Blog Assignment #9

1).  www.Changethis.com

Valid Suggestions:

A).             I feel like the suggestion “There is nothing wrong with you” is valid, because of what the answer says right underneath it.  The answer is “Weaknesses are important clues to your strengths.”  I feel like this is a very smart and intelligent answer.  I feel like this, because the answer fits perfectly to what the question asks.  Also, this answer is very true and honest in the way in which it is worded.  The way that it talks about weaknesses seems as if weaknesses are a strength, however, the answer says that it is a clue to your strength.  I feel like this is a double negative in the terms of how it uses the weakness as the strength and how it switches them around.  A way that I could implement this suggestion into my own life, would be to make a list of all of the things that I feel are my weaknesses, and then try to look at them in terms of how they could all be beneficial to me in the future, and how I can learn from these weaknesses in order to start trying new things out, such as idea’s and motives.  I feel as if this is really good advice and is very valid and should be given to a lot of people to ponder on, because I feel that a lot of people would get a good understanding and new outlook on things in a good sense from this one little piece of information or suggestion.

B).             Another suggestion that I feel is very valid is the suggestion that says “Your Weaknesses Make You Different”.  I feel like this is very valid because of how inspiring and uplifting these words of advice are.  Also, I like the way in which this suggestion defines the word “Freak”.  It says “A person who is unique because of a natural positive obsession.”  This also brings up a very good feeling when hearing the word “Freak” and thinking of it in this way.  This is because in essence, we are all Freaks in the terms that we all have different natural positive obsessions.  This could be anything from Music, to Movies, to Video Games and more.  So not only does this suggestion make the viewer seem more happy and give a better, more positive self esteem boost, but it also characterizes some good use of advice.  I feel like I could implement this into my life, because I am always looking for more ways to boost my self esteem.  Also, I could use this new definition to create a new take on things, because now it doesn’t matter what I like to do or how I do something, because even though it is completely different than somebody else or anyone else, every other person is doing the exact same thing completely different that I am, which makes everybody a “Freak”.  This suggestion could also help in my creative life, by allowing me to think of what I do and my reasons for what I create in a new meaning that is more closer and personal than ever before.

C).             The suggestion:  “Freak Factory: Putting your quirks to work” is also another very valid suggestion that I completely agree with.  I agree with it because of what it says.  Underneath the suggestion, it says a couple of things, one of which is “Engage in Permanent Procrastination.”  I feel like this answer is perfect because of how it explains the way someone can achieve this.  Basically all it says as an answer to this, is that if you are procrastinating in activities that you don’t like, you should stop doing them altogether.  I think that this is another really good piece of advice that I plan of using.  However I feel that this answer needs to be used with caution, because if someone starts procrastinating on something that they need to do, they can’t just quit, because then they will be behind on whatever work that they are doing.  Another thing that this suggestion says, is to find people who are strong where you are weak.  I feel like this is a better piece of advice than the procrastination idea.  I feel this way, because if you have somebody who can compliment you where your weak spots are, and you can compliment them on where their weak spots are, then you can essentially have the perfect friendship that can allow for you two to be able to accomplish a plethora of things that you both wouldn’t be able to on a normal level by yourselves.  I feel like this idea is genius and should deserve an award.  Finally, I feel like I could use this suggestion to compliment my life the most out of all of the other suggestions.  I feel this way, because I already use the part where it says to find someone who can compliment you on your weak spots and find someone that you can compliment on their weak spots.  Me and My Best Friend Billy are like this and we have been BestFriends for over 14 years now.  I feel like this is the perfect way to keep a really good friendship alive.  Also, I feel like the procrastination idea is good, but like I said before, needs to be used only at certain times, as if it is not, it can cause serious consequences.

D).              I have found my strengths and weaknesses to be equally the same.  Some of my strengths are being able to complete a task well and understand the problems that I am trying to solve.  These are my strong suits and I use them in order to complete what I have to in a fast or accurate manner.  Some of my weaknesses are not being able to become interested in something if it is not something that I enjoy.  This is because when I work on something and want to not only learn more but also have the drive to do more work on the subject, I typically always have an interest in it.  However, when I’m faced with a something that I really don’t enjoy that much, since I don’t have that much of an interest in the subject, it typically takes me longer to get accustomed to it, however after I get accustomed to it, I seem to be able to come up with good idea’s about the problem and do pretty decent work.  Another one of my weaknesses, is taking down notes a little bit to literally.  I feel like sometimes the notes that I take are to exact and to the point and don’t explain enough of the problem or question at hand when I go back to look at it or them when I’m studying.  I feel like the way to fix this, is to listen to what the teacher says more, and write down the literal notes and what is on the board less, because I think that hearing a back story to some problems and parts of notes, helps engrain the information into my mind a little bit more easily.

Blog #8

1).   http://changethis.com




A).  "Acknowledging the Lizard" "Make Art" and "Connect".

             Acknowledging the Lizard is basically a take on how the part of our brains (the lizard brain) is essentially what controls our emotions when faced with a task, then the resistance is how we cope with the task, such as becoming angry or encouraging us to follow instructions.  The  “Connect” layer is all about how everybody on earth is connected and how we can use digital media to connect the future.  As far as “Connect” goes, we can all make real connections with digital media and we can all interact with people that we wouldn’t have if this digital media didn’t exist.  The “Make Art” layer is all about how the idea of “making art” is essentially the ability to create the un-created and use a new unused platform in order to create other new platforms and styles of art, which in turn allows creative thinking for future generations and other forms of art.

B).             I feel that all of the layers that I summarized and all of the other layers are all connected to this blog and share an ideal purpose for what this class entails.  For example, I feel that the “Make Art” layer is highly essential to this blog as well as the class.  I feel like this is right, because that layer says that we as humans all have the ability to create not only a new form of art but also a new platform on which to display our art.  This to me, seems like a vital role to any person with a major in Media Arts and Studies.  This is because every single major in this program has a different platform on which to portray their own form of art.  The best part of this, is that even though there are only a few platforms because of the limited number of majors, all of the people that are in this major have different views than their peers.  This means that there is an unlimited amount of creativity associated with each person in each major.  I feel like this is why the “Make Art” layer is so important to this class and blog assignment, because anyone can make whatever they want, and whatever those people make, is what becomes new forms or art for the future.  I feel like this layer also helps not only me, but every single artist who has ever lived become not only a better artist, but also a better person.  I believe this, because the more available forms of art there are, the more people who will strive to be artists, and the more artists there are, the more creative thinking will take place, hence creating yet more platforms to display an infinite amount of art on.  I feel as if I’m a better artist and person because of this layer, as what I just said about platforms applies to me.  I also feel like the “Connect” layer is associated with this blog assignment and class because it is essentially saying that digital media is connected all around and helps connect the world.  One of the biggest proponents of this, is that this assignment is a blog, and a blog is definitely one of the best forms of digital media used to encapsulate more and more people into using new forms of media.  This class is also teaching us forms of art all in which show new ways to connect the present to the future.  Finally, the “Acknowledging the Lizard” layer pertains to this class and blog assignment, because with the use of the skills that we will and have gained from this course, we as people will be able to understand how to go about coping with what a possible out come of a task could be, and how to handle it emotionally and tackle it head on.

Blog #7

1).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TJTbF2pBLM

I think that based off of this clip that the theme is more of a dark and intense kind of movie that implies a lot of violence and disturbing images.  The clip exemplifies this sort of theme in many ways, one of these is the use of camera angles.  The way that the camera angles are used in this clip are done in an extremely un-orthodox way and it is something that I have never seen in a movie before.  Also, the dialogue and accents are a key give away as to how the movie could turn out, as there is a lot of cursing and back-talking.  This theme is more of a didactic kind of theme, because the characters in the movie don’t see the camera angles and are oblivious to the atmosphere that is going on around them. 

Movement plays a big part of how this scene takes on such a unique theme.  This is because the way that the camera angles are used seems completely random, yet somehow organized at the same time.  An example of this, is how the camera zooms in and out, then changes to an overhead view, and then goes to the traditional over-the-shoulder shot.  Also, Space is a big factor in the way that the theme plays out, because the camera’s make it seem as if there is a lot of space somehow compacted down into something small.  I think that this is a really good technique and makes the viewer feel more attached to the movie, emotionally and physically.  Line is another good example of how the dark, intense sort of theme is portrayed, because a lot of the camera tricks are done with either straight lines, horizontal lines, inverted lines, or over head and under foot angles.  The way in which the director does this, makes for a kind of shifty and experimental take on the way that the plot unfolds, as it happens during the length of the clip.  Shape also plays a big part into the theme.  Shape is used as more of a background shot, this is because a lot of the figures in the movie have abstract shapes.  Also, the main character and good guy has a rectangle head, while the bad guy has more of a triangle shaped head.  I believe that the director did this, so that the audience would feel more of a connect to the characters, and in turn would make the plot seem a lot more realistic to the viewer.