This last week of editing is lessening and lessening. Last weekend, my group filmed the last portion of our film. The shots filmed were the running montage, and the bathroom scene. Watching the put-together film in after-school editing was truly amazing. Our actors, Allison and David, truly delivered.
What we have to do left is cleaning up the edges. We're 50 seconds over the time we'd like to be, so we need to cut down on some of the longer shots. Also, we need to re-record Mr. Bustillos' radio broadcaster voiceover either on Tuesday or Wednesday. We also need to make sure that with every edit we make, we keep the music and audio lined up.
This week we're concentrating on coming in at every possible moment to finalize and polish our film, which I'm really proud of. I'm coming after school and before school several times this week, as is the rest of my group. Hopefully our work will be worth it and we'll produce a stellar film.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
1st Reflection
So far, our film is progressing well. We first filmed two Sundays ago in Downtown Silver Spring and on the metro, and the shots we got were clear and god quality. tro was shut down, so we weren't able to film as much as we wanted. While we were filming, the red line on the metro was shut down so we weren't able to film as much as we wanted to.
We were going to film again last weekend, but there were unforeseen problems and one of our actors got sick. Our plan is to film on the 18th. I know it's cutting it close, but it's the only time we're available and we can still get it done in time because of the progress that we made. We've been editing quickly and efficiently and we're working on importing sound now.
My job is director. I helped set up shots, got people in the right spots, and made decisions while editing. I contributed my opinions on which shots to use and what music we should pick.
In the coming week, we need to be as efficient as we have been while editing. We will do what we can without the final scenes, such as adding all sound, adding credits, creating a movie poster, and finely editing what we have so far.
We were going to film again last weekend, but there were unforeseen problems and one of our actors got sick. Our plan is to film on the 18th. I know it's cutting it close, but it's the only time we're available and we can still get it done in time because of the progress that we made. We've been editing quickly and efficiently and we're working on importing sound now.
My job is director. I helped set up shots, got people in the right spots, and made decisions while editing. I contributed my opinions on which shots to use and what music we should pick.
In the coming week, we need to be as efficient as we have been while editing. We will do what we can without the final scenes, such as adding all sound, adding credits, creating a movie poster, and finely editing what we have so far.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Shooting Star
I used to watch Glee a lot, but I haven't been keeping up with the show recently because it's pretty terrible. I did see the episode "Shooting Star", which garnered a lot of criticism.
In the episode, during glee rehearsal, two shots are fired outside of the room and the entire school goes into code red. Next is shown 10 minutes of scared silence broken by whispers and tears. The glee club members hug one another, confess secrets, and fear for the lives of those in the hallways. Heather Morris, who plays the character Brittany, hovers above a toilet in the bathroom crying (some of her acting work). Marley's mother in the cafeteria cries as she can't reach her phone. Tina cries outside the school as she can't reach her fellow glee clubbers.
It turns out that the school was safely evacuated, and Teacher Sue Sylvester takes the blame for the accidental shots done by a down-syndrome cheerleader named Becky.
Critics argued that it was far too soon to have a school shooting, and this has caused a lot of controversy. Although I thought that there was superb acting in the episode, it lacked an ultimate meaning. It built up a suspenseful, horrifying nightmare, but didn't deliver. The presence of a gun isn't the same as a mass shooting. Glee could have reflected the fact the true horror comes from humanity committing acts out of passion by making the shooter be full of rage instead as a framed, foolish mistake.
Glee did give us another look at the fear present in society. It also did make me think again about what my choices would be and what I would say if I had to say goodbye. That is why I think that this episode was valuable and worth a watch (providing you skip the first 10 minutes of regular glee ridiculousness).
Thursday, March 7, 2013
What's holding us back?
I've found it really hard to write these blog posts, because my ideas are always either too short or too unexplainable to write out in a concise post; however, I was searching the interwebs for ideas to write about, when I discovered this page by a guy named Marc. On it, he lists a lot of evocative questions. I'd like to share them here and reflect on them.
What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
...
We are so young, and we have so much time let in our lives. Why do we hold ourselves back from experiencing the richness of life that we have access to now?
There are countless clubs, sports teams, hobbies to take up. We're surrounded by truly amazing people, but we stick to our own pre-set groups. In this area, we can travel to DC and visit museums, watch concerts. We have an education system that we take for granted. Instead of trying to soak up as much as we can in our classes, our main goal is to get trough them and get As.
Why do we stop ourselves from trying new things? Are we so afraid of being judged by our peers? You becha.
Granted, as teens, we're limited in money and transportation. We can't go out and experience everything. But we spend our time at home on facebook.
Why?
There is honestly so much out in the world for us to enjoy. Listen to music! Spend some time in nature! Talk to someone you don't normally do!
We always say that we don't have enough time in the day, but that's not always true. It's 7:00 right now. I don't have any homework. I could get a full night's sleep. I could do something.
Why don't you? Value what you have in your life, and be open to new thins. After all, our teen years are supposed to be the best of our lives.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Rolexes andthe Rape Culture
I read a very interesting post on tumblr yesterday, and it really moved me:
Gentlemen. This is what rape culture is like:
Imagine you have a Rolex watch. Nice fancy Rolex, you bought it because you like the way it looks and you wanted to treat yourself. And then you get beaten and mugged and your Rolex is stolen. So you go to the police. Only, instead of investigating the crime, the police want to know why you were wearing a Rolex instead of a regular watch. Have you ever given a Rolex to anyone else? Is it possible you wanted to be mugged? Why didn’t you wear long sleeves to cover up the Rolex if you didn’t want to be mugged?
And then after that, everywhere you go, there are constant jokes about stealing your Rolex. People you don’t even know whistle at your Rolex and make jokes about cutting your hand off to get it.
The media doesn’t help either; it portrays people who wear Rolexes as flamboyant assholes who secretly just want someone to come along and take that Rolex off their hands, when all you wanted was to wear a nice watch without getting harassed for it. When you complain that you are starting to feel unsafe, people laugh you off and say that you are too uptight. Never mind you got violently attacked for the crime of wearing a friggin time piece.
Imagining all that? It sucks, doesn’t it.
Now imagine you could never take the Rolex off.
This is what the rape culture is like.
This really spoke to me, and I thought that this metaphor was effective; however, I did find it depressing that we need a material metaphor. Female bodies and autonomy need to be compared to material possessions in order to be emphasized as a thing deserving of value and respect to the "privileged" male population.
According to FORCE, a nonprofit website based on upsetting rape culture, rape culture is a society in which people are surrounded by language, images, laws and phenomena that perpetuate ad validate rape. I've witnessed jokes, references on TV, in music, and in advertising that all make violence against women out to be a joke or something normal and acceptable.
I'd like to share an excerpt from the FORCE website:
"Media imagery perpetuates rape by excusing it, validating myths about rape, and/or sexualizing rape. The Stanger Rape myth, for example, is frequently reinforced through Lifetime movies like She Fought Alone, or most episodes of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit. This kind of media perpetuates rape, because it continues the shame and silence that surrounds the majority of survivors who were raped by friends or family; and it allows perpetrators to avoid dealing with their problems, since they do not match the profile of rapists “As Seen On TV.”
Our very laws and lawmakers also contribute to perpetuating the Stranger Rape myth, such as in the controversial “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” that Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced in early 2011. Smith wanted to define rape, for the purposes of their anti-abortion bill, as “forcible rape,” therefore excluding non-consensual sex and statutory rape. The problem here is the continued emphasis on the actions of victims- in this case, dissecting whether they resisted enough- rather than putting energy into preventing rape by changing the behaviors of perpetrators."
I could honestly go on and on about this but I have to get some sleep. I will say that it I disgusting that in this day and age, our country is so inefficient on preventing and treating our rape culture. Women continue to get raped, and so little is done to actually prevent it. The emphasis is put on the victim and what she's wearing or something else arbitrary. I hope that our policymakers will work harder than ever to change the way these violent acts are treated and our media will work harder on changing the ways these violent acts are portrayed in the media.
I can only hope that in the future, nobody will ever have to walk home by a road where cars honk at them, to be verbally harassed in public areas, or to ever experience sexual violence.
Gentlemen. This is what rape culture is like:
Imagine you have a Rolex watch. Nice fancy Rolex, you bought it because you like the way it looks and you wanted to treat yourself. And then you get beaten and mugged and your Rolex is stolen. So you go to the police. Only, instead of investigating the crime, the police want to know why you were wearing a Rolex instead of a regular watch. Have you ever given a Rolex to anyone else? Is it possible you wanted to be mugged? Why didn’t you wear long sleeves to cover up the Rolex if you didn’t want to be mugged?
And then after that, everywhere you go, there are constant jokes about stealing your Rolex. People you don’t even know whistle at your Rolex and make jokes about cutting your hand off to get it.
The media doesn’t help either; it portrays people who wear Rolexes as flamboyant assholes who secretly just want someone to come along and take that Rolex off their hands, when all you wanted was to wear a nice watch without getting harassed for it. When you complain that you are starting to feel unsafe, people laugh you off and say that you are too uptight. Never mind you got violently attacked for the crime of wearing a friggin time piece.
Imagining all that? It sucks, doesn’t it.
Now imagine you could never take the Rolex off.
This is what the rape culture is like.
This really spoke to me, and I thought that this metaphor was effective; however, I did find it depressing that we need a material metaphor. Female bodies and autonomy need to be compared to material possessions in order to be emphasized as a thing deserving of value and respect to the "privileged" male population.
According to FORCE, a nonprofit website based on upsetting rape culture, rape culture is a society in which people are surrounded by language, images, laws and phenomena that perpetuate ad validate rape. I've witnessed jokes, references on TV, in music, and in advertising that all make violence against women out to be a joke or something normal and acceptable.
I'd like to share an excerpt from the FORCE website:
"Media imagery perpetuates rape by excusing it, validating myths about rape, and/or sexualizing rape. The Stanger Rape myth, for example, is frequently reinforced through Lifetime movies like She Fought Alone, or most episodes of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit. This kind of media perpetuates rape, because it continues the shame and silence that surrounds the majority of survivors who were raped by friends or family; and it allows perpetrators to avoid dealing with their problems, since they do not match the profile of rapists “As Seen On TV.”
Our very laws and lawmakers also contribute to perpetuating the Stranger Rape myth, such as in the controversial “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” that Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced in early 2011. Smith wanted to define rape, for the purposes of their anti-abortion bill, as “forcible rape,” therefore excluding non-consensual sex and statutory rape. The problem here is the continued emphasis on the actions of victims- in this case, dissecting whether they resisted enough- rather than putting energy into preventing rape by changing the behaviors of perpetrators."
I could honestly go on and on about this but I have to get some sleep. I will say that it I disgusting that in this day and age, our country is so inefficient on preventing and treating our rape culture. Women continue to get raped, and so little is done to actually prevent it. The emphasis is put on the victim and what she's wearing or something else arbitrary. I hope that our policymakers will work harder than ever to change the way these violent acts are treated and our media will work harder on changing the ways these violent acts are portrayed in the media.
I can only hope that in the future, nobody will ever have to walk home by a road where cars honk at them, to be verbally harassed in public areas, or to ever experience sexual violence.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Silver Spring Video
This week, I worked with Kirin on our most recent independent film project. This time, we were instructed to film and edit a 90-second video about what it is like living in our community. Kirin and I filmed in Downtown Silver Spring, getting shots of places to shop, people walking, and many people describing what they think Silver Spring is like.
The process was slightly arduous, because Kirin and I had previously filmed another video of the sun rising, but Mr. Mayo wanted us to film a second one. We were only able to film on Saturday evening, and then edit on Sunday. It was really enjoyable but cold filming. I found that approaching people to be interviewed is slightly daunting, and getting them to agree was difficult. Many people didn't want to be on camera, and we actually found a lot of people who were only visiting Silver Spring and didn't feel they could describe it.
All in all, I'n proud of my video and grateful for Kirin's work and I hope you enjoy it!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Food Inc.
Another aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the lifestyle of poverty-stricken families that have to choose less healthy, cheaper fast-food options for their children because of the dollar menu and the money that they make. If it's not possible to afford healthy options, who wouldn't refuse to feed their own children, even if it's constant fast-food?
Another aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the perspective of Maria Andrea Gonzalez, who lost her son to food poisoning from beef from fast-food. Her campaign is inspiring, because of the personal pain involved with losing a child.
I would recommend this documentary for anyone who is either ignorant of where their food comes from or is torn between food options. Although it may be gruesome, it is an ugly truth we have to face in terms of what we eat. This documentary opened my eyes to what really happens to meat used today.
Food Inc., 94 mins., PG.
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Posts (Atom)
Monday, May 20, 2013
Reflection No 3
This last week of editing is lessening and lessening. Last weekend, my group filmed the last portion of our film. The shots filmed were the running montage, and the bathroom scene. Watching the put-together film in after-school editing was truly amazing. Our actors, Allison and David, truly delivered.
What we have to do left is cleaning up the edges. We're 50 seconds over the time we'd like to be, so we need to cut down on some of the longer shots. Also, we need to re-record Mr. Bustillos' radio broadcaster voiceover either on Tuesday or Wednesday. We also need to make sure that with every edit we make, we keep the music and audio lined up.
This week we're concentrating on coming in at every possible moment to finalize and polish our film, which I'm really proud of. I'm coming after school and before school several times this week, as is the rest of my group. Hopefully our work will be worth it and we'll produce a stellar film.
What we have to do left is cleaning up the edges. We're 50 seconds over the time we'd like to be, so we need to cut down on some of the longer shots. Also, we need to re-record Mr. Bustillos' radio broadcaster voiceover either on Tuesday or Wednesday. We also need to make sure that with every edit we make, we keep the music and audio lined up.
This week we're concentrating on coming in at every possible moment to finalize and polish our film, which I'm really proud of. I'm coming after school and before school several times this week, as is the rest of my group. Hopefully our work will be worth it and we'll produce a stellar film.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
1st Reflection
So far, our film is progressing well. We first filmed two Sundays ago in Downtown Silver Spring and on the metro, and the shots we got were clear and god quality. tro was shut down, so we weren't able to film as much as we wanted. While we were filming, the red line on the metro was shut down so we weren't able to film as much as we wanted to.
We were going to film again last weekend, but there were unforeseen problems and one of our actors got sick. Our plan is to film on the 18th. I know it's cutting it close, but it's the only time we're available and we can still get it done in time because of the progress that we made. We've been editing quickly and efficiently and we're working on importing sound now.
My job is director. I helped set up shots, got people in the right spots, and made decisions while editing. I contributed my opinions on which shots to use and what music we should pick.
In the coming week, we need to be as efficient as we have been while editing. We will do what we can without the final scenes, such as adding all sound, adding credits, creating a movie poster, and finely editing what we have so far.
We were going to film again last weekend, but there were unforeseen problems and one of our actors got sick. Our plan is to film on the 18th. I know it's cutting it close, but it's the only time we're available and we can still get it done in time because of the progress that we made. We've been editing quickly and efficiently and we're working on importing sound now.
My job is director. I helped set up shots, got people in the right spots, and made decisions while editing. I contributed my opinions on which shots to use and what music we should pick.
In the coming week, we need to be as efficient as we have been while editing. We will do what we can without the final scenes, such as adding all sound, adding credits, creating a movie poster, and finely editing what we have so far.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Shooting Star
I used to watch Glee a lot, but I haven't been keeping up with the show recently because it's pretty terrible. I did see the episode "Shooting Star", which garnered a lot of criticism.
In the episode, during glee rehearsal, two shots are fired outside of the room and the entire school goes into code red. Next is shown 10 minutes of scared silence broken by whispers and tears. The glee club members hug one another, confess secrets, and fear for the lives of those in the hallways. Heather Morris, who plays the character Brittany, hovers above a toilet in the bathroom crying (some of her acting work). Marley's mother in the cafeteria cries as she can't reach her phone. Tina cries outside the school as she can't reach her fellow glee clubbers.
It turns out that the school was safely evacuated, and Teacher Sue Sylvester takes the blame for the accidental shots done by a down-syndrome cheerleader named Becky.
Critics argued that it was far too soon to have a school shooting, and this has caused a lot of controversy. Although I thought that there was superb acting in the episode, it lacked an ultimate meaning. It built up a suspenseful, horrifying nightmare, but didn't deliver. The presence of a gun isn't the same as a mass shooting. Glee could have reflected the fact the true horror comes from humanity committing acts out of passion by making the shooter be full of rage instead as a framed, foolish mistake.
Glee did give us another look at the fear present in society. It also did make me think again about what my choices would be and what I would say if I had to say goodbye. That is why I think that this episode was valuable and worth a watch (providing you skip the first 10 minutes of regular glee ridiculousness).
Thursday, March 7, 2013
What's holding us back?
I've found it really hard to write these blog posts, because my ideas are always either too short or too unexplainable to write out in a concise post; however, I was searching the interwebs for ideas to write about, when I discovered this page by a guy named Marc. On it, he lists a lot of evocative questions. I'd like to share them here and reflect on them.
What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
...
We are so young, and we have so much time let in our lives. Why do we hold ourselves back from experiencing the richness of life that we have access to now?
There are countless clubs, sports teams, hobbies to take up. We're surrounded by truly amazing people, but we stick to our own pre-set groups. In this area, we can travel to DC and visit museums, watch concerts. We have an education system that we take for granted. Instead of trying to soak up as much as we can in our classes, our main goal is to get trough them and get As.
Why do we stop ourselves from trying new things? Are we so afraid of being judged by our peers? You becha.
Granted, as teens, we're limited in money and transportation. We can't go out and experience everything. But we spend our time at home on facebook.
Why?
There is honestly so much out in the world for us to enjoy. Listen to music! Spend some time in nature! Talk to someone you don't normally do!
We always say that we don't have enough time in the day, but that's not always true. It's 7:00 right now. I don't have any homework. I could get a full night's sleep. I could do something.
Why don't you? Value what you have in your life, and be open to new thins. After all, our teen years are supposed to be the best of our lives.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Rolexes andthe Rape Culture
I read a very interesting post on tumblr yesterday, and it really moved me:
Gentlemen. This is what rape culture is like:
Imagine you have a Rolex watch. Nice fancy Rolex, you bought it because you like the way it looks and you wanted to treat yourself. And then you get beaten and mugged and your Rolex is stolen. So you go to the police. Only, instead of investigating the crime, the police want to know why you were wearing a Rolex instead of a regular watch. Have you ever given a Rolex to anyone else? Is it possible you wanted to be mugged? Why didn’t you wear long sleeves to cover up the Rolex if you didn’t want to be mugged?
And then after that, everywhere you go, there are constant jokes about stealing your Rolex. People you don’t even know whistle at your Rolex and make jokes about cutting your hand off to get it.
The media doesn’t help either; it portrays people who wear Rolexes as flamboyant assholes who secretly just want someone to come along and take that Rolex off their hands, when all you wanted was to wear a nice watch without getting harassed for it. When you complain that you are starting to feel unsafe, people laugh you off and say that you are too uptight. Never mind you got violently attacked for the crime of wearing a friggin time piece.
Imagining all that? It sucks, doesn’t it.
Now imagine you could never take the Rolex off.
This is what the rape culture is like.
This really spoke to me, and I thought that this metaphor was effective; however, I did find it depressing that we need a material metaphor. Female bodies and autonomy need to be compared to material possessions in order to be emphasized as a thing deserving of value and respect to the "privileged" male population.
According to FORCE, a nonprofit website based on upsetting rape culture, rape culture is a society in which people are surrounded by language, images, laws and phenomena that perpetuate ad validate rape. I've witnessed jokes, references on TV, in music, and in advertising that all make violence against women out to be a joke or something normal and acceptable.
I'd like to share an excerpt from the FORCE website:
"Media imagery perpetuates rape by excusing it, validating myths about rape, and/or sexualizing rape. The Stanger Rape myth, for example, is frequently reinforced through Lifetime movies like She Fought Alone, or most episodes of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit. This kind of media perpetuates rape, because it continues the shame and silence that surrounds the majority of survivors who were raped by friends or family; and it allows perpetrators to avoid dealing with their problems, since they do not match the profile of rapists “As Seen On TV.”
Our very laws and lawmakers also contribute to perpetuating the Stranger Rape myth, such as in the controversial “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” that Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced in early 2011. Smith wanted to define rape, for the purposes of their anti-abortion bill, as “forcible rape,” therefore excluding non-consensual sex and statutory rape. The problem here is the continued emphasis on the actions of victims- in this case, dissecting whether they resisted enough- rather than putting energy into preventing rape by changing the behaviors of perpetrators."
I could honestly go on and on about this but I have to get some sleep. I will say that it I disgusting that in this day and age, our country is so inefficient on preventing and treating our rape culture. Women continue to get raped, and so little is done to actually prevent it. The emphasis is put on the victim and what she's wearing or something else arbitrary. I hope that our policymakers will work harder than ever to change the way these violent acts are treated and our media will work harder on changing the ways these violent acts are portrayed in the media.
I can only hope that in the future, nobody will ever have to walk home by a road where cars honk at them, to be verbally harassed in public areas, or to ever experience sexual violence.
Gentlemen. This is what rape culture is like:
Imagine you have a Rolex watch. Nice fancy Rolex, you bought it because you like the way it looks and you wanted to treat yourself. And then you get beaten and mugged and your Rolex is stolen. So you go to the police. Only, instead of investigating the crime, the police want to know why you were wearing a Rolex instead of a regular watch. Have you ever given a Rolex to anyone else? Is it possible you wanted to be mugged? Why didn’t you wear long sleeves to cover up the Rolex if you didn’t want to be mugged?
And then after that, everywhere you go, there are constant jokes about stealing your Rolex. People you don’t even know whistle at your Rolex and make jokes about cutting your hand off to get it.
The media doesn’t help either; it portrays people who wear Rolexes as flamboyant assholes who secretly just want someone to come along and take that Rolex off their hands, when all you wanted was to wear a nice watch without getting harassed for it. When you complain that you are starting to feel unsafe, people laugh you off and say that you are too uptight. Never mind you got violently attacked for the crime of wearing a friggin time piece.
Imagining all that? It sucks, doesn’t it.
Now imagine you could never take the Rolex off.
This is what the rape culture is like.
This really spoke to me, and I thought that this metaphor was effective; however, I did find it depressing that we need a material metaphor. Female bodies and autonomy need to be compared to material possessions in order to be emphasized as a thing deserving of value and respect to the "privileged" male population.
According to FORCE, a nonprofit website based on upsetting rape culture, rape culture is a society in which people are surrounded by language, images, laws and phenomena that perpetuate ad validate rape. I've witnessed jokes, references on TV, in music, and in advertising that all make violence against women out to be a joke or something normal and acceptable.
I'd like to share an excerpt from the FORCE website:
"Media imagery perpetuates rape by excusing it, validating myths about rape, and/or sexualizing rape. The Stanger Rape myth, for example, is frequently reinforced through Lifetime movies like She Fought Alone, or most episodes of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit. This kind of media perpetuates rape, because it continues the shame and silence that surrounds the majority of survivors who were raped by friends or family; and it allows perpetrators to avoid dealing with their problems, since they do not match the profile of rapists “As Seen On TV.”
Our very laws and lawmakers also contribute to perpetuating the Stranger Rape myth, such as in the controversial “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” that Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced in early 2011. Smith wanted to define rape, for the purposes of their anti-abortion bill, as “forcible rape,” therefore excluding non-consensual sex and statutory rape. The problem here is the continued emphasis on the actions of victims- in this case, dissecting whether they resisted enough- rather than putting energy into preventing rape by changing the behaviors of perpetrators."
I could honestly go on and on about this but I have to get some sleep. I will say that it I disgusting that in this day and age, our country is so inefficient on preventing and treating our rape culture. Women continue to get raped, and so little is done to actually prevent it. The emphasis is put on the victim and what she's wearing or something else arbitrary. I hope that our policymakers will work harder than ever to change the way these violent acts are treated and our media will work harder on changing the ways these violent acts are portrayed in the media.
I can only hope that in the future, nobody will ever have to walk home by a road where cars honk at them, to be verbally harassed in public areas, or to ever experience sexual violence.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Silver Spring Video
This week, I worked with Kirin on our most recent independent film project. This time, we were instructed to film and edit a 90-second video about what it is like living in our community. Kirin and I filmed in Downtown Silver Spring, getting shots of places to shop, people walking, and many people describing what they think Silver Spring is like.
The process was slightly arduous, because Kirin and I had previously filmed another video of the sun rising, but Mr. Mayo wanted us to film a second one. We were only able to film on Saturday evening, and then edit on Sunday. It was really enjoyable but cold filming. I found that approaching people to be interviewed is slightly daunting, and getting them to agree was difficult. Many people didn't want to be on camera, and we actually found a lot of people who were only visiting Silver Spring and didn't feel they could describe it.
All in all, I'n proud of my video and grateful for Kirin's work and I hope you enjoy it!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Food Inc.
Another aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the lifestyle of poverty-stricken families that have to choose less healthy, cheaper fast-food options for their children because of the dollar menu and the money that they make. If it's not possible to afford healthy options, who wouldn't refuse to feed their own children, even if it's constant fast-food?
Another aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the perspective of Maria Andrea Gonzalez, who lost her son to food poisoning from beef from fast-food. Her campaign is inspiring, because of the personal pain involved with losing a child.
I would recommend this documentary for anyone who is either ignorant of where their food comes from or is torn between food options. Although it may be gruesome, it is an ugly truth we have to face in terms of what we eat. This documentary opened my eyes to what really happens to meat used today.
Food Inc., 94 mins., PG.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)