Digital Media Review 2

            The music video that I have decided to do a narrative analysis on is, “Simple Song”, by The Shins. This music video told a powerful and interesting story about a family. A man had passed away, and he left a video for his family that said he had decided that since all of his children hated him, he was not going to give any of the deed to the house. He hid the deed in the house and whoever found it, got to keep the deed.

            As the music video continues to play you see old footage of when the children of this man were younger, at their birthday parties, which appeared like he forced them to celebrate all together, because the cakes say “Happy Belated Birthday” on them. In all of the videos the children are competing for various activities or presents, and they all look miserable. While the father is grinning ear to ear at what he has turned the children into.

            From my understanding of the music video, the father must have been a very competitive man, and that was something he forced on his children. Him forcing that upon them caused them to not only resent him, but also their siblings. It made for a very dysfunctional family. As the video flashes back between past and present you see the siblings fighting and running through the house, just like they did when they were kids. At the end of the music video, you see a younger member of the family finds the deed to house, and one of the siblings pushed her out of the way and grabbed the deed. They all lay on the floor reading the deed, and it says that he was only kidding he had sold the land and the house was being demolished, because the house held nothing but bad memories for them.

            I think that this was sort of the father’s way of apologizing to them, for giving them the childhood that they had, and for making them resent him. I found it interesting that when the house was being demolished, they left the father’s body in the house, and they ran out. As they are running out of the house you see all of the siblings smiling and hugging one another. To me, it seemed like they were almost relieved that the house was being demolished, it was like they were finally able to start over. All of the bad memories that they had as children were demolished in the house. Over all, I think that this music video told a very good story, and the lyrics went very well with the story. For me, I think that the best part of a music video is the story that they are trying to tell behind the lyrics. I think that the story is the most important part of the music, because that is ultimately what the artist is trying to get you to see or feel.

Low Budget Music Videos

This past week, we watched some pretty clever low budget music videos. I was really impressed with how creative they were, and for such a low cost. Proof that you don't need tons of money to make an awesome video, and also proof that they amount of money you put into a video does not determine the quality of that film.
I would have to say my favorite music video from last week was Bat for Lashes. I just thought that one told a really interesting story, and although I didn't quite understand why everyone in the background was wearing animal heads, it at least made me kind of think more into what the possibilities could have been for that.
I also really like the video for  The Journey of the Underground Man. That one was so creative, and I don't think I could have ever thought of something as impressive as that. I really liked how the further you got into the video they started revealing little tricks of how they created the music video. I think that helped me to definitely have a higher appreciation for it.

Rock Band Commercial and Instagram

I feel like we didn't watch too many music videos this week due to the fact that we were sharing our instagram projects. However, out of the couple that we did see, I would have to say my favorite was the Rock Band commercial, that had the Beatles. I really liked the cinematography in that one, and the fact that it was animated. It also had a lot of super creative and out of this world ideas throughout the whole piece, and I found that to be rather impressive. 

Also, I would like to add that seeing everyone's different perspectives on how they chose to tell stories via the instagram project was really cool. It is really amazing the stories that can be created just from an image. I didn't think that I was really going to like doing the project, but I ended up actually having a lot of fun with it.

Internet Etiquette

Honestly, I thought the reading for today's class was something that most college aged people already know about using the internet. I do think however that it served as an important reminder to be aware of how you are presenting yourself online. I think something they didn't really touch on that they could have, was the importance of what you post on your social media feeds. You may think that you can post whatever the heck you want to on your social media sites, because that is your personal life, however that really isn't smart thinking. It is actually very common for employers to view your Facebook page along with other social media sites before actually hiring you. It actually can be a good look into your life and who you really are, rather than the person you are trying to persuade your employer into thinking you are.
Don't believe me? I worked at a summer camp in California for 2 months a couple of years ago, and as soon as staff training started, my boss stood up in front of us and said that she knew exactly the type of people we were, even though she hadn't met most of us because a lot of us had come from so far away to work there. She told us that she looked at every single one of our Facebook pages before she determined to hire us, because she wanted a look into the type of person we actually were, not just the person we were portraying ourselves to be, over skype and phone calls. I think that is something very important for people to keep in my mind when people are using social media.

Instagram Project

For my Instagram project, I used my Peanuts character figurines, and posted photos of them being submerged in art. Art is literally my favorite thing in the world, all kinds of art, painting, digital, animation, movies, you name it I love it. It's amazing to see how much art is actually around us all the time as well. Things that you don't even think about on a regular basis are considered art. You just watched a movie? Someone took the time to create that, and film/ animate that, that is art. You just took a walk outdoors? God made all of that, that is His creation, that's His art. So my idea was just to take pictures of these characters, because Charles Schulz is my favorite artist ever, and have them being submerged in all different forms of artistic activities.

M83 Music Videos

My favorite videos that we watched in class were the M83 music videos. They were definitely very different from any type of music video I had seen before, but they were also sort of captivating in that way. I'm not exactly sure of the whole story behind the music videos, but it was obvious throughout them, that the children being portrayed were different than normal kids, they were special.
I kind of like to think of that as how artists are too, we are different from most people. We feel things differently than others, therefore we portray those feelings differently, often shown throughout our artwork. I think that the adult figures being portrayed throughout the video were afraid of the children, because they were different and they didn't necessarily know how to handle them. I think that also resonates with artists, because we are sometimes set apart from others, and maybe that is because those that are around us, are unsure how to accept our art, or don't quite read into our art the way that we wanted them too.
I don't know, that was just some of my thoughts on the music video in relation to the life of an artist.

Art and Christianity Intertwined

I really liked the reading this week. I think that it made a good point about how art helps people to see God. You can see God's beauty through art, that is really cool to think about. As Christians we should not be separating art and the church. I think that is sort of what is happening in today's society. Some churches believe that art is taking away from God, when in reality it actually helps you to better see Him.
Some people think that artists are bad people, because they are trying to be God by creating. I think that is so far from the truth. We create, because we feel emotion differently than others, and this is how we are able to show our emotion. We pour our hearts out into our art, in hopes that someone might see that art and feel something. If you are a Christian and you are pouring out your heart into your artwork, you are most likely pouring out your love for God in that way also. Art can be used to share the Gospel if someone sees your artwork, and thinks of how it might relate to God. I don't think that God would have blessed us with artistic ability if he did not want us to use it to help him grow His kingdom.

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared Review

I've watched the "Don't Hug Me I'm Scared" video many times, and despite the creepy psychotic antics that are going on in the video, I think the film speaks some truth about how children's media shapes the mind of its viewers. The whole film looks like a typical children's show. The notebook is trying to teach the other characters how to be creative. I think that is kind of showing how children's media are trying to shape it's viewers ideas in a specific way, and if you do not think the way that they think is acceptable, then you are wrong. I find it interesting that when the yellow puppet is excited because he is being creative, and makes this painting of a clown the notebook kind of reprimands him for this. He tells him to slow down on his creativity, to me that is showing that your own creativity is not necessarily going to be accepted, you have to think a specific way in order for you to be accepted. Also, in the video you see the characters begin to grow up, and get older, I think that is showing how the media has taken over the minds of the viewers and have manipulated them into being whatever the show intended for them to be. I think overall, there is a lot of subtle things going on in the film that is a look into how children's media sometimes works, which is kind of sad to be honest.

Social Media and Advertising

After viewing the video in class about subliminal messages last week, my mind was blown. I did not realize how much we are all influenced by the media around us on a daily basis. It is so much that it is to the point that we can't even recognize that we are being advertised to at some points. I just found the whole video fascinating, because as they were driving around town and passing all of these different signs, they were probably not thinking any thing about it. However, when they went inside to brainstorm for a new company, all of those things that they had seen previously on the drive over, were consistent throughout their advertising pitch. It is almost scary to me that we are influenced that much by our surroundings, and that we hardly even realize it anymore. It kind makes you think, how many original thoughts you really have of your own. Probably none, honestly. They all come from things we have seen whether we consciously realize it or not. I just found that to be very interesting.

Also, tying in with consumerism and the reading about how Facebook has grown in the past 10 years, I watched a documentary recently on social media websites. The documentary talked about how Facebook is able to use cookies to see things that you have googled recently or looked up, and Facebook is able to then advertise to you based on your interests. Facebook is able to get so much information from you it is ridiculously scary. For instance, right after I turned 21, which Facebook was aware of, because that information is on Facebook, all of the sudden all of the ads on my Facebook were about alcohol, and things of that nature. It is just really crazy how social media can be used to not only advertise to you, but advertise to you based on things that you are interested in because of google searches, or because of your age.

How Digital Media Affects Kids

I really found the reading/video about Digital Media and Body Image to be very insightful. I feel like this topic is kind of close to my heart, because I have a little brother and little sister that are 7 years old. I have seen how the media affects both of them, especially my little sister. There have been several times that I have heard her say things like "I am starting to get fat", which is completely untrue. She is very thin and is very active. But, I feel that she gets the ideas from watching television and seeing how everyone on Disney Channel shows look and act. She is at a very influential age, and if the media is only going to tear children down, and force them to have distorted ideas about body image, then I don't want either of my siblings to see that kind of stuff.

Although my little brother isn't so much worried about his body image, I do see that digital media affects him as well. He watches a lot of television and plays a lot of video games, and I feel like with all the technology that he is surrounded with, he has somewhat become disconnected with the outside world. He has no interest in doing anything outside of watching television or playing video games. I find that to be rather sad. Don't get me wrong, I find digital media to be fascinating and I love it myself, but there comes a point when it has taken over your life, and it is hard for you to disconnect from that world even for a little while, I think at that point it's gone a little too far. I just don't want either of my siblings to have a childhood where all they remember doing is watching television and playing video games, or constantly comparing themselves to actors and actresses on t.v. They also need to be spending time outside of the digital media world, playing dolls, and games, or going outdoors. I feel like in today's society, kids have really lost touch with those simple things in life, because they have grown up around technology their whole lives.

Radio to MTV and MTV to Youtube

The New Age of the Music Video
After reading "The New Age of the Music Video", I would have to say that in today's world, I don't think that MTV would do very well posting music videos back on their channel like they used to. Most teenagers and young adults spend their time on the internet these days, and so naturally the smartest thing for producers to do, would be to place their music on websites like youtube. Also, I think one of the problems with MTV was that you really had no choice in what music videos you got to watch. It was whatever happened to be on MTV at the time you turned on the channel, and if you wanted to see a specific music video, you could be sitting their staring at the television for hours waiting for them to replay that music video. It is just more convenient to get onto youtube and and search whatever music video you are looking for in today's society. I think that is just a part of how technology works, MTV was cool for awhile, but then something better came along that allowed us to watch music videos more conveniently. I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, that is just how technology works, you have to adapt to it, or you will get left behind.

Video Killed The Radio Star
My perceptions of the music video "Video Killed the Radio Star", was that video kind of changed the way you looked at a person's music. Before there was music video, you could listen to the music and most people probably had an idea of what they believed the singer to look like or act like, and when they introduced music videos into the mix, some people probably were shocked or disappointed. Maybe their idea of the person singing on the radio, didn't fit the image of the person being shown on T.V. Even as a kid, I can remember hearing songs on the radio and absolutely loving them, but then when I watched the music video I was left feeling some what disappointed if the singers actions/personality didn't match up to how I had imagined them to be in my head. Once again, I think that has a lot to do with differences in technology, and having to adapt to new technological advances. I felt very much like the little girl in the music video when I was a kid, I had expected one thing after listening to my favorite artist on the radio, and was disappointed once I saw the music video with it.

Digital Media Review #1

7:45am- Wake up to phone alarm-Owl City

7:50am- Shampoo/Conditioner Label- V05 Shower Gel Label- PINK

8:30am- Tshirt- Spongebob Squarepants

8:35am- Toothpaste- Arm and Hammer

8:45am- Put shoes on- Converse logo

8:50am- Coat on- ZeroXposure Logo

8:52am- Walking to  class- Nike Logo spotted

10am- Checked Facebook

10:02am-Checked Twitter

10:10am- Justin Bieber poster on the wall of dorm room

10:15am- Sent snapchat

10:17am- Sent text to Mom

10:23am- Received text from Mom

10:45am-Sent text to Mom

11:02am- Chapel-Puma Logo-Calvin Klein Logo- The North Face Logo

11:36am-Received text from Mom

12:08pm-Facebook

12:19pm-Sent text to Mom

12:21pm- Sent text to Jordan

12:23pm-Received text from Jordan

12:30pm-Sent text to Jordan

12:33pm- Played Trivia Crack

12:40pm-Received text from Jordan

12:45pm-Sent text to Jordan

12:47pm- Received text from Jordan

12:51pm-Sent text to Jordan

12:53pm-Received text from Jordan

1:00pm-Sent text to Jordan

1:07pm-Received text from Jordan

1:55pm-Sent text to Jordan

1:58pm-Received text from Jordan

1:59pm-Sent text to Jordan

2:15pm- Received text from Jordan

2:30pm- Sent text to Jordan

3:00pm- Facebook

3:06pm- Received Text from Jordan

3:10pm- Send text to Jordan

3:30pm- Receive text from Jordan

5:32pm- Receive text from Marissa

5:33pm-Send text to Jordan

5:35pm- Send text to Marissa

5:37pm-Facebook/Twitter

5:59pm-Phone call with Dad

6:03pm-Posters/Paintings on wall of dorm room of Peanuts Characters, Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, and Spiderman

6:07pm-see Peanuts character figurines on shelf

6:09pm- Receive text from Jordan

6:10pm- send text to Jordan

6:25pm-Receive text from Jordan

7:00pm- Pepsi Logo

8:10pm-Send text to Jordan

9:00pm-Spongebob Movie/Nickolodeon Logo

10:40pm- Receive text from Jordan

11:20pm-Send text to Jordan

11:22pm- Facebook/Twitter

I chose to do Friday to do my digital media consumption diary. I chose that day, because I only have two classes on Friday's so I knew that the amount of media I came in contact with, would be less than a usual day. However, I found from doing this assignment that I still come into contact with media a lot.

I came to the realization after doing this assignment, that I do a lot of texting. That is my main form of communication to my friends and family when I am away at school. I found that to be really interesting, because I didn't realize how much time I used texting, until I had to write it down every time I received a text or sent a text. The process was very tedious and annoying.

What I came to realize after this assignment is there really isn't a time that people are not exposed to media. Everywhere you look, everything you do seems to be somehow connected to media. There are logos everywhere you turn, and the majority of people my age have their smart phones on them, which connects them to social media, as well as texting, phone calls, and snapchats. I think that it is really cool that we have so many forms of media, and that we are able to use this technology to communicate with others in a lot of different ways. However, I also came to the realization that sometimes it is important to put down the technology, and spend time with the people in your life without having to worry about social media, texting or snapchatting. We have to present in real life with the real relationships we have as well, or else I feel that we become sort of mindless robots that can't communicate outside of technology.

Thoughts On the Joel Trussell Interview

Music Videos

I really enjoyed several of the videos that we watched on the first day of class. I liked that there was variety in the types of videos that we watched. I think that I would have to say my favorite one that we watched was The Shins "The Rifle's Spiral". I thought that it was unique because it was stop motion, and the story line was beautiful as well. I liked how the artist's chose for the rabbit to be white to represent innocence, and how they chose the dark colors to contrast the rabbit and the little girl's world. I thought it was interesting that somebody mentioned in class about the rabbit and girl sort of being one in the same. I had never thought of that, but it definitely brought some clarity to my thoughts. I kind of thought of it as the girl was saving the rabbit, and the three "bad" guys were intimidated by her power, so they did what they could to get rid of her, but obviously her power was more than they could handle. At the part where they send the girl away and take the rabbit away from her, it was kind of like they didn't want her around because she had too much power, but they wanted her childlike innocence, because it is precious. I don't know, just some thoughts.

Joel Trussell Interview

In regards to the reading, I think that Joel Trussell definitely spoke some truths about the fears of being an artist He talked about his fear of his art not being good enough, and I think that is something that all artists can relate to. I think that it is a true statement, that we are our own worst critic. As an artist, you put your heart into each piece of your work,but you also can see every flaw in your art, even if your viewer's don't necessarily see it. Then you face the fear of people seeing those flaws in your work, and not accepting it. I think we have this struggle of wanting to create and share that with others, but there is so much fear in putting down your walls and being vulnerable to people's interpretations of your artwork, as well as how people will react to your style of artwork.

Also Joel Trussell talked about how he always wants to be able to do personal work, because if he isn't creating for himself, then it's no longer fun anymore. I think that is a good reminder for artists, if you aren't enjoying what you are doing, then why are you doing it? Your best work is going to be work that is personal to you, because it has meaning to it. I know that you aren't always going to get to draw for yourself, especially if you work for a big company or something like that. But don't forget to take time to draw things that you care about, after all that's why we got into this in the first place right? Because we loved what we were doing, and it is something we should continue to enjoy.