Blog assignment 5a

     The image that I’ve chosen to re-frame for this assignment is a painting by Salvador Dali.  The image depicts a naked man holding a cross up to a giant army of animals.  What drew to this image were its colors, its distinct style, and its religious subtext of the ability of faith to overpower anything.  This subtext is further supported exemplified by the contrast of the man' lack of possessions or riches to the golden castles towering above him. I also liked how Dali effectively showed deep space in the painting by manipulating the color of the sky in the background and the size of the animals’ legs.   There is also a focus of visual intensity on the golden castle that sits on the elephants back.  This is displayed simply by using brighter colors.  But its not just the colors that put the focus on the castle, it is also the use of linear vertical lines.  The long legs of the animals all converge on the bright golden castle, drawing the viewer’s eyes to the castle.  The other main object of focus is the naked man holding the cross.  The focus is put on him through the use of virtual lines.  The animals are all staring at him, and their line of sight is causing the viewer to look at the man and notice that he is in danger.  But the man's use of faith, as symbolized by his cross, causes the animals to hold back, which can be seen by the lines below the horses hooves which imply that the horse is stop its forward movement.  
     I chose to frame the image the way I did to give the picture a different meaning.  By taking the animals out of the frame, the new image appears to just be the man and God.  I wanted to show a man with absolutely nothing, all alone in the desert, still having his faith in God.  I used the rule of thirds to imply that the man is speaking to the heavens.  
     I believe that Dali framed the original image the way that he did because he wanted to show a giant surrounding environment.  The depth of the background and the clouds following the elephants give the painting a much darker feel, which just makes the mans bravery seem even more impressive.

Blog assignment 6b

blog assignment 6a

Film Scene Critique

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7YxKtaNFG4

Blog Assignment 3A

http://www.myspace.com/bobdylan/music/songs/i-m-not-there-28269741

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX7xddWLyYI

For this blog assignment, I've chosen to write about one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs and a great cover of that song.  "I'm Not There" is a song by Bob Dylan recorded sometime during the 1970s but not officially released until it's inclusion on the soundtrack to the 2007 film of the same name.  On that same soundtrack, alternative rock band Sonic Youth recorded a cover of the song that ended up playing over the end credits of the movie.  The main contrast between the two versions would probably be the instrumentation.  Dylan's version is, like most of his songs, a traditional folk song, with acoustic guitar and vocal driving the song and bass guitar, organ and piano playing in the background.  Sonic Youth took more of a hard rock approach to the song, with a heavily distorted electric guitar being the main instrument and the rhythm being driven by drums.  Their are several electric guitars in the background that attempt to make a lot of distorted noise to make the song more atmospheric and intense.  The vocals to Sonic Youth's version are more laid back and not as emotional Dylan's.  Vocalist Thurston Moore also has a more "bassy" vocal timbre than Dylan.  Since Dylan's version was just a demo, the songwriting is not quite complete (which could say something about the subtext of the title of the song.) and the lyrics are more unorganized and chaotic than Dylan's version.  Many of the lyrics to Sonic Youth's version were rewritten or reinterpreted (since many of Dylan's lyrics are indecipherable) to fit with the themes of the film.

     The songs share many similarities as well.  Both songs play at about the same speed or tempo despite their differing sources of rhythm.  The rhythm of both songs is regular, while their arrangements could be called somewhat chaotic, since neither version has a true chorus.  The melody and chords of each song are almost identical, giving them similar emotional appeal to the listener. 

     If I had to choose a favorite version of the song, it would be Sonic Youth's version.  I am a much bigger Bob Dylan fan than I am a Sonic Youth fan, but Dylan's version seems kind of sloppy and incomplete.  I also like the way that Thurston Moore sings the song more than the way that Dylan sings it.  I love how his laid back vocals contrast the heaviness of the electric guitars, and I love how during the "chorus" (not really the chorus, but where the melody changes) he starts to put a lot more emotion into his singing.  Reading the comments on youtube, I noticed that most people prefer the Sonic Youth version to the Dylan version.  A lot of people can't stand Dylan's voice, but the reception to the Sonic Youth version just goes to show that although Dylan may not be for everyone, his songwriting is timeless.  I have to give most of the credit to Dylan for writing the song, but I commend Sonic Youth for executing such a wonderful and faithful cover and breathing new life into this hidden classic.  Both versions are great in their own way.

My song

http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/6820abdf3a7266bc2b1421603a263938

Blog Assignment 4A

http://changethis.com/

     In Seth Godin's article "Brainwashed," he discusses seven layers of reinventing yourself.  He refers to one of those layers as "Acknowledging the Lizard."  This is in reference to our "lizard brain," which is our prehistoric brainstem that we have been conditioned to rely on.  This outdated way of thinking is driven by a resistance in our minds that keeps us from thinking outside the box and encourages us to follow instructions.  Godin proposes that we must acknowledge and transcend this negative way of thinking in order to achieve anything great.

     Another one of the seven layers is titled "ship."  Shipping refers to the constantly expanding ability in our modern world to spread our ideas and creations.  The ability to get things done and get your ideas shipped to the rest of the world is what can make someone successful.  With the increasing popularity of social networking sites and Youtube, it is becoming easier and easier to have your voice be heard by the general public.

     I think that both of these suggestions apply to what we are doing in MDIA 203 with our blogs.  I think it is important to acknowledge the lizard and overcome the resistance that has been put in our minds.  This is easier to do now with a blog.  By being required to put our work online, the process of overcoming skepticism becomes much easier.  It also helps a lot with shipping, obviously, as we now have an effective way to get our work seen by a large audience. 

     I do not think that the exercises for this class are worthless, but I do think that this class should not be required.  I am paying to go to Ohio University to learn about Audio Production, so I do not think I should be forced to take this class before I begin to take classes that are directly related to my major.  I like how these exercises require you to think outside of the box, I just don't think they are necessary for most students in this school.  These are things we could be learning in more specific classes.  The exercises have kept me busy, though, learning the terms from class, which will definitely come in handy later on.  I thoroughly enjoy the class, I just don't think it should be required (neither should 205, another class I enjoyed).