Jessica's Blog

X-MEN (movie)

Jessica — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:10:16 +0000

During class we watched the movie X-Men. I was excited after learning we would be watching this movie because it was a drastic change from the black and white movies we have been watching. X-men is about mutants and how they are viewed as outcasts. The mutants walk among humans but they have extraordinary powers. The movie depicts two groups of people; people who want the mutants to be free among everyone and people who want to put away all the mutants. Towards the end of the movie there is an action scene that takes place on Ellis Island. The good mutants are fighting off the evil mutants. They want to be accepted into society and have people not be afraid of them. The location of this action scene was very significant. Ellis Island is where many people came to enter America. Many were turned down based on appearances. Discrimination placed a role on Ellis Island years ago just like it did in the movie X-Men. People are quick to judge another person based on appearances. This movie helps show how everyone is different but no better than the next. If everyone was the same the world would be a boring place, it’s each person’s uniqueness and differences that help make the world what it is today.

SOME LIKE IT HOT

Jessica — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:24:22 +0000

The movie Some Like it Hot was very entertaining. I enjoyed watching this movie and was surprised at how well the director portrayed the roles of male and females in this movie. Two males dressed up as women in order to escape the mafia who was looking for them. By doing so these men got to see how women were treated. In one scene one of the men in disguise as a woman gets forced into an elevator with another man who tries to make a move on him. The man uncover as a female was appalled and let the other man know so. I thought this was an excellent scene because it allowed men to see that women are not object that you can just go around hitting on and trying to convince them to be your wife. Some Like it Hot is very similar to a recent movie White Chicks. In White Chicks two black men go uncover as two white females. This movie includes a change in gender as well as race and makes things more fun to watch. Each movie shows the different roles male and females take in the world.

Do you think that female’s roles in the world has changed since the time the movie Some Like it Hot was made?

THE PHOTOGRAPH (pg320)

Jessica — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:03:33 +0000

“The Photograph” by N. Scott Momaday was a short passage with a lot of meaning. In this passage the author explains how she use to live on the Navajos reservation. She explained how simple things were there. Towards the end of the passage the author explained how an old Navajo crone came to her house and asked her father to take her photograph. N. Scott Momaday explained how during this time having photographs processed took a while. The lady would come everyday asking to see the print. When the print finally arrived and the lady saw herself she was not happy. N. Scott Momaday explained how the lady “left in a great huff.” The author also stated that she thinks the lady never saw her reflection before. I found it interesting how the lady was not happy with what she saw and how upset she was upon seeing herself. It saddens me to know that this lady was so displeased with her reflection. It is sad to think that now after seeing this photo this lady will have lower self-esteem and less confidence in herself. A picture tells a thousand words, and unfortunately this lady did not like these.

SPOT NEWS

Jessica — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:21:53 +0000

All four of Andrew Savulich’s pictures leave the viewers thinking about the scenario taken place. He seems to have captured photographs that one would not see in today’s media. His photographs are very spontaneous and unplanned. Andrew Savulich captures people off guard and by doing this his photographs reveal various different emotions.

In Andrew Savulich’s first photograph it seems as though the group of people are dressed for a formal affair. My first thought was perhaps a wedding. Everyone has a look of shock and fear across their faces. All four people in the photograph are looking straight up. Before looking at the description below I assumed the people where looking at a person attempting to jump off a building. After reading the description I was correct. Andrew Savulich’s description was short and precise, allowing the readers to better understand his photograph.

The second picture is one that you would not see in today’s media. This seems to be taken right after a man was injured. Andrew Savulich lets the viewers know that this photo was taken after a man was attacked and forced to give his money to robbers. This picture is unsettling and makes me feel uncomfortable when I look at it. I feel this is a photo that the victim would not want to be shown to the world because of the condition he was in.

The third photograph is of a taxi that crashed through what appears to be a restaurant. Before reading the caption I thought the man in the photograph was the owner of the restaurant but the caption informed me that he was actually the taxi driver. Since Suvalich captured this picture so spontaneously it helps the viewer but an image to the taxi reader explaining what had happened.

The fourth picture is odd and kind of disturbing. It features a car badly wrecked and a woman in the driver’s seat laughing. At first I thought maybe the lady was crazy or on drugs and thought this situation was funny. As I looked closer I began to think about how this woman must feel knowing she is alive after a terrible accident. That lead me to my second conclusion . Perhaps this woman was so happy she survived this wreckage that she was laughing out of relief and disbelief.

Andrew Savulich’s photographs were different from other photographs I have seen before but they were very insightful. It captured people off guard in uncomfortable and unpleasant situations. It lets viewers see real human emotion and feel connected to the people in the photos.

A TOY FROM CHILDHOOD . .

Jessica — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:06:03 +0000

Growing up with two brothers it was understood that I played with dolls and they played with trucks. I don’t know who made these rules but my family along with society seemed to follow them. My favorite toy was this Babyborn doll. It appeared to be life-like and you were able to feed it. It came with diapers that you were able to change and a variety of outfits. I loved to play with this doll and I brought it everywhere with me. For years every Christmas all I wanted was different outfits for my doll. Every season she had an outfit to go along with it. My doll became one of my friends. I nurtured it as if it was my own child. When I think back to how important this doll was to me I find it bizarre how I never gave my doll a name. I remember I use to refer to my doll by the manufacturer which was Babyborn. I enjoyed playing with my doll but I am sure if I was giving a toy truck or action figure I would have enjoyed that as well. Children should have the choice to pick what toys they want to play with rather than being handed what society thinks they should play with.

WHEN I WISHED I HAD A CAMERA . . .

Jessica — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:55:35 +0000

There are many times I wished I had a camera to capture the moment of something I found to be memorable. One incident that I wish I had a camera to document an experience was my trip to Florida. I went to Florida with my two friends Nicole and Jennifer. It was our first trip adult free and we wanted to make the best of it. We spent months of planning and shopping for new clothes. The anticipation of the day was eating us alive! When it was finally the day for us to depart to Florida, everything went wrong. Nicole lost her luggage and Jennifer forgot her wallet at home. We got to the apartment and we were greeted with heat due to the fact that the A.C broke and would not be fixed for the next four days! The same amount of days we were suppose to stay there. From there everything went down hill. We ran out of food and could not go and get more because our car did not work. We literally had 4 hours of sun the whole trip because a huge storm was hitting. The trip was so terrible that it was actually comical. We locked the keys in our apartment and had to get security to help us open our door. Just when we thought the worst was passed us we arrived at the airport at the end of our trip just to find out our flight was delayed. It kept getting delayed hour by hour and before we knew it we were stuck at the airport for eleven hours. All the food courts were closed and we were scheduled to arrive home at four in the morning. Things started getting better when we met a young group of kids who had an equally as bad trip as we did. We spent the hours stuck at the airport sharing stories about our trip from hell and wishing we had met earlier. During this whole time we did not take any pictures but I wished we had because no one believed us when we told them how many things went wrong!

FLAG RAISING ON IWO JIMA

Jessica — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:21:04 +0000

Joe Rosenthal captured one of the most reproduced photographs of all times. The photo he captured would be replicated over and over but each time telling a different story and showing different emotions. Joe Rosenthal’s picture was full of emotion but with that came good and bad press. People thought the Joe Rosenthal planned this picture of the marines raising the flag. No one could believe that Rosenthal was able to capture a picture of such kind. Joe Rosenthal shot down the bad critics and stood behind his work. He is a good photographer with a rare gift that allows him to know the exact angle and focus he needs to capture an amazing photograph.

When I was first assigned this assignment I remember in high-school that this picture was also brought up in a discussion. In high-school was asked to read the book Flags of Our Father. I remember dreading reading this book that was over three hundred pages but it gave me a good background of what was actually going on in this photo. I learned about the fight these marines were taking place in and the controversy behind this picture. As the story goes the men that raised the second flag that Joe Rosenthal captured was not the same set of men that raised the original smaller flag that was taken down as a souvenir. This caused jealous outbreaks among the marines and their families. Despite the drama this photo stood for a lot. It represents the fight the marines battled in honor of country. It showed the action of them raising the flag so that all their fellow troops can see it and realize who and what they are fighting for. It brought hope to the troops fighting and brought hope for the families back at home who saw this picture published in every newspaper and magazine.

Joe’s Rosenthal’s photo differs from Thomas E. Franklin’s photo taken of the Word Trade Center in 2001. Thomas E. Franklin’s photo lets the viewers feel a sense of sadness and hurt. It shows the background of the fallen buildings that once stood tall. The fighter fights are raising this flag but the flag is not at its highest, this represents the lives of the ones we lost. The raising of the flag in this photo acts as a symbol to reassure the American citizens that we will make it through this but we are badly hurt.

Joe Rosenthal’s photography was recreated many times in many different circumstances. Its is something that the American citizen can rely on to bring them a sense of familiarity in a time of sadness, war or hurt. This photo will always be a part of American culture because it stands for who we are.

TALKING PICTURES

Jessica — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:35:39 +0000

Growing up I would always see my mother watching soap operas while doing the ironing. As I got older soap operas grew on me. My favorite became General Hospital. The best part of soap operas is that there is a new episode on every week day. General Hospital airs at three o’clock which allows me to always catch it after school,however, if I miss the three o’clock airing it runs again at ten o’clock. General Hospital is about a town called Port Charles and the stories of the individuals who live there. Throughout the episodes the set designer creates a believable scene that allows the viewer to connect with the characters the actors are portraying. In one episode mob boss Sonny is asking one of his workers Johnny to take care of some business by eliminating a worker who they thought to believe was an under cover cop. The actors are in a dark room when Sonny asks Johnny to do this favor for him. The furniture and curtains are dark and unwelcoming. The lights are dimmed and the room appears to be secluded from the rest of the house. The role of this setting plays a big part in what the actors are saying. Since the room is set up the way it is it intensifies the conversation the two actors are having. The place the actors are standing also adds to the intensity of the conversation. Sonny is standing behind a huge dark brown desk that the set designer probably put there to show the power that Sonny has over Johnny, whereas Johnny is standing behind a small chair listening attentively to what Sonny is asking of him. The set designer has an important role in carrying out what the directer tells the actors to portray to its viewers.

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Jessica — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:53:11 +0000

In my own words I would define photojournalism as telling a story through a still picture. The photographer needs to wait for the right moment to capture the exact message he wants to get across without using words. The photographer needs to find the perfect time, angle and lighting to make sure that the person viewing the picture gets the correct message. Joel Sternfeld’s photograph of Hanford Reservation, Haford Washington taking on August 1994 sends a clear message to its views. The angle that Joel Sternfeld captured in the picture allows the viewer to get a full view of the nearby surroundings. The focal point that Joel Sternfeld wants the viewers eyes to hit first is the billboard directly in the center of the empty land surrounding it. The billboard reads ” It’s the Nature of Our Business” with lovely scenery of a golden field. The picture on the billboard captures the beauty of nature and shows children enjoying themselves in nature. Once your eyes leave the billboard, however, they are hit with a scary sight. The land surrounding the billboard has no life. It is full of dirt and pebbles. The land looks damaged and unhealthy a drastic difference from the billboard’s picture. When I read the side caption I learned that the land was being used to hold chemicals that could build two dozen nuclear bombs. The way that Joel Sternfeld captured the photograph allows the viewer to see the difference between how the land should look and how the United States Army turned it into. The photograph captures the vast differences between beautiful and ugly. It allows the viewers to realize how beautiful nature is and how humans are taking it for granted.

SEPT 30TH IN CLASS DISCUSSION

Jessica — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:06:13 +0000

In class on Wednesday September 30th the class viewed two different films. One film was from the twenties. The first film was called The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. This film was shot on a small stage, they way the different scenes where shot you can tell they did not have much space to work with. The directors of the film used shadows and irregular shapes to show depth or on going hallways. There was no sound in the this film and the actors used over the top stage makeup to get there points across. The second film was called Four Feathers. This film was more recent being shot in 2001. In this film the director used large actual spaces to show the meaning behind the story. The second film seemed more actual and real than the first film did. In the Four Feathersthe large rooms and spacious fields that the filming took place in showed the significance of who the characters were portraying.