Reno Sub-culture

 (Had trouble getting the photo my comp kept freezing will have it asap)

 Personal: I chose this picture to represent the college partying scene sub-culture. While I understand partying occurs everywhere, Reno seems to be known for its college partying. I’m from Vegas and whenever I talk to people down there and tell them I go to UNR they tend to say, “Oh I hear people hella party over there.” This might be kind of odd to hear from people from Vegas because let’s be real it’s Vegas, it’s known for its night life and clubbing. However, Reno has a different kind of party scene that it is quite different from Vegas and other big cities. The Reno party scene is a little more closely related to places like Chico. I guess one can say it’s a party scene where you can go from party to party and not know the host, but still know people at the party. So maybe it’s that everyone knows everyone vibe, and the idea that mostly everyone attends UNR helps people to relate and connect better with one another making for the feel of a friendly party atmosphere where you’re not always worried you might get shot at a party like one might feel when they party in Vegas. (That is of course aside from the last recent shootings that occurred at parties) I think this may be because Reno is a pretty small city and many people come here specifically to attend school so it tends to have a more college atmosphere, and college partying is a result of that.

Historical: I had a hard time distinguishing what could be the historical aspect to this picture, but I figured I’d go out on a limb and connect this picture with various unique traditions and styles of parties that have occurred throughout history, and how these traditions and styles are so distinguishing that one can identify a culture and time period simply by such descriptions. (Example: maybe you’re watching a movie where the setting takes place during the Victorian period and it shows a scene of a social gathering or a party taking place, the movie will of course create the scene so that it appears to be during the Victorian period by following and reenacting certain traditions and styles that occurred during that time to give the viewer the idea that the party is in fact taking place during that era since the viewer tends to identify and relate these traditions to the Victorian time period. ) 

Technical: This picture is a snap shot and I did not use any specific lighting to create this photo only the lighting available and a flash. However, while I did not frame the picture specifically when I took it, I did crop it in a way that showed a little of the background environment as well as intentionally included the hookah to give the viewer an idea of what the Reno party sub-culture consisted of.

Ethical, Cultural, and Critical: I think this picture is ethical according to my standards as what I believe most American standards to be. However, I understand that some people may find it to be consisting of debauchery and what not. And others may believe it to give UNR students a bad name especially to those who don’t party or drink. Lastly, when I take a critical analysis of this picture I realize that people from other cultures may also find it offensive. For example those cultures that believe woman should be fully clothed from head to toe at all times may be upset that the women in this photo are showing a little skin.  

That’s questionable #6

In lecture you gave the quote-
“A culture has two aspects: the known meanings and directions, which its members are trained to; the new observations and meanings, which are offered and tested.”

And I would have to say that this definition of what culture is, is an interesting opinion however, I don’t entirely agree with it
because I think culture is something people learn and accept to do rather than are trained to do. And if a group of people (in a region or of a certain ethnicity) greatly accept the meanings or directions set fourth then they will continue to practice them and after long periods of time may grow into a cultural practice  or characteristic of that particular group.

zeitgeist

Personal: I chose a picture of a U.S flag in front of a neighborhood house as the zeitgeist of my high school years because shortly after September 11, 2001 there was about a 2-3 year period where it seemed like everywhere I went there was a U.S. flag hanging from a car or house, and painted on garages and store windows, and the saying “United We Stand.” Although there was flags in front of houses previous to 9/11 and although I might see them in front of houses today, I don’t believe it to be to the same extent as it was during my high school years because in high school there was a flag in front of almost every other house and on several cars. Now I see them only occasionally. 

Historical: the historical fact for the common occurrence of the U.S. flag during my high school years would be because the U.S. flag represents the United States and U.S. citizens wanted to show there U.S. pride and patriotism and prove that the terrorist attacks on 9/11, as horrific and tragic as it was, would not bring the country down. 

Technical: This is a photograph taken outside. Due to the shadow on the tree and the temperature of the light, as well as were the light hits the house, I would say the picture was taken about mid-day when the sun is directly above.

Ethical, cultural and critical: This photograph does is not unethical. And it is obvious the cultural aspect would be a representation of America and the fact that it’s in front of a house also represents U.S. citizen’s pride in their country. Considering this is a simple and uncomplicated picture I don’t see a critical factor aside from various things I’ve already mentioned previously. 

That’s questionable #5

In chapter 7 of Visual Communication Images with Messages it says “Whether an individual is identified because of gender, age, cultural heritage, economic status, sexual orientation, or phisical disability, the visual message generally communicated about that person often is misleading and false.” I think this is a questionable statement because there are several instances or examples in the media that show people of various characters from different cultures portrayed in ways that are not misleading and may in fact be true or possible. I see examples like what I’m suggesting on television all the time, and just because this may not always be the case does not mean it rarely happens. 

Movie Cover

• 
• lighting and color

The Devil’s Advocate movie cover with Keanu Reeves and Al Paccino doea a good job providing a general idea of the genre of the film (Drama/thriller) while not giving away the movies story line. I think one of the main reasons for this is the lighting which can difinitly be described as low-key lighting which also creates a Chiaroscuro effect (extreme low-key lighting to create distinct areas of light and darkness). To me this looks to have been done with the key light directly in front of the two subjects with 2 diffused lights on either side of the subjects, however, not bright enough to eliminate the somewhat fast fall-off on the either side of the subjects faces and body. I also believe that their is a background light which eluminates the red background.

• composition and framing

The composition and framing for this cover is quite simple yet effective. The 2 subjects are centered directly in the middle of the movie cover with just the right amount of space between the sides making the subjects position visually pleasing. In addition, the background is not overwhelming so the viewers eyes tend to focus on the subjects.

Also there is somewhat of a graphic vector created that leads the eyes down to the title. it begins with the name of the actors at the top, and then leads the eyes to the actors which are positioned one in front of the other creating a straight line then the small paragraph of commentary leading down to the Title.

• meaning — what does it mean? How does it mean?

The meaning I think the cover communicates is the wariness, distrust, and evil that takes place in the movie. I think the Signifier on this cover is Al Pacino standing directly behind Keanu Reeves. The Signified is the concept that the devil or evil is always watching and hovering over you tempting. Also the fact that Pacino is behind Reeves signifies you don’t even see it coming and it’ll get you when you least expect it.

That’s questionable #4

The book states in chapter six that “Probably the most common use of images is for advertising and public relations purposes. People expect pictures used in these contexts to be exaggerated visions of reality because their visual claims are intended to persuade and provoke.” Assumptions like this give advertising a bad name. Assuming that people expect pictures used in these contexts to be exaggerated visions of reality is like saying that advertising is a big joke and full of lies so much so that people expect advertising and PR to almost never be anything more simply because the people who advertise exaggerate products to make products appear better than they actually are. And if advertisers or PR people went along and assumed this as it states people assume this they might think it is ok to exaggerate products simply because people assume they do it anyways. In fact, the standard and practice of the American Association of Advertising Agencies states,

“We the members of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, in addition to supporting and obeying the laws and legal regulations pertaining to advertising. Undertake to extend and broaden the application of high ethical standards. Specifically, we will not knowingly create advertising that contains: A. false or misleading statements or axazgerations, visual or verbal […].”

which is why I say that’s questionable.

News Photograph

The photographer who took the following photo that I found on the New York Times website of Senators Gordon Smith of Oregon, and Orrin G. Hatch of Utah  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/washington/12cnd-fisa.html?hp , took it in a way that the focus is specifically on the two gentlemen while the rest of the photo is somewhat blurry. The distance of the two senators in this photo appears to be close, helping to emphasize the point that the two men are in agreement and they believe they made the right choice in their vote to give legal protection to phone companies that cooperated in President Bush’s warrantless eavesdropping program. If photographer chose to take a photograph of the two men walking with one senator distantly in front of the other it would have given the opposite impression. I can’t really say there are any vectors in this photograph other than maybe a graphic vector because of the direction in which their eyes are looking. As far as the framing of this picture goes the photographer does cut a little bit of senator smiths head off, but it still makes for a picture that pleasing to the eye because not enough of the head is cut off for the human brain not to be able to automatically mentally fill.

That’s questionable #2

In class it was stated that is should take us about an hour to complete the assignments such as blog posting,comments on other students blogs, and thats questionable. So for my that’s questionable assignment I would have to say that stating it should take on average one hour to complete the comments and blog posting is indeed questionable because maybe I’m just slower than the rest but it has taken me quite longer than an hour to search for the right painting, take the time to critique it then read peoples blogs and critique those. I think it would be best to read severals peoples blogs however, critique only one persons blog.

Robert Lehman collection

The following link is an El Greco painting of Christ carrying the cross the first and only noticeable lighting to me in the painting is the one coming from above the head. The lighting above the head is of key importance because Renaissance painters typically used such lighting to represent those of the divine and spiritual nature. I would say the lighting in the painting is low-key. The artist creates a realistic piece of artwork by painting the dark shadows towards the lower left half of the painting where they would most likely be in an actual photograph. Moreover, the artist also creates the look of attached shadows in the neck as well as other areas of the body. http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/Christ_Carrying_the_Cross_El_Greco_Domenikos_Theotokopoulos/ViewObject_enlarge.aspx?depNm=the_robert_lehman_collection&Title=Christ_Carrying_the_Cross_El_Greco_Domenikos_Theotokopoulos&pID=-1&kWd=&OID=150000135&vW=1&Pg=1&St=0&StOd=1&vT=1&RID=14

Unlike the above painting Francisco (José) de Goya doesn’t use any lighting from directly above the head, the illusion of lighting created in his painting would be considered front lighting with the use of a key light making the subject look flat with very few attached shadows. I would also say he creates the illusion of a fill light on the left side of the painting with slow fall off.  However, the right side of the painting has fast fall off but not on the subject only on the wall and couch area. Also contrary to the last, this painting conveys a cool lighting atmosphere.

http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/Condesa_de_Altamira_and_Her_Daughter_Maria_Augustina_Francisco_Jose_de_Goya_y_Lucientes/ViewObject_enlarge.aspx?depNm=the_robert_lehman_collection&Title=Condesa_de_Altamira_and_Her_Daughter_Maria_Augustina_Francisco_Jose_de_Goya_y_Lucientes&pID=-1&kWd=&OID=150000138&vW=1&Pg=1&St=0&StOd=1&vT=1&RID=15