Thursday 9 February 2012
Leni Riefenstahl.
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (German pronunciation: [ˈʁiːfənʃtaːl]; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will), a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party. Riefenstahl's prominence in the Third Reich along with her personal friendship with Adolf Hitler thwarted her film career following Germany's defeat in World War II, after which she was arrested but released without any charges.
Bricolage: The 2 Bears - Church
The video for The 2 Bears track Church utilises clips from the Care Bears cartoons. The Care Bears were a 1980s phenomenon, particularly popular with young girls. The 2 Bears are a London-based musical duo formed in 2009 composed of Joe Goddard (of electronic band Hot Chip) and Raf Rundell. The duo produces original material amalgamating various styles including 2-step, house, hip-hop and soul and also host a radio show on Ministry of Sound Radio entitled "Follow the Bears".
The Bears – Raf Rundell and Joe Goddard – first began crossing paths in DJ Booths. Straight Outta Brompton (well, Putney) Joe spends his time away from The 2 Bears as a producer, remixer, solo-artist and one fifth of an obscure outfit called Hot Chip; fellow Sarf Londoner Raf divides his time between club promotion, DJ outings as Greco-Roman Soundsystem, radio show hosting and artiste management.The pairs DJ booth banter, soon led to a shared enthusiasm for house music and vague plans for a musical collaboration. Raf’s existence at the music industry coal face and first hand experience of the business’ financial travails, would make Sade’s When Am I Going To Make A Living a suitably irreverent subject for their first musical foray. So began several months of hanging out, making music ‘for the fun of it’ and ‘portamental’ arguments about obscure synths, that would wind up forming the 'Follow The Bears EP'.
Characterised by the hitherto untapped vocal stylings of Raf himself (Joe: ‘I didn’t know Raf could actually sing!’), the Bears have already received radio support from Annie Mac, Rob da Bank, Giles Peterson and Toddla T, drawn towards The 2 Bears 21st Century take on house, disco and everything in between.
Source: http://www.southernfriedrecords.com/artists/the-2-bears/
Postmodern theories and texts.
Notes
- Apply Genette to my Inglourious Basterds Essay.
- Then read pages 13-17 and apply Baudrillard and Lyotard to Inglourious Basterds. These theorists will be very helpful when answering my essay question.
Inglourious Basterds Essay Question Task.
- In what ways can Inglourious Basterds be considered postmodern? (2000 words)
- Refer to notes made in class and research you have conducted.
- Essay is due first lesson back after half term.
Postmodern Film Presentation Task.
The next task is to choose a film, watch it and then make a presentation on the postmodern aspects of the film. You need to focus on the postmodern elements in your film. Choose three or four scenes to illustrate your points. Find clips on Youtube if possible or just add the trailer so we can see what the film is like. Use the post immediately below this one to help with terminology. Apply theory as often as possible.
In order to complete this task, I have chosen Donnie Darko (2001).
Deadline: Second week back after half term.
Inglourious Basterds - Chapter 4 - Operation Kino.
Analysing 'Inglorious Basterds' tavern scene
For Lights, Camera . . . , we ask a craftsperson to talk about a specific scene in his or her latest film. This week, Sally Menke,Sally Menke, film editor on " Inglourious Basterds," talks about the shootout scene in the basement tavern.
Quentin Tarantino told the multiple stories of "Inglourious Basterds" in five distinct chapters, and we knew from the script stage the film would hinge around the set-piece in the tavern La Louisianne. The daunting task of putting a 25-page dialogue sequence, spoken almost entirely in German, in the middle of the film, weighed heavily on everyone's minds, and it all had to come together in the cutting room. Just mentioning the name La Louisianne created tension among the crew, but we needed that tension to transcend to the audienceIn La Louisianne, the Basterds meet their German movie star contact, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) for the first time, and they must all pretend to be old friends by posing as Nazi officers. Much to the Basterds' surprise, they not only find Bridget in the dangerously cramped tavern, they find the basement bar filled with drunken, celebrating Nazis, one of whom happens to be enamored with the German movie star and continually pesters their table. The tension in the group runs high as we watch the real Nazis begin to question the origin of the British Archie Hicox's (Michael Fassbender) strange accent, and we hold our breath.
La Louisianne required detailed attention to character development as well as numerous story points, all the while using the device of language to create tension. Quentin and I felt it was essential to have the characters not simply drive the scene toward a plot point, but to be fully nuanced characters, while continually building the tension that would culminate in an explosive gun battle that kills all but one. We knew the gunfight would work all the better if we could carefully manipulate and build the tension through a give and take of emotions, playing a cat-and-mouse game with our characters -- and our audience.
Our editorial intentions had to be completely clear in how we wanted the audience to feel at any specific moment in the scene -- the Basterds are screwed, wait, no, they're OK, oh, no they aren't, this Nazi knows, he's on to them, no, no, they are OK -- until Hicox makes the fatal error that unequivocally gives them all away as impostors. Every line had a layer of tension, and we needed to play their reactions to the lines as much as the lines themselves to build it properly. Every beat counted. Every second someone delayed their response gave the audience a chance to think, "Did they figure it out? Do they know?"
We obsessively controlled every moment so that in contrast, when the climactic gun battle finally does erupt, it explodes in the loudest, craziest and most shocking way possible. But again, while doing this, we always had to return to the human element -- our character development. Hicox gets a bit of a tear in his eye when he realizes he will live no longer, and if we have done our jobs correctly, so will our audience.
Another challenge was to seamlessly integrate a lot of key information for upcoming plot points without them feeling perfunctory, heavy-handed or pedantic. For example, we needed to show a close-up of Bridget's shoes so there was no doubt in the audience's mind who it belonged to later on when Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) discovers the shoe while inspecting the aftermath in the bar. We can't draw attention to the shoe in a way that says, "We're showing you a close-up of a foot," but we do need to make enough of a point of it so the audience knows it's Bridget's -- instantly. The solution was to use the shoe as character introduction, to show the style and glamour of this movie star/double agent whom we, the audience and our characters, meet for the first timeThe tavern music was another way we developed a character. The music at first works environmentally and emotionally in the scene but then functions to locate a yet-to-be-seen, off-screen character, the Gestapo Maj. Hellstrom, who, when revealed, we see has clearly been controlling the music selections. We also now know that without a doubt Hellstrom had been listening to the Basterds' conversation the entire time, and we now use the absence of that same music when Hellstrom purposefully removes the needle from the record player to show that he has taken control of the scene. The Basterds, and our audience, are now in Hellstrom's hands.
The last issue we had to contend with was the length. A nearly 25-minute dialogue scene that starts 69 minutes into the film can be a potential challenge for audiences, as most scenes by this point play considerably shorter. But it was our belief that if we could hold the scene's tension, we could not only develop character and attend to the story but actually stop the scene to allow Hellstrom to play his King Kong card game, a story in and of itself, which cinematically alludes to another oppressed group, the slaves in America. I could go on about many other layers that needed our attention, but, unfortunately, in this situation I am not the editor with final cut and must end the piece here.
For Lights, Camera . . . , we ask a craftsperson to talk about a specific scene in his or her latest film. This week, Sally Menke,Sally Menke, film editor on " Inglourious Basterds," talks about the shootout scene in the basement tavern.
Quentin Tarantino told the multiple stories of "Inglourious Basterds" in five distinct chapters, and we knew from the script stage the film would hinge around the set-piece in the tavern La Louisianne. The daunting task of putting a 25-page dialogue sequence, spoken almost entirely in German, in the middle of the film, weighed heavily on everyone's minds, and it all had to come together in the cutting room. Just mentioning the name La Louisianne created tension among the crew, but we needed that tension to transcend to the audienceIn La Louisianne, the Basterds meet their German movie star contact, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) for the first time, and they must all pretend to be old friends by posing as Nazi officers. Much to the Basterds' surprise, they not only find Bridget in the dangerously cramped tavern, they find the basement bar filled with drunken, celebrating Nazis, one of whom happens to be enamored with the German movie star and continually pesters their table. The tension in the group runs high as we watch the real Nazis begin to question the origin of the British Archie Hicox's (Michael Fassbender) strange accent, and we hold our breath.
La Louisianne required detailed attention to character development as well as numerous story points, all the while using the device of language to create tension. Quentin and I felt it was essential to have the characters not simply drive the scene toward a plot point, but to be fully nuanced characters, while continually building the tension that would culminate in an explosive gun battle that kills all but one. We knew the gunfight would work all the better if we could carefully manipulate and build the tension through a give and take of emotions, playing a cat-and-mouse game with our characters -- and our audience.
Our editorial intentions had to be completely clear in how we wanted the audience to feel at any specific moment in the scene -- the Basterds are screwed, wait, no, they're OK, oh, no they aren't, this Nazi knows, he's on to them, no, no, they are OK -- until Hicox makes the fatal error that unequivocally gives them all away as impostors. Every line had a layer of tension, and we needed to play their reactions to the lines as much as the lines themselves to build it properly. Every beat counted. Every second someone delayed their response gave the audience a chance to think, "Did they figure it out? Do they know?"
We obsessively controlled every moment so that in contrast, when the climactic gun battle finally does erupt, it explodes in the loudest, craziest and most shocking way possible. But again, while doing this, we always had to return to the human element -- our character development. Hicox gets a bit of a tear in his eye when he realizes he will live no longer, and if we have done our jobs correctly, so will our audience.
Another challenge was to seamlessly integrate a lot of key information for upcoming plot points without them feeling perfunctory, heavy-handed or pedantic. For example, we needed to show a close-up of Bridget's shoes so there was no doubt in the audience's mind who it belonged to later on when Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) discovers the shoe while inspecting the aftermath in the bar. We can't draw attention to the shoe in a way that says, "We're showing you a close-up of a foot," but we do need to make enough of a point of it so the audience knows it's Bridget's -- instantly. The solution was to use the shoe as character introduction, to show the style and glamour of this movie star/double agent whom we, the audience and our characters, meet for the first timeThe tavern music was another way we developed a character. The music at first works environmentally and emotionally in the scene but then functions to locate a yet-to-be-seen, off-screen character, the Gestapo Maj. Hellstrom, who, when revealed, we see has clearly been controlling the music selections. We also now know that without a doubt Hellstrom had been listening to the Basterds' conversation the entire time, and we now use the absence of that same music when Hellstrom purposefully removes the needle from the record player to show that he has taken control of the scene. The Basterds, and our audience, are now in Hellstrom's hands.
The last issue we had to contend with was the length. A nearly 25-minute dialogue scene that starts 69 minutes into the film can be a potential challenge for audiences, as most scenes by this point play considerably shorter. But it was our belief that if we could hold the scene's tension, we could not only develop character and attend to the story but actually stop the scene to allow Hellstrom to play his King Kong card game, a story in and of itself, which cinematically alludes to another oppressed group, the slaves in America. I could go on about many other layers that needed our attention, but, unfortunately, in this situation I am not the editor with final cut and must end the piece here.
Inglourious Basterds Soundtrack (2009)
Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds: Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's motion picture Inglourious Basterds. It was originally released on August 18, 2009. The soundtrack uses a variety of music genres, including spaghetti western soundtrack excerpts, R&B and the David Bowie song "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)".[6] This is the first soundtrack for a Quentin Tarantino film not to feature dialogue excerpts. The french "The Man with the Big Sombrero" was recorded for the movie. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, but lost to Slumdog Millionaire (soundtrack).
- "The Green Leaves of Summer" - Nick Perito & His Orchestra
- "The Verdict (La Condanna)" - Ennio Morricone (mislabled "Dopo la condanna")
- "White Lightning (Main Title)" - Charles Bernstein (Originally in White Lightning)
- "Slaughter" - Billy Preston (Originally in Slaughter)
- "The Surrender (La resa)" - Ennio Morricone
- "One Silver Dollar (Un Dollaro Bucato)" - Gianni Ferrio
- "Davon geht die Welt nicht unter" - Zarah Leander
- "The Man with the Big Sombrero" - Samantha Shelton & Michael Andrew
- "Ich wollt' ich wär ein Huhn" - Lilian Harvey & Willy Fritsch
- "Main Theme from Dark of the Sun" - Jacques Loussier
- "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" - David Bowie (Originally in Cat People)
- "Tiger Tank" - Lalo Schifrin (Originally in Kelly's Heroes)
- "Un Amico" - Ennio Morricone (Originally in Revolver)
- "Rabbia e Tarantella" - Ennio Morricone
- "L'incontro Con La Figlia" - Ennio Morricone
- "Il Mercenario (ripresa)" - Ennio Morricone
- "Algiers November 1, 1954" - Ennio Morricone & Gillo Pontecorvo / The Battle of Algiers
- "Hound Chase (intro)" - Charles Bernstein
- "The Saloon (from Al Di Là Della Legge)" - Riz Ortolani
- "Bath Attack" - Charles Bernstein
- "Claire's First Appearance" - Jacques Loussier
- "The Fight" - Jacques Loussier
- "Mystic and Severe" - Ennio Morricone
- "The Devil's Rumble" - Davie Allan & The Arrows
- "What'd I Say " - Rare Earth
- "Zulus" - Elmer Bernstein
- "Eastern Condors" - Ting Yat Chung
- "3 Thoughts" - Einstürzende Neubauten (In the beginning of the trailer)
- "Comin' Home" - Murder by Death (trailer)
Are We Living In a Postmodern World?
We frequently hear it said that ‘we are living in a postmodern world.’ Are we? How do we know? And how is postmodernism as a theoretical perspective applicable to Media Studies?
Where do we start? How about some definitions? George Ritzer (1996) suggested that postmodernism usually refers to a cultural movement – postmodernist cultural products such as architecture, art, music, films, TV, adverts etc.
Ritzer also suggested that postmodern culture is signified by the following:
• The breakdown of the distinction between high culture and mass culture. Think: drama about Dame Margot Fonteyn, a famous prima ballerina, on BBC4.
• The breakdown of barriers between genres and styles. Think: Shaun of the Dead a rom-com-zom.
• Mixing up of time, space and narrative. Think Pulp Fiction or The Mighty Boosh.
• Emphasis on style rather than content. Think: Girls Aloud.
• The blurring of the distinction between representation and reality. Think, Katie Price or Celebrity Big Brother.
The French theorist Baudrillard argues that contemporary society increasingly reflects the media; that the surface image becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from the reality. Think about all the times you have heard an actor on a soap-opera say, that when they are out and about, people refer to them by their character’s name. Look at The Sun’s website and search stories on Nicholas Hoult when he was in Skins: he is predominantly written about as though he is ‘Tony’, his character in Skins.
Key terms
Among all the theoretical writing on postmodernism (and you might like to look up George Ritzer, Jean Baudrillard, Jean-Francois Lyotard, Frederic Jameson and Dominic Strinati), there are a few key terms that you’ll find it useful to know. These terms can form the basis of analysis when looking at a text from a postmodern perspective:
• intertextuality – one media text referring to another
• parody – mocking something in an original way
• pastiche – a stylistic mask, a form of self-conscious imitation
• homage – imitation from a respectful standpoint
• bricolage – mixing up and using different genres and styles
• simulacra – simulations or copies that are replacing ‘real’ artefacts
• hyperreality – a situation where images cease to be rooted in reality
• fragmentation – used frequently to describe most aspects of society, often in relation to identity
This article first appeared in MediaMagazine 32, April 2010.
Where do we start? How about some definitions? George Ritzer (1996) suggested that postmodernism usually refers to a cultural movement – postmodernist cultural products such as architecture, art, music, films, TV, adverts etc.
Ritzer also suggested that postmodern culture is signified by the following:
• The breakdown of the distinction between high culture and mass culture. Think: drama about Dame Margot Fonteyn, a famous prima ballerina, on BBC4.
• The breakdown of barriers between genres and styles. Think: Shaun of the Dead a rom-com-zom.
• Mixing up of time, space and narrative. Think Pulp Fiction or The Mighty Boosh.
• Emphasis on style rather than content. Think: Girls Aloud.
• The blurring of the distinction between representation and reality. Think, Katie Price or Celebrity Big Brother.
The French theorist Baudrillard argues that contemporary society increasingly reflects the media; that the surface image becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from the reality. Think about all the times you have heard an actor on a soap-opera say, that when they are out and about, people refer to them by their character’s name. Look at The Sun’s website and search stories on Nicholas Hoult when he was in Skins: he is predominantly written about as though he is ‘Tony’, his character in Skins.
Key terms
Among all the theoretical writing on postmodernism (and you might like to look up George Ritzer, Jean Baudrillard, Jean-Francois Lyotard, Frederic Jameson and Dominic Strinati), there are a few key terms that you’ll find it useful to know. These terms can form the basis of analysis when looking at a text from a postmodern perspective:
• intertextuality – one media text referring to another
• parody – mocking something in an original way
• pastiche – a stylistic mask, a form of self-conscious imitation
• homage – imitation from a respectful standpoint
• bricolage – mixing up and using different genres and styles
• simulacra – simulations or copies that are replacing ‘real’ artefacts
• hyperreality – a situation where images cease to be rooted in reality
• fragmentation – used frequently to describe most aspects of society, often in relation to identity
This article first appeared in MediaMagazine 32, April 2010.
Wednesday 8 February 2012
What could be in G325 exam.
What is creativity? (G325 questions on production work)
Taken from Media Magazine blog.
One of the possible areas you could be asked about in the exam is creativity. The projects you have undertaken will hopefully have felt like an opportunity to display your creativity, but you will need the chance to discuss what you understand by creativity and what it might mean to be creative.
The assignment options at AS and A2 all offer constraints for your work, whether it be making pages for a music magazine, the opening of a film or the packaging for an album; one of the reasons why you aren't offered total free choice is because people often find that working within constraints gives them something to exercise their creativity, whereas total freedom can sometimes make it really difficult to know where to start. It's why genre can be interesting- how has something been created which fits with certain structures and rules but plays around with them to give us something a little bit different?
The word 'creative' has many meanings- the most democratic meaning would really suggest that any act of making something (even making an idea) might be seen as a creative act. In more elitist versions of the term, it is reserved for those who are seen as highly skilled or original (famous artists, musicians, film-makers etc). an interesting third alternative is to think about how creativity can be an unconscious, random or collaborative act that becomes more than the sum of its parts.
A great shared site for creative random art with some effort is on Flickr with the shared CD meme pool. This is a game where you create a CD cover for an imaginary band and upload it to Flickr; the trick is you have to create it from 'found' materials, again following a set of rules.
1. Generate a name for your band by using WikiPedia's random page selector tool, and using the first article title on whichever page pops up. No matter how weird or lame that band name sounds.
2. Generate an album title by cutting and pasting the last four words of the final quote on whichever page appears when you click on the quotationpages's random quote selector tool. No matter what those four words turn out to be.
3. Finally, visit Flickr's Most Interesting page -- a random selection of some of the interesting things discovered on Flickr within the last 7 days -- and download the third picture on that page. (Even better: Click on this link to get a Flickr photo that's licensed under Creative Commons) Again -- no cheating! You must use the photo, no matter how you feel about it.
4. Using Photoshop (or whatever method you prefer), put all of these elements together and create your very own CD cover, then upload it to the CD memepool.
My version:
Margarita Rosa de Francisco
Milk's Leap Toward Immortality
Ideas and theories to help you.
"A process needed for problem solving...not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people" (Jone 1993)
"The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" (Bentley 1997)
"Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain, and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation." (Csikszentmihalyi 1996)
"There is no absolute judgement [on creativity] All judgements are comparisons of one thing with another." (Donald Larning)
Link to 'Pete's Blog'
Taken from Media Magazine blog.
One of the possible areas you could be asked about in the exam is creativity. The projects you have undertaken will hopefully have felt like an opportunity to display your creativity, but you will need the chance to discuss what you understand by creativity and what it might mean to be creative.
The assignment options at AS and A2 all offer constraints for your work, whether it be making pages for a music magazine, the opening of a film or the packaging for an album; one of the reasons why you aren't offered total free choice is because people often find that working within constraints gives them something to exercise their creativity, whereas total freedom can sometimes make it really difficult to know where to start. It's why genre can be interesting- how has something been created which fits with certain structures and rules but plays around with them to give us something a little bit different?
The word 'creative' has many meanings- the most democratic meaning would really suggest that any act of making something (even making an idea) might be seen as a creative act. In more elitist versions of the term, it is reserved for those who are seen as highly skilled or original (famous artists, musicians, film-makers etc). an interesting third alternative is to think about how creativity can be an unconscious, random or collaborative act that becomes more than the sum of its parts.
A great shared site for creative random art with some effort is on Flickr with the shared CD meme pool. This is a game where you create a CD cover for an imaginary band and upload it to Flickr; the trick is you have to create it from 'found' materials, again following a set of rules.
1. Generate a name for your band by using WikiPedia's random page selector tool, and using the first article title on whichever page pops up. No matter how weird or lame that band name sounds.
2. Generate an album title by cutting and pasting the last four words of the final quote on whichever page appears when you click on the quotationpages's random quote selector tool. No matter what those four words turn out to be.
3. Finally, visit Flickr's Most Interesting page -- a random selection of some of the interesting things discovered on Flickr within the last 7 days -- and download the third picture on that page. (Even better: Click on this link to get a Flickr photo that's licensed under Creative Commons) Again -- no cheating! You must use the photo, no matter how you feel about it.
4. Using Photoshop (or whatever method you prefer), put all of these elements together and create your very own CD cover, then upload it to the CD memepool.
My version:
Margarita Rosa de Francisco
Milk's Leap Toward Immortality
"A process needed for problem solving...not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people" (Jone 1993)
"The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" (Bentley 1997)
"Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain, and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation." (Csikszentmihalyi 1996)
"There is no absolute judgement [on creativity] All judgements are comparisons of one thing with another." (Donald Larning)
Link to 'Pete's Blog'
An Example Of Creativity - OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine Version
Rube Goldberg
Task:
- Read the background information on Rube Goldberg.
- Watch OK Go's music video for 'This Too Shall Pass'(The Rube Goldberg Version)
- How do Rube Goldberg's ideas fit in with what you have learnt about creativity? To what extent are they demonstrating creativity?
- Which theories could be applied to Goldberg's ideas? Explain why.
- Which theories conflict with his ideas? Explain why.
From what I have learnt about creativity, I can say that I believe Rube Goldberg's work would be classed as creative to an extent. I believe that through his ideas and drawings of machines and contraptions, Rube's creativity can be appreciated although he did not create the contraptions after he drew them so this could possibly be taken as a sign that he was not creative with his work. His ideas fit into what I have learnt about creativity in some ways as in order to design and think of everyday objects and how they would piece together shows creativity through engineering. In argument to this, you could say that Rube only put together objects in his mind and the objects he thought of when designing were all ready in existence so in a way he is not creating anything new in his head except for a temporary structure that has no purpose after it has finished moving.
"The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" (Bentley 1997) is a theory that could be applied to Goldberg's ideas. I think that this theory applies to Rube's ideas as he clearly thinks of random everyday objects i.e. 'the old', and re-arranges those objects to make something 'new' and of a different purpose, even though it may be completely bizarre. The idea of a contraption that sometimes had a purpose, i.e. napkin folder, could also definetly be classed as something 'new' as Rube was inventing new machines to carry out 'new' tasks, even though it would probably be an easier task without the machine in this case.
Another theory that could be applied to Goldberg's ideas could be "There is no absolute judgement (on creativity). All judgements are comparisons of one thing with another" (Donald Laming) as I feel that the theory works in Rube's favour. I think that from reading this theory, you can understand that although Rube's work may seem pointless, comparing it to other creative ideas shows you that his ideas are really extraordinary and you cannot judge something alone and only against other things to truly tell whether or not something is ingenious or not. The fact that Rube's ideas are regularly reproduced today in popular culture shows that his ideas are still received positively in today's society and therefore have a positive judgement of them from society as they have definitely stood the test of time.
"A project that is too well planned lacks opportunities for spontaneity and creativity". I believe that this theory works against Goldberg's ideas about contraptions. Although Rube's ideas were thought out and drawn beforehand, the fact that he didn't later create the contraptions shows that he did include spontaneity when he drew them, as he had no idea about the science of whether or not his mechanisms would actually work until someone else tried them out. There was no intention for him either to create his mechanisms which could be proof that his childish and creative mind just made him design these machines for the sake of drawing them.
Another theory that would conflict with Rube's ideas would be "The creating of bringing something new into existence -"this is particular understanding of creativity involves the physical making of something, leading to some form of communication, expression or revelation." (David Gauntlett). This is a clear disagreement with Rube's ideas as he never made his contraptions and for this theory to be truthful, he would've needed to create and produce his machines after designing them. Although Goldberg didn't put in the 'physical making' of something, he still brought something new into existence with his ideas and illustrations. He gave others the urge to create them and by designing them he showed his creative talents and sorted through the obvious.
Creativity Theories Explained.
"The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" (Bentley 1997)
I believe that this theory means that by 're arraging' and using the 'old' as inspiration, we create 'new' things. I agree with this theory to some extent as I believe that Bently is almost defining creativity and I believe that we are influenced by old things or things around us to create new things but I don't agree with the fact that he all most states that new things can only be created as copies of old things.
"The creating of bringing something new into existence -"this is particular understanding of creativity involves the physical making of something, leading to some form of communication, expression or revelation." (David Gauntlett)
After reading this quote, I believe that Gauntlett is saying that by having creativity, you are able to create something new and empose it upon the world. I believe he also says that in order to do this, you need to use your phisical skills to bring something into the world as well as communication skills to show it to people and express why you have created something. I agree with this quote as I believe that nothing creative should end at an idea otherwise if you do not take the time to create the thing you invision, you cannot share it with the world and explain your vision to the rest of us.
"Media producers can learn nothing from studying the conventions of old texts"
I definetly disagree with this quote as I believe that nothing can be completely origional to begin with and by studying other texts and other media works, producers of media can gather ideas and evolve their own vision through the eye of others. I also think that by studying older texts, we can adapt to the ideas we created in previous years and create something inventive and new to show to the world which is the whole point of media production isnt it?
"There is no absolute judgement (on creativity). All judgements are comparisons of one thing with another" (Donald Laming)
I do agree with this quote by Laming as I think that to judge someone's creativity and ideas as good or bad is impossible as it would be someone elses opinion of an opinion. I do think however that we can judge someone's ability to produce something creative by comparing the production of their work to other media pieces.
"Technology has taken all the creativity out of media production"
I completely disagree with this quote and think that in every way, technology has elevated media production. I think that in this day and age, with the use of photoshop and other ediing software, you have to have a technical ability to use the programs however you also have to have a creative streak otherwise the media product you are working on may as well not be produced.
"A project that is too well planned lacks opportunities for spontaneity and creativity"
I agree and disagree with this quote as I feel that if an idea is planned in advance, it doesn't mean that it is not a creative idea as someone thought of it and has decided to put it into action - its a creative idea. However, I do also agree with the fact that if a creative idea is too well planned then the oppertunity for spontaneuity is greatly dicreased and I feel that unless an idea is evolved and changed throghout research, planning and development of a media piece then it cannot turn out to be the best it can be.
"A process needed for problem solving...not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people" (Jones 1993)
I agree with this theory to some extent as I think that most people have some sort of creative streak as to have ideas about things and 'create', then you need to be creative. However, I do disagree with this theory in the way that I think a few selected people have more creativiy than others and as a result of this are praised in their work that requires a lot of this skill. For example, not everybody can write both the melody and lyrics for a new Lady Gaga pop single.
"Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation" (Csikszentmihalyi 1996)
I think that this theory explains that in order to create something and be creative, there needs to be outside ideas and influence from a culture, a creative person who can take an idea and create a vision in their head from that culture, and finally an expert e.g. the viewing public, to give their views on the media product created and therefore the idea is recognized as a successful creation. I agree with this theory completely.
"If creativity is not inherent in human mental powers and is, in fact, social and situational, then technological developments may well be linked to advances in the creativity of individual users" (Banaji, Burn and Buckingham, 2006)
I can understand from this quote that the theorist understands that there are many people and not just a selected few who believe they are creative however, he gives an explanation to this that technology is the reason for this. I do agree with this theory as I think that in this age of technology, it is not hard for someone who is not born creative to learn a skill that can be seen as creative. For example, if someone is not born talented to paint a detailed portrait of someone, they can discover hat they are creative through photography and take a photograph of that person that may become seen as beautiful. Similarly, if a person cannot paint or take amazing photographs, they can learn the technical skills required to edit the photograph on a computer software which could bee seen as a creative skill.
Two theories I agree with:
Two theories I disagree with:
I believe that this theory means that by 're arraging' and using the 'old' as inspiration, we create 'new' things. I agree with this theory to some extent as I believe that Bently is almost defining creativity and I believe that we are influenced by old things or things around us to create new things but I don't agree with the fact that he all most states that new things can only be created as copies of old things.
"The creating of bringing something new into existence -"this is particular understanding of creativity involves the physical making of something, leading to some form of communication, expression or revelation." (David Gauntlett)
After reading this quote, I believe that Gauntlett is saying that by having creativity, you are able to create something new and empose it upon the world. I believe he also says that in order to do this, you need to use your phisical skills to bring something into the world as well as communication skills to show it to people and express why you have created something. I agree with this quote as I believe that nothing creative should end at an idea otherwise if you do not take the time to create the thing you invision, you cannot share it with the world and explain your vision to the rest of us.
"Media producers can learn nothing from studying the conventions of old texts"
I definetly disagree with this quote as I believe that nothing can be completely origional to begin with and by studying other texts and other media works, producers of media can gather ideas and evolve their own vision through the eye of others. I also think that by studying older texts, we can adapt to the ideas we created in previous years and create something inventive and new to show to the world which is the whole point of media production isnt it?
"There is no absolute judgement (on creativity). All judgements are comparisons of one thing with another" (Donald Laming)
I do agree with this quote by Laming as I think that to judge someone's creativity and ideas as good or bad is impossible as it would be someone elses opinion of an opinion. I do think however that we can judge someone's ability to produce something creative by comparing the production of their work to other media pieces.
"Technology has taken all the creativity out of media production"
I completely disagree with this quote and think that in every way, technology has elevated media production. I think that in this day and age, with the use of photoshop and other ediing software, you have to have a technical ability to use the programs however you also have to have a creative streak otherwise the media product you are working on may as well not be produced.
"A project that is too well planned lacks opportunities for spontaneity and creativity"
I agree and disagree with this quote as I feel that if an idea is planned in advance, it doesn't mean that it is not a creative idea as someone thought of it and has decided to put it into action - its a creative idea. However, I do also agree with the fact that if a creative idea is too well planned then the oppertunity for spontaneuity is greatly dicreased and I feel that unless an idea is evolved and changed throghout research, planning and development of a media piece then it cannot turn out to be the best it can be.
"A process needed for problem solving...not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people" (Jones 1993)
I agree with this theory to some extent as I think that most people have some sort of creative streak as to have ideas about things and 'create', then you need to be creative. However, I do disagree with this theory in the way that I think a few selected people have more creativiy than others and as a result of this are praised in their work that requires a lot of this skill. For example, not everybody can write both the melody and lyrics for a new Lady Gaga pop single.
"Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation" (Csikszentmihalyi 1996)
I think that this theory explains that in order to create something and be creative, there needs to be outside ideas and influence from a culture, a creative person who can take an idea and create a vision in their head from that culture, and finally an expert e.g. the viewing public, to give their views on the media product created and therefore the idea is recognized as a successful creation. I agree with this theory completely.
"If creativity is not inherent in human mental powers and is, in fact, social and situational, then technological developments may well be linked to advances in the creativity of individual users" (Banaji, Burn and Buckingham, 2006)
I can understand from this quote that the theorist understands that there are many people and not just a selected few who believe they are creative however, he gives an explanation to this that technology is the reason for this. I do agree with this theory as I think that in this age of technology, it is not hard for someone who is not born creative to learn a skill that can be seen as creative. For example, if someone is not born talented to paint a detailed portrait of someone, they can discover hat they are creative through photography and take a photograph of that person that may become seen as beautiful. Similarly, if a person cannot paint or take amazing photographs, they can learn the technical skills required to edit the photograph on a computer software which could bee seen as a creative skill.
Two theories I agree with:
- "Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation" (Csikszentmihalyi 1996) - I definetly agree with this theory as all of my media work has followed the conventions of the three elements: a culture i.e.research and planning, archived on my blog, a symbolic person i.e. myself with my own ideas about my media products, and an expert i.e. my teacher who viewed my work as well as my peers who gave their own views and constructive criticism of my work. I feel that by following all of these conventions, I have also recognised where I need to change ideas and am validated of my innovation through the grades that I recieved.
- "The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" (Bentley 1997) - I do agree with this theory as relating back to both of my years of media work, especially A2, I can say that I have definetly 're arranged the old' through my research and planning stages especially and developed my ideas to create my final media products. I feel that by researching other media texts, I can be inspired to be creative and create my own 'new' media product.
- "Media producers can learn nothing from studying the conventions of old texts" - I disagree with this theory as from my A2 media coursework, I think it would be strange to say that I havent been inspired by the 1960's era and previous texts created around Warhol and Sedgewick. My whole idea for my A2 work evolved around an old idea and image evolving into a new text and media piece. During the research and planning stages of my work, I also studied the conventions of old texts more than newer texts and even if they are more recent, for example, 'star image', than surely those texts should be seen as old also?
- "Technology has taken all the creativity out of media production" - I completely disagree with this quote as all of my media work from both by AS and A2 years has been created using technology such as Photoshop and iMovie. As well as the production, my creative ideas also evolved around research of outside references I could include in my final work which envolved me to use the internet to research and blog my ideas so that I could archive and develop them. In a way, this could also be useful for other media texts being produced around the same topics as they can view my previous creative work from the internet which would help them develop their own.
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