Happy finals!....not

Thought I would post this as an ode to finals week, stay strong amigos!

"Unscripted"

It's always refreshing to find unique, different, and intuitive forms of advertising that don't actually feel like advertising. Something cool that I stumbled upon really got me excited. I love documentaries, the more eccentric they are, the better. GSD&M has produced Unscripted, a documentary style film that hones in on people and their connection to the BMW brand. The GSD&M team "searched the world for stories of passion," in order to "humanize a brand based on engineering" by "meeting its real drivers." I haven't found the time to see the entire film, but all it took for me to want so badly to watch it in its entirely was a short clip on GSD&M's home page about the purpose of it all: http://www.gsdm.com/. I will go so far as to call it a work of art. It is "works of art" such as this film that furthers my belief that advertising can be art, and it can be great. Clearly it takes extensive time, work, energy, thought, and execution, but creating ads and campaigns and ideas that inspire people, connect with an audience, or simply defy expectations is what it's all about, I think.     

I Love Trees

This past Friday and Saturday was the celebration of Earth Day in downtown Dallas, so of course I was in attendance. Some of my friends in the SMU dance program performed a piece from the Hope Show on Saturday, IN the reflecting pool outside of the Winspear Theater... I filmed the entire performance, but I'm having some issues uploading the two 10-minute videos to this little blog of mine, so you're just going to have to take my word:

The piece is unusual, thought-provoking, and can be interpreted in so many different ways, which is what the performing arts are all about. If, in the program brochure for a play, or a dance show, or a museum exhibit, the playwright, choreographer, or artist included an intensive description of the purpose behind the work, or a detailed analysis of how the work should be interpreted, where's the fun in that? It's important to be able to decipher a visual stimulant individually, and draw from it your own personal experience or new found appreciation. After I see the Brown Bag dance series at SMU, which is all student choreography performed by Meadows dance students, I sometimes like to ask the choreographers what their intended meaning for the piece was. Sometimes I 100% agree, sometimes I am blown away by their personal vision. The only absolute is how much I love watching dance! 

Funky

Just as I love to share good music, I love to share crazy music videos that compel me to view a song in a completely new light. Music videos are so important to see, sometimes to realize an artist's vision more comprehensively, other times for the simple joy of colorful entertainment. Currently, one of my favorite videos is a little combination of the two visions, and I want to share it with YOU!

Bizness by tUnE-yArDs

Bye Bye Birdie

Another one of those gloomy days where you want nothing but to bundle up in your favorite blanket and watch movies all day, and I found myself browsing the free movie channels, only to find the classic Bye Bye Birdie musical. I am normally not a big musical fan when it's not onstage, but I found myself hooked to this one. Made in 1963, the gender roles are clearly entrenched, but the funny thing is just that; it's meant to be a satire on American society set in 1958. 

The humor is very tongue-in-cheek, especially the song lyrics, which I found hilarious. If this were a textbook analysis, I'd say the overall theme of Bye Bye Birdie illustrates the need to grow up at the right time---not too early like Kim and not too late like Albert. Oh, and my love of Dick Van Dyke has been officially rekindled, thanks to his killer dance moves

Finding Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Taking photography this semester has, as cliché as it sounds, really put things into perspective for me. I've had an excuse to wander around the outskirts of Dallas, to get even further away from the bubble of SMU for a while, and to really take in people, places, and objects like I could never have done without a lens in front of my right eyeball. Taking a photograph of anything can give a different spin to it, a different appearance, whether distorted or enhanced, especially when from a higher or lower (in relation to the ground) perspective. Sad to say that the semester is almost over, I have officially finished my last photo project as of today, and want to share some of my favorites, not only from this project, which was our own "personal vision," but from previous assignments. Calling them assignments feel weird, they were more like a license to experiment and learn. 

 

The Googlization of Everything

The other day I saw the last half of a televised lecture from Dr. Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry). [Here is his blog] It really made me think... is it true that we unquestioningly depend on the World Wide Web to learn about... the world? Granted, the growing availability of the Internet is making the world a much smaller place, but is it changing how we experience the world? Should we rely on Google, a 12-year-old company, for all of our shopping and learning needs? Dr. Vaidhyanathan made the point that people do not question the decisions that the search engine of Google makes, more recently that most users do not click past the first page. That hit me. Ever since Google tailored it searches to only allow the "best" and "most relevant" to make it to the top of the list, we have placed more trust than ever before in the choice Google makes for us. Google is unquestionably a valuable resource, don't get me wrong, but the company's potential ability to monopolize the Internet is a scary thought. Where will the future lead for Google? I think I may have to read Dr. Vaidhyanathan's book to answer that one for ya. 

You say you want a revolution.. well, you know

We all want to change the world. Stolen from the Beatles, yes, I am aware, but the music industry is no stranger to this set of lyrics, and with that, a certain cliché. It all began with Napster, shortly after, Limewire evolved, then Acquisition, and ever since, it seems the music industry has been struggling to find ways to discourage this piracy of music, in an attempt to actually make some profit. We have all fallen into the temptation at some point, there's no denying. What's not to love about free music? 

Music makes the world happier, I like to think, even the heavy metal head-bangers out there. I've got the feeling that the music world is evolving into a new beast, one that encourages underground sensations to be spread virally, one where sharing music is just as easy as sending a text, one where live music is king, and one where it's possible for all genres of music to be heard via airwaves and internet in all 195 countries at the same time. Maybe I'm just biased, but the whole music festival, live show thing seems to be growing in popularity, to the extent of the Woodstock days. It's almost ironic, how, the more technologically advanced we become as a society, the more popularized the simple things become. We are reverting back to the mindset of generations past, and I like it. A lot.

Whaddup With It?

The DART, aka Dallas Area Rapid Transit, has somehow earned a bad rep from the SMU community. Why, I ask? This one isn't a toughie to decode, unfortunately. Whenever the Dart enters a topic of conversation, I've noticed that phrases of "Be careful," and "Probably not a good idea," are natural responses---from SMU students, professors, employees... you name it, they've said it. 

When I decided to take a couple journalism classes about a year ago, one of our editorial assignments was to write a story about a ride on the Dart trains and buses, starting from here on campus to Mockingbird Station, and ending up at the Dallas Zoo stop, then turning right back around. The purpose was not to make it to the zoo and write about it, but to observe changes in people, scenery, and any other observational factors after a certain point during the ride. I made a point to sit next to different people, to talk to them, make light conversation, and keep an eye peeled for anything interesting. The purpose of the assignment was to go alone, to see everything from a fresh perspective, to be ALONE, away from outside (friend) influences. 

I think it was sophomore, maybe freshman year when I took the class, and I remember telling my friends about it, and the shocked looks on their faces... "You took the DART alone?!? What were you thinking! You could have gotten killed!" Ok, maybe that was a bit of an embellishment, but I still can't get over the shock value that comes with deciding to ride the DART. I get the whole safety issue, especially at night, but isn't that true about any place, in any big city? You always need your wits about you, but why live your life in a big, non-exploratory bubble? Seriously, it's the most convenient, cheap, speedy service that goes literally everywhere around Dallas and Plano. It goes to the State Fairgrounds when it's in town, all over downtown, to the Dallas Zoo, cute areas in Plano, the Convention Center... need I say more? Come on people, get over your fear, try it out, if you don't love it, come see me personally, and I'll give you an itinerary for the day, bueno?

 

A**Holes

Some people are just inherently assholes, there's no way around it. Today, in photo class, we were discussing potential ideas for our final assignment, our "personal vision." I suggested an idea inspired by the professional photographer Robert Bergman, whose pictures are wonders; sharp, beautifully lit, with a background that can, at times, look staged. It's not, and the lighting is natural. Bergman would always ask permission of his chosen people, but he would never pose them. Just to give you a taste, here are some of my favorites of his:

The idea I had for my project was to wander around downtown Dallas, Deep Ellum, or wherever and talk to people, find out their story, if they were willing to share, and ask permission to photograph them, and let my pictures tell the story. I could see my professor think about it for a while, she then gave me her permission to proceed with caution. I asked what she meant, and of course she had a story waiting. 

Apparently, a few semesters ago, a student turned in a personal vision project solely comprised of random shots of homeless people. My professor had noticed a vague, blurry area in every bottom right corner of the series of photos, and asked the student what it was. He replied, "Oh, it's the side mirror of my car." Professor Hunter then asked if he had been in his car while taking his pictures... "Yes." She went a step further to ask what kind of car he drives..."A Porche." Hmmmm let's think about this one for a second. Seriously?!? Definition: asshole. Clearly this student had no moral obligations, no compassion, and no CLUE, to top it all off. I am never ceased to be amazed by the blatant disregard for humanity that so many in my age block, especially here at SMU, display on a regular basis. I will go no further, as this is the one and only blog that I will allow myself to rant, thanks for listening.