Phantogram - Fall In Love

The longest shot in this awesome video is 27 seconds. The shot focuses on the two artists frozen on a spinning platform, combined with an abstract, ever-changing, background overlay. The decision to use a series of short shots compiled together, facilitated this visual stunning video, and complements the music perfectly.

Breakdown of “Born Into Coal”

By: Alexandra Hamilton

The documentary short “Born Into Coal” is an example of a human-interest story. The feature story and main focal point of the film is the coal miners in a small town in West Virginia, and the proud families that support them whole-heartedly. The documentary depicts this topic in an emotional way in order to facilitate sympathy, interest and understanding between the audience and the people featured in the film. Like most human-interest pieces, “Born Into Coal” is presented as “the story behind the story” about the coal mining industry and how it remains so deeply embedded into small towns and the families that inhabit them across the United States.  

The story focuses on Coal queen pageant contestant Arianna Bailey, and her quest to acquire a crown that represents her family’s way of life, the “Miss West Virginia Coal Festival.” The other family featured centers around a former miner Goose Stewart who has been forced to live with the memories of a mine explosion that killed many of his companions and fellow miners.  Although these two families live miles apart in West Virginia, they share one common interest that binds them together: coal.

The creators of the film choose to use a variety of close up shots along with a mixture of straightforward interviews and voice over narration by the individuals featured in the documentary. By taking this approach an intimate portrayal of these families is created. The audience feels as though they are peering in on the lives of the West Virginian, coal mining advocates. One of the more interesting series of shots in the film, were the close up shots on the hands. Arianna Bailey and her father both have black fingernails. While the Arianna’s are manicured and used as a decorative form of self-expression, her dad’s will permanently remain black without reapplication, no matter how much soap and water he uses. This is the result of a life spent in the coal mines of West Virginia; a career path that is consistently chosen from generation to generation among the families in this small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. It’s a dirty and dangerous way of life, but nonetheless one that is accompanied by an enormous amount of pride and promotion. It is probably one of the few honest ways of making a living left in the corrupt world that exists today, and besides there are no other reliable, well paid jobs in these small town of West Virginia.  

Overall the documentary captures the charm and innocence of these families and what they stand for. In a mere 7 minutes the audience is able to transport themselves into the lives of these families and imagine what a life of a coal miners daughter, a coal miners wife, or a coal miner itself might be like. Through captivating close ups, unconventionally cropped shots, and a repetitive technique throughout the unveiling of each participant in the documentary, “Born Into Coal” is an impressive example of how powerful 7 minutes can be when each frame is utilized to the fullest. I hope in my upcoming attempts to create a short documentary that I can create a film as powerful as this one.

The Impact of Visual Rhetoric

“No Seconds” and “The Last Meal Project” are great examples of how to express feelings, capture moments in time, and present information through visual rhetoric. This creates an interactive, engaging presentation of information you could easily read in an article, but this artistic alternative allows the audience to gain a better understanding of the obscure concept behind the last meal before execution. It enables you to embody and relate to these unrelatable people and ask yourself what would your last meal be? I appreciate visual rhetoric and the ability it has to draw you in to a world you would not normally explore. Both of these projects do just that. Even though they are focused on a central topic and have some overlapping characters in their presentations, they both take a different approach in the illustration of such events. These small differences in the visual rhetoric they chose to implement makes for two very different projects.  

The captivating images in Henry Hargreaves‘ “No Seconds”, a series of 10 stark photographs that re-create the actual last suppers of condemned prisoners, brings the world of the prisoner on death row to life. In an interview with Wired Magazine, Hargreaves explained how he was prohibited from access to the prisons and that there was no imagery available of the real thing, so he created these faux documentary photos. His choices in plastic plates or cutlery as the backdrop for the food were chosen based on aesthetic value and their ability to evoke an overall mood through the composition of each image. More than likely the prisons did not present these final morsels in such a loving way with decorative utensils and platters, but Hargreaves uses of the varied backgrounds makes each photo more believable than the last.

Hargreaves said he began the project after reading about Texas’ efforts to end the tradition of offering condemned prisoners an elaborate final meal. This was due to a particular prisoner taking the tradition to the extreme by asking for an elaborate meal that he ended up not even eating.  The concept of offering some small amount of civility in such a brutal, inhumane scenario is what captured Hargreaves attention. By representing this information visually it creates a lasting impact on the viewer. Hargreaves himself cooked and plated the meals and then climbed a shaky ladder to photograph the captivating installation.

This same topic was also the inspiration for Jonathon Kambouris, in “The Last Supper Project,” where he visually documents the face and last meal of convicted killers in order to question how society is really served by the death penalty. Whereas Hargreaves took the approach of creating visually pleasing images to translate an interesting tradition about the national imprisonment system, Kambouris tries to evoke a more critical response from his viewers. By providing the picture of the actual prisoner with the food displayed as merely a caption beneath there enlarged mug shots, the audience is truly forced to look at the reality of the situation-that these were once living and breathing human beings. He also intertwines random facts about the prison system and the death penalty throughout the slideshow, which further asserts his position against the death penalty as a whole.

Both of these are examples of how visual rhetoric can determine the entire meaning behind a presentation. Two artists can chose the same subject but through their choices of how to display and depict these facts through imagery they can create two totally different moods. Hargreaves creates something that is visually stunning, while Kambouris tries to capture the absurdity behind the concept that death is an effective way to prevent future crime. However, both presentations make their viewers think. Think about what there last meal would be. Think about why so many inmates chose fried food or “comfort food.” Think about the implementation of death that has been practiced and supported by so many countries for centuries, and whether or not an individual should ever be presented with the choice of what there last meal will be.

Alexandra Hamilton

TED Talks Critique 

September 9, 2014

TED Talks

The art of communication, and the stifling influence of the school system on  creative expression, are two topics explored in the TED talks videos. “How Schools Kill Creativity,” by Ken Robinson TED talk-Robinsonand “The Art of wearable communication,” by Kate Hartman,TED talk-Harmon demonstrate how  one speech can be didactic and engaging, while another can be absolutely absurd and egregious. The determining factor is presentation. A dynamic approach to exerting your viewpoint and offering factual support is necessary for a speech to be effective.  Without a well organized layout with significant variation of delivery methods, a proposal can become quite fanciful. 

Going into further detail, the basic components for both of these speeches can be broken down and analyzed. Ultimately revealing the specific recipe for success and for failure. Ken Robinson and his thoughts on creativity is an example of a well rounded speech that is both informative and interactive. He began by finding a way to immediate relate to the audience through shared experience and beliefs. By using this tactic Mr. Robinson is able to build his credibility with the audience and draw their attention. He does this by mentioning the TED conference and using specific examples of situations they have all witnessed as a result of attending the conference. By tying in these shared factual experiences to the main points in his speech, the audience is more likely to view his theory as a fact. 

Another method Robinson uses is telling stories. Anecdotal evidence that brightens his core message by inputting illustrative examples embedded into his speech. Along with story telling, Robinson uses humor as a way to create a friendly, joyous mood, which encourages the  to be even more receptive to his ideas. Robinson also employs the power of rhetorical questions as a way to engage the audience and encourage them to think about the points he is making. Overall, Robinson delivered a very entertaining speech that provided a clear message, with ample amounts of support, without be boring or impersonal. His style makes you feel as though you are having a very intellectual conversation with him instead of being lectured about pointless facts. He is a likable person and takes advantage of his extroverted personality as a selling point for his theories. 

Hartman’s speech went in a different direction than Robinson’s. Because her concept was so far fetched she needed to create a well structured proposal to make the audience take her work seriously. Her main focus was on her own personal experiences and findings through the artistic exploration of communication. In ten minutes she bombards you with visuals of the “art” she has created, and explains the purpose of each piece and its’ form and function. The concept itself is so absurd that the audience only knows to respond with laughter. This is not laughter brought on intentionally by Hartman. Unlike Robinson’s, Hartman’s audience is laughing at her and not with her. Despite this reaction, she continues to present facts and feelings associated with each of her devices; truly believing that they might actual be usable gadgets for general public consumption. I admire her courage to share these creations with the world, and her adherence to the beliefs she has toward communication and its relation to the human experience. However, her proposal is impractical and lacks real world application. Therefore you as the audience you ask yourself what exactly is the point? If nothing else the ridiculous nature of it can be humorous and entertaining. 

In conclusion, although topics are important and should be feasible, if the presentation is done well then any speech can become something brilliant. You should prepare something that you yourself would like to hear about, and create a variating style that keeps the audience engaged and open-minded. 

Nude Photos Leaked

Alexandra Hamilton

Naked Celebrity Leaks Essay

September 4, 2014

Socially Acceptable?

In Scott Mendelson’s article entitled “Jennifer Lawrence Nude Photo Leak Isn’t A ‘Scandal.’ It’s A Sex Crime, he discusses the details surrounding this recent celebrity  overexposure and explores his own opinions on sexploitation in the media. It’s surprising that as a male he is able to truly see things from the victims perspective, and act as a voice for the women that fell victim to such despicable people. Mr. Mendelson does not stop there. He uses this article, which is supposed to mainly supply information,  as a platform to speak out on the real issue at hand here-the objectification of women in our society. He speaks so passionately about the invasion of privacy, infringement of basic human rights, and promotion of sexual abuse caused as a result of the hackers actions. He further emphasis the importance in disregarding the way the media has tried to spin the story, and instead to gain some compassion and empathy for these innocent women who have been so violated. 

The realization that our society tends to blame the victim and not the perpetrator in past stories of this nature is powerful. The author reminds the public to stop the dehumanization of these women, and presents a direct correlation between the exposure of female celebrities and all women in the United States. Sexual abuse is sexual abuse.  Feeling detached from this issue just because it has been done to people who are already in the spotlight is not morally correct. This story is just a small example of something that occurs everyday all day. As a society we are constantly bombarded with the concept that sex sells. So much that we have become desensitized to the aspect of humanity that is being threatened with each billboard that shows more of the female body than the actual product that is being advertised. 

   If women are observing images bombarded at them through mass communication as a demonstration of how they should behave, they will ultimately act in a manner that mirrors their environment. If men are consistently seeing women as objects that must be possessed, or prizes to be won, they will ultimately treat them as such. To combat sexism and objectification, society must reconstruct its patriarchal framework and veer towards more egalitarian standards. Although we can’t stop the media from consistently depicting the “ideal woman” in advertisements, magazines, and music videos. We can individually recognize the impact this has on our own self-acceptance and judgmental tendencies.  We need more people like Scott Mendelson to point out the detrimental impact of allowing the dehumanization of women to be the go to propaganda for all forms of mass media. Society decides what sells. So lets support something other then sex.

SEXUAL ASSAULT STATISTICS

           Sexual assault is very real and the media encourages its place in society with subliminal messages and with some more obvious messages that sexual assault is acceptable. Sexual Objectification is usually biased in terms of that the women is submissive to the man. This is often violent depicted in the media. Some might say that simply because a man sees sexual assault in the media does not mean that he will imitate that behavior. For those who believe that myth, here are some frightening statistics:

•  1 in 4 college women will be victims of sexual assault

•  51% of college males admit to “perpetrating one or more sexual assault incidents in college” 

• 98% of the perpetrators of sexual assault are male (“Creating a Climate of Respect…” 2). 

• 47% of men who had raped reported that they would engage in similar actions in the future (Jensen 2)

• 88% of men who had reported an assault that met the legal definition of rape “...were adamant that they had not raped..” (Jensen 2).

(From http://urtruebeauty.blogspot.com)

Hey my name is Alexandra Hamilton, Alex for short, and I am beginning my Junior year at UK. The song that best embodies my summer would be Tove Lo "Habits Remix".  This track is a glitchy, bass-heavy auditory treat that demands repeat listens. Even though the lyrics focus on "staying in my play pretend, where the fun ain't got no end," and reference having to stay high to keep this guy off her mind, the ballad is more than an ode to drug use and partying. It inspires a sense of graceful sadness that makes drinking and bingeing out on munchies sound much more glamorous than tragic. 
My summer has consisted of many fun nights, but ultimately I know that the world Tove Lo describes is a "play pretend", and that the constant desire for escapism is an unachievable feat. Instead I'll choose reality and live vicariously through the carefree words and attitude of this Swedish sensation.