News

  We were doing role play today at Interpreting media, my role was sound recordist, it  wasn't a big role but it was pretty interesting, I didn't realize how much work actually went into bringing the news. 

With our role play exercise that we did, we failed hardcore at producing the news, it  was so confusing and everyone kept talking at once. We took ages to get on air and when we did, one of the anchors said the word terrorist and thats when everything went down hill.    

  

  After that we were just discussing why there was such a huge competition for news channels to get there first, TV One and Three are always competing, I suppose if its been played by one channel we don't need to and a lot of the time don't want too watch it again. 

They'll do anything to make their channel more interesting, even if its just getting a reporter to stand outside in the rain rather than in a studio, it sounds SO stupid, but as an audience we're just attracted to things done differently, even if they have NO point whatsoever. 

 We also talked about how some news channels just play the same clips over and over again, which sucks. I don't want to see the same bloody thing, it messes with my head. When the tsunami happened in Japan I couldn't escape from the same horrible images, my friend was there and it just kept playing in my mind. The sick thing is though, I was so messed up that I ended up losing sympathy for my friend. 

News can be so evil. 

advertising

Advertising is crazy, we're learning about it this week in interpreting media, how it changes your perception of things and influences you to do stuff that you wouldn't normally.
I'm a health freak and an animal lover, but I find myself singing along to the Mc Donald's theme song EVERY time on its TV, though I HATE Mc Donald's..
It gets in your brain and brainwashes you too support this shit and without even releasing it you're advertising it to the rest of the world by singing along.
   I used to never sleep during collage and id end up watching tv at 3am finding myself needing to buy the 'abb king pro' so I too could have 'killer abbs'
The people on the commercial looked so attractive and they made it seem like if I didn't buy it, I was a fat ass.. So I brought it..
I gave in to a silly advertisement and in NO WAY do I have killer abbs.
Advertising creeps me out..
As humans we're always trying to be better, always searching for that bit of perfect so we can 'fit it' with the rest of the world or what we see of the world on TV,, Pretty people in other words.. Unfortunately no ones perfect so we're screwed.

Resources - http://www.cleancutmedia.com/advertising/influence-of-media-advertising-in-our-view-of-life

Eating disorders

Heaps of celebrities have eating disorders and we're ignoring it, we're actually encouraging it.
Now days if you're not skinny and you're not Jack Black you won't be a successful actor/actress.

I was reading an article on the smh.au website and it said Natalie Portman got down to 43 kgs to be in the black swam, thats so insanely skinny! Her director actually wanted her to gain weight but she refused. 

She had to look 'good' on film.

this is a direct quote from her

"I could see why this industry is so f**ked up, because at 95 pounds, I would literally look at myself in the mirror and I was like, 'Oh my God! I had no shape, no boobs, no ass..
"All you saw was bone. I was like, 'this looks gross'. But in photographs and on film, it looked amazing.."

Thats how disturbed media has become.. But its true isn't it? 

Media has formed our minds into thinking thin is the only way to be, you HAVE to be skin and bone in order to get the media off your back. 

I feel in the future its just going to get worse too, these girls actually NEED help.

 In Hollywood, an eating disorder is perfectly normal.. Even encouraged. 
The reason why all these celebrities are adopting children is properly because they've screwed up there insides so much that they cant have them anymore. 

Being an Actress isn't as pretty as you think it is. 

Natalie Portman weight loss - http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/weight-loss-fears-for-black-swan-actress-20101118-17ydd.html

Oh my gosh

From watching midday television I have discovered another CRAZILY similar movie, this one I'm not to found of though... Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally cheesy.

So theres this movie called Chasing Librety which was released in January 2004 and done by 20th century fox, Its about an eighteen year old who's the presidents daughter and she starts rebeling and ends up having a thing for this undercover body guard..

FIRST DAUGHTER was released in september 2004 done by warner bros (sneaky devils) which is about EXACTLY the same thing, its actually blazzar, theres no way they just both thought up the same story line... I  bet theres more to this, theres not alot on the net about it and I'm quite surprised about that, maybe it was just cause they were both cra and no one really cared. I did find one thing however, before chasing librety was released, the title of it for imdb was 'untitled first daughter project.' 

SCANDLE!!!!

Chasing librety - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360139/

starring Mandy moore

Director: 

Andy Cadiff

First Daughter - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361620/

 

Director: 

Forest Whitaker

Staring Katie Holmes

tornado

A tornado happened today in Albany, it was absolutely terrifying. It started just after my class in Interpreting Media, so as I was driving TOO Albany (to pick up my rabbit from the vets) I heard everything that had just happened live on the radio.. 

There was this one story on the radio I heard about a mother driving with her kids, she stopped outside brisco's to quickly get something and told her kids to stay in the car, as she was in the store it happened, her car along with the kids got blown around the car park, the car flipped over, because all the kids wore their seat beats they were alright but if she hadn't gotten out of the car, she would've gotten seriously hurt or even have died.

 Without radio, ALOT more people would've been affected. Radio's able to tell us exactly whats happening as its happening and lets us listen to real life stories to get a better understanding.

 When we hop into our car we're separating ourselves from media but with radio we never have to be uninformed about whats happening.  

 

Osama's death

People all over the world have made this into a big joke, laughing and partying that this guy is now dead. Theres even facebook groups and tweets on it. I find that it's really offensive, I feel we shouldn't celebrate death, specially not when he was such a horrible man. 

 He could've changed his life around or atleast tried to apologize and its ashame that he didn't.

We are only being as bad as him by laughing at his death. 

Taking a life is in no way right to me, theres always another way, he could've just stayed in prison forever. Media I feel has made death become more acceptable though. War for instance, in all our years on earth you think we would've found a different, less dramatic and life threatening way to solve things, its stupid this is allowed. 

 My friends having an Abortion this week and they act as if its nothing, but its murder. 

How does anyone know though, Its shown on TV like its just 'what you do.' 

 

Media is CRAZY!!

The Royal Weddings been in the magazines for weeks and it's finally happened, what a relief.

Over half of New Zealand watched this on tv, thats INSANE! 

I can't imagine so many people watching me get married, I wonder how they felt about the press being everywhere, it must suck.

 I didn't watch it cause I'm not really 'into' the whole royalty thing, I think the press has made it into this big deal, but just its incredibly overrated. 

There just ordinary people with a really high status, but the press has injected our minds with all this bullshit so a bunch of people think of them like Gods or something, like we MUST watch there wedding or else we're not acceptable. 

The press influence us to think this way, Its sick.  We joke about aliens taking over the world but what we need to be concerned about is the press. We have to look a concern way, be as thin or as muscular as possible. If the press was saying jumping off a cliff was really in this year im sure people would do it. We rely on the press, they tell us how important things are and what we should do with our life. 

Resources - http://hypervocal.com/news/2010/a-royal-wedding-prince-william-meh-wake-us-when-snooki-marries-a-gorilla-juicehead/

Charatistic's of a documentary

In class this week we're learning about documentary's and what makes a documentary. We watched 'Forgotten Silver' which I suppose was just a big joke to celebration 100 years of cinema, I don't know whether id call it a documentary, but others could argue that it is to them.
A documentary documents something, but it has to have some sort of reason, its got to get people's attention.
 To me, a documentary is just someone's point of view of something, just been recreated on film, however they see it in their mind.
So to the person who's created it, or people who have the same point of view, its a documentory cause it has truth, but to others its just a mockumentary I suppose.

My friendly Neighbor Totoro

I LOVE anime and this is like.. Tops, there is NO better.

It's almost impossible to count the number of ways in which the amazing animation master Hayao Miyazaki excels. 

Dirtected and written by Hayao Miyazaki.

  Even though in most of their movies their forms are bait exaggerated, they still seem more believable than the children in many live-action films. They're in nearly constant motion, they yell in delight, they break into tears when they don't get their way.

As with every single one of Miyazaki's films, Totoro is FANTASTIC =D . Even the backgrounds are active and detailed! I just love how extremely weird the plots and characters are, like what movie has a cat-bus with a dozen legs, a smile so large as to be almost sinister and glowing eyes... Everything this guy thinks of is like the stuff you dream about, perhaps maybe a nightmare, but its made into a kid-friendly movie. 

A person obsessed with plot might find this movie unsaitsfying cause the endings kinda weird, 

 the last act of the movie deals with Satsuki looking for Mei, who has gone missing. The movie doesn't really have a conflict introduced in the first act, but tension increased in the second and finally a resolution in the third; Whats kinda weird is there isn't any particular meaning given to the fantasy elements. A family moves to a house, some odd things happen, and then life goes on. Along the way, the audience will see beauty and experience feelings and events vicariously, I kinda think its like, when you watch it, you FEEL that young again, I'm pretty sure I used to imagine this kinda stuff at primary school, its great.

There aren't many Hayao Miyazakis in the world. In animation,I'd say he stands alongside Walt Disney.

EHHHH I love this movie!!!

School Of Rock

  Just watched School Of Rock, I've seen this movie way to many times, but I'm not sick of it yet. It was directed by Richard Linklater and Written by Mile White. 

And, of course, the movie has the king of all awesomeness, Jack Black!! He's so good at being a slob. Theres this one scene I absolutely loved, Jack black uses indirect behavior to make the kids think there way of life is boring and that you need to 'stick it to the man'. They cut from one student to another, as they insult the teacher (Jack black) the teacher however, is encouraging this, kinda sends a mixed message, but its an attempt to get the kids to be rude in order to write a good rock song. 

Like theres this one cut where a student called summer says, "You're the a joke! You're the worst teacher i've ever had!"

The Teacher responds with "Summer that is great! I liked the delivery because I really felt your anger."  

He tried to change the subject from himself to things that really annoyed them, bullies, homework ect. 

They end up writing a really cool song out of it, it always gets me in the mood to be pissed about something.

Battle LA

We had a lecture on War for Interpreting Media, we learnt about how its there duty to fight for there side but to me really theres no right and wrong with the 'other side' cause they have there own beliefs, I really don't think war solves anything, just kills amazing people.
I watched a shit movie the other day, Battle LA, its about a war between soilders and aliens that came down to tale over, it didn't really explain itself that well though.
It was made to look like a documentary, but it just didn't do anything for me. The script for me was a fail, if it was a book I would've put it down in 5 minutes, but because of how well it was filmed I was able to continue to watch it.
It was written by Christopher Bertolini and Directed by Jonathan Liebesman.
The thing I liked about it was they showed a range of different reaction shots, like theres this bit in it where this kids fathers been attacked by an alien and he's lying down, they think he's going to make it and he just suddenly dies, so the sergent, Michael Nantz had to tell the young boy, (they used a medium close up of his face) as he dragged on with a 'heart felt' speech. Way to many tears in that scene, a big pity party held by all. Only problem is I felt they didn't really have enough to hold focus, the scene just lasted too long, you wanna sympathize with the kid, but honey, its been 20 minutes, get off the screen.
 Something else I kinda liked in it was the reverse angle shot when they were hiding out away from the aliens.. It really made you feel as if you were a solider with them.
..Though this movie was utterly crap and ill never watch it again. =D

The Night Of The Hunter

I'm still buzzing from this movie, defiantly a favorite now.
This movie was done in 1955 and was based off a novel Davis Grubb wrote about the depression.
Charles Laughton directed it. I really enjoyed all the blazzar kinds of camera angles he used, they were all over the place, but it really worked with the movie. The movie starred Robert Mitchum (Omg brilliant actor!) playing as Harry Powel, his role was super awesome, it showed heaps of contrast. The Inference-fact tendency fooled me totally in the beginning as he was portrayed as a priest and a 'man of God' , but really he was out to kill all women because they tempted him and he became more and more obsessed with money and more likely to be a man of Satin. The film itself was filled with conflict, going back and forth with good and evil, like theres this one scene when he's just gotten himself married and it's time for bed...His new wife walks in the bedroom with this ugly as nighty thing (which was properly super sexy back then.) You think some thinks bound to happen and he's like 'hell no women! Put some clothes on, whore.' Well, not exactly in those words but he meant the same kinda thing, which totally surprised me, I mean, at that point I knew he was sexiest but REALLY?! The look of disappointment on that women's face made me laugh. I was gripped till the end, such a fricken awesome movie.

Orson Welles is a genious!

George Orson Welles is amazing!!

He presented as a series of simulated "news bulletins," which heaps of people believed  that an actual alien invasion was happening. You can imagine how pissed off everyone was when they found out, apparently, there was widespread of outrage. I just loved his voice throughout it, it was so bloody fake, anyone listening too it nowa days wouldn't have believed it.

It's absolutely incredible how gullible people were back in 1939. We've kinda trained our minds from the media, we can tell the difference between reality and acting, back then though I suppose they hadn't had alot experience, everything was kind of new to them. My minds still kinda stunned at how important watching shit on television is. Parents are always like 'don't watch too much TV!' but really, maybe we should be watching more TV.

The Crow

I watched 'The Crow' last night and I have to say how incredibly similar it is to 'Batman-The Dark Knight'. The Crow was also a successful comic. its almost as if The Dark Knight just copied the film. The Crow had an equally as good character as the joker though, Brandon Lee played it amazingly, I'm pretty sure Heath Ledger copied alot of his character from the film, they look almost identical, both with face paint, same hair length, even the scruffiness was captured perfectly. Definitely Brandon Lees best work!
I found out that Brandon Lee died during 'The Crow' as well, kinda freaky. 
When Brandon died, there was 8 days of filming left in the movie. To finish out the rest of the movie, they used a live body double and some digital composing.There was this scene where Brandon was meant to break a mirror but did not cause the scene was shot after his death. So DreamQuest used there magical editing skills and managed to make it look like Brandon did it.
the thing that really got me though is its almost as if Heath Ledger copied him so much, that he died as well. 
Creeeeeeeeeeeeepy.

Resources -  http://www.franksreelreviews.com/shorttakes/brandonlee/brandonlee.htm

The Crow info - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109506/

Sleepless In Seatle

Today I'm going to show one of my favorite movie scenes in Interpretying Media.
'Sleepless In Seatle', It's a cute chick flick done in 1993 and directed by Nora Ephron starring Tom Hanks and Megan Ryan. (They're also in 'You've Got Mail' together.)

I think the chick flicks in the ninetys are deffinately the best, this one just proves it. 

The scene I chose was about Tom hanks (A single dad at the point.) and a married couple he invited over for dinner. Its short, cute and I could watch it a dozen times and still laugh.
The wife is explaining this amazingly girly movie she just watched to them, the expressions of dread on the mens faces are classic. It really showed a great level of acting, it was so true and I could really see that happening.

Old Movies 11/03/11

  After watching some of the silent movies today in moving images I was really surprised at how far the world had come with film.
So I went home and watch some Charlie Chaplin on old film reels shown on my Dads projector... Personally...I don't really get what the fuss is with this guy. 

I just found it hard to connect with him and all silent films really. Compared to films made today, they move slowly, the camerawork is halting, the stories are simplistic in their construction, and you can see the curveballs coming a mile away...  

I mean, some people like my dad LIKE this stuff..Could be a birth defect..  

But I was really interested at how everything has changed SO much, Charlie Chaplin was funny too people in the days of silent film, they didn't have a lot of films to compare it with though… It was all new to them. I think its really cool how we've learnt so much from film, I'm really excited for the future and how different the technology and film will be and if that changes the audience. 

I'd love to bring some of the audiences from the silent film days and show them Johnny Depp and be like "Shame, look what you missed out on."