。・゜♡゜・。☆゜CAP Hollywood 。。・゜♡゜・。☆゜・

1. Describe how your film is progressing at this point. What are some of the challenges? Successes? Concerns?

We have completed our first scene and I am proud of it! It looks a lot better than I expected it would just because we had so many problems with the weather and coordinating all of our schedules and props. The biggest challenge was waiting for a rainy day and then getting everyone to bring what they were supposed to. It worked out in the end so I am really happy about our progress. I think that the rest of the filming will be easier now that the first scene has given us some momentum. I am still a bit concerned about how much time we will have to finish up editing. 

1. What exactly have you contributed to your project this week. Please be very specific.

My role this week was filming everything and directing a bit to get the shots that I wanted. I think that whoever is controlling the camera always seems to need to direct a little because whoever is controlling the camera controls the shots. I filmed the shots outside in the rain and also the shots inside by the lockers. I also helped edit by giving suggestions such as music choice, etc.

1. What exactly do you need to get done next week? Please set a short term goal(s) for the following week.

Next week we really need to complete our filming which will be my job. I would want to finish by friday and start editing everything the following week.

hula hooping is an underrated sport

update:
1. Happy Taurus season!
2. The Pink Moon is on the 25th!
3. Meteor shower Monday/Tuesday night

4. Hula hooping is an underrated sport

Hula hooping takes a lot of coordination between muscles such as the hip and abdominal muscles. It's especially good exercise if you have weak joints. Many people like to use weighted hula hoops but I just stick with my glitter one. Hula hooping is something I like to do when I am stressed or feeling anxious. If you have anxiety I think that hula hooping could be beneficial because it is a very monotonous and calming activity.

Rape Culture

Sunday, Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, were found guilty for the rape of a 16 year old girl after a party in Steubenville, Ohio. The evidence included a picture of the two boys with the girl's naked unconscious body on instagram and also video and text messages documenting the barbaric crime. 

CNN's coverage of the Steubenville rape was criticized as being too sympathetic towards the rapists, highlighting that the girl who was raped was "allegedly drunk" and that the two rapists had "bright futures." The article lamented the ruined lives of the rapists with absolutely no mention of how the victim's life is irrevocably damaged.

This story is all too often told, the men pitied and the woman shamed.

This is rape culture. This is what is perpetuated by the media, that women are at fault for rape, that the victim is to blame. Somehow, underneath it all, it is always sort of the woman's fault. She wasn't wearing enough. She had too much to drink. She was asking for it. They're just kids, right? Because boys will be boys, right? 

So instead, women and girls have to take responsibility for rape and sexual assault and protect themselves. Ask any young girl or woman and she will most likely tell you that she was taught at a very young age to walk in groups, stay away from strangers, never go out alone at night, cover up her body. 

If you're a girl, have you ever:
crossed the street just to avoid a strange man
made up a boyfriend in order to be left alone 
talked to no one on the phone while passing a group of men
walked home with keys in between your knuckles
taken the longer route somewhere to avoid strangers
felt uncomfortable walking alone 

This paranoia and fear is almost unconscious. We don't really think about it but the fact that these daily routines and precautions are ingrained in most women is seriously messed up. We can never assume that we are safe.

This is rape culture. Women are taught to be afraid and we are so used to feeling unsafe that we don't even see see that there is something seriously f*cked up with society. 

Why are girls as young as 11 years old taught to be scared to go out after 6 pm but teenage boys at age 16 and 17 were never taught what "NO" means? Why don't boys need to take take responsibility for rape? Why are girls taught to be ashamed of their bodies but boys take pride and receive praise for being sexually active?

Also, the sentence of these juvenile rapists is a minimum of 1 year?!? A few weeks ago a woman was sentenced to jail for 5 years for trying to send her son to a better school and these rapists only get 1 year??? What kind of society do we live in that rape and sexual crime is taken in such a casual manner?

Documentary Essay

The decision of choosing a topic for the documentary film assignment was not an easy one. My group members and I considered many other topics ranging from the homeless to the food industry. We finally decided upon music because it is a common interest among us all. We created a short film delving into the impact that internet has made on musicians and artists and how it has both helped and hindered their careers. Even after finishing the assignment, I am still very interested in the topic and I hope to keep learning about it and I do not regret choosing music. In my opinion, the freedom to select the topic made the whole process more enjoyable and fun.


The most enjoyable part of the film making process for me was the interviewing and how much I learned just by talking to people in the industry. For example, the most surprising thing was learning that many artists actually greatly appreciate the internet and attribute much of their success to internet advertising. Kip Berman of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart talked a lot about this topic and says that the internet has allowed his band's music to be distributed far and wide. Although artists cannot make much money, they are happy to share music and do what they love.

The biggest challenge was time management and also staying true to the theme. Not all of my group members had the same lunch as I do, actually none of them do! So, time was a major factor as we had to do most of the work during class. And then the second challenge was that it was hard picking quotes from our interviews to use because we had a lot of good substance that just did not really relate to the central theme of our film. We had to cut a lot of it out because it was not relevant.

We also worked really hard to not make the film boring or typical. We stayed away from voice-overs and still photos because we did not think that it meshed with our topic. Instead, we used a lot of music from the bands that we interviewed and made a beginning sequence of many classic artists such as my favorite, The Smiths. It was fun to do and fun to watch. And Kyra made a slide for our title, Caught in the Web, that we all designed.

If we could do the project over, I would want to have a clearer idea of where we are going before we interview. That way, we would have better quotes and more footage to choose from. Also, I would want to film more b-roll because I think it can really add more interest into the film. Our teacher, Mr. Mayo, gave a lot of feed back and help throughout the process. With his guidance, I think our project turned out well.

♡Music♡

Everyone should start the day with dancing and tea. And end the day with walks and Tchaikovsky and kisses.

I believe that music truly has healing properties on life. Music that resonates with a you can completely change your mood and outlook on everything and in my opinion, good music makes you a better person.

Studies have shown that music releases endorphins in the brain which counteracts pain and has a longterm effect on overall happiness. Many hospitals are beginning to use music therapy as a complement to anesthesia during childbirth.

Music also decreases levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol. Lower levels of cortisol can improve immune health.

I don't really know much about music/human anatomy/brain waves/anything but I also believe that music enhances emotional/spiritual health. Music helps us make connections between ourselves and nature and other people and other places and helps us realize that we aren't alone or that we are alone (whichever you prefer).

Music to dance to:

• Grimes
• The Vaccines
• M.I.A.
• Kindness
• Stepdad
• Surfer Blood
• Tchaikovsky
• MGMT
• Davidian
• Denver
• your own thoughts

Music to cry to:

• you can cry to everything
• Crying Nut
• Nagisa Ni Te
• Sugar Plant

Guide to Life:

• The Smiths
• Lykke Li
• The Shins
• Horse Feathers
• Patti Smith
• Lady of The Sunshine
• Tablo

(and more that I can't think of right now!!!)

Pearls

Recently, in English, we have been writing short stories. My first idea for the assignment did not work out so instead I wrote a short poem inspired by it. Here it is:

Pearls

a sea-girl drifts asleep upon a watery bed.

light cascades in ribbons

through her tangled hair.

each strand a thread of silk in a crystal cup.

she lies coiled around green weeds,

and through her troubled slumber,

cries softly from salt-glistened eyes

tears of pearls,

which form rounded mounds

upon the sandy floor.

Short Story: The Shackle

Last week, we were given the assignment to make a 60 second film based on a mystery item. My group and I chose a cheaply made shackle. At first, we found it difficult to write a plausible story that revolved around a plastic toy, but this is what we came up with:

The story is of a boy who tries out for the track team but is much slower than the rest of the athletes. After a sassy girl insults him, he is surprised to find a shackle on his foot. The shackle is a metaphor for his own insecurities spurred by the harsh words of the sassy girl. The boy gives up and eats a cupcake whilst crying. I thought it would add another dimension to the film if it were black and white and silent. I think it works well with the nature of the film and also the choice of music. The teacher discouraged our idea which was kind of oppressive but we stuck to the original plan. 

Bruléed Grapefruit !! ❀❀❀❀❀❀

Ni hao, this is Amy and I want to share a super cute recipe today. Lately, I have been suffering the effects of cold weather and limited sunshine: a compromised immune system and seasonal depression. Because I wake up at 5 am and get home at 5 pm, I rarely get any sunshine. This lack of vitamin D in addition to the copious amounts of schoolwork my teachers have given in the past few weeks makes me feel a bit off. Anyway, I think enjoying a few simple pleasures each day really helps to loosen me up and raise my spirits. Most recently, I have been enjoying bruléed grapefruit, a tart and fruity snack that is just as healthy as it is beautiful.

It's easy to prepare and super super fast. All you do is cut a grapefruit in half and liberally sprinkle sugar on to the cut face. Then, put it in the oven for 4-6 minutes on the broil setting. Variations of this depend on your own liking as you can use honey or maple syrup and you can also sprinkle cinnamon or nutmeg.

Remember to watch the grapefruit very carefully as it burns easily!!

Also, you can use a kitchen torch to make this as you would creme brûlée, but this method will not heat the grapefruit thoroughly.

I find that cooking the grapefruit intensifies the natural orangey-pink color of the citrus. The best way to eat it is simply with a spoon but I bet it would taste good with vanilla ice cream too!

Oh, or maybe you could use an orange or some other fruit like a plum or some figs! I will put up some pictures of this recipe tomorrow. Stay healthy everyone ❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀