Firelight

Lots of people talk about the inner light, that inner force within you that makes you go on, and on. Today I was listening in the radio something about fear, and taking the decision you fear the most, stop thinking so much and just do whatever you feel like. Get out of your comfort zone a dare to get whatever you want, be whoever you want to be. Maybe let the fear be that sparkle inside of you that will light everything up so you become a firelight.

Besides talking about this inner light and being one of my favorite songs (in the same category as "Beautiful" by Chrsitina, or "Born this way" by Lady Gaga, I love the lights in the city at night, the way some buildings are  lit at the beginning of the video. I also do love all the colors of the fireworks going out from the chests of everyone who finally dares to be him or helrself.

I just have one thing to say, let's be ourselves! no matter friends, think we have changed, o things around us seem really scaring... let's take a chance! let's jump to the abyss, let's... let's dare to be ourselves!!!

hugs and kisses,

Orquidea

Black Swan

Today I saw a great movie called Black Swan, with one of my favorite actresses as the protagonist: Natalie Portman, with the beautiful and joyful Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel as the teacher. I went to see it with my sister, so I had a bit of a different vision of it, as she had to diagnose the girl for a school paper (she is studying psychology), and between ilusions, psychosis, OCT, great close ups that could tell you the story even if you only saw parts of the general scene, and such a beautiful music you could get lost in it and sense the general feeling of the movie.

At the beginning, I thought the lighting was not so good, as there was nothing "special" but as the movie went on, I realised it was actually really good. It was not the protagonist at all, and it made you feel the real place. It also contributed with the suspense, being dark and made you feel it even more, being real. O liked the lighting. It was not pretencious, it didn't seem as if it was trying to make the protagonists look better or worse, and it was... real.

I can just say, go watch the movie if you haven't watched it yet, it's amazing.

Dark tales

I feel so stressed today due to people who thinks they deserve more than they deserve... I just need a break, a deep breath and a smile. So... lets keep talking about two of my favorite subjects: fairy tales and photography. Oh, I do love photography. I do love magical worlds that just exist in mind and in pics, where the protagonists are oh, so different. And light is so well used... I really do love photography.

The pictures in here were taken by Fiona Quinn under the title of Darktales. and I simply love them. So simple and pretty, and at the same time, so... dark even if full of light. Enjoy them as much as I do. My favorite this time: Sleeping beauty.

Tangled

I've just seen the movie today... and I loved it.

Although not because of my love all the comments towards it will be beautiful.

I must say I am impressed by the animation. It is done in such a way that you could actually feel the grass under your feet, the water, the fur of the bunny, the hair of the girl, or the water drops on the faces of the protagonists.

My favorite scene involves water and destruction, as the way the sun is hitting all that mass of water, the reflections and the daylight are almost perfect for me. I also liked a lot the way in which they could represent daylight, so you could know if not the place on Earth in which the story took place, at least the time of the day, and maybe season of the year.

The way light was understood as for showing the night not as dark and black nor blue and cold, but in a friendly way, such as the light you can see in a summer night when taking a peaceful walk in the city, or the town you are visiting.

The lamp scene was quite similar to the tradition Lalita, a Thai friend from KTH, described as her favorite lamp in one of the first lectures in KTH ALD. So, besides it was really well done, I could give it a bigger meaning that made me like it even more.

I think, talking about lighting in a movie, it is extremely well done, as most, if not all of Disney's movies. Although... somehow... I still think there are some characteristics that can be found in all Disney's movies, and I don't know if it is the lighting, the image composition, the kind of camera, the colors used, or what.

Well, now let's talk about the story, let's talk about Disney and the story of Rapunzel. I declare myself as a Disney products lover, I totally am... or maybe I was. I love fairy tales, but I hate how Disney has been manipulating them and now the stories that we know are the ones Disney brought us. Snow White died because of an apple, and nobody knows at least about the comb, not to mention the dwarfs got names. Cinderella has a godmother and the help of lots of animals, and her sisters are so ugly and dumb, as if there was no way they could be mean and pretty, and of course, nobody knows about her mother's tumb and she crying over it. (Didn't did I until lately I read "Random Thoughts of a Crazy Liberal" Blog in the part in which she talks about fairy tales.) The Little Mermaid is called Ariel and actually lives happily ever after with Eric instead of dying for love and becoming sea foam. And now... now Rapunzel's story is not just slightly changed, but totally changed and it'll be lost forever and the one that will be taken for granted will be Disney's!

I think I haven't read the real one, but... the one I have always know doesn't involve not the sun, not a flower, and she is not a princess... at least not at the beginning of the story. In the story I know she is called Rapunzel, because her mother wants rapuns, which I don't know in which language were supposed to mean sweet radishes from the garden of the witch living next door. When the with found out that they were stealing her radishes, she wanted the girl in change, and got it, and named her Rapunzel. Here beauty, youth and a lady that wanted to remain young forever were not the reason the witch had Rapunzel, and yes, she was a witch, not just an old lady trying to be young forever. And... well... changing the beginning, you can imagine the whole history is completely changed. I liked the story, I loved the movie, but I definitley stay with the original version.

Tron + Tron: Legacy

Como diseñadora de iluminación, y como arquitecta que tiene la cabeza en un proyecto de interiorismo, encuentro esta película hermosa e impactante. Hermosa porque el diseño de los sets lo considero hermoso, a pesar, o por de su simpleza. Impactante, porque es increíble que con tan solo luces y tiras reflectoras en los trajes, o luces, no estoy segura, te sientas transportado a otro mundo.
Mi novio pensó que TRON era mucho mejor que esta y que esto se descubrió desde la primera; sin embargo, yo no lo pienso así. Tron fue una buena película para su tiempo, y la estética siguió lo que se esperaba de la estética de la época, así como la de esta época siguió la estética esperada de esta, siendo más lisa y tangible, no apareciendo como una animación en la cual están dentro los personajes. Mientras que la primera me hizo recordar a la guerra de las galaxias un poco, en la segunda pude ver un mundo más tangible, más real, aunque hubiera sido el mismo mundo de la primera.
Sobre la historia, he de decir que son muy similares e incluso algunos diálogos se asemejan. La primera tenía un buen ritmo, no dejando que te aburririeras, mientras que la segunda fue demasiado lenta para mi, provocando un poco de aburrimiento sólo compensado por las belleza de las imágenes.
Creo que vale la pena ver ambas, la primera para ver lo que se logra con un exceso de luz, lo cual, para la época, sirvió, pero no para la actualidad. Con la segunda, como lo dije anteriormente, es sumamente bella e impresionante todo lo que se puede crear con líneas de luz. Algo bueno para tener en mente.


As a lighting designer and as an architect with the mind into an interior design project, I find this movie beautiful and amazing. Beautiful because I consider the design of the sets beautiful, even though or because of the simpleness. Amazing, because it is unbelievable that with just lights and reflective strips in the suits, or lights, I'm not so sure, you feel transported to another world.
My bf thought that Tron was much better than the legacy and that this thing of lights was discovered since the first one. I don't think the same. Tron was a great movie for its time, and the aesthetics followed what was expected for the aesthetics of that time, as this time aesthetics followed the expected one, being sompler and tangible, not appearing as an animation inside which the characters appear.
About the story, I must say both movies are very similar, even some dialogues. Tron had good rythm, not letting u get bored, while the legacy was a bit slow for me, provoking a bit of boredom, just compensating it with beautiful images.
I think it is worthy to watch both, the first one to know what can you achieve with an excess of light, which, for its time, was completely useful, but not for actuality. The second, as I have said, is really beautiful and impresing everything you can creat with light lines. Something good to have in mind.

Fairy tales/Cuentos de hadas

Desde niños, hemos crecido con cuentos de hadas, soñando con el príncipe azul, creyendo en la magia, en reinos lejanos, en finales felices y aventuras. Todo esto era posible para nosotros de pequeños. De grandes, algunos fotógrafos han tomado estos lugares comunes como inspiración para poder recordarnos esos cuentos y esas fantasías, recrear mundos con finales más reales, o criticar a la sociedad mostrándonos a nuestros personajes favoritos desde un punto de vista diferente, en un mundo que ha crecido.

Since we were kids, we have grown with fairy tales, dreaming with Prince Charming, believing in magic, in faraway kingdoms and adventures. All of these was possible for us when we were little. As grown ups, some photographers have taken these common places as inspiration, just to remember those dreams and fantasies, just for mixing that world giving it an ending according to this, just to critisize society showing us our favorite characters from a different poin of view, in a grown up world.

Fotografìa /Photography

Mitad luz, mitad composición, y un poco de magia. Eso es lo que hace buena a una buena fotografía. La cámara ayuda, eso es cierto, y filtros, y colores, pero... eso no le da la magia.

Una fotografía chueca, donde no veas qué sucede, o una con demasiado luz, o muy oscura, tampoco son buenas. Una buena foto debe verse con volúmen, con sombras, con luces, y contar una historia. Entenderla. Cuando uno toma una fotografía, debe decidir. Tomar decisiones, saber qué contar y cómo contarlo.

Siempre hay algo que decir, algo que transmitir y eso es el qué, la historia. No es sólo disparar en automático y dejar que la cámara piense, es poner algo de ti, es elegir, seleccionar, saber cuándo es el momento, cuánto tiempo dejar el obturador abierto, a qué hora la tomas, y cómo eliges tu luz.

Finalmente, cuando esto se ha dominado, hace falta lo más importante, y es poner un poco de uno en cada foto tomada. Es darles esa magia. Es hacer de esa foto, una foto única, porque tu forma de ver la vida es única, y hacerla brillar, aunque sea oscura, hacerla especial, hacerla parte de ti.

Half light, half composition and a bit of magic. That is what makes a good photography, good. Camera helps, that is true, and filters, and colors, but... that doesn't give magic, light nor composition.

A tilted photography, where you cannot what is happening, or a good one with too much light, or too dark, are not good either. A good picture should show the volumes, with shadows, with lights, and tell a story. Understand it. When you take a picture, you should decide. Take decisions, know what to say, and how to say it.

There is always something to say, something to transmit, and that is the what, the story. It is not just shooting in automatic and let the camera think, it's giving something from you, it's choosing, selecting, knowing when is the right moment, how much time to let the aperture open, what time you take it, and how you choose light.

Finally, when this is doen, the most important is missing, and that is to put a bit of you in every picture taken. It is to give it the magic. It is to make that picture, a unique pictures, because your wat of seeing life is unique, and make it shine, even if it is dark, make it special, make it part of yourself.

Sin City

La iluminación en las películas puede transportarte a otros mundos, y darte información como la hora del día en la que están, o el tipo de atmósfera y carácter en cierto lugar. Incluso te puede dar información sobre ciertos personajes. Una buena iluminación te ayuda a meterte en la película y entenderla más que solo verla desde fuera.

Ese es el caso de la iluminación en Sin City. Una película blanco y negro, con toques de color, que no es igual a ninguna otra que haya visto antes. Desde la primer inexplicable escena en un gran balcón, tienes el sentimiento de un comic.

Puedo decir que la fotografía es memorable, al tener varias escenas atrapadas en la cabeza, aún semanas después de verla. La vestimenta de los personajes, y la caracterización de otros, así como la forma en que las historias se entrelanzan sin siquiera tocarse y de nuevo, el acierto en la iluminación y fotografía, con imágenes combinadas con siluetas que parecen dibujadas y los efectos como la lluvia que no moja a los actores es lo que hace de esta película algo único.Además de un gran elenco y personajes interesantes.

Si uno quiere aprender sobre contrastes, la importancia de la oscuridad, y cómo resaltar ciertas características, aún con el uso de bastantes sombras, uno no se la puede perder.

Lighting in movies can take you to other worlds, and give you information like the time of the day, the atmosphere, and the caracter of a certain place. It can even give you information about certain characters. A good lighting design helps you getting into the movie, and understand it more that just watching it from the outside.

This is what happens on the lighting design of Sin City. A black and white movie, with some sparkles of color, that is not like any other i had seen before. From the first unexplainable sceen in a big balcony, you have the feeling of a comic.

I can say that the photography is memorable, as having several scenes still caught in my head, even weaks after watching it. The dressing of the characters, and the characterization ofothers, as well as the way in which the stories are together wihtout even touching among themselves, and again, the lighting design, and photography with images that seem drwan and the special effects like the rain that doesn't make the actors wet, it's what makes this movie something unique. Besides a great casting and interesting characters.

If one wants to learn about contrasts, the importance of darkness, and the way of highlighting certain characteristics, even with the use of lots of shadows, one cannot lose it.

Rumble Fish

Can a movie be so awsome to make you tired of beauty? Yes, it can, and Rumble Fish is that movie. After an hour of watching the picture, focussing on the beauty of the images more than just following a story.

Every detail is taken care of. People walking, smoky atmosphere, the right light, and a photography so amazing, that it hurts. The shots, the composition, and the right lights in the right moment are just amazing. Even the color-less movie and colorfull fish, all in one shot.

The fact that it is black and white makes you focus in the lighting conditions of each shot, making it easier to see the light, as you are just watching light and darkness.

Add this amazing technique and imagery poetry to great handsome actors such as Matt Dillon and Mickie Rourke, an amazing director such as Francis Ford Coppola, a deep meaninful story, not too many words, just the right amount, and you have an amazing movie from 1983 called Rumble Fish.

Puede una película cansarte de la belleza? Sí, puede hacerlo y Rumble Fish es esa película. Después de una hora de ver la película, no decir cuando se llega al final, enfocándome en la belleza de las imágenes, más que seguir la trama.

Cada detalle está cuidado. La gente caminando, el humo, la luz adecuada y la fotografía son tan impactantes, que después de un rato, realmente duele. Las tomas, la composición y la iluminación correcta en el momento justo te dejan sin palabras.

El hecho de que sea blanco y negro, hace que te enfoques en las condiciones lumínicas de cada toma, haciendo que el ver la luz sea aún más sencillo ya que sólo miras luz y oscuridad.

A esta maravillosa técnica y poesía en imágenes, añádele grandes y guapos actores como Matt Dillon y Mickie Rourke, un increíble director como Francis Frod Coppola y una profunda historia y pocas palabras, sólo las necesarias y tendrás una magnífica película de 1983 llamada Rumble Fish.