Is Media Burning People for their Stupidity?

So I just read this ridiculous article about aNew Jersey woman who pleaded guilty to putting her 5 year old daughter in a tanning bed. She was charged with second-degree child endangerment, because after all the kid had “serious burns.” The woman obviously denies the “crime” even though her daughter told authorities that she was put in a tanning bed, and the mother is cross between an oompah-loompah and a leather couch. She claims to be a “wonderful mother.” Regardless, the issue is just straight up absurd and I’m not really sure who to believe. A few comments on the issue are that media is getting too involved in other people’s lives. However, that’s media job in a sense. People love hearing/reading about crazy people or people doing stupid things. One, it’s amusing, and two, it raises awareness and makes the audience feel more superior. I honestly am not sure whether I find the situation ridiculously hilarious, yet still sad because that poor child is burned, or if I find it repulsive that people are interested in it. I guess that is my fault when it comes to media. Reporters always find a way to make you say wow and question your feelings about something. Here, I can just say that, the situation is funny because it is so unexpected and out there, but at the same time, it is not news worthy (but it is blog worthy haha). Maybe it just serves the purpose to send a message to people. Don’t do stupid crap like this or else the media will make you look like a huge fool.

Social Media and Your Business

So, I’m pretty into these chart graphics not only because I think they’re good design but the statistics they provide are rather mind-bottling. As my last post mentioned, branding and advertising is important in a business. Here the chart shows how social media affects business communication (advertising). Due to different social media companies have a broader range of methods with communicating to the public.

First the chart shows why businesses use and rely on social media. (It’s immediate or fast, many people can see it, it’s very easy, in many cases, it is free, businesses receive feedback from costumers, and it expands the brand’s name).

Then the chart focuses on the success of businesses via social media. The dates go back to 2007-2009. I can only image what the numbers would be in 2010-2012.

The following part asks how important social media is for the business. Charts for 2007 have a lower number of importance, where it was only moderately important. in 2008 and 2009 the numbers show that it was very important. Today the percentage of social media being very important are probably very high.

The rest of the chart goes on to say that social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have increased in viewers and could increase the number of costumers for businesses.

All in all, I think this chart is a good example of the use of social media within a company and how using the internet can be a good thing when promoting a business. Many people get to see the company name and product/work and will be able to communicate back to the company and or share with others, therefore rising the interest in that business. In the years the come, I can only see business getting better from the side of having their name put out in the public eye and use it for better advertisement.

Branding and Advertising

The logo options I have been considering towards creating a brand for my aunt's store/boutique Stella's

In my graphic design class I have been working on a project that consist of a state and an ad promoting an event or activity within that state poster. Outside of my class I have been creating a logo and brand for my aunt’s new store. In doing those things I’ve started thinking about just how important branding and advertising is for a business. Obviously without it, there would be no business. Advertising using different media forms is the best way of helping a business grow. It is not just about giving a name to the business but it is about building an actual image for people/customers to take an interest in. As a designer for instance, I tend to stray away from stores or restaurants that are not visually appealing. That first impression on the viewer is the most important because after all, who is going to take the time to warm up to a business? You need to have it thrown in your face and it needs to be something that is memorable. In saying that, I’ve been trying to keep that idea in mind while working on my projects. It is first and foremost the most important thing when advertising, is to keep the client AND the viewers in mind. Think of what will grab the attention of the type of customers you want for your company. Also with that, it’s important to keep the company image timeless or continue to update and appeal to what people want to see at the given time.

New Energy-Efficient Light Bulb

In honor of Earth day, I read an article from the Los Angelos Times website Earth Day: Would You buy a $60 energy-efficient light bulb? that explains a new product by Philips that is a LED light bulb that consumes less than 10 watts to produce light that’s generally equivalent to an regular 60 watt light bulb. Because of this, the bulb would be saving approximately 83% of energy. That’s a rather large number I think! Also the major plus about this new bulb is that it can reportedly last the common household up to 10 years, therefore saving money from buying many light bulbs over the course of time when others go out.

Going back to that energy number, if every household in the U.S. used this new light bulb over 60 watt light bulbs, the U.S. could prevent up to 20 million metric tons of carbon emissions! That’s huge! “That’s enough electricity to power the lights of nearly 18 million U.S. households, or nearly triple the annual electricity consumption of the city of Washington D.C.,”a company fact sheet says. After all, it is Earth Day, why not go out and buy at least one new energy efficient light bulb? Well, it isn’t sold in stores yet, but they will be soon. Also, I’ve failed to mention the hearty price tag of $60 per bulb. However, that seems steep for light, it saves over $100 over the course of 10 years in changing light bulbs. Then too, there will be other produces or ways of purchasing the bulb that will be cheaper than $60. I say having at least 1 or 2 of those bulbs is worth it. Buy a new bulb over time; maybe one every Earth Day? That to me sounds like a good investment and a perfect way of celebrating and helping out on Earth Day.

Is this Hacker Story Hilarious?

Newswer.com, a news headline website, posted an article entitled “Scar Jo Hacker Pleads Guilty” reveals that the man who hacked into Scarletr Johansson’s email pleads guilty. He hacked her email and released nude photos of her to tabloid sites. He also hacked into Christina Aguilera’s email and Mila Kunis’ email. Yes, of course what he did was wrong and he should be punished for it, but are the responses worth complete mockery?

On each Newser article, statistics show voters opinions about what the public thinks (if the issue is hilarious, depressing, scary, intriguing, brilliant, or annoying). Voters show that 38%, being the majority, thinks this issue is hilarious. Then comes the bigger issue of what is media coverage like this doing for viewers? Many people think that the lives of celebrities are solely for entertainment, even if it is embarrassing for the celebrity (which typically gets more interest). Then again it depends on the celebrity. Scarlett Johansson has that sexual image and it’s almost expected that nude pictures be released but the fact that it happened due to being hacked is really not fair. Also keep in mind that I am not a fan of Scarlett Jo as an actress or person, but she has rights as a human being. I personally don’t find being hacked on a personal level hilarious.

Connection to film (needs to be edited)

In Nicholas Carr’s book The Shallows focuses on how the Internet affects the human brain and it’s ability to retain information or stay focused on something. He discusses his problems that have developed over the past few years from the Internet. The main problem he has is reading. He mentions how distracted he gets when trying to read and does not have the attention span to get through an entire book. In applying this affect to film in some ways there are similarities. Many people are not interested in older films; they lack something that keeps the audience interested. A clip from the movie “The River,” an older Indian film, shows an Indian woman dancing to what sounds like a traditional music played from Indian men. She is dressed in tradition Indian clothing and dances in a way this is different to what many people have seen, but the film quality is lacking. It looses the audience’s attention a little easier than say a more recent film. Compared to the newer movie “Slumdog Millionaire,” it lacks a story. A clip from “Slumdog Millionaire” depicts two young boys on a train without a ticket trying to survive. The scene has background music that grabs the audience’s attention and tells a story. It has different views and little tidbits that keep the viewer more at a place of interest. If someone were watching the clip from “The River” they could look away and not miss much, but if they miss some of the other clip, they wouldn’t get the full story.

Like books or any written piece today, there is a lot of information to cover and in order for our brains to comprehend it all, we have to get it all in by reading it. In Carr’s book, it points out how reading is very difficult because he has been exposed to a newer form of receiving information. Unlike the movie however, the Internet allows someone to skim over things and maybe get the gist of what is going through pictures. It is easier for the human brain to digest information when it is delivered in a newer and easier way. The newer movie has dynamic scenes and is easier to comprehend as opposed to the older film.

M.I.A., Her Little Birdy, and the Consequences

Although I did not watch the Super Bowl (Yes, I know I’m a horrible human being – who cares?) I did get the news of M.I.A.’s apparently obscene gesture during her performance. There are many speculations about whether or not she should be punished for her flick ing the bird. An E! News article also questions the act of punishment, stating that at most she probably will not get her after show installment (her 2nd paycheck for her performance). Many people were offended by M.I.A.’s middle finger slip and yes, it is rude and most importantly against the rules of her contract, but honestly, people need to calm down. The slip was hardly even noticeable. Plus, even though the performance was live and there ‘s a clear agreement that does not permit obscenity, it does not mean it’s worth a big fuss. There are worse things on daytime television.

Yes, she probably shouldn’t have done it to begin with, but the issue isn’t worth legal punishment. Go ahead, take away her money, it won’t take away the past or the tons of videos already posted online. Like the article says, “…if worse comes to worst, she can always sell that exotic head dress on ebay.” Regardless of the money M.I.A. might stand to lose from this whole thing, it will not really make a difference. Live T.V. is LIVE, anything can happen. She clearly knew her consequences but I can too relate in thinking it’s really not a big deal. She didn’t direct it at anyone specific, simply to the words of her song.

Well I’m sure many people can’t wait till next Super Bowl mishap.

In case you missed it.

Jack Cardiff: The Man Behind the Man Behind the Camera

Last week in my Color Design class we watched the documentary Cameraman, a movie that goes inside the works of a cinematographer, Jack Cardiff. He was the first director of photography in the history of Academy Awards to receive an Honorary Oscar in 2001. The documentary zooms in on Jack’s becoming of age and the development of color films using the effects of Technicolor. Jack was a specialist in Technicolor and was considered the only person to truly understand how it works and how to use it to its advantage. The film breaks down his work on the many classic films like “Matter of Life and Death,” “Black Narcissus,” “The Red Shoes,” “Rambo: First Blood Part II,” and many many more.

Jack Cardiff greatly influenced the film industry and was hugely wanted for his skill. He was not just a cinematographer, but was a consummate painter, photographer and photo “collector.” In everything he did, he did it with greatness and as the documentary claims, he was the fastest and the best.

This movie greatly opened my eyes to the art of filmmaking and the art of color. It is to Jack that we, the audience, owe about 90% of the history of cinema to. Literally; pretty much all films made today are done in color. Because of Jack the art of color films flourished and people knew the potential of using color.

Jack lived to be 94 (died in 2009), dedicating 89 of those years to his work in films, and lived to make a name for himself. His work significantly influenced filmmaking in the 21^st century and his work lives on to this day and shows the growth of cinema.

Films are a huge part of the entertainment industry today that has actually lost much of its authenticity and ability to be a true form of art. Computers override the need for people like Jack. In many cases he manually had to invent ways to make a scene work visually; today the computer takes care of all of that. In one specific case cited in Cameraman was that the director of a film wanted a scene to start off blank and fade into the scene as if it was fog, but they did not yet have filters or program effects to do that. So, Jack himself came up with breathing on the lens of the camera to generate this effect. Yes, computers can do that today but it all started with man himself. Filmmaking was literally an art and much of that art is dedicated to Jack Cardiff.