Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Is "the machine using us"?
Michael Wesch's video production makes the claim that writing is a technology and tech informs, limits and changes the way we write, think, make relations, fall in love and thrive as human beings. I find this to be true because with all of the styles of communication and all the possible sites to visit on the internet now, there are endless ways in which people can interact. There is less privacy when you open yourself up to all of these ways of technology and your life becomes more public. Writing can be very powerful. If something is written eloquently and is relatable, it can be very memorable. The technologies that we use make this writing even more powerful as it puts it out into the world and makes it available for more people to read. I think in a way it is true that "the machine is using us," because these technologies are now effecting the daily routine of everyone using them and are changing the way we see ourselves and others. Without technologies such as the internet, cell phones and such, the world would be completely different and would definitely have a feeling of isolation when compared to how we live now.
Monday, September 26, 2011
True Confessions
In Trimble's chapter 6, "Diction," he stresses the importance of word choice by describing three qualities of successful writing: conciseness, vigorous verbs, and freshness. In this chapter, I often found pieces of advice helpful and relatable to my own writing. By adhering to the concepts of "Less is more," (49) and "X does Y," (50) and using imagery, my writing could improve dramatically.
Trimble claims, "Most of us write as if we're getting paid a dime a word," (48) but, "A skilled writer writes as if she were paid a dime for each word she deletes," (49.) I know that I'm guilty of writing, just as the majority of people, to fill space and have a convincing amount of work. The amount of words doesn't have a direct connection to the effectiveness. I know that my work could always use more revision and so I will focus more effort on this. By doing so, every word I choose will have more efficiency and keep the reader interested. The second quality that Trimble communicates is "Vigorous Verbs" (50) which compares active and passive verbs. Trimble claims that in standard English sentences, active, "X does Y," (50) which means that the grammatical subject is also performing the action as opposed to passive when the grammatical subject does not perform an action. This is very familiar to my writing as I always write with active verbs, moving forward and not passive verbs which move backward and distract the reader. This keeps my writing simple and direct. Lastly, Trimble introduces the idea of "Freshness" (53) which is what my writing could use the most improvement on. This keeps the reader in a state of surprise by using imagery and adjectives. It makes the writing interesting and the reader can see exactly what the writer is trying to convey. I need to describe my thoughts better by using imagination, similes, and metaphors. When I can learn to incorporate those smoothly into my writing, it will captivate the reader and neither I nor the reader will find the ideas dry or incomplete. If I can effectively incorporate conciseness, verbs, and freshness into my everyday writing, I will be an accomplished writer.
Trimble claims, "Most of us write as if we're getting paid a dime a word," (48) but, "A skilled writer writes as if she were paid a dime for each word she deletes," (49.) I know that I'm guilty of writing, just as the majority of people, to fill space and have a convincing amount of work. The amount of words doesn't have a direct connection to the effectiveness. I know that my work could always use more revision and so I will focus more effort on this. By doing so, every word I choose will have more efficiency and keep the reader interested. The second quality that Trimble communicates is "Vigorous Verbs" (50) which compares active and passive verbs. Trimble claims that in standard English sentences, active, "X does Y," (50) which means that the grammatical subject is also performing the action as opposed to passive when the grammatical subject does not perform an action. This is very familiar to my writing as I always write with active verbs, moving forward and not passive verbs which move backward and distract the reader. This keeps my writing simple and direct. Lastly, Trimble introduces the idea of "Freshness" (53) which is what my writing could use the most improvement on. This keeps the reader in a state of surprise by using imagery and adjectives. It makes the writing interesting and the reader can see exactly what the writer is trying to convey. I need to describe my thoughts better by using imagination, similes, and metaphors. When I can learn to incorporate those smoothly into my writing, it will captivate the reader and neither I nor the reader will find the ideas dry or incomplete. If I can effectively incorporate conciseness, verbs, and freshness into my everyday writing, I will be an accomplished writer.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sony Commercial Analysis
This Sony Bravia commercial is my favorite commercial of all time. When assigned to pick a commercial to share on our blogs, I thought of this one immediately because it is the one commercial that has impressed me enough to actually remember. I know this commercial also catches the attention of others because I was introduced to it by my friend, Dylan, when we were sharing our favorite videos. Obviously, the most astounding aspect of this video is that sony used 250,000 bouncy balls to bombard the streets of San Francisco. The bouncy balls were all different colors and San Francisco streets were perfect to use because they're the hilliest streets in the country. Also, the city provides an interesting look for the back drop so, the image was breathtaking.
The purpose of this commercial was to promote the Sony Bravia television with its clear, LCD screen. The colorful bouncy balls represent all the different colors on a television. It was also a clever way of promoting the television because personally, it made me feel like a kid again. Sending 250,000 bouncy balls down a huge hill, in the middle of a city, would be any kids dream. I know that just watching the commercial gave me a sense of playfulness and excitement, as it probably did many other viewers. The time, money and effort put into making this commercial must've been immense considering Sony had to purchase every singe ball, load them into a huge dumpster sized container, and pour that down the hill with a fork lift. They also only had one chance to film it because reloading the balls and sending them down the street again would've been too time consuming and much more expensive. With that said, the camera angles and timing of shots had to be perfect. Not only can all of that effort be admired but also the song chosen for the background was perfect because it set the mood of the commercial. The song, "Heartbeats," by Jose Gonzalez, being soft and acoustic gave the commercial a beauty that it wouldn't have accomplished if given a more upbeat, fast paced song. Sony finishes off the commercial with their motto "Colour like no other," further expressing their goal to advertise the impressive color on the Sony Bravia televisons which they most definitely succeeded in doing. This commercial is one that is hard to forget.
The purpose of this commercial was to promote the Sony Bravia television with its clear, LCD screen. The colorful bouncy balls represent all the different colors on a television. It was also a clever way of promoting the television because personally, it made me feel like a kid again. Sending 250,000 bouncy balls down a huge hill, in the middle of a city, would be any kids dream. I know that just watching the commercial gave me a sense of playfulness and excitement, as it probably did many other viewers. The time, money and effort put into making this commercial must've been immense considering Sony had to purchase every singe ball, load them into a huge dumpster sized container, and pour that down the hill with a fork lift. They also only had one chance to film it because reloading the balls and sending them down the street again would've been too time consuming and much more expensive. With that said, the camera angles and timing of shots had to be perfect. Not only can all of that effort be admired but also the song chosen for the background was perfect because it set the mood of the commercial. The song, "Heartbeats," by Jose Gonzalez, being soft and acoustic gave the commercial a beauty that it wouldn't have accomplished if given a more upbeat, fast paced song. Sony finishes off the commercial with their motto "Colour like no other," further expressing their goal to advertise the impressive color on the Sony Bravia televisons which they most definitely succeeded in doing. This commercial is one that is hard to forget.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sony Bravia Bouncy Ball Commercial
Sony actually dropped 250,000 bouncy balls down the streets of San Francisco for this commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DrFY3H-u8w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DrFY3H-u8w
Rough Draft on Heineken Commercial
This Heineken commercial is taking a major risk with the gender segregation they have created. The commercial is obviously targeting men, indicating they are the ones that are going to drink the beer. The men are introduced to the walk-in fridge while the women are expected to be entertained by a walk-in closet full of shoes. In this way it seems that Heineken is primarily trying to promote its beer to men and not women which is hardly logical considering drinks are a non-gender specific item. Both sexes can enjoy beer and it just depends on a certain person's taste whether they prefer one drink over another.
Heineken however, does not seem to be concerned with this detail of their commercial. They must figure that women will not be offended by the assumption the beer company makes and that men will be extremely entertained by it. Although the commercial does focus on women for the greater part of the commercial, as they are lead on a tour through the house to the walk-in closet, the main idea is still that men will be interested most in their product. The most memorable part of this commercial doesn't involve women at all and actually serves to dismiss them by claiming that the men have something much greater to be excited by. It makes the women seem easily excited by things that are not very important, according to the commercials standards, and then turns to the men which are lavished by the advertised product. This commercial can either be found comical or sexist depending upon the person that is viewing it.
Heineken however, does not seem to be concerned with this detail of their commercial. They must figure that women will not be offended by the assumption the beer company makes and that men will be extremely entertained by it. Although the commercial does focus on women for the greater part of the commercial, as they are lead on a tour through the house to the walk-in closet, the main idea is still that men will be interested most in their product. The most memorable part of this commercial doesn't involve women at all and actually serves to dismiss them by claiming that the men have something much greater to be excited by. It makes the women seem easily excited by things that are not very important, according to the commercials standards, and then turns to the men which are lavished by the advertised product. This commercial can either be found comical or sexist depending upon the person that is viewing it.
12 Heineken Commercial Questions
- How many beers are in the fridge?
- Why were they taking a tour?
- What were they taking a tour of?
- Was this commercial appealing to both men and women?
- Why weren't there any women introduced to the walk-in fridge?
- How is a closet refrigerated?
- Does this commercial promote gender bias?
- On which networks was this commercial primarily shown?
- Would the majority of people watching this commercial be men?
- Were women offended by the apparent targeting of men with this commercial?
- How is the fridge fully stocked?
- Did this commercial make more people interested in buying Heineken?
- Why were they taking a tour?
- What were they taking a tour of?
- Was this commercial appealing to both men and women?
- Why weren't there any women introduced to the walk-in fridge?
- How is a closet refrigerated?
- Does this commercial promote gender bias?
- On which networks was this commercial primarily shown?
- Would the majority of people watching this commercial be men?
- Were women offended by the apparent targeting of men with this commercial?
- How is the fridge fully stocked?
- Did this commercial make more people interested in buying Heineken?
12 AT&T Commercial Questions
- Why were they in the city alone?
- What city were they in?
- What were they doing with the bread crumbs?
- Where's their cottage?
- How do they have a phone?
- How long were they in the city for?
- How old are they?
- Where are they from?
- Did the GPS in the phone successfully lead them back to their cottage?
- What did the bread crumbs represent?
- Have the children used this phone before?
- Did AT&T sales increase after this commercial/ did it benefit the company?
- What city were they in?
- What were they doing with the bread crumbs?
- Where's their cottage?
- How do they have a phone?
- How long were they in the city for?
- How old are they?
- Where are they from?
- Did the GPS in the phone successfully lead them back to their cottage?
- What did the bread crumbs represent?
- Have the children used this phone before?
- Did AT&T sales increase after this commercial/ did it benefit the company?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
AT&T Hansel and Gretel
In this AT&T commercial, it is evident that the phone company is trying to gain customers by depicting that all cultures and ages are capable of using their services. With the use of the two fictional characters, Hansel and Gretel, it's trying to persuade the audience that AT&T is reliable for all cultures and types of people. Fairytales are a commonality that most cultures hold and in this way, a wide audience can get engaged and appreciate the reference that is being made.
As Hansel and Gretel were created ages ago, it is apparent that they are not fit to be walking around in a modern urban area. They are roaming the streets of the city in their outdated clothing, slowly dropping the contents of a basket full of bread crumbs, which makes them stand out like a sore thumb. In the original telling of the fairytale, the bread crumbs are a trail that they leave behind them so that they can trace it back to find their way home. AT&T however, changes this fairytale. When night turns to day and they finally run out of bread to track their travels, the audience is led to believe that they are stranded but Hansel and Gretel shock everyone when they pull out their AT&T phone with a built in GPS which uploads the route back to their cottage within seconds. In this moment, the commercial is indicating that the AT&T services are easily used because ancient fairytale children are capable of managing them and it implies that if you don't have modern technology such as this, you are the very slim minority.
As Hansel and Gretel were created ages ago, it is apparent that they are not fit to be walking around in a modern urban area. They are roaming the streets of the city in their outdated clothing, slowly dropping the contents of a basket full of bread crumbs, which makes them stand out like a sore thumb. In the original telling of the fairytale, the bread crumbs are a trail that they leave behind them so that they can trace it back to find their way home. AT&T however, changes this fairytale. When night turns to day and they finally run out of bread to track their travels, the audience is led to believe that they are stranded but Hansel and Gretel shock everyone when they pull out their AT&T phone with a built in GPS which uploads the route back to their cottage within seconds. In this moment, the commercial is indicating that the AT&T services are easily used because ancient fairytale children are capable of managing them and it implies that if you don't have modern technology such as this, you are the very slim minority.
Extraordinary Pantene Commercial
In the "Extraordinary Pantene Commercial" Pantene advertises its shampoo products in a very discreet way. Instead of directly promoting the product throughout the segment, Pantene chooses to create the uplifting story of a young, deaf girl who is oppressed by her peers that consistently discourage her dream to perform as a musician. The climax of the commercial is when the butterfly hatches out of the cocoon and the girl is on stage giving the performance of her life with her hair violently thrashing around her head. This entirely captivates the audience while sending hidden messages about the brand whose name and motto are displayed directly at the end.
The butterfly hatching has meaning for both the man and the young girl. A butterfly is originally a caterpillar but when it hatches from the cocoon, it is a new creation which is not only admired in our society for its beauty, but is also gifted with the skill of being able to fly. The girl had been verbally and emotionally abused by other children growing up, as she was deaf, and they told her that she had no hope in becoming a musician. When she had met the street performer she was just a caterpillar. After constantly practicing with this man and dismissing the self doubt that she had acquired through the harsh criticisms of others, the girl performed and made her own transformation into a beautiful, talented butterfly. It's a pivotal point in the commercial where she is finally comfortable and confident in her abilities. She no longer feels like the inadequate deaf girl that she has always been portrayed as and can finally break out of that image with a feeling of self pride. Finally, after all of this has occurred, Pantene's motto, "You can shine," is displayed across the screen, telling the audience that Pantene supports the underdogs and they too can achieve their dreams.
The butterfly hatching has meaning for both the man and the young girl. A butterfly is originally a caterpillar but when it hatches from the cocoon, it is a new creation which is not only admired in our society for its beauty, but is also gifted with the skill of being able to fly. The girl had been verbally and emotionally abused by other children growing up, as she was deaf, and they told her that she had no hope in becoming a musician. When she had met the street performer she was just a caterpillar. After constantly practicing with this man and dismissing the self doubt that she had acquired through the harsh criticisms of others, the girl performed and made her own transformation into a beautiful, talented butterfly. It's a pivotal point in the commercial where she is finally comfortable and confident in her abilities. She no longer feels like the inadequate deaf girl that she has always been portrayed as and can finally break out of that image with a feeling of self pride. Finally, after all of this has occurred, Pantene's motto, "You can shine," is displayed across the screen, telling the audience that Pantene supports the underdogs and they too can achieve their dreams.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
First Post
Here I am at Hofstra and I am blogging. I've been interested in blogging for a while now but I always felt that it was a bit pretentious. Maybe it's just because my idea of blogs comes from seeing many peoples' Tumblr accounts. From what I have observed, that blogging website must have been created to promote drama and an ever growing population of self absorbed teenagers across the globe. That is why it's refreshing to find a completely new blogging website. The merit and credibility of which has not yet been tarnished in my mind, as other blogging websites have been. I will admit, writing online makes me feel a bit uneasy, just because I'm completely unaware of who might be reading this right now. If I were having this conversation with someone in person I wouldn't feel as if I'm talking to myself and I would be able to see his reaction. Whereas someone could read this, completely despise what I have to say and I'd never know. Maybe that's the beauty of blogs. You don't have to see the negative reactions and harsh criticisms of other people if you do not wish to. Just within this first post I am discovering new feelings about online writing and I can not wait to see where it takes me in the blogging yet to come.
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