9/11

While we watched the September 11^th clip in class today, I was immediately taken back to that day. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I remember my reaction and the reaction of others. I remember going home from school that afternoon and my dad telling me to remember this day because it was history in the making. He told me “this is something you will look back on and think about for the rest of your life.” He compared it to the JFK assassination. He could recall exactly where he stood and what he was doing. It hardly seems like it was 6 years ago. I was in my math class before school started when hell on earth took place. There was a heavy sinking in the heart of all the kids with parents in New York or who worked in the airplane industry, while the rest of us looked on with horror. The media stood by though it all, never leaving, never giving the nation a feeling of being alone. The media connected Americans that day. It was raw and horrifying but it made a difference. People who can see that difference and want to contribute to it, are the ones who can make it in this industry.

Protest Posters

After doing my protest poster, I realized how important visual images can be to the voice of a cause. Whether its selling sweaters like Bennetton or stopping a war…. The images that the audience sees can make a huge difference.  It helps people retain the information that the creators are trying to sell and it leaves a lasting imprint in the viewers mind. I am really looking forward to viewing the posters tomorrow in class and seeing how other people put these principles into action. I think it will be interesting to see which ones leave a lasting impression and which ones are easily forgotten because of the misuse of images.

Stealing Music

How does the public feel about music sharing devices online? I know that I appreciate programs such as Limewire and Napster…. but as a whole what does the rest of society think? It is in essence stealing. However, the positives may outweigh the negatives. I feel better about the fact that I stole from music companies when I am holding a new cd in my hand. It is illegal but how illegal? Have the big corporations given up on fighting teenagers with cd burners? Or do we simply not hear about it, because often times these teens have no money to take. Huge monster-like corporations fighting babies hardly seems worth it.

300

The other day I watched 300 at a friend’s house. I had forgotten how amazing that movie was. The special effects are phenomenal and make the movie really enjoyable. Movies are a huge outlet for communication and this one in particular communicates a story that has been told and retold throughout the years. Movies are also remarkable in the sense that they stay the same over time. Twenty years down the road my kids could watch the same movie and have the same experience that I had. However, by then, the way they view may be quite different.

Looking Deeper

After we went to the Wittliff Gallery I began to really think about photographs and what certain objects could represent. I’d never really thought about pictures as “in depth” as we did in class. When I looked at a photo I saw whatever was in the shot and nothing more. I based my opinion solely on whether it was appealing to my eye and nothing more. After doing the exercise we did in class I realize there is much more to a picture. The key is to look deeper. The photo I chose to analyze was a photograph of 3 young boys buried in the sand on a beach. Behind them was a long, black fence. At first glance I found the gate to be obtrusive and destructive to the pictures beauty. After analyzing it, I thought maybe the gate was there to represent the protection of innocence. Perhaps on the other side of the gate was the hustle and bustle of adult life. This gave the picture much more meaning and life. I thought the exercise was very fruitful and I enjoyed it a lot.

Is Bad Advertising Good Advertising?

 http://www.wat.tv/playlist/392038/video/137317/Eligius_F89-justin-timberlake-121606-snl-target-skit.html

 In the clip above, Target is portrayed as a store with incompetent workers. SNL did a skit to poke fun at the company. It is a hilarious clip that may not exactly draw customers. However, does this sort of media coverage still help in getting Target’s name out there? This reminds me of the shocking advertisements made by Benetton we talked about in class to sell sweaters. It may not be the best way to advertise for a company, but people will remember the name. Should Target be offended? Millions of people watch this show every week. Some would consider it an honor to be such a large, and accomplished corporation to be on prime time national television? Is all publicity good publicity?

Check out this video: Flow Mo

I was sent this clip a few months ago and I almost died I was laughing so hard. A guy who I had choir with in high school produced the video. Most of the people in the video were in my choir class. Flower Mound was a great place to grow up. We had virtually no crime. We were a part of one of the best school districts in Texas. However, it was pretty boring. The cops had nothing to do, so they just drove around and gave teenagers hell. Our high school was beautiful, but there were so many rules it was ridiculous. I like this clip a lot because it shows a part of my past. I hope ya’ll enjoy it as much as I did, and maybe some of you share a high school experience similar to mine.

I start this blog entry aware of the fact that I may be committing social suicide… last week I attended the midnight opening of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. Yes… I know this might not be the coolest thing to do. However, my best friend and I have been going since the first one opened 6 years ago. We made a promise that we would go to the midnight opening for all the movies regardless of where we stood as friends because it would help us stay close. Anyways, as I walked through the theater I began to notice the interesting mix of people in the audience. There were three middle-aged women with Harry Potter shirts on and a huge tub of popcorn. One thing was missing…. their children! They had come by themselves. This struck me as bizarre. Next to them were two college boys. There were families, children, old people and faces of every color. This was perhaps the most diverse crowd I had seen in a movie EVER. This crossed my mind as something to ponder, because with this much diversity there is sure to be huge amounts of revenue pouring in. Why did this particular movie reach out to so many different people? If someone could figure this out, there is sure profit to be gained. How does one target an audience of kids as well as adults? How do you construct entertainment that can reach cultures worldwide? Do similarities in entertainment stretch that far?

‘Phoenix’ movie sets records

JULY 12, 2007 at 12:52 PM

Posted by GERI
Source: ComingSoon.net

Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix set a new record Wednesday by grossing $44.75 making it the biggest Wednesday single-day gross in box-office history. This total includes the $12 million it made at midnight previews.

Phoenix now tops Spider-Man 2, which held the record since 2004 with $40.44 million. The movie is also the fifth-biggest opening day for a movie in history, surpassing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End which grossed $42.9 million.

Internationally the film is doing just as well with a total of $13.7 million. Early estimates include France where the movie made $5.9 million, which is the third-highest industry opening of all-time.

The Pacific and Asian markets had a total of $7.8 million. It had the biggest opening for any of the Potter pics in Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Malaysia. Phoenix made an impressive $3 million in Australia, the fifth-highest industry opening ever and in South Korea, Phoenix made $1.5 million, or 59% higher than the opening number for Goblet of Fire in November 2005.

According to a Warner Bros. press release:

The film continues to break the studio’s own domestic release records, as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is now Warner Bros. Pictures’ top-grossing midnight show, top-grossing single day, and top-grossing opening of the Harry Potter franchise to date. As previously announced, Warner Bros. Pictures is opening the film domestically in 4,285 locations and more than 9,000 screens, the widest release pattern ever for any Warner Bros. film. In addition, Warner Bros. has generated the greatest overall number of prints for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with over 22,000 prints going to exhibitors around the world. Worldwide, it is also the largest digital cinema release to date for any Warner Bros. title with over 1350 screens.

On the IMAX front, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix also shatered industry records, becoming the biggest IMAX opening with $1.9 million on 90 North American screesn, which includes a record-breaking midnight show of $450,000. THe film will open on 126 IMAX screens worldwide – 91 of those in the US, with amany featuring the final scenes of the film in IMAX 3D – more than any previous release.

My sister and I