Reflectioning on Visual Symbols

Most people think they know about the visual symbols they see in their life; I know I thought I did. I think the mistake I made was taking it too literately. I thought of photography and movies, but visuals are really everywhere. We all know the art work for our favorite brand of soda, chips, or even the make-up you wear! They all have very specific visual brands.

A couple weeks into class I had a discussion with a roommate that really helped this whole idea click. We were talking about the classes I was taking and he scoffed when I mentioned Visual Literacy. And I realized, not many people realize how much they SEE. Visual literacy is just another form of reading, which is something I know enough about. We talked about reading road signs and cover art for books, music, and shows. Even when you see a logo or a brand with words that doesn't mean you have to read them, you already know what you are looking at. I feel like I'm look at these things more now that I did before.

Movie Clips

Okay, the following list started as a way to keep track of what everyone shared in class this evening. But i thought some of the comments were fun enough to share so here's what I thought about class tonight. Some comments I'd rather keep to myself, but I've decided to turn off my edit "button" for now.

Jurassic Park x2 ~ how great was this movie?! If the music is great, odds are John Williams had a hand in it!

American Graffetti ~ great soundtrack; different movie!

How to Train Your Dragon ~ need to see it.

Phantom of the Opera ~ I have totally been to that opera house!

Star Wars ~ rude people talking...still talking...John Williams!

Legend of the Guardians ~ owls kind of freak me out.

Quest for Camelot ~ lead singer from Journey is totally sweet!!! For having so many famous people in this movie, I don't think I've ever heard of it before now.

Coach Carter: Our Deepest Fear ~ quoting from??? I feel like I know that quote, but can't put my finger on it.

Big Fish ~ Here I Go by Yellowcard was written about this movie, but not FOR the movie.



The Lovely Bones ~ book to movie...LOVE Stanely Tucci, but she's right; this is a creepy movie.

Up ~ sad...tear. :-(

Hear and Now ~ deaf movie! gotta watch this with the Sievers (context: the Sievers all know sign language and Mrs. Sievers use to be in charge of deaf services at the Bettendorf Public Library)!

Dexter ~ first season, opening scene...yuck. I've been told I need to watch this show, but I'm not sure I want to watch a show with so much gore on a regular basis.

Sweeny Todd ~ I should really watch that sometime!

Ad ~ backseat dancer, I didn't notice those were famous dancer faces!

It's a Wonderful Life ~ Mary?! Kids! :-) How many times has my mom made me watch this movie?!

Meet the Fockers ~ funny scene!


My scene was from the musical 1776 because I'm kind of dorky! Here are a couple more really good scenes from that excellent movie.

The Future continued

One thing I'm not sure we can work into our project, but would love to see...is the outdated versions of "the future." Science fiction has been around for a while and there have been some great movies, books, and television shows set in futures that are happening right now! I mean what is happening now compared to what people THOUGHT 2011 was going to look like? Now that looks like a lot of fun.


Hmmm...let's see what I can find!



The easiest to poke at is Back to the Future II (1989). Set in 2015, I'm pretty sure we won't be driving flying cars or go cursing around on hover boards. But wouldn't that have been great! The way the future is portrayed in this movie is really funny, but considering this was a comedy maybe we can forgive the inaccurate predictions for the future. Could we maybe count the Segway as being as close to a "hover board" as we want or will get to? I'm not sure that it's as cool as a hover board, but they are all over the place now! You can see Epcot, Paris, Amsterdam, and just about any tourist location by Segway.


Another favorite of mine would be the Terminator movies. The first Terminator (1984) sees a future controlled by machines after a major nuclear blast takes out most of the human race. The "Judgement Day" as it is named in the second movie is set to take place 1997. So far as I know we have not achieved artificial intellegence yet with computers, and with this kind of theory of what could happen who want to? Other than Steve Jobs returning to Apple and Dolly the cloned sheep being presented to the world I think 1997 was nuclear war free... But considering the 6 years between the first movie and the second, the special effects in the first movie were beyond laughable. I like the story in the first movie, but watching it can be tough sometimes between the clothing (accurate enough for the time) and the bad effects!




Finally, I'll take a look at a movie that was based off a graphic novel: V for Vendetta. Most of the "present" action of the original book was set in 1997. Although at the time it became a film they were not using actual dates. It was set "in the near future." The idea was that after narrowly escaping a nuclear war a more totalitarian government would take over. While none of these events have even remotely come true, it's the idea that this is one person's theory. There was a quote from one of the original authors of the novel that I really enjoyed: "The simple fact that much of the historical background of the story proceeds from a predicted Conservative defeat in the 1982 General Election should tell you how reliable we were in our roles as Cassandras" (taken from imdb.com). The quote refers to Cassandra from Greek Mythology and how she was doomed to see the future, never to be believed (sometimes the telling changes the outcomes). For some reason I really enjoyed this movie. The images and the storyline were amazing. I'm not usually in for the "heavy" stories, but this was different.

The Future

I wasn't in class today, I had a job interview in Bettendorf. My family is from the Quad-Cities and they wouldn't let me go in time to get back for class! But I am excited by the ideas for our final project that were added to our Google Doc. Our project word is "Future." I think we are going to have so much fun with that. So, for this blog I thought I would share some of my visual thoughts on the future. Not necessarily to do with our project, but my thoughts in general. I am after all an avid reader of Science Fiction/Fantasy for both the adult and young adult market!


Space travel: sign me up! But apparently only if it involves any of the future that Anne McCaffrey envisions. My very favorite author is Anne McCafrfry and she has some amazing ideas about space travel and the future. My favorite series, The Dragonrider's of Pern, is about a planet that has been settled by earthlings. Another series she writes is "the Freedom Series" about another planet that gets colonized, in a slightly less "friendly" way. She also write about the future of Earth and the development of "Powers" in The Powers Series. These powers are moving objects with your mind or reading other people's minds. It's really interesting! She is really my FAVORITE author of all time. I think because she captures the adventure 0f the future. That is part of the thrill, you just don't know what' going to be coming next or where we will be going. There are more space travel movies that I enjoy than books, which seems odd to me. One of the most visually interesting movies when I first saw it was Gattaca. It's about a man in the future who desperately wants to be a part of the space travel program, but isn't one of the "healthy" genetically created people. It's about much more than space travel, but it's definitely one vision for the future. Unlike some other futuristic movies I had seen at the time this future wasn't all bright and shiny. I think future movies like to picture things as bright and shiny as a way of visually tricking us. Look everything is great, then they hit us with the "ugly truth." But Gattaca was a "dark" movie from the start. I liked that, it seemed more direct. But if you really want to talk about space travel you can't avoid Star Trek. I am a Trekkie by default, my father is a Trekkie so it's unavoidable! The most recent movie had some of the best visual effects I've ever seen used in a Star Trek movie. I was watching the "extras" on the DVD and it seems like the way the director got all the cool flashes to work was just randomly flashing lights at different angles into the camera. It was so awesome! Star Trek, no matter which "generation" you are watching can definitely give off the "bright and shiny" future vibe. Everything is sleek and simple, at least they try to make it simple. These movies date themselves easily by the special affects that are used, but I think they try to off set that with keeping to a general look or theme for every incarnation.




Post-Apocalypse anyone? Another favorite theme of young adult science fiction especially, but also comes out in the adult market is the post-apocalypse theme. "Oh no the world as we know it has ended due to: nuclear war, global warming, over population...the list goes on and on. These books can seem depressing when you don't know how to look at them. It depends on where your imagination takes you when a book starts to describe the ruins of society literally or figuratively. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is set "in what use to be known as the Unites States of America." The government may not have survived the apocalypse but the people did, you've gotta take some comfort in that, right?! There are also some great movies within this theme as well. Titan A.E actually fits into space travel AND post-apocalypse themes! It was an animated movie about a race of aliens that took over earth and a small group of people who were trying to fight back even though the Earth was gone. The movie was okay, but I was impressed with the animation.

These are only two themes found in science fiction genres today, but I think that's more than enough to mull over for now. Really, it doesn't matter if the future is in your head while reading a book or if you're watching the latest sci-fi movie, the future always looks visually interesting!

Saving the World and Final Projects

So today our Visual Literacy class "Saved the World!" There were 5 teams, which surprised me, for some reason I thought we had 4 teams. Either way I liked that every team chose a very unique way to use their little yellow stickers to save the world. The "SunSpots" were fun, but I had to vote for the group with the full skit. Mostly because they played a Queen song at the end of the presentation! Scientific process...highly over rated! I really liked the visuals we saw in all the presentations. Even though it was only a poster, I really liked what the last team came up with. I couldn't vote for them though (see the above mentioned reason). Most of the teams used a variety of media including music, video, live performance, and pictures. It was kind of a fun class, but my group's bribes didn't seem to work in our favor! We came in third place. We used Google Sites to create a partially interactive "game." We used pictures, props, videos, participation, candy, and prizes! I thought our project was pretty great, and I have several ideas of how to make it better if I want to use it myself later! The Eco-Bunny videos that Lindsey found were just awesome. Our group worked well together overall and I think we'll do okay on the final project too.



The final project selection went well. I think having one group be able to chose their word gave everyone else the opportunity to select the word they wanted. My group ranked the words in order of what we wanted before the selection, and I'm happy to say we got our first pick. I think everyone got their first or second pick actually. Which is nice. We chose the word: FUTURE. It's gonna be a fun project. We had lots of great ideas being thrown around right away, and I think the momentum will continue! What I want clarified is the actual number of visuals required. I know the title of the project is "a word is worth a thousand pictures," but do we actually need to document 1000 different visuals? I'm not sure. I know there was a lot of talk about getting the project description posted so that we all had a better idea of what was required. I think having some guidelines for this project will make it a little less stressful than the Save the World project, THANK GOD!

Gaming presentation

Gaming is something the library has really embraced! Getting kids to the library can be half the battle so it's important to have events and activities that patrons are interested in. Today's class was really interesting. I know that Rock Band and a lot of the Wii party games have been used as big draws for library events. The ratings are acceptable for all patrons to participate and they are very interactive! I myself am a fan of the Green Day Rock Band game since I don't own a Wii. A friend of mine bought the Wii and we have really enjoy playing the Sports Games as well. Only in a video game could I be a tennis Pro! I never think of myself as a gamer. I don't play an excessive amount of games online or through a console. I enjoy playing several games, but have never "won" or "finsihed" a leveled game. Games have long been a learning tool in school, and like everything else they are becoming better and better as technology evolves. I really like that gaming has become interactive as well as visually engaging!

Cultural Considerations and LOVE

We (Michaela and I) gave our presentation in class tonight. I think it went well, the discussion seemed to go well at the very least! And we finally got to fit in a conversation about the movies we have been watching. So far I've really liked about half the movies we've seen, but on the other hand I haven't hated the other half...it's more a feeling of "meh." Speaking of "meh," I saw the BEST thing ever on shirtwoot the other day! I seriously may have to buy that shirt. I am a BIG fan of shirtwooting. Sometimes the visual gags are easy to spot, but sometimes it's important to read the description. They really have a way with words...and sarcasm on that website.

Now that we've talked over the movies for class, let's think back to Valentine's Day...we were talking about favorite romantic movies, which I have plenty, but I couldn't think of any great love scenes to share with the class. For me it's usually the bigger picture I guess. Not that the scenes we saw were not part of movies with a good "bigger picture," if that makes sense. Still, I thought I'd share some of my favorite love stories as well as the American Film Institute's (AFI) list of the 100 best romantic films! First a moment to comment on the list provided by AFI: Casablanca is ranked #1, I find this amusing because when they are ranking the greatest film ever Casablanca always comes in 2nd to Citizen Cane. I HATE Citizen Cane and feel it's a big waste of time, and they usually put Casablanca in the #2 spot (vindication at last). This list was created in 2002, which sadly means we don't know where The Notebook would fit in...that being the current #1 love story according to every girl and most boys that I have ever met. Several of my favorite love stories appear on the list, which isn't surprising because I feel like I have very classic taste!

Now Voyager (#23 on AFI's list) is one of my all time favorite love stories, even though they don't end up together! I know it's tragic, but I fall for it every time. I'm always surprised when this movie pops up because I had never heard of it until it was mentioned in a book. I highly recommend it if you like old movies. And seriously, I think everyone should watch the Quiet Man (#76) at least once! It's a John Wayne movie, but don't let that stop you. I really must thank my dad for introducing me to the movie. Of course for years I only ever saw the end, an excellent fight scene. Watch it, I know you'll like it! There is something for everyone.

A funny movie that I like is Sabrina, the new version. The original version is #54 on the AFI list. Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of Audrey Hepburn, but I saw the new version first. Speaking of Audrey, they put Breakfast at Tiffany's at #61! There's a mistake if I ever saw one. But back to the Sabrinas compare:








I like the original, but not as much as the new! One reason the new is better is how much more Paris is a part of the film. In the original it's an exotic location where the main character goes to cooking school. It's not part of the story, it's just a name. In the new version it is a wonderful escape for a hopelessly naive young girl in the exciting world of fashion. Paris enables the character to grow and experience new people and places. Paris is like another character in the film! It's a really beautiful movie. I love Paris, so of course this makes my list of favorites.

To name a few more of my favorites from the AFI list: #4 Roman Holiday, #27 The Sound of Music, #50 Shakespeare in Love, #93 Dirty Dancing, #81 The Goodbye Girl, #46 To Catch a Thief, and of course # 34 Beauty and the Beast (the Disney movie).

I feel like I've spent a lot of this time talking about how much I love old movies, but I love movie today too! One of the best romantic movies I've ever seen is Pride and Prejudice! The whole movie is elegant and beautiful. The scenery is amazing! Have you ever looked at the trees in that movie?! They are wonderful. The music and the costumes were detailed and delicate. I thought everything looked accurate on top of the story being perfect. I loved the whole movie. It really is visually stunning.



I picked the video with the best picture so please excuse the foreign language subtitles!