through creation to their eventual parting of ways.  The film was a personal look into each members lives, but not much detail was given on their lives not pertaining to music.  I thought the film may have been improved by adding more details about the backgrounds of each person before the conference where they all met.  Instead, the film repeated many details, and in my opinion, contained too many details.

However, the film did blend together the history of the the Chocolate Drops seamlessly.  The sequence of events was easy to follow and it was easy to see each person progress as an individual as well as the band's progression as a whole.  It is incredible how talented each individual was, and how motivated they were in their own ways.  Each played numerous instruments, and even picked up a few more instruments over time.

Madame Butterfly Puppetry

It is interesting that the puppet soldier in the madame butterfly show is controlled by three people.  This allows for multiple takes on the expression and emotion in the scene.  If one person were to control the puppet, the view would be limited to only one person's interpretation.  While having multiple people could create a challenge if opposing viewpoints are present, the spontaneity can allow for a new outlook on the story, and makes each playing of the story a unique experience.

Madame Butterfly Claymation

The mood of the film is easily determined by the surroundings as well as the facial expressions of the woman.  It is typically dark and cloudy.  The only time her facial expression changed was in the very beginning, when she was happy to be with the man.  As the film progressed, more clouds rolled in and it became darker and darker.

The film comes full circle at the very end.  The start of the film shows a butterfly follow the man, as her heart leaves with it.  When the man returns and breaks her heart, she dissembles herself and becomes the butterfly.  This is a creative way to represent the lady letting go, and believing in herself.  She is no longer dependent as the butterfly, and is no longer tied down in one place, waiting for the man to return.

Properties of Cathedrals

Cathedrals have a few different requirements to be considered a cathedral.  All of them have a rose window, flying buttresses, gargoyles, a relic, pointed arches, columns and be in the shape of a cross.  The rose window is in the very front of the cathedral above the entrance.  Flying buttresses support the weight of the roof, and contained a column extending outward from the cathedral.  Gargoyles provide an escape for water, so the weight of the roof does not increase too much.  They were named for the noise they made when water flows out.  All cathedrals contain a holy relic, with this being the focal point of many cathedrals.  They have pointed arches and spires that make up the ceiling.  Columns supported roofs while providing more decoration.  Roman columns were much thicker than their Gothic counterpart.  Finally, cathedrals must take the shape of a cross from an aerial view.  The entrance is the top of the cross, while moving through the cathedral is like moving down the cross.