Media Meditation #4: Why I hate 3D Movies

(Source:Televisionbroadcast.com)

If the phrase 3D is placed after the title of a movie, chances are there is just no way I even have the slightest desire to see the film. More and more films are being released that give the viewer the option to watch the film in 3D, instead of 2D. This means you pay extra to see a movie you hope will be awesome, wear glasses that give most people headaches and more then likely in the end be disappointed that the special effects didn't even remotely match the expectations you had going into the theatre. I admit that 3D special effects are in fact, "rad" and you can quote me on that, but it seems to me that Hollywood is just doing it to release films that would get barely any ticket sales if the phrase "3D" didn't follow the cliche title. Some examples would be "Piranha 3D," "Saw 3D" and 'Step Up 3D." Now this is my opinion, but those movies look horrible and "Piranha 3D" was just awful. The Saw films started out awesome, now it is just so overdone that if they don't advertise the movie in 3D, it will just not sell, the same goes for "Step up 3D," minus the fact I thought its predecessor was horrendous.

The point I am attempting to make is that Hollywood puts the publics hopes up that it will be so good in 3D and it never really is. There are in fact a few exceptions in my opinion, yet they are rare. If a film falls into my exceptions it means that they would be perfectly enjoyable to watch without the "3D" aspect.


(Source:Celluloide Junkie)


So basically the 3D in the movie theatre is just the entire film being played so that it all pops out at you, not literally like things flying at you the whole time, but more like everything going on in the scene is being projected off of the screen a bit. To me, a "3D Experience" should include me wanting to take my hands and attempt to touch images that feel like they are being projected directly in front of me. I feel like my idea of "real 3D" happens in the opening of a film where the title and names of companies behind the film are stated. Sometimes in these scenes abjects will feel like they are flying at you, and that is rad, but besides that, there isn't too much of awesome 3D during the film itself.

The best "3D Experience" I have been part of would have to have been at the IMAX when I saw "Space Station 3D." I felt like I was actually in space and it amazing. Besides that I enjoyed "Avatar" in 3D and I also that that "Coraline" in 3D was rad as well. Besides that, I haven;t really been too impressed. I saw "Jackass 3D" when it came out a few weeks ago and I enjoyed it too it's full extent, but I actually wasn't impressed with the 3D at all, but that wasn't the reason I went to go see it, I just think Jackass is funny as is, they didn't need the 3D to sell me.

I think that nobody on this earth should ever place high hopes in a movie with the phrase "3D" at the end of it. It will always be a bad idea and you will most likely regret it unless your like the majority of people in our society lately that just want to go watch things blow up and look cool instead of getting something out of the film. I hate movies like that so much and I also hate Hollywood for coming out with them constantly.


(Source:3D.movies.au)


Despite the fact that movies in 3D have been blowing up, movies in 2D or as I like to put it, "Correct Movies" are still by far favorites. I saw "The Social Network" this past weekend and it was phenomenal, many others can say the same thing. I believe that this 3D thing is just a fad and a way to manipulate the public into spending money by making cheap and awful movies (with a plot a fifteen year old who has watched an action movie could of come up with) by making them look action packed and mindless. We have developed such a sophisticated culture.

-Mike

Media Meditation #3- The Amazon Kindle: Spawn of Lucifer

(Souce:Wired.com)

Revolting and shameful, those are the two words I would have to use if someone asked me to describe the reading device known as "The Kindle". For those of you that live under a rock (or hopefully, in a real book), the Kindle is a wireless reading device created by the online shopping universe known as Amazon.com. This device allows the owner to access over 725,000 e-books, along with access to magazines, newspapers and blogs, and most of the titles are $9.99 or less. The owner can download these e books in less then 60 seconds and depending which Kindle you have, you can either download off of wifi or 3g. The kindle itself is less than 1/3 inch thick and weighs less then a paperback. The reader reads directly off of the device and the battery life lasts a month on one charge. All of what I just said can be found here on the Amazon page for the item that will destroy the world as we know it. This is what the end of the world looks like:



(Source:Amazon.com)

Okay, so now that the facts are thrown out there, here comes my opinion. As a writer and a reader (and a person with some morals), I think the Kindle is the worst thing that has ever happened to the written word. It just plain out isn't right. Sure, I can agree that it's pretty rad if you think about it, but it just is not the same as reading an actual book. You can call me crazy, but I think words should be held in their entirety and placed in a respective spot in your home, instead of being stored in a tiny chip on a piece of fake portable paper along with thousands of other works. You don't actually even physically own it if you think about it. You can't spill coffee on it or attack it with a highlighter or even hide stuff in the pages. It;s just another piece of technology that is unnecessary. The kindle is a status symbol, something a person can use to appear modern and sophisticated instead of normal and wholesome. When I pick up a book, I hold a certain adventure or story or idea or knowledge in the palm of my hand. When I pick up a kindle, I hold multiple outlets of story telling and I lose the certain feeling of respect for the words written because I am overwhelmed by so much. Books are written to be appreciated for the individual message that hides in the pages, books aren't made to just be collected and stored on a chip. They aren't tangible and their existence is futile.

Being a writing major, I have come to the initial conclusion that when I do end up publishing a novel or a piece of literature someday, I will refuse to allow my work to be downloadable in sixty seconds and stored on a piece of technology, especially one with a name like the "Kindle." I want to be a writer because I want to get my thoughts and ideas out to the world. I want to be remembered, even if that means someone comes across a book I wrote in a random attic fifty years after I die. With writing, my name can live forever and so can the stories and perspectives on life that I document in my work. If I am on a bloody Kindle, where do I go when the thing breaks? Wait, don't answer me I remember now, THE TRASH. I shouldn't speak so soon, I most likely will be recycled because the majority of people who own this disastrous device are probably the trendy green people who hang out at Starbucks to look intelligent and hip. Nevertheless, my name will be erased from your memory and so will my thoughts. That upsets me highly.


(Source:ChicagoNow.com

A certain feeling overcomes a person when they physically hold a book, they create memories. The Kindle is just a way to ruin that feeling. So do what the name of the device actually means, use it to start a fire, I mean, it's full of books so it should burn easily, right?

-Mike

Magazine Presentation- The Ultimate Snowboard Mag

(Source: Google)

Thesis

Transworld Snowboarding is a worldwide multimedia outlet that brings it's readers the best information on the planet about what is going on in the world of snowboarding, along with publishing some of the most amazing pictures of snowboarders shredding pow from around the world.

Five Facts

-Amazing photography

-Information and reviews on the best snowboard gear available.

-News and reports about the progressing snowboard world as a whole.

-Articles about the lives and experiences from snowboarding's best professionals.

-Information on world snowboarding events.


Tirune Brain

Transworld Snow is heavy on the use of the limbic brain because of the visual advertisements and the photos of snowboarders doing what they do best, shred.

Transworld also uses the neocortex because of the reading involved as well as thinking deeply about the issues represented in the magazine as a whole.



(Source:Transworldsnowboading.com)



8 Trends

Epistemological shift- Word to image, there are alot of ads and photos, very very eye catching.
.

7 Principles

Emotional transfer- Makes the reader want to get up and snowboard and buy the same gear that is advertised throughout the magazine.

Value messages- The intention is to make the reader want to go out and ride and get the raddest of gear that the pro's are wearing and using.

Individual meaning- It makes the reader ask themselves, "What does snowboarding mean to me?"

Persuasive Techniques

Symbols- Lots of company logos all over the magazine.

Bandwagon- Persuades the reader and brings to the readers attention that a lot of people snowboard and take the sport seriously.

Simple solutions- the advertisements and pictures promote that rocking the same gear as the pros will make you shred and ride better then ever.

Humor- Funny quotes and images from professional riders line the pages of Transworld Snowboarding.




(Source: Get Real, Transworld Snow 2009)

Mid-Semester Reflection-What it means to be in Rob Williams pupil

1. After studying 21st century media for the last eight weeks, I have learned how to properly blog and I have also learned about how quickly the internet is taking the place of almost every other media outlet.

2. The most important thing i have learned about myself as a critical reader, writer and a thinker in this class so far is that I can now see behind forms of media in my everyday life and understand and contemplate there existences. I find myself often thinking about the future of the media and where it will all go from here.

3. One thing I would do differently if I were able to take this class again would be to study the power tools more and get a better grip on them;.

4. One thing i would want you to do differently if I were to take this class again would be nothing course related, I just wouldn't mind seeing Diki again. It has been a great class and I wouldn't want anything to change. Since I am a transfer, I have dealt with some horrible professors and you do not fall anywhere into that category, you are a great teacher.

5.

A. Power tools-The power tools help me to better understand aspects of the media and I truly think they are very useful. I find myself applying them to media I encounter outside of the classroom.

B.The course blog is a great way to bring the class together, unlike angel, it is more social and media oriented, fantastic idea.

C.The fact that we have to have a personal blog is such a great idea, it lets me be creative and talk about things that interest me. Being a writer, this is a wonderful skill to gain.

D.The in-class quizzes are a great way to make my mind work right at the beginning of the class, They help me stay focused on the topic at hand, the media.

E. The films we view in class are educational and insightful as they are interesting to watch. They teach important concepts about the world and the media. I really enjoyed Reel Bad Arabs because it made me think deeply about the American culture as a whole and what we are doing with ourselves.

F. The text book is actually one of the better text books I have ever owned. After the reading each week, I learn a lot about the medias past and the potential future for different aspects of the media. The book has interesting pictures and is very well written. I enjoy it very much.

Camp Champ Radio Spot-The Empire has Fallen

• Are you trying to decide what school you want to go to?
• Come to Champlain College in Burlington, VT!
• Are you asking yourself why?
• Well because at Champlain College we let ourselves dare!
• Not to mention that Champlain is the best and everyone else is doing it!
• Only beautiful people like you are invited to come to school here!
• Champlain is the best!
• Burlington is voted the number one college town in the USA!
• Champlain is the best!
• It is proven that people who go to school here do well after college!
• Champlain is the best!
• Do you want to be stuck paying off dumb student loans for the rest of your life?
• (Pause)
• I didn’t think so, that’s why Champlain offers financial aid to everyone!
• Champlain is the best!
• Instead of working hard like they do at big schools we just have tons of fun!
• Champlain is the best!
• You have lots of choices here too…
• You can live on campus, or off campus!
• And there are even vegan options available in our dinning hall!
• Champlain is the best!
• The dining hall has amazing food!
• That will help you lose weight when you get here!
• Champlain is the best!
• Why not UVM you say?
• (Pause)
• UVM may be cheaper, have more options, and people, but do there teachers know your name, your youtube, your blogger, your twitter?
• NOOOOO!
• Champlain is the best!
• Diamonds are forever andddd so is Champlain College!!!

Audeamous…let us dare to be….

THE EMPIRE!!!

Oh and you will get a free beanie if you come here, get to play with puppies, and you could win the lottery…. no guarantees are made, all products are subject to change, price and participation may vary.