Animation Deconstruction

The show I chose to critique is Family Guy and is a very popular cartoon targeted towards teens and young adults. The first picture that shows Peter and Chris in the kitchen has lots of color to it. First the hue in the picture is very wide. There is a large variety of different hues within this one shot alone. The brightness in the shot is also high. The colors the choose pop off the picture and make it snap. The saturation is lower however because the colors they choose were lighter to make it easy on the eyes. For the second picture, it is very similar to the first because they are from the same show. In this picture Stewie is with Brian in the car. The hue is also wide but not quite as much as the first because there is a lot of brown in that one shot alone. The brightness is also high but no quite as much as the first because of the certain action taking place. The saturation in this shot is higher than in the first because their are more dark colors incorporated into the shot.

The lighting in both shots is also very similar even though what is going on in the scene is a completely different feeling. In the first picture of Peter and Chris, the only shadows used are for items that are stationary such as the table and the window seal. The characters themselves have no shadowing. The symbolism for the first one is clear, because it is bright and happy. During that shot it is meant to poke fun and be a light-hearted moment. The mood is also illustrated by this because of the lighting being so bright. It makes it seem as though its the perfect setting for something non serious to happen. The second picture, however, is hard to understand of the terms of lighting. First there is no shadowing in the whole shot. The entire image doesn't use shadowing to create another element, it is strictly straight forward. As goes for symbolism, the lighting is very bright and this may seem odd since Brains getting a gun pulled on him. The lighting doesn't necessarily match the mood either. This would in any other case be a serious situation, and the lighting would normally match the feeling. However this show pry's itself on going against the grain. There for there is some discrepancies in the mood and the lighting.

Storyboard Imitation

The director of the movie followed all the rules while shooting this scene. The only one that isn't 100% is, the rule of thirds. While in the third and fifth scene it is easy to see, the others are not as close. The third and fifth scene line up with the girls at the end of the hall and the boy on the bike. The 180 degree rule is plain because of the shots they use. They focus on certain aspects and shoot in a non traditional way in that the rule isn't broke but unnecessary. The 30 rule is the easiest one to spot when watching the video clip. The first scene is of the boy on the bike riding away from the camera. The distance is between the character and the camera is pretty great. However in the second shot, the camera moves more than 30% in, to focus on the boy riding the bike. These rules worked so well for the director when he was shooting. The rules helped to create tension within the scene and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. When it transitions from the second to the third shot, the use of the 30 rule, made the audience feel the shot as if they were there. Rounding that corner and seeing those twin girls standing there. In the particular scene it is harder to see the rule of thirds, however in this particular scene it wasn't needed. By using the 30 rule instead, the suspense was higher and it kept the audience from know what going to happen till the last minute. It also wasn't used as to keep the viewer focusing on only the key things in the shot, so as to know exactly where the audience will have their attention focused. Which was in the middle of most shots, the boy on the bike and the twin girls.

Song Deconstuction

The Black Keys - Psychotic Girl

The Black Keys - Strange Times

LISTENING FRAMEWORK

(SIMPLIFIED)

The Black Keys - Psychotic Girl

LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)
Tempo - The song has a slow tempo throughout.
Source - Electric Guitar is the main source that drives the tempo of the song.
Groove - The personality of the rhythm is calm and easy going.

LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)
Instrumentation - Drums, Piano, Symbols, Electric Guitar, Banjo, Synth
Structure/Organization - Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, verse, chorus, solo, outro
Emotional Architecture - The song starts of low and picks up after the first verse. Then drops back off after the chorus and continues to build and drop from verse to chorus, and vice versa.

LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)
Balance
Height - The song has high frequencies, because the drums and guitar are very low, the piano and synth however is very high pitch making a wide variety of sounds.
Width - There is low width because the song is balanced between the left and right.
Depth - There is a lot of depth in this song because of the large variety of sounds. You have to listen to the song closely to hear all of the instruments and effects they are using.

LISTENING FRAMEWORK

(SIMPLIFIED)

The Black Keys - Strange Times

LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)
Tempo - This song has a medium paced tempo, except during the chorus it slows down.
Source - The main rhythm is from the drums.
Groove - The personality of the rhythm is very unique, more of a mysterious feeling.

LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)
Instrumentation - Drums, Electric Guitar, Synth, Piano
Structure/Organization - Intro, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Outro
Emotional Architecture - The song starts off heavy with the drums and guitar. It stays steady throughout the song, until the chorus when the drums and guitar lower.

LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)
Balance
Height - This song has a low frequency because there isn't much difference in the pitch of the sounds.
Width - There is small width to this song, and is balanced across both speakers.
Depth - The depth of the song isn't all that much. There are only a few instruments being used to create the music.

Since both songs are by the same band, The Black Keys, they have a lot in common. The lyrics for the first song, Psychotic Girl, are about a girl who treats her men bad. There was a time when they thought that she could change and she ends up doing them bad. So the lead singer says that he won't get involved with her because she is a psychotic girl. For the song Strange Times, the lyrics are very unique and match the song. It can be taken a few different ways on what message they were trying to get across through this song. I thought it was about angels and religion. Telling about how they can come down and rescue us before we hurt ourselves. The melody of the two songs is different. In Psychotic Girl, it has a slower, more relaxed melody, while in Strange Times, it is very loud and aggressive. For musical quality the only thing that is alike in these two songs is organization. Both are set up with almost the exact same structure. However they are different when it comes to pitch, speed, intensity, and rhythm. The pitch is higher in Psychotic Girl, and the speed is a lot slower that in Strange Times. The intensity in Strange Times is also a lot higher than in the other.

The Black Keys are my favorite band so it is difficult for me to not love both of these songs. I would pick Psychotic Girl as my more favored out of the two. I enjoy the melody and rhythm of the song because it is so chill. It is my favorite song to listen to when I am just sitting around taking it easy. It puts me in a comfortable place and helps me to relax.