Morphing in Titanic

Did you guys know that the beginning scenes in the movie Titanic used 'morphing' technique instead of 'Dissolve'? The ocean scenes in the beginning are wonderfully created just by using the technique of morphing. As Nabeel said in the lecture, morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes one image into another through a seamless transition. Maybe many of you haven't noticed it when you were watching the movie, but morphing technique creates much softer, smoother and flexible scenes than traditional dissolve technique which contributed to the develoment of the images in the film remarkably.

Women and Hiphop

'Exploitation of women' is not a strange term in the hiphop culture.
A glamorous and sex-appealing woman (especially black woman) rapping the indecent lyrics is a familiar image when many of us try to think about women and hiphop.Many oh the hiphop music videos show and promote negative images of black women. Most of the women, specifically black women are represented as sex objects. The images in the hiphop music videos go along with lots of explicit lyrics. Also, many times, in the male hiphop artists' music videos women are described as being onlly good for sexual relations.Surely not all the music videos are like that but large proportion of them are. They disrespect, dehumanise and dishonor women. Women (esp. black women) are used to known as having less power, wealth and protection. This stereotype is shaped some of their sexual morality, because some accept that they have no control over their bodies and look at themselves as society see them. What caused this problem? Noobody is sure about the answer. But the one thing is clear. It is the whole idea, system and ideologies in hiphop culture that has to be changed.Well.. for the bright future of the hiphop culture, I might say.

I've spend some time to watch the movie 'Sid&Nancy' this week, a frantic love story of Sid (from Sex Pistols) and his girlfriend Nancy. I am quite impressed with the movie and I think the movie has depicted the psychological factors very well. Especially I was quite touched by the ending part, where Sid dances (disco) while eating the pizza.
1979. Era of Punk was fading and the new disco era was coming.
　
The rejection, rebellion,
Passion for the Punk,
Anarchism,
sneering at the Queen.
They were all sinked into the logic of commercialisation and the Punk was dying.
　
Somewhere in the movie Malcolm the manager, talks about Sid. I can't remember exactly but he said something like "Sid is the symbol of our band and the metaphor".
Actually Sid was not good at playing the instruments at all, but his image itself was so much coincided with Sex Pistols, the punk band. It is quite possible that this is the reason he could survive as a member of the band.
　
Maybe,
Sid himself was the icon of "commecialised punk" .
Although it is really... ironical.

Sid&Nancy

I've spend some time to watch the movie 'Sid&Nancy' this week, a frantic love story of Sid (from Sex Pistols) and his girlfriend Nancy. I am quite impressed with the movie and I think the movie has depicted the psychological factors very well. Especially I was quite touched by the ending part, where Sid dances (disco) while eating the pizza.

1979. Era of Punk was fading and the new disco era was coming.

The rejection, rebellion,

Passion for the Punk,

Anarchism,

sneering at the Queen.
They were all sinked into the logic of commercialisation and the Punk was dying.

Somewhere in the movie Malcolm the manager, talks about Sid. I can't remember exactly but he said something like "Sid is the symbol of our band and the metaphor".

Actually Sid was not good at playing the instruments at all, but his image itself was so much coincided with Sex Pistols, the punk band. It is quite possible that this is the reason he could survive as a member of the band.

Maybe,

Sid himself was the icon of "commecialised punk" .

Although it is really... ironical.

Will vinyl records revive? : Back to the analogue from digital

After Nabeel's lecture on Wednesday, I've researched about vinyl record and its availability. Surprisingly, and unexpectedly hundrends of results came up on the screen, and I became to realise that there are so many vinyl record shops online, in this period of 'digital media'. Personally, when I hear the words like 'LP' or 'vinyl record', the first thing that comes up on my mind is dusty, clumsy figure of records that are all piled up in one corner of our garage which seems like waiting to be thrown away. The thing is I've never experienced vinyl records what the audiophiles call the 'art of sound', so they actually mean nothing to me. But for my parents, they're more than just records. My parents never throw them away even though they don't listen to them anymore.

Now the mp3s are everywhere, not to mention the CDs, and some people even say that the CDs would disappear in the next few years. It is quite doubtful that the vinyl records are ever going to be reappear in the contemporary music market in this world of low-cost portable CD players and iPod. It is hard to believe, but nowadays teenagers are interested in the purchasing vinyl records, especially in England. Five years ago the sales volume of the records were only about 180,000 but now it is gone up to more than a million.

So what makes it attractive to the teens to actually purchase it out of their little money? Well, the most apparent reason seems to be the quality of the sound, the true sound of music that it brings. Some are drawn in by its actual handling of the music & the special atmosphere that it creates while playing it on the phonograph.

The question is, until when will this trend continue? Well, no one can gurantee, only the time will tell. But some people argue that people will prefer whichever they find to be the most convenient. If they are not festishizing the singer/band or their music, they will choose to listen mp3s even if they actually feel the lower quality of the music. But because of its special and prehistoric characteristics there will always be vinyl proponents & the records would never go out of style.