What is the Meaning of The Medium is the Message?

What is the Meaning of The Medium is the Message?

This idea reminds me often a classic novel 1984.

In the story of 1984 the party control all the people in the country. Big Brother is always looking at you! And why is that? It is because of the Television.

When the author is writing the novel, he imagines the TV is a media that will finally end up to become a machine that can control people’s mind. There are two ways that he thinks how this would work, by propaganda and surveillance. After years, today we look back we can tell that it didn't happen. Maybe is because the technology wasn’t that crazy or because the human wasn’t that corrupt. However, it is so interesting that the author George Orwell can imagine a world like that.

Today within the new media: the internet. We love it, addict, to it and can’t live without it. Just recently we just find out how the internet is surveillance us. Just like what George Orwell think! He predicts the worst future within the upcoming technology and media. I think that was really necessary for the human to actually think of it. By, enjoy the great media that internet brings us, we rarely think of how would it takes from us. It is critical to makes that thinking to see what is actually happening and what will be going next. I truly believe the thinking is the most important thing that people can change the world.  

My Favorite Thing is Monster

My Favorite Thing is Monster

I read My Favorite Thing is Monster (in class). It is an experience of reading that I feel very very different than the others. I am always a big fan of Manga, therefore I say I am pretty familiar with the style of reading picture and words. But My Favorite Thing is Monster is one different style. I then started to thinks the difference between graphic novel and comics. Through the classes (I took another class of Comic and Literature) I had the chance to get in touch more graphic novel and comics and slowly understand the difference. I feel the graphic novel is more into a novel than comic, in other words, I feel like graphic novel is more a literature. I had a great experience of reading graphic novel and I really like it.

My Favorite Thing is Monster is somehow between both of them (in my opinion). The first thought when I am reading it is that, why is the words so hard to read? The words in this work is written in “handwriting style”, and by handwriting, I mean it feel like the words is written by a 12 grader. This style bothers me when I am raeding it, maybe it is because I am reading it from a laptop. However, it also help up building the style of book. The style of My Favorite Thing is Monster is like a diary of a little girl. There are lots of thought in her head and written down in the art and words. It by be hard to take eachelemnt as beautiful, but together it build up an amazying style.

Talking about the voice, when I was reading it I feel it is written by a little girl. But when you really think about it, it must not. I agree the idea that this is the work that the older version of girl who tried to remind her childhood. With the style of art and comic, I think it tells the story very well. It is hard  to say that I love this work, but is is definitely a special experience. 

Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa is definitely one of the greatest directors in the history of film. He is the most famous Japanese Director. In his life, he had direct over 30 movies and many of them become classic in the film.

When I first saw his movie it was when I am in high school. We read the famous short novel Rashomon by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. The teacher shows us the film of Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa. The story of Rashomon is actually very simple. However, Akira Kurosawa combined the story with two short novels by the same author, Rashomon, and Yabu no Naka. I was surprised and confused when I first watch it. How can he tell a simple story and makes it so interesting? I was so confused.

After I get into college and slowly understand the language of film. Again, I am surprised by how brilliant Akira Kurosawa was. Seven Samurai, I watch it when I was in college. Every action and shot has design by art. There Is meaning of action. Every action in the film brings up the tension of the story. Again the story itself is pretty simple. A revenge of seven samurais. I think this is why the film can be considered as an independent art style. The story is just one part of a film, how to tell the story great by vision, music, editing, acting, etc… will all be considered as part of a film. Akira Kurosawa showed me how to tell the story with action. When the tension is up, actor world act up in the frame. Every establishes shot to show the elements of the environments (winds, light, etc..). And how he used light in the film. It is amazing.

When I was in Junior years and had a chance to direct my short film. I always think about Akira Kurosawa’s film. How would he build up the frame here and how would he place the action of characters? He becomes a great teacher in my life just y watching his work!

Student activism

Student activism

I want to talk about students activism in this week. Student activism is a Social movement group and action by students. In most of the cases it is activated by the student, however, there are also cases that it is guided by, government, political parties, media, Columnist, etc.

Student activism happens a lot in Asia society and it often becomes a huge thing. When university student group up with ideas and actions there are so many cases result to affect the whole society. In my opinion, there are two reasons why in Asia culture we honor and respect the people with education a lot. There was a ranking from the history of China, Education, farmer, labor, and businessman.  This ranking refers the traditional value of people. Although today, business ma is what really effect the most. In people’s mind education is still the highest value. This culture value deeply involved in 5000 years history in Chinese culture and will not easily remove. In this background, the voice from the student will be taken and respect. That’s why we student activism is taking really seriously here.

The other reason I think why student activism is big in Chinese culture is because that the society is still changing a lot. After ww2, the western society formation had spear all over the world. Today most of the Asia nation is taking democracy as the social type. China although still using Communism, but the market and the core value of the society is al changing(faster or not, I am not too sure). Taiwan, the place where I come from taking Democracy as out society type however it just abuts 50 years. There are a lot of elder resident who was living in the dictatorship world before. The fighting between freedom and order is always a huge fight on the table. Therefore different voice and activism are never ended.

I personally think the student activism is a prove of the improvement of the society. It shows that people in the nation are actually thinking and brave enough to take the action. But, there are just so many cases that those activists are using by political parties or government and only to make their election or business get better. I hope the free and opener media in the future will finally bring more fair and a little bit of justice into the eyes of people and I hope the student activism can go to a direction with much more open and clean. 

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
涼宮春日の憂鬱

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu is a Japanese light novel and makes into animate. I want to introduce of the light novel here. The light novel is a new style of Japanese literature. It basically is the same with the novel but easier to read. The art form of literature is less than traditional literature, mostly base on dialog and focus on story and characters. It is almost a fan base style novel and can be written with lots of series. (Some of the light novels have over 20 episode.)

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu one of the earliest and successful light novel, who win the champion of Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! (My translation: This light novel is great!) The story is about a girl named Suzumiya. She is the god of the world (debatable).  She has the ability to create and change the world, however, she doesn't realize it. Together with her, Kyon the narrator is going to experience an extraordinary life of science, superpower and alien.

My first touch with this work is on media of animation. Kyoto studio makes an excellent advancement on this works. With the excellent quality of animation and music, the work looks absolutely great. But this is not it, they make the dance in one of the episodes become a famous activity in Japna. Just like the Harlem Shakes, it is that famous in Japan. Then in the second season, they made one of the episodes repeat about 8 times. They remake the animation each time, however, the story is basically the same. The purpose is just to say time is repeating! Anyways, this animation becomes so famous in Japan and I also get the chance to know it.

What makes me get in love with this work is just because of the characters. Like I mentioned above, light novel is base on characters and dialog. This animation had an excellent characters design and dialog. The characters are the style of this works, which is how I would like to describe it. It influent to the latter works of Japanese animation of character design, then somehow become like a template. Which is maybe a bad thing I would say. Bad or not, the work of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu is fascinating and original. The story pushes the characters and the characters push back the story. Even though there is not much huge conflict happen in the story, just sees the life of those characters is just great enough. And just when everyone thinks this is it, a few years later come the movie of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (涼宮ハルヒの消失) push the works to the classic in the history of animate.

Stanger things

Stanger things

 

I chose stranger things as the Netflix tv show to watch. I heard that it is really famous and good. This is probably the first time I ever finish watching a USA tv series. I have watched some of the USA tv series before but never finish one.

Stanger things is a good tv show in many ways but the story it’s just ok to me. Maybe I am just not a horror story lover, I feel the story is progressing slowly and a bit dragging in some parts. I understand as a TV series it needs to makes the story a bit longer and the time actually makes the audience attract into the town in the show. We can slowly know each character better in this way. However, there are some parts I really feel like the story can progress more aggressively. Also, I feel like the show is playing safe on the story. I really expect there are more deep and dark things would happen in this world. But, there are not many bad things really happen if you think of it.

As I mentioned before, the storytelling as TV shows is quite new to me. The series complete in 12 episode, and each episode is also a story itself. Most of the episode complete it’s 3 act structure but also hook in the next part of the story and build up the world in the tv shows. It is interesting and hard in my opinion.

As I watch it I see many references which makes the shows much more intriguing. The music selection is also important in this tv show. It helps up to building the style a lot. I also like the way it films, the quality is great.

Suddenly, a Knock on The Door

Suddenly, a Knock on The Door

 Questions answer

I feel like I am reading a story happen in the writer’s hand. Everything is crazy. I have this picture of this man sitting in front of his laptop or paper alone and try to get his work down. I can almost feel his lonely and imagination by surrounding with these people.

He keeps saying that don't point a pistol at me which made him unable to create a story. I feel so related to this part! It is just so hard to force a creation.  As an artist, it is always a fight between makes your best work and money. Sometimes you will need to fight the deadline and sometimes you have to make something just for money.

I feel a short film world do! This scene and the story is vivid. The conflict starts at the very beginning, which can really gets the audience’s attention. Then the character’s coming in one by one, I can really see an interesting short film here. The hard part is to show the mind of the narrator. How do we made his thinking on the visual screen. This is the challenge between director and actor.

Week 8

Week 8

I read the screenplay of Sex, lies, and videotapes. This assignment is very interesting for me. I am currently writing a feature screenplay for my senior thesis. I feel like I am in a process that I finish the first draft and stock in between. Anyways, back to the topic. Sex, lies and videotapes is really an interesting piece. I would like to talks about this script as the roles of a director.

This story is about sex. The story talks about a man records down the sex of people. He is almost like a mental doctor who can make people talks threw the experience that they have. The main character is about this two sister, Ann, and Cynthia. Threw the camera, they confess the inner feeling and the complicated relationships and feeling. It is really hard to film a story like this. The feeling is hard to transfer through the vision. How should director make the audience understand and relate to the character is the main challenge here to the director.

I feel like the character is very outstanding here, each character has shown what they want and how do they going to get it. However, how to bring this complicated world to the audience? The answer is by make the main topic of the story “sex” meaningful! Sex is a powerful action in the movie. Here, by record seen and confess, sex becomes more relatable and translatable.

I can wait to find out the movie and watch it!

Marrige of a thousand lies

Marrige of a thousand lies

Like the title of the novel, mirage of a thousand lies is talking about this women, Luchy, suffer in the lies of “marriage.” Mirage is a Lesbian, and ironically she married a gay husband just to appreciate her family. She is passive and suffers in the pain of the stress of this unreal relationship. When she goes backs to take care of her family. She meets her childhood friend and also her lover: Nisha. Nisha is about to get married by the pressure of her family. Lucky wants to help out her wedding but in between, she can’t help herself but full in love with her again. All the lies about her identity and the pressure of the view of the society all happen to her.

This is really an interesting novel that I have read recently. The part of the reason that I like this story so much is that I also come from Asia. We liked of share the same value of the society, a place we valued tradition heavily. This valued from Asia is so different from the western relationship. Till today, LGBT is still a huge issue in most of the countries in Asia. When the story talks about the values of between western and Asia, I feel so relatable to what Lucky is thinking. She is a gay but forces herself to marry a man, just to makes her family accept. This is so painful but true in this society. In so many cases people can’t live in truth. We have no choice but hide in the lies because the society won’t accept who you really are. I perfectly understand why Lucky chose to be passive. When she tries to fight the society I feel so much pain is waiting for her. How much we have to scarify jus to be the way we want to be is really the issue here.

Week 5

Cosmopolis is a really interesting piece. The novel is talking about a young successful man, Eric. He lives in New York, smart and brilliant. He understands how the system of economic works and therefore earn a lot of money. However, just in one day. He misses calculating the price of “Yen,” on the way to the barbershop his life corrupt.

I like how the story uses “rat” to represent the corrupt of the economic system. When everything we know is gone. There won’t be such things known as “value.” There is a line in the story: “A rat became the units of currency.” It shows the odd but horrifies topic of the novel.

For most of the part, Erik is not a likable character. Even he fails and broke, he had always got his chance to work it back. (His wife is rich and he still got his skill of economic.) However, he chose to let himself perish. Or In another way, he gives up himself. Have sex with random girls, to weakness the riot and tracing the assassin. The story seems crazy, what Erik did is unreplaceable, hard to understand. There are so many questions while I am reading the plot. I think the character Erik is a representative of the modern society. We tried to predict all the things, but when a mistake happens everything will drag in it. Just like Erik can’t save himself in the story. Most people are also tracing the craziness of money, until one day we realize everything is just like a rat.

Talking to the topic privilege, the story also shows the interesting and odd society class. Erik is the highest class on the society, an elite of the world. In many ways, Erik does have the privilege. However, everything he got can be destroyed in one day. It is just that weak and funny. 

Week Two: Austenworld Case Study of a Storyverse

Writing Assignment from First Class:

I am Roger Lin, coming from Taiwan. My mother language is Chinese and also grow up with the culture of Chinese.  Therefore the most familiar literature for me is Chinese. However, when I am growing up I started to gets into the Japanese culture, both literature, and media. Japanese literature and media became my priority study. I have read lots of classic novels and also modern works of them. Another media that I get in a lot is Japanese anime and manga. It is the biggest interest of mine. After I get in high school I started practice English and therefore also started my reading of western literature. The most of the western literature that I read is the classic novel like Pride and Prejudice. In my point of view, I feel like the culture and feeling between western and Asia is a lot of difference. I didn’t get this kind of culture shock when I get from Chinese to Japanese. Asia culture is more introverted and exquisite. Western in other hands is much open minded and innovated. I always feel like because of the cultural differences that I can get a more unique view of different culture’s literature and arts. The experience is fun and fresh. However, sometimes there is just some point that I feel like I can’t really understand as the native people do. Something like joke or feeling is maybe more made for the people who grow with the culture, I guess. Anyways, my point here is that with the Chinese background and Japanese and English study, my point of view is to literature might be more neutral and comprehensive.