Two Great Film Classics

For this assignment, the class was supposed to read a specific article on the internet concerning the classic film, Citizen Kane, then write reflections on that article in this blog. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find the article in question. Additionally, we were supposed to compare the characters in Citizen Kane with the characters in The Godfather. Due to the fact that I have not seen either of these films, this assignment was somewhat difficult. I did manage to find a synopsis of the two films, however. From what I can tell, the main characters in both stories face a struggle to achieve money and power. Some may call this the "American dream". In their efforts along the way, both characters become subject to moral corruption which draws them into a downward spiral. These films are both said to use unique and effective cinematography, which helps to convey their overall message. This is a key element of any successful film.

Notes on Film: Downfall

In the film "Downfall" watched in class, How do the visual elements of the film assist in conveying the film's message?

- Dull colors of clothing, scenery ~ conveys historical context and dark mood

- Most everyone in uniform ~ war is everywhere, clear and present danger

- Hitler's shakiness and jerking movements ~ losing control of both power and sanity, nervous?

- Weapons, vehicles, phones, typewriters, other props ~ specific to time period

- Destruction, barracades, chaos in the streets ~ surrounded by fighting

- Dead naked bodies, weary faces of jews ~ reminder of Holocaust

- Hitler & Eva's bodies carried out, then burned ~ visual confirmation of death

- Bodies burned ~ prevent Russian soldiers from seizing Hitler's body; cover up the suicide?

- Guns and blood in the bunker ~ confirmation of suicide

- Beating rifles against bricks ~ surrender?

- Woman and boy dressed in Rusian uniforms? ~ pass through Russian troops unharmed?

- Generals/soldiers? committing suicide, graphic images of dead bodies ~ evil men died violently

- Camera follows actors through bunker ~ creates more personal feeling of actually being there

Project Update

I must admit I have been somewhat lagging in progress towards the completion of my webpage on South Carolina Economic History. I have been preoccupied with work for other courses, among other reasons. This is merely an explanation, not an excuse, and I will now spend the remainder of the semester focusing my efforts to accomplish this assignment. First of all, I need to establish a new timetable to follow.

Week 10/22 - Establish a new timetable! Finish gathering images (particularly more historical photographs).

Week 10/29 - Make a final decision on the overall layout of the site, keeping the visual theme consistent with the Economics department site. Design and publish Welcome/Introduction page.

Week 11/5 - Design and publish Transportation & Ports sections.

Week 11/12 - Design and publish Agriculture section.

Week 11/19 - Design and publish Manufacturing section.

Week 11/26 - Design and publish Education & Significance of Clemson University sections.

Week 12/3 - Polish and finalize the website. Upload the site to CU Economics department domain. Write final paper.

Sunday at Noon

This Sunday I rolled out of bed just before noon. I let my dog outside and grabbed my camera phone. Here is the image that was before my eyes...

The weather was nice outside. The sun was shining, and it was the type of day that would make you happy to be alive...if you were not hung over from the night before.

Digital Remix Photos

Our in-class assignment today was rather fun and productive. Our group somehow managed to conceive and produce three digital remix photos in a period of only 30 minutes or so. The following images are the results of our collaboration.

This photo of Stephen Colbert's head on the Lincoln Memorial represents the admiration for Colbert by both liberals and conservatives who are disenfranchised with the Republican party. His recent announcement that he will be running in the presidential primary (only in South Carolina) was our inspiration for this creation.

This is a satellite image of the United States with a picture of the Great Wall of China superimposed on the Mexican boarder. The current debate over illegal immigration and the proposal by some individuals to erect a wall on the boarder led our group to create this image as a satirical statement.

In this digital remix, we portrayed President Bush as the head of Medusa, with the 2008 Republican party candidates as snakes extending from his head. This is intended to represent the widespread sentiment that Bush is a fearsome creature, while the candidates represent a further extension of the Republican agenda.

Group Cartoon

For this in-class project, we split into three groups to create cartoons. Each group had a manager/storyboarder, writers, and artists. My role was a writer. Our cartoon is fairly simple, since we had only one class period to complete the project. Still, I believe it expresses the intended message quite clearly, while adding a satirical component at the same time. Basically, we are expressing our frustration with the fact that fall break was cut a day short because of our football game which was held on Labor Day. Here is the cartoon itself:

"Due to the Observance of Tommy Bowden's birthday, classes will now be held on Thanksgiving Day."

Sincerely,
-- President James F. Barker

Weekly Progress Report

Due to a very busy schedule this week, the progress I made toward my website was not as much as I would have liked. I was under the pressure of two exams and two papers in addition to the ongoing demands of coursework; however, I did manage to accomplish a couple tasks to advance my website. I subscribed to a free web server where I can work on my site temporarily. The head of the economics department informed me that the departmental pages were in a transition phase of being relocated from remote servers, and he will let me know when this process is complete. At that time, I will be granted access to a domain within the economics department. For now, the temporary site is hosted at the following address:

http://scecohistory.freewebpage.org

Although I have not yet published anything to this site, I downloaded an application for creating webpages. The software is called SeaMonkey, which includes a browser and a composer application that is fairly easy to use. I have begun to familiarize myself with the composer tools, and I believe they will be adequate for my project. Additionally, I have collected several images to use on the site. I already have all of the charts and graphs that I will use, so I feel like I have a fairly good start on the project. Even so, I need to maintain my focus on the completion of individual goals which I will set for myself in order to have the webpage finished in a timely manner.

Questions for Reading Discussion

"Deflecting the Political in the Visual Images of Execution and the Death Penalty Debate"
-- by Diana George and Diane Shoos

Discussion Questions:

Do graphic visual images of executions desensitize us?

Does Hollywood exhibit a bias in its portrayal of capital punishment? Does the news media?

How can such images be presented without bias towards a particular agenda?

Is there a real constructive purpose for these images, or do they provoke emotions on both sides that are often counterproductive?

Does the use of such graphic images sometimes have an opposite effect of what is intented?

Ex) Pro-life protesters carrying signs of dead fetus parts at a football tailgate - this made me more angry at the protesters than anyone else.

My Personal Font

After looking through many different font styles and type families, I happened upon a font known as "Poor Richard". While I am not sure if this is the exact font used in printing the historical Poor Richard's Almanac, it is undoubtedly named with regard to this publication (concerning the American colonial economy, 1732-1758). I found it difficult to look through so many fonts in attempt to find one that represented my own personality; therefore I took an opposite approach. I identified some of my own characteristics, then selected a font that also resembled these attributes.

I am both unconventional and conservative, which is illustrated by this font. As a moderate conservative, I am open to new ideas and progressive change. As a font, Poor Richard is not in the dry, conservative style that is used in Times New Roman, for example. It is different and unique, but not flashy or overtly decorated either. Here is an example:

Questions for Reading Discussion

"Changing the Face of Poverty: Representations of Poverty in Nonprofit Appeals"
-- by Diana George

Discussion Questions:

What actually defines poverty? Is it different for each culture?

If nonprofit intentions are entirely altruistic, does the end justify the means?