The first film I remember viewing (though it certainly wasn't the first) was The Jungle Book.
Masterly crafted, filled with classic Disney characters, classic Disney story, and classic Disney racism. Good times.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Baby Films
Trailers were originally meant to advertise films. But more and more, trailers are becoming well composed. They have their own beginning, rising actions, climax, heroes, etc.. The lines start to blend between film and the trailer for that film. Especially with the unfortunate trend of showing "the best parts" becoming more and more prevalent.
Take a look a few of these.
Super 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfdYeGAjQH4
Super: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctcURFb7XE4&feature=player_embedded
Four Lions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew-SrlQ9tlI
Video games have the trend of making trailers that don't show footage from the game at all. Instead, they use pre-rendered (out of game) footage to lure in potential buyers. But sometimes, you get some really beautiful and unique trailers.
Dante's Inferno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rbeAGdYk_0
<Warning graphic trailer involving children and zombies. 18+ only>
This Dead Island trailer is especially poignant. There is hardly any actual game footage, and the game hasn't even finished development, but the moment I saw this, I was sold. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZqrG1bdGtg
With the budget for most of these trailers in the millions, are they really just advertising? Film takes many forms, and maybe the one we least expect is right in front of us.
Take a look a few of these.
Super 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfdYeGAjQH4
Super: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctcURFb7XE4&feature=player_embedded
Four Lions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew-SrlQ9tlI
Video games have the trend of making trailers that don't show footage from the game at all. Instead, they use pre-rendered (out of game) footage to lure in potential buyers. But sometimes, you get some really beautiful and unique trailers.
Dante's Inferno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rbeAGdYk_0
<Warning graphic trailer involving children and zombies. 18+ only>
This Dead Island trailer is especially poignant. There is hardly any actual game footage, and the game hasn't even finished development, but the moment I saw this, I was sold. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZqrG1bdGtg
With the budget for most of these trailers in the millions, are they really just advertising? Film takes many forms, and maybe the one we least expect is right in front of us.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Video of Japan Earth Breaking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LPGzzaSsbU
This is surreal, and without the reach of modern communications, we would not get a chance to witness this.
This is surreal, and without the reach of modern communications, we would not get a chance to witness this.
Japan Before/After
An excellent article by ABC News showing the before and after of some areas destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm
The article contains still images of residential and industrial areas before the waves of water destroyed them, and uses a plug-in of some sort that allows the viewer to control how much of the image is pre-disaster. It creates a feeling of interactivity and brings additional empathy to an already terrible event.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm
The article contains still images of residential and industrial areas before the waves of water destroyed them, and uses a plug-in of some sort that allows the viewer to control how much of the image is pre-disaster. It creates a feeling of interactivity and brings additional empathy to an already terrible event.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Dangerous Rhetoric Enabling
One of the more interesting side effects of the digital age is the increases in political advertisements. Anybody with enough time and some photoshop skills can whip up a campaign poster. Through in some Windows Movie Maker and you got yourself a TV-ready advertisement.
Along with self-promotion and easier distribution comes the attack advertisements. With ridiculously fast information dispersal, any fact can be twisted and manipulated into a video, slapped on the advertising circuit, and be live within a few hours.
Take this ad for example.
Pretty shady of that politician right?
Well, not really. His aide made a phone call while in the town car they were riding in. The number for the sex line is only a few digits away from the Department of Criminal Justice's. The call was terminated in under 60 seconds, and the DoCJ was called a few minutes later.
Nonetheless, the attack ad was run, and technically, everything the ad talks about is true, so it wasn't slanderous. This ad ran on local television stations. Broadcast television is typically targeted towards a lower class market, and in this case, hopefully a market that won't bother fact checking their political ads.
Along with self-promotion and easier distribution comes the attack advertisements. With ridiculously fast information dispersal, any fact can be twisted and manipulated into a video, slapped on the advertising circuit, and be live within a few hours.
Take this ad for example.
Pretty shady of that politician right?
Well, not really. His aide made a phone call while in the town car they were riding in. The number for the sex line is only a few digits away from the Department of Criminal Justice's. The call was terminated in under 60 seconds, and the DoCJ was called a few minutes later.
Nonetheless, the attack ad was run, and technically, everything the ad talks about is true, so it wasn't slanderous. This ad ran on local television stations. Broadcast television is typically targeted towards a lower class market, and in this case, hopefully a market that won't bother fact checking their political ads.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Newspaper vs Online News
I am examining the differences between the print version of the Argus Leader and the webpage of the newspaper.
The first thing that comes to mind is the tactile sensations that are created by holding the physical newspaper. It is a sensation fraught with nostalgia. Books have been a large part of my life, but it seems the older I get, the less I have a chance to hold them. Compared to the instant gratification and graphics of the internet, paper print seems like old haps. Maybe then, this is the reason that the newspaper refuses to be put out of it's misery. The older demographics cannot let go of a day gone by. Holding the paper is the literary equivalent of a safety blanket for them, it's comforting, it's warm, but it isn't really useful at all. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone pre-30's who read their local paper. And why would they? Who wants to read what some over paid editor has to say when I can listen to all my friends' and family's opinions?
The second, and most obvious thing when it comes to digital newspaper is space. The physical copy of the paper is forced by budget and size constraints, and looks very... unprofessional? The website, cradled softly by my large monitor looks neat and proper, ready to be let open the gates of knowledge, but only if you want it to. Compared to the physical paper which looks like a messy, dirty, unorganized slop of useless garbage, ever ready to belch forth whatever happened to be most important to the editor that day. Though they are sending the same message, and in fact, usually contain the same stories, the physical newspaper seems a filthy relic of a bygone age, while the digital paper is a clean alternative to those archaic rags.
The first thing that comes to mind is the tactile sensations that are created by holding the physical newspaper. It is a sensation fraught with nostalgia. Books have been a large part of my life, but it seems the older I get, the less I have a chance to hold them. Compared to the instant gratification and graphics of the internet, paper print seems like old haps. Maybe then, this is the reason that the newspaper refuses to be put out of it's misery. The older demographics cannot let go of a day gone by. Holding the paper is the literary equivalent of a safety blanket for them, it's comforting, it's warm, but it isn't really useful at all. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone pre-30's who read their local paper. And why would they? Who wants to read what some over paid editor has to say when I can listen to all my friends' and family's opinions?
The second, and most obvious thing when it comes to digital newspaper is space. The physical copy of the paper is forced by budget and size constraints, and looks very... unprofessional? The website, cradled softly by my large monitor looks neat and proper, ready to be let open the gates of knowledge, but only if you want it to. Compared to the physical paper which looks like a messy, dirty, unorganized slop of useless garbage, ever ready to belch forth whatever happened to be most important to the editor that day. Though they are sending the same message, and in fact, usually contain the same stories, the physical newspaper seems a filthy relic of a bygone age, while the digital paper is a clean alternative to those archaic rags.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Newspapers
To me, Newspapers are a dying media.
They seem to be an outdated form of communicating a message, and in the modern day, one that only targets the populace that is too grumpy to use modern medias. The simple fact is that blogs and the internet are beating newspapers without even trying to. Why would I read some stuffy journalists' opinion on the current state of affairs when I could read a Harvard graduate's thesis on the issue?
Papers that I remember:
Argus Leader - father worked there
Madison Daily - read it once
I have an interesting relationship with the Argus Leader. I grew up with my father working there. He sold ad space to business in the local area. On 'Take Your Child To Work' days I would be hustled around the office, looking at all the various workspace, but by far the most impressive thing is the massive printing presses. Our family has numerous friends that still work in the Argus, and the fact that their jobs' time is numbered.
They seem to be an outdated form of communicating a message, and in the modern day, one that only targets the populace that is too grumpy to use modern medias. The simple fact is that blogs and the internet are beating newspapers without even trying to. Why would I read some stuffy journalists' opinion on the current state of affairs when I could read a Harvard graduate's thesis on the issue?
Papers that I remember:
Argus Leader - father worked there
Madison Daily - read it once
I have an interesting relationship with the Argus Leader. I grew up with my father working there. He sold ad space to business in the local area. On 'Take Your Child To Work' days I would be hustled around the office, looking at all the various workspace, but by far the most impressive thing is the massive printing presses. Our family has numerous friends that still work in the Argus, and the fact that their jobs' time is numbered.
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