Rebecca Black: talentless teen or radical visionary?

So by now, you will have seen Rebecca Black's embarrassingly bad, over produced music video of "Friday." I personally can't wait until the time comes when I can say "it's Friday!" without hearing an echo of "Fun fun fun fun!" (or gang fight, gang fight?) Here is Rebecca Black re-imagined as heard by a lip reader:



However, I thought it is worth risking getting that song stuck in your head again to point out this: http://www.theawl.com/2011/03/arms-so-freezy-rebecca-blacks-friday-as-radical-text <------- This is a hilarious close reading of the music video that suggests Rebecca is challenging our materialistic, superficial culture to the core. Try not to overthink your own close reading this way, but appreciate the funny!

Do you feel sorry for Rebecca Black? Will people always remember her? Or is she just going through her fifteen minutes of fame? Is all the negatively towards her deserved? How has the internet enabled this? Why have so so many people watched her?

Movies made into barcodes

Check out this awesome tumblr site: http://moviebarcode.tumblr.com/

It has movies reduced to barcodes, so you can see the colour palette! You can also order prints. Pretty awesome.

Compare Inception:

With Kung Fu Panda:

But, Ms Kazimi, I can't get onto YouTube on the school computers!

I know, that's frustrating. But sometimes in life we need to just accept the things we cannot change and then find ways around them. (That's how that quote goes, right?) So here are some sites that are not blocked by the school that you can look at videos on (some of them don't seem to work on all the computers, and some only work on Firefox because it has more things installed than the school Explorer browser thing). If you can't find it on something else, you can find a youtube link at home, because I can look at youtube clips. OR you can bring the DVD to school and watch it over and over and over again with no waiting to download. Be pro-active: solve the problem.

Art of the Title (especially the ones that have vimeo clips, since Quicktime is not installed on all the school computers)
MetaCafe (um, some of these videos don't load on some computers and some are a bit dodgy, but hey, it's kind of like YouTube!)
Vimeo (not everything is on here, most of this is created by people instead of just copies, so you might have a hard time finding scenes from movies, but give it a shot)
Daily Motion (like YouTube)

And of course, ask the other students. They might just know other good websites or ways to get things working.

Everything is a Remix

Yes, everything has been done before. Think that baseline or that camera shot looks familiar? That's probably because it is. Everything is referencing something and every media product is part of a larger media story. This is relevant to what we are studying because we are looking at horror films, which are part of a genre and part of a tradition. Here is a link to an amazing project looking at how music and films are remixes and sometimes even knock-offs.

Everything is a Remix

Everything is a Remix Part 1 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Everything is a Remix Part 2 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Part C of your Close Reading Assessment

This is the crucial bit. This is what you have been studying for. BRING IT.

Comment on the film terminology and how it creates meaning: PART C OF TASK

Choose FOUR film techniques (look at the list, or also choose a different one from your film terminology sheet): LOOK AT THE EXEMPLARS. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT EACH ONE.

These are the sort of questions that you will be answering for EACH one—

1. Describe: What is the definition for the film term? Describe two examples IN DETAIL from the opening scene, including screen shots if possible. What meaning do these examples create? What do they show you about the film / characters?
2. Explain: Why are these examples effective in creating meaning? What position does this technique place the viewer in? How does it show you something about the film/ characters / larger ideas and purposes of the film?
3. Analyse: How do these examples create meaning? Bring in your own outside knowledge or apply it to this film/ scene. Make assumptions about the film maker’s purpose for using elements in combination (e.g. to shape the viewers’ emotional response, to create atmosphere, to show character, to construct a story) and/or Make connections with way elements of media language have been used in the wider film and/or Make connections with the style of this director and/or Make connections with other films of this genre.

-----I might prompt you to add more information to your answer, like this:

Example: The student says “The director uses a close-up here to show the boy’s emotions…”

Teacher response:

• What is that emotion?
• Why is he showing that?
• How does the selection of the close-up work to do this?
• How does it relate to the previous emotional state?
• How is it relevant to the scene?
• How does this shot relate to the one before/after it?
• How does this effect work with other visual/aural elements?
• How is this feature used in other parts of the scene? Is it for the same purpose?

Art of the Title

Yes, the Art of the Title website is AMAZING. Here is a video clip that integrates a lot of different awesome title sequences. How many can you recognise?


A Brief History of Title Design from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.

Learning from Zombie Movies

Since I am starting to think about our genre study, here is some important information if you are ever caught up in a zombie attack. It is presented visually as well, so you don't have to waste time when you need information quickly.

Here is where I sourced this relevant info: http://www.geekologie.com/2011/03/what_weve_learned_from_zombie.php  (and they are right, this still doesn't help me sleep at night... zombies= scary, indeed)

Choosing a film opening?

Are you having difficulty picking an opening? Remember that you are looking at around the first five minutes of a film-- the title sequence or maybe a bit of the first scene, depending on what you think is the most relevant and gives you the most information to analyse. You want an opening that has a strong, effective use of techniques (remember we studied these and even played pictionary with them) so you can achieve Excellence in your analysis. You want to pick a film that you enjoyed, because you will be spending a lot of time thinking about the director and their intentions, so it will be helpful if you are not already bored by it. Chances are, if you like it, there is something you can say about it. You cannot pick one that we discussed together in class (Dawn of the Dead, Catch Me If You Can, Napoleon Dynamite). You should definitely check out the Art of the Title website (http://www.artofthetitle.com/) if you haven't already. And if you're still stuck, here are some more sites with ideas about striking and thoughtful opening sequences:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20186223,00.html 
http://theroxor.com/2009/03/14/10-awesome-opening-credits/
http://www.nerve.com/archived/blogs/the-twelve-greatest-opening-credits-in-movie-history-part-1
http://www.nerve.com/archived/blogs/the-twelve-greatest-opening-credits-in-movie-history-part-2
http://thefilmstage.com/2010/09/03/the-25-most-memorable-opening-scenes-in-film/2/


Switch that brain on and get thinking!

Even more about Facebook: A different perspective

Well, for every person and every viewpoint there is the other side of the story, supported by different research and statistics. Here is an article that suggests that since you create a "better" version of yourself on Facebook, looking at your profile can actually help your self-esteem, since you are reminded about all the best aspects of your life. Remember the article in Slate suggested that looking at other people's statuses and the very structure of the site itself (the like button, the photo tagging) created self- alienation and unrealistic expectations (leading to depression). How can we balance these two different articles? Is one right and the other wrong? Or can they both be right?

Here is the link to this new article so you can think about it yourself: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/visiting-your-facebook-profile-boosts-your-self-esteem/453

Are video games changing us?

Read this article about how video games encourage players to be "conservative."


http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=moral_combat

What do you think?

We discussed how the medium of Facebook changed the communication and the participants' experiences and world view. According to Monica Potts in this article, how does the medium of video games (some specific examples are given) change the players' experiences and maybe their worldview? How can games have a "conservative worldview"? WHY?

Your blogs- I want to see them.

So, I am optimistically thinking that you have all made a lovely blog site and started posting information about your chosen film opening. Right? Excellent. But I need to see them. Can you please follow my blog, email me your link or something so I can have a look at all of your amazing-ness. Thanks.

Facebook infographic

I know, I just can't get enough of thinking about facebook! Check out this awesome graphic representation of some interesting info about our favourite social networking site.

The World Is Obsessed With Facebook from Alex Trimpe on Vimeo.

Just for fun...

Yeah, life has been pretty serious lately. Take a break and check out how well you know famous movies with this quiz!! Maybe even think about how these different aspects of mise en scene contribute to the environment and mood of the film? Or just enjoy it. (click on the photo, guys)

Facebook and YOU!

We started the year by thinking about how Facebook is an emerging medium, and we looked how it shapes our communications and changes our interactions.

Here is the link to the Slate article that we read together in class:
http://www.slate.com/id/2282620/

Is this the REAL Facebook experience?


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