Fun with Toys

So, class began with news that we have nothing due next week and we were going to play with toys for a majority class… jackpot? Yes! So anyways, as we played with toys, and by play I mean ripping them open, we got to learn how to manipulate the sounds the toys made by clamping alligator clips to metal areas inside the toy. My car sounds, songs, and up beat beeping noises from my toy turned into a deep sorts of thump sounds on all the buttons after clipping two alligator clips to a random loop of wire on its little microchip base part.

After adjusting the sounds of our toys with alligator clips we got to learn how to solder the insides to permanently change the sound. It was really cool to watch. You have to like melt a special piece of wire (I forget what its actually called), wait until there is like a liquid ball to form, then put the liquid ball onto the wire that’s been wrapped around where the alligator clips once were, and then you’re done. It’s just really cool to see how you can manipulate the sounds of an electronic so easily.

Finally I thought it was even cooler to find out that not only the sounds electronic toys made could be manipulated, but also the visuals of video games. By opening up the insides of old Nintendo games you can warp the visuals by messing around with the chip inside of the game cartridge. I thought that sounded pretty sweet. I kind of want to try it for myself now.

Poetry Video

Music Vids, a Nasty Camera, and the Legendary Michel Gondry

I was excited to watch the Bat for Lashes music video in class and very amused by the Avalanche’s video. The Avalanche’s video was like nothing I have ever seen before and it amused me by being so obscene that I felt like it was amazing. I feel like a lot of videos become popular because of the “its so bad its good factor” and the music video we watched with the shoes, after watching the shoes video, was a perfect example of that.

The videos the fast speed camera was able to take were really cool. For some reason I expected the videos to play almost as if they were in fast forward mode, but the result of the video is actually the total opposite. Watching the dog run in a smooth slow motion was almost hypnotizing, especially when playing Godspeed you Black Emperor as we were watching it. I really liked the way the camera worked and I plan on trying to use it at least once this semester.

It was cool to learn about Michel Gondry, he has really cool music videos. The Oui Oui video really amazed me. The success of the Oui Oui video relied on Gondry timing everything perfectly and staging everything perfectly, which he did. I’ve made films for film festivals in high school and realize how complicated making a video like that it when everything depends on the timing and staging of the actor in the video. I honestly can’t get enough of Gondry music videos, or even just his films in general.

Frenemies Vid Project

TimeArts Frenemies Video Project from Liz Kenny on Vimeo.

The Most Obscene Movie Trailer Ever

House Trailier

Yesterday's Class

1.) Watching the Persuaders was pretty interesting in the end and kind of freaked me out about all of the random research they do and have on consumers. The reptile guy freaked me out the most. He seemed like he was psychic, or could read minds, or something and had all these weird tests he did on consumers. His tests left both them and me confused. How did he even come up with the tests that he ran? I would seriously never be able to come up with the idea of testing people by taking away their chairs in between breaks, leaving them with pillows on the floor, shutting off the lights, making then rest, and then having them write. Like really, who would think of that sort of tactic? He gave off the impression that he knew how to sell anything in the world, I'm pretty sure he could too. The other guy on the documentary also seemed clever. He changed words in order to get certain ideas to appeal to consumers. The whole Song company though just seemed stupid. They used the most random things to try to market their airline. No one could tell they were an airline by their marketing strategies though so they ended up being totally unsuccessful. It wasn't too surprising that Song failed.

2.) The whole remix culture video made me think about being an artist and trying to keep your own individuality. I actually think about that a lot. So many things in our media today are just people copying what they thought was cool and then trying to claim it as their own. Today it is as if the line is being blurred between plagiarizing and simply just being inspired by another person’s work of art or form of media. I think the biggest struggle as an artist is trying to be original and keeping your own voice while still allowing the pieces that inspire you contribute to your work without allowing those things to take it over.

3.) Finally, we learned how to import videos from a video camera onto iMovie and how to add text during the editing process. All of this information will be helpful towards all of our future iMovie projects.

3 Things from Last Class

We learned a lot about videos and how files and pictures on the computer work.

1.) I was fascinated by how we talked about the new iPad and where technology was going while we downloaded the older version of iMovie because the newer version was too dumbed down for us. The whole idea of technology getting easier and easier to use as we get more and more comfortable using complex technology just seems like an oxymoron to me. I don't see anything wrong with programs being intricate and complex as long as you can learn to use them and they do all the things necessary to create a strong final product. I just don't like the idea of dumbing things down and programs being made simple for us because I feel like thats just a companies way of saying their consumers a lazy and dumb. I just have the attitude that I would rather take on a program like final cut, or even just the older version of iMovie like we are in class, and learn new things, then use the new, simplified, version on iMovie because its easier, but maybe thats just me.

2.) While making my last project on iDVD I moved all of the pictures I had used on it from my desktop and into a folder. After moving the pictures into a folder and returning to my project I realized all of the pictures I had just put in had disappeared. Luckily, in class, we went over why that happens. Now I understand that moving those pictures to another location made them disappear off of the radar of my project. My project only recognized them as desktop photos and by moving them into a folder, they were gone from iDVD because iDVD was simply copying what images had been placed on the desktop.

3.) Finally, I learned that its possible to take videos offline in order to re-edit them yourself if you simply just download the proper programs. If you're on youtube and you see a video you would want to alter or mix with another, then you just click the button on the toolbar. Then you can move the file to a program, such as iMovie, and do whatever, well almost whatever, your heart desires with it.

Credit-card Reading Response

The Situationists would be appalled by the way credit card companies are psychologically taking advantage of their customers today. They probably would not be surprised by the current actions of the credit card companies; however, they would certainly be angry and take a stand through the act of a spectacle.

Even though credit card companies now have the ability to psychoanalyze their cardholders, people can still hold true to their personal values and personality; however, they must be aware in situations involving banks and/or credit card companies that they can easily be taken advantage of. With all of the data and expectations credit card companies have set up for their clients its effortless for them to see what angle to come at a person with in order to get the most money out of one as they can. That is why it is important to be an educated cardholder. Naïve people who are unaware of all the new techniques that companies are using to manipulate their customers are the ones who are going to be the suckers, but that does not mean everyone has to be.

Learning about the new approaches credit card companies are using in order to benefit themselves, in every aspect possible, disturbed me because they are taking advantage of unassuming people, and not only investigating their personal lives, but also, immorally using that private information for their own gain. In conclusion, I do not feel as if I would use my card any differently now than I have in the past just because I am not concerned about being in debt and having to deal with the people so well trained in convincing others that they truly care about them.

Class #2- Fun stuff and what I learned

1.) Before last class, I had never taken the fact that Los Angeles does not have a real form of a public transportation system into thought. It is an interesting chain of events when one really thinks about it. With no public transportation system, the only real way to get around the city is by car; however, not everyone has or can afford a car. By ridding themselves of a public transportation system, Los Angeles sneakily makes itself a place where only those who can afford it can live and play there. People who cannot afford a car would most likely choose to live in a more convenient city for them, where buses, cabs, and trains are available at all hours. Therefore, Los Angeles has limited itself to people who are well off and can afford to pay for their own car, and gas to fill the tank up with, before they go shopping on Rodeo Drive. I just thought it was interesting how, if you really think about it, the lack of public transportation provided by the city of Los Angeles makes it the upscale city it has come to be.

2.) I had never heard of the Situationists before last Wednesday. They were people who fought against the ideas of capitalism who also inspired punk music though their message and look. They were rebellious and out there in order to escape the order of capitalism.

3.) Finally I learned how to go about making an interactive flow-chart on iDVD. The tricks we were taught were also helpful; in order to stick to the plan of my original flow chart I had to use some. The iDVD program worked well for our specific project, although there were a lot of times when I got annoyed with it.