Gold Award Idea!

   On Friday I ended up going to The Oaks Retirement Home to observe the tutoring that Blair Students do with the seniors. The seniors were so welcoming, and so grateful that our school's students were willing to help and make a difference in their community.
   Upon hearing that I went to Blair, was in video club, and loved volunteering- One woman, Mary Jacobs, had the idea to make "A Legacy to My Family" Videos. Ms. Jacobs explained that everyone has a story, and every story deserves to be told. Now that videos can easily be made by people, why not preserve these seniors stories for the generations after?
 I thought her idea was great; it could help the seniors, Blair, and me.
I could use this as a Gold Award Project for girl scouts. This award makes you eligible for many scholarships, and is the highest achievement of the girl scout program, equivalent to the boy scout's eagle scout award. More importantly the award rewards you for making change in your community.
I'd really like to pursue this idea, and hopefully I can use Blair's resources to complete the project.

In other video related news, Our interview with LFFP for the documentary project was cancelled-but will be rescheduled soon. We were going to observe their peace leaders meeting in Arlington Virginia, but no other group members could come. Luckily I have some B-Roll videos from this summer, which we can use if we start editing.

This is my last post of 2012! Everyone have an amazing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year!
 

Christmas Time !

I've really been in the mood for Christmas lately! I love the movies, the family, the presents, the vacation, and the general feeling of giving. This weekend i organized a service project of making stocking for the organization Little Friends For Peace. We successfully made 25 stockings to be delivered next weekend!(: 

Another project i'm doing is making Decoupage  magnets, which are really adorable and nice for xmas gifts. 

I love doing crafty things like this but haven't had a chance since sophomore year started. 

This weekend I've also been trying to learn how to knit, so that I could make scarves for xmas presents. Unfortunately I'm terrible at it, and YouTube hasn't been much help. 

Over the break i'm planning on volunteering at a food drive in DC, going to Zoo lights and spending time with my cousin who's coming to visit from California! I'm really excited for the break to come. 

Here's a 3 hour medley of Christmas songs! 

Greenbelt/Taking Photos!

When I was 10 we moved from Greenbelt Maryland, to Silver Spring. I definitely like both, but this weekend made me realize how much I miss the community aspect of Greenbelt. I go there all the time for Girl Scouts, to see my friends, and to do theater, but not living there is hard.

One thing I absolutely love, is that EVERYONE knows each other. Walking in the center there I see old neighbors, friends, friends of friends, and almost everyone says good morning. This weekend my girl scout troop did our annual tradition of caroling at the retirement home. It's such a fun tradition and it makes the seniors so happy, as they always tell us. After caroling there me and my friends went to our friend Clara's game night, where what seems like half the town was there. We all went caroling again around lake side. In the 5+ years I've lived in Silver Spring we've never once received carolers. And i think that's sad. I don't know my neighbors here, and there isn't a sense of community. Not even in our school.

Another thing about Greenbelt is that there are always things to do. This weekend the local high school Roosevelt, performed Grease on Friday and Saturday. Many of my friends were in it and it was a great production. On Friday night there was the Christmas Tree lighting, where a choir sings and free cookies and hot chocolate are giving out, and Santa Clause comes riding in on top of a fire truck. The whole weekend there was a crafts fair, showcasing the beautiful local art work, glass sculpting, knitting, etc.

There's always something to do there. And I love that. I really miss living there.


On another note:
This weekend me and my friend Mairead took pictures, and I got to use several techniques that I learned in Mr. Bustillos' class.

Here are some of the photos:

I really liked how they turned out, and I'd like to pursue photography more in the future.

Psychology

I've tried writing about a couple of different topics this week, but haven't really gotten into it. Thanksgiving's coming up, I saw the midnight Rocky Horror Picture Show, I saw the Odd couple-twice, and I threw a surprise party for my friends. Overall a pretty awesome weekend. I can't seem to write about any of those things though.

One thing that really interests me right now is psychology. The way the human mind works is so fascinating and complex. Everyone thinks and acts differently, and noticing that is essential for people working in psychology  therapy, etc. Although I don't know what I'd like to be when I grow up, I love exploring different paths.

Psychology Today has a great collection of online archives about psychology  Articles such as What's in a Face?, The Siren Call of Starting Over and Many Others are so interesting and a good way to explore how human kind, and myself works.

Fall Video!

Recently we were assigned a Capture the fall video, and this was the final outcome:







I really enjoyed filming this. I filmed at Greenbelt Lake in Greenbelt, which is the town I grew up in. It was nice because the scenery is so beautiful in Autumn, and I got the chance to walk around the lake I love, which is something I haven't done in a few months.

I regret not bringing a tripod, because the scenery is absolutely gorgeous, and the film was definitely made worse by the shakiness. I still like how my video turned out despite that little problem.

I also really enjoyed editing it, and will soon be joining Blair's Video Editing Club. I figured out a lot of little tricks on We Video, including how to insert text and distort video. I really enjoyed this video, and hope we have more like it.

Kudos to Mr. Mayo(:

Favorite songs!

Something that has always annoyed me, is that people judge you about what type of music you like. Saying that someone has a bad taste in music is narrowed minded, as there's absolutely no one who can determine what taste is "good". My brother has always teased me and said I have no taste, which doesn't make sense as my taste is really broad and overlaps his a lot.

Now that I've got that rant out of the way... I really enjoy making lists. It helps me remember who I was at one point, and it shows my changes. I got the idea to make a list from Brianna's blog, when she wrote about places she wanted to go. I didn't want to steal her exact idea, so I've made a list of some of my current favorite songs.

Whatever type of music, lifestyle, anything that makes you happy, is worth pursuing.

Enjoy!
Not it any order:

There She Goes-The La's

Take On Me-Aha

Here Comes Your Man- The Pixies

Glad Girls-Guided by voices

Soul Meets Body- Death Cab

Grizzly Bear- Two Weeks

Ocean Breathes Salty- Modest Mouse

Goldrush- Ed Sheeran

Flowers In Your Hair-The Lumineers

Love Song- Haunt

Good Feeling-Violent Femmes

Banquent- Block Party

I'll Follow The Sun- The Beatles 

Hey Beautiful- The Solids

Funnery Camp

I've always enjoyed acting, but never explored it as much as I did this summer. Since the age of 6 I've regularly been apart of The Greenbelt Art Center's musical productions, through Creative Kids Camp, Camp Encore, or the Winter Youth Musical, which I'll be posting about in the future I do enjoy musical theater, but my passion is definitely acting. During august of summer 2012 I traveled to Vermont to stay with one of my best friends, Barbara, and do Shakespeare camp. Get Thee to the Funnery was an amazing camp and although it sounds cliche, really changed my life. The camp is unique in many ways, like helping the campers with voice and face warmups as well as things like yoga and meditation. We were a tight knit community, and I'm still in tough with many of the campers and counselors.

It's really strange to be able to say I have over 40 people that I love and care about in Vermont, but it's true. I've also made connections to people in England and Ireland Through camp. My family who are traveling to Ireland for 2 weeks in June, will be visiting my friend from camp there, which just goes to show how small this world is.

Since I've returned home I've been pursuing acting even more(not to successfully yet), and practicing both yoga and meditation on my own. The play I acted in, Much Ado About Nothing, actually helps me recognize references to Shakespeare in modern literature, which has been very interesting. During our production, which was the farthest thing from traditional, we divided up the script into scenes. I got to act as Benedick, Friar Francis, Balthazar, and a messenger. The camp was a great experience and worth going to again.

Little Friends For Peace

I've been involved with the organization Little Friends For Peace(LFFP), since I was 3 years old. I've learned so much about different issues in the world from this camp,which have resided with me, even from that young age. I was taught about peace makers such as Wangari Maathai who planted trees of peace, Sadako Sasaki and her thousand paper cranes, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and many more.

For the past 4 summers I've been a junior counselor at camp. Being a counselor gives me the opportunity to help kids learn the values of a peaceful lifestyle, and problem solving-which will stay with many of these kids throughout their lives. This camp is amazing for so many reasons. The founders of LFFP MJ and Jerry Park have been prominent role models in my life. They are always there for me and my family, and more importantly- have touched the lives of thousands of kids and adults. Being apart of this camp with my brother  and some of my best friends, is my favorite part of the summer. 

I hope to stay with this organization throughout my teen and adult years. Something as rare and valuable as this camp is worth sustaining and expanding. 

http://www.lffp.org/

My passion, Half The Sky

For our journalism class we were told to write about something that appeals to us personally. Something we're truly passionate about. From the moment this was assigned, I thought of the Half The Sky Movement.


I watched the 4 hour documentary last Tuesday and Wednesday, and was truly inspired. It started out as just another PBS documentary my mom wanted me to watch (not that they're not good). But Half The Sky is about issues that effect women everywhere. The documentary, based off a 2009 novel by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, depicts the terrible oppression women are under world wide. It focuses on issues such as: gender discrimination,  prostitution, sex trafficking, women's education, violence and genital mutilation. The purpose is not solely to draw attention to these issues, it's to show support and recognize thee amazing ways many of these women have turned their oppression into opportunity.


What I admire so much about this documentary, is the call to action. The examples of abused women really appeal to the viewers ethics. The documentary also shows how people have already risen up to the occasion to help. Celebrities such as America Ferrera, Eva Mendez, and several others volunteered to help draw attention to these women, who have turned their oppression into opportunity.

I work for a peace organization during the summer, which i'll probably blog about in the future. My experiences with this organization, Little Friends For Peace, my church, my girl scout troop, and other service projects i've been involved in, have helped me to learn empathy and compassion. It is a dream mof mine to work in impoverished areas and countries in order to teach newer generations the values of peace, and gain hope for a more loving, and accepting future. Half the sky has contributed to this dream of mine, and has allowed me to become more interested and informed.

For those reading this who haven't read the book, which i'm currently reading, or watched the documentary Half The Sky, I strongly recommend it. Highly ignored topics such as women's oppression deserve more attention and change.



http://www.halftheskymovement.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_the_Sky:_Turning_Oppression_into_Opportunity_for_Women_Worldwide

Exploring the web

Through stumbleupon.com, I found an interesting website which gives direct links to Behind the scenes  websites.
These websites are interesting, and could potentially be helpful to my dystopian trailer project or future assignments. There is a movie script archive, which could be useful for finding good ideas, but still having a lot of creativity.

Here's the website: Behind the Scenes

Music effects

My groups trailer is about a totalitarian society. THe main character needs to escape after her and her boyfriend are caught looking at confidential files. Much of this trailer will be dramatic.

• This sound effect could build up to the chase scene: http://www.freesound.org/people/BristolStories/sounds/65915/
• This music could work for either when she is being chased by the cops, or when she emerges into the field: http://soundcloud.com/garywolkproductions/terror-eyes
• This clip works for when Leia and Cade tell eachother they love eachother: http://soundcloud.com/alexpaton/intense-love-scene-village

There are many other possibilities for music for our trailer, and i'm looking forward to more exploration! 

Music/ sound effects are something i am most looking forward to learning more about through this assignment. As I said previously I'm interested in behind the scenes aspects of film. 

5x5 Project

My 5x5 depicted Ed Sheeran's September 22nd concert, at the 9:30 Club in DC. Here's my video:5x5 Clip 1: Shows Ed Sheeran interacting with the audience, and taking a picture of them. Clip 2: Ed performing the song "Kiss Me". Clip 3: Ed Performing his number one song, "A Team" Clip 4: Ed's opening act, Mike Passenger, playing a guitar solo. Clip 5: Ed's rap in the song "You need me, I don't need you". I had a lot of fun creating my 5x5. I got to see my favorite artist perform, as well as learn more basic editing techniques which will be very useful throughout high school, and most likely later life. I used a Pure Digital Flip Camera, lent to me by my film teacher. I edited my clips on WeVideo.com, which proved to be easy and fun to use. I had few problems with this project. At one point I had trouble exporting, but that problem resolved itself. I like the way my project turned out. However, I think having longer clips would've been better. Without being able to add any graphics or transitions, i think some of the clips end rather abruptly. I think that the clips came out pretty well despite this, and that they truly portray Ed Sheeran and his style, even though it's a short video. For the next video challenge, i think we should have to do a sequence video, of like events or things. I like these videos because making short stories can often be cliche. Sequences, similar to what i decided to do for this project, can be really interesting and fun to put together, as well as entertaining to watch.

Dystopian Trailer Assignment

The 2008 film Blindness, directed by Fernando Meirelles, was based off the dystopian novel of the same title, by José Saramago. The movie portrays a society where blindness has become a mass epidemic. The first victim who's lost sight, is brought to a local doctor(Mark Ruffalo), who then in turn looses his sight also. When all those afflicted with blindness are sent into isolation, the doctor's wife(Julianne Moore) pretends to be blind in order to accompany him. This trailer is truly effective, and depicts a dystopian society through film techniques, and the heroine. The trailer is effective, as it shows a scenario so bizarre, that those watching want to see more. The Doctor's wife, is clearly defined as the heroine. She is empowering and attempts to make a change, which is typical of a dystopian protagonist. By using an unrecognizable location, the audience is compelled to see the full movie. This is partly because it gives the movie an aura of mystery, but also because viewers will want to see if the epidemic occurs in a similar or relatable setting to where they live. Like many dystopian films, (excluding 1984), a specific mentioning of time is avoided. From the movie clips included in the trailer, we can tell the Doctor's Wife, is very loving and compassionate towards her husband, which makes her likeable. The transition from darker lighting during the depiction of the epidemic and the mistreatment of the blind, to the lighter shots when there's hope, provokes hope in the viewers as well as the characters. For my group's dystopian trailer, we'll use some similar techniques to the Blindness Trailer. Like Blindness, I would like our heroine to be clearly defined, and relatable. I also want my location to be unrecognizable, so that even if we end up filming in school, our trailer will look unique. I would like our lighting and music to be exemplary of the changes in our plot. By using these techniques in our trailer, i think it could be great!

September 13th, In response to "World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others" http://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age-technology-will-richardson Here are a few ideas for what you could write about in your reflection/reaction post: This article talked about how the internet allows us to learn, communicate, and collaborate in new ways. It shows the positive aspects of the new internet age, and how it can be beneficial to parents, teachers, and students. "Much of what our students learn from us is unlearned once they leave us; paper is not the best way to share our work, facts and truths are constantly changing, and working together is becoming the norm, not the exception". I find this quote from the article interesting, mainly because of the profound truth in it. I find myself forgetting the lessons learned in school, even days after they were explained. This is mainly because they are not applied to our life. The connections we have on the internet make it easy to connect with our community, and learn more from people, with people, or about people. I find it surprising that teachers condone spending time on the internet. I myself don't like technology very much, and prefer learning out of books, or directly from conversations with people. Seeing that teachers encourage us to explore the web, comes off as peculiar to me. I like the idea of connected learning for video editing, and working together on school projects. However, i like the interactions with the people i'm working with s well, and spending just as much time doing the pre-editing and internet work, such as filming. I'd like to learn more about how to edit, which I've never been particularly good at. I'd really like to learn more about topics which I find obscure and more challenging to learn.

One of My brother's poems Repetition: The only idea, the only ideal, the only theme, the only thing, the only concept, the only construct that I can really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really develop in a poem… is repetition.

Movie Review: "Sleepwalk With Me"

September 9th, 2012 The King Bulletin's review of "Sleepwalk with me", by Danny King, mainly focused on the plot of the movie. The review was well written, but did not include many details regarding the cinematic techniques, or what took place behind the camera. King starts with a synopsis of the plot, and analyzes the theme and the drive behind the characters actions. The review barely touches on aspects other than the plot, making the review more like a summery. King gives "sleepwalk with me" 3.5 stars, and ends his review with imagery which leaves his readers interested in the movies. State the author and title of the movie review and the website or organization that published it. Discuss the basic structure of the movie review you read. I think in order to have a better understanding of both film and how to review it, instead of annotating pre-existing movie reviews quarterly, we should write them. The more freedom we receive,the more into these posts and reviews we'll get! See my annotation at: http://diigo.com/0su7l

First Post!

Hey guys, I'm Kirin. I'm in CAP  10, Class of 2015, and am looking forward to learning more about film! I'm particularly interested in the behind the scenes aspects of filming.  So much effort and time goes into making the set, setting the shots, making sure the lighting and audio is correct, and making sure all props and characters look as they should. I'd like to delve deeper into how the pre-filming process takes place. Some of my favorite film projects from the past have been: The Infoflow opening in 9th grade, and the New York documentary at Eastern. I enjoyed the Infoflow opening because me and my partner were responsible for everything in the process, from the original idea, to the editing and exporting. I loved being able to have that much creative freedom. For the New York documentary, my partner and I got to make the story out of our own experiences. I think that process was totally unique, as we conducted the interview used, and took the the B-Roll. We did every job for this project too, including making a transcribing the interview. I'd like to use this blog to:

-Share my exeriences througout my CAP and Highschool life

-Raise awarness of issues facing animals(regarding my change project)

-Explore articles relating to my topics of interest

 New York!