Releasing the words.

I wasn't in class due to the AP Literature test. I just wanted to write down some of my thoughts.

First of all, I am surprised at how much the media classes have influenced other subjects in my life. I have learned how to analyze media, and in turn it has taught me how to analyze literature. Also, in government when we look at political adds and cartoons I am able to find the deeper meaning faster than my classmates.

Secondly, I have been raking in the money. Okay..not really...but I have been making a few extra bucks with my amateur senior picture taking. I don't charge a lot, I pretty much only charge for my time because I know my skill level is still needing improvement. It has been a good experience to take pictures and get out in the field and then come back and get critiques from different people about what they like and don't like.

Thirdly,

I will travel.

I have been talking to my aunt and uncle who both work at the airport, and my uncle wants me to get a job with him. It doesn't pay well, so I would have to get a second job...but it does give me flight benefits, so long as I fly standby I can get to practically anywhere I want. I have the travel bug. I need to get out and see and experience things for myself, and there is no better time than now before I am involved in school and relationships. I also think that travelling will help build my portfolio and understanding, and I might have an advantage based off of travel experiences that I have had in my future career choice.


This is all.

TED

Dear Meester B...

I was in Richfield on Tuesday working. I took pictures and made a booklet for a construction business...

Thursday's Videos: 

Video Number 1: Computer generated holographic. 

This technology was amazing because it all happened in front of our eyes. This technology can change the way we apply special affects into videos. All of the images were clear and created well, which made it all the more entertaining to watch. He likens these images to magic, which is "deception that we enjoy",  and the audience must first suspend their disbelief in order to become open to the story. 

This guy talked a lot about story, and I realized that without a story, nothing succeeds. You need to have something to first grasp your audience, you must pull them in. Without the audiences total interest and emotional attachment, none of those images would have been entertaining. 

He said you must first imagine the role of the magician as a story teller, and that every trick is a story. Magicians deliberately exploit the way their audience thinks, which is how special effects in movies work. Special effects make the audience believe something is happening that is not, they are an illusion.

 Magic tricks are like jokes, they lead us to an unexpected destination, and I feel like every successful story does just that. Stories are made to be shared, and they only continue to be shared when they entertain the audience.The audience must feel compelled to tell the story, to share the experience. In this modern world, stories are shared through email, facebook, blogs, twitter. Audience gathers around those mediums to hear the gripping stories. The better the story, the more it will be shared. 

This brings me back to this technology. The graphics can help to create that story, as a new way of expressing ourselves. My biggest thought was how you could use a TON of juxtaposition with this. You could make the audience think that something was happening, and then place something not logical next to you. 

Copyright:

This TED reminds me of "Everything is a Remake". The thing that intrigued me the most is how he presented his information. He used humor to get his point across, as well as hyperbole. He showed the exaggerated facts in a way that they seemed ridiculous how he presented them. This is a way of presentation that I hadn't before thought about. You can present the facts that the copyright mathematicians have determined to be true in a way that makes nobody believe them by simply adding some graphics and comparing those facts to things that people will conclude are jokes, which makes these facts come across as a joke.

We all think "yeah, copy right is bad, don't do it" but then we go out and do it anyways...

but how bad is copying?

These statistics, as the speaker portrayed, are a little over exaggerated. How can 1 song, a dollar on itunes, equate to be $150,000 of lost money for the industry?

The question is not how we can stop it, the question is how far human ethics will go to reach to protect artist's rights. 

It is morally wrong to steal other people's creations, but this has been going on since the beginning of time.

 I believe that evolution in all forms occurs when we take something and alter it, we make it evolve. The incline in technological advancements has improved at an increasing rate over these past few years because we now have the technology to improve technology. 

As Carly just said "If I made something, I would be pissed if someone stole it...but if you made something cool, I would steal it". 

I think everyone at sometime in their life has copied something that someone else has done. 

I don't want to take anything that would offend anyone else or cause them to lose money...but most musical artists that have talent are wayyy better off than I am financially, so it is hard to feel too sorry. 

Copyright gets me talking in circles, so I am going to stop now to prevent the cycle from continuing on. 

Helicopter Robots:

This technology is really cool, but for some reason they creep my out a little bit. I was thinking of what me, the average person, could use robots for. I had an image of the robot delivering my homework to school, with a note attached that says "Please excuse Lauren from school today, she didn't feel like getting out of bed, so she sent me..."

Then the helicopter would go to all my classes, with the camera attached to the front. It would film my teachers talking, and at 2:15 it would maneuver out of this building back to my bed, where I would then watch my teachers in fast forward mode, pausing only for the 2 minutes of actual teaching they do. :)

(if you can't tell, I am a little fed up with coming to school...senioritis.)

These helicopters could be used to get footage for movies up high, when they usually have to use a REAL plane or helicopter to film. I don't know how much these cost...but it might be worth it to rent one of these to carry your camera instead of paying for you to accompany the camera on a real plane/helicopter. 

The planes flying in formation really intrigued me, it would be cool to make a movie about these little robots invading the world...it doesn't sound like a million other movies that have already been made...right? 

You're Jealous?

Hello. I GOT A NEW CAMERA! No big deal. I AM EXTREMELY EXCITED!!!! It's cool. I LOVE MY PARENTS! Most of the time. 

Here are a few photos of the first day of cameradom. 

#1. Ulysses is semi-seductive at times. Don't worry, those glasses don't have X-Ray Vision. 

 #2: The school vending machines wanted to fight today. I was forced to enlist Asa in my efforts to free my paid for cookie from its grasp. As you can see, we lived happily ever after. Minus the Sprite Zero. 

#3: They love me. Cheeseballs.  

#4: Try to find what is wrong with this picture. No, it isn't Blake. No, it isn't the chalkboard zoo. No, it isn't even the afro. It's the screwdriver that lodged itself into Mr. B's foot. Well, his shoe. 

MOVIE

Holy cow. I just made a two minute video in the last two hours. I have a few things I want to fix, but since I need to take the video to dance today it is alright for the time being. annnnnnnd great. Now it isn't working on my computer. BLAH.

Audio

Today I worked on my dance video. Working with audio was an interesting experience. It made me realize how important audio is in portraying emotion!

Wednesday

I have been working a lot in Fireworks lately. 

I really enjoy creating banners and graphics, and there is plenty of room for improvement. 

I created a background using a bright color scheme and only squares for my personal blog, but I don't really like it because it is busy and distracts from the text. I am going to change it today in my web design class. 

Yipeeeeeeeee

Recently I have been very interested in writing. I think that this interest spawned from Loghan's script reading, because I realized that I have more to contribute than I thought.

Writing has been, and probably always will be, my strong point in life. I write constantly, whether it be in a journal or on my blog, for official school business, or just a note to a friend.

I decided that I want to try and write a story that is not personal. I think I will do a short film for the high school film festival.

Today I have been scripting the Orchesis Dance Company end of year video that will play at our concert.
 I usually don't script the films I make, and I am already noticing the difference.

As I script, I am able to make changes before hand so that I know exactly what footage I need.
I will tell the story that I want to tell, and not leave it to chance that the story gets told.

I am super super super excited that I have a new spark of life in my work! YAY!

Special Post

Low-gan and I are at a special needs dance...

we are such good citizens. 

Loghan is like... king... of the special needs people...they all love him. 

It's cute. 

the red head is mine and loghan's peer tutor...

Bad Human

I hate that everything is a remix of something else...but at the same time...I love it. 

I don't think there is a way for society to continue to evolve without allowing people to copy

 other people's work.

Yes, it sucks when your work gets copied. 

Especially if you are losing money because your work has been copied. 

Don't think of it as stealing, 

think of it as idolizing. 

If someone loves you enough to make a cheaper version or a better version of something you have already created,

that is a GOOD thing.

Even though it's bad. 

Bad dog. 

Script Reading

I think Loghan has a lot of talent when it comes to scripting.
 The story line was intense, but it did sound like a lot of movies that are already out there.

I would like to see him using his creativity to add something that makes this movie

UNIQUE, which I firmly believe he can do. 

The part that we read did not have much dialogue, however his character developement was pretty impressive for the lack of verbal interactions.

 I am excited to see how he revises and improves upon this script, and I think he has a very good story line to run with.

Now run like the wind, Loghan!

Update

So, life...life is in a slump right now.

I say "um" too much, because I am never sure of anything these days, and "um" fills in when I have something I want to say but can't find the right words because my brain is focussed elsewhere.  

On the plus side,

I am getting really excited about the future, especially now that I have decided on a major!

Are you ready for this?

 Major in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.

phew.

I can't wait to get started on college.

As far as media goes, in the future, I feel like most of my focus will be put into my personal blog.

I am going to work and my first purchase will be a good camera, because I find that taking pictures relaxes me and helps me appreciate everything that surrounds me.

It also makes my blog posts more interesting.  

2 days, to days

I have learned the past few days that it doesn't matter what anyone else does,  those things shouldn't affect me. 

I need to remember this as I go into sterling scholar interviews on Wednesday. 

I can't determine who my competition is and how well they do in their interviews, the only thing that should matter is that I do my best and present what I have with confidence. 

Nonetheless, my stomach is in a constant state of knot-iness 

(not naughtiness, although the huge bowl of ice cream I just ate begs to differ.)

and I find myself having personal interviews inside my mind.

Psh, I guess that is what watching a whole bunch of news will do to a person. 

There still haven't been any tears, and I think with some rigorous training through practice questions I will feel prepared enough by Wednesday...

eek...

That is in 2 days. 

The Vow (not the chick flick version)

I usually blame this winter stupor on the snow, but seeing as how there is no snow I feel like it stems from something else. I am not depressed, that does not do this feeling justice. I am just...through.

Here we go, I am about to abandon everything that has been holding me back.

I don't care if I look like a jerk, I refuse to do anyone else's work.

The funny thing is, that doesn't even make me look like a jerk, it only makes me feel like one.

I am getting rid of that perception.

 Time to focus on ME, on doing the things that I want to do.

I am going to stop being afraid to show my inner thoughts and desires.

No more cookie-cutter work.

 I need to use the things that drive my emotions and incorporate them into my work.

 I need to tell myself that it is okay if the project doesn't turn out how I expected it, because that is just something to learn from.

I need to find a niche and focus on that until I produce a product that I am completely happy with, that I am wanting to share.

I am sick of being pushed around by myself.

From here on out, I am going to put my whole soul into creating things that honestly show

who

I am.

Dance Video

Today I planned my dance company video, well actually I just worked with experimental lighting.The shadow on the floor made my legs look short and distracted my eye from the dancer.  I did like the sun behind so that part of the dancer is silhouetted, and I also liked the shadow on the wall.

 Here is what I want to accomplish with this video:

I want the mood to be edgy and pull people through, grasping their attention until the last second.
I want to use the seniors on dance company.
I want to have music that is not mainstream, but that people can still relate to (something edgy and...hmmm....sexy? for lack of a more appropriate word).
I want people to finish watching and have a desire to come to the concert.

Plan:

Tonight I will find a song and plan how the people will transition through it.
I will talk to the dancers on Thursday, and learn how to use the camera.
Filming will take place Wednesday and Friday of next week.

I also got the basketball program that has my pictures that I took (using the rebel...) in it. I will add that to my portfolio for sterling scholar to bring in and show the judges during my interview.

White AND Colored, because I am not racist.

This past week I have been working on my Sterling Scholar portfolio, which has not only been a gigantic pain, but also an eye opening experience. I didn't realize that I had so many leadership and service experiences going for me. I am glad I went through and marked out all of the times I have helped/led people, because now it will be easier to write essays for other scholarships.

Now you may ask, "How does multimedia relate to your portfolio?"

Let me tell you.

Firstly, I had to format and type up all of my pages for the portfolio. I used photo shop to create the headers and Microsoft Digital Image Pro 9 to format my pictures, words, and text all together. I was frustrated wishing that I had better quality programs to work with, but I learned that even with crappy programs I can produce good quality work depending on how much effort I put into it.

I spent time collecting photographs, typing up my answers to the questions, crying over loss of food and sleep, and compiling it all together!

Today I worked on a collage of pictures, just for fun. It took me about fifteen minutes. I really like colors against the white background.

Rainbow Child

One Man Band

Asians, raising the bar...always.

Human Color Pallette

(Side note: Anna is my best friend. and we are moving out together and going to UVU in the fall. Can't wait. We are currently working on getting a goldfish and a cactus for our basement apartment.)

Happy Friday!

oh-so-productive

Today I worked on web design. I hand coded two web pages off of a template. Through doing this I was able to refresh my memory on what tags to use for basic functions. This benefited me since I have been working in Dreamweaver and Fireworks lately, and they don't require hand coding.
 I specifically worked on framing a web pages, adding tables, making lists, and adding images.
By refreshing these skills, I am hoping to be able to start coding a web site
for my dad's business, because I will have to have several frames to help the flow of the design, as well as tables to show the pictures of his projects and past sells, and images for the actual design part of the website.

I also was prepping to be talent on a show that didn't end up running because our audio was having issues.

However, it wasn't the only thing having issues.

From these experiences today I learned that no matter how hard you try and how much effort you put into something, there will always be an outside source that will affect the result of your work.

 More often than not this outcome is not a desirable one, but hey, who cares?

Oh yeah, just my parents.

Bye

Weaving Through the Day.

I tend to forget important things such as passwords and emails.
 This MINOR character flaw led me to create a new blog today.
 I copied my first post from my other blog (it's not copyrighted material because I originally created it) and put it on this blog, because I was oh-so-proud I semi-swore. 

My teacher told me I should swear again. I don't know if he was serious or not....but did you know that "dammit I'm mad" spelled backwards is "dammit I'm mad"?

 That was the first thing I learned today. 

Today I worked on editing my interview I did with the photo teacher, and I learned how to add text. 

Baby steps, ya know?

I think that Low-gahn hates me, because he looked at me with a look that said

"You are a dumb person"

when I asked him how to add text.

That look was not left up to interpretation, in fact, it was as clear as Mr. Brown's lectures about

  "passing the state test, but don't worry if you fail, but it is important, but nobody really passes so I grade on a curve..."

anyways. 

It hurt.

I wanted to cry. (because, APPARENTLY, that's what I do...)

Then I moved on and realized that Low-gahn is just stressed because he knows too much...

and he still loves me. 

I also learned that black women hair weaves are made from Indian women hair that they chop off during

 a cleansing ceremony.

(I know that sometimes people get confused and think "Indian" means Native American. In this case, it means the ones from India, who (probably) don't eat cows.)

I wonder if by wearing a weave you can become "multicultural"?

Because, quite frankly, I want to join the multicultural club. 

Welcome to MY senior year

This blog is a record of how little I do in high school.

 Let it be known that this blog is an assignment, meant to increase productivity and influence creativity.

(Yes, it's another one of Mr. Brown's genius idea's to inspire us all to not be lazy half a$$ers...

but I think he is serious about this one.)

So, I will now give a break down of what I have learned today.

1. The Steelwells music video, "Tomorrow", is confusing the first time through.

2. Carli asks me a lot of questions, I ask Loghan a lot of questions, Loghan, in turn, yells at Blake.

3. I lack creativity when it comes to making up appropriate pseudonyms.

4. I  (sort of) designed this blog, but it will be put under revision,

BECAUSE,

today I learned that the first thing you make is always a "pile of crap".