Pre-Writing Assignment 1

"Photo journal: Tales of rape in DR Congo" is told through the interviews of two Congolese girls, Aimerance and Yvette. I read their simple yet heartbreaking story on the BBC News website to provide myself some initial background for the photographs included. I am almost ashamed to say that I knew little about what was going on half a world away from me. Anna Kari and Suzanne Fisher's piece was poignant and moving; Kari's fairly simplistic photography complemented the girls' words beautifully. The final picture--the sewing machine on a table to the right--spoke to me the most, interestingly enough.

As most basic guidelines of logos indicate, efficiency (or simplicity) is an ideal quality for any piece of art making a statement. This photograph does just that with a lovely and ornate sewing machine sitting on a plain wooden table in front of a slightly dirty wall. There are very few bright colors here, minus the gold and silver on the machine. It evokes a quiet elegance that I find very hard to capture. However, there's still the knowledge of the terrible things that happened to these girls lurking in the background--represented, in my opinion, by the dirty wall. They are not dirty, per se, but broken. But hope is still retained, I feel, as indicated by the hues in this picture.
Ignore the sewing machine for a minute and examine the colors used in this photo. The stark white wall is splattered with dirt and dust so it appears an almost light gray. The mud is a very unattractive color, yet almost matches the normal warm brown of the table and chairs in front of it. The three elements of the picture cascade from back to foreground in their levels of brilliance and beauty. The final one, the sewing machine, seems to be speaking the loudest. The machine is the last picture in the photo journal, paired with the end of Yvette's story. She was a victim of a rape at the hands of the soldier that left her pregnant with no family or money.
She is learning how to sew so that can she can have the money and skills to feed and clothe her child. Her parents have virtually abandoned her to raise him/her on her own.
The machine is the probably one of the darkest blacks I've ever seen, but still has the slightest bit of shine to its finish that makes it all the more elegant. There are also spots of silver and gold and even a few specks of a reddish hue. To me, it is the bright spot in this picture, despite its fairly neutral tones. It is the perfect pathos representation of these girls' stories. Although they suffered great injustices, their lives continue on. They have been filled with hardships, but there's still that shimmery glint of hope in their future, even if it might seem small or unreachable. As that famous saying goes, "If it's not okay, it's not the end."

Go here to help people like Aimerance and Yvette.

Weekly Blog Post 7

I have fairly limited experience as a photographer. The picture in this blog is an example of the little work I have done. I did this shot on a whim with my old electric guitar one day. I used an editing software to get these levels of contrast, etc. and ended up with this as the finished project. I displayed this, other photos, and various drawings on DeviantArt. I also dabbled with other effects, such as saturation and brightness; I also would also try spontaneous things that didn't make too much sense, like taking shots of apples with pins in them (really). This picture was taken at least 2-3 years ago, however; I haven't done much as an artist since then. I found more success on DA and in general as a writer rather than a photographer/drawer. The most recent thing I've done is a photo slide show using Windows Movie Maker for a friend for his birthday in the summer of 2008.
Although I can't call myself proficient in photography, I've always had an interest in it--hence, why I tried my hand at it in the first place. Photojournalism as well as wildlife and nature photography are some of my particular favorites. I use a website called StumbleUpon when I'm out of things to do; it leads me to different pages around the Internet and, as I "like" things, it starts to send me to places more akin to my interests. I've found several beautiful examples of natural and wildlife photography via SU, like some of the shots here. I truly enjoy pieces that use something slightly out of the ordinary--the long exposure photos that I linked to and well-done action shots, for example. I've found a couple favorite artists in Ansel Adams and Rodney Smith.
Photography is definitely something I'd like to study more and analyze, so I have no qualms about the upcoming project. I have looked at different pieces and enjoyed them for their face value, but I haven't done much as far as deconstructing the shot and trying to see the artist's intent. I'm looking forward to that immensely.

Weekly Blog Post 6

The construction of Maria Mena's video for "Nevermind Me" very well aids to logos from the street set up to their choice of costumes (as conspicuous as you'd think a random monkey/bear and a cow would be). The first element to be addressed is the number of people seen on the streets. It is a happy medium between the roads in a small country town and the bustling sidewalks of New York City. I feel that the director did this because both extremes would de-emphasize the fact that she is supposed to be virtually unnoticed. In a tiny town, she'd be a sore thumb; think old cliché western--Looney Tunes style (Yosemite Sam). On the opposite side of the spectrum, one might think she'd easily be lost in the crowd, so that would be the best way to make her "hidden." However, in my opinion, I think that would make her stand out more. I picture her walking among a sea of suits and ties--a monkey wouldn't exactly fit that stereotype. There's also the potential that it could hide her too much., almost to the point of invisibility, even though that's the author's general feeling. I'll return to my metaphor for love. Although sometimes it feels like your "intended" might bump it to/sit on you and not notice, that's more than likely not the case. You're there, but you're not as significant as he/she is to you. Therefore, the middle ground suits this method of logos utilization much better. Besides, a crowd of that size isn't particularly efficient or accessible for a music video--unless you're the Beatles or something.

More good things to consider are the various--or few--hues used in this video. The streets are very indicative of Europe (at least, I assume that it takes place there, based on the format of the license plates)--although there aren't a ton of bright colors (unless you're in a tourist town), it's still beautiful. The walls and streets are close to the same color: a dull off-white, almost yellow-green. It goes right along with the attire of the people--drab and ordinary, with occasional flourishes of beauty and color. The video climaxes with her bumping into the boy, both realizing that they mutually tend to go unnoticed; they feel an affinity. It ends at a pond, while although seemingly ordinary, much more beautiful and intimate than their original surroundings. It very well indicates the "plot line" that is love, using the logos spectrum of colors.

Weekly Blog Post 5

Of all three appeals, pathos is probably the most present in Maria Mena's video for "Nevermind Me." It's loosely described as playing off the audience's emotions, but I particularly like the definition given on dictionary.com--"the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion."
I'm sure we can all identify with loving (I use that term loosely in this particular context) someone who, more or less, doesn't know we exist. If I met a person who told me that had never happened in his life, I'd call him a liar. As I alluded to in my previous blog entry, this is represented by Maria and the boy in the video by them trying to get the attention of surrounding people in one of the easiest ways possible: by dressing up like an animal. Still, either no one is noticing them, or they're just being flat-out ignored. This is how it is with unrequited love much of the time--there are days when you're sure that he/she feels the same way, and there are days where you're not sure the two of you are even friends. It's both ends of the spectrum emotionally.

If one examines this video even more closely, she'll find that there's also a subtle appeal to logos. Like I just said, they're dressed up in animal costumes. You'd think that would make them a hot button on people's radar screens, but instead they're pushed to the side. This isn't exactly normal, is it? If I saw a giant bear walking down the middle of the street somewhere, I'd probably at least try to figure out what he was distributing/doing there in the first place. However, this is perfect in the context of the video, which appeals to logos by being the opposite of everything you'd expect--something you can also say about love. It's not logical, but it still happens.

Weekly Blog Post 4

Maria Mena - Nevermind Me (New 2008)
Uploaded by goldrausch. - Explore more music videos.

I really love this video, and not just 'cause it's extremely adorable; I love the irony of the context. The video is played out almost like an independent movie short as the title falls onto the screen. Maria is seen dressed up as a monkey (or possibly a bear, but the long tail makes me think it's the former) and handing out various fliers to people on the street who are, by and large, ignoring her. Next, she looks at a little hand-drawn map. Someone gave her directions to a meeting place where she will meet him at noon. She checks her (paper) watch and decides it's time to start her journey there. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, a boy dressed up in a cow suit is handing out fliers himself and getting frustrated with the lack of interest. As Maria is walking towards her destination, she is pushed aside in many different ways (almost getting hit by a car, missing her subway stop due to someone not noticing her getting off, etc.). All the while, she sings "Never mind me, never mind me. I'll just cast shadows on your walls." Once she gets to the meeting spot, she discovers she's been stood up. Frustrated, she walks away--and eventually runs into the boy in the cow suit. They notice that they're both in animal costumes. At the end, they're seen at a small pond together, sharing a kiss.
The first time I saw this video, it simply amused me--I found it absolutely adorable. I like to think that there are chance meetings like this (but maybe not necessarily involving animal costumes) in real life. In closer examining this video, however, I've noticed how ironic that particular element is. Maria Mena and the boy are dressed up as animals--something you don't typically see in the context of a city street. However, they are largely ignored by everyone who passes them. It's interesting how someone so unusual can be so "hidden."
Another thing to notice is the paper watch. Although this doesn't seem like much, to me it's indicating the juvenile air that this song sort of emits--not that that's a bad thing. If you listen to/read the lyrics, it'll probably remind you of a young child in both lyrical content and simplicity. Children often do things "just to get a reaction," as she sings about, for instance. That context takes a kid's mentality and applies it to an older person's issue: unrequited love.

Click here for lyrics and different people's interpretations of the song.