“Why don’t they make more science fiction movies?”
The answer to any question starting, “Why don’t they—” is almost always, “Money.”
I arrived in Hollywood with no knowledge of motion picture production or costs, no experience in writing screen plays, nothing but a yen to write the first Hollywood picture about the first trip to the Moon. Lou Schor, an agent who is also a science fiction enthusiast, introduced me to a screen writer, Alford van Ronkel; between us we turned out a screen play from one of my space travel stories.
So we were in business— Uh, not quite. The greatest single production problem
is to find someone willing to risk the money. People who have spare millions of dollars do not acquire them by playing angel to science fiction writers with wild ideas.
We were fortunate in meeting George Pal of George Pal Productions, who became infected with the same madness. So we had a producer—now we were in business.
Still not quite— Producers and financiers are not the same thing. It was nearly a year from the writing of the screen play until George Pal informed us that he had managed to convince an angel. (How? Hypnosis? Drugs? I’ll never know. If! had a million dollars, I would sit on it and shoot the first six science fiction writers who came my way with screen plays.)
Despite those huge Hollywood salaries, money is as hard to get in Hollywood as anywhere. The money men in Hollywood write large checks only when competition leaves them no alternative; they prefer to write small checks, or no checks at all. Even though past the big hurdle of getting the picture financed, money trouble remains with one throughout production; if a solution to a special-effects problem costs thirty thousand dollars but the budget says five thousand dollars, then you have got to think of an equally good five thousand dollar gølution—and that’s all there is to it.
.1 mention this because there came a steady stream of non-motion-picture folk who were under the impression ~hat thousand-dollar-a-week salaries were waiting for them in a science fiction picture. The budget said, “No!”
The second biggest hurdle to producing an accurate and convincing science fiction picture is the “Hollywood” frame of mind—in this case, people in authority who either don’t know or don’t care about scientific correctness and plausibility. Ignorance can be coped with; when a man asks “What does a rocket have to push against, out there in space?” it is possible to explain. On the other hand, if his approach is, “Nobody has ever been to the Moon; the audiences won’t know the difference,” it is impossible to explain anything to him; he does not know and does not want to know.
We had plenty of bothsorts of trouble.
That the picture did not end up as a piece of fantasy, having only a comic-book relation to real science fiction1 can be attributed almost entirely to the integrity and.:~
good taste of Irving Pichel, the director. Mr. Pichel is not a scientist, but he is intelligent and honest. He believed what Mr. Bonestell and I told him and saw to it that what went on the screen was as accurate as budget and ingenuity would permit.
By the time the picture was being shot the entire company—actors, grips, cameramen, office people— became imbued with enthusiasm for producing a picture which would be scientifically acceptable as well as a box office success. Willy Ley’s Rockets and Space Travel was read by dozens of people in the company. Bonestell and Ley’s Conquest of Space was published about then and enjoyed a brisk sale among us. Waits between takes were filled by discussions of theory and future prospects of interplanetary travel.
As shooting progressed we began to be deluged with visitors of technical background—guided missiles men, astronomers, rocket engineers, aircraft engineers. The company, seeing that their work was being taken seriously by technical specialists, took pride in turning out an authentic job. There were no more remarks of “What difference does it make?”
Which brings us to the third hurdle—the technical difficulties of filming a spaceship picture.
The best way to photograph space flight convincingly would be to raise a few hundred million dollars, get together a scientific and engineering staff of the caliber used to make the A-bomb, take over the facilities of General Electric, White Sands, and Douglas Aircraft, and build a spaceship.
Then go along and photograph what happens.
We had to use the second-best method—which meant that every shot, save for a few before takeoff from Earth, had to involve special effects, trick photography, unheard-of lighting problems. All this is expensive and causes business managers to grow stomach ulcers. In the ordinary motion picture there may be a scene or two
with special effects; this picture had to be all special effects, most of them never before tried.
If you have not yet seen the picture, I suggest that you do not read further until after you have seen it; in this case it is more fun to be fooled. Then, if you want to loOk for special effects, you can go back and see the picture again. (Adv.)
The Moon is airless, subject only to one-sixth gravity, bathed in undiluted sunlight, covered with black sky through which shine brilliant stars, undimmed by cloud or smog. It is a place of magnificent distances and towering mountains.
A sound stage is usually about thirty feet high, and perhaps a hundred and fifty feet long. Gravity is Earth normal. It is filled with cigarette smoke, arc light fog, and dust—not to mention more than a hundred technicians.
Problem: to photograph in a sound stage men making a rocket landing on the Moon, exploring its endless vistas, moving and jumping under its light gravity. Do this in Technicolor, which adds a sheaf of new problems, not the least of which is the effect of extra hot lights on men wearing spacesuits.
The quick answer is that it can’t be done. -
A second answer is to go on location, pick a likely stretch of desert, remove by hand all trace of vegetation, and shoot the “real” thing. Wait a minute; how about that black and star-studded sky? Fake it—use special effects. Sorry; once blue sky is on Technicolor emulsion it is there to stay. With black-and-white there are ways, but not with color.
So we are back on the sound stage and we have to shoot it there. Vacuum clear atmosphere? No smoking—hard tb enforce—high speed on all blowers, be resigned to throwing away some footage, and leave the big doors open—which lets in noise and ruins the sound track. Very well, we must dub in the sound—and up go the costs—but the air must be clear.
Low gravity and tremendous leaps—piano wire, of
course—but did you ever try to wire a man who is wearing a spacesuit? The wires have to get inside that suit at several points, producingthe effect a nail has on a tire, i.e., a man -wearing a pressurized suit cannot be suspended on wires. So inflation of suits must be replaced by padding; at least during wired shots. But a padded suit does not wrinkle the same way a pressurized suit does and the difference shows. Furthermore, the zippered openings for the wires can be seen. Still worse, if inflation is to be faked with padding, how are we to show them putting on their suits? -
That sobbing in the background comes from the technical adviser—yours truly—who had hoped not only to have authentic pressure suits but had expected to be able to cool the actors under the lights by the expansion of gas from their air bottles. Now they must wear lamb’s wool padding and will have no selfcontained source of breathing air, a situation roughly equivalent to doing heavy work at noon in desert summer, in a fur coat while wearing a bucket over your head. Actors are a hardy breed. They did it.
To get around the shortcomings of padded suits we worked in an “establishing scene” in which the suits were shown to be of two parts, an outer chafing suit and an inner pressure suit. This makes sense; deep-sea divers often use chafing suits over their pressure suits, particularly when working around coral. The relationship is that of an automobile tire carcass to the inner tube. The outer part takes the beating and the inner part holds the
- pressure. It is good engineering and we present this new wrinkle in spacesuits without apology. The first men actually to walk the rugged floor of the Moon and to climb its sharp peaks, will, if they are wise, use the same device. - -
So we padded for wire tricks and used air pressure at other times. Try to see when and where we switched. I could nça tell—and I saw the scenes being shot.
• Now for that lunar landscape which has to be compressed into a sound stage—I had selected the crater Aristarchus. Chesley Bonestell did not like Aristarchus; it did not have the shape he wanted, nor the height of Crater wall, nor the distance to apparent horizon. Mr. Bonestell knows more about the surface appearance of the Moon than any other living man; he searched around and found one he liked—the crater Harpalus, in high northern latitude, facing the Earth. High latitude was necessary so that the Earth would appear down near the horizon where the camera could see it and still pick up some lunar landscape; northern latitude was preferred so that Earth would appear in the conventional and recognizable schoolroom-globe attitude.
Having selected it, Mr. Bonestell made a modeftf it on his dining room table, using beaverboard, plasticine, tissue paper, paint, anything at hand. He then made a pinhole photograph from its center— Wait; let’s list the stages:
1. A Mount Wilson observatory photograph.
2. Bonestell’s tabletop model.
3. A pinhole panorama.
4. A large blowup. -
5. A Bonestell oil painting, in his exact detail, about twenty feet long and two feet high, in perspective as seen from the exit of the rocket, one hundred fifteen feet above the lunar surface.
6. A blownup photograph, about three feet high, of this painting.
7. A scenic painting, about four feet high, based on this photograph and matching the Bonestell colors, but with the perspective geometrically changed to bring the observer down to the lunar floor.
8. A scenic backing, twenty feet high, to go all around a sound stage, based on the one above, but
with the perspective distorted to allow for the fact that sound stages are oblong.
9. A floor for the sound stage, curved up to bring the foreground of the scene into correct perspective with the backing. -
10. A second back drop of black velvet and “stars.”
The result you see on the cover of this issue. It looks like a Bonestell painting because jt is a Bonestell painting—in the same sense that a Michelangelo muraI~ is still the work of the master even though a dozen of the master’s pupils may have wielded the brushes.
Every item went through similar stages. I was amazed at the thoroughness of preliminary study made by the art department—Ernst Fegte and Jerry Pycha—before any item was built to be photographed. Take the control room of the spaceship. This compartment was shaped like the frustrum of a cone and was located near the nose of spaceship Luna. It contained four acceleration couches, instruments and controls of many sorts, an airplane pilot’s seat with controls for landing on Earth, radar screens, portholes, and a hatch to the air lock—an incredibly crowded and complicated set. (To the motion picture business this was merely a “set,” a place where actors would be photographed while speaking lines.)
To add to the complications the actors would sometimes read their lines while hanging upside down in midair in this set, or walking up one of its vertical walls. Add that the space was completely enclosed, about as small as an elevator cage, and had to contain a Technicolor sound camera housed in its huge soundproof box—called a “blimp,” heaven knows why. -
I made some rough sketches. Chesley. Bonestell translated these into smooth drawings, adding in his own extensive knowledge of spaceships. The miniature shop made a model which was studied by the director, the art
director, and the cameraman, who promptly tore it to bits. It wouldn’t do at all; the action could not be photographed, could not even be seen, save by an Arcturian Bug-Eyed Monster with eyes arranged around a spherical 3600.
So the miniature shop made another model, to suit photOgraphic requirements. -
So I tore that one apart. I swore that I wouldn’t be found dead around a so-called spaceship control room arranged in any such fashion; what were we making? A comic strip?
So the miniature shop made a third model.
And a fourth. -
- Finally we all were satisfied. The result, as you see it on the screen, is a control room which might very well be used as a pattern for the ship which will actually make the trip some day, provided the ship is intended for a four-man crew. It is a proper piece of economical functional design, which could do what it is meant to do.
But it has the unique virtue that it can be photographed as a motion picture set.
A writer—a fiction writer, I mean; not a screen writer—is never bothered by such considerations. He can play a dramatic scene inside a barrel quite as well a.~ in Grand Central Station. His mind’s eye looks in any direction, at any distance, with no transition troubles and no jerkiness. He can explain anything which is not clear. But in motion pictures the camera has got to see what is going on and must see it in such a fashion that the audience is not even- aware of the camera, or the illusion is lost. The camera must see all that it needs to see to achieve a single emotional effect from a single angle, without bobbing back and forth, or indulging in awkward, ill-timed cuts. This problem is always present in motion picture photography; it was simply exceptionally acute in the control room scenes. To solve it all was a real tour deforce; the director of photography, Lionel Linden,
aged several years before we got out of that electronic Iron Maiden.
In addition to arranging the interior for camera angles it was necessary. to get the camera to the selected angles—in this enclosed space. To accomplish this, every panel in the control room was made removable— “wild,” they call it—so that the camera could stick in its snout and so that lights could be rigged. Top and bottom and all its sides—it came apart like a piece of Meccano. This meant building of steel instead of the cheap beaverboard-and-wood frauds usually photographed in Hollywood. The control room was actually stronger and heavier than a real spaceship control room would be. Up went the costs again.
Even with the set entirely “wild” it took much, much longer to shift from one angle to another angle than it does on a normal movie set, as those panels had to be bolted and unbolted, heavy lights had to be rigged and unrigged—and thç costs go sky high. You can figure overhead in a sound stage at about a thousand dollars an hour, so, when in the movie you see the pilot turn his head and speak to -someone, then glance down at his instruments, whereupon the camera also glances down to let you see what he is talking about, remember how much time and planning and money it took to let you glance at the instrument board. This will help to show why motion picture theaters sell popcorn to break even
—and why science fiction pictures are not made every day. Realism is confoundedly expensive.
Nor did the costs and the headaches with the control room stop there. As every reader of Astounding knows, when a rocket ship is not blasting, everything in it floats free—”free fall.” Men float around—which meant piano wires inside that claustrophobic little closet. It was necessary at one point to show a man floating out from his acceleration couch and into the center of the room.
Very well;, unbolt a panel to let in the wires. Wups! While a spaceship in space has no “up” or “down,” sound stage three on Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood certainly does have; supporting wires must run vertically—see Isaac Newton. To float the man out of the tight little space he was in would require the wires to turn a corner. Now we needed a Hindu fakir capable of the Indian rope trick.
The special effects man, Lee Zavitz, has been doing impossible tricks for years. He turned the entire set, tons of steel, on its side and pulled the actor out in what would-normally be a horizontal direction. Easy!
So easy that the art department had to design, double gimbals capable of housing the entire set, engineer it, have it built of structural steel, have it assembled inside a sound stage since it was too big to go through the truck doors. Machinery had to be designed and installed to turn the unwieldy thing. Nothing like it had ever been seen in Hollywood, but it did enable a man to float out from a confined space and, later, to walk all around the sides of the control room with “magnetic” boots.
This double gimbals rig, three stories high, put- the control room set high in the air, so the carpenters had to build platforms around it and the camera had to be mounted on a giant boom—one so huge, so fancy, and so expensive that Cecil B. de Mule came over to inspect it. The camera itself had to be mounted in gimbals before it was placed on the boom, so that it might turn with the set—or the other way, for some special effects. This meant removing its soundproof blimp, which meant dubbing the sound track.
(“Who cares? It’s only money.” Don’t say that in the presence of the business manager, he’s not feeling well.)
This was not the end of the control room tricks. Some of the dodges were obvious, such as making dial needles go around, lights blink on and off, television and radar screens light up—obvious, but tedious and sometimes difficult. Producing the effect of a ship blasting off at six gravities requires something more than sound track of a
rocket blast, as the men each weigh over a thousand pounds during blast. Lee Zavitz and his crew built large inflated bladders into each acceleration couch. Whenever the jet was “fired” these blaaders would be suddenly deflated and the actors would be “crushed” down into their cushions.
A thousand pounds weight compresses the man as well as his mattress, which will show, of course, in his features. The makeup man fitted each actor with a thin membrane, glued to his face, to which a yoke could be rigged back of his neck. From the yoke a lever sequence reaching out of the scene permitted the man’s features to be drawn back by the “terrible” acceleration. Part of what you see is acting by some fine actors, Dick Wesson, Warner AndersOn, Tom Powers, John Archer, part was a Rube Goldberg trick.
The air suddenly escaping from the bladders produced a sound like that of a mournful cow, thus requiring more dubbing of sound tr~ck. The air had to be returned to the bladders with equal suddenness when the jet cut off, which required a compressed air system more complicated than that used by a service station.
The sets abounded in compressed air and hydraulic and electrical systems to make vai~ious gadgets work— to cycle the air lock doors, to rig out the exit ladder, to make the instrument board work—all designed by Zavitz. Lee Zavitz is the man who “burned Atlanta” in Gone With The Wind, forty acres of real fire, hundreds of actors and not a man hurt. I saw him stumped just once in this film, through no fault of his. He was controlling an explosion following a rocket crash. It was being done full size, out on the Mojave Desert, and the camera angle stretched over miles of real desert. From a jeep back of the camera Zavitz was cuing the special effects by radio. In the middle of the explosions the radio ‘decided to blow a tube—and the action stopped, ruining an afternoon’s work. We had to come back and do it over the next day, after a sleepless night of rebuilding by the special effects
crew. Such things are why making motion pictures produces stomach ulcers but not boredom.
The greatest single difficulty we encountered in trying to fake realistically the conditions of space flight was in producing the brilliant starry sky of empty space. In the first place nobody knows what stars look like out in space; it is not even known for sure whether twinkling takes place in the eye or in the atmosphere. There is plausible theory each way. In- the second place the eye is incredibly more sensitive than is Technicolor film; the lights had to be brighter than stars to be picked up at all. In the third place, film, whether used at Palomar or in a Technicolor camera, reports a point light source as a circle of light, with diameter dependent on intensity. On that score alone we were whipped as to complete realism; there is no way to avoid the peculiarities inherent in an artificial optical system.
We fiddled around with several dodges and finally settled on automobile headlight bulbs. They can be burned white, if you don’t mipd burning out a few bulbs; they cOme in various brightnesses; and they give as near a point source of light as the emulsions can record— more so, in fact. We used nearly two thousand of them, — strung on seventy thousand feet of wire.
But we got a red halation around the white lights. This resulted from the fact that Technicolor uses three fihns for the three primary colors. Two of them are back to back at the focal plane, but the red-sensitive emulsion is a gnat’s whisker away, by one emulsion thickness. It had. me stumped, but not the head gaffer. He. covered each~ light with a green gelatin screen, a “gel,” and the red halation was gone, leaving a satisfactory white light.
The gels melted down oftener than the bulbs burned out; we had to replace them each -day at lunch hour and at “wrap up.”
There was another acute problem of lighting on the lunar set. As we all know, sunlight on the Moon is the
harshest of plastic light, of great intensity and all from one direction. There is no blue sky overhead to diffuse the light and fill the shadows. We needed a sound-stage light which-would. be as intense as that sunlight—a single light.
No such light has ever been developed.
During the war, I had a research project which called for the duplication of sunlight; I can state authoritatively that sunlight has not yet been duplicated. An arc light, screened by Pyrex, is the closest thing to it yet known— but the movies already use- arc lights in great numbers, and the largest arc light bulb, the “brute,” is not nearly strong enough to light an entire sound stage with sunlight intensity—raw sunlight, beating down on the lunar set would have been equivalent to more than fifteen hundred horse power. There are no such arc lights.
We traced down several rumors of extremely intense lights. In each case we found either that the light was not sufficiently intense for an entire sound stage, or it was monochromatic—worse than useless for Technicolor.
We got around it by using great banks of brutes, all oriented the same way and screened to produce approximate parallelism. Even with the rafters loaded with the big lights almost past the safety point, it was necessary to use some cross lighting to fill gaps. The surface of the Moon had some degree of “fill” in the shadows by reflection from cliff walls and the ground; it is probable that we were forced to fill too much. We used the best that contemporary engineering provides—and next time will gladly use an atomic-powered simulation of the Sun’s atomic-powered light.
The simulation of raw sunlight was better in the scenes involving men in spacesuits outside the ship in space, as it was not necessary to illuminate an entire sound stage but only two or three human figures; a bank of brutes sufficed and no fill was needed, nor wanted, since there was no surrounding landscape to fill by reflection.
The effect was rather ghostly; the men were lighted as
is the Moon in half phase, brilliantly on one side, totally unhighted and indistinguishable from the black sky itself on the other side.
This scene in which men are outside the ship in space involved another special effect—the use of a compressed oxygen bottle as a makeshift rocket motor to rescue a man who has floated free of the ship. The energy stored by compressing gas in a large steel bottle is quite sufficient for the purpose. I checked theory by experiment; opening the valve wide on such a charged bottle gave me a firm shove. The method is the same as that used to propel a toy boat with a CO2 cartridge from a fizz water bottle—the basic rocket principle.
We had considered using a shotgun, since everyone is familiar with its kick, but we couldn’t think of an excuse for taking a shotgun to the Moon. Then we considered using a Very pistol, which has a strong kick and which might well be taken to the Moon for signaling. But it did not look convincing and it involved great fire hazard in a sound stage. So we settled on the oxygen bottle, which looked impressive, would work, and would certainly be available in a spaceship. -
However, since we were still on Las Palmas Avenue and not in space, it had to be a wire trick, with four men on wires, not to mention the oxygen bottle and several safety lines. That adds up to about thirty-six wires for the heavy ubjects and dozens of black threads for the safety lines—and all this spaghetti must not show. Each man had to have several “puppeteers” to handle him, by means of heavy welded pipe frames not unlike the cradles used by Tony Sarg for his marionettes, but strong enough for men, not dolls. These in turn had to be handled by block and tackle and overhead traveling cranes. Underneath all was a safety net just to reassure the actors and to keep Lee Zavitz from worrying; our safety factor on each rig was actually in excess of forty, as each wire had a breaking strength of eight hundred
pounds. To top it off each man had to wear a cumbersome, welded iron, articulated harness under his spacesuit for attachment of wires. Thi~ was about as heavy and uncomfortable as. medieval armor.
The setups seemed to take forever. Actors would have to be up in the air on wires for as long as two hours just to shoot a few seconds of film. For ease in handling, the “oxygen bottle” was built of balsa wood and embedded in it was a small CO2 bottle of the fire extinguisher type. This produced another headache, as, after a few seconds of use, it would begin to produce carbon dioxide “snow,” which fell straight down and ruined the illusion. -
But the wires were our real headache. One member of the special effects crew did nothing all day long but trot around with a thirty-foot pole with a paint-soaked sponge on the end, trying to kill highlights on the wires. Usually he was successful, but we would never know until we saw it on the screen in the daily rushes. When he was not successful, we had to go back and do the whole tedious job over again.
Most of creating the illusion of space travel lay not in such major efforts, but in constant attention to minor details. For example, the crew members are entering the air lock to go outside the ship in free fall. They -are wearing “magnetic” boots, so we don’t have to wire them at this point. Everything in the airlock is bolted down, so there is nothing to spoil the illusion of no up-and-down. Very well—”Quiet, everybody! Roll ‘em!”
“Speed!” answers the sound man. -
“Action!”
The actors go to the lockers in which their spacesuits are kept, open them—and the suits are hanging straight down, which puts us back on Las Palmas Avenue! “Hold it! Kill it! Where is Lee Zavitz?”
So the suits are hastily looped up with black thread into a satisfactory “floating” appearance, and we start over. - -
Such details are ordinarily the business of the script girl who can always be depended on to see to it that a burning cigarette laid down on Monday the third will be exactly the same length when it is picked up on Wednesday the nineteenth. But it is too much to expect a script
- girl to be a space flight expert. However, by the end of the picture, our script clerk, Cora Palmatier, could pick flaws in the most carefully constructed space yarn. In fact, everybody got into the -act and many flaws were corrected not because I spotted them but through the alertness and helpfulness of others of the hundred-odd persons it takes to shoot a scene. Realism is compounded of minor details, most of them easy to handle if noticed. For example, we used a very simple dodge to simulate a Geiger counter—we used a real one.
A mass of background work went into the flight of the spaceship Luna which appears only indirectly on the screen. Save for the atomic-powered jet, a point which had to be assumed, the rest of the ship and its flight were planned as if the trip actually were to have been made. The mass ratio was correct for the assumed thrust and for what the ship was expected to do. The jet speed was consistent with the mass ratio. The trajectory times and distances were all carefully-plotted, so that it was possi- ble to refer to charts and tell just what angle the Earth or the Moon would subtend to the camera at any given instant in the story. This was based on a precise orbit— calculated, not by me, but by your old friend, Dr. Robert S. Richardson of Mount Wilson and Palomar Mountain. -
None of these calculations appears on the screen but the results do. The Luna took off from Lucerne Valley in California on June 20th at ten minutes to four, zone eight time, with a half Moon overhead and the Sun just below the eastern horizon. It blasted for three minutes and fifty secOnds and cut off at an altitude of eight hundred seven miles, at escape speed in a forty-six-hour
-orbit. Few of these data are given the audience—but what the audience sees out the ports is consistent with
the above. The time at which they pass the speed of sound, the time at which they burst up into sunlight, the Bonestell backdrops of Los Angçles County and of the western part of the United States, all these things match up. Later, - in the approach to the Moon, the same care was used.
Since despite all wishful thinking we are still back on Las Pahmas Avenue, much of the effect of taking off from Earth, hurtling through space and landing on the Moon had to be done in miniature. George Pal was known for his “Puppetoons” before he started producing feature pictures; his staff is unquestionably the most skilled in the world in producing three-dimensional animation. John Abbott, director of animation, ate, slept, and dreamed the Moon for months to accomplish the few bits of animation necessary to 1111 the gaps in the live action. Abbott’s work is successful dnly when it isn’t noticed. I’ll warrant that you won’t notice it, save by logical deduction, i.e., since no One has been to the Moon as yet, the shots showing the approach for landing on the Moon must be animation—and they are. Again, in the early part- of the picture you will see the Luna in Lucerne Valley of the Mojave Desert. You know that the ship is full size for you see men-climbing around it, working on it, getting in the elevator of the Gantry crane and entering it—and it is full size; we trucked it in pieces to the desert and set it up there. Then you will see the Gantry crane pull away and the Luna blasts off for space.
That can’t be full -size; no one has ever done it.
Try to find the transition point. Even money says you pick a point either too late or too soon.
The Luna herself is one hundred fifty feet tall; the table top model of her and the miniature Gantry crane are watchmaker’s dreams. The miniature floodlights mounted on the crane are the size of my little fingeftip— and they work. - Such animation is done by infinite patience and skill. Twenty-four separate planned and
scaled setups are required for each second of animation on the screen. Five minutes of animation took longer to photograph than the eighty minutes of live action. -
At one point it seemed that all this planning and effort would come to nothing; the powers-that-be decided that the story was too cold and called in a musical comedy writer to liven it up with—sssh!—sex. For a time we had a version of the script which included dude ranches, cowboys, guitars and hillbilly songs on the Moon, a trio of female hepsters singing into a mike, interiors of cocktail lounges, and more of the like, combined with pseudoscientific gimmicks which would- have puzzled
-even Flash Gordon.
It was never shot. That was the wildest detour on the road to the Moon; the fact that the Luna got back into orbit can be attributed to the calm insistence of Irving; Piçhel. But it gives one a chilling notion of what we mayexpect from time to time. -
Somehow, the day came when the last scene had ~ shot and, despite Hollywood detours, we had made amotion picture of the first trip to the Moon. Irving Pichel~ said, “Print it!” for the last time, and we adjourned to~ celebrate at a bar the- producer had set up in one end of the stage. I tried to assess my personal account sheet—i1~. had cost me eighteen months’ work, my peace of mind,4i and almost all of my remaining hair.
Nevertheless, when I saw the “rough cut” of th~
picture, it seemed to have been worth it. .
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Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Ken Milburn Photographer
Ken Milburn started taking pictures the year he entered high school and was working professionally as a wedding photographer by the time he graduated. He has been involved with photography both as a hobby and professionally ever since, and he has worked in advertising, travel, and fashion photography. He has been working with computers since 1981 and has written hundreds of articles, columns, and reviews for such publications as Publish, DV magazine, Computer Graphics World, PC World, Macworld, and Windows magazine. He has published 10 other computer books, including the first edition of The Digital Photography Bible, Master Visually Photoshop 6, Master Photoshop 5.5 VISUALLY, Cliff’s Notes on Taking and Printing Digital Photos, and Photoshop 5.5 Professional Results. Ken also maintains a practice as a commercial photo-illustrator and has become internationally known for his photopaintings, which have been featured twice in Design Graphics magazine, in the all-time best-selling poster for the 1998 Sausalito Arts Festival, and in the 1999 American President Lines calendar.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
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Micheal Langford A Photographer
Ever since Michael Langford’s book, Advanced Photography, was first published in 1969,the book has inspired and educated many thousands of photographers. In the seventh edition the original text has been fully revised and updated while ensuring that the breadth of technical detail that was present in previous editions has been maintained.
Langford’s Advanced Photography, approaches the science and technology behind photography and relates it to practical issues. The book covers a wide range of topics from photographic equipment and processes to image manipulation, archiving and storage of both silver halide and digital images. In most cases the chapters have been designed to be read independently and not necessarily in the sequence they were written. Each chapter concludes with a short summary and you can exercise your knowledge of the subject by implementing some of the projects given.
The digital photographic industry has seen unprecedented growth over the last ten years. This has been primarily due to the availability of high quality electronic imaging devices and fast and affordable computing power and digital storage. As a result, digital photography has displaced traditional silver halide film capture in many areas of the photographic profession. In this edition of the book the content has been extensively revised and restructured to reflect the current state of the photographic industry. Much of the content of the 6th edition has been updated to include information on both silver halide and digital photographic equipment and techniques. For example, the chapters on cameras, lenses, tone control and specialized photographic techniques including infrared and ultraviolet photography have all been updated. New chapters on digital imaging have been introduced. You will read a detailed introduction to imaging sensors and will learn about some of the image artefacts associated with them. The characteristics of input and output devices in digital imaging, such as scanners, printers and displays, have an effect on the quality of your photographs. A chapter on digital imaging systems provides an overview of device characteristics such as dynamic range, resolution, tone and colour reproduction. Practical advice on using these devices is also given. You will also read about the imaging workflow, file formats, compression and basic image adjustments.
Traditional, silver halide photography is still in use today. Printing on silver halide paper provides a low cost, convenient and high quality medium for producing hardcopy prints of digitally captured images. Although printing on silver halide has continued to decline over the past ten years, the availability of online and retail printing services has meant that consumers have started to turn back to traditional photographic paper as a more convenient and affordable alternative to home ink-jet printing. This book provides updated information on the current developments in film. It also includes a chapter on film processing and colour printing techniques. In that chapter a detailed explanation of film processing management is given, and the different methods and equipment used are described. An in-depth overview of printing from negative and positive films starting from first principles is given.
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Langford’s Advanced Photography, approaches the science and technology behind photography and relates it to practical issues. The book covers a wide range of topics from photographic equipment and processes to image manipulation, archiving and storage of both silver halide and digital images. In most cases the chapters have been designed to be read independently and not necessarily in the sequence they were written. Each chapter concludes with a short summary and you can exercise your knowledge of the subject by implementing some of the projects given.
The digital photographic industry has seen unprecedented growth over the last ten years. This has been primarily due to the availability of high quality electronic imaging devices and fast and affordable computing power and digital storage. As a result, digital photography has displaced traditional silver halide film capture in many areas of the photographic profession. In this edition of the book the content has been extensively revised and restructured to reflect the current state of the photographic industry. Much of the content of the 6th edition has been updated to include information on both silver halide and digital photographic equipment and techniques. For example, the chapters on cameras, lenses, tone control and specialized photographic techniques including infrared and ultraviolet photography have all been updated. New chapters on digital imaging have been introduced. You will read a detailed introduction to imaging sensors and will learn about some of the image artefacts associated with them. The characteristics of input and output devices in digital imaging, such as scanners, printers and displays, have an effect on the quality of your photographs. A chapter on digital imaging systems provides an overview of device characteristics such as dynamic range, resolution, tone and colour reproduction. Practical advice on using these devices is also given. You will also read about the imaging workflow, file formats, compression and basic image adjustments.
Traditional, silver halide photography is still in use today. Printing on silver halide paper provides a low cost, convenient and high quality medium for producing hardcopy prints of digitally captured images. Although printing on silver halide has continued to decline over the past ten years, the availability of online and retail printing services has meant that consumers have started to turn back to traditional photographic paper as a more convenient and affordable alternative to home ink-jet printing. This book provides updated information on the current developments in film. It also includes a chapter on film processing and colour printing techniques. In that chapter a detailed explanation of film processing management is given, and the different methods and equipment used are described. An in-depth overview of printing from negative and positive films starting from first principles is given.
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Taking Photographs to another level
Taking exciting photographs has very little to do with buying an expensive camera or having a massive array of photographic equipment. What is crucial is how you see a chosen subject – and then how this vision is transformed into a permanent image using photographic techniques and composition.
A PRACTICAL APPROACH
This book adopts a practical approach to help you master photography. The largest section covers a wide range of photographic genres, including portraiture, still life, landscapes, architecture, and natural history. All these are illustrated with behind-the¬scenes shots of me out on location or in a studio actually taking the pictures. These photo set-ups reveal exactly how a shot was taken, the equipment that was used, the camera angle, and the wider settings from which the pictures were derived.
A technical understanding of your camera is important, as it allows you to capture the pictorial qualities of a scene in the best way possible, whether you are using film or a digital chip. These fundamental camera controls are illustrated in the first section of the book using both diagrams and photographs. The more familiar you become with the controls and lens settings on your own particular camera, the more attention you can pay to composition and timing.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
A PRACTICAL APPROACH
This book adopts a practical approach to help you master photography. The largest section covers a wide range of photographic genres, including portraiture, still life, landscapes, architecture, and natural history. All these are illustrated with behind-the¬scenes shots of me out on location or in a studio actually taking the pictures. These photo set-ups reveal exactly how a shot was taken, the equipment that was used, the camera angle, and the wider settings from which the pictures were derived.
A technical understanding of your camera is important, as it allows you to capture the pictorial qualities of a scene in the best way possible, whether you are using film or a digital chip. These fundamental camera controls are illustrated in the first section of the book using both diagrams and photographs. The more familiar you become with the controls and lens settings on your own particular camera, the more attention you can pay to composition and timing.
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Saturday, January 24, 2009
MI3 Interview with the director
In San Francisco for WonderCon 2006 to talk about writing and directing “Mission Impossible 3,” Abrams made himself available for interviews with a small group of online journalists prior to taking the stage. Instead of coming into the press roundtable and taking his designated seat like most ‘talent’ does, Abrams walked around the entire table shaking hands, introducing himself (like that was necessary), and making small talk before settling down to answer questions about “MI3.” He also let a delicious-looking sandwich placed in front of him go uneaten because he thought it was too rude to eat in front of people who weren’t.
Besides proving it’s possible to remain a decent human being and enjoy a lucrative career in Hollywood, the first time feature film director turned out to be an incredibly entertaining interviewee.
Comparing “Mission Impossible 2” to the Visual Effects in “Mission Impossible 3:” “I think most of the visual effects… Some will be obvious because you’ll think, ‘Oh, the scale of this or that,’ but a lot of the stuff is invisible. A lot of the stuff is stuff that we did so you won’t know it’s a visual effect, hopefully. [That] is the advantage of doing something like that as opposed to a ‘War of the Worlds’ or something where you know the alien isn’t real so you’re kind of looking at it and, even if it looks absolutely for real, you’re like scrutinizing it almost unfairly. So the beauty of the visual effects in this even though there are more than twice as many effects shots in this movie than ‘War of the Worlds,’ you’d never know it by looking at it.”
JJ Abrams on the Scale of “Mission Impossible” Versus “Alias:” “Alias” features action sequences that look better than a lot of films and yet Abrams managed to bring them to life with a smaller budget and a much tighter shooting schedule. Asked to describe how it feels to be able to spend more money and time on action sequences for “MI3,” Abrams joked, “Well I think they’re reversed. I think this looks like a TV show, this movie (laughing). I was going for the ‘I Love Lucy’ sort of intimate 4th wall…"
Getting a little more serious, Abrams added, “I’ve got to tell you it was this whole thing has been so hysterically funny to me. This is the most surreal… And I said it before, I keep feeling like someone’s going to say, ‘Dude, you’ve been Punk’d! This is not real. None of this is real,’ because I just can’t believe it.
You know, working on ‘Alias’ and ‘Lost,’ which have both been incredibly rewarding and fun, you’re right, has always been about how do we do this with that. How do you make this with that? And the idea of taking the parameters of TV - the money, the schedule, the resources - and make something that hopefully looks filmic, it was great training. And so working on this movie, even though you think you have 100 days instead of 8 or you’ve got this budget instead of that budget, or you’ve got these sets or props instead of those, ultimately when it comes down to what’s important in doing what I do, it came down to like the person right there and the camera. So that even though it’s definitely massive, I mean the movie is sprawling in a lot of ways, it’s only sprawling in so far as it’s where the characters take each other. I don’t think it’s ever big for the sake of being big.
My only mandate in doing this movie was I wanted to make sure that we weren’t attempting to do anything, any visual effects sequence or any stunt sequence, as a stunt sequence or a visual effects sequence. It was always going to be what is our story so that when we came down to like trying to figure out some of the stuff, whether it’s stunts or chases or anything that happens in the movie, every time we knew that there was a situation where there was an escape or a tense situation or some kind of, we were like, ‘Let’s not even talk about it. We know that there’s got to be something here but let’s not [talk about it].’ We always focused on the story and once we knew we had a solid story – or we believed we had a solid story – we then allowed ourselves to sort of open the door to the toy store and go in and say, ‘How do we make these sequences as much fun as possible?’”
JJ Abrams
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
Besides proving it’s possible to remain a decent human being and enjoy a lucrative career in Hollywood, the first time feature film director turned out to be an incredibly entertaining interviewee.
Comparing “Mission Impossible 2” to the Visual Effects in “Mission Impossible 3:” “I think most of the visual effects… Some will be obvious because you’ll think, ‘Oh, the scale of this or that,’ but a lot of the stuff is invisible. A lot of the stuff is stuff that we did so you won’t know it’s a visual effect, hopefully. [That] is the advantage of doing something like that as opposed to a ‘War of the Worlds’ or something where you know the alien isn’t real so you’re kind of looking at it and, even if it looks absolutely for real, you’re like scrutinizing it almost unfairly. So the beauty of the visual effects in this even though there are more than twice as many effects shots in this movie than ‘War of the Worlds,’ you’d never know it by looking at it.”
JJ Abrams on the Scale of “Mission Impossible” Versus “Alias:” “Alias” features action sequences that look better than a lot of films and yet Abrams managed to bring them to life with a smaller budget and a much tighter shooting schedule. Asked to describe how it feels to be able to spend more money and time on action sequences for “MI3,” Abrams joked, “Well I think they’re reversed. I think this looks like a TV show, this movie (laughing). I was going for the ‘I Love Lucy’ sort of intimate 4th wall…"
Getting a little more serious, Abrams added, “I’ve got to tell you it was this whole thing has been so hysterically funny to me. This is the most surreal… And I said it before, I keep feeling like someone’s going to say, ‘Dude, you’ve been Punk’d! This is not real. None of this is real,’ because I just can’t believe it.
You know, working on ‘Alias’ and ‘Lost,’ which have both been incredibly rewarding and fun, you’re right, has always been about how do we do this with that. How do you make this with that? And the idea of taking the parameters of TV - the money, the schedule, the resources - and make something that hopefully looks filmic, it was great training. And so working on this movie, even though you think you have 100 days instead of 8 or you’ve got this budget instead of that budget, or you’ve got these sets or props instead of those, ultimately when it comes down to what’s important in doing what I do, it came down to like the person right there and the camera. So that even though it’s definitely massive, I mean the movie is sprawling in a lot of ways, it’s only sprawling in so far as it’s where the characters take each other. I don’t think it’s ever big for the sake of being big.
My only mandate in doing this movie was I wanted to make sure that we weren’t attempting to do anything, any visual effects sequence or any stunt sequence, as a stunt sequence or a visual effects sequence. It was always going to be what is our story so that when we came down to like trying to figure out some of the stuff, whether it’s stunts or chases or anything that happens in the movie, every time we knew that there was a situation where there was an escape or a tense situation or some kind of, we were like, ‘Let’s not even talk about it. We know that there’s got to be something here but let’s not [talk about it].’ We always focused on the story and once we knew we had a solid story – or we believed we had a solid story – we then allowed ourselves to sort of open the door to the toy store and go in and say, ‘How do we make these sequences as much fun as possible?’”
JJ Abrams
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Bank Of International Settlements (info)
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is an international organisation which fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks.
The BIS fulfils this mandate by acting as:
a forum to promote discussion and policy analysis among central banks and within the international financial community
a centre for economic and monetary research
a prime counterparty for central banks in their financial transactions
agent or trustee in connection with international financial operations
The head office is in Basel, Switzerland and there are two representative offices: in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and in Mexico City.
Established on 17 May 1930, the BIS is the world's oldest international financial organisation.
As its customers are central banks and international organisations, the BIS does not accept deposits from, or provide financial services to, private individuals or corporate entities. The BIS strongly advises caution against fraudulent schemes.
Member central banks
Members are the central banks or monetary authorities of:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States, plus the European Central Bank.
The establishment of the BIS
The Bank for International Settlements was established in 1930. It is the world's oldest international financial institution and remains the principal centre for international central bank cooperation.
The BIS was established in the context of the Young Plan (1930), which dealt with the issue of the reparation payments imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles following the First World War. The new bank was to take over the functions previously performed by the Agent General for Reparations in Berlin: collection, administration and distribution of the annuities payable as reparations. The Bank's name is derived from this original role. The BIS was also created to act as a trustee for the Dawes and Young Loans (international loans issued to finance reparations) and to promote central bank cooperation in general.
The reparations issue quickly faded, focusing the Bank's activities entirely on cooperation among central banks and, increasingly, other agencies in pursuit of monetary and financial stability.
The changing role of the BIS
Since 1930, central bank cooperation at the BIS has taken place through the regular meetings in Basel of central bank Governors and experts from central banks and other agencies. In support of this cooperation, the Bank has developed its own research in financial and monetary economics and makes an important contribution to the collection, compilation and dissemination of economic and financial statistics.
In the monetary policy field, cooperation at the BIS in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and until the early 1970s focused on implementing and defending the Bretton Woods system. In the 1970s and 1980s, the focus was on managing cross-border capital flows following the oil crises and the international debt crisis. The 1970s crisis also brought the issue of regulatory supervision of internationally active banks to the fore, resulting in the 1988 Basel Capital Accord and its "Basel II " revision of 2001-06. More recently, the issue of financial stability in the wake of economic integration and globalisation, as highlighted by the 1997 Asian crisis, has received a lot of attention.
Apart from fostering monetary policy cooperation, the BIS has always performed "traditional" banking functions for the central bank community (eg gold and foreign exchange transactions), as well as trustee and agency functions. The BIS was the agent for the European Payments Union (EPU, 1950-58), helping the European currencies restore convertibility after the Second World War. Similarly, the BIS has acted as the agent for various European exchange rate arrangements, including the European Monetary System (EMS, 1979-94) which preceded the move to a single currency.
Finally, the BIS has also provided or organised emergency financing to support the international monetary system when needed. During the 1931-33 financial crisis, the BIS organised support credits for both the Austrian and German central banks. In the 1960s, the BIS arranged special support credits for the French franc (1968), and two so-called Group Arrangements (1966 and 1968) to support sterling. More recently, the BIS has provided finance in the context of IMF-led stabilisation programmes (eg for Mexico in 1982 and Brazil in 1998).
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The BIS fulfils this mandate by acting as:
a forum to promote discussion and policy analysis among central banks and within the international financial community
a centre for economic and monetary research
a prime counterparty for central banks in their financial transactions
agent or trustee in connection with international financial operations
The head office is in Basel, Switzerland and there are two representative offices: in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and in Mexico City.
Established on 17 May 1930, the BIS is the world's oldest international financial organisation.
As its customers are central banks and international organisations, the BIS does not accept deposits from, or provide financial services to, private individuals or corporate entities. The BIS strongly advises caution against fraudulent schemes.
Member central banks
Members are the central banks or monetary authorities of:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States, plus the European Central Bank.
The establishment of the BIS
The Bank for International Settlements was established in 1930. It is the world's oldest international financial institution and remains the principal centre for international central bank cooperation.
The BIS was established in the context of the Young Plan (1930), which dealt with the issue of the reparation payments imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles following the First World War. The new bank was to take over the functions previously performed by the Agent General for Reparations in Berlin: collection, administration and distribution of the annuities payable as reparations. The Bank's name is derived from this original role. The BIS was also created to act as a trustee for the Dawes and Young Loans (international loans issued to finance reparations) and to promote central bank cooperation in general.
The reparations issue quickly faded, focusing the Bank's activities entirely on cooperation among central banks and, increasingly, other agencies in pursuit of monetary and financial stability.
The changing role of the BIS
Since 1930, central bank cooperation at the BIS has taken place through the regular meetings in Basel of central bank Governors and experts from central banks and other agencies. In support of this cooperation, the Bank has developed its own research in financial and monetary economics and makes an important contribution to the collection, compilation and dissemination of economic and financial statistics.
In the monetary policy field, cooperation at the BIS in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and until the early 1970s focused on implementing and defending the Bretton Woods system. In the 1970s and 1980s, the focus was on managing cross-border capital flows following the oil crises and the international debt crisis. The 1970s crisis also brought the issue of regulatory supervision of internationally active banks to the fore, resulting in the 1988 Basel Capital Accord and its "Basel II " revision of 2001-06. More recently, the issue of financial stability in the wake of economic integration and globalisation, as highlighted by the 1997 Asian crisis, has received a lot of attention.
Apart from fostering monetary policy cooperation, the BIS has always performed "traditional" banking functions for the central bank community (eg gold and foreign exchange transactions), as well as trustee and agency functions. The BIS was the agent for the European Payments Union (EPU, 1950-58), helping the European currencies restore convertibility after the Second World War. Similarly, the BIS has acted as the agent for various European exchange rate arrangements, including the European Monetary System (EMS, 1979-94) which preceded the move to a single currency.
Finally, the BIS has also provided or organised emergency financing to support the international monetary system when needed. During the 1931-33 financial crisis, the BIS organised support credits for both the Austrian and German central banks. In the 1960s, the BIS arranged special support credits for the French franc (1968), and two so-called Group Arrangements (1966 and 1968) to support sterling. More recently, the BIS has provided finance in the context of IMF-led stabilisation programmes (eg for Mexico in 1982 and Brazil in 1998).
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Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Medical Insurance
The nation’s current economic downturn has sent reverberations through the corporate world, creating waves that have put hundreds of thousands of Americans who previously had health coverage adrift - and desperately seeking a safe harbor.
But layoffs are only the most visible of the multitude of ordinary, but life-changing, events that create millions of “in-betweens” -- average consumers who need coverage fast, if only for a short period of time.
Consider that the number of “in-betweens” at any given time is astonishing. Estimates as to the numbers of temporarily uninsured include:
22 million part-time employees
5 million recently graduated students no longer covered by their parents’ policies
900,000 Americans who have lost coverage following a divorce
300,000 recently discharge members of the military
8.7 million Americans between jobs (and who may be trying to avoid more expensive COBRA coverage)
5 million early retirees
Many of those “in-between” health care consumers are now looking for a quick fix that has appeared in the form of short-term major medical health insurance policies. These increasingly popular health plans – available through private insurance providers – were designed to provide coverage for consumers who need one to six months of coverage to avoid the possibility of a health crisis that could cause a serious financial hardship.
A short list of pluses
Under the policies, healthy individuals can secure immediate individual and family coverage -- plans that can kick in as early as the next day And, if you already know the number of days you will need to be covered, your insurer may allow you to make a single payment for a policy based on the coverage period.
The policies are typically offered with a selection of premiums and deductibles and are promoted as providing savings of up to 35 percent over a typical privately purchased plan. The policies also cover a range of physician services, surgery, outpatient and inpatient care. In addition, policy holders can often choose their own doctor and hospital without restrictions, though there may be financial incentives for using in-network providers.
So if you’re healthy and in need of temporary coverage until new coverage kicks in, a short-term major medical plan may be right for you.
What short-term major medical plans won’t cover
Short-term major medical plans may be a great fit for healthy folks who just need temporary coverage, but the plans weren’t designed to cover everything. They typically won’t cover your routine office visits and preventative care – and they won’t cover preexisting conditions. Be sure to check the list of exclusions on any policy.
Short-term major medical may not be available in all 50 states.
As always, no matter what type of insurance you choose, be a responsible consumer. Make sure you understand what you are purchasing and that you closely review the benefits and limitations.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
But layoffs are only the most visible of the multitude of ordinary, but life-changing, events that create millions of “in-betweens” -- average consumers who need coverage fast, if only for a short period of time.
Consider that the number of “in-betweens” at any given time is astonishing. Estimates as to the numbers of temporarily uninsured include:
22 million part-time employees
5 million recently graduated students no longer covered by their parents’ policies
900,000 Americans who have lost coverage following a divorce
300,000 recently discharge members of the military
8.7 million Americans between jobs (and who may be trying to avoid more expensive COBRA coverage)
5 million early retirees
Many of those “in-between” health care consumers are now looking for a quick fix that has appeared in the form of short-term major medical health insurance policies. These increasingly popular health plans – available through private insurance providers – were designed to provide coverage for consumers who need one to six months of coverage to avoid the possibility of a health crisis that could cause a serious financial hardship.
A short list of pluses
Under the policies, healthy individuals can secure immediate individual and family coverage -- plans that can kick in as early as the next day And, if you already know the number of days you will need to be covered, your insurer may allow you to make a single payment for a policy based on the coverage period.
The policies are typically offered with a selection of premiums and deductibles and are promoted as providing savings of up to 35 percent over a typical privately purchased plan. The policies also cover a range of physician services, surgery, outpatient and inpatient care. In addition, policy holders can often choose their own doctor and hospital without restrictions, though there may be financial incentives for using in-network providers.
So if you’re healthy and in need of temporary coverage until new coverage kicks in, a short-term major medical plan may be right for you.
What short-term major medical plans won’t cover
Short-term major medical plans may be a great fit for healthy folks who just need temporary coverage, but the plans weren’t designed to cover everything. They typically won’t cover your routine office visits and preventative care – and they won’t cover preexisting conditions. Be sure to check the list of exclusions on any policy.
Short-term major medical may not be available in all 50 states.
As always, no matter what type of insurance you choose, be a responsible consumer. Make sure you understand what you are purchasing and that you closely review the benefits and limitations.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
The Identity
The identity prism
By Pierre Mare
Pierre Mare is a Windhoek-based brand consultant. He has contributed to many of Namibia’s leading brands and has worked with leading Namibian communications agencies
In the previous column I discussed the difference between two commonly confused concepts: identity and image. Identity is that which is communicated and image is the interpreted result of the communication. If the two are similar, the brand will be strong, however if the two are very different, the brand will be weak.
What is implicit to all of this is that communication of identity must be programmed and goal-directed. A programmed identity not only establishes what to communicate, but also serves as a baseline for measurement of the resulting image, indicating where correction and adjustment are needed. The question is how to decide what identity to communicate? Jean-Noel Kapferer, a respected brand theorist and academic, has suggested an elegant tool known as the brand prism. It comprises six elements, three of which are externalized, and three of which are internalized. The fact that his model has been adapted by a number of large advertising agencies is testimony to its effectiveness, and its simplicity.
The externalized elements are the relationship, reflection and physique. The internalized elements, which the consumer incorporates into his or her own psychological make-up to a greater or lesser degree, are personality, culture and self-image. The relationship has been discussed in detail in these columns. What is important to mention at this point is that the relationship becomes a dependency bond between the consumer and the product. The stronger the relationship, the greater the utility to both. And obviously, the stronger the relationship the greater the longevity of the product, the greater the turnover and the greater the barrier to the competitive entrant.
The reflection is somewhat more difficult to understand. If the consumer is questioned about the characteristics, he or she will very often assess the brand in terms of a visual archetype of the brand user. A traditional product may be viewed as an old person, a fast car as a young man, etc. The reflection has obvious impact on the design of communication. If the reflection of the brand does not match that of the actual target market, the brand needs to be reconsidered. The physique is the most easy to understand. It consists of logos, colours, shapes, advertising, visual identity materials and all the other visual aspects of the brand. What is important to not is that it is only a part of the brand and not the sum of it.
The internalized elements are particularly important. It is quite possible that the consumer will select a brand based on a match to his or her own psychological make-up, and use the brand to develop himself or herself. The personality of the brand is very similar to the reflection, but used by the consumer as a model on which he or she develops the relationship, rather than an assessment. In this regard, Kapferer notes the power of using characters to market the brand, for instance the young woman touting make-up that we see in so many advertisements.
The culture of the brand describes the broader environment of the personality. In the make-up ad, the young woman is often seen in a very modern environment surrounded by attractive people which will be desirable to the other young woman; the one making the decision to purchase the make-up. The consumer who is familiar with this sort of broader environment or aspires to it will bolster the purchase decision by taking cognizance of the environment.
Self-image is a very interesting factor. How does the brand transform the consumer? A Porsche knocks years off the age of an old man. A product cheaper than the product acquired by a peer can be an embarrassment to a consumer. It is important to understand, from a consumer’s viewpoint how a brand transforms a person and to reflect the transformation in the identity. A controlled and programmed identity is far more than a luxury. It is a vital management tool on which turnover can be built.
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By Pierre Mare
Pierre Mare is a Windhoek-based brand consultant. He has contributed to many of Namibia’s leading brands and has worked with leading Namibian communications agencies
In the previous column I discussed the difference between two commonly confused concepts: identity and image. Identity is that which is communicated and image is the interpreted result of the communication. If the two are similar, the brand will be strong, however if the two are very different, the brand will be weak.
What is implicit to all of this is that communication of identity must be programmed and goal-directed. A programmed identity not only establishes what to communicate, but also serves as a baseline for measurement of the resulting image, indicating where correction and adjustment are needed. The question is how to decide what identity to communicate? Jean-Noel Kapferer, a respected brand theorist and academic, has suggested an elegant tool known as the brand prism. It comprises six elements, three of which are externalized, and three of which are internalized. The fact that his model has been adapted by a number of large advertising agencies is testimony to its effectiveness, and its simplicity.
The externalized elements are the relationship, reflection and physique. The internalized elements, which the consumer incorporates into his or her own psychological make-up to a greater or lesser degree, are personality, culture and self-image. The relationship has been discussed in detail in these columns. What is important to mention at this point is that the relationship becomes a dependency bond between the consumer and the product. The stronger the relationship, the greater the utility to both. And obviously, the stronger the relationship the greater the longevity of the product, the greater the turnover and the greater the barrier to the competitive entrant.
The reflection is somewhat more difficult to understand. If the consumer is questioned about the characteristics, he or she will very often assess the brand in terms of a visual archetype of the brand user. A traditional product may be viewed as an old person, a fast car as a young man, etc. The reflection has obvious impact on the design of communication. If the reflection of the brand does not match that of the actual target market, the brand needs to be reconsidered. The physique is the most easy to understand. It consists of logos, colours, shapes, advertising, visual identity materials and all the other visual aspects of the brand. What is important to not is that it is only a part of the brand and not the sum of it.
The internalized elements are particularly important. It is quite possible that the consumer will select a brand based on a match to his or her own psychological make-up, and use the brand to develop himself or herself. The personality of the brand is very similar to the reflection, but used by the consumer as a model on which he or she develops the relationship, rather than an assessment. In this regard, Kapferer notes the power of using characters to market the brand, for instance the young woman touting make-up that we see in so many advertisements.
The culture of the brand describes the broader environment of the personality. In the make-up ad, the young woman is often seen in a very modern environment surrounded by attractive people which will be desirable to the other young woman; the one making the decision to purchase the make-up. The consumer who is familiar with this sort of broader environment or aspires to it will bolster the purchase decision by taking cognizance of the environment.
Self-image is a very interesting factor. How does the brand transform the consumer? A Porsche knocks years off the age of an old man. A product cheaper than the product acquired by a peer can be an embarrassment to a consumer. It is important to understand, from a consumer’s viewpoint how a brand transforms a person and to reflect the transformation in the identity. A controlled and programmed identity is far more than a luxury. It is a vital management tool on which turnover can be built.
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Printing Press
Printing Press
Printing is a process for production of texts and images, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing.
What you see is not always what you get a truism that's nowhere more apparent than in print production, where what you see on screen is often a far cry from what comes out on the printed page. The visit to the printing press was to learn the printing techniques, print jobs of a printer.
A common Printing Press has machines for 2 color and 4 color printing, mostly here in Pakistan offset printing is done, more than 80% of all print jobs are of offset.
Offset Printing
Offset printing works in a simple manner. It uses three cylinders to transfer the image onto the substrate. The first cylinder is mounted with the printing plate. The image on the printing plate is ‘right’ reading or written with the right side up. The first cylinder is inked and the image transferred or offset onto the second cylinder, which is mounted with a rubber blanket. The image on the second cylinder is thus reversed or becomes ‘wrong’ reading. Finally the image is transferred from the blanket cylinder onto the third cylinder or the substrate. The substrate is mounted on the third cylinder also known as the impression cylinder. The image once again is reversed and becomes ‘right’ reading or right side up in the final printed version.
A unique characteristic of offset printing is that the image and non-image areas are on the same surface level. The printing method uses the chemical fact that oil and water do not mix to print from a single surface level. In fact, offset printing acquired this method from lithography and thus it is often referred to as litho offset printing as well. All the print processes over there were sheet 2 sheet.
2 Color Printing
It consists of 2 cylinders, the process of 2 color printing is done in 2 chambers.
4 Color Printing
It consists of 4 cylinders the process of 4 color printing is done in 4 chambers.
Flim
Flim’s were shown to us of cards which were printed by offset. It had markings of the color composition. Some were made on a metal sheet also.
Dye cutting Machines
There were 3 dye cutting machines, 2 of them were automatic and 1 of them was manual
For cutting there were special blades fix on to it and for folding it had a blunt blade which made it easy to fold. Mostly for packages dyes are made , there was one machine which was used to punch a pin but it was called “Pin Punching Machine”. Basically it is used to punch staple pins.
Plate Making
Plates are made by films which are mostly black and transparent
Most of them are printed on metal sheets too , they are single colored they are placed accurately
The registration color is made from all the spot colors used in the print job.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
Printing is a process for production of texts and images, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing.
What you see is not always what you get a truism that's nowhere more apparent than in print production, where what you see on screen is often a far cry from what comes out on the printed page. The visit to the printing press was to learn the printing techniques, print jobs of a printer.
A common Printing Press has machines for 2 color and 4 color printing, mostly here in Pakistan offset printing is done, more than 80% of all print jobs are of offset.
Offset Printing
Offset printing works in a simple manner. It uses three cylinders to transfer the image onto the substrate. The first cylinder is mounted with the printing plate. The image on the printing plate is ‘right’ reading or written with the right side up. The first cylinder is inked and the image transferred or offset onto the second cylinder, which is mounted with a rubber blanket. The image on the second cylinder is thus reversed or becomes ‘wrong’ reading. Finally the image is transferred from the blanket cylinder onto the third cylinder or the substrate. The substrate is mounted on the third cylinder also known as the impression cylinder. The image once again is reversed and becomes ‘right’ reading or right side up in the final printed version.
A unique characteristic of offset printing is that the image and non-image areas are on the same surface level. The printing method uses the chemical fact that oil and water do not mix to print from a single surface level. In fact, offset printing acquired this method from lithography and thus it is often referred to as litho offset printing as well. All the print processes over there were sheet 2 sheet.
2 Color Printing
It consists of 2 cylinders, the process of 2 color printing is done in 2 chambers.
4 Color Printing
It consists of 4 cylinders the process of 4 color printing is done in 4 chambers.
Flim
Flim’s were shown to us of cards which were printed by offset. It had markings of the color composition. Some were made on a metal sheet also.
Dye cutting Machines
There were 3 dye cutting machines, 2 of them were automatic and 1 of them was manual
For cutting there were special blades fix on to it and for folding it had a blunt blade which made it easy to fold. Mostly for packages dyes are made , there was one machine which was used to punch a pin but it was called “Pin Punching Machine”. Basically it is used to punch staple pins.
Plate Making
Plates are made by films which are mostly black and transparent
Most of them are printed on metal sheets too , they are single colored they are placed accurately
The registration color is made from all the spot colors used in the print job.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
The Bank Of America
For nearly a century, companies from virtually every industry have turned to Bank of America Business Capital for sound financial solutions. As one of the largest asset-based lenders in the world—serving the United States, Canada and Europe—we’re dedicated to helping middle-market and large corporate borrowers achieve their goals. Our proven track record and commitment to higher standards have resulted in lasting relationships and satisfied clients.
Companies seeking financing solutions of $5 million or more can benefit from the flexibility and versatility of an asset-based structure. With experience in more than 200 industries, we serve companies in the following sectors:
• Manufacturing
• Wholesaling
• Distribution
• Services
Capabilities
• Asset-based structures of $5 million or more
• Revolving lines of credit
• Term loans with flexible amortization schedules
• Local structuring, underwriting and appraisal
• Ability to consider intangible collateral such as product line and trade name valuations, intellectual property or foreign assets
Loans support
• Recapitalization
• Restructuring and Turnarounds
• Leveraged Buyouts
• Refinancing
• Growth
• Working Capital
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Capital Expenditures
Extensive resources
As a client, you can leverage a broad array of financial solutions from Bank of America, including:
• Junior and High Yield Debt
• Loan Syndications
• Treasury Services
• Interest Rate Protection
• Foreign Exchange and Commodity Risk Management
• Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory
• Capital Markets Products
Why choose us
• Customer commitment—we take pride in providing clients and intermediaries with a "best-in-class" experience
• Breadth of products/services—asset-based loans of $5 million or more, enhanced by the most extensive financial products and services in the industry
• Experience—the largest share of middle-market and large corporate relationships of any bank in the United States, including more than 99 percent of the Fortune 500
• Leading service technology—proprietary web-based loan servicing system gives clients instant access to account information and day-to-day transactions
• Syndication strength—Bank of America is the #1 U.S. lead arranger of leveraged loans by volume and number of deals, 2008 (Source: Loan Pricing Corporation)
• Global provider—offices serving the United States, Canada and Europe
• Stability—part of Bank of America, one of the largest financial services providers in the world
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
Companies seeking financing solutions of $5 million or more can benefit from the flexibility and versatility of an asset-based structure. With experience in more than 200 industries, we serve companies in the following sectors:
• Manufacturing
• Wholesaling
• Distribution
• Services
Capabilities
• Asset-based structures of $5 million or more
• Revolving lines of credit
• Term loans with flexible amortization schedules
• Local structuring, underwriting and appraisal
• Ability to consider intangible collateral such as product line and trade name valuations, intellectual property or foreign assets
Loans support
• Recapitalization
• Restructuring and Turnarounds
• Leveraged Buyouts
• Refinancing
• Growth
• Working Capital
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Capital Expenditures
Extensive resources
As a client, you can leverage a broad array of financial solutions from Bank of America, including:
• Junior and High Yield Debt
• Loan Syndications
• Treasury Services
• Interest Rate Protection
• Foreign Exchange and Commodity Risk Management
• Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory
• Capital Markets Products
Why choose us
• Customer commitment—we take pride in providing clients and intermediaries with a "best-in-class" experience
• Breadth of products/services—asset-based loans of $5 million or more, enhanced by the most extensive financial products and services in the industry
• Experience—the largest share of middle-market and large corporate relationships of any bank in the United States, including more than 99 percent of the Fortune 500
• Leading service technology—proprietary web-based loan servicing system gives clients instant access to account information and day-to-day transactions
• Syndication strength—Bank of America is the #1 U.S. lead arranger of leveraged loans by volume and number of deals, 2008 (Source: Loan Pricing Corporation)
• Global provider—offices serving the United States, Canada and Europe
• Stability—part of Bank of America, one of the largest financial services providers in the world
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
Monday, January 19, 2009
Abid Khan (An Artist)
Being associated with the classical and modern field of english literature, i felt the necessity to express myself in some way or the other in pictorial art. therefore , i found resile by manifesting my vision and communicating my power of imagination by painting; a novice in this field but it is an abitious venture and occasionally i appear to be successful in retaining the underlying theme of my
pictures.
To me that i felt very difficult to discuss visual language of my work but my paintings are far away from the pseudo values of artificiality and materialistic glamour. this world is in the process of transition; things are getting new shapes but nature exists in its true spirit of purity and glory. i have shared my silent soul with the scenic landscapic wonders of my land to find peace and tranquillity.
i am not looking for beauty or glamour but emphasising more on originality and natural manifestation. i uses colours to reflect environment but also for the atmosphere that they represent. the multihued misty moments with nature in my paintings gets viewer the feeling of being close to nature. i found solace in the open wild nature and endeavoured to transform some of the scenes i absorbed in my mind at various locations on to the canvas.
My inspiration comes from the forgotten sacred environment and nature we turn our backs to on a daily basis, to modern and materialistic age of television, computers and video games. from a chilly misty morning blanketed with snow to a warm bright field, my work is a fresh clean slate to the eye , a myriad of colours completing the composition . so i want to impart my knowledge, my capabilities of sharing feelings genuinely.
i have tried to assert the superiority of imagination over reality on my canvases. this is not to say that my work is without intricacies, for i felt that even the darkest shadows are composed of almost imperceptible gradations of colour and light but my canvases may leave some pleasant impressionistic traces of beauty and truth on you as John Keats says;
Beauty is truth, truth beauty
MY URL:www.artabid.com
but on this website the work is old so i will upload new work on this site in a couple of days thanking you in anticipation
i am very glad for your support so i will send you more images of my new work take care
with kindest regards
abid khan
artist
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
pictures.
To me that i felt very difficult to discuss visual language of my work but my paintings are far away from the pseudo values of artificiality and materialistic glamour. this world is in the process of transition; things are getting new shapes but nature exists in its true spirit of purity and glory. i have shared my silent soul with the scenic landscapic wonders of my land to find peace and tranquillity.
i am not looking for beauty or glamour but emphasising more on originality and natural manifestation. i uses colours to reflect environment but also for the atmosphere that they represent. the multihued misty moments with nature in my paintings gets viewer the feeling of being close to nature. i found solace in the open wild nature and endeavoured to transform some of the scenes i absorbed in my mind at various locations on to the canvas.
My inspiration comes from the forgotten sacred environment and nature we turn our backs to on a daily basis, to modern and materialistic age of television, computers and video games. from a chilly misty morning blanketed with snow to a warm bright field, my work is a fresh clean slate to the eye , a myriad of colours completing the composition . so i want to impart my knowledge, my capabilities of sharing feelings genuinely.
i have tried to assert the superiority of imagination over reality on my canvases. this is not to say that my work is without intricacies, for i felt that even the darkest shadows are composed of almost imperceptible gradations of colour and light but my canvases may leave some pleasant impressionistic traces of beauty and truth on you as John Keats says;
Beauty is truth, truth beauty
MY URL:www.artabid.com
but on this website the work is old so i will upload new work on this site in a couple of days thanking you in anticipation
i am very glad for your support so i will send you more images of my new work take care
with kindest regards
abid khan
artist
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
Secrets Of a Mobile Phone
There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.
Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival.. Check out the things that you can do with it: -
((1))
EMERGENCY
The Emergency Number worldwide for **Mobile** is 112
If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you,
and interestingly this number 112 can be dialled even if the keypad is locked.
**Try it out.**
((2))
Have you locked your keys in the car? Does you car have remote keys?
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:
If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone.
Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.
Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away,
and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
((3))
Hidden battery power
Imagine your cell battery is very low , you are expecting an important call and you don't have a charger.
Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery.
To activate, press the keys *3370#
Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a50%increase in battery.
This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.
((4))
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:
* # 0 6 #
A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. when your phone get stolen, you can call your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.
You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either.(some service provider can even trace the whereabout of the phone)
((5))
Be care while using your mobile phone
When you try to call someone through mobile phone,don't put your mobile closer to your ears until the recipient answers. Because directly after dialling, the mobile phone would use it's maximum signalling power, which is: 2 watts = 33dbi, Plz Be Careful, Message as received (Save your brain) Please use left ear while using cell (mobile), because if you use the right one it will affect brain directly.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival.. Check out the things that you can do with it: -
((1))
EMERGENCY
The Emergency Number worldwide for **Mobile** is 112
If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you,
and interestingly this number 112 can be dialled even if the keypad is locked.
**Try it out.**
((2))
Have you locked your keys in the car? Does you car have remote keys?
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:
If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone.
Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.
Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away,
and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
((3))
Hidden battery power
Imagine your cell battery is very low , you are expecting an important call and you don't have a charger.
Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery.
To activate, press the keys *3370#
Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a50%increase in battery.
This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.
((4))
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:
* # 0 6 #
A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. when your phone get stolen, you can call your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.
You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either.(some service provider can even trace the whereabout of the phone)
((5))
Be care while using your mobile phone
When you try to call someone through mobile phone,don't put your mobile closer to your ears until the recipient answers. Because directly after dialling, the mobile phone would use it's maximum signalling power, which is: 2 watts = 33dbi, Plz Be Careful, Message as received (Save your brain) Please use left ear while using cell (mobile), because if you use the right one it will affect brain directly.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
CG Artists
Mark Adams has been doing 3D modeling on computers for 20 years. He began CG work while working in the Detroit area as a draftsman (after leaving behind the crazy idea of being a lawyer). He had seen Robert Abel's work and leapt at the chance to get into the same field when the firm where he worked considered a CAD system purchase. Over the next decade, Mark spent four years each at Intergraph and then at Alias, primarily as an applications engineer learning, demonstrating, supporting, and tackling the problems du jour of their customers. In 1994, he received a call from Pixar that brought him to California to work on Toy Story. He has since been working there as a technical director on Pixar's feature films (plus some CD-ROMs and commercials), mainly as an Alias modeler. A full-time Alias user since 1988, Mark now uses Maya daily for his modeling needs. He recently finishing his work on Pixar's fifth and latest film, Finding Nemo. He shares a house in the North Bay area with his wife, two boys, two cats, and a few too many computers. He's a Leo and thinks that astrology is nonsense, except when it says interesting things about Leos.
Erick Miller is currently a technical director at Digital Domain, the Academy Award-winning visual effects company responsible for digital effects in recent blockbusters like The Time Machine, Lord of the Rings, X-Men, and Armageddon. Erick uses Maya and its robust 3D environment in his everyday responsibilities as a technical director, writing many proprietary Maya API Plug-ins and Mel scripts, rigging advanced character setups and deformation systems, as well as developing production pipelines for high-budget feature films and commercial projects that work between Maya and other 3D software applications. Since Erick has been at Digital Domain, he has contributed to many important projects; a plug-in pose based deformation system, and a proprietary muscle/skin-deformation plug-in system for Maya are just a couple examples. After wrapping up on a Maya-based crowd animation pipeline for Roland Emerick's high-budget apocalyptic end-of-the-world feature film entitled The Day After Tomorrow, Erick has been given the position of team lead on the feature, I, Robot—a huge CG character film based on the acclaimed science fiction novels by Isaac Asimov about robotics and humanity. To integrate Maya's powerful architecture into a production pipeline, he connects his artistic knowledge with MEL scripting, Maya's API, and other external programming languages (Perl, Tcl), and C/C++ APIs (RenderMan, OpenGL). Some of his other tasks include advanced character setup, complex skin deformations, RenderMan integration with Maya, and realistic cloth or dynamic simulations. Erick has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Computer Graphics from the Academy of Art College, is Alias|Wavefront certified in Character Setup, and has been a Maya user since its inception at version 1.0.
Max Sims began his career as a car designer in Europe with Opel and then Renault. He joined Alias in 1989, servicing industrial design and animation clients. After leaving Alias, Max began his own entertainment design and design visualization firm Technolution, which boasts clients such as PDI, ILM, Pixar, frogdesign, and Apple Industrial Design Group. He went on to become a product manager for thinkreal, with an upstart Italian company called think3. In 2000, he joined LuuLuu.com to create digital fashion tools. As the director of 3D production, he used Maya as the primary tool to make models' bodies and drape clothing on them. Since 1994, Max has been teaching advanced rendering and modeling as well as Maya at the graduate level at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. He is now an adjunct professor at Cogswell Polytechnic, where he teaches concept design and Maya. He also teaches Painter and Advanced Alias Studio in the industrial design department at the Academy of Art. Max is still designing and can be reached at max@technolution.com.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
Erick Miller is currently a technical director at Digital Domain, the Academy Award-winning visual effects company responsible for digital effects in recent blockbusters like The Time Machine, Lord of the Rings, X-Men, and Armageddon. Erick uses Maya and its robust 3D environment in his everyday responsibilities as a technical director, writing many proprietary Maya API Plug-ins and Mel scripts, rigging advanced character setups and deformation systems, as well as developing production pipelines for high-budget feature films and commercial projects that work between Maya and other 3D software applications. Since Erick has been at Digital Domain, he has contributed to many important projects; a plug-in pose based deformation system, and a proprietary muscle/skin-deformation plug-in system for Maya are just a couple examples. After wrapping up on a Maya-based crowd animation pipeline for Roland Emerick's high-budget apocalyptic end-of-the-world feature film entitled The Day After Tomorrow, Erick has been given the position of team lead on the feature, I, Robot—a huge CG character film based on the acclaimed science fiction novels by Isaac Asimov about robotics and humanity. To integrate Maya's powerful architecture into a production pipeline, he connects his artistic knowledge with MEL scripting, Maya's API, and other external programming languages (Perl, Tcl), and C/C++ APIs (RenderMan, OpenGL). Some of his other tasks include advanced character setup, complex skin deformations, RenderMan integration with Maya, and realistic cloth or dynamic simulations. Erick has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Computer Graphics from the Academy of Art College, is Alias|Wavefront certified in Character Setup, and has been a Maya user since its inception at version 1.0.
Max Sims began his career as a car designer in Europe with Opel and then Renault. He joined Alias in 1989, servicing industrial design and animation clients. After leaving Alias, Max began his own entertainment design and design visualization firm Technolution, which boasts clients such as PDI, ILM, Pixar, frogdesign, and Apple Industrial Design Group. He went on to become a product manager for thinkreal, with an upstart Italian company called think3. In 2000, he joined LuuLuu.com to create digital fashion tools. As the director of 3D production, he used Maya as the primary tool to make models' bodies and drape clothing on them. Since 1994, Max has been teaching advanced rendering and modeling as well as Maya at the graduate level at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. He is now an adjunct professor at Cogswell Polytechnic, where he teaches concept design and Maya. He also teaches Painter and Advanced Alias Studio in the industrial design department at the Academy of Art. Max is still designing and can be reached at max@technolution.com.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Music Gurus~!
JAMIE ANDERSON
Jamie Anderson is a Contemporary folk singer-songwriter who teaches songwriting at Duke University as well as other music classes and workshops. Since the late '80s she has toured all over the U.S., appearing at hundreds of venues, including folk and women's music festivals. While she's known for demented songs like "When Cats Take Over the World," she also delves into a range of more serious topics. Her newest record¬ing is Drive All Night. Anderson lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her partner and their two enormous felines, who persist in trying to collect royalties for the cat song.
STEPHEN DICK
Guitarist/composer Stephen Dick lives in the Los Angeles area, where he leads the fla¬menco/jazz trio Mojacar. He studied theory and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music and at San Francisco State University with Pulitzer Prize-winning composers William Thomas McKinley and Wayne Peterson. Dick's compositions for solo guitar have received awards and have been published in Europe and the U.S.
DAVID HAMBURGER
David Hamburger is a guitarist, teacher, and writer who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He has toured with Salamander Crossing and Five Chinese Brothers and appeared on recent recordings by Chuck Brodsky and the Kennedys. A regular instructor at the National Guitar Summer Workshop, Hamburger has written three instruction books, including The Dobro Workbook. His latest solo recording is Indigo Rose, on Chester Records (www.songs.com).
JAMES JENSEN
James Jensen has been a frequent contributor to Acoustic Guitar magazine over the years, interviewing players such as Michael Hedges, Jorma Kaukonen, David Wilcox, and Bruce Cockburn. He currently divides his time between Acoustic Music Resource (a catalog and Web site for instrumental acoustic guitar CDs, tapes, and books) and Solid Air Records (a label featuring such players as Laurence Juber, Doug Smith, John Jorgenson, Preston Reed, and David Cullen), allowing him to stay close to his lifelong passion for acoustic guitar.
RICHARD JOHNSTON
Richard Johnston is a luthier, stringed-instrument repairman, and co-owner of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, California. He is also coauthor, with Jim Washburn, of the book Martin Guitars: An Illustrated Celebration of America's Premier Guitarmaker (Rodale Press). Johnston has been writing for Acoustic Guitar magazine since its incep¬tion in 1990 and has been a contributing editor since 1995. He has written definitive his¬torical articles on a wide variety of guitars, including vintage flattops, archtops, dread¬noughts, 12-frets, and the Gibson J-200.
HENRY KAISER
California-based musician Henry Kaiser is widely recognized as one of the most creative and innovative guitarists, improvisers, and producers in the fields of rock, jazz, and experimental music. He has appeared on more than 175 albums, and he performs fre-quently throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. A restless collaborator who constantly seeks the most diverse and personally challenging contexts for his music, Kaiser has played with Herbie Hancock, Richard Thompson, David Lindley, Jerry Garcia, Cecil Taylor, D'Gary, Terry Riley, Sonny Sharrock, Derek Bailey, and Bill Frisell.
PATTY LARKIN
After attending college in Oregon, singer-songwriter Patty Larkin headed to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She honed her performance skills in the subways and the streets and fronted a succession of bands—rock bands, jug bands, Celtic bands—before embarking on a solo career. She has since recorded nine albums of incisive original songs, including Perishable Fruit (High Street/Windham Hill 1997), the live collection A Gogo (Vanguard 1999), and Regrooving the Dream (Vanguard 2000).
DON McLEAN
Don McLean is one of the most popular singer-songwriters of the last three decades. He has nearly 30 albums currently in print, and he tours frequently in the United States and around the world. McLean's current projects include a new recording of originals, a chil-dren's album, a Marty Robbins tribute, and the PBS special Don McLean: Starry, Starry Night with guests Nanci Griffith and Garth Brooks. In honor of the 30th anniversary of "American Pie," the Martin Guitar Co. created a signature guitar called the Don McLean D-40 DM. President Clinton invited McLean to sing at the Lincoln Memorial to celebrate the new millennium, and McLean was also honored at a Founders' Dinner at the White House for people who have influenced the 20th century.
ELIZABETH PAPAPETROU
Elizabeth Papapetrou is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and recording engineer who also designs Web pages and runs a Web resource called Motherheart (www.motherheart.org). Originally from the U.K. and now living in Florida, she has been writing for music maga-zines for more than 17 years.
JEFFREY PEPPER RODGERS
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers is the founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine and has been writing extensively on the acoustic music scene since 1989. His profile of Joni Mitchell's guitar and lyrical craft appears in the book The Joni Mitchell Companion (Schirmer), and his interview with Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds is included in their Live at Luther College songbook (Cherry Lane). Rodgers' first book, Rock Troubadours, will be pub¬lished by String Letter Publishing in late 2000. A guitarist and singer, he has been putting words and music together since he was a teenager, and his all-acoustic, all-original home¬grown CD, Traveling Songs, can be sampled at www.jeffreypepperrodgers.com.
STEVE SESKIN
Steve Seskin is a versatile songwriter whose songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Alabama, Waylon Jennings, John Michael Montgomery, Peter Frampton, Paul Young, and Delbert McClinton. Seskin also maintains an active performing career around his home base of northern California and at festivals and acoustic venues throughout the United States and Canada. In recent years his festival appearances have included the Kerrville Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Vancouver Folk Festival, and Napa Valley Music Festival. Seskin is also an active lecturer and songwriting teacher for the Northern California Songwriters Association, Nashville Songwriters Association International, and San Francisco State University.
SAM SHABER
Based in New York City, Sam Shaber is a graduate of Cornell University and a touring singer-songwriter with three critically acclaimed albums out on her own label, Brown Chair Records. Her latest release, 1999's perfecT, was voted number 7 out of 1,800 titles for Best Independent CD of 1999 on CDBaby.com. She has also been published in Musician, Performing Songwriter, Home Recording, and other national magazines. She can be found on the Web at www.samshaber.com.
SIMONE SOLONDZ
Simone Solondz took her first guitar lesson when she was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She began working at Acoustic Guitar magazine in 1991 and became the editor in 2000. Her songwriter interviews for the magazine have included David Crosby, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Jonatha Brooke, Iris DeMent, and Jay Farrar of Son Volt.
GARY TALLEY
Gary Talley was the original lead guitar player for the '60s group the Box Tops, who reunited in 1997 and are touring again. He works as a guitar teacher and session musi¬cian in Nashville and has published a video and book called Guitar Playing for Songwriters. He has recorded with such artists as Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, and Billy Preston. His songs have been recorded by the Box Tops, Keith Whitley, James Cotton, and others.
PAUL ZOLLO
Paul Zollo is a songwriter, author, and music journalist. His most recent book is Songwriters on Songwriting, Expanded Edition. As a songwriter, Zollo has collaborated with a wide range of artists, from Darryl Purpose to Steve Allen. Zollo's first solo album, released in August 2000 by Windy Apple Records, features a duet with Art Garfunkel. Presently the managing editor of Performing Songwriter magazine, Zollo has written for SongTalk, Musician, Acoustic Guitar, and other publications. He's also written liner notes for the CD boxed set Paul Simon 1964-1993, The Best of Laura Nyro: Stoned Soul Picnic, and other releases.
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Jamie Anderson is a Contemporary folk singer-songwriter who teaches songwriting at Duke University as well as other music classes and workshops. Since the late '80s she has toured all over the U.S., appearing at hundreds of venues, including folk and women's music festivals. While she's known for demented songs like "When Cats Take Over the World," she also delves into a range of more serious topics. Her newest record¬ing is Drive All Night. Anderson lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her partner and their two enormous felines, who persist in trying to collect royalties for the cat song.
STEPHEN DICK
Guitarist/composer Stephen Dick lives in the Los Angeles area, where he leads the fla¬menco/jazz trio Mojacar. He studied theory and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music and at San Francisco State University with Pulitzer Prize-winning composers William Thomas McKinley and Wayne Peterson. Dick's compositions for solo guitar have received awards and have been published in Europe and the U.S.
DAVID HAMBURGER
David Hamburger is a guitarist, teacher, and writer who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He has toured with Salamander Crossing and Five Chinese Brothers and appeared on recent recordings by Chuck Brodsky and the Kennedys. A regular instructor at the National Guitar Summer Workshop, Hamburger has written three instruction books, including The Dobro Workbook. His latest solo recording is Indigo Rose, on Chester Records (www.songs.com).
JAMES JENSEN
James Jensen has been a frequent contributor to Acoustic Guitar magazine over the years, interviewing players such as Michael Hedges, Jorma Kaukonen, David Wilcox, and Bruce Cockburn. He currently divides his time between Acoustic Music Resource (a catalog and Web site for instrumental acoustic guitar CDs, tapes, and books) and Solid Air Records (a label featuring such players as Laurence Juber, Doug Smith, John Jorgenson, Preston Reed, and David Cullen), allowing him to stay close to his lifelong passion for acoustic guitar.
RICHARD JOHNSTON
Richard Johnston is a luthier, stringed-instrument repairman, and co-owner of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, California. He is also coauthor, with Jim Washburn, of the book Martin Guitars: An Illustrated Celebration of America's Premier Guitarmaker (Rodale Press). Johnston has been writing for Acoustic Guitar magazine since its incep¬tion in 1990 and has been a contributing editor since 1995. He has written definitive his¬torical articles on a wide variety of guitars, including vintage flattops, archtops, dread¬noughts, 12-frets, and the Gibson J-200.
HENRY KAISER
California-based musician Henry Kaiser is widely recognized as one of the most creative and innovative guitarists, improvisers, and producers in the fields of rock, jazz, and experimental music. He has appeared on more than 175 albums, and he performs fre-quently throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. A restless collaborator who constantly seeks the most diverse and personally challenging contexts for his music, Kaiser has played with Herbie Hancock, Richard Thompson, David Lindley, Jerry Garcia, Cecil Taylor, D'Gary, Terry Riley, Sonny Sharrock, Derek Bailey, and Bill Frisell.
PATTY LARKIN
After attending college in Oregon, singer-songwriter Patty Larkin headed to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She honed her performance skills in the subways and the streets and fronted a succession of bands—rock bands, jug bands, Celtic bands—before embarking on a solo career. She has since recorded nine albums of incisive original songs, including Perishable Fruit (High Street/Windham Hill 1997), the live collection A Gogo (Vanguard 1999), and Regrooving the Dream (Vanguard 2000).
DON McLEAN
Don McLean is one of the most popular singer-songwriters of the last three decades. He has nearly 30 albums currently in print, and he tours frequently in the United States and around the world. McLean's current projects include a new recording of originals, a chil-dren's album, a Marty Robbins tribute, and the PBS special Don McLean: Starry, Starry Night with guests Nanci Griffith and Garth Brooks. In honor of the 30th anniversary of "American Pie," the Martin Guitar Co. created a signature guitar called the Don McLean D-40 DM. President Clinton invited McLean to sing at the Lincoln Memorial to celebrate the new millennium, and McLean was also honored at a Founders' Dinner at the White House for people who have influenced the 20th century.
ELIZABETH PAPAPETROU
Elizabeth Papapetrou is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and recording engineer who also designs Web pages and runs a Web resource called Motherheart (www.motherheart.org). Originally from the U.K. and now living in Florida, she has been writing for music maga-zines for more than 17 years.
JEFFREY PEPPER RODGERS
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers is the founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine and has been writing extensively on the acoustic music scene since 1989. His profile of Joni Mitchell's guitar and lyrical craft appears in the book The Joni Mitchell Companion (Schirmer), and his interview with Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds is included in their Live at Luther College songbook (Cherry Lane). Rodgers' first book, Rock Troubadours, will be pub¬lished by String Letter Publishing in late 2000. A guitarist and singer, he has been putting words and music together since he was a teenager, and his all-acoustic, all-original home¬grown CD, Traveling Songs, can be sampled at www.jeffreypepperrodgers.com.
STEVE SESKIN
Steve Seskin is a versatile songwriter whose songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Alabama, Waylon Jennings, John Michael Montgomery, Peter Frampton, Paul Young, and Delbert McClinton. Seskin also maintains an active performing career around his home base of northern California and at festivals and acoustic venues throughout the United States and Canada. In recent years his festival appearances have included the Kerrville Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Vancouver Folk Festival, and Napa Valley Music Festival. Seskin is also an active lecturer and songwriting teacher for the Northern California Songwriters Association, Nashville Songwriters Association International, and San Francisco State University.
SAM SHABER
Based in New York City, Sam Shaber is a graduate of Cornell University and a touring singer-songwriter with three critically acclaimed albums out on her own label, Brown Chair Records. Her latest release, 1999's perfecT, was voted number 7 out of 1,800 titles for Best Independent CD of 1999 on CDBaby.com. She has also been published in Musician, Performing Songwriter, Home Recording, and other national magazines. She can be found on the Web at www.samshaber.com.
SIMONE SOLONDZ
Simone Solondz took her first guitar lesson when she was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She began working at Acoustic Guitar magazine in 1991 and became the editor in 2000. Her songwriter interviews for the magazine have included David Crosby, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Jonatha Brooke, Iris DeMent, and Jay Farrar of Son Volt.
GARY TALLEY
Gary Talley was the original lead guitar player for the '60s group the Box Tops, who reunited in 1997 and are touring again. He works as a guitar teacher and session musi¬cian in Nashville and has published a video and book called Guitar Playing for Songwriters. He has recorded with such artists as Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, and Billy Preston. His songs have been recorded by the Box Tops, Keith Whitley, James Cotton, and others.
PAUL ZOLLO
Paul Zollo is a songwriter, author, and music journalist. His most recent book is Songwriters on Songwriting, Expanded Edition. As a songwriter, Zollo has collaborated with a wide range of artists, from Darryl Purpose to Steve Allen. Zollo's first solo album, released in August 2000 by Windy Apple Records, features a duet with Art Garfunkel. Presently the managing editor of Performing Songwriter magazine, Zollo has written for SongTalk, Musician, Acoustic Guitar, and other publications. He's also written liner notes for the CD boxed set Paul Simon 1964-1993, The Best of Laura Nyro: Stoned Soul Picnic, and other releases.
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What is a brand prism
A specific set of concepts and tools is needed for tackling the new type of market which is highly competitive in nature. When products are rare, the USP (unique selling proposition) is the key concept. As we leave brand image, positioning and personality behind, we enter the modern age of brand identity.
In order to become, or to stay ahead, brands must be true to their identity. The notion of the brand image is both volatile and changing. It focuses too much on brand appearance and not enough on brand essence. The identity concept is crucial for three reasons; brand needs to be durable, to send out coherent signs and to be realistic.
The Brand Identity Prism or Brand Prism
Brand Identity can be represented by a hexagonal prism with each side representing a specific character of the brand. These specific characters help to understand the perceptions of the brand in the consumer minds and at the market place. Thus these help to build a better brand image and position the products at a better level. The six facets are: -
1. Brand having a Physical Quality:
A brand has physical qualities. It is made up of a combination of either salient objective features or emerging ones. The brands physical characters are both the backbone and its tangible added value.
2. Brand having a personality:
A brand has a personality of its own. By communicating, it gradually builds up the character. The way in which it speaks of its products or services shows what kind of person it would be if it were human being. This is also called the personification of the brand and this helps in the instant product alignment with the target customers.
3. Brand having its culture:
The brand has its own culture, from which every product derives. The product is not only a concrete representation of this culture, but also a means of communication. Here the culture means a set of values feeding the brand's inspiration. The cultural facets refer to the basic principles governing the brand in its outward signs like products and communication. This essential aspect is at the core of the brand.
4. Brand is a relationship:
Brands are often at the crux of transactions and exchanges between people. This is particularly true of brands in the service sector and also in retails. Service is by definition is a relationship.
5. Brand is a reflection:
Reflection is basically what the target customer thinks and perceives the product to be. This also helps to understand the utility derived by the customer. The process of reflection helps to understand the tacit or unexpressed desires by the consumers. The reflection is a strong factor for a good and strong brand image. That is the reason why the companies should control the reflection and should try to make it better.
6. Brand having its self image:
A brand speaks of our self image. If the reflection is directed towards the external customers then the self image is directed towards the internal customers. Through our attitude towards certain brands, we indeed develop a certain type of inner relationship with ourselves and the brand image that we want to project. Thus this is of importance as is reflects what's the organization and its attitude are towards the product and the brand as a whole.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
In order to become, or to stay ahead, brands must be true to their identity. The notion of the brand image is both volatile and changing. It focuses too much on brand appearance and not enough on brand essence. The identity concept is crucial for three reasons; brand needs to be durable, to send out coherent signs and to be realistic.
The Brand Identity Prism or Brand Prism
Brand Identity can be represented by a hexagonal prism with each side representing a specific character of the brand. These specific characters help to understand the perceptions of the brand in the consumer minds and at the market place. Thus these help to build a better brand image and position the products at a better level. The six facets are: -
1. Brand having a Physical Quality:
A brand has physical qualities. It is made up of a combination of either salient objective features or emerging ones. The brands physical characters are both the backbone and its tangible added value.
2. Brand having a personality:
A brand has a personality of its own. By communicating, it gradually builds up the character. The way in which it speaks of its products or services shows what kind of person it would be if it were human being. This is also called the personification of the brand and this helps in the instant product alignment with the target customers.
3. Brand having its culture:
The brand has its own culture, from which every product derives. The product is not only a concrete representation of this culture, but also a means of communication. Here the culture means a set of values feeding the brand's inspiration. The cultural facets refer to the basic principles governing the brand in its outward signs like products and communication. This essential aspect is at the core of the brand.
4. Brand is a relationship:
Brands are often at the crux of transactions and exchanges between people. This is particularly true of brands in the service sector and also in retails. Service is by definition is a relationship.
5. Brand is a reflection:
Reflection is basically what the target customer thinks and perceives the product to be. This also helps to understand the utility derived by the customer. The process of reflection helps to understand the tacit or unexpressed desires by the consumers. The reflection is a strong factor for a good and strong brand image. That is the reason why the companies should control the reflection and should try to make it better.
6. Brand having its self image:
A brand speaks of our self image. If the reflection is directed towards the external customers then the self image is directed towards the internal customers. Through our attitude towards certain brands, we indeed develop a certain type of inner relationship with ourselves and the brand image that we want to project. Thus this is of importance as is reflects what's the organization and its attitude are towards the product and the brand as a whole.
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Thursday, January 8, 2009
Ideas and society [Renaissance]
What was the Renaissance?
The word 'Renaissance', meaning 'rebirth', is used to describe the revival of ideas from the art and literature of Ancient Greece and Rome ('Classical Antiquity' that took place in Italy in the later fourteenth century and the fifteenth century. Florence was the early centre of the Renaissance, but the new ideas spread to other prosperous cities.
The Humanist influence on art
Poets, philosophers, and educationists who were inspired by Classical principle
and values were called 'Humanists'.
They were especially attracted to the 'Classical’ vision of humanity retrieved from the literature of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, that emphasised the value of individuals, the value of human reason and the value of human experience in the ordinary, everyday world.
They valued the 'Classical' concepts of beauty, balance and harmony in human life and art. Very few of them abandoned their Christian beliefs. The Humanist Leon Battista Alberti advised painters to seek the company of Humanists like himself, especially poets, orators, and those familiar with Classical texts, who could help the painters with ideas.
Where mediaeval Christianity had understandably had its gaze firmly fixed on the supernatural worlds of Heaven and Hell, and promoted a pessimistic view of the nature of man as wicked and corrupt, Renaissance philosophers were much more optimistic. This optimism promoted a new emphasis on the 'human' aspects of life, including the physical qualities of human beings; these ideas flowed through to the art of the time.
Art gains new direction
Art gained new direction and a new life from the Humanist interest in Classical Antiquity. Artists adopted Classical motifs and forms in their work. With Brunelleschi, Alberti and Michelozzo, architecture moved decisively away from Gothic and Romanesque forms to the severe mathematical symmetry and purity of Classical forms. Sculptors, too, tried to incorporate Classical ideals of natural form and realistic representation into their work. The depiction of the nude human form in painting and sculpture again became a central focus of interest.
Although they generally kept to Christian subjects, the more progressive painters stressed 'Naturalism', or 'faithfulness to nature'. They rejected the Byzantine style in art in favour of a new realism that was as faithful as possible to the nature and condition of human beings.
Renaissance painters and sculptors generally did not have models from Ancient Greece, except in Roman copies, but they did have Ancient Roman works. Sculptors and architects like Donatello and Brunelleschi went to Rome to measure and draw the ruins and to study the remains of Classical sculpture. Classical buildings inspired architects to create harmonious settings for human living.
Even so, the Classical models, with their ideal representations of natural form, formed only one kind of influence on developments in painting and sculpture. Perfect form was one goal only. The spirit that quickened living forms-character, personality, feelings, in effect the psychological dimension of humanity-became a focus of increasing interest as the Renaissance art reached maturity. Increasingly, also, the spirit and values that informed Renaissance art reflected the interests of contemporary Italian society as well as those of Classical Antiquity.
Antonio Filarete (1400-65)
Antonio Filarete, a highly reputable architect and sculptor, advised painters and sculptors to make their work more realistic by taking into account the natural aspects and manner of human beings-their expressions, the way they moved, etc.-as well as their natural form. He argued that the image a painter or sculptor was trying to present should reflect the character of the subjects, so they should not be represented out of their time and place:
... Thus the actions, manners, and poses and everything should match the natures,
ages and types [of the figures] ... Saints also should match their types, so that when you have a St Anthony to do, he is not to be made timid, but alert, and likewise St George, as Donatello did, which is truly a very good and perfect figure ... and so too if you have to do a St Michael killing the devil he ought not to be timid; if you have a St Francis to do, he should not be bold, but timid and devout, and St Paul should be bold and strong, and so with judges and their poses ... for when you make a figure of somebody of our time, he is not to be put in ancient costume, but as his habit is.
Alberti's ideas on painting
In Florence, Leon Battista Alberti (1404-72), architect and humanist, wrote a book, On Painting, about 1435. He stressed the need for artists to represent the real world, the world of humanity found even amongst the farm animals, and to do this with the kind of liveliness and variety to be found in commonplace situations. He advised painters to put an abundance and variety of figures in their work:
... [mix] in their places, old, young, children, women, girls, infants, chickens, puppies, birds, horses, sheep, buildings, landscapes, and all such things ... and marked with dignity and modesty ... some bodies should stand straight up and show their whole faces, with hands held high and fingers graceful, resting on one foot. Others should have faces turning away, arms dangling, feet close together, and everyone his own action and bending of limbs, some sitting, some kneeling, some lying down. And if it is proper, some should be nude and other[s] partly nude and partly dressed, but always observing modesty and decency.
For Alberti, faithfulness to nature also involved the expression of the inner state of a person, with which the viewer could relate:
Then too, a scene will touch our minds when the people painted in it express their
emotions a great deaL It is an effect of nature, than whom nothing is more capable
of things like itself, that we weep with those who weep and laugh with those who
laugh and mourn with those who mourn.
The study of anatomy
In the later fifteenth century, the study of anatomy became more scientifically based, as artists began to dissect bodies in order to discover the relationship between muscle and bone structure and how each contributed to the form and movement of the human body. Antonio Pollaiuolo, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo) and Michelangelo were all keen students of anatomy. Leonardo's interest in science led him to make hundreds of anatomical studies of human beings, birds and animals, and to buy birds in the town square in order to release them so that he could study their movement in flight.
Renaissance patrons
Humanists were employed at the courts of princes and popes as diplomats and secretaries and tutors, and by city governments as chancellors and public servants. In these positions, they encouraged their wealthy, aristocratic patrons to value and support Classical art and learning. The Humanists praised an active life in the service of the urban community,
based on the model of ancient Rome. In this way they gave wealthy families the confidence to devote large sums of money to beautifying the city with fine buildings and to building grand homes in the city and villas in the countryside for themselves. The Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti argued that fine architecture would make the city noble, and contribute to an illusion of powers. Wealthy city businessmen were entranced by this idea!
Very large amounts of the wealth of the cities continued to be directed towards building, furnishing and decorating churches, chapels and convents. Religious buildings were designed with beauty and harmony in mind, in addition to religious function, as the values of Classical Antiquity shaped their style and decoration.
Who were the Renaissance patrons?
The Church and the richer nobility remained the powerful patrons they had been throughout the Middle Ages. Most of the fifteenth-century popes in Rome commissioned lavish works to beautify the buildings in the Vatican. Lay people took an increasing role on local committees that were responsible for managing the building and maintenance of churches and other religious buildings; as well, they often provided the money for this!
New kinds of patrons emerged in the fifteenth century. The princely courts of despots (local lords) like the Gonzaga of Mantua, the Este of Ferrara and the Visconti of Milan, as well as the court of the King of Naples, gave artists opportunities to carry out fine, high-quality work in the Classical style. The Medici, who were a fabulously wealthy upper-middle-class banking family in Florence, lived like princes.
Guilds and city councils of prosperous cities such as Florence and Venice
commissioned works to beautify the public buildings. Rich, powerful merchant,
manufacturing and banking families, the wealthy middle classes who lived in the cities, also commissioned works. They thought of themselves as urban nobility, and wanted a lifestyle and setting to match their power in the city.
With such patrons, art began to develop a more secular dimension as it reflected their particular interests. Popes, cardinals and archbishops, who lived like secular princes and became art connoisseurs on Church money, came in for much criticism. It did not stop them from commissioning the finest artists to construct and decorate grand buildings and their own luxurious marble tombs!
Private patrons generally paid well. With some exceptions (like the few talented noblemen who became painters), all those who might be considered artists were still craftspeople, and relatively uneducated. As painters of wall panels, frescoes and miniatures, as goldsmiths, sculptors in marble and bronze, engravers, embroiderers, workers in stained glass and designers of buildings, they belonged to craft guilds. Distinguished patrons provided opportunities for the most talented artists to rise in the world, by making it possible for them to move in educated, especially Humanist, social circles.
Individual craftsmen whose work was distinguished, or had a philosophical dimension to it, became increasingly respected as 'artists', as they responded to the refined and sophisticated taste of their patrons. Creators of fine art, who were in great demand, gained an increasingly professional status and a secure bourgeois lifestyle.
Wall painting
'Fresco' painting on fresh lime plaster (see page 33) continued to be a major method of decorating the large wall surface in churches wherever the climate was dry enough. In some cases, or for certain pigments, a 'secco' method was used, whereby the plaster was allowed to dry before being painted. The paint did not soak into the plaster as much as it did with the 'fresco' method, so the pictures were not as permanent. In Italy, a 'sinopia', or cartoon in red earth, was sketched in before the final painting on the fresh lime plaster.
Panel painting
Panel painting on small boards made out of poplar wood (in Venice, imported fir-tree wood) were used in Italy in the mediaeval period. The panels were 'sized' with a plaster and glue 'gesso', that helped the pigment to grip the board. Preliminary sketches were made on the prepared ground, similar to the 'sinopia' prepared for fresco painting. Paint pigments were mixed with a binder, usually egg yolk, to form 'tempera', making the paint shine.Gold leaf was hammered to the required thinness inside leather pouches, then applied to the background if required. A coat of varnish protected the surface. Canvas Later in the century, Italians began to paint on canvas. Canvas did not rot as wood did, and it could be transported easily, which the Venetians did by wrapping the painted canvases around poles, painted side out.
Oils
During the fifteenth century, oils began to replace egg yolk as the painting medium. With oils, painters had greater flexibility in the handling of paint on their canvases or panels. Oil did not dry as fast as egg tempera, and oil paint enabled the painter to model his or her forms with greater naturalism, rather than having to work in relatively flat areas of colour. Painters explored the possibilities of light and shade, and paintings gained in luminosity from layers of 'glazes'.
Composition and themes
Composition was a matter negotiated by the patron with the artist. Patrons often specified particular figures, as well as how many of them there were to be, how they were to be portrayed, and the type of pigments or gold to be used. Themes were specified by the patron, with suggestions added by the artist. Although religious themes remained the main subjects, later in the century many artists, under Humanist influence, turned to Classical society and the ancient pagan myths and legends for inspiration.
===============================================================
Architecture
Religious buildings and architectural terms
• A chapel is a small building or part of a large building, used for Christian worship.
• A cupola is the dome over the transept (crossing) of a large church.
• A lantern is a superstructure with windows above a roof or cupola to let in light (or air).
• A loggia is a space enclosed on three sides and colonnaded on the fourth side.
• A module, in Classical architecture, is 'half the diameter of the column just above its moulded base' (Summerson).
• A nave is the long central space of a church (basilica).
• An oratory is a building used for prayer.
• A pier is the load-bearing solid part of a wall between windows, doors or other openings.
• A pilaster is a column 'flattened' against a wall.
• Rusticated means that the face of the building stones are left very rough,
or that deep grooves are incised into the mortar between them.
Basic concepts or values in Italian Renaissance architecture
• Beauty lies in the balance, grate and harmony perceived in 'Classical'
architecture, which is governed by the following principles:
• Geometrical shapes determine the organisation of space.
• Rational design is developed with modules constructed according to mathematical ratios; that is, all the parts of a building are in the same
ratio.
• Proportion is achieved by repeating the modules.
• Stability is built into the rational design.
• Order is produced by mathematical regularity.
• There is agreement (Alberti called it 'congruity') of all of the parts with the whole, which is perceived by the mind (reason).
2. 'Classical' architecture incorporates one or more of the Greek Orders
Doric, Ionic, Corinthian,
or the Roman variations-
Tuscan, and Composite.
Alberti argued that columns were 'ornament' and were not to be used
as supports; instead, piers should provide supports.
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The word 'Renaissance', meaning 'rebirth', is used to describe the revival of ideas from the art and literature of Ancient Greece and Rome ('Classical Antiquity' that took place in Italy in the later fourteenth century and the fifteenth century. Florence was the early centre of the Renaissance, but the new ideas spread to other prosperous cities.
The Humanist influence on art
Poets, philosophers, and educationists who were inspired by Classical principle
and values were called 'Humanists'.
They were especially attracted to the 'Classical’ vision of humanity retrieved from the literature of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, that emphasised the value of individuals, the value of human reason and the value of human experience in the ordinary, everyday world.
They valued the 'Classical' concepts of beauty, balance and harmony in human life and art. Very few of them abandoned their Christian beliefs. The Humanist Leon Battista Alberti advised painters to seek the company of Humanists like himself, especially poets, orators, and those familiar with Classical texts, who could help the painters with ideas.
Where mediaeval Christianity had understandably had its gaze firmly fixed on the supernatural worlds of Heaven and Hell, and promoted a pessimistic view of the nature of man as wicked and corrupt, Renaissance philosophers were much more optimistic. This optimism promoted a new emphasis on the 'human' aspects of life, including the physical qualities of human beings; these ideas flowed through to the art of the time.
Art gains new direction
Art gained new direction and a new life from the Humanist interest in Classical Antiquity. Artists adopted Classical motifs and forms in their work. With Brunelleschi, Alberti and Michelozzo, architecture moved decisively away from Gothic and Romanesque forms to the severe mathematical symmetry and purity of Classical forms. Sculptors, too, tried to incorporate Classical ideals of natural form and realistic representation into their work. The depiction of the nude human form in painting and sculpture again became a central focus of interest.
Although they generally kept to Christian subjects, the more progressive painters stressed 'Naturalism', or 'faithfulness to nature'. They rejected the Byzantine style in art in favour of a new realism that was as faithful as possible to the nature and condition of human beings.
Renaissance painters and sculptors generally did not have models from Ancient Greece, except in Roman copies, but they did have Ancient Roman works. Sculptors and architects like Donatello and Brunelleschi went to Rome to measure and draw the ruins and to study the remains of Classical sculpture. Classical buildings inspired architects to create harmonious settings for human living.
Even so, the Classical models, with their ideal representations of natural form, formed only one kind of influence on developments in painting and sculpture. Perfect form was one goal only. The spirit that quickened living forms-character, personality, feelings, in effect the psychological dimension of humanity-became a focus of increasing interest as the Renaissance art reached maturity. Increasingly, also, the spirit and values that informed Renaissance art reflected the interests of contemporary Italian society as well as those of Classical Antiquity.
Antonio Filarete (1400-65)
Antonio Filarete, a highly reputable architect and sculptor, advised painters and sculptors to make their work more realistic by taking into account the natural aspects and manner of human beings-their expressions, the way they moved, etc.-as well as their natural form. He argued that the image a painter or sculptor was trying to present should reflect the character of the subjects, so they should not be represented out of their time and place:
... Thus the actions, manners, and poses and everything should match the natures,
ages and types [of the figures] ... Saints also should match their types, so that when you have a St Anthony to do, he is not to be made timid, but alert, and likewise St George, as Donatello did, which is truly a very good and perfect figure ... and so too if you have to do a St Michael killing the devil he ought not to be timid; if you have a St Francis to do, he should not be bold, but timid and devout, and St Paul should be bold and strong, and so with judges and their poses ... for when you make a figure of somebody of our time, he is not to be put in ancient costume, but as his habit is.
Alberti's ideas on painting
In Florence, Leon Battista Alberti (1404-72), architect and humanist, wrote a book, On Painting, about 1435. He stressed the need for artists to represent the real world, the world of humanity found even amongst the farm animals, and to do this with the kind of liveliness and variety to be found in commonplace situations. He advised painters to put an abundance and variety of figures in their work:
... [mix] in their places, old, young, children, women, girls, infants, chickens, puppies, birds, horses, sheep, buildings, landscapes, and all such things ... and marked with dignity and modesty ... some bodies should stand straight up and show their whole faces, with hands held high and fingers graceful, resting on one foot. Others should have faces turning away, arms dangling, feet close together, and everyone his own action and bending of limbs, some sitting, some kneeling, some lying down. And if it is proper, some should be nude and other[s] partly nude and partly dressed, but always observing modesty and decency.
For Alberti, faithfulness to nature also involved the expression of the inner state of a person, with which the viewer could relate:
Then too, a scene will touch our minds when the people painted in it express their
emotions a great deaL It is an effect of nature, than whom nothing is more capable
of things like itself, that we weep with those who weep and laugh with those who
laugh and mourn with those who mourn.
The study of anatomy
In the later fifteenth century, the study of anatomy became more scientifically based, as artists began to dissect bodies in order to discover the relationship between muscle and bone structure and how each contributed to the form and movement of the human body. Antonio Pollaiuolo, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo) and Michelangelo were all keen students of anatomy. Leonardo's interest in science led him to make hundreds of anatomical studies of human beings, birds and animals, and to buy birds in the town square in order to release them so that he could study their movement in flight.
Renaissance patrons
Humanists were employed at the courts of princes and popes as diplomats and secretaries and tutors, and by city governments as chancellors and public servants. In these positions, they encouraged their wealthy, aristocratic patrons to value and support Classical art and learning. The Humanists praised an active life in the service of the urban community,
based on the model of ancient Rome. In this way they gave wealthy families the confidence to devote large sums of money to beautifying the city with fine buildings and to building grand homes in the city and villas in the countryside for themselves. The Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti argued that fine architecture would make the city noble, and contribute to an illusion of powers. Wealthy city businessmen were entranced by this idea!
Very large amounts of the wealth of the cities continued to be directed towards building, furnishing and decorating churches, chapels and convents. Religious buildings were designed with beauty and harmony in mind, in addition to religious function, as the values of Classical Antiquity shaped their style and decoration.
Who were the Renaissance patrons?
The Church and the richer nobility remained the powerful patrons they had been throughout the Middle Ages. Most of the fifteenth-century popes in Rome commissioned lavish works to beautify the buildings in the Vatican. Lay people took an increasing role on local committees that were responsible for managing the building and maintenance of churches and other religious buildings; as well, they often provided the money for this!
New kinds of patrons emerged in the fifteenth century. The princely courts of despots (local lords) like the Gonzaga of Mantua, the Este of Ferrara and the Visconti of Milan, as well as the court of the King of Naples, gave artists opportunities to carry out fine, high-quality work in the Classical style. The Medici, who were a fabulously wealthy upper-middle-class banking family in Florence, lived like princes.
Guilds and city councils of prosperous cities such as Florence and Venice
commissioned works to beautify the public buildings. Rich, powerful merchant,
manufacturing and banking families, the wealthy middle classes who lived in the cities, also commissioned works. They thought of themselves as urban nobility, and wanted a lifestyle and setting to match their power in the city.
With such patrons, art began to develop a more secular dimension as it reflected their particular interests. Popes, cardinals and archbishops, who lived like secular princes and became art connoisseurs on Church money, came in for much criticism. It did not stop them from commissioning the finest artists to construct and decorate grand buildings and their own luxurious marble tombs!
Private patrons generally paid well. With some exceptions (like the few talented noblemen who became painters), all those who might be considered artists were still craftspeople, and relatively uneducated. As painters of wall panels, frescoes and miniatures, as goldsmiths, sculptors in marble and bronze, engravers, embroiderers, workers in stained glass and designers of buildings, they belonged to craft guilds. Distinguished patrons provided opportunities for the most talented artists to rise in the world, by making it possible for them to move in educated, especially Humanist, social circles.
Individual craftsmen whose work was distinguished, or had a philosophical dimension to it, became increasingly respected as 'artists', as they responded to the refined and sophisticated taste of their patrons. Creators of fine art, who were in great demand, gained an increasingly professional status and a secure bourgeois lifestyle.
Wall painting
'Fresco' painting on fresh lime plaster (see page 33) continued to be a major method of decorating the large wall surface in churches wherever the climate was dry enough. In some cases, or for certain pigments, a 'secco' method was used, whereby the plaster was allowed to dry before being painted. The paint did not soak into the plaster as much as it did with the 'fresco' method, so the pictures were not as permanent. In Italy, a 'sinopia', or cartoon in red earth, was sketched in before the final painting on the fresh lime plaster.
Panel painting
Panel painting on small boards made out of poplar wood (in Venice, imported fir-tree wood) were used in Italy in the mediaeval period. The panels were 'sized' with a plaster and glue 'gesso', that helped the pigment to grip the board. Preliminary sketches were made on the prepared ground, similar to the 'sinopia' prepared for fresco painting. Paint pigments were mixed with a binder, usually egg yolk, to form 'tempera', making the paint shine.Gold leaf was hammered to the required thinness inside leather pouches, then applied to the background if required. A coat of varnish protected the surface. Canvas Later in the century, Italians began to paint on canvas. Canvas did not rot as wood did, and it could be transported easily, which the Venetians did by wrapping the painted canvases around poles, painted side out.
Oils
During the fifteenth century, oils began to replace egg yolk as the painting medium. With oils, painters had greater flexibility in the handling of paint on their canvases or panels. Oil did not dry as fast as egg tempera, and oil paint enabled the painter to model his or her forms with greater naturalism, rather than having to work in relatively flat areas of colour. Painters explored the possibilities of light and shade, and paintings gained in luminosity from layers of 'glazes'.
Composition and themes
Composition was a matter negotiated by the patron with the artist. Patrons often specified particular figures, as well as how many of them there were to be, how they were to be portrayed, and the type of pigments or gold to be used. Themes were specified by the patron, with suggestions added by the artist. Although religious themes remained the main subjects, later in the century many artists, under Humanist influence, turned to Classical society and the ancient pagan myths and legends for inspiration.
===============================================================
Architecture
Religious buildings and architectural terms
• A chapel is a small building or part of a large building, used for Christian worship.
• A cupola is the dome over the transept (crossing) of a large church.
• A lantern is a superstructure with windows above a roof or cupola to let in light (or air).
• A loggia is a space enclosed on three sides and colonnaded on the fourth side.
• A module, in Classical architecture, is 'half the diameter of the column just above its moulded base' (Summerson).
• A nave is the long central space of a church (basilica).
• An oratory is a building used for prayer.
• A pier is the load-bearing solid part of a wall between windows, doors or other openings.
• A pilaster is a column 'flattened' against a wall.
• Rusticated means that the face of the building stones are left very rough,
or that deep grooves are incised into the mortar between them.
Basic concepts or values in Italian Renaissance architecture
• Beauty lies in the balance, grate and harmony perceived in 'Classical'
architecture, which is governed by the following principles:
• Geometrical shapes determine the organisation of space.
• Rational design is developed with modules constructed according to mathematical ratios; that is, all the parts of a building are in the same
ratio.
• Proportion is achieved by repeating the modules.
• Stability is built into the rational design.
• Order is produced by mathematical regularity.
• There is agreement (Alberti called it 'congruity') of all of the parts with the whole, which is perceived by the mind (reason).
2. 'Classical' architecture incorporates one or more of the Greek Orders
Doric, Ionic, Corinthian,
or the Roman variations-
Tuscan, and Composite.
Alberti argued that columns were 'ornament' and were not to be used
as supports; instead, piers should provide supports.
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WHAT DO ARTISTS DO?
Throughout history artists have served many functions, but their value and importance to society have remained basically the same. To begin with, artists fulfill practical roles, designing virtually every structure or object that is built or made. Today these activities are largely carried out by artists with specialized training such as industrial designers, architects, and fashion designers. Artists who work with images-painters, sculptors, and photog¬raphers-also fulfill practical roles, along with other roles that are less prac¬tical but perhaps even more valuable.
First, artists record and commemorate. They create images that help us remember the present after it slips into the past, that keep us in mind of our history, and that will speak of our times to the future. Illustrated here is a segment from a long painting that portrays episodes from a Chinese emperor's tour of the southern provinces of his realm in the year 1689 Upon his return to the capital, the emperor commissioned a well-known painter named Wang Hui to oversee a team of court artists in creating a pic-torial record of the trip. The result was a truly monumental work, a set of 12 scrolls, each around 58 feet long, recreating the journey in minute detail. In the segment illustrated here, the emperor (in the foreground beneath the yellow parasol) visits an important local shrine. For the emperor, the scrolls underscored the importance of his visit and served as an official visual record
of it. For us hundreds of years later; the visit has very little importance. Instead, we are enchanted to find the past come to life before our eyes with a wealth of visual detail that no written account could match.
A second function artists perform is to give tangible form to the unknown. They portray what cannot be seen with the eyes or events that can only be imagined. An anonymous Indian sculptor of the 11th century gave tangible form to the Hindu god Shiva in his guise as Nataraja, Lord of the Dance (1.9). Encircled by flames, Shiva dances the destruction and rebirth of the world, the end of one cycle of time and the beginning of another. The figure's four arms communicate the complexity of this cosmic moment. In one hand, Shiva holds the small drum whose beat summons up creation; in another hand, he holds the flame of destruction. A third hand points at his raised foot, beneath which worshipers may seek refuge, while a fourth hand is raised with its palm toward the viewer, a gesture that means "fear not."
Looking at the statue in a museum, we can appreciate the sculptor's skill at handling this complicated pose so gracefully. When the statue was in use, however it would have been almost completely hidden by silks and flowers draped about it-offerings to the deity who was believed to have taken up residence within. It is useful to remember that much of the art we find in museums originally played a direct and vital role in people's lives.
A third function artists perform is to give tangible form to feelings and ideas. These may be the artist's own personal feelings and ideas, but they may also be those of a larger group or culture. The statue of Shiva we just looked at, for example, gives tangible form to ideas about the cyclical nature of time that are part of the religious culture of Hinduism. The artist probably shared those ideas, but we cannot know for sure. Our society has come to place great importance on the individual, and we take it for granted that self-expression is fundamental to artistic creation, but this has not always been so. Throughout much of history, artists have expressed feelings and ideas on behalf of others. In The Starry Night Vincent van Gogh labored to create a visual equivalent for his feelings as he stood on the outskirts of a small village in France and stared up at the stars. Surrounded by halos of radiating light, the stars have an exaggerated, urgent presence, as though each one were a brilliant sun. A great wave or whirlpool rolls across the sky-a cloud, perhaps, or some kind of cosmic energy. The landscape, too, seems to roll on in waves like an ocean. A tree in the foreground writhes upward toward the stars as though answering their call. In the distance, a church spire points upward as well. Everything is in turbulent motion. Nature seems alive, communicating in its own language while the village sleeps.
Fourth and finally, artists enable us to experience a way of seeing different than our own. Through art we can live more than one life, see through more than one pair of eyes. Artists show us something new in the world. Like self-expression, newness and originality are valued very highly today in our thinking about art. Yet artists in other cultures and at other times would not necessarily have understood such ideas. For them, the goal of art was to continue the forms of the past. Newness and originality can make themselves felt in subtle ways as well as obvious ones. John Schabel found newness with a telephoto lens
Standing in an airport lounge on a drizzly day, he zoomed in on distant planes waiting to take off, photographing the passengers on board through the tiny airplane windows. Enlarged, the photographs have a grainy quality, as though they were made of gray mist. We have never quite seen ourselves this way before, so vulnerable and transitory. The technologies of air travel and photography made the view possible, but it took an artist to uncover its newness and to bring it to us.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
First, artists record and commemorate. They create images that help us remember the present after it slips into the past, that keep us in mind of our history, and that will speak of our times to the future. Illustrated here is a segment from a long painting that portrays episodes from a Chinese emperor's tour of the southern provinces of his realm in the year 1689 Upon his return to the capital, the emperor commissioned a well-known painter named Wang Hui to oversee a team of court artists in creating a pic-torial record of the trip. The result was a truly monumental work, a set of 12 scrolls, each around 58 feet long, recreating the journey in minute detail. In the segment illustrated here, the emperor (in the foreground beneath the yellow parasol) visits an important local shrine. For the emperor, the scrolls underscored the importance of his visit and served as an official visual record
of it. For us hundreds of years later; the visit has very little importance. Instead, we are enchanted to find the past come to life before our eyes with a wealth of visual detail that no written account could match.
A second function artists perform is to give tangible form to the unknown. They portray what cannot be seen with the eyes or events that can only be imagined. An anonymous Indian sculptor of the 11th century gave tangible form to the Hindu god Shiva in his guise as Nataraja, Lord of the Dance (1.9). Encircled by flames, Shiva dances the destruction and rebirth of the world, the end of one cycle of time and the beginning of another. The figure's four arms communicate the complexity of this cosmic moment. In one hand, Shiva holds the small drum whose beat summons up creation; in another hand, he holds the flame of destruction. A third hand points at his raised foot, beneath which worshipers may seek refuge, while a fourth hand is raised with its palm toward the viewer, a gesture that means "fear not."
Looking at the statue in a museum, we can appreciate the sculptor's skill at handling this complicated pose so gracefully. When the statue was in use, however it would have been almost completely hidden by silks and flowers draped about it-offerings to the deity who was believed to have taken up residence within. It is useful to remember that much of the art we find in museums originally played a direct and vital role in people's lives.
A third function artists perform is to give tangible form to feelings and ideas. These may be the artist's own personal feelings and ideas, but they may also be those of a larger group or culture. The statue of Shiva we just looked at, for example, gives tangible form to ideas about the cyclical nature of time that are part of the religious culture of Hinduism. The artist probably shared those ideas, but we cannot know for sure. Our society has come to place great importance on the individual, and we take it for granted that self-expression is fundamental to artistic creation, but this has not always been so. Throughout much of history, artists have expressed feelings and ideas on behalf of others. In The Starry Night Vincent van Gogh labored to create a visual equivalent for his feelings as he stood on the outskirts of a small village in France and stared up at the stars. Surrounded by halos of radiating light, the stars have an exaggerated, urgent presence, as though each one were a brilliant sun. A great wave or whirlpool rolls across the sky-a cloud, perhaps, or some kind of cosmic energy. The landscape, too, seems to roll on in waves like an ocean. A tree in the foreground writhes upward toward the stars as though answering their call. In the distance, a church spire points upward as well. Everything is in turbulent motion. Nature seems alive, communicating in its own language while the village sleeps.
Fourth and finally, artists enable us to experience a way of seeing different than our own. Through art we can live more than one life, see through more than one pair of eyes. Artists show us something new in the world. Like self-expression, newness and originality are valued very highly today in our thinking about art. Yet artists in other cultures and at other times would not necessarily have understood such ideas. For them, the goal of art was to continue the forms of the past. Newness and originality can make themselves felt in subtle ways as well as obvious ones. John Schabel found newness with a telephoto lens
Standing in an airport lounge on a drizzly day, he zoomed in on distant planes waiting to take off, photographing the passengers on board through the tiny airplane windows. Enlarged, the photographs have a grainy quality, as though they were made of gray mist. We have never quite seen ourselves this way before, so vulnerable and transitory. The technologies of air travel and photography made the view possible, but it took an artist to uncover its newness and to bring it to us.
Have a Story/ Interview tell us and get on the Post
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