Music..

With finals approaching, I have most definitely been listening to my fair share of music. Movie scores are my study jam of choice and they seem to legitimately improve my depth of writing. It has intrigued me as to why certain music can really “move” you and others pass by unnoticed. I’ve deduced that it is more than just the lack of lyrics. Instrumental music has a very real power to alter your emotions. The right song can take the most monotonous research paper that you have been working on for ten hours straight and evoke such a conclusion and finale to provoke tears from even the most stoic individual. Without words to distract, the individual is allowed to explore the layers and depths of a composition. The listener, may sometimes have certain connotations with a piece, but that’s not always a bad thing. In leading a consumer to a certain end, you can often play of their preconceptions. For example, in the project concerning war memorials, it would seem beneficial to utilize pieces from moving war tales to build off an element that the viewer is already familiar with. In introducing this familiarity, you gain common ground and thus validate your work.

Social Media & Activism

Social Media is full of rhetoric. Each post, advertisement, and picture is an argument for someone or something. Your brain (consciously or unconsciously) inhales hundreds of random pieces of information (pointless or not) within a 5-minute trip to your Facebook Newsfeed. Tonight, when I was aimlessly scrolling on my Facebook page, I noticed a variety of different forms of rhetoric that I thought would be worth noting in a blog post.

One of the most important posts I saw was an advertisement for Nordstrom’s Boot Sale. A NORDSTROM BOOT SALE?! Facebook obviously stalked and pinpointed me because I bought the same pair of boots in the advertisement a few weeks ago. I must’ve been a prime target for their Facebook campaign. I’m sure Nordstrom gets a ton of customers this way- because those who are aimlessly scrolling on Facebook probably don’t have anything better to do then also scroll the Nordstrom Sale page. 

Another post was not so interesting to me and I have no idea why anyone would post this on Facebook. The news article reads, “Local Radio Host to visit every Dunkin’ Donuts in Rhode Island.” I’m pretty sure I don’t know anyone from Rhode Island, so I am not even sure why someone found this necessary or useful information.

A post I did found useful was one about the hateful events that went on in Clemson this past weekend at an equally hateful event known as “Cripmas.” Although I am not going to discuss the details of this absolutely horrifying event, I am going to discuss the power of this argument on social media. Without social media, information about this event wouldn’t have even circulated by now. However, with the help of social media, the student body, the president, the media, the public, the national fraternity organization, as well as many more, all became aware of the event within hours.

It is with the help of social media that causes of activism and hope are able to reach a broader audience and gain support and attention within a few minutes.

Final Thoughts

As this semester draws to a close, I want to reflect on everything (especially the most important things that I’ve learned this semester). One of the most valuable things that I will take away from this course is the knowledge of how to use the Adobe programs that we have worked with this semester. I know that these are skills that I will be able to put on a resume one day, and since I am considering applying for an internship with a magazine, these will be crucial skills to have. Other important knowledge that I will come away with from this semester is the knowledge of how to analyze and find the meaning of images in the visual culture all around us. I now have a new appreciation for every advertisement and monument that I see, and that is because of this class. Although I may forget some of the theories, I think I will always remember how to pronounce Benjamin’s last name, and his article about the concept of history. Some of his illustrations were so strange in that essay that they will be difficult to forget, to say the least. I have definitely enjoyed learning how to appreciate visual culture in a whole new way.

For my last blog post, I thought I would bring up Butler’s ever-relevant topic of framing. With the racial issues currently in the media, both local and national, it is vital to understand that the same events are being framed in much different lights. For example, the tumblr community has taken it upon themselves to advocate for Michael Brown. They, among others, argue that he was a victim of police brutality and was simply a young teen that never did wrong. The media, however, has a much different telling of the event, such that Officer Wilson was just in his actions, Brown was involved in a robbery, there was a struggle, etc. As young, educated individuals, it is our responsibility to tell the difference between the two. In reference to Butler’s argument, the frame’s purpose is to essentially present in silence, without an visual evidence of its operation. As viewers, we tend to take all reports for face value and fail to recognize the frame through which we are seeing the topic (or in this case situation) at hand. Interpretation is up to the viewer, not up to the material which we are viewing. We should be shown things as they are, free of bias, but again, we must realize the reality and adjust accordingly to present ourselves as knowledgeable individuals.

The Life of Lightening

In our group video editing project, we have focused on Bowman field. Our group thought of Bowman field as an excellent open field and perfect natural light source. In film and photography. light sources are key in producing a clear and well saturated image. My group dealt with the challenge of finding the best times to film in order to have the best natural lighting. We discovered that environmental factors such as changes in weather and time of day when filming effect the quality of the light source. Unfortunately, there had been a lot of rain, fog, and cloudiness during this week, which did not result in a good light source. Light affects the tone of a film or photograph. Bright colors and light can be associated with happiness. Darker colors and less light can give a darker tone. Since our group did not have control over the environment factors, we realized that we could show different levels of light displayed on the field to represent the type of message we want portrayed in the film. Different levels of light can be used to depict the changing in seasons. The differences in the natural lighting enabled our group to represent our desired tone for the video.

Music Challenges

For the final video assignment, my group chose to work with Bowman field. We chose Bowman because it is a green, open space that most students really enjoy. It’s the opposite of the confined, gray colored wall, classrooms that we are typically stuck in through out the school day- giving students a nice break, some fresh air, and perhaps encouraging some physical activity. Also, Bowman is a great place on campus because of the many festivities and traditions that it host each year: Tiger Prowl, Homecoming, food festivals, concerts, bid day,  student memorials, and more. However, because Bowman hosts such a wide range of activities, it was difficult choosing appropriate music that would flow well together. How does a similar beat work well for someone studying on a bench between class and also well for a couple of guys throwing a football? Music can have such a strong association and we wanted to be cautious of conveying the wrong message as well. With this in mind, we searched for songs that we considered “good mood” music. We came across songs that do have associations, however when they’re instrumental, the message is not so clear. We decided to only use instrumental music that will add to our argument that Bowman is a happy, open, stress-free place on campus but doesn’t distract from the video or add any unnecessary meaning.

Association of Music

For our military plaza video project, we were looking for music that would fit.  We decided that some of them would not work because of the associated context.  Some of it was “too intense” for what we were trying to convey or “screamed that it was about a memorial.”  What makes these songs “scream that they’re about a memorial?”

Some of these pieces came from war movies, like Pearl Harbor or Saving Private Ryan.  While I haven’t seen any of these movies, the music all sounded like sad wartime music.  One of the suggested videos was the Titanic soundtrack, which sounded too romantic and airy, like being in love on a ship, even though I didn’t remember hearing that part when I saw the movie.

It’s like how anything played on a theramin sounds like the soundtrack that accompanies an alien’s entrance or sets the mood of feeling the presence of something extraterrestrial.  Even Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys ends with a slightly eerie tone.  That song has nothing to do with aliens, but the section at the very end is played on a theramin and gives it a weird, science fiction, alien sound.  Does the weird sound of a theramin make it perfect for alien movies, making every song played on a theramin sound like it should be associated with aliens?

Banksy

http://mic.com/articles/103360/40-powerful-photos-show-why-bansky-is-the-spokesman-of-our-generation

After one of my classmates mentioned Banksy I had realized that I had seen his work in New York City. Upon looking at this online gallery of photos of some of his street art I was both impressed and horrified with some of the images. Banksy uses his images to provoke thoughts about our current social cultures and habits. By fusing together two subjects that may not typically go together he creates provocative images that truly have the ability to disturb. The way he combines subjects in his images reminded me of the Vimeo video that we watched in class that juxtaposed many images that made the audience uncomfortable. By fusing together two things and making connections that are not at the forefront of our mind, these artists are able to send a powerful message to society that we really lack in the ability of making some of the simple connections in life just because we ignore them. What is going unnoticed because we do not have the ability to make such connections? How much are we ignoring because we chose to do so? Both the images that are produced with the goal of unsettling people and the possibility that humans are vastly unobservant is greatly concerning. And for these reasons I am not sure that I like Banksy’s work.

Messianic Vanity

It is interesting how perspectives on history can vary so much. In many eras of history, the past was viewed as the golden age. Institutions held clout due to their sheer antiquity. Especially with religions, that which was older, was deemed better. Age plays into perspective as well. I know so many elderly people who long for the past- the “glory days”. While, I know so many younger people, or peers, with their eyes towards the future. Perhaps, we long for that, which would hold the most prospect- for the old it is moving backwards; for the young it is launching forward. I also find the messianic concept very interesting. Benjamin claims that the past can be redeemed by remembering and envying it. I don’t think remembering is enough, for the very concept of a messiah demands monumental change. A messiah is sought after to redeem an unsatisfactory present situation.  A messiah is long awaited, and celebrated. There’s a certain vanity in considering ourselves a messiah to the present, as if we are the long awaited gift to the world. We are indeed a legacy of our family, and their tangible mark left on this world. Maybe, instead of trying to redeem all the whole of history, we can simply redeem our family and live in such a way to honor our line and build a better life on the foundation that they have set.

North Face

While watching TV over the weekend, I heard the song “This Land is Your Land” playing and had to look up. Normally this song reminds me of patriotism and elementary chorus concerts. To my surprise, it was a commercial for North Face. When I went to Youtube to link the video, I came across the full-length version, which is even more interesting. For me personally, the music is somewhat of a juxtaposition. Action or adventure commercials tend to have very fast-paced, upbeat music, especially if it builds suspense, which this tune doesn’t have any remnants of. However, the lyrics of the song go perfectly with the visuals. For example, when he is singing the words “New York islands,” a woman is seen running over the Brooklyn Bridge. It coordinates well and puts and interesting spin on the topic at hand. A brand with the slogan “Never Stop Exploring,” slows life down for a moment to appreciate all that our land truly has to offer – and how North Face can help you get there, of course. The entire ad has such a mellow vibe to it, which is really enticing when combined with the serene, calming graphics. The unity behind the lyrics of the song was also brought to the forefront by connecting many different outdoor activities with an array of people, both men and women.