Transsexual Images by Loren Cameron

I was able to attend this presentation on April 4th,2012. It was very new to me. Loren Rex Cameron is a photographer known for his pictures of transsexual people during their gender transition. This performance was about his own transformation and stories of others as well. As he showed each image you could tell it hit a special place in his art. I think that every person is able to express themselves in their own way. For this newly transformed male this was his way of letting go.

It was very interesting for me to attend. The topic of transgender is not always an easy one to talk about. I could tell as he was speaking about each photograph that it takes a lot of guts to be able to stand in front of an audience and speak about something so personal. Loren Cameron also mentioned that it was difficult to ask transgender people to photograph nude. He has written a book titled Body Alchemy. The book that includes the pictures he has taken is titled Cameron and has two volumes with the theme body modification.

The visual literacy impact is through photography. When someone sees a picture of a transgender person in a picture it is much different then your typical viewing of art. I think that photographs of the process, and the person before and after help to give you a visual image of what it takes for them to be happy. The presentation included a majority of nude images, but helped me to understand as someone who does not know much of anything about the long process of being a transgender person. I am glad that I attended this presentation.

Here is an image that Loren Cameron has taken:
warning some of the images may be offensive. Here is a site where you may view some on your own if you so choose. http://www.lorencameron.com/

Final View on Visual Literacy

Honestly, this class started slow for me. Then as it progressed I found that I was more and more intrigued. The more subjects that we covered and the more videos I watched things changed constantly. I really enjoyed watching the TED videos. They really make you think. Here is a link to watch some of the videos recently posted. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL454A0274C1223C90&feature=plcp

When I watch movies or play video games I sometimes think way more about why the creator made the images the way he did. It makes me wonder how much of a thinking process is actually put into the creation to make it visually aesthetic. We had a presentation on video games and how they represent women and we also had a presentation where we brought in images that we thought were objectifying women in ads of a magazine. This activity also increased my awareness of how visual literacy is applied in my lives.

The media is a large portion of society's thoughts.Here is an example of what was shown during class.

 Here is an example of what may have been brought up in class.

After seeing these images my mind was blown. Visual Literacy is more then just a word. I believe I stated this in my first ever blog. Now I know what could be considered under this label. It turned out to be so much more then I thought it would be. 

Wasteland Movie Review

Explain if you think the directors ethnic,professional, or cultural background payed a part in this movie?
Vik Muniz is Brazilian and an artist. He uses waste to make art and this film incorporates this so I do think that his background had an effect on the filming of this movie.

The artist travels to Rio. I think this is amazing. He used the visual of the trash and transformed it into art in his eyes.He uses recyclable materials and forms at. This is a wonderful way to demonstrate recycling by using visuals in the world.

The typical person would see the trash pile and only see trash. Instead he saw something with potential. He wants to make an impact on the pickers by using art. There was a nice excerpt on www.imdb.com. It went like this.

"Vik recalls an event when he was very poor and lived in Brazil. He tried to break up a fight between two men, and he was shot when he was walking to his car. Later the shooter gave him some money that allowed Vik to travel to USA. Vik and his friend Fábio spend two years in Jardim Gramacho and get closer to a group of pickers of recyclable materials and takes pictures of them. He uses his talent to make art using recyclable material and photographs the results. Then he travels to London and sells one of the portraits in an auction with the money, the pickers buy a truck, equipment and build a learning center and a library. The pickers that worked with him learn how to improve their lives and leave Jardim Gramacho"

Crash movie Review

What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie? Support your answer with examples.

• It feels as if the director wants you  to value your life. After watching this movie only once I remember now why I never watched it again. The lesson is good, but hard to watch. After all the events where people almost die and some actually do. It is very depressing to think that we only find out who we are when the situation actually happens to us. We can say one thing, but when it becomes realistic see who our true selves are.

If applicable , discuss if you think this movie has accurate depictions of minorities or if they are situational? Why or why not?

• The views on minorities sadly are pretty accurate. It seems most places I go that there is some racist view. However the years have improved. When applying for jobs, now there are specific places that will mention that all people are welcome and discrimination is unacceptable. Unlike the scene in the movie where the man complains about his lock not being fixed. The black man tries to inform him that his door needs fixed not just his lock and the Persian man thinks he is trying to rip him off.

Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?
What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?

• I do not think the directors background played a role, but I do think he made observations  in the real world and applied them to this movie. He has been around for a while therefore seen the good and the bad in people. We all have one time or another I am sure. There were so many racist remarks in this movie. Some of the remarks were comments on being called Arab when they were Persian, the term "nigga" being loosely used, and white people was also quite common throughout this movie.  

What the movie added to your visual literacy?What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

• One of the visual literacy parts of the movie that stuck out to me was the dad and the Persian man who owned the store. The Persian man had ventured to his house planning on killing him, but the daughter interjected. Earlier in the movie the dad was using his hands to imagine a fairy;s cloak being placed on the daughter. She remembered this and wanted to let her daddy use the cloak because it would protect him. As the young girl ran towards her dad who had just been shot at I could picture visually what they cloak she was trying to share may have looked like. It was a very emotional and touching part of the movie.
• here is the scene I am talking about
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxBw8RB1H54&feature=related

ad council

To start with here are a few wonderful videos that Magda Galloway shared in our Visual literacy class

seat belts are important and this ad proves it

a father shares some time with his daughter

On the website www.values.com:

• you can create your own values billboard
• take a screen capture
• command-shift-4 will screen capture on macs

Here is an example of mine

Wag the Dog

I just want everyone to know that before viewing this movie I was thinking of a dog wagging its tail and it started out with a quote that went directly with what I was thinking!Why does the dog wag its tail? because the dog is smarter then the tail. If the tail were smarter it would wag the dog. Also because I read the words and pictured a dog it could be a form of visual literacy.Happy reading!

What do you feel the director is trying to express in this movie?

I noticed that authority played a big part in this movie. It almost stood out to me. I am thinking that the director wanted the give the audience a challenge. As soon as I read this I was like how is that even possible? and why would he want to start a movie with this quote, but then I got to thinking hey maybe he wanted me to question his thinking.

Explain of you think the director's ethnic background played a role in directing this film.

Well as I stated Barry does question his viewers in other films just like he did in this one. He usually takes things that are fact and wants to question them. This is just from reading other articles on movies that he has directed.After doing some research I found that Rain Man also has this effect. Tom Cruise finds out he is lied to  and that he has an older brother with mental issues.

Which groups nationality race and color may be offended by this movie?

This is a difficult question to answer.Voters in general may be offended. I do not think that any particular race would take offense to this film.

What did the movie add to my visual literacy?

With all the visuals within this movie and quotes given you would think that they would have applied the technology to editing of this film. I took from this a new view on voting. The visuals throughout the film, made me think about voters that can not always think about voting for themselves.

Video Games and Visual Literacy

PC games- are played on regular home computers
Examples:

• Monkey Island
• Dragonage
• Mass Effect
• 2000 every 2 yrs to stay current

Console games-playstation sony xbox

• hardware can be flexed
• only invest every 5-10 yrs

Casual and app style gaming-played on most phones, portable devices, internet browsers.
Example:

• Angry Birds

First video game-Tennis for two 1958
William Higinbotham
A computer was able to calculate the trajectories of ballistic missiles

Are video games art? not according to Robert Ebert
Reasons why they could be in other peoples eyes: you can beat it, people work hard to make the games, it is well designed, not all video games has blood

Reasons they may not be in his eyes: they are not in principle, he thinks they resembles chicken scratch,good art and bad art you can tell

In some video games you are given the option to be good or bad.Is this morally wrong?

Honestly the choice is left to the gamer and all gamers will have their own opinion of what is morally wrong and morally right

What about women in video games ? Has the image of women improved?

This is the oldest version of Laura Croft's image in her video game

and this is the most recent

It seems that the image has slightly improved, but i still notice that her chest is quite large. In this image howeer the player may be more distracted by the dirt on her body then the size of her chest. What do you think?

all images taken from google

morals and visuals

Morals and visuals

-Talks about why it is important to discuss morality in visual media

-Morality vs. ethics good and bad

-Theories

What are the relationships between ethics, morals and visuals in the media according to you?

-ethics usually display what we think are good and bad

-morals are also what we think that may be good and bad. People usually set morals for themselves whereas an ethic might be what the world thinks is right and wrong

-visuals usually include the bad and the good within the media. Some examples are maybe that perfect guy in your life, falling in love and it being perfect.

In the book it states: the most basic dispositions of humans to our desires,emotions,intellect,actions, and the earths ecology.

Wilson (1990)

Are pictures used to do something to you?

I think they are. When viewing a young girl crying or a baby do we not feel sad or think it is cute? If we watch a couple get happily married, do we not picture our perfect wedding and hope for the same thing? I think pictures can effect our emotions without us being aware.

Can manners promote good morals?

-I would say that they might have good ethics, because they have codes of conduct that people follow, but I would not consider them good morals. Anyone can be polite and look you in the eyes and shake your hand, but it takes more to actually see the person beneath.

Ethics: explicit framework supported by the morals of a community/group. Includes statements of how to live/act.

www.theethicsguy.com

ethics and you quiz

Can you see morality in visual media?

-we can identify visuals good or bad by assessing our reactions to the content and purpose of visuals.

How do we know how we ought to be?

Disney movies can have racial tension too?!

-The Lion King

• hyenas 
• voiced by black and hispanic people
• represented as being stupid

-The Jungle Book

• the monkey and Mowgli
• In this movie Mowgli is learning from the monkey. The monkey also stuffs a banana in the kids mouth during part of the movie. This can be simular to the scene in Uncle Tom's cabin where they throw nuts at the black person. 

-Cars 2

• Lewis the car in Cars 2 has a gap in the front of his mouth. This is a very stereotypical attribute.

-The Princess and the Frog

• set in New Orleans
• first black princess
• Mulan and Jasmine represent different ethnicities  

Some negative things that Disney princesses teach:

I would have never though to view Disney in a negative way, but after hearing this presentation I realize how some of these films can come across.

Thank You for Smoking (2005)


According to imdb.com this is a satirical comedy that follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve year old son.

What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie? Support your answer with examples. It it interesting the view on smoking that is included in this film. I was very surprised of the fathers final decision in this movie, but I do not want to spoil this. The father in the end does not decide to say no and the son is expected to grow up in that lifestyle.
If applicable , discuss if you think this movie has accurate depictions of minorities or if they are situational? Why or why not? To me, there were not very many depictions of minorities. It is possible that I missed it. There were some African american actors and actresses in this film, but I did not catch anything that stood out to me.
Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?
What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?  I think that not necessarily culture, but maybe people who already smoke might be offended by this film. The people referring to themselves as the Merchants of Death and this is unusual to me. Also the young son wanting to see what his dad does is very controversial. It seems all he wants to do is support this bad habit for money. In one scene he states let's bring the sex back into cigarettes. Also parents watching the movie may be shocked at Nick's decision to promote cigarettes and get sucked into the economy.
What the movie added to your visual literacy? This movie made it more obvious to me when someone was smoking. I am not a smoker and try to avoid being around them. After seeing the different actors and actual smokers you begin to observe the hand motions when someone is holding one and actually has a history of smoking. Seeing someone smoke can also influence people to buy cigarettes.
What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention? They used billboards and different forms of advertisement throughout the movie.

Here is a video clip that I found on youtube.

Visuals and Verbals etc. Class Presentation

visuals: are considered things that can be seen or visible things other then printed words.
verbals: elements can be things linked to both hearing and sight.

verbal types:
written include words, text in all forms printed or projected
Spoken include verbal elements and spoken language in audible form and visible forms of test that are animated or metamorphosed.

Beauchamp and Braden's model

-slide plus tape model
-slides are visuals,tape provided for sound
-audio-visual perspective

Sometimes watching a movie without the sounds can show how important inflection is when speaking or just reading the subtitles. Dynamic verbals may not make sense to you if you do not know the language.

The roles of Visuals in text: to attract or motivate the viewer, the explain or show that which is difficult to describe with words, visual is meant to be memorable.

Visual Literacy in LYHS class

Hello!

Well here I am once again ready to list off some visual literacy examples in our everyday life. Lately I have been viewing movies and observing signs to see if they remind me of anything in particular. One of the visual examples that was brought up in class is the typical McDonald's fast food sign. She put up just this image and asked us if just by looking at it if we knew what the sign meant. Of course immediately all of the students knew what it meant. When I see this logo it makes me crave a hamburger which is an adequate example of how visual literacy can affect what you see and think. Commercials for food also use visual literacy to make you want to eat their food. Images of a delicious taco or a juicy burger always tempt the senses.

Another example that was brought up in class is traffic signs. She showed us a few clip art images of a yield sign, a stop sign and a deer crossing sign. Just like before all of the students knew what they meant. It seems that visual literacy have more of an effect on our lives then we would think and the more I observe the more I notice. I mean look here I was sitting in class and my Leisure Youth and Human Services teacher connects visual literacy with n effective way to communicate. How interesting!

picture taken from google images

Helvetica reflection

This blog is focused on the movie Helvetica produced by Gary Hustwit. The picture was taken from deviantart.com by phillyfresh

What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie? Support your answer with examples.

I like how he explained the different type phases. He said some people think that when they write the word dog it should bark. What a unique way of thinking about a font. While I type papers or look around the world I did not realize how much this font is used to promote advertisements. Thinking of a word actually presenting an action is not something I would have thought about.
I think the producer is trying to convey that typographers are often looked down upon, but their talents are actually quite valuable.

Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

I do think the director knew when producing this film that it might promote the creativity of typographers from Sweden. Although I do not feel like this was his only reason for producing this movie. It seems he wants the world to be more aware of the various fonts that are displayed and who goes through the trouble to create them to have just the right curve or angle.

What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?

It is possible that people who are not Swedish might be offended by this film. I can see why it was named this, but when people other then the Swiss want to use it they may not like the fact that it was named by the people who created it.

What the movie added to your visual literacy?

This movie made me think a lot more about the fonts that are all around the world. Most of it is displayed in stores, although there are ads in magazines that show the text as expressive. It was also interesting to notice that in the fifties they were more apt to use fancy cursive writing. The man speaking shows a Coke ad with a glass of ice cold Coke where they use Helvetica and the point is made to "drink Coke"

What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

By using Helvetica you make your text appear clean and efficient. Jonathan Hoefler says that the color invites and sends an open invitation. He believes that Helvetica reveals everything.
Honestly before viewing this film I would most likely just pick a font, because of the fun design or creative font. Now I almost wonder if when using these "fun" fonts such as Apple Chancery on a Mac and comic sans on a Mac or windows if I am overdoing it.


I think the producer is trying to convey that typographers are often looked down upon, but their talents are actually quite valuable.

Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

I do think the director knew when producing this film that it might promote the creativity of typographers from Sweden. Although I do not feel like this was his only reason for producing this movie. It seems he wants the world to be more aware of the various fonts that are displayed and who goes through the trouble to create them to have just the right curve or angle.

What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?


It is possible that people who are not Swedish might be offended by this film. I can see why it was named this, but when people other then the Swiss want to use it they may not like the fact that it was named by the people who created it.
What the movie added to your visual literacy?

This movie made me think a lot more about the fonts that are all around the world. Most of it is displayed in stores, although there are ads in magazines that show the text as expressive. It was also interesting to notice that in the fifties they were more apt to use fancy cursive writing. The man speaking shows a Coke ad with a glass of ice cold Coke where they use Helvetica and the point is made to "drink Coke"

What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

By using Helvetica you make your text appear clean and efficient. Jonathan Hoefler says that the color invites and sends an open invitation. He believes that Helvetica reveals everything.


Honestly before viewing this film I would most likely just pick a font, because of the fun design or creative font. Now I almost wonder if when using these "fun" fonts such as Apple Chancery on a Mac and comic sans on a Mac or windows if I am overdoing it.

Killing us Softly

I found her views on how advertisement effects us very interesting. Most people never stop to think about how it has influenced them. The ideal advertising woman is always flawless. This is something even myself I have found to be sucked into. I look at ads in the magazines or old photographs of myself and wonder why my body type is not like the women in the pictures. I would say that advertising does still objectify womens bodies. A main example that I can think of if Victorias Secret. I have shopped there for a while now and seen how things have changed. They have a brand called “Pink” and it normally gets the younger generation of womens attention. There are older women who purchase this, but when I am in the store I have noticed mothers and their daughters looking for spandex pants or pink undergarments. This is something I would hope to never see in my daughters mind. With weight control I would say this is an issue with men and women. When observing magazine ads and also commercials men and women seem to be shown as always having muscular bodies. With women especially in the weight loss commercials they are shown in just the right outfit. Sometimes I wonder if a fashion consultant comes and provides a special outfit so that they may appear thinner. Sexuality is still a problem as well. I feel like as a woman in this world you are expected to be that sexy image that magazines such as Sports Illustrated or Maxim provide for men. I also think it is hard for men to realize this because this is what the mens magazines publish. You will not see an overweight woman posing for Maxim or another mens magazine. Throughout my time period I have not seen male violence used to sell products, but it is very possible I just have not been to mainstream lately. I will look in the occasional womens clothing magazine but it is not often that I look at it and think wow that women is being looked down upon by men. I think that men sometimes do think that they need to live up to the image that women want to see. A lot of it depends on the woman as well. She may watch a movie or see a man in a magazine and mention something to her spouse or boyfriend. This might make him think he needs to improve his image. The worlds image of men and women does constantly change, but it seems that the sexual view of women might never change. A modest women just does not fit the “ideal”description of a woman and this is sad.

Movies!!

So I was trying to think of some more visual examples in my life and one that stuck out like a sore thumb is movies! When I was younger my brother and I loved to sneak off to go watch a movie in our rooms or with the family. Now a days you can watch a movie in the theater in more ways then one. For example, there is an old way I remember watching 3d movies. I owned a Yogi Bear vhs that came with those cardboard glasses that had one eye blue and the other red. This was like the best thing ever when I was young. If you go to a 3d movie now I almost seem disappointed as the glasses are nothing, but black plastic. Also while watching the movie instead of the whole thing being in 3d it seems there are only certain portions that you can enjoy that 3d effect. To me this is an example of visual literacy changing throughout my lifetime. I am sure it will change again too.

Another thing I have noticed is childrens movies. Disney used to be the old cartoon effect when the movies were produced. If you watch a Disney movie now it has much improved. The picture is not near as pixaly and the colors seem much brighter. It seems that childrens movies have moved towards the animation that is used in Finding Nemo and Tangled. It is a growing new fad and the kids love it. Most of them are also produced on dvd. I think I could just stick to my old vhs movies that need to be "rewound" :)

picture taken from:

www.flickr.com

Visual Literacy Examples

The very first post should be related to Visual Symblos in My Life: Describe how visual symbols affect your life on a daily basis. Make sure to include some visual examples. At the end of the course you will answer the above questions again, and you will reflect on how will an increased knowledge of Visual Literacy help you to create, understand, classify, and appreciate visuals.

While going through everyday life I do notice that certain symbols let me know where something might be located. It is just more common then I thought. For example, most bathrooms will have a typical picture of a stick figure girl or boy and this is how we know where to go to the bathroom. Also when watching a commercial we may recognize the company by their iconic subject. Geico is a great example in my eyes. If I am watching the television and the gecko typically confused with Geico is on the t.v I automatically know that, that commercial is for insurance. Another common figure used to promote insurance is Flo for Progressive. She is very quirky and funny and when I see her in a television ad I know that she is promoting insurance. Because I remember that she is the figure for Progressive and the gecko is for Geico I am already showing examples of how visual symbols affect my life.

never really took the time to think about how many visual symbols I see daily. Think about a hospital or an area where you give blood they almost always have the red cross to symbolize a health center. If you are driving in a car a red light symbolizes that you need to stop. Throughout life if you just take the time to observe you may notice more visuals symbols then you did before.

Can you think of any other visual symbols?

pictures provided by: www.google.com/images

Cheaper ways to buy College books!

image from google.com/images

Hello!

Well I am a fellow college student and I was thinking it would be a good thing to share some of my secrets to cheaper books for college. Every term you have that one teacher that will ask you to buy over one hundred dollars worth of books.While ringing up books my junior year at the bookstore I decided I would find a way to get them cheaper. You have the option to buy your books at your local college bookstore or you can order them online! How about that? Most colleges give you free internet, take advantage of this students! Most of the time all you need is a debit or credit card. Here are some nice sites that most students use.

cheap books

textbooks

amazon.com

half.com

Just a few to get you started! Hope these help you! Also be sure to read the sellers profile. This can help you to determine if the seller is reliable or not when purchasing an item.

Digital Imaging and More

Hello Bloggers!

It has been a while. Since the last time I was on here I have taken Digital Imaging. This was quite the learning experience. It was my first time using a mac. Something I found very fun was making a comic with comiclife. You can download it for free at this site if you own a mac. Just click on the link. comiclife I would have to say the most entertaining assignment I was given was the production of a digital story. We were allowed to pick any subject as long as we told a story. There were many examples given throughout the class. The subject that I choose was bullying. I was able to interview two of my friends. It was very heartwarming and also sad to hear some of the stories that my friends shared with me. I knew that it would hit me hard, but I never expected to cry. I will post my video and some of the videos that were used for examples. Here are also a few things that my instructor gave me that might be of assistance to you. just click on the link and it will take you where you need to go. This is something that can be used in the classroom for lesson plans or just to get to know your students. I would recommend incorporating a digital story at least once in your teaching experience.

Here is an example of a really well done digital story.

92 yr. old tap dancer

and last but not least here is the digital story I was able to create. Enjoy!

Bullying it Happens to Everyone