Dark Days

The documentary “Dark Days” was a great documentary that made its thesis very clear to me from the very beginning. I didn’t know much about homeless people, but this video did a very good job showing the struggles that the homeless go through. The video is shot around the lives of four main homeless people and basically gives them a chance to tell their story. I think it is safe to say that their own stories are the narrative for the entire documentary. It starts off by each homeless person telling how they got down there and the reasons were never good. The bulk of the story is just the homeless people surviving. They just went from day to day doing different stuff to make money or fix up their homes until they were finally able to move out.

The documentary had many characters, but they were all built up in different ways. The main way was through their own stories which they told themselves which were all filled with emotion. It was clear that the bad decisions they made in their pasts is what caused them to end up underground and speaking it aloud usually came with solemn looks and tears. For me, this shows the characters as not only homeless, but people who are striving to survive in the world like all the rest of us. I think that juxtaposing their current living situation with their past mistakes really establishes a good pathos and evokes sympathy from the viewer.

Overall, this documentary had way more shots than the other two we watched combined. I could understand many of the shot selections like the shots of the different homes from the inside then seeing what it looks like outside. This leaves you with the impression of how they got their homes to look as well as the do. There were also shots of the tunnels to show the filth that they constantly live in, but then would contrast it with a shot of them living comfortably in their homes. This concept was furthered by the constant shots of rats and trash, but that wouldn’t affect them because they were used to the rats and they used the trash to make a profit. However, not all shots made sense to me. For example, the shot of where they took dumps and how they cleaned it out. The shot was eye opening but it was very unnecessary. To me, it didn’t serve a purpose past showing how nasty homeless people can be. Another example is when Brian was taking a shower. It was just another unneeded shot because we were already told that they didn’t have running water in the beginning. Most of the shots did make since and further the point of the documentary.

Between the documentaries we watched I think this one got its point across the best. They all had characters that had something to overcome, but this one was most relatable because we will meet more homeless people in our lives than the world’s largest record collectors or NBA draft picks.  

Proposal Ideas

My ideas are how Facebook keeps you in touch with your friends, how people use facebook to procrastinate, or how people don't protect their facebook.

Remix Video

Video Games

I do not know whether video games could ever be considered as art, but I most definitely do think that games tell a better story than oral stories, literature, and films. I have been playing video games since I was younger and I still do now. Though video games have evolved over time, they all revolve around a main character that has some obstacle to overcome.  This is where the story for a video game comes in and the ideas of the creators are conveyed to the gamers.

When I was younger, I played simple video games with basic story lines that were easy to understand. No matter how many times I played the same game, I would experience the same joy as when I first played it. The depth of the story never really mattered because I was just glad to play the game. As I grew up, the type of games I played changed as well. Now, the most vital thing I look for in a game is how entertaining I think the story will be. For example, take Grand Theft Auto IV.  The main character is Niko Bellic and he is a fresh off the boat immigrant that wants a new life in Liberty City.  This is what Niko says at first but as you play the game and the story develops you find out that what he really came to America for was revenge. His life in Liberty City and all his adventures, whether he was helping or killing someone, is the story that the gamer must unfold and there is no dull moment in between. The game is so complex, that depending on what actions you take the story will take a different path and every play through will be different.  Another great example is the God of War games. These games by far are my favorite because they connect me with a world of Greek mythologies that I would have never known.

In God of War, the main character is Kratos and he is a servant or slave, depending on which side of his wrath you find yourself on, to the Gods of Olympus. In each of the games Kratos is faced with task set upon him by the Gods usually delivered to him by Athena. He is always reluctant to do what they ask but always ends up swallowing his pride. He hopes that they will hold up their end of the deal and forgive him for murdering his family, but after repeatedly not getting what he works for he turns on the Gods of Olympus and does what he wants after becoming the new God of War. This angers all the Gods of Olympus and causes Zeus to interfere. He tricks Kratos into becoming mortal again and kills him all in the beginning of the second game! The rest of the series is Kratos’s attempt to get back at the Gods of Olympus and ultimately killing them all for their lies. Though these games are very violent they do have a very entertaining storyline behind them that should be experienced.

For me, video games have provided me with the best stories I’ve ever experienced. They are more entertaining than any piece of artwork or book I have read. They keep you interacted at every point and with the games today every time you play through the story you will experince something new everytime. I would for sure pick a video game story above any other any day of week.

Music Tracks

The first song I'm choosing is "This Thing of Ours" by Maybach Music Group because it has a mellow beat that will complement the tone of my speech. My second song is "2.0 Boys" by Eminem because it is more upbeat and will keep the audience more intrigued with my speech.

Snapshots

This is the first image that is shown in the song. It lets the viewer know that Nas dedicated this song to his daughter.

This is when Nas's daughter looks up to see her smiling parents. You can tell Nas is the more excited of the two.

 

 

As his daughter is learning to walk, Nas is there with his hands out to catch her and is very happy when she makes it to him.

 

This scene is from his daughter's third birthday and her innocence in the scene is being contrasted by Nas's lyrics about her during her awful phase.

This scene shows Nas out with his daughter while he flirts with some random woman. He accounts this with why his daughter is so attracted to gangstas because her dad was one.

  In this scene, Nas's daughter is coloring while he is in the booth making music The distance between them in this shot represents them actually growing apart.

Even though he is arguing with his wife in this scene, he is able to put all his anger aside and go to his daughter when she needs him.

His daughter is older now and the scene suggests that their relationship has changed. She can only see her father now through tv which explains her later actions.

Since Nas isn't really there, she continues doing bad things with the bad boys she's attracted to. The climax is when she and her friends get pulled over.

 Nas has to have a talk with his daughter so they can reconnect. Throught the lyrics he lets her know that he only does what he does because he wants the best for her.













In the final scene, Nas is waving goodbye to her as she leaves for greater things. When she looks in the window she smiles as she remembers everything her dad had ever done for her.

Music Video Analysis

Most of the music videos I watch usually do not have very much substance and focus mainly on the benefits of being rich and flaunting it. However, the artist Nas always has very meaningful lyrics and the music video for his song “Daughters” brought the song to life.

The video is mostly shot from the first person view of Nas’s daughter through the many stages of her life. Other pictures also flash during the video that complement the lyrics as they play in the background. The video starts off with his daughter crying when she is born and then she is in a crib as her parents stand over her. They look happy as all parents do when they have a new baby, but Nas, as the father, is the most ecstatic. Next, she is a baby learning how to walk and she is stumbling towards Nas and he smiles as he catches her. The rap begins at this point and his lyrics are basically about the bad stuff that his daughter does and how he thought she was raised to be different. He starts with how mad he was that his daughter was talking to a boy that was in prison, but calms down when he remembers how he never hid how he really was in front of her so he could not blame her. Nas knows that he has been away on stage for most of her life and has not always treated the women in his life with the utmost respect, but that is just how he is. Even though she may want a bad boy, Nas knows how they are and how they because he was one himself, especially of who he is now and how famous he has become. The scene in the back is of her third birthday and it contrasts her innocent nature then to her bad boy crazy ways now as portrayed through his lyrics. His daughter is now 17 and Nas states how he has a problem with her, probably the “awful phase” he mentions at the beginning of the song.  As she continues to do bad things, Nas reflects on how he thought he was being a good dad by being her friend and not too strict on her, but does not understanding what is going through her mind when she does bad things. In the end, his daughter is caught drinking and smoking by the police in a car driven by some bad boys she knows. This is where Nas finally fathers up and sits down to talk to his daughter. He says he is not trying to ruin her life, but she is his daughter and he ultimately only wants the best for her.

I really like this video because it has a good message behind it to all men who have daughters. I myself do not have any kids right now, but I plan to one day. Nas made it really easy to sympathize with his feelings about his daughter through his lyrics and brought the rhymes to life with the video which is why I thought this was a great video.

TIB Rough Draft

Growing up, I remember always asking my mom all sorts of questions all beginning with “Can I go” then insert whatever lie I had to tell her so I could go do bad things with my friends, and her answer which was always the same “No”. At one point, I got the courage to finally ask her why she would never let me do anything with my friends. She just looked me in my eyesand told me she knows that I was lying and what I really was going to do. That day she told me that I was too different from everyone else to be doing the same stupid things so I had to hurry up and become more responsible. Ever since then, I have tried to be responsible in all aspects of my online life, especially when I am on Facebook.

With so much information readily available on the web, you don't want your personal info apart of that group.  The one site in the world that knows the most about me is my Facebook page. For me, Facebook is like a gateway to an all access world of my friend’s day to day lives, but it can only protect me if I lock the gate after myself.  It has my photo, my hometown, and my date of birth, basically everything short of my social security number on it. With all of that personal stuff on the internet, I believe that to be truly responsible, I have to protect it from anyone who would try and misuse it.

However, I did not always think like this. When I first got online, the last question I could have answered was how secure was my profile. It had got so serious that my sisters had to pull me aside and tell me to quit putting my business online for the whole world to see. But me being young and stupid, I did not even bother to listen to what they told me. I just went about my business and enjoyed my Facebook thinking that nothing bad could ever happen.

Unfortunately, the next day my profile was hacked and I didn't know what was going wrong. I decided to leave it alone till the following day and by then the hacker had destroyed my page. The next day, I was told that my profile was hacked because there were a lot of pictures of bad things on there and nasty comments that were left. It took me awhile to get my profile back and when I did, I finally saw how irresponsible I had been.

Even after that incident, I can still be found on Facebook from time to time, but in a more responsible manner. Now I keep all of my info more secured with the enhanced privacy settings so that only my friends or certain people can see what I'm doing. Hopefully, I can transfer some of those responsibility skills to my actual life.   

TIB I Didn't Like

The "Books at All Costs" speech is the one that I find myself having nothing to relate to. I myself prefer not to read books in my free time, but Kristin Kelly the author worships books like they are her personal saviour. I have no personal problem against those who like and read books, but Kelly has forced me to hate book lovers, or at least if you do to the same extent she was talking about. Her opening statement is that she advocates buying really expensive books. I have problems with reading books given to me so I find it completely outlandish to pay heavily for one. To me it just is not worth it, but to Kelly she would spend all she had on a book. She even preferred to own many paperbacks over just one ebook. I only had to read the first line and I was already doubting if I would finish the rest of it.

The rest of the essay is basically the same shameful behavior. The personal account she told is when she left her house one night to go buy a $300 book. I could not believe what I was reading. At this point I was really thinking that this lady is delusional and wanted to stop, but I went on anyway. Kelly goes on to compare books to slices of heaven and how she will love to pass them on to her kids. If I just really had to purchase books, I would have just gotten an ebook and called it a day. I really did not like this speech though it did make sense since her over the top love for books is why I did not like Kelly's speech.

TIB Everyone Deserves Respect

The This I Believe speech I chose was by Vint Cerf. He is man from McLean, Virginia and he is credited as the “Father of the Internet”, but that is not why I was interested in his speech. The main focus of his speech is that everyone, no matter who they are, deserves your utmost respect. Cerf begins his speech with a personal story about his acquaintance with an unusual limo driver he once had. Cerf was feeling sorry for his driver because he thought he was just an older man that could not retire and had to keep working, but he turned to be the direct opposite. He was a retired CFO of some corporation and he became a chauffeur so that he could talk to different people and stay in touch with the modern world.  He even gave Cerf some advice that prompted him to write this speech.

He used this advice to branch out and connect with new people just by simply talking to them. He found that if he was simply patient and gave people the time of day, they would be glad to allow him to see into their lives and share their experiences. When he speaks on disagreeing with some of the people he meets, his point really resonated with me. Cerf states that “respect doesn’t mean we have to agree, but we should disagree in a civil fashion” and that just blew me away.  When reading that statement, I can just imagine all the times I disagreed with someone and was nowhere near polite; then remembering a later argument that went one thousand times better simply because I had learned that lesson of respect. Employing that idea in every argument made life easier because the argument would never get out of hand and tempers would never flare out of control. I, like Cerf, believe that it is impossible that you can show someone earnest respect and not receive the same back.

Cerf talks about how some people think that the internet dehumanizes us, but truly how it’s just another way to communicate. If you are arguing with someone through the web, just get on the phone so no one gets the wrong meaning of what was said.