The Medium is the Message: An Inventory of Effects

Social Media

Social Media has changed the way of all aspects of communication. sites such as Facebook, Twitter, snapchat,  Youtube, and Instagram have provided platforms for anybody and everybody to broadcast their voices over an international platform. Anybody and everybody can voice their opinion freely and frequently and has changed the way we view privacy. Since the social media age, people have been eager to document every moment of their  life to the public, some have even been able to make careers through making "v-logs" on platforms such as youtube. People are much more open about their lives and people are much more interested in the lives of others. Privacy has become a figment of the past. However the ability to produce and put out content to the public has freed creatives. People no longer need to get contracts with corporations in order to publish work. Media stars such as Ryan Higa been able and "Michell Phan" have been able to develop companies as a result of youtube.

Also social media has changed the way we process information. We have become developed to short format content and shorter attention spans because we are constantly bombarded with content. News has also drastically changed as well. The internet has led to the pop up of numerous news outlets that are free to warp information as they please leading the massive spread of false information. However media has also given power back to the public. Smartphones has made it easy for us to document information and social media has allowed us to put said info online. Flaws in law enforcement have been exposed and has generated conversations about our judicial system. Media has allowed to the quick and mass spread of content, content that is termed "viral."

A New Short Story: Look Out, The Saints Are Coming Through

1. what is your reaction to the text you justified?

This interesting narrative that jumps straight to the climax, then shifts to events leading put to the incident and events after. It feels like a snippet of a person's life and feels unresolved. My reaction to the story is a mixture of confusion and curiosity. What led the character to violence? His background is kind of vague and feel that here is no genuine emotional build up to explain his action. He does state that he was in a " unfocused" state of mind and going through the motions but that does not settle well for me.  It seems so random,  a choice done on a whim and that bothers me because he lacks character motivation.  We never get into the character' mind after the aftermath, we only see the resulting events after.

2. what connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.

From my understanding this is a story about a high profile couple, the husband being a famous singer. It documents the good old days, when he first met, marriage, and the spiral downhill after killing a man and find the wife foolish, good natured but ignorant.  Although the text mentions his history of fighting in several wars, which probably affected his cognitive decision making abilities, he still deserves to be punished.  His past should be taken into consideration he ultimately deserves to be jailed, as the crime is too heinous to be overlooked. The wife is fool for believing that drugs were the answer to solve woos and for believing that you should embrace a person for all that they are, by overlooking their flaws. Yes,  people are not perfect but part of loving someone is looking out for their best interest. Indifference is approval, by feigning ignorance, she helped his continual spiral downward. However it is important to note that he as an individual has sole responsibility for his actions and should own up to them. I lacked empathy for the characters because it all seems so shallow; the character loos through the with an idealistic, romantic, and shallow sense. They feel immature an un-responsbile, they never face issues head on. The husband indulges in drugs and alcohol while the wife turns a blind eye to their deteriorating life. Unfortunately, I struggle to relate to these characters.

3. What changes would you work to adopt this story to another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

I would retell this story as a graphic novel as a lot the story includes vivid imagery. I would simplify the text to focus on the monologue and turn the landscape descriptions into pictures.

Curate Yourself: Documentary HUMANS + Blog: Humans of New York

An important media series that everybody should watch is the documentary "HUMAN." It is movie documenting of first person interview of over 2000 people in 60 counties. Individuals are asked the same set of 40 questions covering topics such as, " marriage, poverty, and sexuality." Unlike Humans of New York, names and locations are not disclosed, providing, minimizing cultural bias as the project seeks to highlight our similarities rather than our differences. It is a brutally honest glimpse of the living conditions and the  struggle of people around the world  The series is free on youtube and is translated in 11 different languages, allowing easy access to it's content.  I first saw this series at a special screening at Ringing's academic center auditorium last year.  It is tear jerker so prepare the tissues but it is crucial that we for people watch the series. In a world divided by "boarders" and governments and groups eager to divide and manipulate us for personal gain, empathy is easily forgotten and this series helps us bring us back together.

A nice work that others could read as well is Humans of NewYork. New York is international melting pot where cultures and people of all walks of life can be found.  It is an ongoing blog told by "us", people. Brandon Stanton, the owner of the blog combines street photogpraghy and interviews of random people he meets, giving us a glimpse of the diversity of people.

It is important to note that because it is curated by a single person, Humans of New York is inevitable bias towards the author's views. Also one may argue that "New York" culture may also homogenize the the views and statements of the people.  Stanton may also  gravitate towards a genre of people or people themselves may recognize him and curate their answers to be idealist then realistic but the concept is still genuine. His work has inspired many to start up their own "Humans" series allowing us to have a better understanding of people who are different from us. It is so easy to alienate and separate ourselves from others, and the human project reminds us to be emphatic to our fellow humans.

documentary HUMANS (part 1) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdb4XGVTHkE

Humans of NewYork Blog: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork/

Tetris: Games as a Medium

History books should just be written in graphic novel formats. Well the downside is, you don't get as much facts but they are so fun to read. Tetris, the games people play by Box Brown was a great read. It took a a complex and intertwined history and simplified it to the core facts. Tetris had quite a wild distribution history. Originally a free underground past time in the Soviet Union while a explosive monetary game to the rest of the free market world, the contrast is funny. 

In term of my favorite game and games as a literature medium hmmmm... I am not a gamer but I do enjoy like many people the classics, Tetris, Pac Man, Mario, etc.... The simplicity of these games makes them easy and addictive. 

This is probably the first graphic novel I have owned and i really loved this story. I also really enjoyed Asterious Polyp as we'll and plan to buy a book of it as well.  I also happened go to a demo talk with an illustration senior with an interest in graphic novels. So this is definitely a medium I plan to explore over the summer. 

Media' Influence: Ready Player One

Ready Player One was more of critque of contemporary issues fused with growing technological advances. A country striken with mass wealth inequality and governments controlled by private business. It portrayed a distopic media addicted society, a future that America may be heading towards. As other first world countries are taking strides in reducing oil consumption and investing in renewable energy, we are going backwards...

In this books world, The OASIS is king, the world revolves around the OASIS, the ultimate form for escape. People are addicted to the OASIS and spend ever waking hour hooked up. We already see this technology addicted behavior in modern day society. People are constantly walking with their eyes glued to their phone and ears plugged in with headsets. When people go out and see something interesting, they take a picture, post it on Instagram, and forget about it.

The book tackles key contemporary issues that we should all be paying more attention to! Government (Big Brother, cyber security, and privacy are hot topics both in Wade Watts world and our world as well. Our current president has attempted to make it legal to buy our citizen's internet history and has recently demanded the private information of "alt-government twitter accounts." As our world is becoming more and more digitalized, privacy may become an old age concept. In the end Wade Watt wins, beating the evil IOI headquarters.

WIP

Reading the Multi Model Narrative: Asterios Polyp

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli

This was probably my favorite read so far! I am not familiar with comics so what I find unique or interesting may actually be common in the genre. The most striking part of the Asterious Polyp was the stories content, which tackled midlife crisis, social relations, and intimacy. At least within mainstream media, comics are associated with heroes and only heroes so this was a surprising and refreshing read for myself. 

 Mazuuchelli did a fabulous job balancing formal content with imagery. He was able take a typcially anti climactic subject matter and make it intrguing. He pushed how comic books should look and feel, by going with a abstract editorial style, straying from the common realistic pop art look favored by most graphic novels. His decision to use color and texture to reveal a character's state of mind instead of words was far more impactful. In my storyboarding and CA class we are always told " Don't say it, Show it." as visual cues are always stronger then verbal ones.

The ending was so cyanical it was humorous. It just came so randomly that it looked like an afterthought but overall and incredibly enjoyable read. Mazuuchelli 

Voice and Auteur Theory

Director Federico Fellini 

Las Strada (1954)

Juliet of the Spirits (1965)

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EDIT (3/27/17) :

After today's class discussion I realized I misinterpreted the prompt, " Do you believe in authorship." I understood authorship as whether I not do you believe one can distinguish a directors "voice or style" rather than do you think a director has "sole" authorship over the direction of a film. My answer is I do not believe in "authorship" as film is an extremely collaborative effort. Although the director does have massive influence over the look of a film, there are other roles that deserve just as much credit as the director.

We talked about the influence of screen writers, actors, and producers and their impact on the voice of the film. In America, both actors and directors are glorified and recognized for their efforts , while casting a shadow on other significant contributors such as the screen writer!  Speaking of the "look" or feel of the film, lots of this is achieved by the technical crew or VFX artist. Nowadays, live action and animated films are so heavily dependent on great special effects, that there is not a scene that has not been touched up, wether we realize it or not. A scene as simple as a character looking into their reflection requires VFX, to cover up the reflection of the camera.

So I believe that "sole authorship" is false and the celebration of directors as "authors" is disproportionate to the amount of influence they have on the film. Media and People have a tendency to forgot or ignore that film is a collaborative production  and there should greater recognition of screen writers, producers, and VFX artists as potential "co-authors."

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Within the two films I have watched by Fellini, I find similar archetype he uses for his  protagonist. They are female characters with ignorant personalities who learn the cruelties of life. Their immunity to the injustice of the world crumbles as they are forced to face reality.  Both films happen to use the same actress as the protagonist,  Guiletta Masina; who I found out is also Fellini's wife. Both film's protagonist lack independence as they are both oppressed by a dominating male figure.  In La Strada,  Gelsomina was forced to be Zampano's side show assent. In Juliet of the Spirits,  Giulietta lived for her husband. In some ways both women were able escape and gain some form of freedom in the end. This basic pattern  of ignorance, realization, and action may be a signature of Fellini.

Another note that characterizes the director's style is the sharp disorienting cuts he uses to jump from scene to scene. However this is more likely due to his lack of skill....

Director Jim Jarmusch

Deadman (1995)
Mystery Train (1989)
Down by Law (1986)

All of these films have several themes in common that speaks to Jarmusch's interests and signature. They all include travel and outlaws. Each film also includes either protagonists or major characters that with foreigners.
The settings of all the films are set in old western towns.  Characters also share similar dynamics. In all three of these works, they are stories about conflicting but inseparable duo. As the story progresses the audience and the pair  learns more about themselves as they progress through challenges in their journey. By including foreigners, it allows for and element of surprise as the foreigner goes against the audience and other character's expectations.
Characters also share similar goals, they are seeking escape. In Deadman, a guilty accountant wishes to escape death, Mystery Train is about a couple seeking new experiences , and Down by the Law would escape from imprisonment.
The films point of view is from an outsiders perspective.  Deadman including Native Americans, Mystery Train includes has tourists as protagonists, and Down by law centers around criminals. Jarmsuch's work also has as similar tone and story format. The audience also treated as an outsider as well, we are never allowed into he character's head but serve as silent observers.  There is a wondering feeling about his stories as they do not appear to be plot driven. All of his character come from low income backgrounds and the character explore those impoverished areas. Characters also are together not out of choice but of circumstance and are forced to stay together because of these circumstances.