Pathos, Logos and Ethos are Aristotle's three main forms of appealing work to an audience, also known as Aristotle's Modes of Persuasion. Ethos relates to ethics. It is used when a persuader uses someone's (usually a celebrity) credibility to enforce or convince someone of an idea. For example, when toothpaste companies say "9/10 dentists say this product is the best of it's kind," they're applying the logic of ethos. Pathos is an appeal to one's emotions. It usually entails an ad or any other work creating, or finding, a convincing story that makes the viewer feel guilty or show empathy. For example, a lot of companies like UNICEF advertise young children in poverty in hopes that when you see it, you'll donate to their cause. Logos is using logic to form your argument. Most prominently used are statistics, even if they're made up. For example, if I wanted to convince you to buy my specific mattress, I'd tell you that 75% of other companies sell mattresses that cause back problems. However, the facts used in most arguments using logos are true.
Wednesday, 29 July 2020
Monday, 27 July 2020
Senior Art Term 3 Week 2
A new term and we're already far too close to the end of the year. My kaupapa is something along of the lines of the hand life dealt. So kind of like looking at the things people get stuck with just by living. This may change as I suck at commitment :)
In the last week or so, I've been working both on drawing from references and things from my mind, as you can see in the following.
It's upside down :(
This is a piece I did on my own at home. I'm not really sure how to describe it. I would like to redo it at some point as I use my own paints and the proportions of the hand itself which makes it look quite strange. I originally had a different version of the hand which was drawn better but I messed up the painting :(
This is a work in progress that is kinda the basis of my main overall idea. You can't quite tell yet ut it's meant to be the idea of life is a game where a minority has a clear disadvantage. I'm trying to show this as it's like some people are given a deck, ridden with things like prejudice and brutality, that is worse than others. I honestly have forgotten what the other letters stand for.
(Rock hand, hanging hand) These are just some reference practices that I haven't really fully realised yet. Also one is missing some fingers.
This one's also upside down :((Adam's Creation) So this one is just a finger at the moment but I'm getting there. I had to start again as it didn't work the first time. What I'd like to do is take a hand like God's in Adam's Creation and have a snake biting the pointing finger and kinda like hanging off of it. I guess it's like the kind of backhanded nature of what religion can be.
This one's just a different piece I did but in watercolour and smaller.
This is my current checklist for the 1.2 (we've already achieved the 1.1) and where I think I am. However, I could be horribly wrong :)
Friday, 26 June 2020
More Art, but like, Out Of Isolation P2
This week in art, I've been working on using watercolour paints to create basic shapes. I did this for a couple of days with Jess, using various colours like red, purple, green, blue, and yellow.  |
| These are a few of my first attempts. I really like some of these. More so than some of my newer attempts. I'm not the est at like shadows |
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| Here's some more watercolour stuff :p |
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| I also attempted working with charcoal too. I tried to recreate the black lives matter fist I did the other week in charcoal but I didn't have room for the flowers and knife so it's just a fist with "human" on it. |
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| Currently, America is a mess, which is kind of what my work has been about recently. People are mad, as they should e, so some statues have been destroyed. not going to lie, I found this decapitated Christopher Columbus really funny. So I drew it and actually don't hate how it turned out for once. Um, anyway, screw that guy. Racists shouldn't get statues. |
Monday, 8 June 2020
More Art, but like, Out Of Isolation
As a good start to what I'd like my portfolio to look like, in my own time I created a mixed media piece in support of the black lives matter movement in progress in America at the moment. 
This is it :)
The text you can see is actually a doc of different articles about innocent black victims who died to the hands of police brutality and stereotyping. More accurately victims murdered by people who stood free due to systematic racism. These victims include but are sadly not limited to -
George Floyd - was suffocated by a cop kneeling on his neck for over 8 minutes despite a lack of struggle and continuously saying "I can't breathe." He was in the custody of the cop due to being arrested on suspicion of a forged $20 note. The note was later reported to be real.
Trayvon Martin - shot by a neighbourhood watch member while walking home from a convenience store and holding a bag of skittles. He was labelled a 'suspicious individual' and unknowingly had the cops called on him. Despite the warning from 911 operator to not do anything, George Zimmerman shot and killed an innocent 17 year old. Trayvon Martin was 17. Zimmerman had a gun, Martin had skittles.
Breonna Taylor - Stormed in her own apartment and shot 8 times. A police squad entered her house to see if two men had been receiving packages of drugs there. They had a warrant that allowed them to enter without warning and not identify themselves as officers. They say that they only fired shots towards Taylor because her boyfriend shot at and wounded one of their officers (He was charged with the attempted murder of an officer after shooting them in the leg, a wound that would quickly heal. The charges were dropped later.) While aggressive, not a reason to fire at someone who is unarmed, consequently killing her.
Ahmaud Arbery - He was shot while jogging. That's it. Two white men shot him because he was jogging. It was months before they were arrested.
These are just some of the numerous cases.
To support the movement, please (safely) protest if possible or even just check out some of these articles -
Thursday, 4 June 2020
Smexy Paragraphs About Meth (Sexxxy Paragraphs About The Harmful Effects of Drugs)
The harmful effects of drugs are shown within the Meth Project's PSA 'Jessica.' This is seen in the way the visual production has been set up. For instance, while the narrator is talking about Jessica being raped by her meth dealer, the scene is dark, reflecting the negative emotions and events shown and talked about. It slowly transitions to a scene where we're shown a dark, empty hallway. There's are bright light at the end of the hallway, almost representing the 'light at the end of the tunnel' or, more realistically, the hope she can fight her addiction. The hallway is very tight, it makes the viewer feel small. This was done to reflect the idea of being trapped both through her drug dealer and her addiction. The director did this to visually tell us what it's like to have an addiction like this. It makes us feel trapped and numerous other saturated shots, such as an unclean bathroom with a broken mirror, make us feel the discomfort and pain of addiction. This is very similar to how the director uses lighting in the first scene to show us that Jessica is quickly submerging her self in darkness. This is shown through the clip of who we can assume is Jessica cheerleading before we are shown a clip of an empty stadium shutting its light's down in staggered clusters.
Monday, 11 May 2020
Even More English Stuff!
I previously shared the work leading up to my creative writing assessment but I never shared to final work. So... Here it is! There are two stories, both containing the same characters. They're set in a fantasy world, hence the constant mention of magic. Sorry about the awkward formatting. I hope you enjoy!
I want to scream.
⋙Story One⋘
I want to let out the most guttural scream the world has ever heard.
“Get off of me! Let go!” That’s all I can manage. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. Over the ringing. It’s so fast. It’s too fast. The thud of her body hitting the ground echoes in my head and the rest of the world goes silent.
And silence is far scarier than sound.
⋙⌽⋘
“What are you thinking about?” Footsteps approach my chair from behind. I look up to see a familiar face hanging above me, a smile pulled from ear to ear. Sweet perfume sweeps my senses as the figure moves into view.
“Nothing...” I say. An eyebrow raises. The seat in front of me is no longer vacant. “Everything?”
“I’ll drink to that!”
“Ellie, you’re drinking orange juice out of a coffee mug.” Her hand waves over the mug, the liquid fading into a new brown colour. A pink glow emits from a pendant sitting on her ring finger. “Even if you use illusion magic, it’s still orange juice.”
Her cheeks flush red, now hidden by her comically large cup. Three cacti stare at me as I try to see her face, ‘don’t be a prick’ screaming at me.
“You’re adorable.”
⋙⌽⋘
“What are you thinking about?” Footsteps approach my chair from behind. I look up to see a familiar face hanging above me, a smile pulled from ear to ear. Sweet perfume sweeps my senses as the figure moves into view.
“Nothing...” I say. An eyebrow raises. The seat in front of me is no longer vacant. “Everything?”
“I’ll drink to that!”
“Ellie, you’re drinking orange juice out of a coffee mug.” Her hand waves over the mug, the liquid fading into a new brown colour. A pink glow emits from a pendant sitting on her ring finger. “Even if you use illusion magic, it’s still orange juice.”
Her cheeks flush red, now hidden by her comically large cup. Three cacti stare at me as I try to see her face, ‘don’t be a prick’ screaming at me.
“You’re adorable.”
“And you’re an over-thinker, Avery.” She places the cup down, leaning her elbows against the dark wood. Her head rests in her hand, her eyes filled with an admiration I haven’t seen from her since high school. “You think too much.”
“Thank you, Ms Rivera. An over-thinker overthinks. How are you vice-princip-” I’m interrupted by the door slamming open. Ellie’s head snaps over her shoulder, eyes wide in fear and curiosity. “Madelyn?”
She hurls the door shut, falling into it as her chest heaves up and down. “Your students are psychotic! They’re running in circles out there!”
“Says you, you almost burnt down the school in year eleven,” Ellie says, spinning her whole body around. Maddie rolls her eyes, adjusting the lopsided tiara sat amongst golden strands of hair. She’s careful about the way she handles the green and silver embellishments. “You ripped someone in half with a vine in the basement, like, two months later.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t have you two as my principal and vice-principal.” She pulls herself away from the door. Green heels tap against the floorboards, muffling as they reach the carpet. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“So why are you here?” I raise an eyebrow at her. “Why did you barge into my office for the first time in 6 months? Without a phone call first.”
“This.” With nothing else to say, she whacks a piece of paper onto the desk, falling into the empty seat. “It appeared in my office last night. I couldn’t sleep, like I was being watched.”
Ellie picks up the paper, studying it carefully. “No wonder, ‘We see you’? That’s terrifying.”
“Let me see?” My heart sinks. As Ellie said, clear as rain, ‘We see you,’ written in some deep crimson substance. “Is this blood?”
“Looks like it. I-” Maddie’s cut off, everything suddenly happening at once. I’m not sure if it’s the flash of light or the cracking sound that pierces through the air, but we know for certain that this is not going to end well. In unison, we’re drawn to the window.
I’ve seen it all at this point. Murder, magic, much worse. But nothing like this. The once smooth ground, covered in grass, was now uneven. A deep rumbling shakes the floor beneath us. Ellie loses her balance. Luckily, I’m there to catch her.
“What do we do?”
“Come with me. Ellie, get everyone safe. Meet us outside when you’re done.” The three of us race out of the room, each on our own separate missions. I can’t help but feel weighed down. Jeans are not the best armour. Maddie seems to have the same problem. No ballgown is bulletproof.
I’m suddenly aware of everything. My feet hitting the concrete, green fabric swaying around Maddie’s legs as she runs, the wind whistling in my ears. Everything is happening. And then I’m happening.
“What’s the situation?” Ellie runs up behind us in a flash of pink. Anxious, she pulls at her sleeves, allowing them to sit in her palms.
“Whoever they are, they can only control the elements,” Maddie says, scanning the perimeter. Before our eyes, a row of men phase into existence, paired with a spectrum of glowing colours. “...And illusions... Avery, can you still do the thing?”
“I- It’s been a while. Hold on…” It’s almost impossible to tell if time has slowed down or sped up. I raise my hand, palm facing the sky. One deep breath and small sparks appear from the tips of my calloused fingers. The pale green glow from Maddie’s crown is weak, but it’s there.
Concentrate, Avery. Concentrate. And then the flames come, unexpected. All at once rather than sparked into life. I stumble back, but I regain my balance soon after. We know what we need to do. As a collective. A shared nod sends us into battle.
I can’t say I know what happens.
I know it happens all at once.
Fire fights the earth. The land is soon destroyed. I’m in pain, but I have to stand my ground. The world blurs, but I have to keep focused. I’m so far gone, but her voice brings me back.
“Avery! Look, I did it!” Ellie stands over a group of men, a pink glow fading. They’re not moving. Not moving… The sparkle in her eye scares me. The smile on her face fills me with pride.
This is when time slows down. Everything goes quiet. All movement ceases. A scared expression washes over Ellie’s face. I only now hear the gunshot. The ringing. She goes to speak, her bottom lip shaking. Her eyes well with tears. I want to move, but I’m paralysed. I can’t get to her. I can’t help her.
But now, she’s gone.
“I’m not the villain of this story, Madelyn. I never will be.” My heart pounds inside my chest. My stomach flips, and my voice rings in my ears. Words are spat like sharp knives, cold, unrelenting. It’s not like what I’m saying isn’t true, but this isn’t who I am. “If you can name one thing that I’ve ever done to wrong you in this life, I’ll retreat. But until then, don’t even try to convince me otherwise.”
“What about when you refused to help us-”
“-kill someone? You’re really trying to tell me that refusing to commit murder is a bad thing?” Her face scrunches, knowing that I’m right. I clench my fists, sharp nails digging into the palms of my hands.
“No! Ellie, you’re not listening to me,” she states plainly. It’s funny how matter-of-fact she is when it helps her. She stops becoming defensive. She stops deflecting. It’s all about her.
“Because you never listened! You never listened to any of us. Ever.” I swallow my pride, my tongue sitting alien in my mouth. “I’m done being your moral compass. I’m done being that secondary character. I’m done being your only voice of reason. This is my story now. And I’m the hero.”
“Ellie-”
I look her up and down, my eyebrows furrowing with contempt. The setting sun gleams through the classroom windows, setting her silhouette in black. She’s always held herself above others, her morals are so horribly grey. I never know what to think of her. “So far, it seems as though you are my antagonist.”
“You want a villain? I’ll show you a damn villain.” Something burns in her eyes, her face red. A green glow emits from the crown atop her head. Sparks dance around her fingertips, crawling up her arm in synchronized spirals. Avid eyes follow the flames as a smirk painted in the corner of her lips. Unable to think clearly, I stutter and stumble over my words. I’m forced to slink back as she grazes past my shoulder, navigating the desks. It’s impossible not to know that her flames burn at a thousand degrees.
“Maddie-!” As the door slams in my face, I rethink my words. Was I too harsh? No. I don’t think so. Over the nine years I’ve known her, I’m surprised I’ve survived this long. She throws her friends away after she’s finished using them. She’s impulsive, never thinking things through. She’s literally murdered two people out of spite and anger, for Heaven’s sake. After I, of all people, tried to convince her otherwise. Did she listen? No. Of course not. It’s Madelyn Ross.
She doesn’t need to listen.
⋙⌽⋘
“Ellie, what’s wrong with Madelyn this time?” I haven’t moved in what feels like hours. I can’t stop staring at the crescent cuts in my skin. Avery’s voice feels distant, on another plane of existence. “She’s covered in fire and I really don’t want to fill out any more paperwork today.”
“We got into another fight.” She picks up my hands, taking my line of sight with them. Her eyes are soft as she grazes her thumbs over my palms.
“We need to get you a stress ball.” She sighs, giving me a gentle smile. “But, if we don’t stop Madelyn, she’ll burn down the school. You managed to stop her the first time, so get out there and please don’t let her murder anyone else.”
She practically pushes me out of the door. Sorry, literally. She literally pushes me out the door. I stumble into the hall, left to fend for myself. The halls suddenly feel small, unfamiliar. It’s hard to tell if my feet are moving or if it’s just the walls around me.
I somehow find my way to the courtyard, cautious of tripping myself up on the uneven cobble. My heel almost gets caught in the small cracks as I notice Maddie standing upon a small hill. She stares at the cherry blossom tree a few feet in front of her. Her figure is illuminated by coils of fire, wrapped around her skin from her legs to her throat. They hide under the minimal cloth she dons. I’ve never seen her like this.
Green suede boots reach her thighs, burnt at the top. Her once floor-length dress is now scorched almost inappropriately high on her legs. The ends are brown and charred, creating a new harsh edge. Did she burn the edges? On purpose?
“Maddie, what are you doing?” She turns, a hollow darkness in her eyes. A sinister smirk pulls at her lips. Even after the horrors we’ve seen, I’ve never seen her so… cold. I mean, she’s been distant, but never resentful.
“I told you. You wanted a villain. So here I am.”
“No, I called you an antagonist. Something or someone that opposes a protagonist’s goals. Though I could never be a protagonist, I’ve always just wanted harmony. Associating with you is the exact opposite of that.” The fire circling her body begins to slow. “But we still love you, Mads. Even if you are a little mad…”
We both laugh, the soft glow of flame fading before my eyes. Something warms behind her eyes as she approaches me, stumbling over herself. It reminds me of high school. Together, we’d laugh over the stupidest stuff.
“We met here.” I stare at the tree. Pale petals that fall around us line the base of the hill. It’s very serene. “Can’t believe you even thought of burning it down.”
“Hey, that’s not true. I was imagining what it would look like if I did happen to burn it to the ground.” With a blink of an eye and a small pink glow, the tree goes up in flames. You could almost hear the cracking. Embers fly. Smoke rises in columns, clouding the blue sky. We bask in the amber hues. All at once, it disappears. Maddie turns to me, craze colouring her eyes. She looks hopeful. “Magic?”
“You’ve always underestimated me, Madelyn Ross.”
“Thank you, Ms Rivera. An over-thinker overthinks. How are you vice-princip-” I’m interrupted by the door slamming open. Ellie’s head snaps over her shoulder, eyes wide in fear and curiosity. “Madelyn?”
She hurls the door shut, falling into it as her chest heaves up and down. “Your students are psychotic! They’re running in circles out there!”
“Says you, you almost burnt down the school in year eleven,” Ellie says, spinning her whole body around. Maddie rolls her eyes, adjusting the lopsided tiara sat amongst golden strands of hair. She’s careful about the way she handles the green and silver embellishments. “You ripped someone in half with a vine in the basement, like, two months later.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t have you two as my principal and vice-principal.” She pulls herself away from the door. Green heels tap against the floorboards, muffling as they reach the carpet. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“So why are you here?” I raise an eyebrow at her. “Why did you barge into my office for the first time in 6 months? Without a phone call first.”
“This.” With nothing else to say, she whacks a piece of paper onto the desk, falling into the empty seat. “It appeared in my office last night. I couldn’t sleep, like I was being watched.”
Ellie picks up the paper, studying it carefully. “No wonder, ‘We see you’? That’s terrifying.”
“Let me see?” My heart sinks. As Ellie said, clear as rain, ‘We see you,’ written in some deep crimson substance. “Is this blood?”
“Looks like it. I-” Maddie’s cut off, everything suddenly happening at once. I’m not sure if it’s the flash of light or the cracking sound that pierces through the air, but we know for certain that this is not going to end well. In unison, we’re drawn to the window.
I’ve seen it all at this point. Murder, magic, much worse. But nothing like this. The once smooth ground, covered in grass, was now uneven. A deep rumbling shakes the floor beneath us. Ellie loses her balance. Luckily, I’m there to catch her.
“What do we do?”
“Come with me. Ellie, get everyone safe. Meet us outside when you’re done.” The three of us race out of the room, each on our own separate missions. I can’t help but feel weighed down. Jeans are not the best armour. Maddie seems to have the same problem. No ballgown is bulletproof.
I’m suddenly aware of everything. My feet hitting the concrete, green fabric swaying around Maddie’s legs as she runs, the wind whistling in my ears. Everything is happening. And then I’m happening.
“What’s the situation?” Ellie runs up behind us in a flash of pink. Anxious, she pulls at her sleeves, allowing them to sit in her palms.
“Whoever they are, they can only control the elements,” Maddie says, scanning the perimeter. Before our eyes, a row of men phase into existence, paired with a spectrum of glowing colours. “...And illusions... Avery, can you still do the thing?”
“I- It’s been a while. Hold on…” It’s almost impossible to tell if time has slowed down or sped up. I raise my hand, palm facing the sky. One deep breath and small sparks appear from the tips of my calloused fingers. The pale green glow from Maddie’s crown is weak, but it’s there.
Concentrate, Avery. Concentrate. And then the flames come, unexpected. All at once rather than sparked into life. I stumble back, but I regain my balance soon after. We know what we need to do. As a collective. A shared nod sends us into battle.
I can’t say I know what happens.
I know it happens all at once.
Fire fights the earth. The land is soon destroyed. I’m in pain, but I have to stand my ground. The world blurs, but I have to keep focused. I’m so far gone, but her voice brings me back.
“Avery! Look, I did it!” Ellie stands over a group of men, a pink glow fading. They’re not moving. Not moving… The sparkle in her eye scares me. The smile on her face fills me with pride.
This is when time slows down. Everything goes quiet. All movement ceases. A scared expression washes over Ellie’s face. I only now hear the gunshot. The ringing. She goes to speak, her bottom lip shaking. Her eyes well with tears. I want to move, but I’m paralysed. I can’t get to her. I can’t help her.
But now, she’s gone.
⋙Story Two⋘
“What about when you refused to help us-”
“-kill someone? You’re really trying to tell me that refusing to commit murder is a bad thing?” Her face scrunches, knowing that I’m right. I clench my fists, sharp nails digging into the palms of my hands.
“No! Ellie, you’re not listening to me,” she states plainly. It’s funny how matter-of-fact she is when it helps her. She stops becoming defensive. She stops deflecting. It’s all about her.
“Because you never listened! You never listened to any of us. Ever.” I swallow my pride, my tongue sitting alien in my mouth. “I’m done being your moral compass. I’m done being that secondary character. I’m done being your only voice of reason. This is my story now. And I’m the hero.”
“Ellie-”
I look her up and down, my eyebrows furrowing with contempt. The setting sun gleams through the classroom windows, setting her silhouette in black. She’s always held herself above others, her morals are so horribly grey. I never know what to think of her. “So far, it seems as though you are my antagonist.”
“You want a villain? I’ll show you a damn villain.” Something burns in her eyes, her face red. A green glow emits from the crown atop her head. Sparks dance around her fingertips, crawling up her arm in synchronized spirals. Avid eyes follow the flames as a smirk painted in the corner of her lips. Unable to think clearly, I stutter and stumble over my words. I’m forced to slink back as she grazes past my shoulder, navigating the desks. It’s impossible not to know that her flames burn at a thousand degrees.
“Maddie-!” As the door slams in my face, I rethink my words. Was I too harsh? No. I don’t think so. Over the nine years I’ve known her, I’m surprised I’ve survived this long. She throws her friends away after she’s finished using them. She’s impulsive, never thinking things through. She’s literally murdered two people out of spite and anger, for Heaven’s sake. After I, of all people, tried to convince her otherwise. Did she listen? No. Of course not. It’s Madelyn Ross.
She doesn’t need to listen.
⋙⌽⋘
“Ellie, what’s wrong with Madelyn this time?” I haven’t moved in what feels like hours. I can’t stop staring at the crescent cuts in my skin. Avery’s voice feels distant, on another plane of existence. “She’s covered in fire and I really don’t want to fill out any more paperwork today.”
“We got into another fight.” She picks up my hands, taking my line of sight with them. Her eyes are soft as she grazes her thumbs over my palms.
“We need to get you a stress ball.” She sighs, giving me a gentle smile. “But, if we don’t stop Madelyn, she’ll burn down the school. You managed to stop her the first time, so get out there and please don’t let her murder anyone else.”
She practically pushes me out of the door. Sorry, literally. She literally pushes me out the door. I stumble into the hall, left to fend for myself. The halls suddenly feel small, unfamiliar. It’s hard to tell if my feet are moving or if it’s just the walls around me.
I somehow find my way to the courtyard, cautious of tripping myself up on the uneven cobble. My heel almost gets caught in the small cracks as I notice Maddie standing upon a small hill. She stares at the cherry blossom tree a few feet in front of her. Her figure is illuminated by coils of fire, wrapped around her skin from her legs to her throat. They hide under the minimal cloth she dons. I’ve never seen her like this.
Green suede boots reach her thighs, burnt at the top. Her once floor-length dress is now scorched almost inappropriately high on her legs. The ends are brown and charred, creating a new harsh edge. Did she burn the edges? On purpose?
“Maddie, what are you doing?” She turns, a hollow darkness in her eyes. A sinister smirk pulls at her lips. Even after the horrors we’ve seen, I’ve never seen her so… cold. I mean, she’s been distant, but never resentful.
“I told you. You wanted a villain. So here I am.”
“No, I called you an antagonist. Something or someone that opposes a protagonist’s goals. Though I could never be a protagonist, I’ve always just wanted harmony. Associating with you is the exact opposite of that.” The fire circling her body begins to slow. “But we still love you, Mads. Even if you are a little mad…”
We both laugh, the soft glow of flame fading before my eyes. Something warms behind her eyes as she approaches me, stumbling over herself. It reminds me of high school. Together, we’d laugh over the stupidest stuff.
“We met here.” I stare at the tree. Pale petals that fall around us line the base of the hill. It’s very serene. “Can’t believe you even thought of burning it down.”
“Hey, that’s not true. I was imagining what it would look like if I did happen to burn it to the ground.” With a blink of an eye and a small pink glow, the tree goes up in flames. You could almost hear the cracking. Embers fly. Smoke rises in columns, clouding the blue sky. We bask in the amber hues. All at once, it disappears. Maddie turns to me, craze colouring her eyes. She looks hopeful. “Magic?”
“You’ve always underestimated me, Madelyn Ross.”
Thursday, 16 April 2020
Hey! More English Stuff!
Hello from week two(?) of self-isolation! It's come to my attention that I've missed some work on my blog, especially from my English class. So... Yeah, here's some more stuff I've been doing!
The Beatles are brought up religiously throughout the film, each mention having its own form of symbolism. So much so, it becomes a verbal motif. And on that note, motifs used in ‘Let It Be’ help create a deeper meaning within the short film. As previously mentioned, The Beatles are a very specific motif used a lot. For example, Ringo is the reason Martha isn’t killed in the beginning. Death doesn’t want to take Martha’s life and instead tries to take Ringo’s. And Ringo shows up at the end again, he’s there for Martha when she’s talking about accepting that death is a part of life. Right before we find out Ringo is there, Carl implies he wishes for Ringo to die first. It’s not as obvious, but this is a double meaning. He could mean he wants Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles, to die first out of the two remaining ex-members or that he’s rather Ringo, the dog, to die before Martha does. In a later scene, Martha mentions she likes to think they, The Beatles, never really broke up. In the scene beforehand, we find out Martha and Carl broke up. We, and Carl, don’t know why this is. Because of this line, it seems like Martha didn’t actually want to break up with Carl. Despite this hesitance, when asked to give him clarity, she says, “I just don’t feel that way about you anymore.” The last example is when Carl talks about liking their later stuff. This is because it’s more complex, more complete. We also find out Martha prefers their older stuff. Martha later explains to Death, who is in a bathtub, it’s because she likes the young, fun, unrestricted feel of their earlier stuff. It’s free from jade and politics, unlike their later songs. This tells us a lot about each of their personalities. Carl is more uptight, strict, he’s logical. Martha goes with the flow, she’s simple and has fun. The director has to have done this on purpose. It’s a simple yet effective way of showing a character through their likes. Their outfits in these scenes only help solidify the ideas we’re given about them. When paired with the way they dress, it gives the viewers a good idea of what characters we are watching. Martha wears dungarees, 80s-esque clothing. Her closet is full of bright blues, reds, and yellows. Carl’s clothing consists of band tees and jeans. He wears beige, black, white, and grey. He was even Steve Jobs for Halloween. This reminds me of the motifs used in Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, with Romeo constantly comparing Juliet to light. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has a lot of themes of the light vs the dark, so this gives us insight within the characters. It deepens the relationship in the audience’s eyes.
The blocking throughout the film is constantly—and excellently—used to play to our emotions. For example, while Carl and Martha are talking before the Halloween party, Death is playing operation. This alone is foreshadowing for Martha’s death, but it tells us something about Death, without actually saying it. Both scenes use blocking purposefully. Either to make us feel trapped and too big for a conversation, or alone and small in an almost empty room. We first see Carl and Martha together. They are both in a small, dark hallway. It’s back-lit and confined, and the audience feels trapped in the square-like scene we’re watching. It traps us in the conversation the same way the characters feel as though they are. We then see blocking used again in a similar way but for a different effect, Death is on the couch playing operation. We get a few insert shots of her playing, but then she gives up. The camera pulls out, and she’s framed to look small. There is a lot of space around her. Space that isn’t that important when we compare it to Death, one of the main characters. Death feels small in this, she’s frustrated and it’s possible she feels like a failure because it’s impossible for her to play Operation. She doesn’t say this, but we can see how the room looks big in comparison. The director wants us to know that in this scene, Death feels, or just plain is, inferior. When these two scenes are connected and combined with eerie sound effects, it really amplifies the sense of isolation we see. We’re feeling alongside these people. Not only that, but it also strengthens and deepens the relationship between the three characters. They all feel alone in one way or another. This is a lot like an earlier scene. Death is on the same couch, but it’s the first time she’s been in this house. The scene starts with a mid-close-up shot and cuts to a full shot seconds after. The camera isn’t as drawn-out though, it’s possible she feels less isolated at this point, that something about Carl and Martha’s arguing, or the fact she sucks at operation, is threatening to her.
I previously spoke of costumes and contrast, Gilbert uses different aspects, such as colour and art direction, to show a visual contrast. For example, the main characters’ costumes. Costumes are a part of the art direction of a movie. Before, I said how we see Carl and Martha’s appearance. Martha wears overalls and bright colours. In the film itself, we see her wearing a green shirt under brown dungarees with a very colourful jacket, designed like the seat covers on public buses. On the other hand, we see Carl wearing a beige, brown jacket over a dark blue ‘bite me’ shirt. They have two completely different styles, one bright and the other monochrome. At the Halloween party, Martha is a dog, something we can see at face value. Carl goes as Steve Jobs, something that requires a little more thought. We clearly notice the huge difference here. This shows that while, yes, opposites attracted, it’s clear that something about the two doesn’t click right, at least as partners. They seem to do all right as friends, but they disagree a lot throughout the story. Their thought processes and their personalities seem to clash so much, but they obviously love each other despite it. Further than this, Carl almost resents Death. Death is this whole other thing. She wears huge eyeliner, black on black, and faux fur. She is very different when compared to Carl and Martha, both in the way they dress and how they act. The director wanted these costumes and the way they conflict with each other to show a visual way of how their personalities both clash and work together. When combined with a visual contrast between scenes, that of which brightness is used to set a mood of a scene (light when something good or happy is happening, darker when the feel of the scene is more mellow), it makes the film work well. This can be contrasted to later in the film when the costumes work together to have the opposite effect. Jack Howard’s character, ‘Mitch’, is dressed in a very similar way to Death, with his skeleton face paint and black trench coat. We see Death connect with him in their conversation early in the party scenes.
‘Let It Be’ uses a multitude of film aspects to create a fuller sense of depth to its short duration. We can see excellent uses of visual contrast, motifs and symbolism, camera shots, and blocking. I believe the strongest film aspect is the camera shots because we can tell so much about relationships and what’s important out of so little. He did this by combining camera shots with blocking, dialogue, and music. This film watches Bertie Gilbert beautifully challenge the stigma of Death.
First up, group work. I worked with Jess because she's cool. We haven't finished everything yet, so sorry :)
And now some individual work. This is a step towards what creates my final essay.
And finally, this is my essay so far. You can find the film that it's on--Let It Be--in the slide show above.
Death and losing someone close to you is something many people struggle to come to terms with. Everyone deals with grief in different ways, and those who stand beside someone with a terminal illness tend to grieve before their loss. Bertie Gilbert’s ‘Let It Be’—cleverly named after the 1968 song by The Beatles—follows these ideas in a less than obvious way. Though up to interpretation, Gilbert uses motifs, camera shots, blocking, and visual contrast to show his ideas.
Camera shots are important in all films, but ‘Let It Be’ uses its shots to delve deeper into the characters and their relationships between each other. For instance, in our opening scene, we get an insert shot of Savannah Brown’s character, ‘Death.’ It’s a closeup shot, right after a shot of the ground where only dialogue and music is heard, framed so we can only see the look of focused hesitation in her expression and the blurred blob that is in the background. The shot doesn’t linger for too long, cutting to a closeup insert shot of the gun held in her hand. We do not get to see what the gun is pointed at until after these shots, almost making the first shot a point of shot too. When we are given a long shot of Death, we see the gun is pointed towards a black dog that stares up at her in blissful ignorance. She maintains the hesitance on her face throughout the shots. This helps us understand Death doesn’t like what she does, it’s given to us an introduction to her character as the manifestation of the Grim Reaper. In the same scene, we’re given another example of this. Throughout our introduction of Death, we can hear Dodie Clark’s character, ‘Martha,’ before we see her. While we’re shown the shots of the ground and Death’s face, Martha and Bertie Gilbert’s character, ‘Carl,’ are talking about something like “everyone prefers their later stuff.” When we’re shown Death’s reaction to the two’s arrival in a medium shot, we hear Martha say “excuse me” before she moves closer, resulting in an over the shoulder shot. This OTS immediately connects the two characters. Gilbert did this to show us as an audience that there is some kind of relationship or correlation between Martha and Death. This working with a visual contrast between the two characters, little visual connection between Carl and Death, and that it’s later revealed Martha herself is dying due to cancer, solidifies the idea that in the film Death is Martha’s idea of death. Death appeared to kill Martha but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She instead goes to kill their dog, ‘Ringo,’ in Martha’s position. In the beginning, Martha is almost in denial surrounding the idea of Death yet is more willing to go along with it than Carl is. Martha dresses Death up as a skeleton and seems to have more of a connection with her than anyone else; running to her when uncomfortable at the Halloween party. Over-the-shoulder shots are used similarly in the HBO series ‘Westworld’. They use the OTS shot alongside single shots to connect and disconnect Theresa and Dr Robert Ford during their meeting over lunch. This shows that their relationship is important to the story.
Camera shots are important in all films, but ‘Let It Be’ uses its shots to delve deeper into the characters and their relationships between each other. For instance, in our opening scene, we get an insert shot of Savannah Brown’s character, ‘Death.’ It’s a closeup shot, right after a shot of the ground where only dialogue and music is heard, framed so we can only see the look of focused hesitation in her expression and the blurred blob that is in the background. The shot doesn’t linger for too long, cutting to a closeup insert shot of the gun held in her hand. We do not get to see what the gun is pointed at until after these shots, almost making the first shot a point of shot too. When we are given a long shot of Death, we see the gun is pointed towards a black dog that stares up at her in blissful ignorance. She maintains the hesitance on her face throughout the shots. This helps us understand Death doesn’t like what she does, it’s given to us an introduction to her character as the manifestation of the Grim Reaper. In the same scene, we’re given another example of this. Throughout our introduction of Death, we can hear Dodie Clark’s character, ‘Martha,’ before we see her. While we’re shown the shots of the ground and Death’s face, Martha and Bertie Gilbert’s character, ‘Carl,’ are talking about something like “everyone prefers their later stuff.” When we’re shown Death’s reaction to the two’s arrival in a medium shot, we hear Martha say “excuse me” before she moves closer, resulting in an over the shoulder shot. This OTS immediately connects the two characters. Gilbert did this to show us as an audience that there is some kind of relationship or correlation between Martha and Death. This working with a visual contrast between the two characters, little visual connection between Carl and Death, and that it’s later revealed Martha herself is dying due to cancer, solidifies the idea that in the film Death is Martha’s idea of death. Death appeared to kill Martha but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She instead goes to kill their dog, ‘Ringo,’ in Martha’s position. In the beginning, Martha is almost in denial surrounding the idea of Death yet is more willing to go along with it than Carl is. Martha dresses Death up as a skeleton and seems to have more of a connection with her than anyone else; running to her when uncomfortable at the Halloween party. Over-the-shoulder shots are used similarly in the HBO series ‘Westworld’. They use the OTS shot alongside single shots to connect and disconnect Theresa and Dr Robert Ford during their meeting over lunch. This shows that their relationship is important to the story.
The Beatles are brought up religiously throughout the film, each mention having its own form of symbolism. So much so, it becomes a verbal motif. And on that note, motifs used in ‘Let It Be’ help create a deeper meaning within the short film. As previously mentioned, The Beatles are a very specific motif used a lot. For example, Ringo is the reason Martha isn’t killed in the beginning. Death doesn’t want to take Martha’s life and instead tries to take Ringo’s. And Ringo shows up at the end again, he’s there for Martha when she’s talking about accepting that death is a part of life. Right before we find out Ringo is there, Carl implies he wishes for Ringo to die first. It’s not as obvious, but this is a double meaning. He could mean he wants Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles, to die first out of the two remaining ex-members or that he’s rather Ringo, the dog, to die before Martha does. In a later scene, Martha mentions she likes to think they, The Beatles, never really broke up. In the scene beforehand, we find out Martha and Carl broke up. We, and Carl, don’t know why this is. Because of this line, it seems like Martha didn’t actually want to break up with Carl. Despite this hesitance, when asked to give him clarity, she says, “I just don’t feel that way about you anymore.” The last example is when Carl talks about liking their later stuff. This is because it’s more complex, more complete. We also find out Martha prefers their older stuff. Martha later explains to Death, who is in a bathtub, it’s because she likes the young, fun, unrestricted feel of their earlier stuff. It’s free from jade and politics, unlike their later songs. This tells us a lot about each of their personalities. Carl is more uptight, strict, he’s logical. Martha goes with the flow, she’s simple and has fun. The director has to have done this on purpose. It’s a simple yet effective way of showing a character through their likes. Their outfits in these scenes only help solidify the ideas we’re given about them. When paired with the way they dress, it gives the viewers a good idea of what characters we are watching. Martha wears dungarees, 80s-esque clothing. Her closet is full of bright blues, reds, and yellows. Carl’s clothing consists of band tees and jeans. He wears beige, black, white, and grey. He was even Steve Jobs for Halloween. This reminds me of the motifs used in Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, with Romeo constantly comparing Juliet to light. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has a lot of themes of the light vs the dark, so this gives us insight within the characters. It deepens the relationship in the audience’s eyes.
The blocking throughout the film is constantly—and excellently—used to play to our emotions. For example, while Carl and Martha are talking before the Halloween party, Death is playing operation. This alone is foreshadowing for Martha’s death, but it tells us something about Death, without actually saying it. Both scenes use blocking purposefully. Either to make us feel trapped and too big for a conversation, or alone and small in an almost empty room. We first see Carl and Martha together. They are both in a small, dark hallway. It’s back-lit and confined, and the audience feels trapped in the square-like scene we’re watching. It traps us in the conversation the same way the characters feel as though they are. We then see blocking used again in a similar way but for a different effect, Death is on the couch playing operation. We get a few insert shots of her playing, but then she gives up. The camera pulls out, and she’s framed to look small. There is a lot of space around her. Space that isn’t that important when we compare it to Death, one of the main characters. Death feels small in this, she’s frustrated and it’s possible she feels like a failure because it’s impossible for her to play Operation. She doesn’t say this, but we can see how the room looks big in comparison. The director wants us to know that in this scene, Death feels, or just plain is, inferior. When these two scenes are connected and combined with eerie sound effects, it really amplifies the sense of isolation we see. We’re feeling alongside these people. Not only that, but it also strengthens and deepens the relationship between the three characters. They all feel alone in one way or another. This is a lot like an earlier scene. Death is on the same couch, but it’s the first time she’s been in this house. The scene starts with a mid-close-up shot and cuts to a full shot seconds after. The camera isn’t as drawn-out though, it’s possible she feels less isolated at this point, that something about Carl and Martha’s arguing, or the fact she sucks at operation, is threatening to her.
I previously spoke of costumes and contrast, Gilbert uses different aspects, such as colour and art direction, to show a visual contrast. For example, the main characters’ costumes. Costumes are a part of the art direction of a movie. Before, I said how we see Carl and Martha’s appearance. Martha wears overalls and bright colours. In the film itself, we see her wearing a green shirt under brown dungarees with a very colourful jacket, designed like the seat covers on public buses. On the other hand, we see Carl wearing a beige, brown jacket over a dark blue ‘bite me’ shirt. They have two completely different styles, one bright and the other monochrome. At the Halloween party, Martha is a dog, something we can see at face value. Carl goes as Steve Jobs, something that requires a little more thought. We clearly notice the huge difference here. This shows that while, yes, opposites attracted, it’s clear that something about the two doesn’t click right, at least as partners. They seem to do all right as friends, but they disagree a lot throughout the story. Their thought processes and their personalities seem to clash so much, but they obviously love each other despite it. Further than this, Carl almost resents Death. Death is this whole other thing. She wears huge eyeliner, black on black, and faux fur. She is very different when compared to Carl and Martha, both in the way they dress and how they act. The director wanted these costumes and the way they conflict with each other to show a visual way of how their personalities both clash and work together. When combined with a visual contrast between scenes, that of which brightness is used to set a mood of a scene (light when something good or happy is happening, darker when the feel of the scene is more mellow), it makes the film work well. This can be contrasted to later in the film when the costumes work together to have the opposite effect. Jack Howard’s character, ‘Mitch’, is dressed in a very similar way to Death, with his skeleton face paint and black trench coat. We see Death connect with him in their conversation early in the party scenes.
‘Let It Be’ uses a multitude of film aspects to create a fuller sense of depth to its short duration. We can see excellent uses of visual contrast, motifs and symbolism, camera shots, and blocking. I believe the strongest film aspect is the camera shots because we can tell so much about relationships and what’s important out of so little. He did this by combining camera shots with blocking, dialogue, and music. This film watches Bertie Gilbert beautifully challenge the stigma of Death.
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