For this project, Sydnye and I decided to transform the movie Bridge to Terabithia into an Alfred Hitchcock film. To do so, we added his iconic elements of suspense that he frequently uses in his films. In this class, we watched Psycho and Rear Window and so in both of those films we can see evidence of his use of long shots to show a full frame of information for the audience to take in. Specifically in Psycho, we see he uses a dolly zoom as Arbogast falls down the stairs, it makes the audience feel like he’ll never hit the bottom. Another tactic to add suspense Hitchcock uses is low lighting. In the super suspenseful scenes the lighting is often minimal and it usually shines from below to cast a shadow on someone’s face to make them look more devious. The final aspect that Hitchcock uses is close ups. When a character realizes something or they have a different facial expression, in order to create suspense the camera gets super close to them. This creates suspense by eliminating background factors other elements in the scene that distract from the character’s face but also it may be placed where information would be received by the audience leaving them somewhat in the dark.

When choosing our camera angles and lighting, we wanted to make sure that we accurately reflected the horror genre and style of Alfred Hitchcock. The most iconic scene that immediately came to mind was from “Psycho”, when Sam Loomis is stabbed and falls down the stairs. We knew this was accomplished through a dolly zoom and was a critical identifier. This dolly zoom is present in our first box of our storyboard, but with our twist of being at eye level. Our third box is a long shot with low key lighting, much like establishing shots in Psycho. We wanted to make sure the forest appeared ominous, and the best way was to introduce shadows and a feeling of unease. We chose to make the fourth box a close up to establish the feeling of Jesse, much like in Psycho when they zoom in on the unwavering face of Janet Leigh and it becomes apparent to the audience that something terrible has happened. Similar to our scene, Jesse and Leslie have stumbled upon a giant footprint are alone in the forest. We chose to do a split background in our seventh box because we wanted to make the audience aware of the current setting. Hitchcock does this in Psycho, when the ever ominous house is present on top of the hill. We wanted the river to be present, so you have that imagine in the back of your mind for future scenes and know it is somehow important. Our very last box depicts the camera being semi submerged within the stream. We depict air bubbles floating up from the bottom of the river, leaving the audience in suspense. It is similar to waiting for a bomb to go off, because they know something terrible has happened but they do not know what has caused these air bubbles.

If anyone is more pressured by the media, it’s teens. They live their whole lives online. The solution is a fake instagram account. A Finstagram, Finsta, account is an instagram account primarily used by teens that showcases the true ups and downs they are enduring in their daily lives with less care about what they post and what it looks like. This is in comparison to a real instagram, Rinsta, account, where lives are also showcased but the account focuses on the outward attractiveness and less interaction with others about their daily lives . Finsta accounts help relieve teenagers of stress.

For starters, Finstas are, for the most part obscene and unfiltered. The finsta community is a great place for people to release their emotions at 100%. According to The Odyssey Online, one of the top 15 reasons users create a Finsta is to rant or rave about life events. If a teen is having a bad day or maybe a teacher or classmate upset them, they can make a Finsta post to let off some steam and perhaps find other followers who relate. Tiffany S. from Connecticut says, “I think Finstas are to vent about what I'm stressed about and to share what I find funny with my friends. And because it's a Finsta, I don't really have to worry about what other people think. I can say kind of whatever I want without worrying if people will judge me because, for me, only my really close friends follow my Finsta.” By allowing teens to vent about their issues, Finstas can help alleviate stress.

Along with being good stress relievers, Finstas are also good for discarding the popularity contest. On a Rinsta account, standards and priorities are held such as  likes, followers, and a feed. A lot of the time when posting a photo on Instagram, the main things that go into consideration are, “how many likes will it get,” or “does this go with my feed?” This factor can also contribute to stress in a teen’s life. The aspiration for popularity is especially strong in the teenage years. That being said, on a Finsta account, followers and likes and a feed are almost irrelevant. The majority of finsta followers are close friends that the user can develop a bond with and can tell them what’s going on in their personal lives.

Lastly, a Finsta is private. The majority of Finsta users keep their accounts private so that they can choose who can and cannot follow them. So when a user goes to rant about that person they don’t like, or rave about an interaction with their crush, the user doesn’t have to worry about them seeing a post about them or a hater commenting negative things. Also, this is a way to keep out of a parental or relative’s watchful eye. For the people who have parents and family members that like to use social media, a Finsta can be private, keeping any nosy parents or guardians out of their business. This also relieves stress to not have to worry about someone being or you about all your actions all the time.

Obviously, Finstas are highly beneficial to teens regarding all aspects of life including stress relief and their social lives. It can be seen by the followers that there are things going on in someone’s life on a more personal level that allows them to connect. Also, it’s can provide shelter from the perfection and standards of family and parents or even peers. Teenagers create finsta accounts to relieve stress.

Sources and Citations:

Harnish, Amelia, Best of Instagram • Entertainment News • Health • Health Trends • How To Deal With Stress • News • Reclaim Your Domain • Tech, and Illustrated By Ariel Davis. "We Need To Talk About This Unhealthy Social Media Behavior." Who Am I Social Media Identity Crisis Instagram Stress. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://www.refinery29.com/2017/03/146733/identity-crisis-causes-social-media-fake-world>.

Sheveland, Hannah. "Opinion: Instagram should inspire creativity not stress." The Seabury Tides. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://seaburytides.org/2537/opinion/opinion-instagram-should-inspire-creativity-not-stress/>.

Migdol, Erin. "The Dark Side of Instagram Popularity That Nobody Talks About ." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://mic.com/articles/130396/having-a-ton-of-instagram-followers-can-make-you-absolutely-miserable#.hpEGN64k1>.

"8 College Students on 'Secret' Instagrams." Fresh U. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.freshu.io/stacy-andryshak/8-college-students-and-secret-instagrams>.

"15 Reasons Why Finstas Make The World A Better Place." Odyssey. N.p., 08 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.theodysseyonline.com/12-reasons-why-finstas-make-the-world-better-place>.

Kazemi, Alex. "What ‘Finsta’ Accounts Are and Why Their Owners Will Live to Regret Them." Observer. N.p., 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://observer.com/2017/03/finsta-accounts-why-their-owners-will-regret-them-fame-fake-instagram-hollywood/>.

Harman, Justine. "The Crazy Way Teens Are Hiding Their Imperfections Online: Finstagram." ELLE. N.p., 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017. <http://www.elle.com/culture/tech/a29243/finstagram/>.

A Comparison Between Mr. Right and The Taming of the Shrew

In "The Taming of the Shrew," there is a strong straightforward male character named Petruchio. In "Mr. Right," there is a strong straightforward character named Francis. In the beginning, it may seem like they are very similar. They both have a clever sense of humor and they know how to entrance a woman. However, Petruchio began his relationship with lies and deceit. He courted Katherine with her under the impression that she had no choice but to be with him. In "Mr. Right," Francis took Martha out on a date and allowed her to enjoy herself and he always told her the truth. He's an inverted assassin. The difference in their tactics shows how the audience’s expectations about how a man should court a woman have changed.

“You lie, in faith, for you are called plain Kate

And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst.

But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom,

Kate of Kate Hall, my super-dainty Kate,

(For dainties are all Kates)- and therefore, Kate,

Take this of me, Kate of my consolation:

Hearing thy mildness praised in every town,

Thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded

(Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs),

Myself am moved to woo thee for my wife.”

(Act II, Scene I, Lines 193-202)

Towards the beginning of the play, when Petruchio first meets Katherine, the first thing he tells her is that he’s heard all the lovely tales about her. Almost everything he is saying is lies. The tales of Katherine are that she is a shrew and rude and unlovable. The beginning of their relationship is based off of lies which can be seen as an unsturdy foundation.

In Mr. Right, right after Martha and Francis meet, they go on their first date to get tacos and the go on a walk. As they walk through the park, Martha and Francis talk about Martha’s life. She realizes that she doesn’t know anything much about him. He names some of his hobbies such as buying vintage cars and traveling and then says, “And I kill people but not so much anymore.” Then, Francis spots a bullet flying towards Martha and himself. As the bullet is hurdling towards them, Francis wraps Martha in his arms and expertly dips her out of harm's way. She asks, “What was that?” to which he responds, “Oh, just some poopyhead trying to kill me.” In this scene he’s basically, straight up telling Martha that he actually kills people, however, she does not believe him. She doesn’t believe him because he inserts it into the conversation so comically.

“Be patient, gentlemen. I choose her for myself.

If she and I be pleased, what’s that to you?

‘Tis bargained ‘twixt us twain, being alone,

That she shall still be curst in company.

I tell you, ‘tis incredible to believe

How much she loves me. O, the kindest Kate!

She hung around my neck, and kiss on kiss

She vied so fast, protesting oath on oath,

That in a twink she won me to her love.

O, you are novices! ‘Tis a world to see

How tame, when men and women are alone,

A meacock wretch can make the curstest shrew.-

Give me thy hand, Kate. I will unto Venice

To buy apparel ‘gainst the wedding day.-

Provide the feast, father, and bid the guests.

I will be sure my Katherine will be fine.”

(Act II, Scene I, Lines 321-336)

Petruchio also lies to Baptista, Katherine’s father, later on in the play. He tells him that Katherine is in love with him  even though this isn’t true. He tells Baptista that even though Katherine seems like she doesn’t like him, she is just being modest with her love. He says that when they are in private, she is all over him and she proclaims her love for him. Baptista believed this and allowed Petruchio to take Katherine’s hand in marriage. This is because back in these times, a father’s job was to make sure his daughters were married. Also, his main request was that Katherine was happy, which, according to Petruchio, she was.

On their second date, Martha and Francis go to a nice restaurant. As they are escorted to their table, Francis sees a man sitting at the bar who flashes his gun at him. Martha and Francis sit at their table and then he excuses himself to take care of the man with the gun in the parking lot. They fight and Francis kills the man. He then comes back inside and Martha comments on the time he’s been gone and he responds, “NO, SORRY. HAD TO KILL SOMEBODY IN THE PARKING LOT. SOME ASSHOLE.” Francis admitted to Martha that he just committed a murder less than 50 feet away from her.

It can be seen that Petruchio approached his situation with very different tactics than that of Francis. Petruchio, who was in a seemingly simpler situation where he had no real need to lie to Katherine, decided that dishonesty was the way to go. This is in comparison to Francis who was jokingly blunt with Martha, so much so that she didn’t believe him. At the end of “The Taming of the Shrew,” Petruchio and Katherine are the perfect couple of the times. They both tend to each others needs and despite the lies and disagreements when they first met, they now love each other and care about each other. Francis, who had been truthful from the start, had a more healthy relationship with Martha. This is in today’s times where lying is less socially acceptable however, Francis still chose the noble way and told the truth the whole time. In comparison to Petruchio who lied at the first chance he got because back then, lying was more socially acceptable, especially to women because their opinions didn't matter because they were seen as property. All in all by looking at “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Mr. Right,” it can be seen how courting has changed between now and then.

Works Cited

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

Mr. Right by Max Landis

As I sit on the pews, waiting for my cue, I shake my foot anxiously. I know that I am completely prepared and I am perfectly capable of performing, but I still don’t want to. I don’t know why I agreed to this. As they announce our names, my mother and I approach the stage. I pick up my guitar, adjust my skirt, and put on my capo. My mother counts us off and I begin to strum chords I know all too well to a song I barely know. The tension in my shoulders refuses to ease as the song comes to a close and the audience stares. They clapped, I cringed. I make every attempt to  avoid eye contact. The next song flies by in a heartbeat and I still can’t shake this uneasy feeling. The pit in my stomach is bouncing on a trampoline with every beat. Finally, it’s over. The crowd gave an acceptable amount of applause. I put the guitar down, stood up, adjusted my skirt, and returned to my seat in the pews.

This was the first time I had performed since my grandfather, Clarence Matthews, passed away in January of 2015. Not that I was big on performing before that anyway, but it felt different. He is the main reason that I play the instruments that I do. Way back in the 50’s, my grandfather was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army in Harlem, NY. He began going to the church services to listen to the band and he fell in love with the music. There, he met my grandmother and they had my mother and four other kids. They all took up an instrument or two. My mother learned to play the piano, the trumpet, and the E♭Alto horn.

I was born in the Bronx, NY but then my family relocated to Philadelphia, PA in 2005. At my church, I learned to play the trumpet, the guitar, and the piano. At my school, Shawmont Elementary, I was taught to play the violin and the cello. I was also involved in the school musicals. My last year there, we did Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and I played Charlie’s mother, Mrs. Bucket.  

Recounting the night we got the news my grandfather passed, my sister and I had just come back from our friend David’s house. It was movie night and we watched the Green Hornet. We took our jackets off. As I set up Netflix on the Wii, my sister went and told my mom we were home. We sat on the couch to watch tv, just the two of us, while my mom was in the back watching a movie. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was my Aunt Valerie. We payed it no mind and continued watching the show but what came next was completely unexpected. My mother screamed, “What? What do you mean?” My sister and I ran to her room. My mother was in tears. She hung up the phone. She could barely get the words out. “Your grandfather is dead,” she stuttered. She told me to call my father and tell him to come home. The three of us went out to the living room, sat on the couch, and cried together. My father came in from the garage and sat with my mother. Later that week, we found out more information about what had happened. They said he died in his sleep, peacefully and that’s all we could have hoped for him.

After that, I sort of stopped playing the guitar. It wasn’t intentional, I’d just lost interest. I readjusted my priorities. School and friends and family trumped my music, then more than ever. It was my first year of high school and I decided that it was no longer going to be a part of my identity. I wasn’t interested in going into the music industry even in the slightest. It was hard even though I didn’t notice a change.

During that summer, the church where I currently attend Youth Group went on a Mission Trip to Vermont. One of the nights there, we had a bonfire at a farm that was the worksite I was stationed at earlier in the week. There, we had somewhat of a confessional time. I was there with some of my closest friends and I had developed a fairly strong bond with the other teens I had met there so I decided I was comfortable sharing about myself. We got to open up about our struggles in life and prayed for each other. It was there that I remember for the first time realizing I shut myself off to my music after my grandfather passed away. As soon as I returned home, I got into playing again.

Later on that summer, my dad, who is a college professor, arranged a meeting with one of his co-workers, Ms. Jackson, and I. He said he wanted us to talk about my options for college and my plans for after. We ended up talking about scholarships and schools that I could apply for regarding my musical abilities. I told her that I didn’t want to pursue a career in music however, she said that I shouldn’t completely rule that out. If it’s something I’m good at then I should go for it. We talked about how I could expand my audience and she suggested I start a YouTube channel and post videos of myself singing. The next day, I began filming a video of myself singing Lost Boy by Ruth B. A little while after posting three videos, I began to think this wasn’t for me. The I decided to post recordings of myself on SoundCloud. To date, I have 5 tracks posted and I intend on making more.

Thesis: The reason why women are objectified by the media is because they are seen as property.

Women represent many things like sex, beauty and vengeance, but they are represented by men as if they cannot represent themselves. They are objectified. They are objectified because they are seen as property. There are examples in the media, on television, and in people’s everyday life. Women are seen as just pretty faces to look at.

This all started in the Stone Age. While the men went out and hunted, the women stayed at home with the children because that’s all they’re good for; to look pretty and make kids. Women weren’t good at it is because they aren’t given a chance to be good at it. Society was split into the hunters and the gatherers and women were always the gatherers because hunting is too dangerous and Despite that, they are good at raising children and caring for them. Over the years, women have always been the dedicated to caring for children and especially in the more recent years, women get paid to do so.

But are they really paying for the service, or are they paying for the woman. Anyone can say that they will care for your child, but a select few can do it properly.

Advertisements are the main culprits when it comes to degrading women. All around the world there are ads for perfume and clothing and whatnot. A lot of them seem to feature a woman being degraded or just used for her body. Specifically, there’s an advertisement for Blush lingerie that features a woman with her face cropped out in purple lingerie and the caption is, “Make him your toy.” This is as if to say that the tables need to be turned from the woman being the toy to the man being the toy. Of course the woman is seen as the toy initially, though. Women are toys, and toys are property. Violet Rose said, “It is illegal for women to go topless in most cities, yet you can buy a magazine of a woman without her top on at any 7-11 store. So, you can sell breasts, but you cannot wear breasts, in America.” The fact that women can show breasts but not have them is ridiculous.

When there are the pictures of women on the covers of magazines, they all look the same. But in all honesty, one could wonder, what should a woman look like. There is no one answer. All women are beautiful no matter what.

Going back to the stone age, women have been dedicated. Of course it can’t be stopped over night. If everyone could see that women are just as important as men and have just as much to offer as men do, it not more, the world would be one step closer to peace.  Men think they can control women or that women will obey me automatically but that’s not how it works at all.

Works Cited:

Source #1 Link:

"Works." Coloribus.com. Blush, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

https://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/blush-make-him-your-toy-10756405/

Source #2 Link:

Tag, By. "Quotes About Objectification Of Women (13 Quotes)." Quotes About Objectification Of Women (13 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/objectification-of-women

Source #3 Link:

Pinsky, Paulina. "Don't Blame Girls for Their Own Sexualization." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 June 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paulina-pinsky-/dont-blame-girls-for-thei_b_5435604.html

Source #4 Link:

Ma, Julie. "25 Famous Women on Body Image." NY Mag. NY Mag, 1 Sept. 2016. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/09/25-famous-women-on-body-image.html

I chose to do my visual on the different states with different Black Codes. Black Codes were laws in the southern states that restricted the freedom of black people. Even though, technically, they were already free, their freedom wasn't seen as such to the public. You could say it was revoked by society. This meant they were not truly free. The majority of the Black Codes were enacted by white people that still wanted to have a strong hold over the black population in some way. Some of the Black Codes put in place prevented black people from doing the simplest of things like gathering with their friends or entering another state, but other Black Codes were quite complex, such as drinking and smoking, or owning firearms. The southern states had many Black Codes they were not necessarily against blacks, but they preserved white people. Some Codes said that if white people participated in the riots and protested, they would not be arrested. My Piktochart is attempting to show that different states had different black codes which Codes were where. This Piktochart was created by my self and Kenna Barrett. We created it to show the different Black Codes. For clarification, the colors on the map of the United States are further represented on the Black Code description boxes below. Also,the states on the map are not divided by cities or towns, we were looking for way to show that some states had more Black Codes than other states.

I worked with Kenna so we share the visual.

Liv Cooper’s Guión

Intro-

Voice Over: Liv Cooper Presenta~ Pronombres!

Yo-

Voice Over: Yo soy Liv Cooper. Yo tengo el pelo rubia y café ombre. Yo tambien tengo los ojos pardos. Me fascina tocar la guitarra y el piano. También me fascina comer y dormir. No me gusta ir a la escuela y bailar.

El-

Voice Over: El es David. él tiene el pelo pelirrojo. él también tiene los ojos grises. él es molesto, inteligente y cómico. él Tiene 13 años. Asiste a Shawmont Elementary. Le gusta jugar videojuegos. No le gusta ir de compras y ir a la escuela.

Ella-

Voice Over: Ella es Ciara. Ella es mi mejor amiga. Ella tienes el pelo negro y ser rubia ombre. Ella tienes los ojos cafes. Le gusta tienes dibujar, comer y dormir. Tienes 14 años el giro de 15 años. Te cumpleaños es 13 de enero. Asiste a Mount St. Joseph.

Ellas-

Voice Over: Ellas son Michele, Ciara, Evy, y Maddi. Nos gusta ir de compras. Nos también gustamos comer, dormir y cantar. Todos el pelo café excepto Evy. Ella tienes el pelo ser rubia.

Ellos-

Voice Over: Ellos son David y Cole. Nos gusta comer y dormir. Nos también gustamos jugar videojuegos. No nos gusta nada ir de compras y trabajador. Cole asiste a Masterman y David asiste a Shawmont.

Nosotros-

Voice Over: Ellos son Naomi, Lauryn, Ciara, mi, Autumn y Cole. Nos gusta salir a comer. No nos gusta nada ir a la escuela. Nos también gusta montar en bici. Todos el pelo cafe o negro. Todos también Africano- Americanos.

Fin-