This link can be used to view the clip from 0:09 - 0:26 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_g0mUyH6dI8#t=10s


Screenplay

This scene does and excellent job of displaying the different types of listening modes. The first is obviously, casual, as when Brennan slices the bag of Doritos open that is the actual sound it makes, it crunches and rips. Same with when Brennan kicks the pumpkin or Dale punches it, or when they break the boards or put the Mentos in the Diet Pepsi, these are all the actual sounds that are being made. The screams and shouts they do, however, are semantic they are not actually being heard how they were originally made. The yells are echoed and exaggerated to seem louder and more forceful. This is done to give the audience a sense of the excitement and ferocity of which these men enjoy their absurd tasks.

Another well represented aspect is time. By using the upbeat, fast-paced non-diagetic music and trailing the yells and shouts of Brennan and Dale between multiple shots, they establish subjective time in which, we see a very short amount of things happening but we know that much more time has passed between each action, as is the usual with montage. They're also able to use speed and loudness through the shouts made by the men, these are loud, quick shouts and this is to insure a sense of passed time. If the cries were softer and slower, we'd be more focused on them and thus time would seem to slow down.

Blog Assignment 3 - Brainwashed

The full article can be found here http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/66.01.Brainwashed

       “Acknowledging the Lizard” is all about confronting your fears. It's about facing that voice in your head that says, “Don't do it, you could fail. Don't do it, you could get laughed at, ridiculed. Just fall in line and don't make a fuss.” This voice can't be stopped, you can't get rid of it. So the only thing to do is to acknowledge it and then ignore it.

        Fail. Failure isn't about not succeeding, it's about learning; it's about taking the experience you've gained and applying it to the next venture. You have to be ready to fail, you have to be all right with failure in order to truly succeed.

       Learn. This is the linchpin of all of these lessons. You have to learn in order to do anything. Not learn like you did in school, because that wasn't school, this is school. Life is school. So it's time to stop going on what you think you know and learning what you actually need to know.

       These blogs, are pointless. I don't mean that as an insult to the instructor or anyone involved in the creation of them, I actually find a lot of what we read to be quite interesting and even enlightening in a lot of respects. For example, without these blogs I would have never been turned on to the “Brainwashed” article and I found that article to be very interesting and maybe even inspiring. However, ironically through introducing me to these concepts via the blogs, they've made me come to realize the insignificance of these entries. What did the article say about school? That it was all a design to create compliant workers who would do mediocre work over and over again until they died, I guess I fail to see how these blog entries are any different. There is no challenging of ideas here, there is no opportunity to “Acknowledge the Lizard” we are forced into a structured lesson that requires us to do these blog assignments, or else we fail. The lizard wins. And the most opportunity these blogs seem to give us to be “creative” is what type of font we want to present it in. They are still a requirement; which is teacher for, “Do it or you're failed, jerk.” I feel as though this is the same sort of formula that I've seen my entire life, these exercises aren't inspiring us to be creative, not when you put such tight restrictions and confines on what we may do. 

       How are these blogs even graded anyway? Not on our ability to be creative but on our ability to follow directions, that is completely counter-intuitive to the point of this article. However, this is a class and we are in college, and a degree only means something if the person holding it was actually required to do something that displays skill, something that proves they deserve the degree. I mean I know I'd hate it if my doctor was just graded on his ability to “give it his best shot”. So, with that being said I think a much more valuable use of time and energy would just to be give a lot more options in the blogs. Don't make them so confined, and actually give the students more free reign. Some kids don't like writing papers (i.e. me) and they would rather express their opinions via video or song or clarinet solo or whatever the hell you might be into. So I'm not suggesting you completely leave them open for kids to do anything they want because then, how would you grade it? Based on who's most creative? That's nearly impossible to define let alone grade, but definitely more freedom would be more productive and I think would lend itself to much more interesting posts that the students actually might care about.

Blog Assignment 2 - Finding Your "Howl"

The entire article can be found here http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/51.01.YourHowl

         Flaum references the story of the red wolf, which came very close to being extinct in the 1970's, there was about fourteen left. It mainly focuses on Mumon, the bravest and most adept of the pack, as he takes a journey of trials and tribulations in order to find his howl and lead the pack, who are all frightened and lost without a leader. After a journey of many miles and various lessons, Mumon is able to howl and returns to his pack as their leader at which point the rest of the pack regains their howling ability as well. The point Flaum was trying to make with this particular story is that we all have a “howl”, or a voice rather, that we have to tap into to be truly free in the world. He says that it will be hard, and we will have to go through many trying experiences to achieve it, some of which may even feel like death itself; this is the price you pay, though, in order to truly unlock yourself from the chains of this world.  

Creativity

           There are a lot of ways to express creativity in the world, especially today with all the various mediums to share your thoughts (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.) it seems like an endless fountain of new and interesting thoughts are flooding the world, however, this is not the case. Almost all of what is put out today is either based on something else, unoriginal, or worse, plagiarized. On the bright side, though, this does not mean that creativity is lost. Josh Billings (AKA Henry Wheeler Shaw), an American humorist and lecturer during the mid to late 19^th century, once said, “About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment.” This quote speaks volumes to me and lends a certain sense of comfort. Many people might read this quote on creativity and originality and think it's rather pessimistic but I feel it is quite the contrary. What Billings was trying to do, aside from be humorous, was to explain that everything is derivative of an earlier work, not that creativity is dead but just that it isn't merely limited to being original to also be considered creative. If we defined creativity on this notion then anyone who was the first to do something would be considered creative. For example, by this definition Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and the rest of the Apollo 11 crew would be creative. Not to suggest that they are not but everyone knows that's not what we mean when we talk about creativity. Creativity would be the guys who came up with the idea, “What if we traveled to space?” and just because people had certainly come up with the idea before didn't mean that they were any less creative. 

            No matter how far back you go on a certain medium there was always something before it that you could say was the true “start” of the whole idea, that's comforting to a creative person, I think. It takes a lot of pressure off of being original and puts more focus on truly honing your gifts and talents. Not to mention, I think in this freedom from trying so hard to be “original” and so much thinking and the realization that someone out there has done it before is when true originality is able to happen. Another famous quote by Ray Bradbury, that really coincides with this quote, suggests that thinking is the enemy of creativity and I couldn't agree more with that statement. When you aren't so concerned with how people will receive your work, or how original it is and you truly just let your creativity flow, that is when originality happens. It's then that you realize that it doesn't matter if someone has already done what you've done, because they probably have, but it just matters that you're doing it. Everything that has been considered great or meaningful in our history has been based on something else. 

           Regardless of where you look: film, television, music, poetry, painting, books, it's all based on something else. This has allowed me to really get out of my head and be a happier, more creative person. So maybe next time you are getting all jammed up and suffering from a serious case of writer's block or painter's block or whatever, you'll consider this and not be so hard on yourself, and just let the ideas flow.

Character Deconstruction

Character Deconstruction

Color - Black

Batman is quite mysterious. Covered in blackness, it lends a sense of uncertainty to the character even though he is a good guy. He operates under the radar and is not necessarily always viewed as the shining figure that many others like him are seen as. His color scheme is almost entirely black and even the colors that aren't completely black are still dark grays. His cape is a dark black color, and most incarnations of Batman depict him as all black, sometimes with a grey under suit or a yellow symbol, but typically it's just dark.

Shape - Triangular

I chose a sword to represent Batman's “shape” because he is very jagged. His pointy ears, his cowl, the blades on the side of his arms, even his cape. It also lends itself to the whole “Dark Knight” moniker seeing as how it is a knight's sword. It represents justice, valiance and bravery all qualities that Batman exhibits perhaps more than any other hero around.

Lighting - Shadow

Batman is typically regarded in shadow, or at night. It lends itself to the  mystery of his character. It also is depicting the dark nature of his personality and his psyche, Batman is clearly a troubled individual and is very brooding and not particularly friendly. The shadow represents his desire to not be a hero, but a symbol, he doesn't want to be in the spotlight but would rather let his deeds speak for themselves and inspire those around to do the same.

Character - Batman

Color - Green & Purple

This represents his green and purple color scheme. They are odd colors, that seem to go together but at the same time they don't. It's that type of incongruity that is tantamount to the Joker's look. He is well put together but completely insane. He dresses in a way that is demonstrative of his psyche, crazily. 

Shape - Triangular/Jagged

These sharp pointed teeth are representative of the Joker's volatile nature and his triangular, very angular features. His head is sharp and triangular like these teeth, showing his dangerous capabilities. Much like his clothing which isn't exactly triangular but still very angular and sharp. It is a very unsettling shape, unlike a more rounded figure. The jaggedness also depicts his jagged personality and unpredictability. 

Lighting - Bright/Spotlight

The Joker, despite being very evil and dark, typically is shown in a bright way. His clothing is bright, his makeup is bright, his hair, everything about him is bright. This is not to suggest he's a “light” person, he is not good, this lighting is actually more about his desire to be known. Although the Joker often has mysterious plots and plans he always wants the credit for them in the end, he wants people to know who was behind it, he wants them to fear him. It also works as a strong contrast to Batman who prefers the shadows but is the good guy. This kind of flip-flop of traditional lighting schemes is very unique and original.

Character - Joker