#'how many more fucking symmetry groups do we have to impose to try to get Magic Force in there too'

[savrenim]

no because how can maki catch a bullet point blank and then be slower than... a punch

I mean she. she's a sorcerer. clearly some of what she's got going on is Sorcerer Rules Don't Abide By Normal Physics.

this is. about as much a gotcha. as going "well what the FUCK is QUANTUM TUNNELING then a BOWLING BALL can't just DECIDE THAT IT CAN TELEPORT THROUGH A WALL, BOWLING BALLS DON'T TELEPORT THROUGH WALLS TAKE THAT" well in the case that the bowling ball is the size of a proton it. uh. can bc quantum rules apply instead of classical rules, and it's where they interact at the boundaries that you get weird cool shit and fun technology and realize just how bullshit our world actually is

she's got some Sorcerer Stuff going on, the Sorcerer Physics applies there, whatever's happening can't be perfectly modeled by a classical understanding of the world, it's not that much weirder to catch a bullet and not a punch than for bowling balls to randomly teleport through walls

#and I *KNOW* that she does not have enough cursed energy to really be technically considered a sorcerer on her own #but heavenly restriction IS sorcery bullshit so it gets to fall under sorcery physics rules #also y'all I'm mostly here to rant about physics and have a good time and like. #mildly feel like world that don't go hard sci fi with how their magic system works but also don't fill in that corner #leave a sandbox and that sandbox is where I like to play!!! bc I find the implications COOL!!!!! #there is nothing I'd love to be more than a physicist in a world that has just discovered magic going #'okay how the FUCK do we model this and does this make a universal theory of everything more possible or less' #'how many more fucking symmetry groups do we have to impose to try to get Magic Force in there too' #like! I'm just here to have fun! #and one of the things about having physics fun in a system that wasn't designed to be hard physics is that you're playing with hypothetical #and DEFINITELY not canon nor are you using canon for its intended purpose #but it's still fun!

[awed-frog]

Don't you feel like Cas is getting smaller? I mean, I was sure before that he and Dean where almost the same heigh but Dean was a little taller than him, and last episode when I saw them standing in front of each Dean looked a lot more taller than Cas

That’s an interesting question. IRL, Misha is a strapping lad [183 cm], only 3 cm shorter than Jensen [186 cm] (and, well, much shorter than Jared [193 cm], but then again, isn’t everyone?), but the show has a habit of framing him so he looks a bit smaller than that.

Like, this is them IRL -

- and here is a normal shot from S12.

There are, of course, a number of reasons to cheat with how tall or short actors are, and some have to do with the general framing of the scene, not with the narrative itself. That said, you’re right - this SPN 12x19 thing was almost ridiculously out of proportion.

And the thing is, this is deliberate and meaningful, especially if we consider how carefully arranged other shots in this episode were - from Kelly’s face disappearing into the dark mirror (making her a identity-less baby bump) from Dean and Cas isolated inside that circle, Amanda Tapping has been super attentive and done a wonderful job. In this case, what is most apparent is the symmetry (two groups, isolated down the middle), the white light between Dean and Cas (which draws the attention of the viewer, is in the dead centre of the scene and also a perfect symbol of that distance forming between them), and the almost perfect descent in height of the characters themselves.

This creates a very neat visual effect and it messes with our psychology, because traditionally in Western visual arts the winners go left to right (it’s possible this has to do with our writing system, since in Etruscan art, it’s the opposite way around), as you can see on every Greek vase ever painted -

- but here, even though Cas has just defeated Dagon, we know something is not right and we know Sam and Dean are the ones being reasonable, so our brains instantly go, Wait, what? and this straight line from Sam to Kelly makes things even worse, because it’s a strong indication that there’s some kind of falling down and degeneration involved, and it makes Cas and Kelly look like they’re wrong BUT THEY’RE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FRAME (*siren blaring*) and there’s an office inside your brain that’s busy busy busy trying to unscramble wtf is going on.

But - and here is where the magic happens - if you frame this shot in the ‘right’ way, the meaning changes and the thing becomes much less effective.

Here it is, respecting the actors’ heights (excuse the background, it’s way too late here to try and photoshop it right) -

- looking all wonky because Cas and Dean are roughly the same height but Sam and Kelly aren’t, and goodbye symmetry; and here it is with the characters going in the ‘right’ direction -

- this looks way too threatening, doesn’t it, especially considering that’s a pregnant lady on the far end -

- and this looks - again, it’s inelegant because there are no straight lines anywhere, also Dean should be looking directly at Cas, which would take away the ‘looking down’ part (narratively important, because Dean is right and Cas is acting weird), plus our brains will naturally understand what’s going on and therefore not stop and think about the scene at all - and this is why many paintings and movie shots are framed in a weird way: because we see so many things every day, our brains will only work hard on those things which are ‘abnormal’ or don’t make sense in some way, and just smile benignly at everything else (ie, ignore the fuck out of it), so if you want to be noticed in some way, to draw the audience’s attention on something, making your things ‘not quite right’ is the quickest way to do it. And it works, doesn’t it? You asked yourself that question, and I wondered at it too when I saw it, and so did others. 

So, yes - I think that, in general, Misha’s physical features are played down, because we mostly see Cas as Dean (our POV character for most of the time, and especially when Cas is involved) sees him: as a ‘dorky little guy’ - and therefore, Misha’s fitness and his alarmingly bulging muscles would be a disadvantage in the story. In fact, they’ll be kept hidden and be disregarded until Dean himself, our lens into what Cas is, suddenly notices Cas has body and man, it’s a Good One (*lights candle to any god who’s listening*). And in some shots, I think they also play with the fact that Cas looks completely inoffensive and boring (hence the outfit, the dad hair, and Jensen standing on apple boxes next to him) while in reality, he’s anything but. Like, right in this scene we’ve just watched him annihilate a Prince of Hell, but when facing Sam and Dean, he’s almost a child compared to their bulk and imposing figures, which probably has also to do with the fact that he’s not being himself, and he’s making the wrong choice, and all that.

In any case, a beautiful shot.

#ask #spn 12x19 #cas #castiel #spn cinematography #amanda tapping #how you frame a scene #i learned this stuff #in art history #so cinema is probably a bit different #if someone's an expert of some kind #please pitch in #:)

[czechthisshitout]

Vienna Trip Recap: 3.30.17-4.2.17

We arrived back in Prague late last night, after a pam-jacked three day trip to Vienna. But, it is only after a long day of unpacking, grocery shopping, laundry, writing an ad hoc application and struggling to write a concise reflection paper, that I am finally able to document my first study-abroad, trip abroad! (Try saying that ten times fast...)

We arrived to Vienna around noon on Thursday, checked into our hostel and grabbed some quick falafel at the outdoor market. Before hopping on the metro (a.k.a.) the subway and going on a walking tour of the historic Ringstrasse, the ring shaped boulevard that that serves as the barrier of the historic district at the center of the city. The Ringstrasse district is incredibly beautiful, with its large 17th and 18th Neo-classicial buildings that house many theaters, museums and ministries. It was honestly a bit overwhelming, the large scale, high cleanliness and the nearly perfect symmetry, was enough to make anyone feel insignificant and a bit unnerved. As part of the walking tour we also viewed the Jewish memorial, an imposing concrete structure in the middle of a small plaza, that look like a locked library with all the books turned inward, so that the titles are unreadable. Me and most of my peers actually missed the monument until Vera pointed it out to us,  I felt a little guilty for not noticing it on my own. This also raises interesting questions about how the Austrian government views the importance of the Jewish holocaust in the public’s memory. On a lighter note, we also briefly toured St Stephen’s Cathedral (though we didn’t have to tour the spire =/ ). The Cathedral is gorgeous and ornate, thought a bit overwhelmed with tours and tour guides dressed like Mozart, which was distracting. After the working tour, we got the opportunity to tour the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and received a talk from a State department official. They gave us fancy bottled water, which was a bit bougie but nice. The talk was informative, but overly niche in someplace, considering there are only a few JSIS and poli-sci majors, you can tell the official was trying very hard not to bad mouth Trump. Following the OSCE tour, we went for a group dinner at the Cafe Central, a historic cafe in ornate Art Nouveau style, where Hitler, Freud, Tolstoy and Lenin all were regulars (though not interacting with each other). It was really nice to just talk and bond with everybody on the trip in a more relaxed context, the food was really good and I ate my self silly. Dinner went rather late, and we didn’t return to the Hostel until 10:00ish. Me and all my roommates were all exhausting, so we had an earlier night, turning in around 11ish. 

Next morning, after drinking a ridiculous amount of coffee, curtsey of the free hostel breakfast, we had start our day at a very reasonable 9:30am, before hoping on the tram to the city’s outskirt to visit, the Schoebrunn Palace and Gardens, which served as the summer palace for the Habsburg empire. I had an audio guide for the museum, and since I fucking love museums I spent too long in the interior of the museum looking at the beautiful parlors, dining rooms and personal rooms of the Habsburgs, so I was late to arrive at our group meeting point. The meeting point was the Gloriette, a structure composed of Classical styles arches at the top of the hill in the gardens behind the palace, so in the 75 degree weather, I had to run up this giant hill in converse and skinny jeans. Needless to say, I nearly died. Luckily, Kieran, another dude in our group was actually 30 minutes later than I was, so my lateness slipped by relatively unnoticed. We spent some time walking through the sprawling gardens and parks surrounding the palace, filled with antique fountains, before catching a tram, grabbing a quick lunch of spanakopita, and then after, another metro ride, we arrived at the Vienna United Nations. It was breathtaking to see the circle of flags fluttering in the breeze. The tour was interesting, we got to see various offices, meeting rooms, learning about diplomacy goals for 2030 and see a moon rock, though I think our perky tour guide was disappointed in us for not asking enough questions.... oh, well. We were done with the tour in the late afternoon and then had the rest of day free. Me, Francesca, Courtney and Maddy, walked down by the canal, just people watching and looking at the diverse street art and graffiti (also taking some photos like the obnoxious American tourists we are). We also discovered a ‘beach’ bar, equipped with fake sand and enjoyed a drink as watch the sun set over the city. Later in the evening, we ventured to the outdoor market to grab some dinner, we actually found a very decent “Pan-Asian” place, and I had some pretty good miso noodle soup (as well as all the mushroom from Kristina’s curry, since somehow she hates mushrooms). Later that evening a lot of the us went out and enjoyed the local night life for a bit, before navigating the metro without the aid of google maps, and returning back to the hostel. 

Saturday morning, we met promptly at 10am and metroed to Hofburg Palace, which included the Sisi Museum (commemorating the tragic and mysterious Empress Elizabeth). The first part of the Hofburg was the ‘Royal Silver Collection’ and I was fascinated by the sheer amount of cutlery, plates and other settings, made of painted porcelain, bronze, silver and gold. It was an impossible amount to take in. The second part of the museum was very similar to the Schoebrunn Palace, with private living quarters of the royals laid out, apparently Franz Joseph I lived a very “spartan” lifestyle, yet have a personal servant help dress him every day... Interesting. The Sisi Museum went very deep into the life and personal struggles of Empress Sophia, it was equal parts fascinating, sympathetic and dramatic, with lots of dramatic poetry quotes and dark lighting. Yet again I was a few minutes late to the meet-up point, which everyone arrived to 20 minutes early, so Mike had to come and retrieve me like a small child. Really, I am 21, I swear. Afterward we went to the Kunsthaus Wien, a building designed by and serving as a memorial to Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a Viennan artist who art is bright, childlike and oddly capturing. We were lucky to have a tour, but really I just wanted to wander around and stare at the pieces at my own pace, I grabbed a few postcards of my favorite pieces in the gift shop. Then I grabbed some surprisingly good spinach pizza at a food stand, before we head to a bike rental down by the river for our three hour bike trip. I was a little nervous, as I hadn’t really ridden in the last year or so, and they gave one of the tallest types of bike, but after a wobbly start I recovered quickly. During the bike tour lead by Vera, we stop by Freud’s house, the Church where Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth got married in, and a Soviet memorial the Red Army. But that short list fails to capture the magnitude of the city we traveled, including many of the small public parks and much of the canal (which were very crowded and thus a real challenge to pick through). It was simply amazing. After the bike ride, which went to 6:30pm, me and a few others went to the nearby fairgrounds where I actually enjoyed a beer and few over-priced rides (included one that flung you into the sky like slingshot, needless to say, I screamed “FUCK” the whole time). After returning to the hostel, me, Fran, Courtney, Maddy and Kristina met up with Kristina’s friend Ann who’s a nanny in Vienna, at a board-game cafe, before calling it a night at 11pm. (I did wander into the hostel bar and was goaded into playing beer pong, which I royally blew at). 

Sunday morning I woke up early, well 8ish, to pack up my stuff and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. The group met up at 10:40, metroed, then bused to the hills on the outskirts of the city, to explore the Viennese countryside and go to a wine tasting at the Grinzing Vineyard. (We also briefly stopped at the Karl Marx Hox, a notable public housing development). The 20 minutes bus-ride up the hill was very crowded, but I managed not to elbow anybody in the face, so it was a success. We spent a 30 minutes at the lookout point at the top of the hills, and I got a really good apple cake, the apple was super fresh and cake was super light. We then spent a little over an hour hiking through the Viennese countryside, which was beautiful, I felt that I stumbled into somewhere far removed from 2017. Unfortunately the hills were rather steep, and it was rather hot, so I was ‘glistening’ by the end of the hike, to say the least. We arrived at the Grinzing Vineyards, which is small winery that has been family owned for 4 generations, at around 1:30pm. In the afternoon flew by in a haze of delicious wine, bread, fancy cheese, much laughter and many selfies. We sadly left the Winery, after struggling to figure out to split the bill, grabbed our bags at the hostel and arrived at the train-station with 5 minutes to spare before our train left. I spend the train ride back discussing an ad hoc project with Vera, getting a head start on the week’s reading and watching Francesca and Mike tease each other over the rival Olympia high schools they attended. 

And that, is the end of my *brief* stay in Vienna, I may add another post with more details on the last two days if I have time/energy to do so, but I will definitely add a post with pictures in the next day or so. 

Czeching out, 

                -Kate 

#ramblings