FILMINGGGGGGGG.....

Alrighty, So I've been officially shooting and editing films. Finally completed one of my very own silent film.

Don'tDrinkAndDrive

This is one scene taken out of my original idea, however it still managed to show a story with a beginning, middle and end! With all the obstacles in the way, I managed to produce a piece. There is always plenty room of improvement, which I'm hoping to learn over more productions and feedbacks.

Enjoy!!! Feel free to provide feedbacks.

Finally...Spring!!

New quarter, new start - diminish old ones!!!

Currently venturing into my world of FILMING!! Shooting, Editing, Production etc. etc. (EXCITED)

Looking forward to mainly watching old films, which are NEW to me, especially coming from a different country. Anxious, Nervous, Excited- all in one. Great group of people around and ready to rumble!

First film should be out soon.....

Class Highlights

 

WHAT IS MASS COMM?

Before attending this class, I was very excited as I've always been curious to learn about Mass  Communication. In addition to that, my dream is to be a director, hopefully in Hollywood or media related industry, therefore it is helpful to have some knowledge about the media industry. Moreover, I come from Malaysia, therefore I'm certain that there are many things that I would find interesting and as a guidance to my future undertaking. 

3 AHA MOMENTS!!

 1) The First Amendment.

- Again, as mentioned, the First Amendment is a new law for me, as I come from a different country. It is quite interesting to discover the amount of freedom an American receive due to the First Amendment. Aside from that, there are also many controversy that I've depicted from each chapter relating the First Amendment and how it is encountered.


  2) The history of each media -History of Media (I enjoyed this video as it clearly demonstrates the transition of the different eras from ancient days)

- I've only managed to study the development of human from ancient days, but now, I'm finally aware of the different medias from back then up until today, especially its transitioning period/era. In each chapters discussing on each media, I've also been introduced to one of the finest entrepreneurs and the following generations. Aside from that, it has helped illustrate an idea of the media industry in United States up until today. 

3) The MPAA.

 - For my dream of becoming a director, this has helped make me more aware of who's in the industry and to be careful of what to produce in the upcoming future. It is often time good to be cautious about the things going around in the industry, especially if it plays an important role in one's future. Although the MPAA may not carry a very strong reputation due to their vague and unpredictable restrictions, however at the end of the day, they are the ones who calls the shot.

Media Ethics/ Media Law

WIKILEAKS, a website created by Julian Assange filled with private government documents from different countries around the world. For some, it has been a great achievement but for many, it has been criticized immensely. Wikileaks started publicizing hit news of government privacy such as the war in Afghanistan,  the Guatanamo Bay Prison, Terrorism in Saudi and many others. However the main disruption of Wikileaks is due to the released of thousands of private U.S. government documents worldwide, which is also known as the 'U.S. Cable Leaks.' This video portrays a good summary of Wikileaks' emersion. 

This issue is a good example of media law and ethics of one's Freedom of Speech and the violation of the U.S. Constitutional Rights. It has been very complicated for the U.S. government to take action on Assange, due to the Freedom of Speech. Therefore the U.S. government has decided to ban Wikileaks. One of the main concerns due to the emergence of Wikileaks is conflict against other countries. For example, in this video, it has embedded some of the criticism said amongst the U.S. government about politicians from other countries, which may not be respectful and appreciated by others. That will arise more problems and issues in uniting all countries.

In my point of view, Wikileaks seems to be helpful in order for us to retrieve information, however there should be a limit of information distributed to the public, especially if it's private government information. Aside from that, it is good to avoid publicizing Wikileaks so that, in general, it would not create hatred among countries. 

Propoganda in Advertising/PR

One of the most beautiful Dove commercials that I've ever seen. This advertisement uses two most apparent propaganda techniques which are the glittering generality and common man. The glittering generality is clearly depicted by using emotionally appealing words such as 'beautiful.' Moreover, this advertisement uses a song to support it's main idea in supporting one's beauty. Aside from that, this dove campaign illustrates common man, which also means 'plain folks,' to portray the sense of 'Every person from all walks of life.' In other words, there is no boundaries to be considered beautiful, no matter the size, shape or color- Everyone is considered beautiful in their respective ways. It is especially more appealing by selecting children from all ages and races to be advertised.

Internet

Shopping is and will always be an activity that many girls invest in their life. Some find it more accessible doing it online. Although I have shopped online before but I would never developed an addiction. However, my good friend has been very fond of shopping online. Her main reason to doing so is because its  convenient, easy and there are a wider range of choices. Her favorite or shall I say regular sites are Fredericks, Amazon, Nine West and Forever 21. Ever since she has been engaged with this activity, she can't stop shopping and her credit card bills are accumulating. Moreover, she barely visits the mall, which means no social life and that has made her unaware about society. She is currently enrolled in a good school, therefore she realized the importance of accomplishing her education. Moreover, she is in a private school, which is more expensive, therefore she is obligated to saving money to compensate for school.

Aside from shopping, I know a large sum of people who are addicted to games online such as Dota, Warcraft etc. Back in my country, Malaysia, a lot of my friends were always at a cybercafe from sunrise to sunset playing all these games. Their addiction made them neglect school and take advantage of their parents' money. Most of them end up working at cybercafes' or being jobless individuals. However, for some of them, for example my brother, he managed to stop playing these games by being more committed to work and his responsibility as the older brother.

Television - Social Networking (past-present)

Social Networking - Transformation of Communication

Length: 9:57
Description: The history and evolution of media for communication, also known as social networking.
Chapter 2: Media Impact, Chapter 9: Television, Chapter 10: The Internet
Quiz Question: What happened before media was used to communicate with people?
Answer: Communication was only available orally, in person, written format and signals.

Movies!!

Blackswan
The reason I liked this movie is because of the story board. In my experience of watching movies in relation to dancing, I've never come across one that had a bit of horror/thrill to it. Not only were there moments when I could sense a horror scene, but this movie also made me think a lot due to the main characters' role. For example, as soon as the movie was approaching the climax, the scenes got more complicated and showed 'two-sides' of the main characters role as a swan. Overall, I think the screenwriter and the director did an amazing job in producing this piece. It's not an ordinary dance movie.

My definition of an all-time favorite movie would be a movie that I can constantly watch over and over again. And that would be all the series of Fast & Furious. The reason being so is because I'm a car freak and 'driving' is one of my hobbies. Although it may sound like I am committing a crime to 'SPEED,' however to me, it's not about the speed, it's more about the capability in being a good driver.  Aside from that, I am a very artistic person, therefore having a sense of the body work on the cars inspires me to draw or even plan on designing my future car. The first time I watched the first release of this movie was at the theater with a group of friends, who also admires cars. We chose this option due to having a better feel of the movie, as the screen is bigger and the music is louder. This being my all-time favorite movie is making me eager and anxious to watch the upcoming series showing in April 2010 , Fast Five Trailer.

Magazine Proposal

Dear Sir/Ma'am

Due to the increment and demand of food industry throughout the world, I have been motivated to propose a magazine educating its readers about the most healthy, delicious and affordable food available globally.

I would like to introduce my magazine titled 'Food Fiesta,' which provides the readers with abundance knowledge of food worldwide. Food Fiesta demonstrates healthy, delicious food available in every country. Furthermore, Food Fiesta specializes in home-made recipes, which will give the readers an opportunity to prepare these food options in their home kitchen, rather than traveling abroad. Moreover, Food Fiesta would act as a 'food tour-guide' for travelers.

Food Fiesta focuses on people who are food-lovers, especially for those who wants to prepare a healthy, delicious and authentic meal for their significant other or family. Food Fiesta, being a weekly magazine, would attract the multi-cultural readers due to its diverse content. Since it's priced economically, people from all different income levels can easily afford a copy of Food Fiesta from their local grocery store.

Normally, people come across magazines that concentrates either on recipes, nutritional information or restaurants. On the contrary, Food Fiesta is a combination of all the aspects related to the food industry, in other words its main contributions is about all kinds of food from all around the world. Moreover, the low price of Food Fiesta compared to others would attract more publicity to the latter.

The food industry has always been an attraction to the advertisers. Therefore, Food Fiesta would attract many manufacturers relating to beverages, hotels, tourism, and other food brands. For instance, beverage companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, followed by popular hotels around the world, kitchen ware companies such as Honeywell, food condiment brands such as Hienz and last but not the least, Culinary schools would have an opportunity to reach out to their prospective students.

Articles -
1) Top 10 Best Meals
2) Healthy yet Yummy
3) International Kitchen
4) Home-made Recipes
5) You have been there, but have you tasted 'IT'

The choice for the cover page was an inspiration due to the vast variety of fresh nutrients. Moreover, the colorful image portrays a sense of temptation.

I hope you will consider Food Fiesta as an upcoming magazine, whose main motive is to entertain its' readers about the large variety of food available in this world.

Thanking you,

Your Sincerely,
Jade Flader

The books in my life

Although I know how important it is to be a reader in life due to the skills one will acquire, such as better reading concept, writing skill and even better vocabulary knowledge. As I've mentioned about my experiences with books, I am not very proud of being considered an alliterate reader. However, I've been trying to force myself to read. It doesn't mean that I've not read any books at all in my life.

One of the books that I've read and found extraordinarily fun and memorable until today is 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,' the first edition by J.K.Rowling. I had an option to avoid reading it  however, back then when the book was first published, it seemed to grasp a lot of attention, therefore I realized that it must have had an interesting content. I find the story well written because it involves school children, which I am able to relate too due to my age at that time. In addition to that, it describes the world of Harry Potter with a little more fun and thrill, due to the magical world and the other characters. As a child, this helps encourage our reading due to the imaginative world of school life. And I've realized some books does not transition well into the next chapter, however J.K.Rowling organized it as such that made me constantly curious of the following chapter, which got me hooked and kept me going until I've completed the book.

Besides that, I've read a book titled 'The Interpreter of Maladies,' by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was a book filled with many short stories portraying the Indian culture. The main reason why I read it was because of its main theme. I come from Malaysia, therefore I am aware of the Indian culture, however after reading this book, it opened my eyes to many more instances and situations that an Indian family encounters. Aside from that, the stories are written very well that it felt like I'm reading a true story. Not only was I interested with the book, more so with the writer due to her good exposure. She had also written a book titled 'The Namesake,' which was later on made into a movie, which I believe is to portray the struggles of an Indian family living in America. She writes a lot about her culture, Indian culture, which I enjoy reading about. I've always had an interest in reading books related to culture, in order for me to learn more about one's culture.

Aside from just story books, I find the educational books helpful too. For example, 'Vistas- Introducion a la lengua Espanola,' by Jose A. Blanco and Phillip Redwine Donley, a well organized book filled with the steps of learning Spanish and the Spanish culture. First and foremost, I don't only appreciate this book because I'm learning Spanish, but in addition to that, I love and admire everything about the Spanish speaking world. Spanish is currently my fourth language and aside from that Spanish ranges from all kinds of countries. This book has been very helpful in regards to educational and informative facts about all Spanish speaking countries. Moreover I am a big fan of traveling, with the help of the images of the Latin American countries and additional information about the history has provided me with more details. In addition to that, this book comes with a code that allows one to also access this information through an online site, which can also come in handy for computer savvy people.

Internet Exposure 2

In addition to last weeks topic, I thought  I'd share the impact of Facebook (Internet media) in Malaysia today. I would often still read the Malaysian news, and I found this very shocking and sad that Facebook have encouraged all this problems in society today. These are for everyone's perusal about Facebook - facebook impact 1 & facebook impact 2. 
It is really sad how people are unaware of the disadvantages of this sites. As being a Malaysian, I do hope the government would encourage media literacy in schools to educate the upcoming generation in their exposure to the Internet.

Internet Exposure

The Internet has made a great impact in many peoples life. Although it has helped us in many ways, it has also encouraged more problems in society. One of the most common problems due to the existence of the Internet today is  Cyber Stalking , where people can stalk and invade other peoples' privacy without any restrictions. To be more precise, the Internet has opened many doors for problems such as cyber stalking, cyber bullying, cyber love to be more accessible.

In society today, many people are brought up with the exposure to the Internet and some, especially children are unaware that the Internet is not the safest media. For example, sites like Facebook, My Space and others has encouraged individuals to network with random people from all around the world. Aside from that, it has given people the option of being a different person and having a different identity. According to this video, Autumn Edows chose the Internet because she realize it was her only escape from her real life problems. In addition to that, the Internet is also known to be an "escape-goat" for individuals that are less accepted in society. There has been many incidences, whereby teenagers treated the Internet more of a reality than just a media. According to this link on  cyber-bullying, a young girl killed herself due to the exposure of being on the Internet and being bullied online.

In a nutshell,  I believe people should be more media literate and careful when exposing themselves on the Internet. 
 

M & M (Me and Mass Media)

Growing up in Malaysia has definitely made a huge impact in my life. Being brought up by my grandparents, they were very influential and encouraging when it comes to education, be it reading or writing. They’ve tried very hard to pursued me into appreciating the newspapers, both in Malay and English, however up until today, I’ve yet to show any improvement. Although I seldom read the newspaper, I was still fond of reading educational books during my school years. I’ve paid more attention reading books not only because it was compulsory, but I realized that it has helped improved my reading and writing skills. As the years develop, I learned to enjoy reading the magazines; especially ones like Seventeen and Cleo (Malaysian magazine), which illustrate fashion, girl-gossip, and many more. During my school years, I was also a dancer, representing school. Back then, having limited access and knowledge to the CD’s and Internet, I managed to discover good music’s from the radio. It was necessary, as I had to always make decisions on choosing a good song to perform.

Not long before I realize my footsteps were headed towards the direction filled with mass media. I was working at a casting agency for almost three years, as a casting coordinator back in Malaysia. Not only were my daily routines about recordings, I was also influence to watching the television more often to have a sense of the commercials. I’ve casted and met many famous and regular people on a daily basis. It was a great joy preparing the cameras, studio and even the models. Commercials in Asia, are extremely overwhelming. Not only do advertising agencies spend a large sum but they also develop a good commercial, with a great message for the audience. One of the best commercials that I’ve presented a model for was for a local telecommunication company, Celcom

After spending almost three years working as a casting coordinator, I realize my interest in filming, to be specific Directing. Therefore, I decided to come to the USA to further my education and simultaneously, build a career. This quarter, I am enrolled in my first film class and I am very excited. My aim is to apply to UCLA this Fall, so I am slowly watching more and more movies, be it online or at the theaters each day to make myself aware of the movie industry today. Hopefully, after graduating, I am able to work in Hollywood!!