The Virtual Revolution Episode 1

Something that was very interesting about “The Virtual Revolution Episode 1” was learning about the development of the World Wide Web. I found Tim Berners-Lee to be the most interesting of all.

Often times people take for granted the fact that they can access virtually every inch of the globe through their fingertips. It was humbling to know that Tim Berners-Lee was on a trip to bring the World Wide Web to a town in Ghana. Learning about all the work Burners put into creating the web was shocking only because through this video we find out that he created it for no profit. I admired the fact that Berners created the Web for the people of the world as a means to connect and share ideas. Berners is particularly intriguing in comparison to Bill Gates who saw the opportunity for profit and capitalized from the advantages of the internet.

Another thing I enjoyed about this video was seeing just how old social media is as a whole. I had no idea that The Well even existed until this video. What I found fascinating about this was the fact that it was driven to creation through Libertarianism. Stewart Brand was able to give a small percentage of people a world where they could talk and relate to each other much like Facebook today. Brand created a space where people could be themselves while logged into The Well. What I enjoyed about this part of the video the most is that it created “an anything goes attitude” which would then result in a world where freedom can prosper in every aspect.

Frith Analysis

1.Surface Meaning- There is a woman standing in front of a grayish wall and she's wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans. 2.Advertiser's Intended Meaning- The advertiser's intended meaning is that the clothes are made from organic materials which is stated in the paragraph under "THIS IS ECO." he clothes are safe for the environment and it's intended buyers. 3.Cultural Meaning By advertising these organic clothing on black model, it helps focus more on the natural beauty of the clothing. The woman in the picture appears to b wearing little to no make up and has short unprocessed hair which helps accent her natural or organic beauty. The simplicity of the natural beauty also mirrors the simplicity and elegance of the clothing which lets intended buyers know that natural and organic can be and is just as beauty as synthetic beauty.The woman standing straightforward puts her in control and demands attention from those looking at the picture. She has a slight smile on her face that suggest that she is happy and comfortable in her naturalness of her skin and her clothing.

A reponse to The Persuaders

What I first found interesting about persuaders was the process Song Airlines went through as an attempt to market themselves in a memorable way. Before watching this documentary I had no idea what process a company had to go through in order to become a memorable brand. What stuck with me the most was what Andy Spade had to say about “Shaping a New Brand.”   I did not know much about Andy Spade and wondered why Delta Airlines would put so much faith in Spade with turning their secondary company  Song Airlines into a brand name. I was really drawn to his approach about making Song everything.  Spade worked to create an intimate and comfortable flight experience for the Song customers. In this documentary Spade came up with ideas that would set Song apart from its competitors.  He came up with ideas for commercials that made people ask questions about what was being sold. In one commercial there were people of all ages happily running through a lush green field. There was even a dog running through the field as well. Watching this commercial made me feel as though Song airlines is accepting of all people including house pets because that understand that pets are part of the family as well.               
   Song Airlines 1st commercial: Song Airlines 1st commercial: http://youtu.be/Hlc1GdczeXA

I read further into Spade’s Interview where he was asked “What is the brand experience of Song?”  Spade answered, “You can’t say it; you have to demonstrate it. When we speak with Song, when we have our conversations, we never want to be too boastful or overpromise what it is. I think over time the people who fly will tell us whether it worked or not…” I like that Spade worked to make the Song experience all about the customer. I also like that he didn’t want to make the brand “too boastful or overpromise what it is.” He let the customers shape and form what Song is; an airline for the people, by the people.
"Shaping a New Brand" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/etc/shaping.html

Animation notes

Here is a link that has some really great notes on animation that I have found very useful while taking this class. Because I struggle a bit with listening while I take notes, I have found that this mimics the lecture pretty well and came to be very useful. http://minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/anim_contents.html

Graphic novel strengths and weaknesses

I believe the strength of my novel is the narrative. I really worked hard to create a narrative that would convey strong emotions to the reader. although I used a poem for the narrative I believe I was able to incorporate it in a way that flowed naturally throughout the novel. I also think that the primitive like drawings helped ad the the story line as well because they seem appropriate for a time that was difficult yet simple through the eyes of the narrator. The weaknesses of the novel I believe is the fact that I could have possibly added more details to the drawings in some places, but I like the simplicity of the drawings.

Graphic novel progress.

I've really been enjoying working on my graphic novel, especially because this is the first time I've ever done a project like this. The most difficult thing for me was trying to find a variety of panel styles to use so that the pages don't come across as boring and takes away from the story line. I was able to find a few styles that I like and incorporated them in to the novel.I am very pleased with how things are turning out. One thng I would have done differently was started a little earlier with production. I also would have drew more during the semester so that I would have felt more comfortable with my drawings. This is definitely something I am interested in keeping up and perusing.

The Influences of Graphic Novels

Something that really stuck out to me in Seymour Chwast's adaptation of Chaucer's 'The Canterbury tales" is the drawings. The simplicity of the drawings really apealed to me.

I really like how the images are all hand drawn from the characters to the panels. Thisis really influential on my novel because I am drawing everyhting by hand. It is nice to see how Chwast utilized the page space. This is very helpful because I can see the various ways the panels are used and drawn to give me more ideas as to how I would layout my novel. Something else that's really appealing is the fact that it is all done in black and white. I am able to see how Chwast used shading to his advantage and it will help me figure out what I want to do and what items should be shaded and to what degree of shading. In the Graphic Novel V For Vendetta I was more or less drawn to the amount of detail that was included in the drawings. Although my novel will be in black and white, I like how the details in this novel will be just as good if they were to be in black and white. I was more interested in the composition of characters in the panels because I have panels that will include multiple characters and seeing how I could place them next to each other in various ways really helps with the drawing process.

I am also interested in the panel usage and the variety of panels that are being used throughout this novel. Because I have some panels that will show close ups of characters, I was really interested in the page above and how much detail was included in a close up. Seeing this paneling style will also help aid me in my novel because I won't get stuck using a repetitive paneling sequence that could take away from the story. I'm actually glad I chose to read these two novels because they have proven to be not only great reads, but very beneficial to my drawing style and paneling style.