Design I like

An example of design that I like is the Statue of Liberty , which sits just outside the borders of Manhattan. millions live, work, commute, and basically live their entire lives within miles of the structure, but very few give it a thought daily. Of course, I'm not saying I do, either, but it's rather unfortunate that this is the case, because the message the statue conveys is a vital one.
The statue itself was a gift from the French, and, as a statue made of bronze, was originally brown (which I imagine may have looked really nice). Oxidization brought it to its current green color, giving it its current iconic look.
More important than its color, shape, or even symbols (such as its unusual hat, its torch and its tome) is what it symbolizes to those who would give it most thought: those who don't wake up within a radius of a few miles of it.
Yes, this includes tourists, but most importantly includes immigrants. Every thing about the Statue of Liberty is handcrafted to convey America's (supposed) attitude of welcoming arms and smiles towards immigration, as the country was founded and built by immigrants. Its placement on an island of its own outside the city means that it would herald those arriving from the East with a message of hope, as warped as it may seem in practice at times. The poem written on it further reinforces these aims, as do the symbols and its name itself.
The Statue of Liberty is a shining beacon of promises and hopes, even though this message may be underappreciated and even shattered, depending on one's experiences.

What I See: Blade Runner

Blade Runner is notable for being a visually striking film, by those who have actually taken the time to see it. The movie has an uncommon visual approach which is achieved through the usage of light, varying camera shots and large, intricately detailed sets.

Most of the really remarkable shots of this movie are those that feature large, lingering views of the futuristic surroundings of 2019's metropolises. An example of this is the first scene shown in the film, following a short backstory. This scene features an extreme establishing long shot of 2019's Los Angeles. The shot slowly zooms in, lingering on that same scene for what seems like several minutes as a lack of dialogue and the presence of an ambient film score allow the viewer to be pulled into this dark world of endless cities and flaming smokestacks.

Shots such as these bring a rich flavor to the film, as features such as the flaming smokestacks, for instance, cause the viewer to consider the pollution of the environment or the dark, crowded city streets, which may bring to mind the consequences of overpopulation.

Lighting is also vital to establishing the film's visual appeal. Most of the film takes place at night time, as the film is somewhat of a "future-noir" movie. Most scenes are, therefore, very dark, but dramatic light placement helps color scenes in a specific way. At times the colors drown the scenes in a surreal atmosphere, such as when the main character, Roy Deckard, visits the building of the engineer of the movie's "replicants", Dr. Tyrell. The sets in this scene alone convey how rich this character is, featuring a huge, spacious room with an vast window that offers viewers a view of the day's sunset. The sun in this scene provides the scene with its only light, and the intensity of its glow seems unreal in a way. It's a beautiful effect that helps differentiate the film from others with incredibly striking visuals.

The Museum

The Museum of the Moving was pretty interesting, actually. Before going I had assumed it was in Manhattan, like every other museum. Queens is a different story. I mean, sure it's on the same landmass as the borough in which I live, but we generally don't speak of Queens where I live. It's a far away, made up land, like Oz or the North Pole.

Anyway.

It was surprisingly easy to get to, outside of me almost getting lost on my way there (I had mixed up the 35 and 37 for the streets, something I had promised I wouldn't do before I left).

The museum itself had quite a few interesting things in it and was pretty informative, though it taught me very little that we hadn't learned in class. It was more about seeing and experiencing what had been discussed, such as the kinetographs, or the aspects of sound mixing. They also had several displays that were cool to see, such as the original televisions and camera and special effects props. One of the things I most remember about our tour was our guide stressing that no one really ever appreciates the large model on display of the huge building from Blade Runner, as no one has really seen the movie. It was cool because that's definitely one of my favorite movies and it was cool to see that they had such an important set-piece to the film in Queens.

Just joking.

The museum also sported several interactive displays, such as a progression of video game consoles, an arcade, stop-motion animation machines, the aforementioned kinetographs and a voice over booth, which I got to contribute to.

I only really contributed because no one else jumped at the opportunity and I thought it couldn't hurt. My experience taught me two things- 1. My voice doesn't sound as bad as it usually does in recordings, and I totally trust the microphone there, because it's probably of much better quality than the ones I usually hear myself on. 2. I had assumed everyone I met in my life had been lying to me, but I do talk very fast by default. I definitely struggled to match my words to Dorothy's mouth (from the Wizard of Oz), to no avail.

Maybe I can get a job as an auctioneer one day.

Or at least maybe I can get a job.