。・゜♡゜・。☆゜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 ❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

tea

Can you tell I like tea?

hi these are a few of my tea pots/cups

Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world.  ~T'ien Yiheng

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.  ~Bernard-Paul Heroux

Tea has a complex history spanning over thousands years and although legends exist of it's beginnings, no exact origin is known. It is most likely that the plant was introduced somewhere in southeast Asia, between China and India. Lincang City Prefecture of Yunnan Province of China is said to be the home of the world's oldest cultivated tea tree, over 3,200 years old.

Tea is drank in almost every culture in the world.

During the Sui Dynasty, tea was introduced to the Japanese by chinese Buddhist monks. At one point, bricks of tea were used as currency. Both China and Japan have very old tea traditions including "tea ceremonies", a practice rich in the culture. Korea and Vietnam are sometimes for flower teas. Chrysanthemum tea is native to Korea and Jasmine tea to Vietnam.

Tea began to spread all over world in the late 17th century. The first ever green tea leaves were brought to Amsterdam by the Dutch East India Company from China. In 1648, tea was a trendy fad in Paris. China offered Czar Michael I tea as a gift in 1618, but the Russian ambassador refused the drink, delaying tea's introduction in Russia by around fifty years. In 1689, tea was imported from China to Russia by hundreds of camels, a journey that took one year, making tea an expensive and precious commodity for nobles. 

Portugese princess, Catherine of Braganza, brought tea to Great Britain when she married King Charles II. Ever since, tea was imported from China to Britain. Trade was monopolized by the Chinese and by the British East India trading company.

Tea is also consumed differently in different parts of the world. In East Asian countries, white and green tea are the most consumed, while in Britain over 90% of all tea is black tea. Western countries also commonly add a small amount of sugar and milk to the tea, which is rare in the eastern world. In addition, tea in Britain and America comes in "tea bags" and often contains "impurities" that are not 100% tea leaves.

Tea is really good for you! It's warm and aids digestion, cleanses the kidneys, and to many, drinking tea is a spiritual endeavor.

Tim Walker, My Favorite Photographer

Tim Walker's romantic and ethereal style is unmistakable. His work is so extravagantly costumed and the staging always seems that of another world but at the same time familiar and just tangible enough to be relatable. The world of Tim Walker is certainly a world where fairies and princesses reside. His photographs often have a foreign and almost xenophobia invoking quality.

Xiao Wen Ju in Jewel in a Crown Vogue May 2012

This editorial is Jewel in a Crown which appeared in Vogue May 2012 featuring one of my favorite designers, Comme Des Garcons aka Rei Kawakubo.

Waltz Darling, Kate Moss

Walker's editorials have graced the pages of Vogue for over a decade. He shot his first fashion story at age 25 and has not failed to entrance readers since. 

Lily Cole

Jewel in a Crown

Review of "The Devil and Daniel Johnston"

Daniel Johnston's artwork

The Devil and Daniel Johnston, directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, is a 2005 documentary chronicling the life of Daniel Johnston, an American singer-songwriter and artist, and his experiences with schizophrenia and how that manifested itself as satanic obsessions. Genius and art and music are all concepts that have historically had close ties with mental illness. This film emphasizes the question whether great artists always have to "tango with the devil."

The film begins with archival video and audio tapes that Johnston has recorded himself throughout his music career starting from his very beginning all the way to his success with his album, "Hi, How Are You," a span of over 20 years. Johnston is introduced in a folk club in his hometown, Austin, Texas, as "the greatest singer-songwriter alive." His sound is a lo-fi folk that is as raw as an artist can get, voice quivering and squeaking like a pre-pubescent and lyrics appealingly simple. Johnston starred on MTV for a short time and gained a sort of cult fanbase. Kurt Cobain hailed him as "the greatest living songwriter." 

Cobain wore a T-shirt with Johnston's iconic frog drawing, featured as his "Hi, How Are You" album cover, sparking a great interest among Nirvana fans for Daniel Johnston. His popularity exploded.

Following his relative success, Johnston experienced severe personality and mood changes, becoming completely obsessed with satanism and "the devil." He refused to sign a multi-album deal with Elektra because he was convinced that Metallica, also signed with Elektra, was possessed by Satan. He also put his manager in the hospital with wounds to head caused by a lead pipe and, believing himself to be Casper the Friendly Ghost, nearly killed his father and himself in a plane crash. 

The documentary shows interviews of Johnston's mother and father, manager, and close friends. They wear very natural costumes and makeup to emphasize the music and stay true to the theme. The cinematic effects such as the overlay of kaleidescope snowflakes over the archival footage shown in the film represent the disillusions of Johnston during those times in his life. Also, at about 47 minutes, there is a scene of the mental hospital to which Johnston was admitted. The building is white and beautiful but in this particular scene the sign on the building is broken and hanging ajar, perhaps underscoring that there is always a strangeness in beauty.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston shows just how intimate the relationship between artistry and mental illness can be and I enjoyed the film immensely. Whether you are a Johnston fan or dub him overrated, the film is creative, enjoyable, and fascinating in nature. 

so the world isn't ending I guess

So I'm pretty sure that the world isn't going to end next Friday, no matter how much I wish it would. According to NASA, "the world will not end in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012."

Here is the article.

I can't say I'm truly disappointed because I didn't actually ever believe that the sun would really go out on Dec. 21st or that the Earth would experience a polar shift so drastic that it would cause a flurry of natural disasters. I merely fantasized about disappearing in a flash of white light along with the rest of the planet and hopefully being reborn as a rock on Neptune or something like that. 

Rocks have no burdens. They simply exist. And some rocks are beautiful like crystals or gems and some rocks are stars or meteors. Over time they are worn down into grains of sand whirling around in space until lots of grains build up each other to make new rocks. Planets all started out as just one little grain of sand. 

Thinking about the end of the world triggers me a little. Instead, I'll write an optimistic list:

Why I Am Glad The World Probably Won't End:

1. I haven't seen Lykke Li live
2. My mom owes me 8 dollars
3. I want to grow taller
4. I need to practice doing splits because I can only do the splits with my left leg forward, not right
5. never kissed a boy! me! never! nope! 
6. I want to try every flavor of cake in the whole world 
7. My other blog has 350 followers 
8. Living isn't so bad if you pretend you are a tree or some other plant
9. there are so many pretty things to see on Earth
10. I want to grow up and get a job and live in nyc or tokyo or paris or shanghai and buy expensive clothes and be kind of sad but still happy
11. I want to live to see scientists discover mermaids

poem #2

ten pruned fingers lie palms to the sky

on hard white marble.

the cold no longer induces a shivery gasp.

instead, sadness percolates

until the heart overflows 

and a dull lambency 

seeps out the ears.

Silk Art

Feeding on the Entrails of my Strung Out Mind

No, this is neither high speed photography nor ethereal jellyfish. This is a hand sewn sculpture of pigmented silk and threads done by Lisa Kellner. The gossamer fabric almost looks like ink diffusing in water, a gorgeous image to be captured by just silk and paint. Upon closer inspection, it also resembles organs or perhaps bulbous growths in the body. I feel almost melancholy looking at her work.

I am now resolved to take up art again as I have forgotten how much interest I have in it.

Please enjoy a few more pictures of Kellner's silk sculptures:

i wrote a poem ok

wan face and brittle knees

arms outstretched and honey bees

she yearned for the moon

writhing through toxic mist

for the azure empyrean

that did not exist

5 pm in November

70 seconds of a November afternoon taken with Nikon d3100. It was supposed to be 60 but I can't count.

It was cold so I wore a sweater.

I fell and got blood on my skirt.

There were many geese. When do geese migrate south? I forget. I wonder if geese get cold in November.

I did not see any turtles. Do turtles hibernate? I forget.

The sun receded early. The moon was bright.

When I got home there was no one in the house. My mom called 2 hours later and said she was in Ohio? Why is she in Ohio. wtvr

Hurricane Past Times

I am a bit late on this update as I have not had power in a few days due to Sandy. Deepest condolences to those injured by the severe weather,

Luckily, my weekend consisted of just some heavy rain and warm tea.

I predict that the months ahead will bring poor weather as well, so here are a few suggestions for how to stay happy and relaxed even if the world outside is cold and gray.

1. Bake something sweet to share! We have two recipes in previous posts for you to check out~

2. Do some sun salutations. They are simple for even yoga beginners.

3. Read a book in a warm place. What better time to enjoy a nice story than when you are trapped indoors?

4. Catch up on homework.

Just kidding! No one likes homework. Instead, watch a movie! We recommend Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson.

5. Make something with your hands. Recently I made this smocked shirt.


May your rainy days be filled with joy!

~Amy

Dystopian Trailer Critique

Never Let Me Go. Mark Romanek. R. 2010

In an alternate history, Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Ruth (Kiera Knightley), and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) are students at Hailsham House, a boarding school for clones. At one point they are told that their existence is merely defined by transplant patients, as they were created and raised to be organ donors, destined to die, or "complete", in early adulthood. Never Let Me Go is a coming of age story of love, loss, and truth, as the three face their grim fate, posing the question: What makes us human?

The trailer for the dystopian film, "Never Let Me Go"

The trailer for "Never Let Me Go" clearly exemplifies a dystopia and is effective in sparking interest in viewers by utilizing tasteful editing, convincing actors, and establishing a clear background for the plot. In this trailer, the director, Romanek, uses a voiceover done by Mulligan while scenes of the three children grow up are shown in a montage, establishing the premise and themes for the film. Romanek also uses simple white text. The editing is minimalistic and does not overwhelm the viewer, while still presenting the necessary information, such as explaining the role of clones in this alternate dystopian history. One of the most compelling scenes shown is of Tommy (Garfield) getting out of a car, howling in frustration and distress, his face contorted in pain. The actor's convincing portrayal of the character contributes greatly to the overall quality of the trailer. I plan to use the same minimalistic yet effective editing style for my group's trailer and also hope to convey the emotions of the characters to the best of my abilities. A voiceover will probably used as well. There are many aspects of "Never Let Me Go"s trailer that I plan to incorporate into our project.

"five by five" she whispered.

five by five

five by fiv

five by fi

five by f

five by

five b

five

fiv

fi

f

first clip: that's a lake.
second clip: that's a loud water flowing thing.
third clip: that's a diseased plant/fungus I think. who knows.
fourth clip: that's my bike.
fifth clip: that's a view of grass.

I filmed each clip using Dengi, my nikon d3100 and edited using iMovie. Overall, I found the editing for this project simple and quick. I'm quite pleased with the result seeing as this was my first time editing video on my own. Perhaps next time we should have a film project where we must tell a story through 10 scenes each 10 seconds long, without dialogue.

that would be interesting.

okay bye

Almost Famous (2000)

FILM REVIEW; With Sympathy For the Devil, A Rock Writer Finds His Way by A. O. Scott

Scott commends director Cameron Crowe for not just using rock music as a decoration to his film, Almost Famous, but as more of a window into the souls of his characters. Scott gives some context to his review by describing Crowe's film style and immediately highlights music as one of the main themes in the film. He gives a synopsis to the plot and outlines the main characters. Although not much critique is given on the staging and costuming, themes and motifs are discussed abundantly. Scott writes with a light tone and is very matter of fact, viewing the film with a fair and unbiased eye. I think this is very important when critiquing literature. The ending of the film is not given away and Scott ends the review by saying that the film could have been better, but it is nontheless remarkable and a sex and drug filled film that you would be happy to take your mother to see. 

The structure of this movie review was easy to understand and overall organized nicely. I think that in class we should take elements of it and incorporate it into our own writing styles, but I do not think that there should be a format engraved in stone. We should be allowed creative freedom. However, with that being said, there should be a few rules such as:

1. not giving away the ending

2. including basic points such as plot, characters, motifs/themes, and recommendations

3. critical yet unbiased critique of cinematography, acting skills, and other aspects of film

photo cr: to owner


Movie Review:
http://diigo.com/0sv94