Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Extra Credit Blog

In Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless mind, the entire movie was designed like piece of literature - the entire story revolved around the characters, and had very little to do with actual events. It was all just human interaction. However, the movie didn't just do that. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless mind conveyed it's plot line by telling the story of the characters in a mixed order.

The movie opens with introducing the two main characters. Joel, who is really reclusive and shy, and Clementine, who is the Polar opposite. This is well represented in the movie, and especially in the screenplay, where Clementine is doing her best to carry on a conversation, and she starts rambling and talking about nothing, and Joel just sits there and acts "nice."

Once Joel goes to have his memories erased, it starts out with the bad memories, thus beginning this backwards analyzation of a relationship gone wrong. One time when they are unhappy and arguing is when Clementine brings up the issue of wanting to have a baby, and Joel retorts with "Do you really think you could take care of a kid?" This also helps to convey the idea that Joel and Clementine are symbolic of all relationships in one way or another, since that is a very common argument for a boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife to have.

Then, it loops back around to the good memories. I believe this is meant to be a commentary on how so many more relationships would stay in tact if people would just remember what things were like when they first started out, and not what they eventually turned into. One scene showing good memories was when they were at the movies, and they were putting words into the actor's mouths to make the dialigue humorous. When things started disappearing, this was one of the times that Joel actually started fighting for the memory, and trying to hide Clementine, so that she wouldn't disappear. This helped to build the story arc even more by showing the versatility of Joel's and Clementine's relationship, and portraying a happy time from when they were together, showing what things had initially been like for them.

Finally, Joel awakens from having his memory erased, and it reveals that his memories from the beginning actually took place after everything else. It shows the story in this order - Joel and Clementine meeting, having an awkward relationship, getting to like each other, then hating each other, then at the peak of their love for each other, then once again meeting each other. This accomplishes something quite unique, and that is a radically different perspective on relationships, one where time and chronology doesn't matter, but rather, the simple existance of the memory. The characters and the jumbled timeline drive this theme, and they are what really make it work.

25: Semester Reflection - What I'm Proud Of

The first example of work I am proud of is my American Icons photo.

I am proud of this work because I created a great photo essay to go along with it. The final product looks polished and nice, and I believe it follows all the requirements, and then some. I feel the effects in it were great, and I made something that was perfectly fitting and accurate for the icon I chose. Without knowing what the project was, a person could still look at this picture and see that I was creating a spoof on Adam Sandler's movie "You Don't Mess With The Zohan."
I accomplished this through planning, drafting, and revision. I first looked through the internet and found the person I wanted my picture to be about. I then found something that he did that closely related to an interest of mine. I then took the picture, and photoshopped it. I had my teacher and peers look at it, and it went through a few revisions, until it looked finished (The main revisions involved color changes, text, cropping, and green screening).

The second example of work I am proud of is my video about water quality at the beach (Transcript in italics, at the bottom of the blog).

I am proud of this final product because it looks incredibly well done, to the extent that in order to critique it my teacher needed to pick at insignificant minuscule things that no one but an editor would notice. I digress, the majority of viewers really favored the video. It is fun, engaging, informative, and seamless.
I accomplished this by drafting a script, and getting it revised by my peers and teacher. This helped quite a bit, since even though the original script was good, it was nowhere near as good as it was once it was done getting critiqued. I then used that script as instructions for who, what, and where to shoot. I recorded my voiceover, gathered the data, shot the video, and compiled it all. After a few more (minor) revisions to the video, I ended up with my final product.

Transcript:

(Show footage of shoreline and waves). Take a look at that beautiful ocean. Don’t you just want to just go swim in it? Well…you might want to reconsider. That water could be chock full of bacteria. You may be thinking “Everything has bacteria.” Well while this is true, this water may just have enough to keep you from taking a dip anywhere other than your local swimming pool.

(Show main title: “What Do You Really Know?”)

(Show driving clips and street signs timed to music)

As you can see, we’re in California. But, let’s get a little more specific. (show San Diego San Diego. sign). Ah, there we go.

(Show beach B-Roll) The beaches along the San Diego coastline are currently in danger of being contaminated. The problem? The public may not be informed of this. In order to meet budget cuts, frequent water testing of San Diego’s beaches was one of the first things to go. So why is this important? Well, for one…(show list on screen as it is read aloud) YOUR HEALTH. Two, YOUR LIFE. And three… it’s not exactly hygienic. (Bulletpoints go “Health,” “Life,” and “Smelly.”

(show storm drain P.B. Point) What does this look like to you? A storm drain? Well, you’re absolutely right. You want to know where this storm drain is located? (reveal location on video) P.B. Point. Whenever it rains, contaminated water pours out of this, and right into the ocean. As a class, we actually tested this water, and as we found out, the levels of E. Coli were more than 10 times more the concentrated San Diego limit.

It’s important that the public is informed of these water levels. Even if the beach isn’t at the point where it needs to be closed down, it could still be hazardous to people’s health. Listen to what some of some beach goers have to say about the water quality.

(Show text) What do you know about the water quality at the beach?

Man: What we know is what-uh, what’s coming in the media.

Man: It’s never really been an issue, so nothing.

Man: I don’t know too much about specifics.

Girl: Nothing?...

Man: I don’t know too much about it

Boy: I’m at the point where I know the water’s not good that I won’t – I won’t swim in it

Girl: Nothing!

Man: I don’t know much

Woman: I don’t really know much about it.

(Show text) Has anything bad ever happened to you from going in the water?

Girl: Maybe an infection, on a cut.

Man: I got a full sinus infection, it must’ve been from the water. I had this really bright yellow-green almost fluorescent looking stuff come out of my nose, draining, it was disgusting.

Man: I’ve gotten sick like a couple of times like after I’ve like gone in the water.

Woman: Three years ago the doctor said that I had to have a Hepatitis B shot, so that, umm, because the water in San Diego is pretty dirty.

Woman: Sadie, a dog actually a golden retriever, every time she drinks the water she vomits.

Man: Yeah I used to surf a lot here in (incoherent location) and I’ve gotten sick a few times like right after.

(Show text) Do you think those may tie in with what’s in our water?

Man: Yeah, I mean I’m sure it definitely could, but I don’t know enough about the issue to really be able to say.

(Show the people with blank faces, as they’re contemplating the question)

See? A lot of these guys didn’t know the first thing about anything. But it’s not their fault. They’re not being told. If they were, they would be running for the hills, or at least…their showers.

Let’s have a look at the test results for some of San Diego’s most popular beaches. We’re going be comparing 3 of them. O.B. Rivermouth, Crystal Pier, and P.B. Point.

Lets start off with some vocabulary. Do you know what E. Coli, Enterococci, and Coliforms are? Well I can tell you this. They’re found often in the gastrointestinal tract. Basically, these are the main bacteria found in feces.

(Text, flashing) FECES

(With happy tone) With that in mind:

(Show as list on screen) The limit for total coliforms in the water is 10,000/100 ml

The limit for E. Coli is 235/100ml

And the limit for Enterococci is 104/100 ml

A red line marks where the clean water limits are on the graph

It rained on the 4^th of November. On the 13^th, the coliform levels at crystal pier were at 408/100ml. The E. Coli levels were at 86/100ml. And, the Enterococci were at 158/100ml. Keep in mind, the only common knowledge beachgoers have is the 3 day rule – don’t go to the beach for 3 days after it rains. However, the 13th is quite a few more than 3 days past the 4^th. So people were back in this water, swimming away, without a care in the world.

Next up was P.B. Point. The Enterococci levels on the 12^th were 10/100ml. Same on the 17^th, too. Also on the 17^th, the E. Coli levels were at 81/100ml and the coliforms were at 1261/ml

And finally, O.B. Rivermouth. This is the water that feeds right into dog beach. On the 13^th, the enterococci reached 748/100ml. On the 6^th, the E. Coli was at 288/100ml, and the coliforms were at 2613/100ml.

In short, there are 2 main issues surrounding San Diego’s water – the quality, and the lack of testing. To fix quality, it’s actually relatively simple. Throw your trash away in the little bin marked trash, and throw your recyclables away in the one marked recycle. Don’t water your lawn or wash your car quite so much. That dirty water goes down the storm drains and right into our oceans. And we could all honestly care less whether or not there’s bird poo on your bumper. As for the testing, well, you’d be surprised how much one voice can carry. So imagine a lot of them. Make your voice one of those many. Demand consistent water testing, and the results to go with it.

So, do you still not realize why you should care about the quality of our water? Or whether or not it gets frequently checked? If you don’t, you might want to get your hearing checked. After all, that bacteria could have given you an ear infection. Or, if you just weren’t listening, I’ll rehash the reasons why you, the San Diego citizen, should care.

(show bullet points onscreen).

-You think infections are gross

-You want to be more informed

-You like living

For these reasons, and many more, I encourage you to take action regarding our water quality today. Believe it or not, we can each do our own part. And it’s really not too hard. Just make your voice heard. Like me. You’re listening to me, aren’t you? Why ARE you listening to me? Go get off your can and do something.

(Text) To learn more, visit mediasavesthebeach.org

(Cut to black)

(Text) Created by: Kevin Middleton

A Whale Of A Tale

There is a very blurred line between right and wrong - in this case especially. There are laws being broken, morals being stood for, property being damaged, lives being saved, ego trips impairing judgement, and ships named "The Can-Opener." However, if one person or side had to be right, I would say that it would be Paul Watson.
It is very possible that Watson is doing this for his "love of theatrics," or perhaps because he simply thinks it's fun, and while I'm sure those do play a part, for the most part, I believe that Watson is doing this to save lives. He feels that whales are even more intelligent than humans, and deserve to survive. So, he is doing everything in his power to ensure the survival of their species.
Aside from trying to preserve the species, he is also trying to stop murder. This doesn't have so much to do with the whales as it does to do with delivering karmic justice. He rams ships that try to kill whales, and does his best to bring as much damage to them as he can. While this can obviously be looked at as a bad thing, I believe it shows he has very good morals.
The final thing that helps to show that Watson is right is the level of risk he's willing to take, and the sacrifices he's willing to make. He has had gas canisters thrown at him, was shot at, was arrested, called a terrorist, and almost sank multiple times. He also devoted his entire life to this line of work, so that he could stop this "holocaust" of the whales.
While it is true, if he were in our country, he would be breaking many laws, and while it is true that he is damaging others' ships and bringing their lives in danger, I have the firm belief that Watson is right in this issue. He is saving lives, stopping murder, and standing up for what he believes in.

Yes, he is biracial. No, we don't care.

"Isn't it time for language to move on?"  This is a statement made by Marie Arana, one which is quite unimportant.  I feel that this is an unnecessary point, because it seems that the English language is in a good place right now, and she doesn't explicitly state any of the negative consequences that would occur if language didn't move on.  

First, she goes into the details on Obama's race, as well as her own.  She says that while the misconception is that Barack Obama is our first African American president, in truth, he is our first biracial president.  When reading this, I ask myself the same thing I am supposed to ask myself every time I write a paper - "So what?"  And that is exactly what I was thinking.  So what?  Nothing major, or even minor is happening because he is (part) black, although that is debatable.  It is not affecting any of his major decisions, and one way or another, it should not be affecting ours.  So, so what if we call him the same thing that he refers to himself as?  To me, making a big deal of this is just as moot a point as making a point of the fact that his middle name is Hussein.  So what?

She then proceeds to take the reader through the history of Hispanic-Americans, and the different bullet points along the timeline that defined the history of their race.  I understood that this was meant to make the point that racial groups and their rights are important, and that it never hurts to know the deep rooted history of any race, however, it failed to make me understand why someone's full racial heritage must always be acknowledged.  

She then goes on to point out all the celebrities who are biracial, but referred to as black, making the same case she initially made about Obama, that people shouldn't be taken at face value.  But what does it matter?  Why should we honestly care?  Race and ethnic background shouldn't play any kind of role in daily life or human interaction, other than cultural experiences (black churches, hula dancing, etc.).  So it doesn't matter if we know that Mariah Carey is half white, (to anyone but her and those who she shares in those cultural experiences with) because it should not play any role in how we see or interact with her.  People believing that she is entirely black, or calling her black with the knowledge that she is half white does not matter.  It brings absolutely no harm to Carey or society.  

In one of Arana's final points, she mentions that someone approached her saying  she was half African-American, half German, but no one can see that she is German, only Black.  As it so happens, all people judge by first appearance in some way.  If any person is asked to take a look at a dark skinned person, and is asked what race they are, the person is going to assume the other person is Black.  There is no harm in this (unless the person is a racist, but that's a separate issue entirely).  If someone is a lighter skin tone, we are likely to believe they are white, and if they are darker, we are going to believe they are black.  If their bicultural background is made common knowledge to the public, the words we call them will still remain the same.  This is a sign of neither racism nor unsophistication.  This is simply us calling it how we see it.  It is also a way for us to not have to say twelve syllables every time we want to refer to someones race.