This Week's Showdown: Mac vs PC (Basic Editing Software)

Last week I wrote about French vs American literature.  This week it'll be part 1 of Mac vs PC.  I think I might begin doing a showdown every week as the format for my blog.  But anyway, let's get started.

It seems to be a commonly accepted fact that Mac is a better platform for editing video than PC.  Now, as someone whose sole purpose in life is to topple the Apple empire, my point of view may be slightly biased.  But regardless, I think the view that macs are more useful for editing is based entirely on the fact that iMovie comes free with Mac OSX.  But Windows Live Movie Maker, the free PC editing suite, is just as good.

The reason iMovie has become so popular is that it is a very user-friendly editing program.  Since the world has seen a huge increase in amateur movie making over the past few years, editing software that is user-friendly is in high demand.  However, Windows Live Movie Maker is even more user friendly, and can carry out any basic task required by an amateur movie maker.  iMovie can perform more advanced functions, but if someone who is in need of more advanced editing should most likely invest in a more advanced editing suite.

There is also the fact that while the newest version of iMovie comes free with a newly-purchased Mac computer, you must pay 15 dollars in order to unlock the updatable version of iMovie.  Windows Live Movie Maker is 100 percent free.

Tune in next week for Mac vs PC: Mid-Level Editing Software.

 

This Week's Showdown: French vs. American Literature

I'm in French 4, and we are currently studying Antoine de Saint-Exupery's iconic novel Le Petit Prince.  While most Americans know of this book, few have actually read it.  Most just assume that it is a children's book, and to a certain extent, they are right.

On the surface, Le Petit Prince is a cute story of a little kid who travels the universe to learn about life.  But on a deeper level, it is a criticism of the gap between children and adults just about every other flaw the author finds in human nature.  For instance, when the little prince visits a man who is obsessed with counting the stars, thinking that because nobody has claimed them yet they all belong to him, and that he must find out how many he has in order to determine their worth.

Le Petit Prince is comparable to several American classics, but the connection that I made as soon as I began reading it was to The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster.  The Phantom Tollbooth is another children's book that can be interpreted on many levels, starring a boy named Milo who goes to the Lands of beyond, where he meets all sorts of characters and places that are representations and criticisms of human nature, among other things.  For example, when Milo stops thinking on the Road of Expectations, he ends up in the doldrums, a place where people are encouraged not to think.  This is a criticism of oppression and the limited freedoms experienced by some, as well as of the human tendency to want to follow rather than to lead.

They're Still With Us (I'm With You Review)

I've been a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers since I was 8 years old.  At the time, of course, I didn't really understand their music, which is, in general, not something an 8 year old should be listening to.  So, as you can imagine, I was extremely exited when I learned that they were coming out with a new album called I'm With You.  The Peppers went on hiatus after releasing their 2006 album Stadium Arcadium, which resulted in roomers of retirement.  No one took these roomers seriously, however.  As bassist "Flea" put it, "the Chili Peppers never went away."

For a band that's been around so long, and kept most of it's core members the whole time, it's impressive how good they still sound.  I could not find a single track on I'm With You that I didn't like.  I was also impressed with how well Josh Klinghoffer's style meshed with the traditional funk/hard rock/punk style that the Chili Peppers are known for.  Klinghoffer was confirmed as a permanent replacement for long-time guitarist John Frusciante.  While many fans were upset to see John go, Josh's style provides a different yet interesting effect on the music.  Where Frusciante was known for his psychedelic riffs, Josh does a good job of keeping a good background rhythm that complements Flea's bass riffs very well.

Overall I'd have to say that I'm With You is one of my favorite albums by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  It has less of a hard rock feel to it and draws more influence from funk, which is an interesting but not unwelcome change from the traditional Chili Peppers sound.  The only album that I think tops I'm With You is Californication, which was and still is a gem.

Dystopia Trailer Update

Hello again.

Our most recent project has been to create a trailer for our own "original" dystopia story.  I say original like that because every dystopia story ever written has the same plot.  Fact.

But back to the topic at hand.  So far, my group's script has been going swimmingly.  Since I have been awarded he prestigious title of scriptwriter in chief, it is my job and duty to inform the masses of what the script looks like so far.

We use the first few shots to depict the society in which the story takes place.  These are mainly long to medium shots of factory employees hard at work.  After that, we slowly take the time to introduce the rest of the dystopian elements present in the story.  We we also use a commercial for the miracle drug "Bonum" that the story is based around as a means of establishing the setting.

The story is told using as little narration as possible.  There is no text used, and the characters are barely heard talking at all.  The only time dialogue is used is in  a brief exchange between the two main characters, which serves as a means of increasing the tension.

We have about 8 to 10 scenes in our script.

Straight bawrse signing out.

5x5

Clips used:

• Carrying amplifyer
• Carrying effects pedal 
• Carrying cord
• Carrying bass
• Turning on amp and playing bass

My 5x5 was shot with a Fujifilm s400 and edited in Adobe Premiere.  I did not run into any real problems when filming or editing.

I am pleased with how it turned out, although I went over the tie limit by about 2 seconds.

While it can be fun to make bite-sized video projects, it would be cool if our next individual project could be something bigger, like a 5 minute short or something.     

Dystopia Trailer Analysis

1984. Michael Radford. 1984. Rated R

In a futuristic dystopian society, the democratic Britain we know today has been overthrown by a socialist party called Ingsoc.  Now, in an effort to regain his freedom, average joe Winston Smith attempts to rebel against the government by having an affair with co-worker Julia.

The 1984 trailer does a very good job of conveying the dysopian setting through it's use of cinematographic techniques.  First of all, the music used is very ominous and has a heavy bass, which creates a tense, suspenseful mood.  On top of that, the use of predominately dark, gloomy colors and shots of wrecked buildings help to establish the dystopian setting.  Finally, most of the shots used are either close-ups or medium close-ups, which pulls the viewer in and makes them feel as if they are experiencing the same emotions as the protagonist.  For my dystopian trailer, i will probably use similar techniques.  In particular, i will use ominous music, close-ups, and bleak colors to convey the setting and set the mood.     

Learning on that thing I use for youtube and facebook

I just read an article called "Words Without Walls: Learning Well With Others," and figured I would share my thoughts with you.  Just kidding, it's an assignment.  But back to the topic at hand.

The article is about how new methods of teaching that fully incorporate use of the internet are now possible, but are being overlooked.  In the authors opinion, teaching in the classroom setting is becoming quickly obsolete, now that student's have the ability and the resources to learn the same material in whatever way suits them best.  All the knowledge and expertise found on the internet should be taken advantage of and utilized by schools, something which has only been happening in few select classes.  As the author puts it, "For educators and the schools in which they teach, the challenges of this moment are significant. Our ability to learn whatever we want, whenever we want, from whomever we want is rendering the linear, age-grouped, teacher-guided curriculum less and less relevant."

While the article was interesting, it wasn't anything I hadn't heard of before, so nothing about it took me by surprise.  I was surprised, however, when the author talks about how an eleven year old "community volunteer and blogger" has a large audience of people from all over the world.  It's mentioned in passing, as if it's not a big deal.  I was surprised because, as any frequenter of the internet knows, kids as young as eleven don't usually have a large audience unless it's a group of people mocking them.

The article is pertinent to what we are doing in class because as far as I can tell, we're trying to establish a classroom environment both in class and on the web.  I have had teachers who have tried this before, but they either lost interest or just slowly stopped trying to use the internet to teach.  Not to sound pessimistic, or anything.  I have high hopes for this one.

I'd be interested in learning more about film history.

Post over.

Here's the article