https://vimeo.com/337587338

SPRING 2019

ARS402

Richard Mai

 2/23/19

Shift of The Sound

INTRODUCTION TO YOUR WORK:

Richard Mai is a photographer seeking to examine and question the line between reality and the surreal. His photos combine elements of portraiture and architectural photography in order to vividly index a feeling or gesture. He also is interested in cinematography, and the “creation” of images from the apparent world. After graduating high school, he worked as Nature Director for the Suffolk County Boy Scouts of America (SCCBSA). There, at Baiting Hollow Scout Camp (Calverton, NY) would he take a serious role in ecological study, preservation and conservation. Cabin living on DEC (Department of Ecology & Conservation) land changed how he saw his relationship with nature, and how currently we are living in a period of ecological deterioration. The landscape photos he took over these summers would lead him to further investigate the cause of this devastation. In his latest work, Shift of The Sound, he will explore a subgroup of the causes and effects of water pollution on Long Island. 

SYNOPSIS OF PROPOSED WORK / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

This project will try and explore the effects of water pollution in the Long Island Sound on the surrounding plants and wildlife. Several species of animal such as the Piping Plover and the Eastern Box Turtle are endangered due to the deteriorating quality of the places they live. Some factories pollute Nitrogenous waste into the Sound, and over time the ecosystems of Northeastern LI are shifted and tampered with. Also, the underground aquifers that supply most of our drinking water are increasingly becoming ridden with nitrogenous waste from septic systems and the use of fertilizer.

 Other sources of groundwater are prone to contamination from gasoline and chemical spills. Hypoxia is (low dissolved oxygen level from sewage and agricultural activities containing nitrogen). The aesthetic environments filled with happy animals are beginning to worsen. The oyster and clam market of the Great South Bay has been declining over the past few years due to pollution. Over time, with an increase in population along the South Shore, the fresh water flowing into the bay was diverted for household and agricultural use. The volume of untreated polluted water from villages and industry and runoff from agricultural land increased. Rapid population growth in Nassau County changed the ecology of the western basin. Salt water marshes have been destroyed, channels were deepened for yachts, and sewage treatment plants were built. Through a series of videos and photos this film will seek to reflect on the Earth and its complex ecosystems. Through the intervention of humans, these dynamic systems shift in a very chaotic way. 

RESEARCH OUTCOMES / ARTWORKS:

-Several 5 x 7 Color Prints (Canon Pro 100mkii)

-Several 8×10 BW Darkroom Enlargements

-Several High Resolution Scans of Film Negatives (TIFF / At least 20MP)

– ~15 min of usable color corrected documentary footage of landscape and animals (to be edited down)

PRODUCTION METHODS, MATERIALS, PROCESSES, EQUIPMENT:

Displayed on Projection Screen (~100in)

2.1 Surround Sound Audio Speakers

-Panasonic Lumix GH5 

– Record in 4K with Hybrid Log Gamma/Cine Profiles (80% of footage)

– Slow Motion 120FPS 1080p (20% of footage)

– All-Intra 400 Mbps Codec

– 10 bit 4:2:2 Internal Recording

-Sigma 18-35mm f1.8

-Viltrox Micro 4/3 to Canon EF Mount (w/ optical element)

-Sandisk Extreme Pro 62GB Card (>300MB/s Write)

-85mm Cine Lens (Loan)

-Rode VideoMicro Microphone

-Shure Beta 87A Condenser Microphone

-RedRock Micro Shoulder Grip

-DFocus Follow Focus

-Zoom H1n Handy Recorder (Loan)

-iPhone X

-Zhiyun Gimbal

-BW Polarizer Filter

-ND 0.9 (or higher) Filter (Loan)

-Tripod

-Camera Slider

-MacBook Pro 

-Canon AE1 Program Film Camera 

-Canon 24-35mm f4L

-Mamiya RZ67 Medium Format Body

-Mamiya Sekkor 135mm f 3.5 Lens

-Mamiya Sekkor 50mm f 4 Lens

-Canon Pro 100mkii (Will print at home)

-Epson Perfection V550 Scanner

-ILFORD Fiber Photo Paper  (11” x 17”)

Edit in Final Cut Pro X

Color Correction in Davinci Resolve

*Will need access to Darkroom to make BW Enlargements (1 – 2 week(s) after spring break)

Narration Recording in Home Studio

TIME SCHEDULE:

March 01 – 06: Pre Production I: Research in Library 

March 18 – 20: Filming on Location

March 20 – 23: Post Production I (Color Correction)

March 24 – 30: Post Production II (Editing and Photo Enlargements)

REFERENCES:

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-s-environmental-concerns-where-do-we-go-from-here-1.2092883 

http://www.issues.longislandindex.org/#environment

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-brown/can-long-island-be-saved_b_5274605.html

RESEARCH JOURNAL, SKETCHES AND SUPPORTING MATERIAL:

http://longislandsoundstudy.net/ – Long Island Sound Study 

I will scan images from my research journal notebook (hard copy) that I will have for this project. This book will contain notes, drawings and ideas along this investigative process.

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NAME: Richard Mai

STONY BROOK ID: 110418010

DATE: 12/10/17

PROJECT TITLE: Colder Than Ice

SYNOPSIS OF PROPOSED WORK / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

“Colder Than Ice” is a music video for the rock band Pond, highlighting my favorite track from their latest record. It combines green screened clips with some visual effects to help tell the story of this song. The visual elements in addition to the video content will be based on what I think of when listening to this song; skateboarding through the sky. Effects concerning visual distortion or surrealism will compliment the psychedelic nature of the song itself. My friend Daniella and I will act out different parts of the song, whether it be the newscast reporters or the instrumentalists themselves. There will be a features of guitar and synthesizer. I will try to edit the clips so the transitions and flow match the beat and the different parts of the song, as my music video will visually compliment whats happening with the audio.

 

RESEARCH OUTCOMES / ARTWORKS:

I intend to create a music video for the psychedelic rock band Pond’s song “Colder Than Ice”. It will be a video composing of green screened elements in addition to some found footage of skies or landscapes online. In Final Cut Pro X I will use various effects to stylize the clips in order to better portray the emotions of the song. The Talking Heads “Once In A Lifetime” video inspired me to create this green screen video, using multiple layers of the same clip to create the effect of many people on screen. This style also reminds me of watching Shane Dawson music videos on YouTube, with a hilarious use of chroma-key. Also, the recently released official music video for this song will be used as a reference for the style of the effects. The two titles used in the song are inspired by Ed Ruschas text style of “BoyScout Utility Modern”. The symmetric and linear nature of this font style I feel pairs well with the mood and feeling of the song.

REFERENCES:

“Colder Than Ice” – Song & Music Video, Pond 2017

Boy Scout Utility Modern Font, Ed Ruscha

“Once In A Lifetime” – Music Video , Talking Heads 1980/2013

RESEARCH JOURNAL, SKETCHES AND SUPPORTING MATERIAL:

NAME: Richard Mai

STONY BROOK ID: 110418010

DATE: 12/10/17

PROJECT TITLE: Under-Water/On-Land

SYNOPSIS OF PROPOSED WORK / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

For my final project I would like to outline a few different color palettes described in Goethe’s Color Theory. Using these colors in either object form or added light will add another story to tell in the portraits that I take. A combined use of artificial lighting and physical object will allow me to create these comprehensive images. My favorite colors are of the cool tones; blue, green, and purple. For 2 of the portraits id like to use analogous color lighting with the accented color being the object in the photo. Id like to illustrate how blue and green can evoke feelings of being under water or above ground, as each is connected with an object of nature. Each background will feature blue or green tones to add a feeling of relaxation, nature and being content. Whenever using the accented color, the goal is to drive the eye to that detail, while the analogous colors make up most of the rest of the image.
The photos will be taken on the Sony a7s with the Zeiss Loxia 50mm f2 Planar Lens, captured in RAW and then edited in Lightroom. For the models ill be using myself, my friend Alyssa and my friend Jordan, we will be modeling colorful pieces from GOLF, Off-White and Palace. Specific details include the orange Palace Patch to accent a blue background or the green GOLF flag to add a pop to the nature scene.
In Lightroom I’m going to try to edit the white balance settings and the individual HSL adjustments to produce a visually compelling image, while also being true to the methods outlined in Goethe’s Color Theory.

 

RESEARCH OUTCOMES / ARTWORKS:

I will produce a few portraits outlining some uses of Goethe’s Color Theory and some of my favorite color palettes. Overall feelings should convey the “cool darkness” that blue exhibits in addition to the relationship between land/sea with green/blue. Each photo will feature either Accented Analogous, Complimentary and/or “cool” colors. I would also like to print these on letter sized paper, using Canons ColorSync to get the vibrant colors I want. I have a few different metallic papers that I would like to try printing on, as hopefully the colors I use will look extra brilliant.

REFERENCES:

Goethe, Johann W, and Johann W. Goethe. Goethe’s Color Theory. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1971. Print.

“Blue: This colour has a peculiar and almost indescribable effect on the eye. As a hue it is powerful — but it is on the negative side, and in its highest purity is, as it were, a stimulating negation. Its appearance, then, is a kind of contradiction between excitement and repose.”

Golf Wang Fall Winter 2016
http://www.golfwang.com/book/#2016-fw
Juian Bermans use of color in the garments provide an interesting contrast or compliment in the colored backgrounds.