Lights Fit For a King

For my group video, we decided to make a modern version of "Fit For a King".  It's a ballad about a man coming to a banquet for a king and ends up killing him in the end.  During production, we used a Canon 3 Camera with Magic Lantern and Cinestyle.  The cinestyle was used for the color profile to increase the flexibility of the footage.  The Magic Lantern was used to set the white balance in the camera.  The waveform was corrected to increase range and then it was warmed with an easy color corrector.  A blue hue was used to cool the condom alienation shot The deconstruction of color was done by the black and white high contrast, red channel, green channel, and blue channel.  This technique was done to make the death of the "king" more chaotic and dramatic.  A death scene should always be dramatic and the different channels made it possible

MTV: Breaking The Color Barrier

MTV (known as Music Television) is nationally known for playing rock videos 24/7.  This cable station was just getting started in the 1980s.   The first video that was aired on MTV was Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles.  Other bands that have made music videos in the 1980s are Pat Benetar, Rod Stewart, The Who, April Wine, Styx, and many others.  

The interesting thing about early MTV is the breaking of the color barrier.  In the early days of MTV, African-Americans did not get very much airtime with their videos.  Rick James' video of Superfreak was rejected because it did not fit MTV's format at that time.  Michael Jackson also had trouble getting some airtime as well.  The color barrier came to an end in 1983.  Walter Yetnikoff, the president of CBS Records at the time, denounced MTV in the most profane manner possible and threatened to end MTV's ability to play music coming from the CBS record label if they didn't play music from African-Americans.  After that statement, MTV decided to play Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.  In order to prevent record companies from turning their backs on MTV, MTV continues to play music from all races.  It's interesting how things work after being threatened by a major record company.

More on Jessie's Girl

Rick Springfield was one of the most popular Rock and Roll singers of the 1970s and 1980s.  His most popular and well-known song is Jesse's Girl, which was released in 1981.  The song became a #1 hit in Australia and the United States.  It also won Springfield a Grammy Award in 1981.
Springfield also performed the song on General Hospital, on which he played Dr. Noah Drake 

Springfield wrote the song about an experience he had in college. Most songwriters choose write about their personal experiences. This song deals with only one simple situation, which is being in love with someone that is in love with someone else.  Most people have had someone in their lives that they had strong feelings for and they couldn't do anything about it because they were in a relationship already.  That's the feeling that Springfield gives in his hit song.  In his college days, he was smitten with his friend Gary's girlfriend. He wanted to use Gary's name in his song but changed the name of the guy to Jessie after seeing a girl with that name on her jersey.  Springfield did not want to let his friend know about his feelings for his girlfriend, so he simply changed the name of the man in the song.

The video follows the formula of most videos where they show band and story scenes.  The shows scenes to where Springfield is watching the happy couple and him feeling low when he breaks his bathroom mirror.  In between the story scenes, the band is shown performing the song in front of the brick wall.  Each story and band scene runs one after the other, which is what most music video do.

The chart below shows the different parts of the Rick Springfield video.  It explains how the video works and what the lyrics are supposed to mean.

Codes Visualized	Illustration	Amplification	Disjuncture
Lyrics	The song illustrates a man's desire to be with his best friend's girlfriend	The smashing of the mirror represents the fustration has for wondering why the object of his affections doesn't want him	None
Music	The band consist of Springfield as the lead singer and guitarist, a second guitarist/ backup singer, and a guy on drums	"Patty Is Jessie's Girl". the writing on the wall represents what the narrator of the song wants, which is Patty	None
Performance	The band performs in front of a spray-painted wall. Sometimes the band is seen with Springfield or he plays it himself.	Other than the scenes in front of the brick wall, the video shows Springfield watching his friend and girlfriend.  Shows that he envies what his friend has.	The video shows the band performing with Springfield in between the scenes of the story

Rick Springfield-Jessie's Girl

Rick Springfield (1949-) was one of the most popular rock and roll singers of the 1970s and 1980s. He was a former member of Zoot from 1969 to 1971 before making it big as a solo artist.  Springfield is also an actor who played Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital.

The song that most people remember from Rick Springfield is Jesse's Girl, which was released in 1981.  The song is about a case of unrequited love.  A man who falls in love with his best friend's girlfriend.  At the start of the video, Jesse (played by Steve Antin) is shown spray-painting "Patty Is Jessie's Girl" on a nearby brick wall as Springfield watches on. Most of video shows Springfield and his band performing the song in front of that same wall.  He deeply wishes that she was with him instead even though it appears that she doesn't know that he exists.  This is shown in a scene where he attempts to go to talk with the girl, but she and Jessie walk away from him without saying a word.  Springfield is left wondering why she doesn't like and breaks his bathroom mirror after seeing her image.  Knowing that someone you love is in love with someone else is a terrible feeling to have, Springfield felt the same way when he wrote the song.  The song became a #1 hit in Australia and the United States.  It also won Springfield a Grammy Award in 1981.  Springfield later performed this song as his Dr. Noah Drake character on General Hospital when Drake has to fill in for Eli Love (also played by Rick Springfield).  Jessie's Girl helped Rick Springfield become a mega-superstar.

Springfield wrote the song about an experience he had in college. Most songwriters choose write about their personal experiences. In his college days, he was smitten with his friend Gary's girlfriend.  The three of them were in a stain glass course together.  It was later revealed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he does not remember her name and that he was never introduced to her.  He wanted to use Gary's name in his song but changed the name of the guy to Jessie after seeing a girl with that name on her jersey.  The identity of Springfield's inspiration remains a mystery to this day.

Fred Moore

Fred Moore (1911-1952) was an animator that worked for Walt Disney.  Moore had very little training in art, but he was able to work his way in Disney very quickly.  He is best remembered for redesigning Mickey Mouse for the 1938 movie, Fantasia.  The look that Moore gave Mickey in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is still used in the movies and games that Mickey appears in today.  During Moore’s brief life, he constructed his Fred’s 14 Points of Animation.

1. Appeal in drawing.  The drawing has to be appealing to someone that isn't your mother
2. Staging is process of selecting, designing, adapting to, or modifying the performance space for a play or film
3. Most interesting way?  It needs to catch the audience's interest and not your mother.
4. Is it the most entertaining way?  Can this be entertaining to the audience.
5. Are you in character?  The character should be acting out of it's personality
6. Are you advancing the character?  Establishing personality and it's involvement in the story.
7. Is this the simplest statement of the idea of the scene? This should be simple for the audience to understand
8. Is the story point clear?  Audience needs to understand what the story is about
9. Are the secondary actions working with the main action?  Do the secondary actions and the main actions go together
10. Is the presentation best for the medium?  The medium creates the animation
11. Does it have 2 dimensional clarity? How well the viewer can see what needs to be noticed.
12. Does it have 3 dimensional solidity?  Objects have to be 3 dimensional
13. Does it have 4 dimensional drawing?  This includes drag and follow through
14. Are you trying to do something that shouldn’t be attempted?  This is when animators try something risky with their animation like showing the top of Mickey's head

The Illusion of Life

The Illusion of Life was written by Thomas and Johnson.  An illusion is best defined as a distortion of the senses and it's created by the imagination.  Illusions are also hallucinations and mirages,both which you can see with your eyes  The illusions are created in the minds of humans based on the experiences that someone may had.  Animators often base their creations on their own imaginations and possibly their own life experiences.  Life is what people make of it and everyone has a different story. Their works can be either about themselves or someone that they know.  From their own imagination and illusions, animators can help advance their creations to make them more real to the audience.

Ecomimic Techniques To Animation

Animation uses nine economic techniques, which were designed to create emotions in the audiences that watch the films.  The emotions are shown through the characters and the scenery:

1. Rear View

Sometimes feeling better is imagined more than they could ever be shown in detail. This perspective showing the backs of the characters allows the audience to dream along with the characters.  Looking at two lovers in the distance is an example of rear view. The audience cannot clearly see their faces, but their posture shows that the couple is truly in love.

2. Shadows

The shadows are usually associated with suspense and drama. They are used for a variety of purposes from adding interest and variety to saving time from having to draw detail. The shadows are often used on the villains of the film. If they are shown as silhouettes, this lets the viewer focus on the eyes, sharp teeth, or other traits they may have. 

 3. Shadows Over the Character

This technique is used to convey excitement or anxiety. The situation is more fully conveyed with the addition of the main character’s reaction to the event.  If they see that something bad happening to someone else or see something coming at them, the character will show a startled reaction.

4. Overlays

 This involves having a character partially hidden by other objects. It can be used to add a sense of panic or frenzy.   Overlay is also used to portray an intimate feeling. Objects that block the action gives the viewers a feeling of closeness and privacy.

5. Dramatic Layout

This is when scene around the character conveys as much or more emotion than just the character. A scene with large shapes and downward sloping hills may give the character a depressed feeling. It could happen when a character is crying over something bad that happened to them or someone that they truly love.  Small shapes and bright colors have the ability to make the character look mighty and powerful. 

 6. Pictorial Shot

This is a background with a strong mood. Romanticizing an object can help to layer emotions. An example of this kind of shot is a peeking view of the princess through an open window. The animators can romanticize a character by adding things like flowers or other things meant to make a character look more beautiful. This captures the feeling of hope that would be hard to show in any other case.

7. Effects Animation

Animation forms from nature can establish a mood either by symbolism or showing what the character sees. Examples would be falling rain, a storm, approaching fire will quickly create strong feelings. Bright colors, sound effects, and movement help to convey a variety of emotions.

 8. Held Drawing with Camera Moves

Sometimes one strong character expression is all that is needed to convey emotion. Instead of moving the character, animators will move the camera. This will give out the feeling of activity. Simply moving the camera adds movement and life to a still image.

 9. Offstage Sounds

This is when the sounds can build images in the imagination of the audiences. They can cause the viewer to imagine more than could possibly be drawn.  An example would be when magical characters would cast some kind of spell. The sound effects that go with the magic makes it seem more real.

Shepherdstown

Shepherdstown is over 250 years old and has plenty of history.  Come see for yourself

Shepherdstown has college football, concerts, plenty of restaurants, shops, and history.  You should come check us out.

Do you have any weekend plans?  Come see what Shepherdstown has to offer you.

Name This Brand

Eddie Carbonneau talks about what he thinks is every guy's favorite restaurant.  At this particular restaurant, you get to eat some great wings and see some great girls.  It makes up the perfect retreat and there is always excitement.  This is a place where every night is a date night.

Systems

A system is set of detailed methods, procedures and routines. They are created to carry out a specific activity. The little things we do each day can be a system. Hooking up a television set is an example of a system. You need to know where to plug in the power plug and where you can hook up the cables in order to get more channels.  Putting in a DVD, VCR, or a video game system to it also counts with using systems.  The same things are related to a broadcasting career.  People should know how to set things up like lights, cameras, microphones, and other props needed to shoot a broadcast.  Often in a television studio, the equipment would get disconnected.  Wires are often tangled or simply get all over the place.  Someone in a communications major should know what wires go where and how to operate a piece of equipment during a shooting.  Working with them is very delicate.

Studio Jobs

One of the most interesting aspects of studio production is the on-air talent. They are the ones that entertain the audience in front of the cameras. I have had some personal experience performing in front of an audience. When I was in high school, I sang in the choir. My choir teacher from high school recently put together a community choir and we would sing at the high schools in Jefferson County. During our concerts,there was someone recording the show for us to watch later. I also did some acting in two different plays during my senior year in high school, but that wasn't recorded by cameras due to copyright laws. Singing in live choir concerts and acting in plays gave my personal experience in front of an audience. Another interesting aspect of studio production is the director. The main job of the director is the making a television program. Directors play a big part in a television crew. They are in charge of supervising the placement of professional video cameras, lighting equipment, microphones, and props. So far, I have not had any experience with directing anything. I wouldn't mind giving it a try because it will help me to get an understanding about how everything works for shooting a broadcast.  I think that I am new to broadcasting.  Getting to be director is one way to get an idea of how each job is done.

Totally 90s Skates

Searched for: Rollerblades Related words: rollerskates, blades, inline skates, roller derby gear

Title:  <title> Totally 90s Skates:  The home of the #1 Rollerblades

Introducing Totally 90s Skates, the new #1 resource of the best rollerblades in the nation.  We have all the rollarskating equipment for men, women, and children.  From beginners to experts, we have what you're looking for.

Studio and Production

For my fifth semester at Shepherd University, I have signed up for a Studio and Production class for my major in Communications. I had transferred into that class at the end of last January. I was in a website class for the first few weeks of the semester, but I transferred into Studio Production at the request of my instructor and advisor. The material for the website class was being taught at a fast pace and I had not used Dreamweaver since the spring semester of 2013. So far in Studio Production, I only had one job, which was the on-air talent. I was filling on for one of my classmates who wasn't able to attend class that day. As one of the on-air talents, I had to speak up about whatever topics the host was presenting for that show. Unfortunately, the cameras in the studio were not working right that day and none of the footage we tried to shoot was recorded. The same problem occurred last Thursday and we couldn't shoot anything that day. I enjoyed working in front of the camera, but I wished they were working so I could get an idea of how I did. I didn't get another jobs so far this semester. I would try to assist the crew by helping to set up the studio and pulling the curtains to show the right color for the cameras. I mainly try to do whatever I can to be helpful to our cause. So far I like my Studio Production class, but I wish I can do more to help out.

Appeal

Appeal is the last of the 12 Principles of Animation. This is where a cartoon character corresponds to the charisma in an actor. The important thing is that the viewer feels the character is real and interesting. A character can connect better to the audience for being likable characters. Villains or monsters can also be appealing to the audiences. Each member of the audience has different tastes in characters and they can find appealing if they have likable traits. An example would be Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Oogie Boogie is the gambling boogey man and Jack Skellington's arch-enemy. During the movie, Oogie Boogie plans to murder Santa Claus after learning that his enemy, Jack, was planning on bringing Christmas to Halloween Town. His love of gambling causes him to play for very high stakes, which are often other people's lives. His lair is his own private casino with a giant roulette wheel filled with many death traps. He also likes to play craps and the dice would often land on snake eyes (two ones). Whenever Oogie gambles, he doesn't play fair. The song that he sings to his prisoner, Santa Claus, describes everything about himself and his evil intentions. Someone who is into gothic movies would find Oogie Boogie appealing. The song that he sings is very catchy and that can makes him appealing as well. After 20 years, The Nightmare Before Christmas is still very popular for movie goers.

Walt Disney and Realism

Walt Disney had a famous quote saying that “I definitely feel that we cannot do the fantastic things based on the real, unless we first know the real. What Disney is trying to say is that people should understand what the real task is before attempting to do something fantastic. He wants us to under the meaning of realism, which is the general attempt to depict things accurately. This can be from a visual, social or emotional perspective.   Realism is also looking for a much deeper meaning behind each thing we know. Disney would study on what he thought was real and then apply it to his cartoons.

Moods

Walt Disney said, “In most instances, the driving force behind the action is the mood, the personality, the attitude of the character--or else all three. Therefore the mind is the pilot. We think of things before the body does them.” The artists give the character expressions, moods, personality, and an attitude that helps the audience get inside their minds. One of the examples of the moods of a character is Jafar, the villain of the first two Aladdin movies. Jafar was once the royal vizier for the Sultan of Agrabah. The expressions on his face shows that is someone that should not be trusted. Jafar was able to gain the trust of the Sultan and the citizens of Agrabah, but all of that is his mask. Jafar is really a sinister person who holds everyone around him in contempt. He resents working underneath the Sultan and secretly plans to take the title of Sultan away from him. He also had the desire to marry Princess Jasmine, even though she clearly despises him. Jafar planned on doing these things by having Aladdin get the Magic Lamp from The Cave of Wonders. He previously sent another person to get the lamp, but he failed to do that. He will do anything to get what he wants, even if it costs someone else their life. Jafar is shown to have a very self-centered personality. His attitude is proven to be the same. Jafar cares only about himself. If someone proved to be some kind of a threat to him, he would find a way to have that person destroyed without feeling remorse afterwards. Jafar had tried on two occassions to kill Aladdin so he can get the lamp and Jasmine, but he failed to do that. When he did get the lamp, he used his wishes to benefit himself. He wished to become the Sultan and "the most powerful sorcerer in the world". He attempted to use his last wish to make Jasmine "fall desperately in love with him", but the Genie couldn't make that happen because of the genie rules. His ego eventually became his undoing at the end when Aladdin told him that The Genie was more powerful than him. He used his last wish on becoming a genie, but he ends up being sucked into his own lamp.

Headlines

Reasons Why You Should Buy Wireless Earphones Keywords: best headphones, cordless, wireless earbuds Formula: A list How Does Wireless Earphones Work Formula: Useful information about how the product works Exciting New Earphones Formula: Presents the product as a news story Buy Wireless Earphones Today Formula: Command Action Finally, Earphones Without The Wires. Formula: Testimonial

Caricatures

A caricature is a rendered image that feature a subject in a simplified or an exaggerated way. The most notable features of a specific person will the ones that are shown more than the others. They are often meant for the purposes of entertainment. Someone can find a caricature of themselves flattering or insulting. Realism is shown to be more truthful than a caricature. In realism, they try to show images in a more truthful light and can explain the point clearly. A caricature can explain points too, but in a more entertaining way.

The 12 Principles of Animation

During the early days of animation, animators searched for a better way of relating their drawings to each other It took them a long time to come up with what it's now called The Principles of Animation. The twelve fundamental principles are Squash and Stretch, Anticipation, Staging, Straight Ahead Action and Pose To Pose, Follow Through and Overlapping Action, Slow In and Slow Out, Arcs, Secondary Action, Timing, Exaggeration, Solid Drawing, and Appeal. Squash and Stretch is when a fixed shape is moved about from one drawing to the next,there was a marked rigidity that has emphasized by the movement. This only occurs in the most rigid shapes in real life. Anything that's made up of living flesh will show the movement within its shape in progressing through an action. An example would be a bent arm with swelling biceps so the sinews are shown. Anticipation prepares the audience for action. The action is supposed to look real. An example of anticipation is when a golfer prepares to hit the golfball. He takes his time to line up his shot before hitting the ball and when he does hit it, the audience prepares for the landing Staging directs the audience to the significance of a scene. The idea is to focus on what is relevant rather than any unnecessary details Straight Ahead Action is when animators draw out a scene frame by frame from beginning to end. Pose to Pose draws a few key frames and fills in the intervals later. Follow Through and Overlapping Action is heading for two closely related techniques. This process helps to render the movement more realistically. Slow In and Slow Out goes between poses. An example of this would be of a ball bouncing or the process of sitting and standing up. Arcs is the movement in trajectory. An example would be seeing a joint move in rotation. Secondary Action gives more life to a scene. The purpose of it is to emphasize on a scene rather than drawing attention away from it. Timing refers to the number of drawings or frames for a given action. It is very critical to how the cartoons move. Exaggeration is an effect that can make a cartoon look static or dull. It all depends on the style like a caricature. A caricature often exaggerates on what a person looks like. Solid Drawing is the process of taking into account forms in three-dimensional space and giving them volume and weight. Appeal corresponds to the charisma in the actor that portrays a certain character. He or she can make a character appealing to the audience or not appealing.

Principles of Communication

Communication is the process of giving and receiving information through any number of sources. Whether one is speaking informally to a colleague, addressing a conference or meeting, writing a newsletter article or formal report, the following basic principles apply: The principles of communication are to know your audience, know your purpose,know your topic,anticipate objections,present a rounded picture,achieve credibility with your audience,follow through on what you say,communicate a little at a time,present information in several ways,develop a practical useful way to get feedback, and use multiple communication techniques. One of the most important principles is to know your audience. The audience can be a friend, colleague, instructor, people at a conference, potential employer, or someone that the same interest in the topic that you are working on. The writer should know how to present the topic in a way that their audience can easily understand what you're talking about. The writer can't talk about a topic to a conference in the same fashion as they would to a close friend. When presenting the topic, the writer should present in a way that answers any questions that they might have afterwards. They need to get the idea that the writer is very knowledgable about his topic. If a writer knows kind of audience they have and how to present a topic to them, they can be successful in what they are trying to do.

Wright Brothers Flight

Wright Brothers Invent Flying Machine by Eddie Carbonneau Kitty Hawk, NC On December 17th, Two brothers from Dayton Ohio invented a flying machine that took off in the skies. Wilbur and Orville Wright demonstrated their world changing invention on Kill Devil Hill in Kitty Hawk NC. The event was witnessed by five people. among the people present was photographer John T. Daniels, who photographed this historic flight. The two brothers are the owners of a bicycle shop called the Wright Cycle Exchange, which is locate in their hometown of Dayton. The flight the brother demonstrated in their flying machine lasted for 59 seconds. They reached the altitude of 10 feet off the ground. Wilbur Orville calls the day "a partial success". The flying machine was totaled due to a gust of wind that caused a crash. The Wright Brothers look forward to improving the design of their flying machine for future use.

Comm 447 Blog 1: Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver is a computer program that lets people create their very own websites. The websites can be about anything that particular person is interested in. I personally don’t get to use Dreamweaver all that often. The laptop I use outside of school does not have that program installed on it. Dreamweaver is a tough program to understand if you do not have enough experience with it. It’s a step by step process where a single mistake can mess things up if you don’t spot it right away. Before using Dreamweaver, you should have some prior knowledge with it. I first learned how to use Dreamweaver in my Comm 352 class with Andrew Gay as my instructor. I made a website about the history of silent movies, but that was a year ago. I feel like I need to go through the process all over again. Dreamweaver is a not an easy program to work with and you need to know what you are doing in order to setup a good website.