Julie+Lucarelli-+Fall+2016

=Julie Lucarelli =

Year: Junior
Major: Political Science and Economics

__Assignment #1 __
Students, authors, directors, musicians, and artists deal with copyright law frequently. Students and authors must look for plagiarism, while directors need to pay attention to the music, scripts, and costumes they utilize. Musicians cannot copy words or sequences from others and artists cannot copy previous works. Creativity is valued in our culture and there is no lack of new ideas. The comic strip, however, analyzes how current copyright laws have been broadened recently. With an example of a documentary film, the viewer is able to study copyright law as it applies to books, music, trademarks, corporations, etc.

The idea of public domain and fair use is how artists of various mediums assist each other; inspire each other. The idea that a company can sue a director or filmmaker because their show was on in the background or the refrain of their song was accidentally recorded works against creativity. It causes fear and often the directors wind up changing or covering-up those types of situations. It reduces the amount of untampered work available as everything will have been modified, giving false allusions of reality.

No one pays a company or individual everything time they sing happy birthday or recite a jump rope chant. Society would not expect you to. Now change happy birthday to the Nike symbol or slogan. If you mentioned it in an article or it was in the background of a video posted online, you would not pay Nike. This is due to the idea of public domain and fair use.

In various court cases, judges have sided with the defendant arguing that the instance was not in violation of copyright law, but considered fair use. In addition, if more courts made the plaintiff pay the legal fees for both sides, if brought to trial, then ludicrous accusations of copyright infringements for background noises or threats such as cease-and-desist letters would decrease.

The idea that a work is protected under law long after the artist's death currently exists. If this trend continues then copyright protection will increase exponentially. Subsequent generations cannot appreciate a previous generation's artist's work if they never hear or see it in pop culture. If The Godfather could not be quoted or movies could not be made due to the artist’s death and lack of ability to grant approval then people would not gain an understanding of this popular story.

These extensive copyright laws, if continue, will cause a battle between creators and those who seek the protection of their work. The balance is being destroyed between good and bad appropriation. A student should be penalized for direct plagiarism especially without reference to the original work. However, if the student paraphrases and cites the author, then the appropriation should and would be considered acceptable.

An idea that another's work that appears anywhere except the original format is a violation of copyright law deters others from creating accurate or even any other works at all. For example, if belts were considered in fashion there would be a distinct difference between a designer creating a dress with a similar belt sue to inspiration and copying an entire belt design from another designer. Inspiration drives society and artists forward. It is exact replicas pawned as originals society is attempting to avoid.

Still, as a society we cannot fall backwards and believe that any use of another's work is acceptable.The only way to clearly define the line between good and bad appropriation or the definition of fair use is to stop creating laws that further strengthen today’s copyright laws and allow the courts to enforce our current laws. We need to fully understand the copyright laws already in place before attempting to add additional regulation.

__** Homework #2 **__









Project #1

Original Images

Version 1 Version 2

Final Image

__**Assignment #4-- After Effects Manovich**__ The introduction of technology into the world, has transformed all aspects of life including the way people make and view art. Not only are digital images possible, but moving pictures and complex images with hundreds of layers are commonplace in today’s world. Originally, computerized memory banks, which held high quality images were so expensive that everyone but large broadcast companies were priced out of the market. When this technology was available to everyone it allowed artists to combine different media such as graphics, still images, and cinematography. This practice became known as hybrid media and after the 1990’s it became utilized frequently. This dramatic and transformative piece of knowledge was overshadowed by other inventions at the time and later was realized for the advances it offered. The hybrid visual media was utilized by commercials and 3D animation. In 1993, After Effects, which is software that works with animation and special effects, was introduced. Today, there are more high-end products utilized by individuals and smaller companies. The shift towards software programs such as After Effects “is a new hybrid visual language of moving in general”. (p.9) In modern society, artists are taking After Effects and applying it to varieties of media. It began being utilized in music videos and led to a phenomenon that the author calls Media Remixability. The hybrid visual language did not change the various types of media being utilized in the program. Rather it stimulated the media allowing the different medias to interact easily and allow artists to branch out creating truly original pieces. The new forms of visual art that arrived in the late 20th and early 21st centuries allowed for a diversification of possibilities utilizing motion graphics. In addition to being hybrid software, After Effects allowed for a greater number of layering, transparency, and compositing. As the technology improved layering has become more sophisticated so that products created in the early 2000’s look out-to-date currently. An example was offered when Stein’s work was mentioned. He worked with 2D animations originally and then diversified with an additional complexity available through a wider array of layers and transparency. Art began to transcend mediums and digital media began being utilized in the music and pop culture world. The author of this article noticeably leaves out the techniques of digital compositing. They focus instead on the alteration of digital media over time and how the software has been able to create hybrid visual language and media remixability. Manovich mentions “…we can link the After Effects interface to traditional animation methods as used by commercial animation studios, the working method put forward by software is closer to graphic design”. (p.14) This software allows for real time viewing of the image as alterations are made. It is worth stating that while this software can combine techniques and methods from various media sources it cannot recreate the original physical media. The emergence of technology into the art world allowed for “new visual aesthetics” (p.16) that before was not possible with the previous remedial equipment.

__**Questions:**__ 1. What does the term hybrid media refer to? 2. Can After Effects be applied to multiple media types? 3. How has visual media and the emergence of technology altered the art world?


 * __In Class Project__**




 * Augmented Reality Homework**

Believing is seeing or so the saying goes. It holds true in today’s world though, as people associate fact with their own experiences. As technology moves from a 2 dimensional to a 3 dimensional world the previous adage is proven false. Every part of today’s world wants to be intertwined with technology. Technology has almost become synonymous with better and the study of art is no exception. Augmented reality is a new emerging field that blends technology with ordinary portraits or sculptures. It makes a statement or transports us to a different location. Perhaps the best quality of augmented reality is the ability to transform any object, even a dress into a piece of art. Yolande Kolstee explained how the fast growing area of tourism has utilized augmented reality to give depth to extraordinary heritage sites such as Chicken Itza or even museums all over the world. This new technology has been employed to bring to life former buildings or historical paintings in the Van Gogh museum. As people constantly, clamor for more technology augmented reality has the ability to transform how we think. For example, Mr. Lamers writes about a project that made an empty glass box feel as if there was a ball inside using the pressure applied by people’s fingertip while holding the box. It challenged our senses and the typical way we view the world. In another way, augmented reality can take an individual to another place at another time Mr. Prevel explains how it was utilized to bring visitors back to an exhibition hall in Budapest from the early 20th century. This method allowed individuals to view the interior designs such as Persian red carpets and gold fish pools. Image what augmented reality could do at a place such as Versailles. It would be possible to stand into side the Hall of Mirrors and look out over the grounds viewing the palace at its peak with only the use of digital glasses or an ipad. Our real world and what we view can be constantly challenged because augmented reality hides in plain sight. In a world where we are constantly asking for more technology augmented reality through art delivers and transforms everything. Maybe then, seeing is not everything, but seeing through augmented reality can bring you close.

__**Augmented Reality Project**__





My two augmented reality piece has two components. I choose the American Hustle poster to highlight the gender pay disparity that was a huge issue when this movie premiered. In fact, gender pay disparity is a large issue in Hollywood where women receive substantially less than men. American Hustle is a unique choice as Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams both had large roles and ye both women were paid far less than their male co-actors Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale. The factor that makes this more interesting is that both female actresses were nominated for Oscars due to their stellar performances. There is a gender pay disparity across most careers in the United States but Hollywood is in the spotlight and therefore uniquely qualified to serve as an example.

The American flag was chosen due to its easily correlation with the United States. I stayed with the theme of the gender gap, but instead of focusing on pay I honed in on female representation in Congress. Congress is held in high regard as a pillar of our democratic system and women have long sought to serve as representatives for the citizens of this country. For many decades, they were not allowed to vote let alone serve as representatives or senators. I chose the federal system and color coated by seat the percentages of male and females. All female seats are pink and males are blue. I also have Adobe After Effects video with a quote that references the right women have to serve in the U.S Congress. In total, 23.9% of the U.S House of Representatives is female and 20% of the U.S Senate is comprised of female senators.