Opinions to BRAINWASHED
CONNECT
I believe social networking is one of the greatest things to have been created. Yes, people for thousands of years have been able to communicate without facebook or email, but having these tools right now just increases how often and quickly we can connect with others. In a business sense though having the internet is one of the greatest tools. Through the use of email and facebook I was able to connect with the founder of Fischer Productions out in California and now have a potential internship. When my dad was out of work he was able to connect with people and network with people through the use of technology and land a job at Lexus Nexus. Being able to connect with people with such speed and efficiency is an important aspect to how society functions now.
MAKE ART
What some people think is art, might be ugly and completely pointless. Everyone is creative in their own way, some just happen to be more creative than others. If written in a different or unoriginal way our blogs could be considered “art.” These blogs are a way of expressing ourselves. Even though we are told what to write and what to review, we can do it in our own style. Everyone has their own meaning of the word creative. Being able to express yourself through anything can be considered art.
Monday, April 25, 2011
BLOG 3B Soundscape
Alex Boyle
I really like how your soundscape starts with the use of just a drum set. It makes the listener seem like they are in an open space just listening to a drum set through the use of reverb. Then the piano is introduced and the song becomes much more full. Once the synth starts looping over the drum beat it gives the illusion that much more is happening, yet there is actually only two different instruments. Through the song small sounds are added to the song, although they are to loud they help add more to the soundscape. I really like how the “dubstep” feel this song has. It keeps a very relaxed tempo throughout the song. I also really like how you used long ominous tones to stretch out each measure, and make it seem like time has been slowed down. The outro matches very well with the intro. The drum solo starts off the song and is used as a transition into the song and at the end of the song the use of a synth is used as an ending transition. Despite only using, at most, three sound layers, the song sounds much fuller and gives a very compact sense of space.
Harrison Cummings
At first, when you started with the use of a rock drum beat I thought a guitar or piano was going to follow. But the use of some exotic instrument completely threw me off and the two mashed very well. The bass loop helped make the song seem much more full. I really liked how diverse this soundscape is. Many different instruments that we don’t always hear, you were able to work together to make a upbeat instrumental. I also liked how it was very un-repetitive. After a few seconds a new instrument was introduced which kept the song interesting. I also like how the tempo remained constant and how many different pitches there were. My favorite was that throughout the song the sounds came from different angles. While one sound would be playing on the left, a sound from the right side would start, creating a really full sound then gradually transitioning into a much a simple sound of one instrument over a constant drumbeat. The ending guitar picking ended the song very nicely and not abruptly by fading out and ending on one note. The song had lot of diversity to it and was fun to listen to.
Ian Bullington
For the first few seconds I thought the song was going to be a very slow depressing song. The guitar picking takes up very little space, but then a dark tone starts making the song much more full and it reinforces the depressing tone, then a drum beat starts increasing the tempo and building up the song then the song completely changes up the mood but introducing horns and a loud bass loop. The instruments fluctuate in volume and I can hear a slight reverb. Then all the sounds slowly fade out and there is a brief pause which at first I thought it was just ending short, but then a second part of the soundscape starts. Another slow and depressing loop starts but is quickly built up by a techno synth. The second part of this song is much more full and takes up a lot more space. The volume seems to be changing a lot and the tempo is a lot faster than the beginning. It seems like a lot of commotion is going on through the use of just a couple of sounds. But put together they make a much fuller sound than if they were used in a different context.
I really like how your soundscape starts with the use of just a drum set. It makes the listener seem like they are in an open space just listening to a drum set through the use of reverb. Then the piano is introduced and the song becomes much more full. Once the synth starts looping over the drum beat it gives the illusion that much more is happening, yet there is actually only two different instruments. Through the song small sounds are added to the song, although they are to loud they help add more to the soundscape. I really like how the “dubstep” feel this song has. It keeps a very relaxed tempo throughout the song. I also really like how you used long ominous tones to stretch out each measure, and make it seem like time has been slowed down. The outro matches very well with the intro. The drum solo starts off the song and is used as a transition into the song and at the end of the song the use of a synth is used as an ending transition. Despite only using, at most, three sound layers, the song sounds much fuller and gives a very compact sense of space.
Harrison Cummings
At first, when you started with the use of a rock drum beat I thought a guitar or piano was going to follow. But the use of some exotic instrument completely threw me off and the two mashed very well. The bass loop helped make the song seem much more full. I really liked how diverse this soundscape is. Many different instruments that we don’t always hear, you were able to work together to make a upbeat instrumental. I also liked how it was very un-repetitive. After a few seconds a new instrument was introduced which kept the song interesting. I also like how the tempo remained constant and how many different pitches there were. My favorite was that throughout the song the sounds came from different angles. While one sound would be playing on the left, a sound from the right side would start, creating a really full sound then gradually transitioning into a much a simple sound of one instrument over a constant drumbeat. The ending guitar picking ended the song very nicely and not abruptly by fading out and ending on one note. The song had lot of diversity to it and was fun to listen to.
Ian Bullington
For the first few seconds I thought the song was going to be a very slow depressing song. The guitar picking takes up very little space, but then a dark tone starts making the song much more full and it reinforces the depressing tone, then a drum beat starts increasing the tempo and building up the song then the song completely changes up the mood but introducing horns and a loud bass loop. The instruments fluctuate in volume and I can hear a slight reverb. Then all the sounds slowly fade out and there is a brief pause which at first I thought it was just ending short, but then a second part of the soundscape starts. Another slow and depressing loop starts but is quickly built up by a techno synth. The second part of this song is much more full and takes up a lot more space. The volume seems to be changing a lot and the tempo is a lot faster than the beginning. It seems like a lot of commotion is going on through the use of just a couple of sounds. But put together they make a much fuller sound than if they were used in a different context.
New playlist3
The song I chose is "I wanna Love you" which is originally by Akon. The Maine did a cover of this song and changed up the tempo, pitch, and many other aspects that differ from the original version. The Maine chose to sing the exact lyrics that Akon had written. Because the original is an R&B song, at some parts of The Mains rock version, it seems very different. Through out Akon's version he uses auto tune, which makes it very "poppy" and have more of a club feel to it. Also the speed of Akon's version is much slower, which adds a more sexual theme to it, compared to The Maine’s version, which is much faster and fun. Akon sings in a much higher pitch compared to The Maine’s lead singer and also his song has a very recognizable bass sound, light instrumental, and a lot of focus on vocals. However, The Maine, use a very distort rhythm guitar and the bass line is very hard to hear. The drums in The Maine’s version are much more up beat and increase the tempo of the song.
Both versions have the same organization. The Main chose to stick to the original song set up that Akon used. Both versions have a small intro then go straight into the chorus. Then there are three verses till the chorus, after the second chorus is four more verses till the chorus is repeated twice more before the end of the song. To me the lyrics don’t make to much sense in either song. The song uses a lot of slang such as “ I’m ready to hit the catty. Right up on the patio, move the patty to the catty.” I have no idea what a catty is. I’m not sure that The Maine even understood the lyrics that Akon wrote, but at some parts of the song the lyrics were obviously not written to be sung in a rock setting, and some words seemed forced to fit The Maine’s fast pace rock version. If I have to pick a favorite I’d say I like the original version more. Akon is a much better singer than The Maine, also I think the tempo and pitch are just right in his version. I have never found a cover that I liked better than the original track. Its obvious in Akon’s version that the main focus is the vocals, but in The Maine’s version it is very cluttered, it is hard to focus on everything at once because so much noise is happening. Akon’s version was a hit and has over twenty-seven million views on YouTube, while The Maine’s cover only hit over two million. I believe certain lyrics are written to fit a certain style of music and although it is interesting to hear a rock band cover an R&B song, it is an obvious choice when it comes to which song is of better quality. The quality of Akon’s vocals and of the instrumental aspect of the song outshine that of The Maine.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
New playlist
Not only does Flaum give us a live lesson but also it’s a survival guide to. I really hope the main character he is referring to is an animal and not a savage human running around in the woods killing deer. In this story Flaum teaches us how to find our inner “howl.” Not a literal howl but our inner “voice.” It took me a while to get into this story and realize it was a metaphor because the majority of the time that I was reading it, I believed the main character was a human and it was a really funny picture in my head as I continued reading. However, he teaches us a lesson in our creative process. No matter how long it takes or how hard it is to get there, eventually we all hope to reach that point where we find our voice or our inner “howl.”
Monday, April 11, 2011
BLOG 1B
My response to Mitch Dikoff's "14 ways to get breakthrough ideas"
Each day I lose touch with reality and get lost in a daydream or fantasy till I suddenly snap back. Often staring at a wall for a good ten minutes fantasizing about something and having no sense of time or where I am. I experience this about two to three times a day and a lot more while lying in bed waiting to fall asleep. At times my fantasies may seem like funny stories or great ideas at the time, but I eventually come to my senses and realize others would probably think I was crazy. Ditkoffs’s fifth way of getting break through ideas is the first one yet that I find myself agreeing with. He is completely right about the fact that we are discouraged from fantasizing and having a strong imagination. We all reach a certain age, where having an imaginary friend isn’t creative or cute anymore, but is borderline creepy and a sign of mental illness. Everyone has a different imagination, some people, like me, just spend more time using theirs. I cannot imagine not daydreaming or not being able to fantasize at random times of the day, sometimes not always in the best places. Being lost in a fantasy while driving, giving a presentation, or operating heavy machinery are not good times to daydream. The best times to fantasize are: while in class, when your weird neighbor across the hall is trying to explain why he got a mole removed, or while in prison.
Think of a current challenge of yours. What would a fantasy solution to this challenge look like? What clues does this fantasy solution give you?
Currently my challenge is trying to figure out how to not be so broke. The last time I checked my bank account I had $22.50 left. Which can’t buy much, but I am able to buy 22 burgers off the dollar menu and maybe a juice box. My fantasy solution would be to marry Donald Trump’s daughter. And if she declines I plan on forming my own Columbian drug cartel. I really hope Ivanka Trump accepts my proposal because I’m too nice of a person to be a kingpin and my negotiation skills fail to even help me borrow a pencil from someone in class when I forget one. This fantasy clue gives me no ideas; I will never marry Ivanka Trump, nor will I ever be the head of a leading South American drug cartel. But I do think I can manage to get a job over the summer that does not include matrimony or a lengthy prison sentence.
Number eleven of this list is something I find myself doing majority of them. I agree that this strategy is a great way at having a break through idea. I find that working with a friend on an idea is much easier and turns out better than if I were to work alone. The old cliché that “two heads are better than one” may be old and overused but it is true. When working with a friend with a similar weird sense of humor, we are able to work off one another. If one of us is to introduce an idea, we don’t immediately shut down one another, but we try and take it to another step. We both have different perspectives on an idea and are able to work together to make it work. In certain things such as music and drawing I work best alone, without anyone else’s input. However, when working on a story idea for a short video or script, working with someone else is always my first instinct. Sometimes I feel that what is funny to me and my friend may not be as funny to others but at least it makes us laugh. Brainstorming with someone else is also a great way of knowing if you idea sucks or not. If I suggest something that makes absolutely no sense, my friend has no problem telling me that I am an idiot and shouldn’t be allowed a brain.
I disagree with Ditkoffs’s thirteenth way of having a creative breakthrough. In this idea, he suggests that if you having trouble getting a breakthrough idea jumpstart it with a book or a quote. I believe creativity isn’t something that you can force to happen. It’s about waiting for an experience to happen or coming across something that you are able to build into something that is considered a “break through idea.” Not everyone is creative, just telling them to get a book or read a quote won’t enable them to have a sudden spark in creativity, and the same goes for me when it comes to algebra. Telling me to read an algebra book isn’t going to make me suddenly great at math. I think the best kind of creativity is spontaneous and unplanned.
Each day I lose touch with reality and get lost in a daydream or fantasy till I suddenly snap back. Often staring at a wall for a good ten minutes fantasizing about something and having no sense of time or where I am. I experience this about two to three times a day and a lot more while lying in bed waiting to fall asleep. At times my fantasies may seem like funny stories or great ideas at the time, but I eventually come to my senses and realize others would probably think I was crazy. Ditkoffs’s fifth way of getting break through ideas is the first one yet that I find myself agreeing with. He is completely right about the fact that we are discouraged from fantasizing and having a strong imagination. We all reach a certain age, where having an imaginary friend isn’t creative or cute anymore, but is borderline creepy and a sign of mental illness. Everyone has a different imagination, some people, like me, just spend more time using theirs. I cannot imagine not daydreaming or not being able to fantasize at random times of the day, sometimes not always in the best places. Being lost in a fantasy while driving, giving a presentation, or operating heavy machinery are not good times to daydream. The best times to fantasize are: while in class, when your weird neighbor across the hall is trying to explain why he got a mole removed, or while in prison.
Think of a current challenge of yours. What would a fantasy solution to this challenge look like? What clues does this fantasy solution give you?
Currently my challenge is trying to figure out how to not be so broke. The last time I checked my bank account I had $22.50 left. Which can’t buy much, but I am able to buy 22 burgers off the dollar menu and maybe a juice box. My fantasy solution would be to marry Donald Trump’s daughter. And if she declines I plan on forming my own Columbian drug cartel. I really hope Ivanka Trump accepts my proposal because I’m too nice of a person to be a kingpin and my negotiation skills fail to even help me borrow a pencil from someone in class when I forget one. This fantasy clue gives me no ideas; I will never marry Ivanka Trump, nor will I ever be the head of a leading South American drug cartel. But I do think I can manage to get a job over the summer that does not include matrimony or a lengthy prison sentence.
Number eleven of this list is something I find myself doing majority of them. I agree that this strategy is a great way at having a break through idea. I find that working with a friend on an idea is much easier and turns out better than if I were to work alone. The old cliché that “two heads are better than one” may be old and overused but it is true. When working with a friend with a similar weird sense of humor, we are able to work off one another. If one of us is to introduce an idea, we don’t immediately shut down one another, but we try and take it to another step. We both have different perspectives on an idea and are able to work together to make it work. In certain things such as music and drawing I work best alone, without anyone else’s input. However, when working on a story idea for a short video or script, working with someone else is always my first instinct. Sometimes I feel that what is funny to me and my friend may not be as funny to others but at least it makes us laugh. Brainstorming with someone else is also a great way of knowing if you idea sucks or not. If I suggest something that makes absolutely no sense, my friend has no problem telling me that I am an idiot and shouldn’t be allowed a brain.
I disagree with Ditkoffs’s thirteenth way of having a creative breakthrough. In this idea, he suggests that if you having trouble getting a breakthrough idea jumpstart it with a book or a quote. I believe creativity isn’t something that you can force to happen. It’s about waiting for an experience to happen or coming across something that you are able to build into something that is considered a “break through idea.” Not everyone is creative, just telling them to get a book or read a quote won’t enable them to have a sudden spark in creativity, and the same goes for me when it comes to algebra. Telling me to read an algebra book isn’t going to make me suddenly great at math. I think the best kind of creativity is spontaneous and unplanned.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Week 1 Assignment
I have never been a math or science kind of person. Give me a math problem or science equation and I’ll just sit there daydreaming looking at it for a good ten minutes before I decide to draw an elephant over the question and write “couldn’t see the problem there’s an elephant blocking the problem.” But given the opportunity to express myself through writing, art, or film I’ll spend hours zoned out, lost in my head. The past few years I have really liked getting lost behind the lense of a camera and filming what is around me. In the future I hope to be an oceanic videographer and film sharks, in particular, Great Whites. Cameraman, Doug Anderson, has been one of my main influences and is one of the leading cinematographers known for filming for shows such as Life, Planet Earth, and Blue Planet.
In Planet Earth: Shallow Seas, Doug Anderson’s footage helps display examples of Contrast. From the surface the ocean just looks blue, but beneath is coral reefs and a diverse world that is rarely seen by many. Fish of all colors and shapes living off the reef surrounded by mammals looking for food are all captured on film. Anderson shows how different the animals are, their different hunting tactics, how the interact with other fish. He shows Affinity by showing the audience how all these different species rely on each other, the reef, and the sun for a stable environment. In this episode, the main focus is the shallow seas. Doug Anderson captures footage that helps display such a different world from any other habitat on earth. Yet, it also helps show how similar it is to other habitats, how the existence of one specie is crucial for the survival for others.
Doug Anderson filmed for Discovery Channel’s series Life, in hope to make people aware of how amazing the world is that they live in and that it needs to be conserved. Throughout the series, the narrator or filmmaker do not tell the viewers that they need to stop polluting and that they need to realize how spectacular life is on earth. They let the viewers figure that out for themselves by using a very active approach. They don’t force any views onto the viewer, in the hopes that the footage that Doug Anderson has shot will do that without words. At times the narrator, Oprah, may hint at human pollution and affect on the environment, but I am not influenced by Oprah. Doug Anderson is able to get a message across the viewers through the use of a High Definition video camera and showing us creatures of the deep that many of us will never see or have never even heard of and how mammals such as Whales and dolphins nurture their young and have innovative ways of hunting.
In Blue Planet: Open Oceans, Doug Anderson makes it very obvious of his objective. And that is to show viewers how amazing the ocean is and how it is vital to conserve this environment. Anderson doesn’t use any trick photography, effects, or CGI to enhance his footage. A five second shot may have taken hours to set up and find in order to support his Objective. His footage has no underlying or deeper meaning, his objective is very simple and is conveyed through the use of a camera.
Friday, April 1, 2011
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