Blog Commentaries

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Kitty Chen's Blog

Andrew Phillip's Blog

Logo Parody

Artist did not state name 

Describe the logo using the language of the Elements and Principles of Design.

The logo I’ve chosen stays with the colour scheme of the original BP logo which is white, yellow, a lime green and a slightly darker green. This logo parody is very balanced because it is symmetrical and even. The choice to chose draw the biohazard symbol using those colours of the original BP logo makes the parody logo look very convincing and professional.

Describe the symbols used in the logo. Why did the graphic artist use such imagry?

This new logo conveys the message that BP is a biohazard to the living organisms. It negatively reflects BP’s reputation by giving off the impression that BP is dangerous to the environment and it helps emphasize the negative impact of the April 2010 spill.

What does this logo say of BP's coroporate identity?

The artist’s choice to use the biohazard may reflect the oil spill that recently happened in the Gulf coast. Using the same colours as the original logo seamlessly blends in the biohazard symbol into the actual BP logo making it subtle yet at the same time, stand out. The obvious protruding biohazard rings are obvious enough not to be missed but are so well put into the logo that it can go by without much attention being drawn to it.

Digital Actors/Actresses

Is this acting or is this animation?

I would consider this to still be acting because someone was there to either physically act out the scenes or to act for the voice of the character. Their facial expressions and actions are all taken in by digital software and the actors/actresses are still acting out the roles of their characters. The actors/actresses that are cast as the animated character still need to get in touch with the character they’ve been assigned to, and often times the animated character is much different from the personalities of the actor/actress themselves, so I would consider this to be acting.

Do you think that animated character should be eligible for acting awards?

I believe that animated characters shouldn’t be eligible for acting awards but the actor/actress who acted as that character should be eligible for the award. Their hard work shouldn’t be overlooked just because their physical appearance wasn’t in the movie itself. If the actors/actresses worked hard to connect with their animated character, they should be eligible for an award.

Do you think that human actors will ever become obsolete? Why or why not?

I don’t believe that human actors will become obsolete because there will be a need for a voice to be accompanied to the character. Though computer graphics can animation can animate a character and all of their movements in a movie, there will still be a need for a voice that can only be given by an actor or actress.

Light Graffiti vs Street Graffiti

One of my favorite images of light graffiti is this image above. The artist's choice to draw the flower in the middle of the image helps balance the picture out since it is fairly symmetrical.  The bright colours contrast with the dark background to make the light graffiti image stand out more. The glow from the flower draws attention away from the little critters at the side, and makes you focus on the flower instead.

This image above is a traditional graffiti drawing done by Banksy on the Israeli/Palestinian West Bank barrier. The graffiti art is not in a traditional place (like the back of a store or in a alley) but rather is it out in the open on the Palestinian side of the West Bank barrier. The placing of this graffiti art assures that no one will go by without seeing it. The image of a little girl floating over the wall with her balloons gives off the idea that life over in Israel is much better than life in Palestine. The black image doesn’t pop out from the grey wall, but makes you stop and wonder about the meaning of the subtle image.



 Both examples of graffiti are beautiful in their own way. The light graffiti was beautiful in the sense that it was a beautiful drawing of a flower and an expression of artistic ability whereas the street graffiti on the West Wall was beautiful because in one silhouette, so much can be taken from it. Both these forms of graffiti was a way for the artist to get an idea out, and both are amazing works of art.

Song Mashups

Video #2: A Fair(y) Use Tale

What is this mashup trying to communicate? Is it technical experiment, social or political commentary, a comedic parody, or an abstract work of media art?

This mashup is more of a comedic piece of work that  expresses the copyright law and how the Disney characters are frustrated with it. The video takes clips from various Disney movies to portray things that might be associated with copyright laws. 

Did its creator follow or break copyright laws in its production?

The creator, Professor Eric Faden of Bucknell University, did not break the copyright rules because he respectively gave credit for all the footage of the different characters he used through out the video. He listed the title of the movie it was from, along with the production company and its release date.

Do you think that mashup like this requires copyright permission? Why or why not. 

A mashup of any kind would require copyright permission from the original owner because maybe he/she doesn't want their work to be reproduced. Copy right permission  is required to ensure that the user does not misuse or falsely claim credit for something that wasn't originally theirs. Copy right permission will also help someone avoid getting into serious trouble because getting copyright permission will allow the intended user to use and manipulate the song since they are allowed to and they aren't doing this without the owner's permission. 

Music Video Analysis

Initial reaction: 

At the beginning of the video, the cartoon artwork and simple lyrics made me assume that the song was just another song that had a rhythm and beat with rhyming lyrics but as kept watching my initial reaction was proved to be quite wrong. As the song and video progressed I began to realize how much meaning there was to the video and lyrics.
Analysis and interpretation: 

There are a few themes to this video. One theme is that one can do whatever they want if they put their mind to it. That humans can do such a wide range of things, whether it be good or bad. Another theme that can be associated with this video is that the pursuit of power can ultimately corrupt a person. The music video is conveying the message that two different roads that are taken in life can result in two very different outcomes.

Consideration of cultural context: 

Jamie Laurie, the singer of Flobots, was fascinated by the idea that humans are so capable of so many things. That humans can be so creative and peaceful yet we can also be so devious and destructive. The song and video was created based on this idea.

Expression of aesthetic judgment: 

The video quite well expresses the song. The scenes that are played corresponds to the song and sends the message across clearly to the viewer. At the beginning, the video starts off light-heartedly with two friends riding their bikes with no handlebars, then they part ways. As the song and video progress, the message gets clearer and the video conveys the lyrics well. As the song gets darker, the video becomes darker as well, with scenes of death and destruction that compliment the lyrics. The video and song then end with the light-hearted scene of the two friends on their bike and leaving the viewer with an eerie feeling. The video brought the lyrics of the song to life and made things more prominent. The usage of symbolism also shows the amount of thought that went into the production of the video and I admire the song quite a lot.
Ongoing reflection: 

A friend of mine made me listen to the lyrics but I never quite understood the song unitl I watched the video. Though I am not a fan of rap music I do like this song because there is so much meaning and thought that was put into the video.

Social Networking Privacy

Social networking sites. There are many of them available on the internet such as the big ones like facebook, twitter and myspace. All of these sites help people such as myself, to stay connected and updated with friends. These sites however, use our personal information to make profit. They give access to companies that then use the information to produce ads that appear on the side of the site. Knowing that someone is able to pry though personal information is unsettling, but what's worse is knowing that people are able to hack into these sites and steal information.

With each year, the privacy settings on these networking sites seem to get better, but the ability of hacking will also improve, so the personal information we put out there on the internet will never be truly safe. To protect my own information, I never friend someone unless I truly know them. This doesn't mean that I only know their name and face, it means that I know some of their background and history. I also never reveal obvious things like my address, phone number or age. I also delete anything that may seem to risky to keep such as personal information from others that have been sent to me.

Thankfully, I don't use facebook very often, but when I do I am always mindful of what I say and post. Once something is out on the internet, anyone can see it. Not only can anyone see it, those who know how can hack into an account and steal information saved on the account. No matter how great privacy settings seem, what we put for others to see it up to us. Being careful while using the internet and not divulging information is not only safe, but it's smart.

Hello

Hello blog world and everyone else who happens to pass by! 

Keep an eye out for upcoming posts where I bust out my brain to answer interesting topics.

So until next time, bye

 

~Media Lamb