Friday, 12 November 2010
Quick Post : Stop Motion
A cinematographic phenomenon that I find incredibly interesting is one revolving around stop motion. Everyone knows what stop-motion is. [If you don't, think claymation, like Nightmare Before Christmas, or take a look at this Switchfoot music video to see an example of non-claymation stop-motion.
When people use claymation, they want the motion to be as fluid and life-like as possible, generally speaking, evident in Nightmare, Corpse Bride, and countless other [and non Tim Burton] films and shorts. I would think that's pretty obvious. Sometimes, when a director wants something to look like stop-motion, they remove a couple frames and make it look choppy. Then it dawned on me, while watching this Regina Spektor music video, that even if a director is using stop-motion*, like in this video and the Switchfoot one, they want it to look choppy, the obvious implication being that, if the stop-motion were too fluid, the audience would lose the effect of the stop-motion and see the film as another, traditionally filmed piece.
*I know for a fact that the Switchfoot video uses stop-motion. As for Regina Spektor's, I'm fairly certain that in this video they use a lot of real photographic stop-motion, particuarly so in the beginning, as well as the film-then-remove-frames technique, though I could be mistaken, as animation and stop-motion are not actually my strong points.
Blogging and Stopping
I've been thinking about blogging lately. I've slowed down on my posts between freshman year and now, but I'm not the only one. Most of my friends that I follow from LHS '09 have ceased to write new updates. I was wondering why this was. Of course, we're all busy on and offline, but surely we're not much busier than we were at this time last year?
I think I've figured it out.
Last year, everything was new. We left our homes - some of us *coughcough* having never had the opportunity to live in any other town for more than three weeks at a time. We left friends, families, and the comforts of homes. We were pushed into many new worlds, including academic and social ones. We had to adapt to the new, unsupervised lifestyle of the college student, and we had to scramble to find our place in the new social scene. And we were blogging. Blogging itself was new, but we were blogging because of that which was new.
Now, we've adapted. We're sophomores. This is our new normal. So while still 'new' in the sense that we've only been living this routine for about a year out of our almost twenty, it's still old. We're used to it now.
I'm not saying that this is the only reason we've stopped writing new posts, but I'm sure it's a huge prat of it. I can't imagine any of us think that 'oh my gosh another day in ___ class' or 'hey did you see that really obnoxious thing that happened on Saturday night' could possibly interest our fellow high school graduates any more, for the simple fact that they've probably seen much of the same in the last year. And to be completely honest, how exciting does it all seem now to us, the writers?
Of course, we're also really busy.
I think I've figured it out.
Last year, everything was new. We left our homes - some of us *coughcough* having never had the opportunity to live in any other town for more than three weeks at a time. We left friends, families, and the comforts of homes. We were pushed into many new worlds, including academic and social ones. We had to adapt to the new, unsupervised lifestyle of the college student, and we had to scramble to find our place in the new social scene. And we were blogging. Blogging itself was new, but we were blogging because of that which was new.
Now, we've adapted. We're sophomores. This is our new normal. So while still 'new' in the sense that we've only been living this routine for about a year out of our almost twenty, it's still old. We're used to it now.
I'm not saying that this is the only reason we've stopped writing new posts, but I'm sure it's a huge prat of it. I can't imagine any of us think that 'oh my gosh another day in ___ class' or 'hey did you see that really obnoxious thing that happened on Saturday night' could possibly interest our fellow high school graduates any more, for the simple fact that they've probably seen much of the same in the last year. And to be completely honest, how exciting does it all seem now to us, the writers?
Of course, we're also really busy.
Saturday, 18 September 2010
End Women's Suffrage!
My sister showed Mum a youtube video that afterwards Mum insisted that I watch. It's a man visiting an American high school "of excellence" and asking students to sign a petition to end the "monstrocity" that is women's suffrage.
The video provides commentary on many things, not the least of which include the way people are willing to sign their name to a piece of paper without knowing fully what it is they're promoting, and, of course, the myriad of ways the American school system is letting its students down. It's also somewhat upsetting because small, fringe groups of "conservatives" actually hold that women's suffrage should never have been passed.
As interesting as a conversation about this video clip would be to me, what I found more interesting and upsetting was my sister's reaction to my and my mother's reactions. I was doing something else when Mum started showing it to me, and I merely asked "Why am I watching this?" She told me it was because she thought that I'd "think it was interesting", and I replied that "it's just sad". Later into the video, she commented on how "somebody's failing" - referring, of course, to the way that so many young women were absolutely clueless to the point of the petition they were signing. My sister became very angry with us that we couldn't take a joke, and said that it was "just a silly video" and that she lived with "the most judgmental people on the planet".
I'm not writing this to in any way smear my sister's reputation, contrary to what she maybe believe if she read it. I merely want to use this opportunity to discuss the way jokes and serious problems intermingle and the way that we often have very different opinions about where those defining lines lie. The problem between my sister's and my own interpretations of the clip were not in drastically different viewpoints on any of the issues addressed, but in our individual willingness to call that "funny". Basically, our senses of humour. What she thought was almost mindlessly hilarious, I viewed as intelligently satirical and incredibly upsetting because of the real-world truths it highlights.
This phenomenon is everywhere.
The problem with certain TV shows - Family Guy, for example, or even Spongebob Squarepants - for me are the sense of humour required to enjoy them. A clever one liner in a comedic drama like Castle feels so much more satisfying than watching Spongebob sustain possibly fatal injuries... agian. So much of Family Guy is intelligent humour, but the creators need to back those witty quips up with barfing that looks like someone broke a water main and with jokes about rape, which, aren't really funny at all. The "rape joke" thing has a lot more in common with this suffrage conversation, though, merely because they do make people laugh, but when you think about it, they're actually very offensive and can be extremely hurtful to someone who has had any sort of experience with rape. But I digress.
This short little video that sparked so much bitterness in my family portrays social undertones that I cannot ignore. Watching young girls sign up to have their right to vote taken away from them hurts because it's a right that so many people worked so hard to earn, and that so many other people around the world still do not, and never will, possess. The conversation about the fact that these girls don't even know what "suffrage" means could literally go on for days, and, in certain political and social arenas, has. I appreciate the creator of the video for the witty way he exposed these social shortcomings, and that's why I think his video is powerful. The difference, though, is that my sister appreciates the way he highlighted certain individuals' ignorance [for lack of a kinder term], which is why she felt the video was powerful. The only difference was the way we interpreted the video's power. And the fact is, she thought it was funny.
Thoughts?
suffrage: the right of voting : franchise; also : the exercise of such right
The video provides commentary on many things, not the least of which include the way people are willing to sign their name to a piece of paper without knowing fully what it is they're promoting, and, of course, the myriad of ways the American school system is letting its students down. It's also somewhat upsetting because small, fringe groups of "conservatives" actually hold that women's suffrage should never have been passed.
As interesting as a conversation about this video clip would be to me, what I found more interesting and upsetting was my sister's reaction to my and my mother's reactions. I was doing something else when Mum started showing it to me, and I merely asked "Why am I watching this?" She told me it was because she thought that I'd "think it was interesting", and I replied that "it's just sad". Later into the video, she commented on how "somebody's failing" - referring, of course, to the way that so many young women were absolutely clueless to the point of the petition they were signing. My sister became very angry with us that we couldn't take a joke, and said that it was "just a silly video" and that she lived with "the most judgmental people on the planet".
I'm not writing this to in any way smear my sister's reputation, contrary to what she maybe believe if she read it. I merely want to use this opportunity to discuss the way jokes and serious problems intermingle and the way that we often have very different opinions about where those defining lines lie. The problem between my sister's and my own interpretations of the clip were not in drastically different viewpoints on any of the issues addressed, but in our individual willingness to call that "funny". Basically, our senses of humour. What she thought was almost mindlessly hilarious, I viewed as intelligently satirical and incredibly upsetting because of the real-world truths it highlights.
This phenomenon is everywhere.
The problem with certain TV shows - Family Guy, for example, or even Spongebob Squarepants - for me are the sense of humour required to enjoy them. A clever one liner in a comedic drama like Castle feels so much more satisfying than watching Spongebob sustain possibly fatal injuries... agian. So much of Family Guy is intelligent humour, but the creators need to back those witty quips up with barfing that looks like someone broke a water main and with jokes about rape, which, aren't really funny at all. The "rape joke" thing has a lot more in common with this suffrage conversation, though, merely because they do make people laugh, but when you think about it, they're actually very offensive and can be extremely hurtful to someone who has had any sort of experience with rape. But I digress.
This short little video that sparked so much bitterness in my family portrays social undertones that I cannot ignore. Watching young girls sign up to have their right to vote taken away from them hurts because it's a right that so many people worked so hard to earn, and that so many other people around the world still do not, and never will, possess. The conversation about the fact that these girls don't even know what "suffrage" means could literally go on for days, and, in certain political and social arenas, has. I appreciate the creator of the video for the witty way he exposed these social shortcomings, and that's why I think his video is powerful. The difference, though, is that my sister appreciates the way he highlighted certain individuals' ignorance [for lack of a kinder term], which is why she felt the video was powerful. The only difference was the way we interpreted the video's power. And the fact is, she thought it was funny.
Thoughts?
Sunday, 11 July 2010
The A-Team - I Liked It!
I know it's late - I promised Saturday - but here is one of my two posts!
Comic book hero movies and summer blockbusters haven't necessarily been good. Ever. Of course there are a few gems out there. That's only natural. I mean, last summer the only movie we had to look forward to that fit that profile - based on a comic book, huge budget summer blockbuster, lots of explosions - was the infamous Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. So I understand why anyone might be wary when it comes to 2010's The A-Team.
But it was really good.
That's right. I liked it a lot.
First of all, the cast was amazing. Obviously, the original team was built perfectly - you've got the brains, brawn, charm, and the wild card. None of them would be particularly amazing alone, but when you bring their very specific talents together, the team is basically unstoppable. The team in the movie specifically was all that and more. Liam Neeson does wonderfully as the no-nonsense, intelligent, plan-it guy slash killing machine. No question there. A part towards the end I found myself thinking, "Of course he's not dead, didn't you see Taken?" Bradley Cooper, of Hangover fame had me nervous for a little while. Before I saw the film, I was thinking, "How could this charmer from The Hangover POSSIBLY fit in with Liam Neeson the BAMF in an action hero movie?," but he worked so well as Face. Of course, I don't know the original A-Team, but his character was charming, silly, and excellently executed. Then, of course, there was Sharlto Copley, better known as Wikus from District 9. Initially, I was worried he was just going to be a stereotype of a crazy guy, because that's definitely how he came off in the beginning, but he was pretty amazing. He had me laughing much of the movie through, and when things got rough, he pulled something crazy out of his bum and saved entire operations. For instance [spoiler], he and B.A. are trying to clear customs and he was supposed to be the rabbi and B.A. was supposed to be from an African country but their passports get switched, so to keep his cover, Murdock ends up improvising Swahili, and it worked. Then there was B.A., played by Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, an actor I have never seen or heard of before, though apparently he was in one of Jesson's favourites, The Midnight Meat Train. He was also very good - he never tried to be Mr. T., which I think was very appropriate, and he filled out the character quite nicely, bringing him a human side and a charm that one might not expect from a comic book depiction of "the muscle". Overall, the acting was exceptional and the characters all worked together wonderfully.
The plot was fairly decent too - it wasn't about taking down bad guys or saving the world so much as clearing their own names. But for that reason [spoiler], the ending was unsatisfactory. They clear their names but "breaking out of prison is still illegal," so they have to go back in. Face got his ex back, too, which at first bugged me a lot - she doesn't deserve him - but [spoiler] she actually slips him the key to the handcuffs through an overly-passionate kiss, leaving the ending wide open. Though if the cast is the same and the plot is as good, I would definitely not mind seeing a sequel in a couple years.
The effects were great but the CGI was never overwhelming, which is typically a problem that's been bothering me a lot in more recent movies.
There were also times where the dialogue was a little... cheesey... bordering on awful. But the chemistry of the actors and the light-hearted feel of the whole movie more than make up for any faults. I would be lying if I said anything short of "I loved it". I highly recommend this movie - and face it, if you want to see a movie this summer, your other options are kids' movies [though Toy Story 3 was amazing and I've heard good things about Despicable Me, they're simply not for everybody], Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Twilight Saga: Eclipse. So weigh your options carefully : I think you'll find that, besides Toy Story 3 if you're into it, The A-Team will be the best movie you see all summer.
Unless Inception turns out to be really good.
Comic book hero movies and summer blockbusters haven't necessarily been good. Ever. Of course there are a few gems out there. That's only natural. I mean, last summer the only movie we had to look forward to that fit that profile - based on a comic book, huge budget summer blockbuster, lots of explosions - was the infamous Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. So I understand why anyone might be wary when it comes to 2010's The A-Team.
But it was really good.
That's right. I liked it a lot.
First of all, the cast was amazing. Obviously, the original team was built perfectly - you've got the brains, brawn, charm, and the wild card. None of them would be particularly amazing alone, but when you bring their very specific talents together, the team is basically unstoppable. The team in the movie specifically was all that and more. Liam Neeson does wonderfully as the no-nonsense, intelligent, plan-it guy slash killing machine. No question there. A part towards the end I found myself thinking, "Of course he's not dead, didn't you see Taken?" Bradley Cooper, of Hangover fame had me nervous for a little while. Before I saw the film, I was thinking, "How could this charmer from The Hangover POSSIBLY fit in with Liam Neeson the BAMF in an action hero movie?," but he worked so well as Face. Of course, I don't know the original A-Team, but his character was charming, silly, and excellently executed. Then, of course, there was Sharlto Copley, better known as Wikus from District 9. Initially, I was worried he was just going to be a stereotype of a crazy guy, because that's definitely how he came off in the beginning, but he was pretty amazing. He had me laughing much of the movie through, and when things got rough, he pulled something crazy out of his bum and saved entire operations. For instance [spoiler], he and B.A. are trying to clear customs and he was supposed to be the rabbi and B.A. was supposed to be from an African country but their passports get switched, so to keep his cover, Murdock ends up improvising Swahili, and it worked. Then there was B.A., played by Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, an actor I have never seen or heard of before, though apparently he was in one of Jesson's favourites, The Midnight Meat Train. He was also very good - he never tried to be Mr. T., which I think was very appropriate, and he filled out the character quite nicely, bringing him a human side and a charm that one might not expect from a comic book depiction of "the muscle". Overall, the acting was exceptional and the characters all worked together wonderfully.
The plot was fairly decent too - it wasn't about taking down bad guys or saving the world so much as clearing their own names. But for that reason [spoiler], the ending was unsatisfactory. They clear their names but "breaking out of prison is still illegal," so they have to go back in. Face got his ex back, too, which at first bugged me a lot - she doesn't deserve him - but [spoiler] she actually slips him the key to the handcuffs through an overly-passionate kiss, leaving the ending wide open. Though if the cast is the same and the plot is as good, I would definitely not mind seeing a sequel in a couple years.
The effects were great but the CGI was never overwhelming, which is typically a problem that's been bothering me a lot in more recent movies.
There were also times where the dialogue was a little... cheesey... bordering on awful. But the chemistry of the actors and the light-hearted feel of the whole movie more than make up for any faults. I would be lying if I said anything short of "I loved it". I highly recommend this movie - and face it, if you want to see a movie this summer, your other options are kids' movies [though Toy Story 3 was amazing and I've heard good things about Despicable Me, they're simply not for everybody], Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Twilight Saga: Eclipse. So weigh your options carefully : I think you'll find that, besides Toy Story 3 if you're into it, The A-Team will be the best movie you see all summer.
Unless Inception turns out to be really good.
Monday, 5 July 2010
My Brain Is On Summer Vacation
Lately, I feel like I've been too distracted to even write coherently. But I've got at least two posts kicking around. I'm working on actually fleshing them out and hopefully at least one of them should be up by uhhh let's say Saturday? Why not. Lofty goals here, folks.
Updates on other random things? I've been doing a lot of lazy stuff. The computer fixing didn't work out for me, so I'm sending all the parts back and getting my money back. D
// EDIT: 13 July -- HTML glitch here. Apparently I'm missing a bit and it's been too long to try to remember what's in between. Probably boring details on computer assembly and sister nagging. //
My sister wants me to take her to Rocky. I mean, I enjoy it a lot, of course, but Mum doesn't entirely approve, and she is my "little" sister. I don't know. I told her I would in a few years. But the movie is sex. Basically. It's the closest thing to porn she'll ever see, too. Mum would be super mad if I wanted to bring her to that. I don't know. I won't go back on my promise to bring her in a year or two, but if I bring my cousin Mike this summer - going to be a junior - he'll officially be the youngest person I've brought, and I have this weird thing about... corruption? Lol. I mean, there was Kat's friend, but I don't think that counts. I'll bring her. But not until she's seventeen or eighteen.
I've been watching Bones. Mostly to fill the "void" in my life left by my recent Lost binge. That, and Stephen Fry is in it occasionally and it's on Netflix Watch Instantly. That's about it. It's not that good. The premise is almost exactly like Castle. All-work-no-play lead lady good with a gun and a little socially awkward. Fun loving guy who doesn't really know what he's gotten himself into when it comes to the technical / work stuff that the woman has to deal with. One of them has written a best-selling book. Lots of geeky stuff. Even some episodes follow similar plots. The saddest part is, though, Castle came second, making it the copy-cat, but it does it all so much better. Yeahhh.
My fourth of July weekend was thoroughly enjoyable. I watched 1776 with Charlie, John Adams, Alex, Dan. Andrew came. We went to Rocky and it was great watching Jenny, David, and Andrew squirm as virgins. Kathleen loved every second of it. I went to sleep at almost five. Got up about 1, but Andrew didn't wake up until almost four! We went to his house for a little while and the two of us hung out while Mum talked with his parents. Then I came home. We watched the fireworks and then I saw The A-Team with my cousins and sister. And here I am typing up stuff and watching Bones. Yayyyy. A-Team and advertising posts to come, I swear!
Updates on other random things? I've been doing a lot of lazy stuff. The computer fixing didn't work out for me, so I'm sending all the parts back and getting my money back. D
// EDIT: 13 July -- HTML glitch here. Apparently I'm missing a bit and it's been too long to try to remember what's in between. Probably boring details on computer assembly and sister nagging. //
My sister wants me to take her to Rocky. I mean, I enjoy it a lot, of course, but Mum doesn't entirely approve, and she is my "little" sister. I don't know. I told her I would in a few years. But the movie is sex. Basically. It's the closest thing to porn she'll ever see, too. Mum would be super mad if I wanted to bring her to that. I don't know. I won't go back on my promise to bring her in a year or two, but if I bring my cousin Mike this summer - going to be a junior - he'll officially be the youngest person I've brought, and I have this weird thing about... corruption? Lol. I mean, there was Kat's friend, but I don't think that counts. I'll bring her. But not until she's seventeen or eighteen.
I've been watching Bones. Mostly to fill the "void" in my life left by my recent Lost binge. That, and Stephen Fry is in it occasionally and it's on Netflix Watch Instantly. That's about it. It's not that good. The premise is almost exactly like Castle. All-work-no-play lead lady good with a gun and a little socially awkward. Fun loving guy who doesn't really know what he's gotten himself into when it comes to the technical / work stuff that the woman has to deal with. One of them has written a best-selling book. Lots of geeky stuff. Even some episodes follow similar plots. The saddest part is, though, Castle came second, making it the copy-cat, but it does it all so much better. Yeahhh.
My fourth of July weekend was thoroughly enjoyable. I watched 1776 with Charlie, John Adams, Alex, Dan. Andrew came. We went to Rocky and it was great watching Jenny, David, and Andrew squirm as virgins. Kathleen loved every second of it. I went to sleep at almost five. Got up about 1, but Andrew didn't wake up until almost four! We went to his house for a little while and the two of us hung out while Mum talked with his parents. Then I came home. We watched the fireworks and then I saw The A-Team with my cousins and sister. And here I am typing up stuff and watching Bones. Yayyyy. A-Team and advertising posts to come, I swear!
Monday, 31 May 2010
I'm Like the Freaking President
I have recently decided to undertake a series of projects, most of which are projects of reformation. I hope to have at least 60-70% of them done by the time I go back to school on the last day of August, so I suppose this will really come down to a test of my will power and determination. Some of these projects include Closet Reformation, Desk Reformation, general Room Reformation, bringing Paula to Rocky Horror Picture Show, upping my Chinese and Bassoon skills, and Bathroom Reformation. I've got a big list of these goals taped to my wall where I can see it from my bed... for motivation.
I'm proud to announce that I've already completed Closet Reform, and that my clothing has been sorted through and stored as efficiently as I wanted it to be. It took me a few days, mostly because I like to take breaks that are longer than actual periods of work, but I was successful.
This is the third week I've been home now, so I'm going to try a little harder to get more work done [after having allowed myself that initial period of slacking and sleeping that is so typical of summer holiday]. Today I already went shopping to acquire some materials for Bathroom Reform, and I think I will spend tomorrow working on that.
So that's pretty much what I've been up to, lol. My life is so exciting ;P
I'm proud to announce that I've already completed Closet Reform, and that my clothing has been sorted through and stored as efficiently as I wanted it to be. It took me a few days, mostly because I like to take breaks that are longer than actual periods of work, but I was successful.
This is the third week I've been home now, so I'm going to try a little harder to get more work done [after having allowed myself that initial period of slacking and sleeping that is so typical of summer holiday]. Today I already went shopping to acquire some materials for Bathroom Reform, and I think I will spend tomorrow working on that.
So that's pretty much what I've been up to, lol. My life is so exciting ;P
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Sloth
Teaser/filler entry. More, actually interesting stuff to follow, I promise think.
Because I was out really late last night, I slept in a lot today. I finally got up around one and went downstairs and had breakfast. Then I watched some Jeopardy! because I hadn't watched in a few days. I'm finally caught up, by the way. So then I was just chillin' on my awesomechair with my cat, and I fell asleep. I slept right through French Club, which was unfortunate because I kinda really wanted to go.
When I finally woke up, it was about four, so I went back upstairs to my room and surfed the Internet for a little while, but then my legs and back started hurting because of all my non-activity. I was really bummed out and restless, so I decided to go be active. A quick look out the window informed me that it was still too wet to go on the trampoline, and I just didn't feel like going on the treadmill again.
At five, I went downstairs to play DDR. I was taking some allergy medicine [because it has been that sort of awful day] when I stepped in dog crap. I had to clean it all up and it was really gross [not going into detail, for your sake, trust me]. After that mess was finally taken care of, I went back to getting ready to play DDR. I fixed myself a glass of water, I remembered to bring my inhaler down with me, and I moved the basement furniture so that there'd be space for the mat.
Then I went to the TV and looked for my mats and games and THEY WEREN'T THERE, even though that's where Mum told me they'd be. I frantically searched all over the ground and basement floors but I couldn't find them any where. I even texted Mum and she told me they'd be in the basement but they clearly weren't.
After an hour and a half running around my house, complete with dog poop, unbearable allergies, and no games, the DDR mood is quite gone. I've come back to my room and I'm going to settle down and watch what TV I'm behind on.
And that is why the word of the day is "sloth".
Because I was out really late last night, I slept in a lot today. I finally got up around one and went downstairs and had breakfast. Then I watched some Jeopardy! because I hadn't watched in a few days. I'm finally caught up, by the way. So then I was just chillin' on my awesomechair with my cat, and I fell asleep. I slept right through French Club, which was unfortunate because I kinda really wanted to go.
When I finally woke up, it was about four, so I went back upstairs to my room and surfed the Internet for a little while, but then my legs and back started hurting because of all my non-activity. I was really bummed out and restless, so I decided to go be active. A quick look out the window informed me that it was still too wet to go on the trampoline, and I just didn't feel like going on the treadmill again.
At five, I went downstairs to play DDR. I was taking some allergy medicine [because it has been that sort of awful day] when I stepped in dog crap. I had to clean it all up and it was really gross [not going into detail, for your sake, trust me]. After that mess was finally taken care of, I went back to getting ready to play DDR. I fixed myself a glass of water, I remembered to bring my inhaler down with me, and I moved the basement furniture so that there'd be space for the mat.
Then I went to the TV and looked for my mats and games and THEY WEREN'T THERE, even though that's where Mum told me they'd be. I frantically searched all over the ground and basement floors but I couldn't find them any where. I even texted Mum and she told me they'd be in the basement but they clearly weren't.
After an hour and a half running around my house, complete with dog poop, unbearable allergies, and no games, the DDR mood is quite gone. I've come back to my room and I'm going to settle down and watch what TV I'm behind on.
And that is why the word of the day is "sloth".
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