Scavenger Hunt
1. The worlds heaviest pumpkin weighed in at 1502 pounds (681.29573974 kg) and was grown by Ron Wallace. Worlds Heaviest Pumpkin
2. The quickest and most reliable way to contact Grant Hackett is to send an email to his assistant at gali@granthackettonline.com. Contacting Grant Hackett
3. The length of a giraffe's tongue is 46 centimetres (18 inches). Length of a Giraffe's Tongue
4. I believe that ontology is simply a word for describing the natural human thought of why. Humans and humanity in general constantly wonders why they are here, how the universe was created, what happens when they die, etc... A definition of ontology is that it is the study of being, or existence. Ontology
5. The first feature film that David Cronenberg directed, (aside from Transfer and From the Drain, which were only 7 and 14 minutes respectively), was Stereo, a movie filmed in 1969 that ran for 65 minutes. Somewhere in the future, the Canadian Academy for Erotic Inquiry is investigating the theories of para-psychologist Luther Stringfellow. Seven young adults volunteer to submit to a form of brain surgery that removes their power of speech but increases their power for telepathic communications. An unseen group of students observes the results. As the experiment progresses, Stringfellow's theories are borne out. Later, aphrodisiacs and various drugs are introduced to the subjects to expose an inherent 'polymorphous perversity'. In the end, they are isolated from each other, provoking antagonism and violence between them, resulting in two suicides. David Cronenberg - Stereo
6. The 'Hacker's Manifesto' was written on the eighth of January 1986. 'Hacker's Manifesto'
7. The reason why the prefix '555' is used in hollywood films is because the 1970's real phone numbers were getting used in films and movies goer's were ringing these numbers and harassing callers. The '555' prefix was first used in movies in the 1970's occasionally until it became commonplace in the 80's, 90's and today. The reason why this prefix worked was because phone companies were not allowed to release it to the general public. The '555' Prefix
8. The cheapest flight from Crete to Rhodes is $188 on Olympic Airlines. However you could always swim... Crete to Rhodes
9. The Seekers - 'I'll Never Find Another You'. Pop Archives
10. 'The Black Assassins' Stephen Stockwell
Thursday
Monday
French New Wave Cinema
In the 1950's and 60's there were many new forms of cinema emerging. In an era where 'Hollywoodised' action blockbusters were the rage, many directors wanted to express themselves and their views more effectively through the art of film. The way that one country decided to do this was through the style of 'new wave' cinema. This country was France.
The French new wave, (or nouvelle vague), cinematic movement, (which was never officially classified as a cinematographic movement)(French Cinema: From its Beginnings to Present, Lanzoni, Continuum International Publishing Group), had five principal directors; Claude Chabrol, Francoise Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette (Contemporary French Cinema, Austin, Manchester University Press). These men, along with a number of other minor directors, pioneered this drastical change in French and world cinema with many eye opening films such as; Les Mistons, Le Beau Serge, Les 400 Coups, A Bout Soufflé, and many others. These films looked at issues that Hollywood films didn't cover. Issues such as the holocaust, time travel, the end of the world, a paralell world and the ever constant threat of a third world war.
Most of these films had very low budgets so director's had to devise new ways of filming. Most actors were the director’s friends and the equipment used was revolutionary. The camera's were much more lightweight and thus enabled directors to film outside rather than being confined to a studio. Some directors even used shopping trolleys for tracking shots. All of the new techniques combined together to create a far more realistic and innovative movie. One of these was Alphaville which, despite the fact of being set sometime in the future was quite realistic and showed the viewer the possibility of what life could be like in a paralell life.
In the next blog I will deconstruct Alphaville and continue elaborating on how the French new wave techniques were employed.
The French new wave, (or nouvelle vague), cinematic movement, (which was never officially classified as a cinematographic movement)(French Cinema: From its Beginnings to Present, Lanzoni, Continuum International Publishing Group), had five principal directors; Claude Chabrol, Francoise Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette (Contemporary French Cinema, Austin, Manchester University Press). These men, along with a number of other minor directors, pioneered this drastical change in French and world cinema with many eye opening films such as; Les Mistons, Le Beau Serge, Les 400 Coups, A Bout Soufflé, and many others. These films looked at issues that Hollywood films didn't cover. Issues such as the holocaust, time travel, the end of the world, a paralell world and the ever constant threat of a third world war.
Most of these films had very low budgets so director's had to devise new ways of filming. Most actors were the director’s friends and the equipment used was revolutionary. The camera's were much more lightweight and thus enabled directors to film outside rather than being confined to a studio. Some directors even used shopping trolleys for tracking shots. All of the new techniques combined together to create a far more realistic and innovative movie. One of these was Alphaville which, despite the fact of being set sometime in the future was quite realistic and showed the viewer the possibility of what life could be like in a paralell life.
In the next blog I will deconstruct Alphaville and continue elaborating on how the French new wave techniques were employed.
Thursday
The Technological Era
Becoming a Journalist in an era of an ever changing, technologically based society is a formidable prospect. However, it is a prospect that I, as a first year Journalism student have decided to tackle head on. If technology, in particular the internet and mobile phones, continues at the booming rate it is travelling now, then in as little as twenty years, it could overtake television and newspaper's as the leading source of mass communication.
In fact, it may even wipe them out completely. I have no doubts that this is a displeasing idea for many journalists of the past generation. However, change cannot be stopped and rather, should be accepted so as we humans of one generation can help the betterment of all generations to come. For example; ten years ago, mobile phones were very rare even for adults to have. Now in 2007, in the United States and even Australia to some extent, children have mobile phones, with cameras, internet access, and gps tracking devices as young as seven and eight. This would have been unheard of and perhaps even considered a 'bad parenting' convention ten years ago.
I believe that this is a fantastic example of how humans have evolved in such a small space of time, and this along with many other interesting advances is what has led me to believe that the internet and television will be all but wiped out. Perhaps even social contact could become more limited in the future, maybe people won't talk to each other, rather they will just communicate via video phones and texting. Perhaps even the convention of learning at University or a School in a lecture theatre or classroom won't happen anymore. Could technology advance so much that information can simply be uploaded into you brain much like information can be uploaded into a computer? The possibilities are endless.
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