Mis-en-Scene - Remember the Titans

I choose to evaluate a scene from Remember the Titans. The scene I used is a scene is a major scene in the movie. When coach Boone, (Denzel) leads his team on a run to the Gettysburg memorial. At this point he gives a speech to his team about overcoming the differences between the races, and uniting as one team to achieve greatness. Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot does an outstanding job using the rule of thirds to capture this shot. Placing coach Boone on the far left in a red shirt against a neutral background allows for all attention to be directed to Coach Boone. Also, the graves really begin to illustrate the path this team is on by ignoring and hating one another.  Also the parallel lines created by the actor and the tree combine to further enhance the parallelism coach Boone is making with his dialogue. This scene is the turning point in the movie, and he parallelisms makes a beautiful piece of production.

Compose a Frame- Action Golf Swing

In this picture, I had the ability to put a timer on a camera that would record my swing. I decided to take the shot at The Ledges Golf Club on the 12th tee. This hole allowed me to place the camera on level ground even with the tee. With the rule of thirds in mind I decided to crop the picture with me in the center creating a vertical line in the middle allowing for the background to create symmetrical balance.

The mountain range and the different color of rocks create horizontal lines that are seen over and over as one scans the image. All the horizontal lines bring the eye to the golfer. The lines created from the mountains, grass, and shrubs all influence the index vector and bring eyes back to the golfer.

Axioms - Nike.com

The website I choose to demonstrate the axioms of web design is Nike.com. When one arrives on the landing page the eye is immediately drawn to hero image that takes up the majority of space. This image changes from Serena Williams, to Rory Mcilroy and continues on a cycle. The page is formatted in a landscape format with div elements that divide the navigation links, header, footer. The color scheme is simple grey, black and white. The nike logo is Top left and helps move the viewer from left to right and they progress through the page. An asymmetrical layout also creates good balance making the page aesthetically pleasing.

The page is very simple to navigate because of the direct links to the different type of apparel and sporting goods. The drop down lists also make finding specific groups of items easier. Also the navigation tabs are broken down by age and gender to help shopping easier and navigable. The is not any unrelated clickbait found on the page, just links and contact information.

Design Presentation : Golf Ball Packaging

The package for these golf balls is simple and direct by using elements of line, form, color, texture, etc.
The designer uses line to bring the consumer's eye to the ball being displayed. Also the design uses the line created from alignment of the logo and text above and below the ball. A horizontal line between the "CHROME, and "SOFT". Every line on the box brings the eye to the ball. The chrome lines creates a different texture between the red background and chrome lines. Also the white print creates a different texture because of the font. Shape also becomes very important within the ball display. The hexagon shape also reflects the hexagon shape of the dimples on the actual ball. The dimple shape is also printed within the red backdrop on the box.

When looking at the application of and effectiveness of gestalt principles, the most identifiable principle is similarity. All the hexagon shapes represented throughout all layers of the package. The shape of the display, to the technology on the ball, all are similar to background design. Furthermore the lines follow an easy path to the ball and the easiest lines to follow all take the eye to the same place. The logo located above the ball has a downward arrow making an easy connection to the ball.
The law of closure is also developed by the solid color backdrop, and all the lines come to an end when reaching the ball. The box shape also allows for this law to become achieved without much effort.

The package for this golf ball is very different from the Callaway package. This design is more complex and does not display the actual product. Right away my eye is taken to the "Crush" label. this label is just off centered and is bigger than anything else on the package. The use of color and shadow is much more developed and more vibrant. The use of direct line is not a dominant, however the colors do change to create a vanishing point on the left. using a mirror like effect we can begin to see how the texture is created by this effect on the colors. The texture gives the feel fire as you can almost see the explosion of a ball off the tee.
The complex color shades, and big bold labels give a great contrast to the white Nike logo on the top left corner. The culture for Nike has been established, thus the design of this product is to highlight the fact that this is a Nike golf ball. Understanding how this brand can override most gestalt principles, we can see how guiding the eye to the logo with color, and texture is the main idea. The law of similarity is noticed with the orange highlight around the text. Closure is provided with a boxed label in the middle and also the vanishing point on the left. 


Callaway - 29.99 $
Nike - 29.99 $

Contrast, Harmony, Balance - Dixie Red Hills

I took this picture back in March. This is a trail located just next to Dixie Red Hills Golf Course. I took this up near a monument that was placed this past spring. It was right around 10 am, and was a beautiful morning for a stroll along this simple pathway. This photograph presents a number of Gestalt Theory and Principles.

The plaques located on the bottom of the screen represent some of the physical context. This pathway leads people to an decommissioned quarry used to build the original structures for St George and Washington County. The red rock located in both below and above the golf course also gives us that physical context of a Red Stone Quarry. The plaques also provide a look into history and pioneer ancestry creates a historical presence for a cultural context. People who are familiar with Southern Utah history also know this course is the first golf course in the area. If we critically analyze this picture we can see the chronological history of this picture from cultural perspective. This angle shows the viewer this quarry was located in a valley. The current golf course is located just parallel to the ancient quarry. If we look into the background of the picture we can see mountains at a higher elevation covered with snow. At this point we can see that the location of both the quarry and golf course are no coincidence or accident. Water runs through the middle of this course and settles just below the quarry. This at one point was the only running water to this area, and thus site of both settlements. The physical context is presented by the mountains and their different colors. From there we get to see the cultural context with the plaques and also through critical thinking. The history provides some psychological context for people who identify with the original St. George, and pioneer roots.

Using the vocabulary of design we can see how this photograph uses color and line to define where the eye leads us. The lines created by the two red rock ledges bring the eye to the mountain in the background. Horizontal lines run from top to bottom using the geography as guide to our vanishing point. The vanishing point is provided by the design of the fairway for the Par 5, 3rd hole. The colors also help create contrast between positive and negative space. This space also gives us balance between the top and bottom halves of the picture. Texture is created through the shadows on the rocks and trees. The cut of the grass to designate greens, and fairways also gives us texture and feel of the grass.

Adam Hales - Visceral Response



For those who do not know me very well, I am a huge sports fan. I have complete faith and respect for the values and characteristics sports have reinforced in my life. That being said, Football is my first love, and the feelings I get when thinking about the game resemble the same relationship people develop with cars, or pets.
Sports Authority Field at Mile High is the home of Super Bowl 50 Champion, Denver Broncos. I love this place. This place is the first thing I think of when I day dream of being home in Colorado. The context for me begins with culture, I was raised in Denver, fifteen minutes from the stadium. My mother used to work at this building. This is a sacred ground for millions of Denver residents. Physically, this is a grass field with lines across them and numbers representing their placement.

Using the language of design I can show you how this becomes emotionally stupefying.
The lines used by the architects of Mile High use a horizontal line that runs unevenly across the top of the stadium. This moves my eye around the entire field. Horizontal lines across the windows make the stadium look larger. The vertical lines on the front side lead up to the Bronco statue at the top of the stadium.
The shape of this stadium like most stadiums is oval shaped to produce maximum viewing potential for all fans. Rectangles are created through the bleachers and in the design of the lights above the stadium. My favorite design aspect comes with the unique peak and valley effect the lights work around the top and open up to reveal the Bronco Statue.