Two similar characters

Luke and McMurphy are both outcasts, bursting with emotions that they cannot cope with positively. They express them in a manner that is not socially acceptable, resorting to vandalism and fighting, only adding to the tough, rebel-like exterior that they both possess. In addition to their rebellion, both are casted as religious figures in many ways (gathering faithful supporters, disregarding their own interests to better their supporters, etc.) but the most obvious is in the way that they die. Luke and McMurphy are both killed because of their strong refusal to bow to the will of authority figures. Despite these striking similarities, Luke and McMurphy are also very different. Luke is more quiet and reflective, while McMurphy is brazen and fearless. Their contrasting personalities allow them to gather their followers to fight authority with very different leadership styles; McMurphy continues to push forward relentlessly, while Luke is more calculated in his efforts.

Many groups used many different and useful techniques to make their messages into their video essays. In my group we went around the school interviewing students and teachers about what time school should start, and how many hours of sleep they get. We also did much research on the computer and look for other schools starting times, and how many hours students need to fully be awake and active throughout the day. Our group also included part of a music video as one of our techniques. Some other groups actually did experiments how long it takes them to get from one side of the school to their car, then back to the other side of the school. Some elements that I found most effective were the videos with experiments and interviews. Interviews shows points of view from many different people not just a couple, but from people around the school, including staff members. Experiments actually showed how this data can result in something bad, and how you can fix this. In “supersize me” a movie that we had watched over this trimester, he did an experiment to show how bad fast food is for you when you eat it every day for one month. The actor of “Supersize Me’ was Morgan Spurlock. Over the month he gain 30 pounds and increased heart disease. This experiment shows what can happen to you and shows results.

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Despite the different video editting software, the presentations were all the same. They began with some sort of music relating to the issue at hand,(Enter Sandman for A sleep related Video or Party in the USA for a Drinking Age video) and that music would dim and a voiceover would begin, introducing the issue. Music seems to break the "awkward" behind listening to somebody talk about something you don't care all too much about. Speeches are boring because there's no music. It gives you something to think about other than the topic at hand, and most of the time it's good music. But it also helps relate your topic to something your audience has already heard about. You don't play obscure music in your video, you play something that everyone's heard, so everyone can relate in some way to what you're trying to communicate. Using music and flying words and cool effects helps peek your audience's interest as well. Neat effects grab your audience's attention and they will be more interested in watching. Also, it shows that you put time and effort into your work, and if you put time into it, then it might be worth your audience's time. I found that eye grabbing transitions were very important. If you talk for a long time, and then subtly change topic, everyone who drifted off before will be completely lost, but if you have a bright flash, a loud sound, other such attention grabber, it will waken those who've drifted off, and it will grab the attention of your audience. Most people did straight videos, but several groups did powerpoints and prezis. Video's were more interesting and they grabbed the audience's attention better. After all, videos are generally interesting, for the reasons stated above. However, the prezis and powerpoints had much more information about the topic at hand. Facts were readily available and paragraphs are easier to pull information from than videos. Finding the correct balance between interesting content and good information is key to conveying your opinion effectively. Professional documentists typically had music introducing a new topic or "chapter" in their movies, as seen in Supersize Me, where a new "fat" based song was played when a new topic was introduced, like the obesity rate or school lunches. All in all, I enjoyed the product, it was fun being able to research something I care about, and while I don't believe the policy I selected will get changed, it's still nice to know that it's out there now, and possibly subject to change. I wouldn't change anything about the process, as we certainly had enough time both in and out of school to complete the project.

The groups used similar techniques to shape their messages in their video essays. Music helped to set the mood for certain scenes, some even had voiceovers playing during interviews or still frames of images. Creative editing played a large role in devoloping the persuasiveness of the arguments, and some groups used imagery to evoke emotions from the viewer. Transitions were also used to smooth over the period between changing scenes. I found that a combination of carefully chosen music, narration, transitions and imagery was the most effective at persuading and educating the viewer on the video essay's content. While watching the films, I also observed that the essays resembled Morgan Spurloch's approach to filming and editing 'Supersize Me'. Like Spurloch's film, they were informative, unbiased, and entertaining, as opposed to Michael Moore's 'Farenheit 9/11', which was heavily biased, emotionally driven, and a one-sided approach to preaching his message.

Video Essay Debreif A.K.A-final blog

I think that the 4 video essays that we watched yesterday were very insightful and interesting. All of the groups looked like they put a lot of work into their projects and were very passionate about their topic. One of the groups actually showed us why their rule about tardiness needs to be changed. They had Brad walk the length of the school at a steady pace and they recorded how long it took him. By the time he got to his class it was about 10 seconds past the 8 minute passing time. This really showed us that there is not enough time to get in between classes without being late. I also liked how the group that wanted to lower the drinking age used popular music to enhance the atmosphere of the video and to persuade us. I think that our group did a really good job on showing the side effects of getting less sleep a night. By showing side affects like acne, and a bad immune system, I think we persuaded the people in the audience to change the school start time. I think that the most effective way of persuading the audience was by personally telling people the downfalls of the subject if you don’t change it. I also think that the interviews of different students in the school were really effective because it showed us all what the kids in the school think. I think by interviewing people in our videos it related our documentaries to the one in “Supersize Me”. Spurlock went around New York asking people how much fast food they eat a week. We used this technique and asked kids how much sleep they got each week. Overall I think that these projects were a very good way of incorporating what we learned throughout the trimester into a video, and they were a good way to express our opinions on the topics we chose.

After watching the “One flew over the Cuckoos Nest” I noticed many differences between that and he book. Some of the events like when they played basketball were different. The book said that chief did not play basketball but in the movie I showed chief playing with them. Also I liked the movie much more because it actually put a picture in my mind of what the characters looked like, how they acted, why they acted that way. The movie was much more informative than the book. Usually when I read books I don’t get very good visuals of the characters and if they tell an event that had happened id like to see that event. Both the movie and the book were very good, some things were different here and there but overall it was filled with excitement from the beginning to the end.

Luke from Cool Hand Luke and R.P. McMurphy from “One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” are the same character in many ways. They both have the same character traits; they are both rebellions and poison to their bosses. Their bosses or Nurse Ratched, the evil mean nurse in the asylum in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Luke, being the new man in the prison had to climb up the ranks, and eventually every other prisoner looked up to him and followed in his path. Luke was the king of the castle and the captain did not like it whatsoever. Luke tried to escape many times, but got caught twice and was brutally beaten. McMurphy was a man of the “Outside world,” which Nurse did not like at all. The nurse wanted to keep the outside world out of the ward as much as possible and when McMurphy showed up all them diminished. Both of these characters are the same because they are both rebellious, traitors, backstabbers, and just evil men who contradict the place where they are staying.

Cuckoo's Nest: Video vs Book

After I had watched “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” I realized that there were many differences in the movie and the book. First off, the book was narrated by Chief Bromden, the movie was more of a set narrator and it had each of the characters speaking in their own voice. I did like this touch in the movie more though because I think it added more spirit to the book and it enhanced the characters more. The movie also left out a few key events that the book had. It didn’t show the basketball training and game that McMurphy put on for the patients in the hospital. Cheswick was also not featured in the movie and they didn’t show his death. I think they should have put this in because it only added to McMurphy’s rebellious attitude to the nurse and her aides. Overall I think that Nicholson did a great job playing the role of McMurphy, he was always fired up in the movie and was never short of excitement throughout the film.

Luve Vs McMurphy

R.P. McMurphy and Luke in the novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and the film “Cool Hand Luke are very similar. One of the major similarities between the two characters was their rebellious character traits. It seemed like wherever McMurphy or Luke went they were rising up (or at least trying to) against their superiors. I believe this was because they wanted to establish their power in the situation they were in. I believe that the authors of the two stories tried to make the main characters almost “god-like” because they wanted to show us that there is always hope along the route you choose to take. McMurphy was always trying to get the men in the hospital to cheer up and go out with him; he also always showed the men that he was not afraid to stand up against authority. Luke was also a religious figure to his inmates at the ward because he always showed them how to have a good time and he was always in good spirits. Luke was also never afraid to stand up against the authority, even if it meant he had to spend the night in the box. I think that McMurphy was a lot more rebellious than Luke was; Luke was just there to do work and have a good time. I don’t think either of the men deserved the punishments they got in the end of the book.

Cuckoo's Nest: Book/Film Differences

My first reaction to the Cuckoo's Nest film was disbelief. The movie neglected so many things that were in the book, such as Cheswick's death, certain aspects of the fishing trip, even a few characters were left out. The film would have been more powerful and unique if it had been narrated from the Chief's point of view as it was in the book. Movies such as 'Pink Floyd The Wall' and 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' successfully incorporated strung out viewpoints from narrators under the influence of hallucinatory drugs that mimic schizophrenia. Including some of Chief's actual schizophrenic hallucinations would have made the movie more impressive. Also, Cheswick's death gave the book a more bleak and defeated tone that the movie did not have. His death/suicide emphasized the true power of The Combine. Jack Nicholson's acting did not capture all of McMurphy's true character. In the book, he was very vibrant, robust and outspoken, while in the film he seemed to be relatively quiet and even seemed relaxed at times.

Martyr For a Cause

Poor McMurphy and Luke, two troublemakers who really didn't deserve their fates. I really emphathized with McMurphy, and he didn't deserve the icepick. Nor did Luke deserve getting shot out of the blue. No warning and he even tried to surrender, but the main boss shot him down anyway. Despite their unfair demises, both men died for a cause. They gave hope to their fellow ward/inmates. Both represented an ideal that everyone else was afraid to go along with. They went against logic and authority just to mess with the system and get some laughs along the way. Society can be cruel sometimes, and it takes a few people to sacrifice themselves to cause change. People had to die for medical wards to be reformed and people had to die for prisons to be changed. It is unfortunate that these two likable characters had to die for changes that really should have been the initial model. I feel bad for McMurphy and Luke, and I wish there would have been a happy ending to both stories, but happy endings aren't always ment to be, and atleast they went out with a bang and they will be remembered for the good they brought to their friends. RIP McMurphy and Cool Hand Luke

Oh Boy! It's Halloween!

 Another day to go to bed early. I remember back when I was a kid and halloween was one of the best times of the year. I get to dress up and get free candy! What could be better than that? Now that I'm in high school, a lot of thing. I can sleep, which I did last night. I went to bed at 9:30. Something I rarely do. I did my homework, played some games, and went to bed. Besides the fact that the doorbell is constantly ringing, it felt like a normal night. Halloween doesn't have the appeal it used to. I now have to buy my own costume or make something, which I couldn't be bothered to do as I really don't have the time. I can buy a huge bag of candy for $5 so I dont have to go out and freeze to death, and I could be doing other things. Halloween really is a young kids' holiday, and I grew out of it. I remember the first year my dad said i was too old to go trick or treating. I was outraged. I thought that as long as i dressed up i should be able to go out. But 3 years later, I can see that I'm too old, There are more important things to do, like sleeping, or catching up on school work. Oh well, another halloween come and gone, and I hardly ever noticed