Goodbye

        Alright, so this is the last one.  It has been a great semester and I can't believe it is already over.  This has been one of my favorite classes and has been among one of the most influential.  Professor Leeper has challenged me and my view of the world of entertainment and I will walk away with a new pair of eyes.  Goodbye is just another way of saying "see you later", so I hope to see everyone around.  I wish I could experience again the mind-blowing wonders this class has exposed me to.  Until a later time.  Anna Mudge, signing out.

Movie Soundtracks

        After reading Val's blog about film scores, I'm going to talk about what they mean to me.  Music is everything to a film.  Without it, movies would be dull.  Music helps the viewer (or listener) step into the world of that film.  When I watch a movie, I take notice of the music that is playing, and how it affects the presentation of that film.  I especially admire how the composer's write music so that it fits a film perfectly, playing at parts that will give it the most effect and not playing for the same reason.  Music is the language of films.

        In an earlier blog, I wrote about the type of music that I listen to.  Movie soundtracks was on that list, and actually, it is probably the type of music that I listen to the most.  I don't have a cell phone, so everything that I have is on a kindle fire, including all of the music I have.  57 out of 130 albums under my music belong to movie soundtracks.  I've got all sorts of genres, from musicals to action adventure movies.  One of my favorites is to the movie How To Train Your Dragon 2.  I listen to that soundtrack all of the time, over and over again.  A bit obsessed, I know, but that music really hits home for me.  I love this movie and I can guarantee you that it would not be the same without its music.

Music Addiction

        First of all, thank you Jacob, for your presentation.  There is a lot of truth in that.  I did not know that listening to music releases dopamine, but I guess it makes sense now since it does almost give you a euphoric feeling.

        I listen to music all the time, when I'm reading, taking a shower, and even folding my laundry.  Music has always been a big part of my life.  I listen to all sorts of music: movie soundtracks, classical, rock, dubstep, pop, dance, etc.  There are only a very few genres that I don't listen to.  I can't imagine what the world would be like if music was non-existent.  I've tried not listening to music once.  The silence was overpowering.  Ironically enough, I get distracted easily when all is quiet, I need music to keep my mind from straying.  It's kind of funny and I don't know why that is, but it is true.  Plus, music makes me feel good.  This may sound pretty weird, but I have a playlist for four moods: anger, fear, joy, and sadness; and when I am in one of those moods, I listen to that playlist.  I know, it's weird.  After hearing Jacob's presentation, I realized a fact about myself.  I am addicted to music.  But that is one addiction I do not plan on withdrawing from.  Thank you, God, for the gift of music.

Imaginative Masterpiece

        What do you think of this picture?  As an artist, you are probably thinking that it would make a great work of art.  The flaw of this thought is that you want the finished product to be a masterpiece.  You don't think about the journey of creating it.

        Art and Fear is able to express the desire of artists to create something as perfect and flawless as what they see in their minds.  But they can't.  They become frustrated with the work and disappointed with the end result.  Sometimes the work is even left unfinished.  Artist have too high a standard when it comes to making art, and they Instead need to focus more on the process of making the art than what it should look like finished.  Art is magic, and the best part about magic is making it.  There is no point to it if all it takes is a thought and its done.  There is real work involved, and dedication.  That is what makes art so special.  It makes the artist unique.  It reveals who the artist is, not only to his peers but to himself as well.  Art is the essence of the artist.  Don't make it easy.

Irony?

        Well, I suppose I missed the part of the reading, One Baaad Messiah, that was filled with irony.  After class I can understand it now, but for the sake of catching up on the blogs, I want to express my original reaction to it.

        When I first read One Baaad Messiah, I completely disagreed with it.  First of all, saying that the fictional character Neo is better than Christ is.....Well, let's just say that I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. E.J. Park here has a couple of baaad dreams.  Park's two points were that Neo is reluctant and that he kicks ass.  Well, Jesus may not kick ass, but He is way more than Park gives Him credit for.  "What kind of messiah claims to be the One and then insists on suffering and dying?"  Jesus is selfless.  Yes, He recognized who he was and could be something that makes Him better than Neo.  He faced who He was and did not try to deny it because He knew He had a purpose and He fulfilled that.  What makes Jesus so amazing was that He knew His power, but refused to use it for Himself, only for those who needed it.  And He died for us, not thinking of Himself.  If I had to choose a "perfect messiah", I would choose Batman because he knew who he was and what he had to do.  He used used his ass-kicking abilities, only he never killed anyone, not even his enemies.  He was also willing to give himself up if it came to that.  Now, I'm not saying that Batman is better than Jesus, but he is definitely more Christ-like than Neo.

Jesus Christ is the perfect messiah.  Jesus is my superhero.

Animated Music Videos

   

        Okay, so after looking at a couple of music videos in class yesterday, I decided to look at some of them more in detail.  The band Gorillaz really caught my attention.  Now, I don't know if I'm a fan, but I do find them kind of interesting to watch.  They're weird, but weird in the kind of way that makes them unique and quite honestly mesmerizing in a way.  I mean, what better way to attract an audience by developing a mysterious aura around a band whose members are unknown.  Besides which, some the animation is absolutely stunning.

      At first, I though that this was the first case of an animated band that I've ever seen.  And it is, but it is not the first animated music video I have ever seen.  This next music video is for Lindsey Sterling.  She is an amazing violinist who pretty much taught herself when she was young.  Most of her stuff features herself in the video and is live action, but I did find one that is animated.  Here it is.  Feel free to look her up.  She is amazing and trust me, you'll love her.

Documentaries

        I just want to put it out there that I am indeed an animation major.  But just because I am into animation does not mean that I don't like live action films.  It is quite the opposite, in fact some of my favorite films are live action.  Documentaries especially.

        I really like documentaries because they open up an issue and present it to the audience, bringing awareness to what is going on in the world.  In some ways, documentaries are like current events, they keep us up to date with the occurrences in our lifetime.  In another way, documentaries are a way to learn history, they dig deeper into our past and help us understand it in a way that he didn't before.  I love to do research (I know, pretty weird right?).  If I was a film production major, one of the things that I would definitely want to pursue would be making documentaries.  It gives me a chance to go into the world where no one else would dare to go and experience the lives of people who sometimes struggle with it.  Having that experience could really make you appreciate who you are in life.  Not to mention that documentaries make you that much smarter.  With all of the research and the experience you get while making one, you're constantly learning new things and gaining a better understanding of the world in which we live.

        This whole controversy of animated documentaries versus live action documentaries and which is better is all very silly.  Obviously, both have their advantages and their disadvantages.  There are bound to be areas in which animation best portrays issues, and areas that are best portrayed in live action.  The same could go with film.  If it causes issues like this as two different things, think how much better it would be if a documentary was both.  I know, big whoop.  But seriously, just be happy that we have documentaries to learn from.

Yada, Yada, Yada

        This is in response to Lissa's blog:

        Just an idea that I have based on sex (and by the way, I can't believe we're still on this), sex was created to be a beautiful thing between a man and his wife, but it is not all about just sleeping together.  The sex God created is known as "Yada" in the Bible, which means "to know", therefore, the point of sex is to truly know your spouse.  The moment a man and his wife have sex, they become "one flesh".  That is why adultery is so bad, because the two unmarried people become so emotionally glued to each other that they lose pieces of themselves when they are broken apart.

        People have become so uncomfortable with the term sex because they are not thinking of God's sex, "Yada", instead they are thinking about just physical sex, "Shakab", which means "to exchange bodily fluids."  Yuck!  No wonder no one likes to talk about sex, if this is all it means.  When couples experience yada, they experience pure intimacy which is beautiful and brings about pure joy.  But if they experience shakab, they experience an empty relationship, leaving them feeling unaccomplished and dirty even.  And they should, because literally all they did was share their bodily fluids with someone else.  That's almost like a kiss without any feeling, just spit in the mouth.

        Well, I hope this answers all questions and concludes the sex talk.

     

Videogames 2

        After watching the Indie Game, I changed my view on videogames.  I was always the one that didn't care much for them.  My little brother has a PlayStation 2 and He is always playing games.  Just recently my younger sister got a Wii U and that means even more games.  I was always like "You know, whatever.  He is a little boy and this is what they do.  Videogames were made to keep little kids occupied."  And I would leave it at that.  To me, videogames were just another form of toy that would eventually be grown out of.  But after watching the Indie Game, I see they're much more than that.

        The Indie Game showed me that games are not meant for just children, and that they are certainly more than toys.  I saw grown men pour their heart and soul into making these games.  They dedicated their lives to it, literally.  Without the games, they didn't have anything else to live for.  Videogames were all they had.  This created in me a deep respect for videogames, and not just the big production kind, but also the kind that hardly anyone even knows about.  I have a couple of friends who I could see choosing this lifestyle, and now I can understand their passion.  Videogames are an art.

       

Essay Quiz 2

       "After You"

        I thought this was a cute little film, and it did not take much for it to get that way.  The interesting thing about these types of short films, I think, is that they are done in the simplest forms, and that simplicity can have the most meaning.  In reading The Fool's Errand, I realized that full length films don't have to be the only "good movies" out there.  Just Yes, they are longer, but short films receive just as  much effort and care, just in a smaller amount of time.  And that time is spent less on developing a story and more on getting to know the characters in "After You".

        I really liked "After You".  It was funny and may be my favorite that we have seen in class so far.  It tells me exactly what can be done with simple techniques.

Heroes and Villians

Kendall and Jonathan,

        You guys definitely need to watch more movies if you think there are only ever portrayals of males versus males and females versus females and never a cross.  Sure, there are films that do this, and it may be that it is viewed as socially unacceptable or as you put it Jonathan "awkward" to show a male fighting and defeating a female, and no man would even think that a girl could possibly fight and defeat a guy.  It was also said that the hero may end up being disliked in this case.  But not all movies are like this.

        For example, in the Disney film Sleeping Beauty, the hero is Prince Philip, a male, who defeats Malificent, a witch.

        My second example is the female villains of the dc superhero Batman.  Batman has many enemies, but these three girls can't go unnoticed.

        Alright, I only have one more example.  We discussed female villains, but their are also female heroes with male villains.  Take Fa Mulan.  She was only a girl when she defeated the fearsome Shan Yu.

        Of course, there are many more examples.  But my point is that, yes, there are movies that are stereotypical in the portrayal of heroes and villains, but not all movies are like this.  Don't think of movies simply as a tool in the feminist movement through the characters.

"All Men (Women) are Created Equal"- But Not Independent

Happy Halloween, everyone!!!

        I would blog about something spooky, but I need to catch up on my blogging and this is what I've got.

        Gillian Lacey sure got it right when she  decided that she "wanted to get away from the community politics belief that we could, and should, do everything ourselves."  Feminism was a major issue at that time and apparently seemed to be all that anyone worried about.

        One side of the argument claimed that the place for women is in the home only.  They were to be submissive housewives who remained obedient to their husbands.  The other side was the belief that some  are capable of doing anything a man could.  This gave rise to the idea that women not only could, but should, do everything for themselves.  It was a fight for independence.

        Gillian started an animation workshop as a way of proclaiming that belief.  But as things continued on the same path, she wanted out, and can't blame her.  Too much of the same thing quickly becomes boring.

        Of course, I have my views on feminism as well.  I believe it is important for us all to recognize that woman can do things for ourselves, but should we do them for ourselves?
  I am not against feminism, so don't take me wrong.  I think it is important to keep in mind what God created us to be.  I am reading this book called Preparing to be a Help Meet by Debi Pearl (a really good book, I recommend all of you young women read sometime.).  It stresses that we were not created to be in control, and we were not created to be slaves.  Instead, we are created to honor our husbands by being a Help meet, in other words, we are meant to serve them.  But don't get confused,  serving and being a servant are two completely different things.  At the very start, God knew that neither male nor female should be alone.

        So the main point that I am trying to get across is that, yes, women can do things for themselves, but that doesn't mean that they should.

I have chosen a picture of the moon because the moon symbolizes femininity.

Not to mention the aura it gives for the spirit of Halloween.

  

Horses

I dedicate this blog to horses.

        Upon watching The Hedgehog in the Fog, I was entranced by the appearance of the white horse in the fog.  I find something unbelievably beautiful and perfect about the horse, and not just the one that appeared in Hedgehog in the Fog, all horses in general.  They are my muse.  

        Horses are a common object in much of my art.  To me, they are an inspiration.  I once read somewhere that "Horses are God's gift to mankind," and I would have to say that I agree.  Horses have blessed us with transportation, labor, and companionship.

        I don't know what it is that makes me love horses so much, but I can't think of a more perfect animal in all of God's creation.  Have you ever looked into the eyes of a horse and wondered what the we're thinking.  I have.  Horses are smart, believe it or not.  They have intelligence and feelings.  Over the years, I have tried to figure out what it is about horses that I find so attractive.  It took one youtube video by another horse-lover to some it all up for me.  "Horses- Why We Love Them" compiled a list of these qualities.  (The video is 3 minutes long, so I'll summarise the points here and the video will be below if you want to watch it.)  We love horses because of their speed, their beauty, their wildness, their power, their elegance, their faithfulness, and the amazing things they can do.  This person was able to summarize in three minutes what has taken me years to figure out!

        I love reading proverbs on horses.  I have a magnet at home that shows horses running and says, "Ask me to show you poetry in motion and I will show you a horse."  I have loved working with horses over the summer.  It is one thing that I never want to give up.  Sure, it took a lot of hard work and was stressful for most of the time, but it was worth it.

And here is the video, as promised.

Countries of Animation

        I don't really have much to say for this blog, but I I will put down some of my thoughts.  I think it is really sad that many good studios in different countries are closed down, for whatever reason, especially if some of the films done by those studios have never been viewed.  It gives me a sense of sadness that so much work and care was put into creating a story that will never be shared.  I found it pretty humorous to read about Great Britain's stubbornness to learning the way of Animation in the US.  I was excited to find the name Richard Taylor.  If he is the Richard Taylor I'm thinking of, I believe he works with Weta Workshop.  If you don't know what Wets Workshop is, just each the bonus features to The Lord of the Rings.  Let's just say I don't think the movie could have happened without them.  They also helped with making Narnia.  Anyway, I really enjoyed the reading, and I thought it was cool to learn about how different countries do animation.

This was the best picture that I could find that was both the countries of the world and animation, even if it is just all Disney.

Is It Really Temptation? (Extra Credit)

        First of all, I would just like to let you know that I really enjoyed reading about your films.  I would really like to watch them someday.

        I was especially interested in The Temptation of Brother Thomas.  I feel like I can relate to him.  I too find myself distracted by the world around me, and that sometimes also leads me away from what I first set out to do (such as homework and writing this blog, for example.).  Just about everyday, I find myself in the woods just off campus, just wandering and wondering at the amazing things that I find.  But it also makes me wonder, could this possibly be a temptation?

        This brings me to my point.  I really don't believe temptation is the right word for all of that wonder.  You said yourself that the story represents "an artist's journey towards self-discovery".  In this case, it really isn't a temptation at all, but in a religious perspective, more of a calling to the discovery of purpose.  Whenever I am in the woods, I feel as though I may have entered the world of Narnia, or some other mystical land of beauty.  But like how the Pevensie children were called to Narnia to take their places as kings and queens, perhaps God is using the world around me to show me my purpose.  I have not found it yet, but I always feel at peace in the woods.

        I do not mean to criticise your work in any way.  I just want to let you know that has made me think a lot about myself and my relationship with the world.  If you think I am wrong and disagree with me, I am open to hear what you have to say.

Fairy Tales Vs. Tales (Extra Credit)

          People believe that fairytales are the  stuff of wonder and astonishment.  They look to fairytales to awaken deep desires or to restore the child within themselves.   But do they realize that fairytales come from just normal tales?  G.K.Chesterton says this: "Mere life is interesting enough."

        I have always loved fairytales growing up.  The world of the fantastical always awakened my imagination, and in my mind, it was a beautiful place to be.  This morning, I sat down in the DC to eat my biscuits and gravy, and I looked out the window, and the angle I was at made it perfect for me to see  the sunlight breaking through and enlightening the leaves of the trees just outside, and I realized why would anyone want to travel to a far away, fantastical world when they already lived in one.  I believe that we get so caught up in what we don't have that we miss what we do have.  God has truly blessed us with our own fairytale world and if you don't think this is it , then you must know that Heaven is (at least, not the kind of fairytale that has evil in it, because there is no evil in Heaven, Heaven is perfect).  Heaven is the ultimate fairytale world that we must strive for.

        We are the man that has forgotten his name.  We are able to see and appreciate everything, but that doesn't excuse us for having forgotten who we are.  Who we really are is like our secret name. We don't know what that is, only God knows.  You know that feeling you get when you see something so breathtakingly beautiful and it feels as though time has stopped and there could be no place better than where you are at that moment?  Chesterton put it perfectly when he said "All that we call spirit and art and ecstasy only means that for one awful instant we remember that we forget."

Once Upon A Time...(The Fairytale World Of Christians)

        "Once upon a time...", when we hear these words, our heart beat quickens and our minds become attentive.  This happens because for years we as children have become fascinated with stories of conflict, romance, and dangerous quests.  We've become accustomed to the story of the knight in shining armour that must defeat the Dragon to save the life and win the heart of the fair maiden.  But are fairytales only make believe stories meant to capture the minds of children?

        At the beginning of every fairytale story are the words "Once upon a time",  which hold the meaning of  a time that is both not of our time, but also of a history of what once might have been our time.  The Gospel as Fairy Tale defines "Once upon a time" as "a time beyond time,or at a different kind of time altogether from the kind the clock measures, or at a time that is no time at all because it is without beginning and without end."  In some ways this is how we could view the Bible.  God had no beginning, and He has no end.  He has always been the same, and always will be.  So, with that being said, our lives as Christians is a fairytale.  Just as characters in fairytales live normal lives in normal places before they happen upon some magical world, so do Christians live ordinary lives before journeying to the Kingdom of Heaven.  And not just Heaven, but the moment  they found salvation,the Christian stepped into the fairytale world.  Buechner says in his book that "You enter the extraordinary by way of the ordinary."  It is from our everyday lives that we begin something truly amazing.

        However, not all that is in a fairytale is perfect, and likewise for Christianity.  Where there is good, there is also evil.  There will always be those who will stand against us.  But in fairytales, through the use of magic, good always wins, no matter the cost.  In Christianity, that magic is Faith, and in the end, even if with death, we would have fulfilled our purpose in life, because God willed it so.

        In fairytales, the impossible becomes possible.  Animals talk, people transform, and there is such a thing as magic. Luke 18:27 says "What is impossible with man is possible with God", and Matthew 19:26 says "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Christians are able to do the unimaginable through the power of Christ.  And even against the evil of this world, we are able to see the beauty of it because it is home, and it is worth holding on to.  The book says that we not only live in a world, but a world lives in us, nothing is too familiar.

     
   

Our Image Of God

        In class today, we talked about how we as people perceive God and, more commonly, Jesus.  In an earlier blog, it was mentioned that we tend to "put Jesus in a box".  We create a Jesus that is predictable and unemotional, because we fear what we can't predict, and a God with emotions is very unpredictable.  We have developed a certain persona for God and that is one that is always serious.  So what do we do when we meet a God with a sense of humor?  We certainly would not expect that.  That is precisely what makes God a comedy, because He is unpredictable.
     
      Professor Leeper told us about how the Pharisees had a certain image for God as well.  They did not believe Jesus could be the Messiah because they were expecting a warrior covered in blood.  

     This made me think of the film The Road To El Dorado.  In the film, Miguel and Tulio were believed to be gods by the people of El Dorado, by all but the high priest.  The high priest (I can't remember his name),like the Pharisees, thought the gods were supposed to be warriors, not that they could possibly be like Miguel and Tulio.  He was afraid of the unexpected and that made him a dangerous enemy.

(I tried to find a picture of what the high priest thought they were supposed to look like, but I could not find one.)

        We want God to be serious and predictable, but the truth is that He is not.  When He told Abraham and Sarah that they were going to have a child even at their old age and they laughed, He laughed with them.  In Luke 18:16, Jesus tells his disciples to let the little children come to Him.  Do we really think that Jesus could be serious with children?  I've seen many pictures of Jesus playing with children, smiling and having fun just like a child.  We certainly could not predict that.

        
        After realizing that we have misconceived the image of God, we have made up for our mistake by displaying pictures of Jesus as a clown.  We are not mocking Him in any way by this, but portraying through that the concept of God as comedy, as the unexpected.  God is not something that we should be able to restrain and predict, but He is also not something we should be afraid of.  The Truth is that He is unpredictable and can do unexpected things, and through that should we be in awe of Him.

Creation From A Picture

        It was truly amazing for me personally to learn that C.S. Lewis himself came up with the entire series of the Chronicles of Narnia from a simple picture in the figment of his imagination.  From the figure of a fawn carrying an umbrella and packages in the snow, came the creation of the entire world of Narnia and the stories that surrounded it.  It inspires me as an artist to know that all one needs is an idea to spark a creation.
        In class, we talked about how the snow represents death.  The winter is dark and cold, and nothing can live or grow.  That is the reason for why it is surprising to see a fawn, a creature that represents life, nature, and spring, out in the snow.
        When I see this picture and remember what the snow and the fawn mean, I think that maybe Lewis is trying to send a message of hope by starting at the end of the mythic cycle to show that even after death comes new life.  In the story, that hope is the coming of the lion, Aslan, and spring.  This could also be interpreted in terms of the Bible.  Since being banished from the Garden of Eden, man has had to live in a world of darkness, cold, and death.  His hope is Christ, Aslan, and life, spring.
        The ability of one image to hold an entire story and to mean so much is an amazing thing.  It brings to my mind the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words", and that is true.  If we would just look deeper into a picture, we would be able to bring out the full potential of that picture and truly understand the story it tells.  All it takes is looking, and from that one picture comes new ideas and emotions in the minds of those who look at it.

Anna Mudge

        Hello everyone, my name is Anna and I'm a freshman majoring in animation. I've always had an interest in the world of art and animation, so this major seemed absolutely perfect for me. I have always had a love for all things Disney. I am also a big reader. Anytime I have the chance to read I'll read. Popular books that I like to read are the Heroes Of Olympus book series,  the Mortal Instruments and Clockwork series, and the Divergent series. Of course there are many more. I love to listen to music as I read, draw, do homework, etc. I listen to music to just about anything that I do. Music is my inspiration. It is what motivates me to always do my best. I like to think that I am generally a happy person. I love to get to know new people and make friends.
        This past summer, I worked at a summer camp in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania called Rhodes Grove Camp. Rhodes Grove is associated with the United Brethren denomination. I worked as a wrangler there, meaning that I got to work with the horses. I really love horses. In my opinion, they are the most beautiful creatures that God has created. I'm really looking forward to this year at Huntington University and where it might take me.