On the tALEvision

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2010-12-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

Not really.

I should be working on the mountain of homework I have. But as I get ready to go to my new seasonal job at a major retail store in Union Square -- the name I will not write but they praise themselves for being the official Christmas 'Magic' store -- the notion of immersing myself in this world of overwhelming jolliness that starts right after Black Friday, leaves me an artificial taste in my tongue. Like the taste of the rubber they use to wrap those 2000 Christmas lights set kit made in China that you can get on 20% off, should you decide to open a credit account with us. If you have never tasted that rubber is because you didn't grow up in Costa Rica.

The end of the year and specially Christmas is always a very weird time for me. It's true that back in Costa Rica there is a lot of shopping for this same season. People lose their minds and their wallets and spend the equivalent to several monthly paychecks (including their 'aguinaldo' which is an extra month of salary at the end of year. Yes, I wish we had those here.) in buying, drinking, traveling, drinking, partying, eating, borrowing some more money and having a beer with that. 'Tienda Universal' becomes the center of the Christmas universe and the Central Avenue has even been transformed in a winter wonderland of confetti in a tradition that has left many a lasting impression. Like the one of a young boy about to have his first ice cream cone in the most famous ice cream shop in town just to have a jerk throw a handful of confetti right in it That kind of stuff does things to the mind of a five year old... Costa Rica dives in the shopping frenzy of any healthy western city, just at a slower pace due to a smaller country and a slower economy. But we can spend the money we don't have on gifts too!

However, I always found refuge from those things by taking the end of the year as a time for me to make a balance of the year. It's the most spiritual time of the year for me, I even go to mass on Christmas eve! And that's a lot to say considering that I'm a recovering catholic. I don't really like to ask favors from God for the new year because I hardly ever think about him during the rest of it. But I do like to thank him as my own personal way to thank the universe, life or whatever it is you think that rules the world -- if there's such a thing -- for letting me grow one more year. When you come from a religious society some of that affects you and I can never escape the sometimes melancholic process of insight and revelation that I am programmed to run every time Jesus birthday is near.

Maybe that's why I'm sick already of Christmas music. I've heard the same 6 songs over and over again in all their different versions, mixes, remixes, in reggae, drum 'n bass, swing and R&B. The performances range from Sinatra to Brittney Spears... are you kidding me? Are you really expecting me to be all holi-jolly listening to the same music over and over again? I understand that if you're jolly then you do all kind of crazy things, like spending your life away in presents for your family. And that's cool, I wish I could do that every year... There is something about trying to be spiritual and honestly happy when you have to listen to this songs constantly. Makes being happy such an obligation that it's no longer fun.

The fact that in CR there is still a strong presence of Our newborn Lord in His Holly diapers lying between the ox and the cow, and that is Jesus Himself who brings you the presents makes Christmas a really spiritual holiday to me. Maybe my religious upbringing kicks in and I go into spiritual mode as I recount the year during December and make the arrangements for the challenges of the new year, for Christmas is our Thanksgiving. But the over happiness of the season is a lot of noise for me to deal with. It's kind of sad that the holi-jolliness that we are supposed to experiment during this month can't be diluted a little bit through the other months of the year. I'm sure it would make the year a lot better.

It's good to be happy, it's weird also to be obscenely happy when you are celebrating a Christian holiday. Maybe I just have a problem with the amount of shopping bags we give away during these days --or the value in $ of merchandise that was stolen from the store last holiday season-- I am one the worst salesmen I've known, but one day at this job and even I made sales! without even trying too hard!

I want to end in a positive note, maybe I'm more relaxed now that I had my therapy session with my laptop's keyboard. I love the holidays, they are the most special time of the year for me. It's the time when I get to see my friends and family that I don't see everyday. It's a time for great parties, great moments, lots of beer, LOVE and food... oh the food! Christmas is more than buying all those great things you have been wanting to get all year. It's also about taking the time to see how lucky we are for having more than what we need and still spare some for what we want. Sometimes the best gifts are not for sale online.

Feliz Navidad and please drive carefully, don't want to miss any of my friends this new year's eve.

-Angrytico-

Plano Secuencia

2010-11-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

I remember my first production class when I was a TV student in the university. One time we were told the names for the different types of camera movements and framing. As a student I couldn't help but to be fascinated by those long shots with no cuts depicting complex situations that needed to be staged with a lot more time than a conventional camera movement. Long sequences including several frame sizes and nonstop action giving no margin for errors without having to go back to the very first position and shoot everything again from the top in case a new take was required.

'El Plano Secuencia' is the name in Spanish for this technique. Today I want to share several 1-shot-sequence music videos that still fascinate and intrigue me because they're either curious or have used visual tricks to make it look as if they have no cuts, like it wasn't hard already to do a simple sequence shot. The work of Michel Gondry is quite the most recognized due to the fact that they are not only visually complex but also they made big hits out of the songs that appear on these video clips.

We'll get to Gondry's work later, for now I'll start with a 2010 video by OK Go. Director Brian L. Perkins and the boys from the band show us what a 'plano secuencia' is all about. Amazing work.

In 1994 Gin Blossoms released two versions of this video by director Sean Alquist. I don't really know which version is this one.

Another pure one shot video. Director Michel Gondry delivers one of his best works ever. A jewel that you have to watch more than once.

Cibo Matto - SUGAR WATER
Uploaded by zectarien. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

Of course I have to include a Latin american artist on this list. Chilean artist Nicole teamed up with director Ricardo de Montreuil to make a video that is not only a single shot but also a reversed video. The lip-synch is one of the most remarkable aspects of this clip.

There are also those video clips that are one shot sequences but only in aspect. They have been edited or tricked to make them look like a continuous shot. However the trick in these cases is to spot the cuts. Like this one for Feist, directed by Patrick Daughters

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Michel Gondry has one of the most tricked one shot videos in the world. The editing and the motion controlled camera make it almost impossible to spot the cuts, it's virtually seamless.

MASSIVE ATTACK - protection -
Uploaded by zectarien. - See the latest featured music videos.

The one shot sequence has been used in music videos ever since music and film exist. D.A. Penebaker directed Bob Dylan using a single shot, he also used written cards that are tossed while the song plays along creating a new concept that has been used many times since. But that is a different story.

Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Bob Dylan

Some of this videos are better done than others. Some of the songs are better than others too. But the important here is to see how a camera trick or movement never gets old as long as you add some variety to it. Also that the complexity of having only one shot to do everything is something that has to be recognized -- the vision of the artists that push themselves to find new ways to use an old trick.-- Finally this is a list of some one shot 'plano secuencias' you may want to check out. Maybe your favorite band has used this technique too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_shot_(music_video)

Debería estarme alistando para ir al trabajo...

2009-02-02T11:21:00.000-08:00

A punto de agarrar el bus
Hasta lo más cotidiano adquiere otra dimensión
Y es que aunque me parece super bueno el asunto, a veces extraño el olor a diesel
En mi barrio lo que hay son buses eléctricos
No son híbridos, ni de batería
son como de esos mini trenes que se pegan a un cable de electricidad
En algunas partes hay cruces de varias rutas
me encantan las formas, como telarañas que adquieren las sombras
proyectadas por el sol al atardecer
Me daría miedo, no obstante,
que me agarre un temblor debajo de una de esas
cuando voy cruzando la calle o algo así.
De repente el nuevo sistema de buses me produce cierta angustia...
y reconozco que la sensación me parece cotidiana
De repente me siento más tranquilo.

Idid it!

2009-02-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

Ahí estaba, mordiéndome la oreja de la curiosidad. Durante meses que se juntaron en años la veía como de casualidad, como una persona que te encontrás constantemente en la calle pero nunca se te ocurriría hablarle porque eso significaría deternele y poner alguna excusa idiota para hablarle, ya que no vamos a confesar que llevamos tiempo de estar encontrándonos en la calle pero que sólo uno lo nota. En fin, la idea de saber que sería hacerlo. Y eventualmente sabés que si lo vas a hacer, que vas a tomarte el tiempo de hacerlo.. y nunca lo hacés en realidad. Pero ya hace un tiempo que he dejado de decir que quiero sacar el tiempo para algo y he decidido simplemente hacerlo. No tengo tiempo que perder porque no me estoy poniendo más joven y la verdad es que ya no me aguanto ante la tentación de hacerlo. Hoy me rendí a la curiosidad, hoy me convertí en un blogger más. Creo que es el momento, creo que ya era hora.