What I learned in Writing 150 w/ Sister Elliott

Well, I can definitely say that this class gave me a real perspective of college work.  It wasn't necessarily hard work, but it was the amount of work that an honors class should have.  I enjoyed how much our class got along. I learned so much about rhetoric.  I had no idea there was so much to it!  I had never even heard of logos, pathos, and ethos.  I also learned a lot about research.  In high school, I learned how to do research, but not much about how and when a source is useful.  It was good to learn about research because I applied it in all my other classes.  Overall, I enjoyed this class, and I'm glad that I was able to experience it this semester.

Dark Water Film Analysis

            This film was excellent example of the use of music and sound in films.  To begin with, I don’t like horror films.  They just aren’t my kind of film.  This film, however, intrigued me.  The theme was very interesting.  It was actually kind of neat to see another’s perspective of the afterlife.  The film was a horror film, meaning the purpose was to invoke fear.  The music and sound in this movie excellently contributed that purpose.

            The film used the sound of dripping water a great deal throughout the movie.  This sound was an obvious success.  The presence of water was the indicator that the little girl in the raincoat was near.  It came to the point where any sound of water was horrifying.  The sound of dripping water was always playing when it was otherwise silent.  It started subtly at the beginning of the movie, and as the film progressed, the water dripping became louder and faster to increase the intensity.  The water stains on the ceiling grew larger and larger and the water flowed more and more.  As it got closer to the end of the movie, there was less dripping and more sounds of rushing water.  These sounds wonderfully achieved the goal of giving fear to the viewers.

            The music also appealed to that fear really well.  The film used creepy music anytime the mom caught a glimpse of the little girl.  She appeared randomly throughout the apartment building and the school, and the music always helped to start that creepy feeling.  With all the build-up that the music and sounds created, by the time it actually showed the girl it was scary.  The music was used even subtly to push a scary feeling.  Sometimes it was loud and intense, but mostly it just played in the background to keep that creepy mood throughout the film.

            At the end of the movie, when the mom finally encounters the little girl, the girl says something in a weird scary voice.  This voice alone was a use of sound that, again, accomplished its task.  The short scream was just enough to trigger fear in the audience.  The face of the girl was scary, too, but in reality the noise was really what gave the needed affect.

            Music and sound are two major contributors of feelings in film.  This particular film was invoking fear, and it used sound and music successfully to do so.  The most obvious use of sound was the dripping water.  Whether or not water itself was in the frame, the sound was present.  Music was also a large factor in striking fear.  It was always there.  It was quiet, and it was loud, but regardless, it had the same affect.  The scream was one particular use of sound that worked well.  Again, this film was an obvious selection for exemplifying music and sound in film.

The General and His Wooden Wedding: A Great Works Response to two silent films

            When I sat down to watch these silent films, I was not looking forward to spending my evening watching an old film.  I underestimated how well done old films could be.  I also liked how simple Charlie Chaplin really is.  He is simple but effective.  In The General I specifically enjoyed the music and the simplicity of it.  I think that simplicity was easily a major lesson that I could learn from watching these old films.

            That’s the thing about the silent film.  It was simple.  It was full of funny notions to make people laugh, but it had the romance that people enjoy.  It was filled with full actions so viewers would understand the story without dialogue.  There were no major special effects.  It was merely simple but hilarious.  Charlie Chaplin and the main character in The General were both very funny to watch.  Their faces explained their feelings very well.  That means they would have had to be great actors to effectively explain their emotions on the screen.  Some films are way too much the opposite of a silent film.  If a film is all dialogue and no acting, then it is rendered ineffective and boring to the viewers.  There must always be good acting whether dialogue is there or not.

            Another effective addition to the film was the music that stretched throughout the length of the film.  The music kept the mood.  If it was fast and exciting music, it was a fast and exciting part.  If the music was slow and calm, then the story was slow and calm.  The guy in The General was sometimes sad.  Sometimes he was happy, or scared, or angry, or nervous.  The music never failed to match his mood.  When he was sad, the music was sad, when he was nervous, the music was nerve-racking, and so forth.

            I really enjoyed stretching out of my comfort zone to watch and analyze these two films.  The simple plots with simple acting and simple effects kept the entire thing entertaining.  It reminds us that a movie does not have to be stuffed with effects for it to be any good, but it simply needs to have the basics of a good film with a good story.

Thanksgiving. :)

1.                               My Savior

2.                               Existence

3.                               Knowledge

4.                               Education

5.                               Love

6.                               Truth

7.                               Honor

8.                               Trustworthiness

9.                               Social People

10.                           My Social Skills

11.                           My dad

12.                           My mom

13.                           Shavonne’s love

14.                           Sadie’s cheery attitude

15.                           Alex’s humor

16.                           Suzannah’s smarts

17.                           Stephanie’s love for me

18.                           The Church in my life

19.                           Baptism

20.                           Missionary Work

21.                           The Honor Code

22.                           Modesty

23.                           The Word of Wisdom

24.                           My Calling

25.                           Guidance by the Holy Ghost

26.                           The Priesthood

27.                           Prayer

28.                           My Father in Heaven and His love for me

29.                           The Prophet, Thomas S. Monson

30.                           Joseph Smith

31.                           My ancestors

32.                           My Grandparents for raising my dad

33.                           My Grandparents for raising my mom

34.                           Bob Hall

35.                           Digital Connectors

36.                           Mike Gillenwater

37.                           Nick Hebert’s example to me

38.                           Miles for Merry Miracles

39.                           Luke Gillenwater’s care for people

40.                           My talent in Soccer

41.                           My knowledge and skill with computers and technology

42.                           Film

43.                           My opportunities to work with films and commercials

44.                           Food

45.                           Girls

46.                           My talent with snowboarding

47.                           Nature

48.                           Trees

49.                           Mountains

50.                           My Father’s love and care for me

51.                           My talent with wave running

52.                           My Dating Experiences

53.                           Darwin and Lisa and their family for taking care of me

54.                           Darin and Brandi and their family for welcoming me

55.                           Lex and her kindness to invite me for thanksgiving

56.                           Hyrum, Ryan, and Michael and their patience with me as a kid

57.                           My home to live in

58.                           My parent’s home

59.                           Clothes to wear

60.                           Nice shoes that I love

61.                           Food to eat

62.                           A job to provide for myself

63.                           A bed to sleep in

64.                           Working furnace to keep me warm

65.                           My opportunity to come to BYU

66.                           This laptop I’ve been given to get my work done

67.                           My roommates

68.                           Dale and his example to take care of a family

69.                           Christie and her humility with her family and hard work

70.                           McKenna and her love and joy

71.                           Gus and his willingness to work hard

72.                           Gracie and her love for me

73.                           Kyler and his love for trains and cuteness

74.                           The Bensfields and all that they did for me

75.                           The Graves and their service and examples

76.                           The Speirs and their love and care for their callings

77.                           The Hall family and their love for us

78.                           The opportunity I have to have the temple so close to me

79.                           The Nauvoo temple and all the opportunities I had to go there

80.                           The City of Nauvoo

81.                           The beautiful landscape in Indiana

82.                           The good Christian people that helped raise me

83.                           The internship I had during High School

84.                           Brandon and his sense of humor

85.                           Kie and his joy and happiness to spread

86.                           Virtue

87.                           Coats and warm clothes

88.                           My dad’s job

89.                           My mom’s creativity

90.                           My mom’s lessons

91.                           My mom’s food

92.                           My mom’s ability to sew

93.                           My mom’s touch

94.                           Dry Lightning storms

95.                           Mrs. Berger

96.                           Mr. Tolliver

97.                           Mr. Null

98.                           Ms. O’Neal

99.                           Mrs. Myers

100.                        Mr. Snelling

101.                        My talent to play the piano

102.                        Classic Disney movies

103.                        Other classic movies that Sadie and I enjoy together. J

104.                        Time

105.                        Laughing

106.                        Laughing specifically with Alex

107.                        Hanging out with Stephanie

108.                        P90x

109.                        Harry Potter

110.                        Three Musketeers

111.                        Kiefer Sutherland

112.                        24

113.                        Phineas and Ferb

114.                        Psych

115.                        Flipper

116.                        Inception

117.                        Maps

118.                        Cars

119.                        The Civic

120.                        My Nissan Truck… L I miss it

121.                        Home Teaching

122.                        Home Teachers

123.                        Panda Express

124.                        My Dad’s Theater Room

125.                        Clocks

126.                        Lights

127.                        Scriptures

128.                        The Ensign

129.                        Sight

130.                        Smell

131.                        Hearing

132.                        Taste

133.                        My Voice

134.                        My Health

135.                        My Metabolism

136.                        Feet

137.                        Hands

138.                        Joints

139.                        President Savage

140.                        President Porter

141.                        President Bethany

142.                        Bishop Merrill

143.                        My Hair

144.                        My teeth

145.                        Opportunity to have braces

146.                        Healthy bones

147.                        Water Bottles

148.                        My Eyelashes

149.                        Cologne

150.                        Toothpaste

151.                        Body Wash

152.                        Shampoo

153.                        Deodorant

154.                        Toilet Paper

155.                        Sean Aaron

156.                        My Counselors

157.                        My new Secretary

158.                        Missionaries

159.                        Nathan Bills

160.                        Garett Madril

161.                        Garrett Phipps, Isaac Ostlund, Brent Ledger

162.                        Rachel Hall and her roommates

163.                        How to Train your Dragon

164.                        How to Train your Dragon Soundtrack

165.                        John Powell

166.                        John Williams

167.                        Brian Regan

168.                        Pirates of the Caribbean movies

169.                        Charlie and the Chocolate factory

170.                        Christmas

171.                        The Christmas Season

172.                        Christmas Lights

173.                        Christmas Trees

174.                        Christmas Treats

175.                        Christmas Music

176.                        The Christmas Spirit

177.                        Boy Scouts

178.                        My Family’s example of being successful

179.                        My Eagle Scout award

180.                        Friends

181.                        Steven Spielberg

182.                        Jurassic Park

183.                        Jurassic Park’s Soundtrack

184.                        Jeff Palmer

185.                        The Wigleys

186.                        The Combs

187.                        The Werners

188.                        The Farmers

189.                        Star Wars

190.                        The Lord of the Rings

191.                        Girls who care

192.                        The Ohio River

193.                        Our Boat

194.                        My Dad’s Truck

195.                        My Mom’s Highlander

196.                        Nice Sport Cars

197.                        Soft Carpet

198.                        Basketball

199.                        Wood Floors

200.                        Homemade Food

Film Analyses

Hey guys, sorry if this doesn't interest you, but my TA in my film class suggested I start a blog where I analyze movies to help me get better at it.  I decided I like the idea.  It's fun to write about what you love, and I love movies.  A little more background information?  Well, I want to be a movie director.  So I'm taking this film class as a pre-requisite for my major.  I'm learning so much in that class, and it is just way too much fun.  So I decided to go ahead and use this blog as my analysis blog for films that I watch.  So keep your eyes peeled for my analyses, and if you care to read and comment, that would be great! :)

#13 Issues Paper Update

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been up to date with my posts.  I'm officially caught up in all of my classes now, and I will try harder to do better (story of my life).  Anyway, the issues paper is wonderful.  So far, I have been doing a bunch of research, and I have learned so much!  My paper is on the benefits of social networking, not only socially, but economically and organizationally as well.  Of course there are plenty of cons to social networking, but there are also many pros, so I am excited to write about it.  Any thoughts?

Veil of Tears

This article was neat to read.  We don't typically think about how we affect other cultures.  We don't worry whether or not it is fair to push our culture.  We just think that our culture is best because that's how we live and everybody else should live like that, too.  Right?  Wrong.  What's right for one person, or even an entire culture, may not be right to another person or culture.  Everyone has the right to grow in their own way or at their own pace.  It isn't fair to force our way.  I just found it interesting to think that we do things like that without even realizing it sometimes.  The author did a good job of making me think about the topic from the start.  I think sometimes it's hard to convince people of something when they don't know anything about it.  It's important to be really informant which was well done in this article.  I feel like I learned enough about it to agree with the author.