Light Observations

Light Observations

The Balcony

Sunday
January 26th, 2014

Sitting on the balcony, around 11am, drinking some English Tea...
The most noticeable thing in today's lighting is the high intensity and, since the light is hard, there is extreme contrast. On the balcony itself, there are plenty of cool patterns created from the banister. The sunlight breaking through the cracks of the banister makes for a very attractive element of repetition. If I had a camera, I would take a lot of pictures from a high angle in order to catch the true shadows being caste today. The sun is still high in the sky, since it's early in the morning; and there are minimal clouds, meaning the only shadows and patterns come from trees, fences, and cars. I especially like, however, the vibrancy of the people's faces as they walk by. Every fiber of hair, every wrinkle of the skin, and every glistening button on their clothes show up in the harsh sunlight. In black and white, this could make for some interesting pictures of faces. I can visualize someone looking towards the sunlight and their eyes showing up like patterned marbles.

Campus

Monday
January 27th, 2014

Outside of Randall Library, around 2pm, watching the busy herd of students shuffle by...
The sun today is just as high in intensity as yesterday, but today there are some clouds, making for interesting patterns on the grass. I watch two people at the picnic table have a conversation. Their faces are sharply lit, almost blown out, and the textures of their clothing are extremely visible. There is a lot of contrast between what is in the shade and what is in the sun. A tree hangs over the picnic table, splitting their faces in half. I love what hard lighting does to shadows. There are so many sharp outlines today, and so many noticeable patterns. For example, the bricks on the side of the building stand out today more than ever. Every dimple of the hardened clay is visible, with every crack standing out. And the trees' bark and leaves make for an appealing sight. I love the effect the shadows of the trees have on the grass and their surrounding architecture. A lot of things today are saturated with color from the bright sun, but there is so much more going on that the color distracts from. The patterns and textures all around us are disguised; a black and white photo would capture the genuine effect the hard sunlight has on today's campus.

Filmmakers Statement

Hello,

My name is Paige Blankenship.
I'm a sophomore at UNCW and this is my first blog post ever! 

My dream has always been to have a career in the film industry. Ever since I was little I have been fascinated by the moving images on screen. I also loved to be the center of attention, and found I had a special talent on the stage.

Me acting in a UNCW student-led film, Fall 2013

For most of my life I was convinced I was going to grow up to be an actress. But everything changed when I attended film camp at thirteen years of age. Don't get me wrong, I still love to entertain, but I prefer to do it from behind the scenes. I got over the whole "life in the spotlight" image I had in mind and fell in love with directing. At the film camp, which I went on to attend two more years, I directed a total of three documentaries. I learned how film can do anything, even change people's viewpoints on a controversial topic or enlighten them about an issue they were blind to prior.

Documentary filmmaking got me started, but that's not where I want to end up. Nor do I want to end up making a living filming Quinceañeras, Bar Mitzvahs, and Weddings, like I did in high school. In ten years I see myself somewhere big--whether it's Hollywood, Paris, or China--I will dive into the industry, head first. In ten years, I will be working on a large product with a wide audience, doing what I love and hopefully creating something that can entertain or even change the lives of others.

One of my favorite directors is Peter Jackson. This may be a typical choice, but I don't care.

Peter Jackson is not afraid to take on a challenge (unless it's combing his hair). He is capable of branding and working within a large industry while also taking his art seriously, creating masterpieces on screen.  I can never watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy too many times. I will forever be in awe at the amount of effort and quality put into that project. And the fact that he is tackling this challenge once again with The Hobbit is just more evidence to support the fact that he is a fearless director. Although a lot of his works come from books or previous films, like King Kong or The Lovely Bones, he makes the works his own and I appreciate and respect that.

Peter Jackson is the type of filmmaker I someday hope to be.

Something non-film-related about me is that I am deeply passionate about Yoga. If I had more time on my hands, I would spend it doing yoga. I know that if my film career were to ever go down the drain (which is a hilarious thought on its own because that will never happen), then my plan B is to be a yoga instructor. The amount of intensity and spirituality that goes into the practice of yoga is like nothing else. Yoga encourages us to honor our bodies and our souls and, because of yoga, I can find some peace in this hectic world.

I also love cats. Meow.