Great Characters

 

 

Growing up, everyone has a favourite movie character that they look up to or idolize in one way or another. For me, I was always fascinated with super heroes such as Batman and Superman, probably because of how cool I thought they looked. Looking back, I really had no clue about what my favourite characters were actually like. I just thought they looked cool, and that was all that mattered to me. Nowadays, as a media fundamentals student, I tend to analyze characters in movies a lot more closely. What I've realized is that movies that consist of a variety of original, yet complex characters are often the best. A great example of this would be John Hughes' Breakfast Club. The movie revolves around 5 vastly different individuals who over the course of the movie grow more and more alike. I think what makes this movie so good is that it shows the transition these characters go through in terms of revealing their pasts and realizing that they aren't all that different. They are all very easy to relate to in at least one way or another, which leads the viewer to feel more emotionally connected to the characters onscreen. Thus, leaving a lasting impact on the viewer.

Early....Morning.........Classes

Well, I think every other college student has the same opinion as me but I'm gonna say it anyways. Schools should get rid of 8am classes! Unfortunately this class was an 8am class and I'm sure my marks will reflect that. I've convinced myself that my body cannot physically function at such an early time. Even the days that I do somehow manage to wake up that early I find myself sitting in class focusing more on not falling asleep then on what the teacher is talking about. And by the time the class is over, I feel like I haven't retained any of the information at all. Not only are 8am classes despised by the students, but I feel as if the teachers dislike them just as much as we do. I couldn't imagine how terrible it would be trying to teach to a classroom full of sleep-deprived zombies. I feel like if I could've taken this class at a different time, my marks and my overall knowledge of the subject would both increase. Note to self- change my schedule next semester to avoid 8am classes.

Violence in Video Games

 

Probably one of the most discussed topics among moms and other over-analytical people would be violence in video games. It is a topic that will forever remain unsettled and in my mind is a waste of time and thought. Sure violence in video games can have an impact on what a child does, however you must keep in mind the various other areas where children are exposed to violence. I see 11 year old kids nowadays walking around with the newest iphone or blackberry smartphones. Most of them probably come from a home that has not only one computer, but one for each room. Not to mention all the content they are exposed to over the TV alone. Even the news itself can't help but expose children to the horrors of war over seas, and the deadly riots we see happening more and more often around the globe. The problem is that the majority of adults and parents who are worried about violence in video games don't completely understand what exactly their kids have access to. All of these iphones and laptops are a new technology to many older people, and they don't realize what they are capable. So I think that violence in video games is just a fraction of the problem as far as violence among our youth is concerned, and parents need to learn more about what they are giving their children access to.

Copywrite Issues and Piracy

In the recent years there has been a huge issue regarding people illegally downloading music and videos off the internet. Obviously it's the artists and record labels who suffer the most from this, however keep in mind how rich they already are. I understand how one can argue that artists don't realize if you buy or download one or two songs but over time it'll add up. This is when I have to bring up the fact that without programs such as Napster (the first free online music download site), the internet we've all grown so accustomed to might not be the way it is today. Napster, along with several other websites of this nature, are what helped get the internet to where it is today. They helped show people what the internet is capable of, and just how easy it is to sell stuff online. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't completely agree with people who say downloading music and movies illegally is bad.

Storylines in Movies

 

People always say a good story is what makes a good movie. This may be true in many cases, however in my opinion it is the movies that have little to no storyline at all that really stand out to me. One of my all time favourite movies that features almost no storyline at all would have to be Dazed and Confused. The entire movie takes place over the course of one night, and follows a class of seniors as they graduate high school and attend the year end party. Such a simple story, yet it remains just as entertaining no matter how many times I watch it. I can't say the same for a lot of movies that have great big intricate, twisting storylines because once I watch it once or twice the storyline no longer grabs my attention. Movies like Dazed and Confused and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are movies that I can watch and not fully pay attention to, yet still have the same feeling about once the movie finishes. If I stop and talk to my friend for a second I won't miss anything too important. And it is mainly that reason that causes me to enjoy movies with extremely simple storylines the most.

Webisodes

With the internet advancing at such a high rate there is no doubt that the number of people watching TV shows and movies online is rivaling that of the number of people who watch their favourite TV shows and movies on an actual TV. And with websites such as youtube and vimeo, it is no longer necessary to be on TV in order to get people to watch your show. The internet is packed with amateur content, and since it is free to share your videos with the world many people are taking advantage of this. Perhaps one of the best examples of this would be Epic Meal Time, a Canadian-based internet series that shows a group of friends getting drunk and making ridiculously big meals. Sounds simple right? Well they've since gone on to land an entire clothing line, a cross-Canada tour where they perform live, they've even appeared on the Jay Leno Show. This is a perfect example of how Webisodes can actually become more popular than many TV shows. I've posted a video above of a few guys I think are extremely funny. They too are a Canadian based group of friends who post weekly webisodes of two guys discussing the most random topics. They call the series Ponderings, and in my mind these webisodes are more entertaining than most things I see on TV.

The Blogging Experience

 

So I've been reading some other Media Fundamentals student's blogs and I can't help but notice that most kids say they have never had a blog before. I find that pretty strange considering how popular blogs are nowadays and how useful they can be if you're trying to get noticed or heard. Blogs are a great way of connecting with an audience and keeping them interested in whatever it is you're doing or whatever it is you're talking about. I was fortunate enough to experience this before heading off to college. My blog was as simple as posting videos of my friends and I partying. However over time our blog had gotten pretty popular among the local high school's and colleges and pretty soon it was consuming our life. Now I've already gotten into the whole Dawg Blog story in my short non-fiction assignment so I wont bore you with that again. But I really do think blogs area great idea and I can't believe how many kids have never had or followed a blog before. Hopefully this assignment gets some kids hooked!

The Power of Facebook

So at the beginning of the semester we were told about these blogs we were supposed to do. At the time I thought to myself, "this sounds cool, I'll get started on these right away". Four months later and here I am, panicking on the last day of the semester trying to get these damn things done. Besides the fact that it's mainly my fault for leaving these to the last minute, I can't help but partially blame Facebook for this. Ten years ago if I were given this same assignment I feel as if I would be much more capable of turning on the computer, doing what I had to do, and getting off. Nowadays, thanks to Facebook I can't help but sign on and waste about a good 15-20 minutes staring at completely pointless information. By the time I realize what I'm doing I've already gotten so caught up i what Jimmy did on the weekend that I've forgotten why it is I got on the computer in the first place. It's like a drug, it's extremely addicting and gets in the way of my school work and REAL social life. Anyways, let's see if I can resist the temptation and bang out the rest of these blogs.