One of my favorite title sequences has to be HBO’s The Sopranos, even though I have only seen random episodes from the show here and there.  The sequence is fairly simple, showing the show’s main character, Tony Soprano, driving on the New Jersey Turnpike to his suburban New Jersey home.

The title sequence is shot with a handheld camera, bringing the viewer into the action.  In this case, it seems like the viewer is in the car with Tony Soprano, driving out of New York City via the Lincoln Tunnel and south on the New Jersey Turnpike, seeing everything he sees along the way.  The views from the Turnpike of the gritty industrial landscape and working and middle class suburbia emphasize the show’s location, New Jersey.

The opening theme song, “Woke Up This Morning,” by Alabama 3 and the rolling white credits fit well with the style of the title sequence and overall theme of the show.

For this assignment, I chose the movie poster of the French film “Le temps qui reste” (Time To Leave) by director François Ozon. Here is a description of the film according to its distributor:

“A handsome, successful fashion photographer learns that he has a malignant brain tumor that will soon kill him. Hiding his diagnosis, he alienates his family and his young boyfriend, but during a short stay with his grandmother, his vulnerability is met with a big heart and sound advice. A chance encounter with a roadside cafe waitress results in an unusual bargain that provides a happy, playful dimension to the proceedings.”

I really like the minimalistic design of the movie poster, which reflects the simplicity of the film itself. The poster has a white background with very little text, showing only the lead character sleeping. This gives the viewer a sense of serenity, while not revealing much about the film’s plot. The character has a baby in his arms, which can symbolize many things: his extreme vulnerability and innocence as he tries to cope with the horrible news he has received, how he seemingly goes back in time, remembering his childhood and reconciling with members of his estranged family as he journeys throughout France, or how he helps a couple who are unable to have children. The symbolism is up to the viewer’s interpretation as they watch the film.

The video tells a short story about a window shopper, played beautifully by actress Leila Hernandez. The story begins with her in front of a furniture/interior design store, simply browsing the display of products and looking around at what the store has to offer. The viewer of the video does not know what the shopper was doing before; she could have planned to go shopping, or could have stumbled upon the store by mistake. After browsing the display for a little while, all of a sudden, something catches the shopper’s eye. She keeps looking at the item from all angles, up, down and around. For reasons unknown to the viewer, the shopper is indecisive about making the purchase, shaking her head and starting to leave twice before slowly turning around and finally giving in. She then walks into the store to either look at the item closer or to make the purchase.

The video was taken using a handheld video camera, which brings the viewer into the action. The shot remains somewhat close-up, focusing the viewer’s attention on the shopper’s interaction with the store display. The video starts with a close-up of the display, with the shopper’s shadow visible in the window. Then, the camera zooms out and pans around to show the shopper and how she interacts with the display and the products inside.

For this week’s assignment, I found a series of billboard ads created by the BBDO New York ad agency for the BBC.

The billboards were put up all over New York City a couple years ago to advertise the BBC World news channel FINALLY entering the U.S. market after more than 10 years of having been available worldwide.

The ad campaign, called “See Both Sides Of The Story,” tied with another BBC ad campaign for the 2008 ADDY Award for best outdoor advertisement. Here is an example of one of the ads:

What’s stunning about the billboard is how simple it is, yet has such a powerful and effective message.

The billboard is comprised of one photo, in this example, a photo presumably of an Iraqi landscape. It’s always placed strategically on a street corner, usually at street level. Passersby would probably see half the ad first and then the other half to see the whole picture and get the message.

The ad campaign emphasizes the fact that when it comes to any news story/occurrence, there are always at least two points of view and that BBC World will always show you both sides of the story. Basically, the REAL version of “fair and balanced.”

Here are some other examples of the ad campaign:

BBDO New York for BBC World

BBDO New York for BBC World

BBDO New York for BBC World

One of my favorite photographers is Steve McCurry, who has captured some of the most iconic images of our time.

McCurry is an American photojournalist who frequently works with the National Geographic Society. According to National Geographic’s Web site, McCurry “is best known for his evocative color photography” and tries to capture “the essence of human struggle and joy.”

McCurry launched his career working freelance in India, where he realized that “if you wait…people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.” 

McCurry has won numerous awards and has traveled the world, documenting the consequences of war and civil conflict. Some of his most famous photos come from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. His picture of an Afghan refugee is one of the most recognizable photos in the world:

Here are a few more examples of McCurry’s stunning work:

Ahmadi Oil Fields, Kuwait, 1991

Weligama, Sri Lanka, 1995

Agra, India, 1983

Wild

Foreground/Background (ok, maybe that’s two words in one)

Soft

This photo essay is a series of 10 photographs, which were taken around the Dupont Circle neighborhood on Sunday. It attempts to capture the character of the urban setting, deep into the winter months, just as a short spell of spring-like weather hits the region.

The photo essay is thematic and non-sequential, so it could be viewed in any order. It shows residents and tourists alike instantly taking advantage of the beautiful weather, flocking to the circle; area parks; shops; cafes and restaurants; or simply enjoying a walk around the neighborhood. It also shows small signs of the coming spring season, yet reminds the viewer that winter still persists. 

This is a photograph of the Empire State Building taken from a cemetery in Brooklyn. The reason I really like the picture is the result of the technical ways in which it was shot. A sepia tone is used to give the picture an aged look, using the effects of color to influence the viewer to see the picture in a certain way. Gravestones from the cemetery are in the foreground, with the top of the Empire State Building in the background. In order to achieve the great depth of field with both the foreground and background elements being sharp, the photographer probably used smaller aperture. Some of the gravestones appear almost as tall as the building, and in order to achieve this, the photographer was probably taking the picture from further away, with a longer focal length of the lens.

This is a photograph of East 42nd Street in Manhattan. In the picture, you can see Grand Central Terminal, the Chrysler Building and the MetLife Building. I like the picture because of the color effects that were used. The colors seem to have been more highly saturated, making them more intense. This makes the picture more dramatic and the storm clouds above the bustling city more ominous.

Manhattan Bridge

This is a photograph I took several years ago, but there are many similar ones taken by others with the same subject matter. It’s a picture of the Manhattan Bridge taken from the Brooklyn Bridge. The reason I’ve always liked this picture and why I shot it for myself is because it’s a perfect example of framing. According to our readings in “Photo Idea Index” (Krause, 2005), framing describes when certain elements of a composition enclose others, directing and containing the viewer’s attention. In this case, it’s the Manhattan Bridge that overtly and perfectly frames the Empire State Building.