Sunday, September 30, 2012
Archival Footage
I think that our group can use some of the parts where the principal creepy guy is talking about how there are no exceptions to rules. That section is reminiscent to the CONFORMITY EVERYTHING IS THE SAME aspect of Dystopian societies. We could use the footage to reinforce the point that dystopian societies are dull and monotonous places. If I found footage of kids taking tests or using Scantrons that would also be really useful, but unfortunately I couldn't find any of that...
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Dystopian Trailer Critique
V for Vendetta. James McTeigue. R. 2006.
When a girl named Evey (Natalie Portman), is saved from rapists by a masked vigilante (Hugo Weaving), a revolutionary movement is born. The two set out to educate the people of their nation of the wrongs that the government has committed, and what they can do to stop it.
This trailer is exemplary in the sense that it is not a complete piece of corny trash. The majority of the trailers that are easily accessible through YouTube are very bad quality and cheesy productions. This trailer, however, was actually good. It exhibited many of the characteristics of a proper dystopian trailer, in that it showcased the protagonists, the antagonists, why they were rebelling, and how they were acting out.
The trailer portrays V, one of the protagonists, rescuing Evey, the other protagonist. Then through a series of short clips it shows the sort of oppression under which they live. They live in a state where their every word is monitored by the government. It also creates tension, by showing dramatic scenes such as when Evey's parents are abducted by the government in rather violent fashion. All of this serves to excite the viewer, and to make it obvious as to why, and what Evey and V are fighting against. Scenes where men with raised guns ready to fire are known to make emotions run high. Our trailer also plans on showing the role of the protagonist, and the evils of the society in which they live, very clearly. The addition of many short shots also is something that we could certainly use, as the suspense that was created through this technique had a very unique effect. There are certainly many techniques and methods that are worth copying from this trailer.
This trailer is exemplary in the sense that it is not a complete piece of corny trash. The majority of the trailers that are easily accessible through YouTube are very bad quality and cheesy productions. This trailer, however, was actually good. It exhibited many of the characteristics of a proper dystopian trailer, in that it showcased the protagonists, the antagonists, why they were rebelling, and how they were acting out.
The trailer portrays V, one of the protagonists, rescuing Evey, the other protagonist. Then through a series of short clips it shows the sort of oppression under which they live. They live in a state where their every word is monitored by the government. It also creates tension, by showing dramatic scenes such as when Evey's parents are abducted by the government in rather violent fashion. All of this serves to excite the viewer, and to make it obvious as to why, and what Evey and V are fighting against. Scenes where men with raised guns ready to fire are known to make emotions run high. Our trailer also plans on showing the role of the protagonist, and the evils of the society in which they live, very clearly. The addition of many short shots also is something that we could certainly use, as the suspense that was created through this technique had a very unique effect. There are certainly many techniques and methods that are worth copying from this trailer.
My 5x5 Video Project
Not much to say. I went through hell trying to post this darn thing. Ended up having to convert it from .mp4 to .avi to import it to windows live movie maker. That was a pain. Then I had to publish etc, reorient the shots since I took them with my phone and whatnot. It was an...experience.
The video is unlisted and comments are set to moderated. Next time having a theme would make this so much easier. Shots: 1. Shot of my dog being confused by non moving water. 2. Shot of my dog being puzzled over how to reach me. Featuring muddy paws. 3. Shot of my dog acting like she's a breaching salmon. 4. Shot of my dog being scared to walk the fifteen feet to me. 5. Shot of my dog being nervous in the car.
The video is unlisted and comments are set to moderated. Next time having a theme would make this so much easier. Shots: 1. Shot of my dog being confused by non moving water. 2. Shot of my dog being puzzled over how to reach me. Featuring muddy paws. 3. Shot of my dog acting like she's a breaching salmon. 4. Shot of my dog being scared to walk the fifteen feet to me. 5. Shot of my dog being nervous in the car.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Connected Learning
For this assignment we had to read one of two provided articles, annotate it, and provide our thoughts. Well firstly here is the link to my annotations here. The article is about students basically learning independently and how there is currently no real framework for either teachers encouraging/discouraging this behavior. I did not learn most of what I know in school aside from math. I learned a lot from books and the internet. History class was a joke for the entirety of Middle School, and for 9th Grade US history also.
"At this moment, there are no easy answers for educators; most of the school districts I visit still have not begun to contextualize or embrace these shifts. Instead, as illustrated by the Canadian college student who faced expulsion for "cheating" after creating a study group to share notes on Facebook rather than face to face in the library, many of our students continue to explore the potentials and pitfalls of instant communication with little guidance from their teachers." Now this is sad. Our CAP group has shared study guides and what have you before. It's very useful for us to review and whatnot. It's impossible for us to meet in person BECAUSE WHAT NORMAL PERSON HAS THAT SORT OF TIME ANYMORE?! Well I do but yeah. Teachers need to use more technology in non stupid ways and embrace the new generation~
Honestly it's surprising that teachers have not yet adapted to all the new proverbial doors that computers and the internet have opened. "Connected learning" has so many possibilities! Like what if instead of the government paying for all these schools we could just sit at home and use the computer. Good idea right?! While the internet may be good for specific learning it is not good for a broader focus. Learning about solar energy is easy on the internet, but it's easy to get overwhelmed with a deluge of information if you research something more broad like energy.
If we were to use this newfangled technology to learn independently for this class I would like to learn about something history related. I know that's not relevant to the course but :ohwell:
"At this moment, there are no easy answers for educators; most of the school districts I visit still have not begun to contextualize or embrace these shifts. Instead, as illustrated by the Canadian college student who faced expulsion for "cheating" after creating a study group to share notes on Facebook rather than face to face in the library, many of our students continue to explore the potentials and pitfalls of instant communication with little guidance from their teachers." Now this is sad. Our CAP group has shared study guides and what have you before. It's very useful for us to review and whatnot. It's impossible for us to meet in person BECAUSE WHAT NORMAL PERSON HAS THAT SORT OF TIME ANYMORE?! Well I do but yeah. Teachers need to use more technology in non stupid ways and embrace the new generation~
Honestly it's surprising that teachers have not yet adapted to all the new proverbial doors that computers and the internet have opened. "Connected learning" has so many possibilities! Like what if instead of the government paying for all these schools we could just sit at home and use the computer. Good idea right?! While the internet may be good for specific learning it is not good for a broader focus. Learning about solar energy is easy on the internet, but it's easy to get overwhelmed with a deluge of information if you research something more broad like energy.
If we were to use this newfangled technology to learn independently for this class I would like to learn about something history related. I know that's not relevant to the course but :ohwell:
Friday, September 7, 2012
Diigo Movie Review
So. Silver Chips recently reviewed the movie "The Bourne Legacy". The review was certainly short and sweet. A quick plot overview of the movie in the first few paragraphs was followed by a terse reflection on overly long chase scenes. Then came a paragraph about how the soundtrack of the series hasn't really changed once over the course of four movies. Finally a glowing recommendation that implores everyone to see the movie. Definitely makes sense. Definitely. The Bourne movies have never really been known for their amazing acting, or lack thereof, but perhaps it would have been beneficial if the review had touched upon the topic once or twice instead of ramming through a plot summary, two quick reflections and a conclusion.
While the review wasn't exceptional it certainly wasn't bad. It provided me with a lot of the information I needed to know about the film and some choice nuggets of information. There was a grammar error though. A minor one albeit, but it still really irritated me for some reason. Must be because I still have another five hours of school left before I can go home. Yay.
In case you wanted to check out my amazing highlighting of the article go to (highlighting is cool) the original article can be found at (silver chips online).
With regards to the quarterly movie review I am of the opinion that one of the movies we view should be in class just for purposes of comparing our reviews of the same movie, that isn't necessarily current. Otherwise everyone's just going to go out and watch the same movies and you're going to get 150 reviews about 3-4 movies. That would sure be fun to grade I'm sure. Plus I need to minimize my social interactions. One outing is better than two.
While the review wasn't exceptional it certainly wasn't bad. It provided me with a lot of the information I needed to know about the film and some choice nuggets of information. There was a grammar error though. A minor one albeit, but it still really irritated me for some reason. Must be because I still have another five hours of school left before I can go home. Yay.
In case you wanted to check out my amazing highlighting of the article go to (highlighting is cool) the original article can be found at (silver chips online).
With regards to the quarterly movie review I am of the opinion that one of the movies we view should be in class just for purposes of comparing our reviews of the same movie, that isn't necessarily current. Otherwise everyone's just going to go out and watch the same movies and you're going to get 150 reviews about 3-4 movies. That would sure be fun to grade I'm sure. Plus I need to minimize my social interactions. One outing is better than two.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
First Blog Post
Hello. I am Fin. I am in the tenth grade at Montgomery Blair High School, I am also in the Communications Arts Program. My favorite aspect of film making is the editing process. I am in no way a very good actor, though I have acted as a cinematographer before. I took three years of Media at Takoma Park Middle School, and also took TV Production last year here at Blair. I find editing to be a fun process, because it is all about taking the raw footage and compressing and refining it into a finished product that is refined and ready for dissemination. Movie making is a very fun process but is not necessarily my absolute favorite thing in the world, however, it isn't my least favorite thing. That position is currently held by Pre-Calculus.I really enjoy reading and am currently loving our 1984 unit as it is one of my, if not my favorite book of all time.
With regards to using the blogs for other classrooms I think that there are certainly various different ways that we could integrate work in other classes with our blogs. For example:
With regards to using the blogs for other classrooms I think that there are certainly various different ways that we could integrate work in other classes with our blogs. For example:
- Designate one member of your Change Project Group to create a separate Change Project Group blog and have them post a weekly update on what the group has done in the past seven days, progress etc...Would be minutes of group meetings in a way, in case someone had been unable to attend.
- Perhaps as a project for our 1984 unit we could write a few entries on our blogs from the perspective of Winston or Julia etc...
- Post some of our editorials online on our blogs to show the world!
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| Courtesy of Cian Ginty on Flickr |
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