First Blog post for MDIA 3110: Advanced Media Criticism!

What I've been watching since school's been out

• The Daily Show
• The Colbert Report
• Doctor Who
• Once Upon a Time
• Seinfeld

Peripheral Shows

• How I Met Your Mother
• Supernatural
• Community
• Seinfeld
• Castle
• Parks and Rec
• The Office
• American Restoration
• Jeopardy
• Wheel of Fortune

Guilty No-Gos

• Hannibal
• Grimm
• Mr. Selfridge
• Smash
• Arrow
• Being Human (UK)
• My Little Pony: Frienship is Magic
• Game of Thrones
• The Borgias
• DaVinci's Demons

Guilty Pleasures 

• Elementary (I'm a huge Sherlock fan and feel the show is just piggybacking off Sherlock's sucess, but I was highly impressed by Jonny Lee Miller's Holmes).
• Once Upon a Time (I feel this show was aimed primary at a female audience because of the fairy tale aspect, but I love the fantasy genre and became impressed with the characterization of the fairy tale characters who previously had been one dimensional, but sometimes the scripts aren't exactly the best)

All-Time Favorites

• Doctor Who (During the 2000's I became disgusted with the glut of reality TV shows in the market, and Doctor Who came up alot on various Wikipedia articles I was browsing through. On a whim I recorded a marathon off SyFy channel. After seeing the first few episodes of Series 3, I became convinced that David Tennant was the best actor I had ever seen. I was also impressed with both the range and imagation of the show, the time travelling aspect opens a lot of story possibilites. It seemed to stand out in a sea of reality TV, that Americans have come to love).
• Sherlock (I read the original Sherlock Holmes Book in high school, but I had my doubts of reworking it to contempoary times. But after seeing the teaser my appetie was wetted. After seeing the first episode I was very impressed on how true it was to the original stories, and the epic scope of it, and the witty and impressive scripts from Mark Gatis and Steven Moffat. Also Martin Freeman best known for being in comic parts, impressed me as a very serious Dr. Watson. Of course let's not Benedict Cumberbatch's flawless performance as Sherlock Holmes. He could've played the role in traditonal adaption and he would've still nailed the role.)
• Merlin (NBC aired the first season during the summer of 2009. I have always been a fan of Arthurian legend, and fell in love with this new reimaging of the legend. Again it was also standing out from the reality shows, cop and medical dramas, and sitcoms that usually fill the prime time schedule. Ultimately it wasn't a ratings hit so it moved to the SyFy channel in 2010 where it fits in much better with the niche network.)
• Murder, She Wrote
• Law & Order
• Law & Order:UK
• Golden Girls
• Frasier
• American Pickers
• Cajun Pawn Stars
• Pawn Stars
• Top Gear (UK)
• Phineas and Ferb
• Gravity Falls
• Adventure Time

Shows I Used to Like, But Not So Much Anymore

• Downton Abbey (During the third season, some of the actors contract ran up. These actors then decided they wanted to move on to other projects.  The head writer and producer Julian Fellowes decided to kill off the characters (who were much beloved by fans) in a very dramatic and unxpected fashion with little or no warning. The end results were highly unsatsifactory
• House M.D. (The constant cast changes after Season 3, become annoyning and in regards with the character of House himself, the writers toyed with giving him character development that never really stuck, and his actions went from being amusing to highly dangerous, driving his car into Dr. Cuddy's living room was when he crossed the line).

Shows I  Resisted for a Long Time, But Now I’m a Fan!

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Bones

 I Would Rather Eat Charcoal Than Watch These Shows

• Jershey Shore
• Vampire Diaries
• American Idol
• So You Think You Can Dance?
• Dancing With the Stars
• Ice Road Truckers
• Duck Hunters
• The X Factor
• The Voice

Odds and Ends: Childhood treasures, Online and DVD Favorites

• House of Cards (USA Remake)
• Duck Tales
• Wishbone
• Redwall
• Lambchop's Play Along
• Reading Rainbow
• Dexter's Lab
• Samurai Jack
• Muppet Babies
• Fraggle Rock
• The Muppet Show
• Firefly
• Ed, Edd,'n Eddy
• CatDog
• Hey Arnold
• Rugrats
• Doug
• Kingdom
• Powerpuff Girls
• Camp Lazlo
• Rocko's Modern Life
• Gargoyles
• Inspector Gadget
• Rocky and Bullwinkle
• Last of the Summer Wine
• Agatha Christie's Poirot
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
• Rumpole of the Bailey
• The Catherine Tate Show
• A Bit of Fry and Laurie
• Blackadder
• Monarch of the Glen

The Renaissance of Sherlock Holmes

The character of Sherlock Holmes has been a staple of books, radio, film, and television for a over century. When the orginial stories were still being written, American actor William Gillette became very famous for writing and performing in a play Sherlock Holmes: A Drama in Four Acts for the majority of his professional career. When the new mediums of radio, television, and film came in Sherlock Holmes has had a remarkable in all three. Basil Rathbone played Sherlock Holmes opposite Nigel Bruce's Dr. Watson first in two films for 20th Century Fox, and then twelve more Universal, as well as appearing in a very popular radio series, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Acclaimed Shakespearen actors Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson played Holmes and Watson in a series for BBC Radio in the 1950's. Hammer Horror actor Peter Cushing played Holmes first in Hammer's adaption of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1959, then on BBC television in the '60's. On film, new original stories were being produced such as Nicholas Meyer's The Seven Per-Cent Solution starring Nicol Williamson as Holmes, Robert Duvall as Watson, and Sir Laurence Olivier as Professor Moriarty dealing with Holmes' addiction to cocaine. Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock featuring Robert Stephens as Holmes, Colin Blakely as Watson, and Sir Christopher Lee as Mycroft Holmes dealt with the real life of the detective outside Watson's artistic embelishments. In the 1980's ITV aired a long running series faithfully adapting the orginal stories starring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock, whom many have hailled as the definite Sherlock Holmes. After that Sherlock Holmes seem fated to wade in a plethora of average made-for-tv movies for the BBC, or Hallmark Channel.

However in 2009 Warner Bros. released Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. The blockbuster was a surprise hit and a sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was soon commisoned. Others were soon to cash in. The BBC began airing Sherlock, a contempoary update of Sir Arthur's originals in 2010. The show has been a hit both in the UK, and the rest of the world. CBS began airing Elementary in the fall of 2012, relocating Holmes to New York City.

Guy Ritchie's films are more action oriented than previous films. Still taking place in the Victorian Era, Holmes and Watson are often getting into fist-fights, as much as solving the mystery. Robert Downey Jr. may seem like an odd choice, nothing like the lean gaunt figure envisoned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But Downey's accent is flawles and he is able to capture Holme's numerous character quirks effectivley that he creates a succesful new interpetation of the character. Scholars and critics have often stuck to the theory that Holmes suffered from some form of autism, and Downey Holmes does. In A Game of Shadows, he desribes his deductive abilities as a curse. Jude Law makes a fine Watson. Intelligent, loyal, and a man of action very close to Conan Doyle's original vision rather than the bufoon that is in the public concious. The films although over the top are entertaining. The first envokes the supernatural elements of The Hound of the Baskerville. Holmes is pitted against occultist Lord Blackwood, who claims to control Satanic powers in a bid for global domination. A Game of Shadows has Holmes' archenemy Professor James Moriarty attempting to start World War I, so he can benefit from the carnage as a war profiteer. The supporting cast includes Eddie Marshan as Inspector Lestrade irritated by Holmes' arrogance, but dependent on him just the same, and Stephen Fry as Sherlock's brother Mycroft.

In the late summer of 2010, the BBC began airing Sherlock created by Doctor Who writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Inspired by the Universal Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce that took place during WWII, Sherlock takes place in contempoary London. Despite the change of setting, the series are faitfull to the original stories. Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes is a sef-proclaimed "high functioning sociopath"who solves crimes partially to relieve the boredom that constantly plauges him, and because "genius needs an audience". He seems to lack empathy, and social graces. He's often called in by Detective Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) to work on difficult cases, much to the chagrin of Lestrade's officers who consider Sherlock a "freak". Lestrade puts up him cause he gets results. Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), is an army doctor discharged after an injury in Afganistan (which is very eerie considering in Doyle's original stories, Watson was in the same scenario, only he was a cog in the British Imperial machine, not fighting terrorism). He's suffering from PTSD, before his friend Mike Stamford introduces him to Sherlock, who's looking for someone to share the rent at 221B Baker Street (just like the original). On their first case A Study in Pink, a friendship is born. Sherlock is gratified that John is actually impressed by his deductions, and actually seems to like him, while John gets the excitement he's been missing since the war; as Mycroft tells him "you're not haunted by the war Dr. Watson you miss it." Although John is always frustrated by Sherlock's anti-social behavior, he sticks by him through thick and thin. Sherlock in turn slowly grows to be more empathatic and more caring person. The supporting cast is excellent. In additon to Rupert Graves' Lestarade, you have Una Stubbs as the land lady of 221B, Mrs. Hudson who serves as maternal figure to her two lodgers more than a land lady, she's one of the few people whom Sherlock openly shows affection to. A new addition is Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) a young mourge worker at Barts Hospital, who harbors an unrequited crush on Sherlock. Series creator Mark Gatiss plays Sherlock's older brother Mycroft Holmes. This Mycroft is a very shady figure who according to Sherlock "is the Britisg Government, when he's not too busy being British Secret Service or the CIA on a freelance basis". Sherlock does not get along with his brother at all, he seems to resents his meddling in his life, which Mycroft brushes off as "concern" for his brother. Mycroft is even more stotic then Sherlock claiming "caring is not an advantage", although his "concern" for his brother ultimately betrays this. But the scene stealer in the supporting cast is Moriarty. Sir Arthur's Professor James Moriarty was a posh, suave mathematcian. This Moriarty is the exact opposite. Jim Moriary is a complete unfettered pyschopath criminal genius. He commits crimes because he gets "bored", and Sherlock provides an exciting challenge for the consulting criminal, who makes it his mission to "burn" Sherlock. This is an excellent adaption and pleases purists more that the Guy Ritchie films

The American television network CBS wanted to an American adaption of Sherlock, much like NBC did with The Office. When the BBC declined to sell them the rights, they decided to go ahead with their own Sherlock Holmes drama, Elementary. British actor Jonny Lee Miller play Sherlock Holmes, while Lucy Liu plays Joan Watson. Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock is vastly different from any other Holmes that's been seen. A far cry from the posh, well-dressed Holmes of the past, this Holmes gives off a punk-rock vibe, preferring t-shirts to well-tailored suits. This Holmes is also more empathitic than other Holmes, he's more ready to sympathize with victims, then be excited by the thrill of the chase. His relationship with his father is a bitter one, because his father was always a way on buisness, and he resents having been sent to boarding school as a boy. He's also a ex-junkie. In this  adaption he's lost control of his drug problem, and has just completed a stint in rehab. Prior to this he was a consultant for Scotland Yard, and decides to resume that work for the NYPD, having a contact with Captain Tobias Gregson (named after a Conan Doyle inspector). At the instance of his father he has a sober companion ex-surgeron Joan Watson, who gave up her practice after accidentally killing a patient. Although Elementary take many liberties with the canon, and the episodes tend to be formulaic like most American crime dramas, it's a unique spin and still fun to watch.

"Never plead guilty!"-Rumpole of the Bailey, Defender of the Downtrodden

"Elementary, my dear Watson."

Authors in the British Empire, and it's remnants are often fondly remembered in the annuals of mystery fiction. In the late 1850's Wilkie Collins wrote the first mystery novel in the English language The Moonstone. In the late 1880's a young Scotsman named Arthur Conan Doyle had a struggling medical practice, when he wrote a little piece called A Study in a Scarlet, that would introduce the world to Mr. Sherlock Holmes of 221B Baker Street, and his trustworthy companion Dr. John H. Watson. Their exploits would be some of the best remembered (and repeated in television, radio, and film) in the world. In the early decades of the twentieth century, a novel called The Mysterious Affair at Styles would not only be the start of the long, and brilliant career of the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, but also his creator Agatha Christie who would go on to perfect the mystery genre, with many memorable stories, and characters. Any of these authors is bound to get a mention in a high school English class. But there is one author, whose works have yet to gained the notoriety of the above mentioned-Sir John Mortimer.

Sir John Mortimer

Sir John Mortimer was a British  barrister  (a lawyer who is specifically trained to argue in court as opposed to a solicitor, lawyers who do legal work, sort of appearing in court, and will hire barristers on behalf of their clients), who would eventually retire from the Bar, to focus on his writing career that encompassed anything from novels, short stories, plays, radio, to film and television. Taking the phrase "write about what you know" to heart, Sir John drew from his days in the courtroom to create Rumpole of the Bailey.

Rumpole's tools of the trade: his wig, a brief, and a glass of "Chateu Fleet Street"

Horace Rumpole is a barrister with a few quirks. Amongst them are his tendency to quote English poets particularly Wordsworth, his fondness for cheap cigars, and wine from Pomeroy's Wine Bar, his refusal to be made a Circuit Judge, or a "Circus Judge, or a Queen's Counsel (special honor to recognize senior members of the Bar), or a "Queer Customer", and somewhat surprising his disdain for law:

         
 "Law is a subject which, I may say, never interested me greatly. People in trouble, yes. Bloodstains and handwriting, certainly. The art of cross-examination, of course. Winning over a jury, fascinating. But law!"-John Mortimer, Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail

 Then there is of course there is the most defining trait of Rumpole, which is his motto-"never plead guilty!". Rumpole, a self proclaimed "Old Bailey Hack" who works almost entirely  as a defense counsel. He is a firm believer of the credo "innocent until proven guilty, believes it is "more necessary to defend, then prosecute" and will do the best he can for his clients, although he frequently laments the hopeless cases he is given, and the incompetence of his clients:

             " I could win most of my cases if it weren't for the clients. Clients have no tact, poor old darlings. No bloody sensitivity! They will waltz into the witness-box and blurt out things which are far better left unblurted."-John Mortimer, Rumpole and the Confession of  Guilt

Despite his losses, Rumpole is very talented at what he does. In his youth as a junior barrister he gained recognition for winning the Penge Bungalow Murders "alone and without a leader", which paved the way for his career as a defense counsel. Rumpole's most frequent clients are the Timsons, a clan of "minor villains" from South London who deal with petty theft, and will call upon Rumpole whenever they have need of his services. Rumpole has defened at least three generations of the family.  Although Rumpole is not a detective in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes, or Hercule Poirot, he often plays the part when trying to get a "not guilty" verdict, by either digging up evidence that is harmful to the prosecution himself, or with the help of either his client's solicitor, or private investigator F.I.G. "Fig" Newton. Although Rumpole firmly believes in "innocent until proven guilty", there are times when the reality of his job kicks in. In Rumpole and the Expert Witness, he learns that his client is guilty on his own, after a "not guilty" verdict comes back from the jury, and is genuinely upset by the fact he unwittingly helped get a murder (who happens to be a son of an old frined") off, and can do nothing about it. In Rumpole and the Alternative Society, when his hippie-like client whom he is defending on a drug charge openly admits that she is guilty after a rather good day in cour for her, he goes straight to the presiding judge, and informs him that his client decided to change her plea to "guilty".  Most striking is Rumpole and the Honourable Member, where he defends a MP on a rape charge. His cross-examination of the victim causes him to get into a heated argument with his daughter-in-law over his tactics. The MP  admits his guilt on the stand, but Rumpole is shaken by the experience.

Rumpole in his element-the Old Bailey

Rumpole's ideals, and attitudes make him a very controversial character with his peers, and family. His colleagues at his chambers (barristers are not allowed to "partner up" they are considered self-employed but will group together in a building with their own separate offices independent of each other) think of him as an embarrassment. They often frown upon the type of people Rumpole takes in as clients, and prefer "respectable" civil, and prosecution work instead of criminal defence. Particularly vocal are Claude Erskine-Brown, and the very priggishly pious Head of Chamber  "Soap Sam" Ballard (or "Bollard" as Rumpole calls him) both of whom long for the day when Rumpole will leave chambers, and have at times tried to hasten Rumpole's retirement. However Rumpole does have a few friends in chambers amongst them Liz Probert a "radical barrister" (no surprise since she was Rumpole's pupil), and Pydilla Erskine-Brown née Trant (the Portia of our Chambers), whom although she later becomes a judge never-the-less thinks of very highly of her old mentor Rumpole. The best example occurs in Rumpole's Return, where she gets into an argument with a so called "radical" barrister, after Rumpole won a murder case. He thought it was hopeless so he offered it to Rumpole, because he thought Rumpole would lose, and then retire allowing him to takeover Rumpole's office in chambers. Phydilla has this to tell him:
       
"You’re wrong. Wrong about Rumpole. He’s the radical! You’re not. You’ll grow up to be a prosecutor, or a Circuit Judge! But Rumpole never will, because he says what he thinks, and because he doesn’t give a damn what anybody thinks about him. And because he can win the cases you’re afraid even to do on your own."


Rumpole's colleague aren't the only ones who disapprove of him, most judges don't like him either, and Rumpole returns the sentiment.  All of them share the following traits: they are bluntly biased towards the prosecution, and believe that Rumpole is always wasting the court's time no matter how good his case is. Amongst them are Mr. Justice Grave, or "Justice Gravestone",  Mr. Justice Oliphant (whose fondness of "Northern common sense" drives Rumpole crazy), and then there is the most infamous of them all Judge Roger Bullingham. Judge Bullingham or the "Mad Bull" is a judge with an "unreasoning prejudice against all black persons, defence lawyers and probation officers", and can barely hide his contempt for Rumpole.


It may seem that no one is able to control Rumpole, but there is one person who is able to keep him line-Mrs. Hilda Rumpole, his wife. Hilda, or "She Who Must Be Obeyed" as Rumpole calls her, is very disappointed that her husband is neither a Queen's Counsel, Circuit Judge, or at least Head of Chambers. Despite her criticism of Rumpole,the two do seem to care for each other. Hilda is somewhat prone to suspicions of acts of adultery committed by her husband that often leads to tense relations between the two, such as the time Rumpole did a divorce case due to a lull in crime in   Rumpole and the Married Lady:


"‘You can come home as late as you like now, Rumpole. And you can spend all the time you like with her.’

‘Her?’ Whoever could she be talking about?

‘I’ve heard her! Time and time again. On the telephone.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ I tried a light laugh. ‘That’s a client.’

‘Rumpole! I’ve lived with you for a good many years.’

‘Man and boy.’

‘And I’ve never known you to be telephoned by a client. At home!’

‘I usually have quiet, undemanding clients. Murderers don’t fuss. Robbers can usually guess the outcome, so that they’re calm and resigned. Divorcing ladies are different. They’re inclined to telephone constantly.’

‘So I’ve noticed!’

But love conquers all and they always reconcile, as Rumpole puts it "they'd rather have war together than a lonley peace", not unlike his divorce client. Hilda on her part, believes that Rumpole "would go to seed" without her. The two have one child Nick Rumpole the "brains of the family", who works in America as a professor of sociology.


Although the stories are written for humour, they do tackle serious issues. Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt deals with racism in the criminal justice system of the UK. But most serious of all is Rumpole and the Reign of Terror, in which Rumpole takes on a Pakistani doctor as a client, who is beening held on terrorism charges, and is determined that even if he is guilty he should at least be given a fair trial to decide his guilt, much to the disapproval of the establishment, and the government itself. These witty, and engaging stories are overlooked treasures of the mystery genre, deserve a much wider audience, and are sure not to disappoint the reader.


                                                           Adaptions 

Leo McKern in his most famous role

Besides the books, Rumpole has been a stable fixture of British radio, and television. The television series Rumpole of the Bailey (which inspired the early istallments of the book series, every episode having either a short story, or full-length novel adaption by Mortimer himself) aired on PBS' MYSTERY!, and starred Australian character actor Leo McKern as Rumpole. On BBC Radio, Rumpole has been portrayed by multiple actors. In 1980, Maurice Denham played Rumpole in Rumpole: The Splendours and Miseries of an Old Bailey Hack.  Desmond Barrit played him once in a one radio play, before Timothy West took over the role in 2003 in new radio plays adapted by Mortimer himself. He continues to appear in new radio plays adapted by others after Mortimer's death, mainly serving as the narator, as the new plays feature Benedict Cumberbatch as a younger Rumpole.

Video Production Project

Video #1

Role-Editor, and Actor

Video #2 

Role: Set Designer & Actor 

Blog #9-Freak Factor

http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/45.02.FreakFactor

What's your biggest weakness is question, that is bound to pop up in any job interview. The question is how to improve this-a) focus on your strengths, or b) try to fix your weakness. The majority of people try to fix their weaknesses, instead of focusing on their strengths. If they try to do both it usually doesn't work out. According to David Randall there are eight different things you can do to change this-1) what's my problem is, 2) believe you are flawless 3) Don't try to fix your weakness 4) Build on your strength, 5) Focus on what you want to do most, 6) Find the spot 7),  The power of uniqueness, 8) Putting your quirk to works.

One of Randall's suggestions for overcoming weakness "Believe You are Flawless" is perhaps his worst suggestion. Nobody is flawless. We have to admit there are some things we are not good at to do so would be a blatant lie. For example having an habit not showing up to class, or work on time on a regular basis is a definite flaw, that could be improved or there is a very good chance you could find yourself with a low GPA, or in the unemployment line. Each of has one negative trait about ourself-bad temper, or maybe a proud attitude. As much as we all loathe criticism, we must admit there are times it can be useful-such as if someone shows us how to use a hammer the right way, or how to parallel park with bumping into the other cars. If we are foolish enough to believe this then there is a good chance, that are egos will be over inflated. Point in case Orson Welles. Every one he's responsible for what is considered the greatest film ever made-Citizen Kane. What other major films did Welles direct after Kane none. Welles developed a reputation for being impossible to work with, and unreliable when it came to schedules, and budgets. The rest of his career was reduced to making cameo acting bits to raise money for his low budget independent features. Although these cameos include show-stealing appearances in films such as Carol Reed's the Third Man, John Huston's Moby Dick, and Fred Zinemann's A Man for All Seasons, he never regained the hype he did after Kane (and even that lost money with it's first release).

Among Randall's other suggestion's "Build Your Strength" is a very good idea. Each of us has a certain knack-organization skills, mathematics, communication skills, or artistic talent. Why shouldn't we hone on these knacks, they could prove to our advantage. For example why would some one is good at art, but not at public speaking decide for some reason to become a lawyer? There is no satisfying answer at all. It would be foolish to ignore your special knacks, and gifts in life. The best thing to do is find a career that not only satisfies you, but can also make use of your special talents. But in order to take full advantage of those talents you need to learn how to home them, and improve them properly. If you have a knack at wood working, and carpentering you'd be better off going to a vocational school to learn how to apply those talents in the workplace, then you would here at Ohio University which doesn't offer you much opportunity to take advantage of such gifts. If you're good at taking care of people, you'd be better off in medical school, than business school. Walt Disney tried to make a living first as a commercial artist, and then as animator. But he simply couldn't work fast enough to meet the demands that both of those professions required. He found his knack instead as a film producer hiring the best people to do the best work to on the films he wanted to make.

Randall's most helpful suggestion is "Putting your quirks to work". Every one of us have special traits, and knacks that makes us each stand out from each other. Some of us may not be very good at art, but we have a knack for technical stuff, that other people couldn't hope to understand, so instead of going in for screenwriting, we go into setting up the lights maybe in a TV studio, or a Broadway theatre. Some of us might be terrible at biology, but good at art, and physics so why not go into architecture. Take the Fleischer Brothers the creators of Betty Boop, Out of the Inkwell, and Popeye for example what their cartoons might have lacked in artistically, they made up for technically. They invented the rotoscope, which allowed animators to trace over live-action frame by frame to achieve stunning realism in their cartoons. They also engineered early attempts, of blending sound, and animation before Disney's Steamboat Willie. Would-be Fleischer animator Jack Mercer, had a very good knack at doing the Popeye voice, so when the Fleischers fired the original, he got the role that he would play (amongst others) for the rest of his life. Disney animator Ub Iwerks, found himself a knack at the studio after he retired from animation in the special effects department, because he had a talent to look at a problem through technical eyes. Even Alfred Hitchcock employed him for his feature the Birds. Each of these people had special knacks that made them stand out, to enjoy very successful, and unique careers, something we could all achieve.

When it comes to my strengths, and weakness in the "creative process" there are several. One of my strengths is being to come up with wonder ideas. A weakness being is having difficultly translating those ideas into reality. I once tried to write a play based on the legend of King Arthur from the point of view of Merlin just for the fun of it, but I struggled with the dialogue so I eventually gave up on the project. Another weakness would be frustration at times when some unexpected difficulty comes along, and it takes me a while to think of a way to resolve that issue, before I get back on track. During the various projects this quarter is my strength for using the limited resources I have to in a sense "make something out of nothing" as the old phrase goes" such with the soundscape we had to make based on our screenplay. When I begin a project a weakness I have discovered is that sometimes I have a habit of being less diligent if I'm not entirely dedicated, or if I chafe under ceratin petty restrictions like having to use a poorly desinged  program like Pencil which is the most frustrating thing to use if you aspire to be a professional animator one day. But, amongst my strengths is when I'm truly dedicated is to remain focused when I need to be, such as when I worked as colorist last year on the pilot for Camelittle. Other of my strengths is when if something goes wrong on a project to salavge what I can and polish it off like I did with the animation project. I have some strengths, but also weakness that I need to improve to be a better artist.

Blog #8-Brainwashed

http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/66.01.Brainwashed

According to Seth Godin the Lizard is the resistant part of our brain. It's what makes us worry about our security, and our safety, and dishes out anger. It also has the unfortunate side effect of shutting down our artistic skills. To be an artist is too be free thinking, and creative. It's what makes us stop being Winston Smith, and instead being obient. But if we acknowledge it, we can fight it. Making art is the most unique part of being human. It's doesn't require instructions, or a manual. Instead it requires interacting on the human level to create something that changes lives, that's "real art. Being generous is essential is the modern economy, instead of doing something for profit, you do it to help support, and grow with your fellow artists, and deliver their products more faster than anyone ever could.

These three layers-the Lizard, Creating Art, and Being Generous are all key factors in being a good creative person. During this quarter, we have to keep a Blog, and in away all of these layers have in one way, or another. The Lizard has predominantly found it's way into these blog posts. All of these posts came with a syllabus of what must be in each weekly blog post. Granted of course, sometimes we had a little freedom to chose what to write about, but we had a rigid set of instructions to follow including a set word limit for each blog post. I don't consider these blog posts as "Creating Art". I don't interact with people, on the human level. These blog posts are not very profound. To the best of my knowledge only my TA reads these. It's true that in a sense I have created something, but this is not done by any human interaction, and these simple blog posts really don't have the power to change something, so in that sense they are not art. With regards to "Being Generous" I'm afraid these blog posts don't posses this trait either. When I write these blog posts I do them for the sole purpose of keeping my GPA up. They do not help promote the work of young artists such as myself, or help support them. They do instead help promote the commercial work of artists such as Christopher Nolan who is already well established, and has the road of success before out his feet. I have been writing these blog posts all quarter, and now I am faced with this question: have these blog posts helped me to become a better artist? The answer is yes in a way. Although these blogs do not give me the chance to actually make something, they do allow me to help verify, and understand the basic rules, and principles of this highly creative competitive business, often by dissecting small scenes from my favorite films to better understand the basic principles that went into making them, and therefore understand how to apply these basic prinicples such as the 180 line, rule of thirds into my own work someday, and therefore make it look not like the work of some novice, but instead looks like it was made by a pro. So it that respect yes these blogs have helped me to become a better artist after all

Blog # 7-Scene Deconstruction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQMPOA8BTKk

       This scene from the Secret of Kells, shows us that the theme of the film is that even in time of despair, and darkness, a thing of beauty can be more important than anything else. This brought to the front with Aidan, and the Abbot. The Abbot thinks the most pressing thing is finishing a wall intended to keep out the vikings, while Aidan belives the finishing the Book of Kells will be more useful to the people than the wall. He even tells the Abbot that the wall will never keep out the vikings, and all they can do is run. Of course there are many other scenes like this in the film, stressing the importance of the Book of Kells and the hope it will bring, so the theme of the film is active.


In the scene, one of the more subtle ways the theme is showcase is through the contrast and affinity of shapes of the Abbot, and Aidan. The Abbot's head is only slightly rounded; it is more square shape, which is very fitting. It means he likes to be in control (he is the Abbot after all), strong, and conservative and he dislike the change to the Abbey that Aidan brings with him, by questioning his wisdom. His exact opposite is Aidan. Aidan is literally a more rounded character than the Abbot. He's kind, and warm. All of which are in direct contrast to the stern, cold Abbot. Another way the theme is shown is through space. Most of the scene takes place within the Abbot's tower room. It sounds simple, but it's changing throughout the scene-from limited space, to flat space-the drawings on the wall have dissparead, and it becomes merged with the floor. On the surface you think, "it's just an animated film, so it's part of the direction".  Remember the Abbot's devotion to the wall is equal to Aidan's devotion to the wall. When the room changes into flat space the main focus in on the Abbot's plan for the wall surrounding the abbey, which takes up the entire floor. This also gives us an insight on the Abbot’s mind unconsciously, for his room itself is a manifestation of his mind, the floor, and the wall everything has been covered with madcap plan for defenses that aren’t very stable.