Blog 20: YouTube Screening Room

Okay I have to say after watching my short film I am extremely lost. So at this point I went and read what other people had to say about the videos that they watched. I guess I just picked the wrong one by far. I would not encourage anyone to watch the Reindeer Wrangling video. To me it seemed very pointless. All the video shows is all the reindeer running into a pin and going in circles around it for several minutes until a reindeer leaves with a man and walks into the distance. I guess I don’t understand the point of this film I don’t know if I am missing something or it was just that simple. I guess to me I wanted to know how everyone else took videos like this and come to find out most of their videos had some sort of exciting plot whereas mine did not. I would strongly suggest picking another movie to watch over this one. At this point the Gasline clip would have been better. I had never heard of the screening room before now so I read a little about it and my video must have been very abstract. I wish they would label them that way people can pick what they are in the mood for. But I do think this is a really cool page and I will be checking out other videos after reading reviews from others. 

Blog 19: Warner Bros. VIP Studio Virtual Tour

First off I have to say that Warner Bros Studio is absolutely breath taking. I have always wanted to tour their buildings and just kind of see what is on the inside. It is amazing all of the different shows and movies that Warner Bros and come out with and you could only imagine what is behind their doors. To me it would be amazing to walk down the street and see pieces of movies in real life. To see how they get people to believe there is a house when there is only a wall. It would be amazing to see everything up close and personal without all the added features. The other part I find amazing is that people are constantly at work creating new sets every day for the next movie. To me this is amazing and I would love to see someone building a set. I do have to say that their tickets can be really expensive for a small tour. I don’t think I would ever pay $250 dollars to tour Warner Bros. I think if I ever went I would have to take the VIP tour just because the cost is a lot more affordable. I think the most intriguing part for me would be to see everything I have seen in movies before a little bit better in real life. The only thing that could be bad about this tour is taking the magic out of their movies. 

Blog 18: The Weather Channel Virtual Tour

I have to say for some reason I do like the Weather Channels studio a lot better. I feel like there is so much more work and detail that goes into a building like this. To have the perfect lighting and an open ceiling for the news room to have several cameras hanging down. All the video screens that can change at any minute are pretty amazing also. I loved the pictures showing everything from the demolition to each step of building the building. The part I really like is the little design they put on the front of the building to add a little architectural touch to it. I think if I had to choose a tour of the Weather Channel studio or the New York Times tower I would still probably choose the New York Times tower. I say this because I think there is so much more to experience in a news writer’s tower then in a news reporter’s tower. I think that going to the New York Times tower would be a once in a lifetime opportunity and has more to offer. I love the Weather Channel building and the thought that went into it but I don’t think there would be much difference between it and any other news reporting station around. But when you look at the New York Times building to me it just screams unique. 

Blog 17: New York Times Virtual Tour

I have never really thought about the New York Times tower when I have read their newspaper. This is a very interesting tour for me because I have always wanted to go to New York and this would be something I would want to see. The building is beautiful and I absolutely love the garden in the middle of the building right before the auditorium. The picture looking in from the outside is absolutely beautiful. I love the open floors on floor 3 and four where everyone is there with each other. The staircases are different in my opinion. It is crazy though how the bars are over the windows. I don’t know if I like that better or not because at times I would think someone would feel like you’re in a jail. I do like where they put the newsrooms that way one could look out and see the different billboards flashing in the distance. I do think it would be an amazing place to work but for some reason I just really don’t like the bars over the glass. I don’t know why this bothers me so much but it really seems like after a while you would start to feel like you’re in prison if you are behind bars all day. 

Blog 16: Recording Studio Tour

After looking at the four different recording studios only one seemed like the ones you see in the movies. I have to say out of all four the only two I find truly intriguing are the Blue Jay Studio and the Pachyderm Studio. I really like the Blue Jay Studio because it is everything you picture when you think of a recording studio. It is updated and extremely nice on the inside making it seem to be a little better quality. I didn’t care much for their website pictures that move with your mouse I found that to be a little distracting but I did like how many different services they offered. The other thing they could change up is the music it so that it isn’t playing the same thing constantly on the website. For a recording studio it should be able to come up with a lot of different songs to show other things they offer. What intrigued me about the Pachyderm Studio was its location. It seems so secluded and has amazing scenery surrounding it.  The studio itself is extremely nice with a grand piano in it. I think it is nice that they have places where people can stay overnight but I didn’t really care for the rooms themselves. I felt like for the setup the bedrooms could have been a little nicer. The one thing I found that could be intriguing about the Radio Ready Studio was its price. I think there are a lot of beginners that could really benefit from a studio of this quality. I think it would be a starter studio and most people will look elsewhere if they begin to make a decent amount of money. I say this because you can tell in the Blue Jay studio how nice they equipment is and I think the equipment these guys are using may not be of the best quality but will work for those looking to get started. What I found intriguing about Soho recording studios was there options in each studio. They have two different studios and each one offers something different from the other. It is also nice to see a client list that has names most people have heard of which means you would know their quality if you had heard any of their songs. The downside is recording studios of this quality are going to be expensive and which would be a downside. If one is looking to save money then the Radio Ready Studio is the best choice. If you are looking to try and make if famous like Craig David then the Soho recording studios would be a better option. 

Blog 15

After reading this page I have  to say I am not really that surprised. I say this because for one the TV viewers are dropping because it is so expensive to pay for TV  Before as long as you had an antenna TV was free. Now you have to pay for it otherwise you won't be watching it. Most people want to have access to all TV shows if they are paying to watch TV and without the access they lose interest. I think the biggest thing that happened to regular TV is hulu and Netflix. I say this because I don't remember the last time I turned on cable to watch a television show because I watch all the reruns on hulu or Netflix. These sites are very nice to watch what you want and when. The other part is that you are able to watch most shows off the networks website. I think a lot of people are taking notice with the news because we don't have as many reliable sources anymore. I think everyone is finding that out with these major tragedies and the news sources always getting some detail messed up. So what some conspiracy theorist are thinking is a cover up is an honest mistake. I think honestly everything is going to go to the internet considering we can even hook computers up to TV monitors and watch through our gaming systems I think this is a different world.

Blog 14

The section I learned the most from was accuracy and fairness. I think this section has the most to offer. The one thing I truly learned from this section is that not everyone wants the straight answer. So people only want a straight answer and they don't care who you step on to get it. Is this ethical? In this section you learn that in different cases there are different ways to get solutions you want. To me I think the publicity is great around the article itself otherwise nobody would ever talk about it. Isn't that what we want? Don't we want to catch people's attention and get them talking even if they don't agree? I say this because like the abortion ad aren't we trying to make a point? The more people that see it the better chance there is to prevent an abortion. The more people talk about it the more likely by word of mouth they will get their point across. I think that accuracy is important but we also need to realize who we are going to hurt along the way. Sometimes it is just better for the public as a whole even though it may not be that great of a decision for the person in the story.
Sincerely,
Jade Parker

Blog 13: Internet Safety

The first one I played was AT&T Safety game and I didn't feel it was very effective. I say this because there is a lot of reading involved. It is distracting even though it has a lot of good information. I think if they cut down a lot of the text it would be a great game and the kids would be more willing to read it and play it.
Playing the Badguy game I felt it was a lot more effective because it gives kids the idea that they are part of a patrol who fights the crime. It also has different types of activities to teach about the internet with different characters reading for you.
Keep Safe Kids is great to teach about using the phone properly. I think honestly the biggest thing for kids today is peer pressure and how much other children influence their decisions. I think that is what makes any of these games hard. Yes they are very educational but they don't put kids in a real situation. I remember in one of my high school classes that they made us do role playing and you were actually the person acting it out. It makes you put in your head the solution to any situation.


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Blog #12: Banning Profanity

I think there are several times when censorship goes to far. Obviously the one on the blog was meant as a joke but there are some things like Hell that I have seen censored and I felt that went a little far and was mixing church and state. I do have to agree with having censored CD's and even movies that way they are acceptable for children to watch and when someone wants to watch them they can go out of their way to find CD's that aren't censored. I don't think that the government or apple has gone to far I just feel like people get upset because they need to go out of their way to receive the bad language and crude images. I have a daughter who watches TV and I have heard things said that made me want to cover her ears. I think we are in a society now who believes that censorship is control. I feel that we need to protect our children's innocence as long as we can and by letting them listen to horrible profanity or seeing crude images is not a way to do so. If there were some channels that allowed this behavior and others that didn't it would be beneficial to use the parental controls and not allow your children on those channels. I just feel there should be plenty of shows that parents can watch with their children not worried about what came on TV. 

http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/kidstv2111019025121-275x339.jpg

Blog 11: Green Screen

In order to create a green screen you would have to have a solid back drop. Most places that use green screens like when doing the news use blue or green as a back drop. What happens is they do is use chroma key either in the background or in front of the person or both and replace the back drop with this image. Green is the best option because when using cameras it will give a better image. You have to have good lighting or you will have shadows. I think the my favorite movie that uses green screens is Harry Potter. Below is a clip for Harry Potter showing the several scenes in which green screen is used. It is kind of amazing how it is used if you have seen the actual movie you would be shocked they used green screen imaging. Well I guess I am I never really thought much about it. But this blog kind of opened my eyes I don't think I will ever be able to watch a movie the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvIv9XEINhM
Another good source for green screen info:
http://filmcareersguide.blogspot.com/2009/11/green-screen-los-angeles-for-superior.html

Blog #10: The Great Train Robbery

Film Review:
Rating: A-
The movie is a great attention grabber and will keep the audience on the edge of their seat until the very end. There is a lot of violence and action for the everyday male. The one thing this movie is lacking is the little edge of romance but it does show a little bit of dancing.  This is a enticing movie about a train robbery gone bad. Tune in to see attractive robbers and great actors and actresses. The picture and acting are the best of the day. The movie is fast and the bad guys will always be captured in the end. This is a great movie about moral and values. The good guys will always win in the end.
Sincerely,
Jade Parker

Blog #9: Blue Store or Redbox

So last year when I lived down the street from Block Buster it was really nice to use the total access because the store was so close. Then, the Block Buster closed and I cancelled my membership and switched to Netflix. I love Netflix but when they increased their prices to receive DVD's by mail I changed to the membership that just had on-line streaming. I personally love the convenience of Netflix. The problem I have with it is that there are never any new movies offered online. In turn I will use the Redbox. I do feel that the Redbox can get expensive especially if you forget to return your movie right away. I have paid 10 dollars for a movie I rented because I just kept forgetting to return the movie. I think that the Redbox is great because they send you codes for free movie rentals and if you use those then you can rent just the right number of DVD's that you are actually going to watch. So, to answer the question I use both Redbox and Netflix. I use Redbox when I want to rent a new movie or just have the want to rent a movie in general. And I watch Netflix on a daily basis along with Hulu because they have so much to offer. I do have to say with Netflix and Hulu I have actually gotten rid of my cable and am very happy about the decision and the reduced amount of money coming out of my pocket every month. 

Sincerely,

Jade Parker

Post #8: Old Time Radio Shows

Okay I have to say that I think the comedy shows are actually kind of funny. I do have to say that there was a commercial in the show I watched and I was really surprised they had TUMS at this time. It was kind of a joke in itself. But I was also surprised that it listed ingredient that weren't in TUMS such as baking soda. I think there were several funny pieces in this show. I would have been able to listen to the comedies. I have a hard time listening to books on tape so I would have a hard time listening to any other stories. A lot of the jokes I have actually heard or seen on shows today or in jokes. One of them was about the dad calling and the daughter told him he needed to hang up to free the phone line. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this on a show I am watching. I think it is over beaten now but it would have been pretty fun back then. I do think that this would have been a great way to pass the time back then but I would rather watch television. If I had no other choice of what to do I could listen to these shows. It does take a minute though to get used to their voices and how their radio show sounds.
Sincerely,
Jade Parker

Blog #7: Napster vs iTunes

I will have to say that I never will use Napster because I always use Pandora. I do have to say that Napster offers a better streaming radio then iTunes Genius program. I actually had an iphone for the longest time and I finally figured out that they aren't all that great. Any problems you have has to be taken care of by Apple you can't go to any store. That is a major disadvantage with iTunes and apple in general. I also feel that iTunes offers a really high price for all the songs that are on their website. I don't find this fair to the consumer when they could actually get the CD cheaper in stores. I do have an iPod so I have to use iTunes but I always download music from my CD's because it is cheaper that way and I guess it is just something personal with me that I don't like the way Apple runs things. If I had to choose between Napster and iTunes I would choose Napster. But I will always use Pandora. 

Sincerely,

Jade Parker

Blog 6: The End of Papers?

I feel like we are at a time where we may lose papers but I don't think they will ever be completely gone. At least not for a very long time. I say this because the older generations will always want a newspaper. The business people always use the paper to check the latest news and drink their coffee right? I think that e-readers with subscriptions to newspapers would be a hit. But a lot of the news in the paper can be found free on the internet. I feel that the newspaper won't ever completely disappear but their business will start to decline gradually over time. Now I couldn't tell you if it will be possible for the newspaper companies to stay in business. I think a lot of people like the idea of a newspaper but  it would be better online. It would be easier to obtain and check the information if it were offered online. I don't really know what the future of the newspaper is but I don't buy the paper and I don't watch the news which is sad but it is hard to watch pure sadness all the time. I think it is important to have the option of a paper but I don't think that it is vital.

Blog Five: Let's Ban Books

I just have to say I don't think banning books is a horrible idea but it has to be for the right reasons. If there was a book that teaches someone how to murder someone else and that was its purpose I think it should be banned. I think that for example with James and the Giant Peach there is no need to ban it because it says the word "ass" I think this is going a little too far. You cannot tell me that you think that their parents haven't said worse at home. At the point a child is reading this book in all reality they have probably said this word themselves. I think it is a little ridiculous how much we are trying to shelter our children. These books have been around for ages and ages and they were around when my grandparents were little. I think that we need to be looking more at video game violence for children and home violence or even television violence before we look at books. I think that people have way too much time on their hands to shelter children this much. I guess as a mother I still don't understand the purpose of this. I remember that in 8th grade my teacher had her advanced literature class read "The Grapes of Wrath" I thought the book was graphic but to this day I haven't forgot the horrible things that people went through during the Great Depression. I think that is a book every child should read and understand how bad it truly was and that we should do whatever we can not to go back. Or we should take protective measures that way if we do end up in another depression we know how to handle it and we can be prepared. 

I really loved the book but I can understand how a still born child and a woman breastfeeding a grown man back to health could be a lot for an adult to want a child to read. I think there is more grounds to ban this book then there is to ban The Lorax. I think it is time for people to focus on other areas to censor then the books our children read because it is sad the number of children who neglect reading and focus on video games instead. If a parent wants to censor a child from reading a book that should be their choice but don't prevent all students from learning history of storytelling. 

Fourth blog: Poor Richard

I enjoyed reading a few quotes from “Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard’s Almanac” by Benjamin Franklin. The book was published when he was 26 in 1732 and this book was compiled from other books that pulled together familiar phrases that he once said. I find it funny though that there are different categories like eating and drinking. I think that would take a lot of work to come up with quotes for silly things like drinking.

I am a person that loves quotations and am always awestruck when I find a good one. I really like the quote, “The sleeping Fox catches no poultry. (Benjamin Franklin)” To me this is like what my parents always said to me growing up; when they would say, “The early bird always catches the worm.” I was always the early bird and it seemed as though my day would end faster than it began because I was so tired. I do feel though that when you have more daylight you will always get more done. When I sleep till noon I only have a couple of hours until sunset and I will just want to sleep after dark. So, I always realize that when I sleep in or lay in bed until late at night that I won’t get half as much done than someone else who woke up early and got a head start. I really love little quotes so I will have to buy this book.

The place I read most of my quotes was on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Richards-Almanack-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486408914

Third Blog: Social Interaction

I do feel that people have more social interaction. I think the problem with it is that it is not real social interaction. By this I mean I can log onto Facebook and make any profile that I want to with any other person's picture that I want. When I do this it is a Facebook page and there is someone behind it and if you talked to me you would be talking to someone but they more than likely aren't real. I say this because it is so easy to lie online. Now, I do have to say that it is amazing being married to a soldier and when he is deployed I can log on to see him and he doesn't miss out on all those little moments that they used to. I feel that this is a positive type of social interaction. There is a difference in my mind of positive and negative social interaction and I feel that online interaction can be both. I don't think that anything can truly replace human contact but it is easier for some people to talk to someone online then in person. I think it is really a matter of opinion. In my opinion it depends on the situation and the context. 

Second Blog: CBS Thought

After watching the video clip I agree with him that it is important to have a love of story telling, clear vivid language, and a respect for history. Without story telling our lives would be boring. I think the biggest thing people need to realize that news paper is important because what happens if one day our computers crash or the websites we want to be on all day go down. Then, do we know how to live outside the computer. Do we still know how to hand write papers and use creative language to write a paper or to talk to people. I think it is important for people to really think about the fact that people need to learn more than spend time sitting on the computer. I say this because if we don't learn history as a nation then we will never be able to move forward. If we don't learn from our mistakes history will repeat itself. It isn't like most people are on the internet reading the newspaper and articles of history. They are on the computer gossiping about what Tim and Tom did last weekend and getting all upset over people they don't even know. I think we would be a lot more productive as a society as a whole if we didn't have things like MySpace and Facebook. As a person that loves to write poetry it is hard for me to see how our language is being dumbed down to letters that are supposed to mean whole words. People don't even care about grammar anymore or how to even spell words. I think we are ruining the intelligence of people by subjecting them to these wonderful writing techniques. I think story telling comes into play with the fact that a lot of people aren't even meeting in person anymore and are holding on-line relationships instead of getting out and meeting people and spending time with them. It is something that people need to think about for their future and the future of others.

First Blog: Media Junkie

I feel like I am a media addict. I use my phone when I get bored to check internet sites and I always have to have some sort of background noise whether it be the TV on or music playing. I feel that I spend most of my time on-line doing school work and the rest catching up with people on Facebook. I am honestly getting ready to delete my Facebook because I feel like it is such a time suck. I can't even imagine how much more productive I would be if I didn't have a Facebook. So, I will have to occupy my time with other things. I love spending time playing with my daughter who is 17 months old. She is such a handful though so it is almost impossible to spend all that much time on Facebook and other internet sites but I will always have music playing in the background. I probably am one of those people that thinks I spend a lot of time on a site that I don't spend nearly as much. I guess I feel like I am not in denial and would like to spend less time on it. I also scored a 38 on the media junkie test. I really don't feel that this is horrible. I would have to say I almost spend all day except when I am asleep doing things that are media related. I listen to music in the background or TV all day which is probably 16 hours a day which this would be my recreation. I probably spend about two on a social media site. And the rest is more than likely working on school work on line or paying bills or watching the news. This time probably totals 5 hours a day. I feel that I am not really wasting time by listening to music or having the TV on because chances are I am not watching it. But I do feel that I spend more time than I should on social media sites. It is mostly when I get bored though. Although, I do have to say that I neglect chores for media.

I also have to say that the article was extremely sad. I hope that the parents are charged for their crime because I couldn't even imagine. How do you even leave your baby alone? I couldn't get so caught up in media that I forget my child exists.

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