Future Reads

1. First and First - Santino Hassell 
2. Three Martini Lunch- Suzanne Rindell
3. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll,
4. Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury
5. Every Heart A Doorway - Seanan McGuire 
6. Balloon Animals - Jonathan Dunne
7. Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard
8. The Hidden Oracle - Rick Riordan 
9. Cinder - Marissa Meyer
10. Scarlet - Marissa Meyer

Curate Yourself

I'm the type of persona that often only reads things that I feel a connection with. I don't necessarily read for fun. I read when I see something com up in the news that I feel I need to have an informed opinion on at any given time. That's why I've read works like Fifty Shades of Grey or Twilight or The Hunger Games. My suggestion for this class comes from Tumblr. For a while on my dash I would see quotes from some book called The Alchemist by some guy named Paulo Coelho. After googling, and reading more excerpts, I knew I needed to go and pick up an physical copy of the book and read it. There are so many inspirational messages between those pages, and words of wisdom that I believe could directly relate back to our lives as students. Being in school, I never really have much time out of class to read a full novel, however assigning this in class would have given a lovely opportunity to know and understand the content of this book.


https://vk.com/doc22630335_50640096?hash=b9f1d0e028165e0c61&dl=83427beabcd95422b7

Asterios Polyp a graphic novel by David Mazzuchelli

This was a very interesting read to me, largely because it is not family friendly as I would have assumed by the name and cover art. The main thing that was a definite surprise to me was when we open the story to Asterios Polyp watching porn while lying in bed fully clothed and preparing to smoke a cigarette. The illustrator chose to highlight the messiness of his room as if to show how much he simply stopped caring. It reminds me of what I say when I've been to busy to clean my house, "Please excuse my home it is a reflection of the rest of my life." The main difference is that when I say it it comes of as a joke, but for him its clear that it is a reality. I couldn't help but feel bad when his apartment caught on fire. It was interesting to see what the illustrator chose for him to grab on his way out, however. Once I found out it was also his birthday, I felt even worse.

The Medium is the Massage

Media defines the popular opinion. It is a platform to open discussion of any topic that is deemed worthy of discussion. When we speak about media in the news, my first question is why do I need to know this. Lately, stories are often put in place to distract consumers from learning about information that challenges the social constrictions currently being faced. Media in song often challenges this lack of information by unapologetically addressing current issues being overlooked by news outlet media. Digital media is allowing for anyone to join into a conversation and discuss, and allows those being overlooked by massmedia to have a platform where they can openly address any topic they feel passionate about.

Voice and Auteur

For this week I chose to watch multiple films by Maya Deren. Maya is actually one of my favorite cinematographers, and I am more than thankful for being exposed to her work. The biggest theme of Maya Deren's movies is curiocity. She asks the question of what is real and what is a dream. She uses the art of repetition to reveal new truths within a storyline. She often stars in her films herself yet beautifully constructs a narrative that goes outside of her centralized being. Maya was always willing to explore more techniques when it comes to editing, subject, and metaphor, which is reflected both within her film and her personality.

Sex, Lies and Videotape Adaptation

In my adaptation I would play the roll of costume designer. The film would be very modern to represent the status of the characters. For example, with John being a successful lawyer, he would be wearing beautifully tailored suits, and never the same one twice. Ann would be a poster child for Ann Taylor Loft or Saks or Nordstroms, always wearing her hair in a tight brunette bob. Graham being the film maker, would be more casual with fitted jeans, a nice button down, and a sports coat. Cynthia being the bartender and the other woman would be much more sexualized with more dramatic make up and shorter skirts.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Scene

Slow dolly in we see a corner of a sleeping bag as we move deeper into the trailer's laundry room. as we get closer we turn to find Wade scrunched up, playing his video games.
As he types we hear this voice over: "I wasn’t welcome in my aunt’s room across the hall, which was fine by me. I preferred to crash in the laundry room anyway."
Cut to show laundry spinning
VO: It was warm, it afforded me a limited amount of privacy, and the wireless reception wasn’t too bad. 
Cut to the detergent on top of the machine vibrating.
And, as an added bonus, the room smelled like liquid detergent and fabric softener.
Cut to Wade shooing off a cat, follow the running cat until it reaches its trailer trash mother.
VO: The rest of the trailer reeked of cat piss and abject poverty.
I was curled up in an old sleeping bag in the corner of the trailer’s tiny laundry room, wedged into the gap between the wall and the dryer. I wasn’t welcome in my aunt’s room across the hall, which was fine by me. I preferred to crash in the laundry room anyway. It was warm, it afforded me a limited amount of privacy, and the wireless reception wasn’t too bad. And, as an added bonus, the room smelled like liquid detergent and fabric softener. The rest of the trailer reeked of cat piss and abject poverty.
Cut to him in his sleeping bag, restlessly flipping and flopping. Cold air visibly coming from his mouth.
VO: Most of the time I slept in my hideout. But the temperature had dropped below zero the past few nights, and as much as I hated staying at my aunt’s place, it still beat freezing to death.
Establishing shot: Pose the trailers residence for a group photo by families.
Cut to aunt.
VO: A total of fifteen people lived in my aunt’s trailer. It wasn’t as crowded as some other units in the stacks. It was a double-wide. Plenty of room for everybody.
Cut to the Depperts
VO: The Depperts
Cut to the Millers
VO: And the Millers, there were six of them, and they paid the largest share of the rent.