Final Project

Effectiveness of Space Planning and Lighting

            I love food! The two restaurants I’ll be analyzing will be Ichiban and Sushi Pier 2. Both of these excellent dining establishments specialize in Japanese cuisine. Ichiban encompasses a Teppanyaki style dinner with a show like routine a mere three feet in front of you as your food is prepared right in front of you. Sushi Pier 2 is the second pier here in Reno specializing in the skilled practice of sushi rolls. What interest me enough to compare and contrast these two restaurants was the different moods set by the space planning and lighting. The little touches and slight differences between the two show the polar opposite settings made. First looking at Ichiban I will vary Lester’s six step analysis while comparing and contrasting and analyzing how the lighting and space planning of each respective restaurant set its atmosphere.

Personal

Ichiban in the Harrah’s Hotel is definitely and experience. The quick knives, the clanking of the metal spatulas against the grill while your cook tosses dishes and food simultaneously in the air and then catching them together, you can’t peel your eyes away. Along with high intensity show, comes the great food, that’s cooked right in front of you. It’s truly amazing to see the skill and hand control of the cooks. One of the best parts is the interaction the cooks have with their customers. He keeps you involved and interested, because after all, that is your food he’s playing with!

Historical

Teppenyaki originates from the Japanese roots “teppan” which means iron plate and “yaki” which mean grill. The most familiar form of teppanyaki in North America consists of steak and other meats. In North America, it is also known by the name of hibachi, and the establishments are often referred to as “Japanese steakhouses.”  The chain restaurant Misono introduced the Japanese teppanyaki style of cooking to the west in 1945. In the United States Benihana made teppanyaki famous with its chain of restaurants, first opening in New York in 1964. (Wikipedia)

Technical

Within Ichiban there is a strong sense of the Japanese influence with its décor. With setting a Japanese atmosphere, Ichiban’s lighting then assists in setting a close intimate family setting. Firstly, the restaurant is within the Harrah’s hotel. No natural light is present within the restaurant which already accounts for a dark setting. The dimmed recessed down lights give off a soft yellow glow, giving an impression of being outside. In party setting areas, the lights are brighter than the ones of the entrance of the restaurant. With the evening effect of the lights, the space planning then lends another helping hand in setting the intimate family dining experience. As the center piece of each table, the teppanyaki grill is surrounded by twelve chairs for the guests. Each table is nearly ten feet apart. With such space, each table is an island of its own amongst the sea of the restaurant, setting a feeling of privacy. Lastly for the teppanyaki style cooking, each table has its own cook, performing solely for the people at his table. Softly dimmed glowing lights, uncharacteristic space between each table, and private performances per table help Ichiban set an intimate family dining experience.

Ethical, Critical, Cultural

Teppanyaki style of cooking is extremely interesting entertaining way of food preparation. Starting off in the lone country of Japan, this unique fashion spread like wildfire in North America instilling Japan’s cultural eating habits. The designers of the space, where immaculate in their space planning and lighting design to help emphasize the Japanese influence within its décor.

Ichiban’s traditional décor along with its lighting and space planning induce a sense of intimacy whether one is there with his/her family or out on a date. Sushi Pier 2 on the other hand accomplishes the polar opposite mood with its contemporary décor, space planning and lighting.

Personal

Personally I don’t like seafood. The only fish I can stand to eat is tuna and salmon. Color me surprised when I fell in love with not only sushi but Sushi Pier 2. It’s a hip modern hang out with upscale food it seems. I’ve seen young couples with their toddlers there, business people in their slacks and ties sitting at one of the bars for their lunch break, to college students ordering the all-you-can-eat lunch specials. It’s a great fun environment that could satisfy the most serious sushi feen’s appetite.

Historical

In the Japanese cuisine, sushi is vinegared rice topped with fish (cooked or not) and some type of vegetable. Outside Japan “sushi” is usually misunderstood to mean raw fish. This is incorrect because sliced raw fish by itself is actually called sashimi. The literal meaning of sushi comes from an outdated context meaning “it’s sour.” The main objective in sushi is the preservation and fermentation of the fish using rice and salt. Today, sushi has very little resemblance to the traditional lacto-fermented dish. Originally when the fish was taken from the rice, just the fish was consumed and the rice was thrown out.The contemporary version, internationally known as “sushi,” was invented by Hanaya Yohei. This type of sushi was an early form of “fast food” that wasn’t fermented and prepared quickly.

Technical

Within Sushi Pier 2, the key light comes from the natural light washing over the entire restaurant via the wall of windows on the north side of the building. Aside from the natural light, the precise use of pendants throughout the restaurant aides in even distribution of light along with highlighting the table tops for the task of eating. With wall sconces that seem to just add a focal point underneath the three flat screen televisions mounted on the back wall, behind the south bar and above the north bar. With the amount of light streaming into the restaurant it’s hard to not see everything and everyone within the walls. The space planning also plays a key role in the openness yet close encounters of Sushi Pier 2. Three bars are placed on the outskirts in a triangular shape. In the center of the bars are the back-to-back booths and the tables approximately just four feet from each other and the booths. People barely have enough room to walk through. No conversation is distant or unheard. Such close quarters create a scene of friendliness. With streaming amounts of natural light along with artificial lights from the pendants, sconces, and televisions, closely placed tables along with three bars that pack people in virtually inches away from each other, Sushi Pier 2 commands a contemporary friendly open atmosphere.

Ethical, Critical, Cultural

In today’s health crazed society, sushi has opened the gateway to a fresh diet idea. The adoption of Japan’s traditional fermentation process, sushi, as we call it here in the United States, has crossed over to our fast passed lives. The lighting and space planning within Sushi Pier 2 was cleverly incorporated into the modern highly technological world we’re all accustomed to, keeping with the touch of Japanese tradition in the food served.

Both Ichiban and Sushi Pier 2 are Japanese restaurants. With traditional backgrounds in the preparation of the food cooked and served, the lighting and spatial arrangements of the respective spaces, sets different atmospheres. Though set inside a commotion filled casino, Ichiban manages to set an intimate feeling. On the other hand, with dominate natural light; Sushi Pier 2 relays a friendly openness with its closeness. I believe both places should be visited to experience the polar ambiances of each skilled restaurant.

 

CNN International vs. Aljazeera

Josef Fritzl is due in court after admitting raping his daughter and fathering her seven children.

This image is from CNN International. Here is Josef Fritzl’s mugshot. The light is straight on him, producing a cast shadow falling behind him. His demeanor gives off an estranged look. The unkept hair, the bags under the eyes, along with the dark colored shirt successfully depicts a bad guy. His blank stare and emotionless face also seems to be a signature bad guy look, with all that he’s done, his expression shows no sense of acknowledegement or remorse.

Forensics experts have removed boxes of belongings from the cell underneath Fritzl’s apartment.

This image is from ALJAZEERA.NET. Here is the dubbed “House of Horror”. The only light present is the natural sunlight from above in this aerial shot producing a cast shadow. The house doesn’t look menacing at all, which in a way gives it a shock factor seeing as how such filth happened within those walls. Without the knowledge of the underlying incest story, this pictures doesn’t give an eerie feeling. With the story known, the quaint two story house shown above turns into it’s own little shop of horrors.

CNN vs Aljazeera

Both reports by CNN and Aljazeera give the information of a 73-year old man kidnapping his own daughter and locking her in a cellar for 24-years  over which he repeatedly raped her which lead to him fathering her seven children.

Aljazeera’s report wasn’t too in depth. It skimmed just the surface not delving too much into any particulars. It seemingly just laid the facts down and that was it.

CNN’s report on the other hand skimmed the surface then dived deep into particulars. Comparisons of other abductions were made, the motive behind Fritzl’s actions was discussed. CNN also went into the story plot itself explaining how Josef got caught while trying to get medical treatment for a child that was kept in the cellar.

In my opinion CNN International gave better coverage. I read Aljazeera’s report first, then read CNN’s and finished with knowing more information than before, even after reading a report of the same story. Aljazeera’s technique of “creating the other” was complex. Looking at the aerial picture provided, one would have to know some more information to realize it’s significance. With CNN’s mugshot of Josef Fritzl, off the bat one would know he, in some way, shape or form, has done something wrong and is indeed a bad guy. With such a convincing mugshot, CNN’s report was even more compelling. While reading you could look back at his picture and say “Yea, he looks like he did something like this”. CNN’s report just provides factual evidence and explanation for why our first instinct is to believe Josef Fritzl, in his mugshot, is a bad guy. Aljazeera’s picture, even after reading the report, isn’t as convincing of a portrayal of “the other”.

That’s Questionable

For this That’s Questionable I can’t refer back to anything from the last class because I was absent. I guess my That’s Questionable can be, are supposed to do a That’s Questionable. Seeing as the end of the semester is in the next week, and we have a lot to accomplish before the end of the semester, is a That’s Questionable supposed to be done?

RegaltheBeagle

The BAD GUY

Personal

Personally I can’t look at this guy without laughing. LOOK AT HIM! His legs and arms are ridiculously thin, with his belly. How is this guy scary? Can he have pants not tights on! Oh goodness, Pixar did a fabulous job with creating this character. He’s the bad guy but one of the funniest character’s of the movie.

Historical

Historically bad guys look bad. Even in reality, bad guy have the dark demeanor about then that just gives you a feeling of being uncomfortable. Bad guys have a menacing look always on their faces. Bad guys just plain and simple look bad. It’s just a feeling we get.

Technical

Though it’s an animated character, the key light seems to be coming from the upper left, it’s seen in the cast shadows of the folded arms. Because of his all black attire, he’s in high contrast, which in turn is supposed to give him a sense of hardness. His all black attire, again, is a signifier, signifying dark or evilness. I think the literal portrayal of this character is symbolic and is seen throughout all bad guys in some way. The bad side in them is always depicted by darkness. In Bowler Hat Guy’s instance his black outfit along with the black cape and black bowler hat, shows us that he’s the bad guy.

Ethical, Critical, Cultural

Ethically I don’t disagree with the portrayal of  bad guys, villian, or the world’s bad guys. To me it’s just a outward reflection of what’s truly inside. Culturally it’s somewhat expected to see bad guys, fictional or not, represented in the “bad light”, literally speaking. It’s how we differentiate, critically speaking, between who/what is good and who/what is evil.

“Bowler Hat Guy” from Meet the Robinsons

That’s Quetionable!

For this That’s Questionable I’d like to refer back to the movie we watched at the end of class last Thursday. It showed how we portray our enemy or villians with propaganda. My question is back then did those portrayals truly influence one’s attitude towards the person or political standing depicted on the poster? Now a days I think those type of portrayals are used for humor rather than actually trying to sway people’s opinions. If persuasion was the main objective for the extreme distortion of the enemy, how effective were they?

RegaltheBeagle

That’s Questionable!

For this That’s Questionable I’d like to refer back to class when then opening scene of Aladdin was shown, then later we watched some of the movie Lawerence of Arabia. It was said that Aladdin was more of a stereotype of Arabs and Lawerence of Arabia was more of a generalization of Arabs. My disagreement would have to be: “How?”. Though it may be a stereotype, the dramatized characteristics within Aladdin must have been picked up from actuality. Just because Aladdin is a cartoon made by Disney, does that automatically make it a stereotype? The same for Lawerence of Arabia, just because it is not a cartoon, does that automatically make it a generalization. Between the two movies, there were some similarities.

RegaltheBeagle

Middle East Femininity

                                    

Women react after hundreds of policemen threw a tight security ring around the courthouse and chased away the families of the defendants during a trial session of Muslim Brotherhood leading members at a military court in Cairo, Egypt Tuesday, April 15, 2008. A security official at Egypt’s military trial of 40 top members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood group says that 25 of the Islamists on trial have been sentenced to up to 10 years in jail.(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Personal

Personally I believe this portrays Arabian femininity. In class we were showed Arab masculinity with their knowledge, their intimidation, and lack of fear. Here shows some Arab women in distress. A characteristic of Arab femininity is to have a submissiveness nature and to also show their emotions, whereas the males do not.

Historical

For years the masculine nature of Arabian men has been seen. Years of conflict and war, has displayed nothing but the aggressive, masculine side of this ethnic group. But rarely is the feminine side of the opposite sex been under scrutiny.

Technical

The natural light of the overcast day is the only source of light within this tense picture. The framing in the picture is very important. The photographer wisely chose to show a range of age and a range of emotion, compared to the male figure in the background. One can clearly see the anguish upon the females faces is sizabley more compared to the male. The body language also shows many semiotics. Firstly the women in the middle ground with the hand around her should is a signifier. The hand around the shoulder shows a type of consoling. All the women have some kind of emotion spilled upon their faces. The women in the foreground [on the right] though you can’t see anything but her eyes, I think the fact that she is turned around signifies her inability to face, the truth of what has just happened. All of the women, even the little girl seem to be avoiding the situation and each other’s eyes. A sense of avoidness can be felt from this picture.

Ethical, Critical, Cultural

Ethically, I believe this picture portrays Arab femininty well. The characteristics of being emotional, avoidance, and submissiveness is shown well in this picture. In the news today, these traits are shown along side the strong masculine males. It’s critical to see the generalization of Arab masculinity and femininity. We see so much in the news, on television within movies, and shows. The significance of these portrayals help set our mind frame about this ethnic group. Today I see the sterotyping of this ethnic group grow grossly skewed, much like different cultures, misunderstandings, diversity, and change has only instilled a sense of fear within many people.

 

That’s Questionable!

For this That’s Questionable, I would like to refer to a statement said in class a few weeks ago. It was said nothing done now could be considered original, because it all stems from something else. I would have to disagree with this statement. The one thing that comes to mind that seems to always be original is dance. New dances are always being “invented” and showcased in music videos. One could argue this to be wrong. Though a lot of dances do stem from older ones with similar moves, I think one [there's probably more] that came to mind: the Harlem Shake. When I first saw this, i could not think of any previous move being anything similar to this. To me dancing is one of the only things that can be original now a days…along with style!

Movie Scene

I chose to analyze a scene from the movie “How High” [i only analyzed the scene from 4:40-5:15]

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Personal

Personally I think this is one for the funniest scenes in this movie. The entire movie is comedy, but this scene in particular is my favorite. Kind of mean to admit but I make fun of people, who doesn’t, that’s probably why i love this part so much, Im able to relate to it so well, because it’s something I could see myself doing.

History

Historically Harvard University is known for its high prestige. Only the smartest of the smart, perfect test scores, leadership having, strong character showing students are granted admission.

Technical

In the scene the key light looks to be natural light coming in from the left, which lights everyone in a friendly favorably manner. Later on in the scene the lighting changes when a close up occurs on the Dean as he’s being made fun of. The light is being cast from below giving him the mysterious villainous look, which plays a significant role as the movie plays out. The framing in this scene keeps you captivated with the movements of the camera from the Dean to Sirius and Jamal [Redman and MethodMan] to the students. As far as semiotics, there is a big one in just the name. The title How High obviously refers to the continuous marijuana smoking in this movie, but the question has to be asked: “Why does this movie take place at Harvard?” Seeing as how Harvard is such a scholarly institution I think the underlying connotation of the title asks Harvard how high? As in how prestigious is this school, why would it be so unconventional for two students like Sirius and Jamal, to attend the school. Is Harvard truly that “stuck up” as to think that the characters portrayed by Redman and Methodman would in fact stick out at a school such as Harvard?

Ethical, Cultural, Critical

Ethically, one could say this is not correct. Two “hood” African Americans admitted into Harvard based on their ethnicity and their test scores based on smokin’ before the test. Ethically it doesn’t show youth the best example, but critically analyzing it, any viewer should know and comprehend that this movie is only a comedy and is in no way, shape or form an example to live by. It is strictly for laughs. Culturally I think a lot people can relate to the aspect of smoking’, but it also shows the accomplished aspirations of Jamal and Sirius in such a respected institution of learning

Denotation of the scene

In this movie clip, Jamal [Redman] and Sirius [Methodman] walk in late to Harvard’s freshman orientation. Being the outgoing characters they are, they interrupt the Dean’s “Welcome” speech. Shocked to see a fellow African American as a Professor, at that, at the university they voice their satisfaction. Baffled to see them, the Dean dismisses their approval and attempts the continue his speech. Que the “baggin” session. Taken aback at the response of the Dean, Jamal and Sirius band together for a tag team bag session on the Dean. The Dean becomes visibly disturbed as the jokes keep coming and the laughs from the students become deafening.

Connotation of the scene

Known amongst black people as CP time [colored people time] is our excuse for being late. Jamal and Sirius are already setting themselves up for failure. Interrupting the Dean’s “Welcome” speech, begins the movie’s long feud against himself, Jamal and Sirius. The approval of a fellow black person obviously rubs the Dean the wrong way. Being surrounded by the scholarly suburban upper class students and faculty, the Dean’s disapproval of Jamal and Sirius stems deeper than just their interruption of his speech. His suspicions of these two begins here: “How could these two possibly getting into Harvard be legit?” Surrounded by upper class white people, the arrival of Jamal and Sirius threatens the Dean’s “blackness”, which is evident the duration of the movie. The baggin’ session further diminishes the Dean’s “blackness” along with his authority with each joke. The camera cuts are effective with going from Jamal and Sirius’, to the Dean’s face, to the student’s laughing faces. The graphical vectors of the students eyes to Jamal and Sirius to the Dean, and the indexical vectors of Jamal and Sirius move the viewers eye with the sense of being right in the room listening to this outrageous occurrence. With each cut to the Dean’s face, a key light from below shines more intense, foreshadowing the “bad guy” in him that rears it’s ugly head as the movie continues. Suppressing his anger, the Dean does a good job and brushing off, all the knives thrown at him, and calmly asks Jamal and Sirius to take a seat.

That’s Questionable!

For this That’s Questionable I would like to comment on a statement said in class after watching the Native American rap video. The comment was something like ”Aren’t they to trying to be apart of another style of culture that is not their own”

I would have to disagree with this statement because I personally see the hip-hop and rap community fit for any person who may not fit into stereotypical molds. Usually the minority can relate to the words and/lifestyle rap or hip-hop portray: the struggles, experiences, the thing necessary for survival [Rap and hip-hop music isn't all about jewlery, cars, money, females; the stereotypical ideas thought when rap and/ hip-hop music is mentioned]. Any person who can personally relate to rap and/ hip-hop music is not conforming to another culture, but finding a way to feel apart of something that they have experienced and know. It is a piece of our identity, along with a form of our entertainment.

RegaltheBeagle