Content Ratings Part 2

So after my last post which had a fairly positive view of looking at movies solely on content instead of rating I wanted to talk about some negative repercussions of this. I'm going to start by issulstraiting my point with a story.

So last fall on my study abroad I had this deep craving for a vanallia bean frappachino from Starbucks. This delicious plain and simple decadent heavenly caffient free beverage is kind of my Achilles heal, and when I saw that Starbucks in my little notting hill neighborhood I just had to go buy it. With me I brought my dear friend Emily who remarked as we went inside "I've never actually been in a Starbucks before" I gasped of course, how could she be missing out on such lovely and delisious overpriced indulgences? When asked about it she quite simply said "I had a seminary teacher once who talked about the avoiding the appearance of evil." that gave me some pause in thought. And as I sucked on my lucious creamy ambrosia I realized that she made a good point. Was I doing anything wrong? No. Temple recommend could still be obtained, no coffee in my cup. But let's say someone on the street figured out I was mormon and then saw what appeared to be a coffee style Starbucks cup in my hand... What would that say to them? I don't know. I know that since that day I've avoided Starbucks.

 So why did I bring this up? I think movies should follow a similar thought. After my last experiment with content ratings which was, in my mind, successful it still doesn't change the fact that movies have ratings. And that ratings have meanings, associations, and even stigmas attached to them. One of my very first posts on my media blog was a rather heavy and harsh statement against rated R movies. In this post I talked about a friend who constantly tried to get me to watch rated R movies. I saw him and his family over the thanksgiving break, and in a way they had built this sort of standard for me. For example, his dad suggested we go see a movie  and added "not rated r of course". He said it kind of in jest, but also it had a ring of respect to it. If I subject myself to more movies of a rated R nature then I loose that association that I have worked my life trying to maintain. Instead I'm just the girl who chooses movies carefully, which is good, but it's not as finite or concrete or clean. And maybe that's how we should define what we consume, being careful consumers... But can we also balance that with avoiding the appearance of evil?

 I think often of some of my guy friends who own rated R movies... Is it wrong to say I think worse of them. I try not to, I try to be accepting, plus things aren't always as they appear, but those movies, in my mind, take away from a pure aspect of those boys that could otherwise be there. Though I consider my content viewing experiment a success I think that rated R movies should generally be avoided regardless. It's just a movie after all, is it worth it this trouble, these excuses, this analysis, the critiques? Perhaps instead we can use content analysis to better sift through pg 13 movies and be a more careful consumer there. I think unless we can revamp the rating system as is, we still need to take it into consideration the ratings distributed if just to avoid negative associations, because after all we should always try to be an example. So that's where I stand, what do you think?

Wisdom Teeth Out = More Media Consumption

You know how when you have those days when you’re sick you have this inborn desire to just sit around and do so nothing but watch tv... well that’s what happened to me. Except I wasn't really sick per se, I was mostly just tired, drugged, and I guess there was some throwing up involved... but only every two hours. I got my wisdom teeth out on monday and of course that was an overly pleasant experince. Before hand I watched the new episode of once upon a time, during I watched a part of Brave decided I didn't really like it and then switched to Zoolander, and after I watched half a season of big bang theory. The next day, after I dropped my phone in a glass of water, I was subjected to internet use for all my communication needs so I was pretty much on facebook all day. I also started and finished a book, and watched more big bang theory. Needless to say by wednesday I was pretty much done with media and in need of some actual productive activities.

Content Ratings

After our last lecture I decided to put content focus to the test. In a previous post I talked about my distaste for rated R movies, but that I had one I kind of really wanted to see: the movie Once. So I looked it up and tried to see what Common Sense Media thought of it. For being a rated R movie it got surprisingly a lower age recommendation than most pg 13 movies. So I broke down and I watched it. And in reality it seriously felt more like a pg movie than anything. It was a pretty positive film about chasing dreams, building friendships, and trying to make hard relationships work. It was about doing what's right despite what you might want. The only thing that made this movie rated R was that these Irish characters dropped the f bomb a few more times than than the rating system likes. But even that seemed pretty mild... maybe it was the main actor's beautiful Irish accent, but it just didn't feel as harsh to me. The swearing seemed more casual than deliberate. I seriously believe if you took that away though what you would have is a pg movie. So in this case content wins. However on my next blog post I want to talk negative repercussions of this content method, so stay tuned.

Becoming Part

Recently I had a friend who had to put together a short film as a kind of project. Somehow I got roped into being one of the actresses for this short film. So one cold rainy friday I ended up painted blue, with no shoes on my feet, and a gold robe zip tied to my wrists up in rock canyon.

It was amazing to be on the other side of the camera for once. The process of film is so unreal. Participating adds a whole new layer to movie magic. To see the effort, the hours and hours that goes into making a second rate 5 minute film, changes my perspective on movies. To see how each movement and frame is calculated to be a certain way to elicit a particular response brings all new appreciation to me for film.

That and I got to fulfill a quasi childhood dream of becoming an actress. I took theatre in highs school and loved it, but all of our major school productions were fairly sketch and I didn't want to take part. Caberet, and Jesus Christ superstar aren't exactly great musicals for a mormon to be associated with. So for once outside of a theatre class I got to be someone other than me. And that was kind of marvelous.

Anyways it turned out well and if/when I get a copy of the movie perhaps I'll post it up on the blog for y'all to see.

Dare to Share

I have a really good friend that up till this May I hadn't really talk to in over 3 years. We just kind of went our separate ways. But I posted a video of a song I wrote up in May and she saw it. And for the first time in years she got in contact with me and told me how that song had touched her, and how she regretted our friendship not being what it once was. I was talking with her again, even if it was momentarily, it was something. It got me thinking about the impact we can make through the things that we put out in the world. If we dare to share who can we reach? Who can we help? Who could we inspire? I guess it works both ways. Sharing that which produces a negative effect will in turn be detrimental to those around us. I guess the main message is to share the good, regardless of how you feel it may be perceived, and to eliminate the bad so that it may not have the ability to hurt, cripple, or destroy. 

With that message I thought I would share the video that my friend saw and reached out to me about... though I will warn you it's a little unrelated.

Social Networking and the Boyfriends it Got Me

The other day in class we were shown a chart of the more intimate ways to communicate through media. Through social networking was noted as the least intimate, however that hasn't been the case for me. Maybe my experiences aren't quite the norm but I do want to put them out there. 

In my life I have been in only two serious relationships, lots of dates, but only two serious relationships. Though they haven't worked out in the long run they were both very positive relationships and they both wouldn't have happened had it not been for facebook. Yes facebook. 

The first experience opened up the opportunity to stay in touch, develop close bonds, and maintain a good friendship which enabled us eventually to enter into a romantic engagement. I knew him for a total of 2 years, and for a little over one of those years he was consistently dating someone else. Even though for the first year I understood he was off limits I knew very quickly that he is someone that I would really like to be with. So we kept in touch, and I wrote him every once and while through facebook. When he was having a tough time finding a job I was there to support him and help him... through facebook. Fast forward about a year, he is now single, and through facebook I invite him to a dance. We really hit it off and the next week we were dating, and the week after that he tells me he loves me. It didn't all pan out on my side of things but it's an interesting example of how social networks can have a role in your dating life.

The second experience is even a little more facebook dependent. One winter semester I had met this guy in the Clyde building while I was waiting for my english class to begin, and then after that we met every tuesday and thursday before both our respective classes. However when winter semester wound to a close he wasn't there to be able to gather any form of contact information. All I knew was his first name, his major, and that he grew up in a remote area of Utah. So I was fairly sure I would never see him again, which was unfortunate seeing as I really enjoyed his company. Skip to the middle of May and I get a facebook request from this guy that I thought I would never see again, and a message telling me that I was pretty hard to find. And from there we talked on facebook almost everyday for 4 months and then every other day for 4 more months while I studied abroad in London. Sometimes we talked for hours online, and we developed a really close and strong relationship. Now don't get me wrong we also used other forms of communication such as calling one another and using Skype, but for the most part a lot of our communication was primarily through facebook and it's messaging system. Then when I got back we dated for about 3 months, were quite serious, but things didn't work out on his end.

I just thought I would provide a few personal examples from my life to show that the media has an effect to the extent in which you use it. Social networking tools can be a way to get to know people and they can lead to further relationships depending on the way you use them. At least such has been my experience. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Review

Last night I watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and I have to say that I haven't been that impressed with a movie in a long time. Sometimes I choose movies that are upbeat or fast-paced. Sometimes I choose movies to make me laugh or smile. But for me, most of the time, I choose movies to make me feel. When I watch a movie I often rate the quality of it by the connection I feel with the characters in it. When I feel  a strong emotional connection with them, their sorrows, and their pains that's when I deem it a good movie. 

This movie was well made and well executed. Though I found some of the stereotypes a little tired and one demential, the main story and characters were quite profound. It was shocking, and moving in ways that I didn't expect going into it. It was original and different. I wouldn't recommend it for a younger audience and I would be a little hesitant to recommend it to my parents and even some of my friends. Why would I say this after giving it such praise?Well, some of the subject matter is a little intense and perhaps at times uncomfortable. That being said, I didn't necessarily feel like it was entirely unwarranted or that it had a dark tone about it. Often movies that contain intense plots or subjects can often come with negative repercussions as far as feelings go, but I didn't get the same impression here. What I did feel was speechless. And I don't know how to explain why I was speechless, other than this movie was something unexpected, powerful, and yet simple. It's a movie about overcoming trials, about friendship and belonging, and it's a movie about good and bad relationships. If you enjoy well made movies, good acting, powerful stories, and feel like you can handle some of the more sketchy  content then I would recommend this movie. Made my top 10 quite easily.

Media: The Bane of Goodness

So on Sunday I attended a "discussion" led by a power point presentation and kid who I felt knew very little of what he was talking about. And guess what, the discussion was on the media. He went on for perhaps an hour arguing that an over-exposure to media diminishes creativity, intimate relationships, and life in general. He made some ok points, mainly in that many of us should probably cut back on certain forms of media use, but after all that I've learned in this class and all that I've spent time examining this semester I couldn't help but be a little upset by what he was trying to say. I think often people want to blame various forms of modern media for all their problems and label it as the bane of all that is good. In essence I don't believe we're necessarily any better or worse as a people than when we didn't have all these forms of media. We have a lot of worse things we are exposed to in today's world, and we have a lot better things that we are exposed to. The ratio doesn't seem to change to me, we're just exposed to more and different things. Moderation on an individual level I think is important, but in all things, not just media. I don't think that we necessarily have to shutdown our facebook pages, turn off our phones, and limit our music intake to achieve proper balance in our lives. All of these things I believe are beneficial to an extent and well worth holding on to. Sometimes there are better things that we can be doing with our precious time, but let's limit ourselves through self-control and not elimination. I have had moments in my life where I felt the media (such as my TV intake) was controlling me a bit instead of me controlling it, and so I'm often one of the first people to rag on the negative and dangerous effects of the media. But overtime I have realized how much of a blessing it really can be, and how it's much better to see it and use it in that way.

Greater Control & Greater Abuse

Every morning I wake up and I hit the snooze button. Sometimes I hit it more than once. In fact on average I probably hit the snooze button about 3 times every morning. The night before I have all these high hopes of waking up at precisely 7 o'clock and then using all that lovely morning time to actually prepare for the rest of the day. My intelligent, high achieving, conscious side say's "Hey I'm going to wake up early and take the day in stride." Whereas my early morning, lazy, and still sleepy side says "If I sleep for 30 minutes I can quickly get dressed, run out the door, and just make it to school right on time." These two sides battle for dominion and often the one in the moment, the early morning side, wins out against the logic and the productiveness of the first side. Sometimes I think it might just be better if I didn't set the snooze button at all, but then I fear that I might just fall back asleep and not wake up for a least another few hours.

It's funny to me the control we have on waking up in today's world. I mean alarm clocks (and Ipods with alarm functions) have not been in existence forever. With greater blessings of control comes a greater chance to abuse such systems. This I think can be applied to all sources of technology or media. With greater variety and control over tv channels, for example, when you can watch them, and how frequently you can watch them, there is greater possibility to abuse these privileges and opportunities. We have greater control of what we can watch and how can watch it but in turn that means we can essentially watch anything and submit ourselves to everything if we so choose. Would it really be so bad if we didn't have a choice? Would it really be so bad if we just got up when the sun came up and stayed up out of fear that there would nothing else to get you up? We have been given blessings in the form of technology and media which allows for a greater amount of control in our lives, but I certainly think that that control can be heavily abused and taken advantage of.

General Conference

Is anyone else amazed at the scope of General Conference? How it can be broadcast around the world for everyone to hear if they choose to listen. That's my kind of media right there, the one the builds you up in a way that nothing else can. I hope you're all taking advantage this weekend of watching or listen to general conference, because it doesn't get much better or easier then listen to the words of modern prophets inspired by God. Internet, T.V., Radio... it's astounding how easy it is to listen to inspired men speak inspired words.

Amazon: The Best Friend?

Growing up I wasn't much of a shopper. My sisters loved to look for and buy clothes, but I did not. I was against everything malls stood for, all the time, all the money, and all that person to person interaction that to me seemed so insincere. Even when I grew up and came to BYU I still abhorred malls, and all other forms of shopping. It was so inconvenient, costly, and just overly unpleasant for me. Though since it has grown on me a little bit; I've had to do all my own shopping and can't always rely on Christmas to provide me with all my clothing and other item needs. But here is the great thing, this year I discovered online shopping and the wonders and pitfalls it holds. Amazon is my new best friend. It provides me with all of my needs in just a couple days time (Plus free shipping with amazon prime). And the really great thing is that not only does it provide me with things I can get at malls, or at Walmart, or other varieties of stores it allows me to also receive things of a more rare nature. For example, I threw a tea party for a friend who was turning 23, and I bought some biscuits and herbal teas that were most certainly an English export (which was only important because her and I had actually gone on a study abroad to England just last fall). Amazon is also great because it has significantly lower prices for things than you typically find in most common stores unless there is a sale. However with the great convenience of Amazon, it's killer deals, and it's non-existent personal interaction my costs for the year have far exceeded what I would normal spend in years previous (especially with my typical avoidance of all things store related). The Fed-ex man knows me individually by name. So is it so great? I don't know. Perhaps it shouldn't be my best friend only a friendly acquaintance.

Better Apartments and House Plants

So as a college student I have very limited space and very limited resources. I remember that growing up my mom had dozens of cook books from "Better Homes and Gardens" to "Cooking with Mickey". My mom is a fantastic cook and an even better baker, so you can easily see how moving out on my own and cooking for myself is almost a depressing venture. Every one of my mom's recipes that I tried to replicate just wasn't the same. I think there is something magical about a mother's cooking. But anyways one of the things that happened when I came to college is that I sudden;y had to feed myself but didn't know exactly what to feed myself.

When I asked my mom for certain recipes instead of just telling me what they were or spelling them out in email for me she often gave me the line "Look it up on google." She would tell me what cookbook it was often found in and the the title of the recipe if she could remember. The exciting thing is that after my mom made me work for recipes by sifting through the internet I began to search for new things I hadn't tried before. For example, in Winter semester of my freshman year I bought a 10lbs bag of chocolate chips and was determined to find ways to use them all. Fudge, Tortes, cakes, Mousse... I only ever made it half way through that bag before the semester was out, but that was a feat all on its own.

Today I get most of my recipes from the internet. I just search something I want to learn how to make and see what happens. Yesterday for dinner I made Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Honey Glaze and it was lovely. The other day for my friend's birthday I made a Spanish orange and almond cake which is essentially a tea cake. It's very moist and almond based with a rich decadent flavor, and for all those gluten and dairy free people out there it is both. The internet has given me great successes such as these but I have also come up short a couple times, those, however, I will not mention.

Les Mis

Woah so ok who else is extremely excited about the Les Mis film coming out in December? It's quite possible that I have never been so excited for a film. I'm a big musical fan, but Les Mis is overall my favorite by a long shot. The story line itself based on Victor Hugo's novel is unbelievably profound, but the music adds so many rich layers to this already decadent cake of deliciousness. I have seen the musical itself twice in London on the West End (Once with Alfie Boe, who was phenomenal). I'm so excited to see Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, and a little worried about Russell Crowe playing Javert, but who knows maybe he'll surprise me. Really though I have extremely high expecations for this movie, and am just so very excited. For those of you who haven't seen the new behind the scenes clip for this flick check it out.

Jumping on the ipad Bandwagon

So in May my parents told me that for my birthday they were going to send me one of their old ipads. You see the thing is, they had three. There are only two of them, and they had three ipads. I thought this was a little excessive. In fact I thought just one was excessive. In my mind the ipad is a computer and ipod touch thrown in all together in a less convenient form than either one of them. You can probably guess my reaction to my parents sending me something that I didn't feel I needed. Having heard that my sister really wanted one I told my parents to send the old one to her. She wanted one, I didn't, and it seemed only logical. Besides, I prefer birthday presents to take a little more thought and perhaps be a little more surprising.

Though my parents were a little upset that I didn't accept their offer they conceded in not giving me the ipad. Though, they never gave it to my sister either. Fast forward to August. My parents still have three ipads for the two of them, and my mom only uses the extra to play more games of Words with Friends. Despite my previous statements I felt like I could at least use it more in proficient ways than that. So I told my parents that if the offer was still up that they should send the ipad my way. I thought maybe I could use it for class notes or something instead of having to lug my laptop around everywhere.

Now September just two days ago I received the ipad in the mail. I can already sense the overall distraction it will cause in my life. I might as well start counting up the APR of time wasted for this year (I'm predicting a high rate of 5.6%). I never thought I would be one of those people with Macbook, an ipod touch, and ipad. I might as well just order my iphone now to continue the ridiculousness. Now don't get me wrong I'm a big Apple fan, and there are a lot of conveniences to all of these things... but I wonder if in the end those conveniences outweigh the costs.

My Life's Dependence on Chargers

I have been a proud owner of a macbook (one of the old classic white ones) for over 3 years. And today my charger stopped working. As I looked at the whole 42 minutes left of the time my computer had I considered how much I rely on my computer on daily basis. Just the amount of time I panicked at the idea of my charger not working should be an indication of that. My computer gives me this whole sense of independence that I never had before. I can do a bagillion things from my very own home without having to bother anyone but me. I can rent movies, buy clothes, write papers, listen and record music, stay in touch with friends and family, set appointments, inform people of parties and events, upload and edit pictures... seriously I feel like most of the worthwhile things I do anymore are in one way or another connected to my computer, and my computer becomes insignificant without a charger. Once that little blue light on the bottom turns off it becomes nothing more than a 3-year-old block of white. However this, got me thinking about all the other things in my life that rely on chargers. Like my cell phone, my camera, and my toothbrush even. It's funny how many things that I say make me independent in fact turn out to make me incredibly dependent upon them. People survived long before laptops, cellphones, and really efficient dental care, but my life would certainly be a ton more complicated without them... and their chargers.

25 minutes left of computer time...  the search is on for a new charger.

Music in Stages

Yesterday I was walking home from school listening to my ipod and a song came on that gave me this acute nostalgia for my teenage years. It's like ,when you hear NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys, or the Spice Girls and you automatically are brought back to your childhood, or least that’s where I’m brought back to. Well, when I was in my mid-teens I had my rebellious phase. And really all that meant was that instead of continuing to listen to the broadway music I grew up on (Yes, when I was 12 and people asked me what my favorite music to listen to was I said broadway), I got into Alternative rock. I know, pretty edgy. So on came Evanescence, with not even their most popular song, and I was brought back to this time of my life that I thought had escaped me. Music just has so much power to transport you, and isn’t funny that we can describe certain segments of our lives by the music we listen to? I guess right now I’m in the folk/acoustic/americana segment. Most of my teenagers years were defined by Alternative and Classic Rock, my childhood by strictly broadway, and I think I had a small stint somewhere in there with pop. For your enjoyment I’ll attach the song that came on today.

Skype Dates

     Skype is a marvelous thing. With family all over the world, literally, it’s nice to be able to communicate in a more semi-intimate way. I mean I can see them... on my computer screen, but still, I can see them. I can see the picture my nephew Ben drew for me all the way over in San Antonio. I can see the facial expressions my sister gives me while lecturing me on dating while she’s in Seattle. I can see my Dad’s goofy grin that he gets to share with everyone over in London. I get to see the chaos that ensues over in brother’s house in Abu Dhabi. And if my brother Michael would skype me I would get to see a glimpse of my home land of Nova Scotia, but hopefully that will happen eventually. 

     Something like Skype is such an amazing blessing, how we are able to communicate world wide so effortlessly is unbelievable. I can carry on conversations thousands of miles of way. I can joke and giggle, and people in response can laugh at how funny I think I am. I once played a game of apples to apples over skype with some friends all the way over in Arizona, AMAZING. In just the last hundred years alone we have come so far with communication. Next up holograms, and after that teleportation. Really though in all seriousness it makes me incredibly happy to stay in touch with friends and family from all the places I’ve been. For a moment I can set up a skype date and be a part of their lives again. It keeps us connected, and that surely that is a blessing.

Rated R Movies

I’ve had the desire to watch very few rated R movies, but this is one where if I ever find an edited version I would love to see it.

     When I was about 15 I had a friend who consistently tried to persuade me to watch an assortment of rated R movies. He said that some PG-13 movies were worse than some of the great rated R movies. He told me that some were life changing and I needed to watch them. He told me dozens of things to convince to watch at least one, such as: “it’s just a movie.” I said that if it was just a movie than it didn’t matter if I watched it. For me, it wasn’t worth it.

Though I can’t say that I have never watched a rated R movie (My Dad introduced me to the terminator movies after all, and some others unknowingly have sneaked through the cracks in my defense) I can say that I’m proud to live by a rule in my life where I avoid them as best as I can. It’s not that I don’t hear the language in other arenas, or see the violence portrayed in some of my favorite Tv shows, or even am exposed to the amount of sex that for such a sacred thing is plastered all over screens across the world as something casual (while the word “Love” is portrayed as something “serious”, which I consider a little ridiculous). Really for me it’s all these things that combine into something truly crippling. I have never seen or even read a synopsis of a Rated R movie that for me made me feel better. Made me say “Hey, wow, that was so great. I feel inspired. Let’s go read the scriptures now.” What we purposefully consume is a choice. Watching movies that, I feel, chase away the Spirit is a choice I’d rather not make. What I’m exposed to in the world outside of that is really outside of my control, but a choice to not watch negative media is something I can control. Though the rating system may be flawed (so my friends argue) those who rate movies rate them that way for a reason. And I can tell you right now those reasons are not of God.

     The other day I was talking to a really good friend who happens to be LDS and who has very little issue with these kinds of movies. She say’s she grew up with them. She says they don’t phase her. I say that sometimes her language and her thoughts reflect what she consumes. 

     We should be doing our best to have our purest thoughts, work our finest deeds, and move constantly towards Christ. Anything that does not inspire our purest thoughts, or hinders us in progression towards God is something perhaps we should cut out of our lives. I’m far from perfect in this particular area, but I do find it funny that so many people try to defend the viewing of things that distract, distort, and diminish that which is of God for the sake of entertainment. Is it really worth it? 

Starting Point

As I thought about my perspective currently on media I discovered that I have rather mixed views. There are some aspects of media that I really dislike, because I feel like in the end they control me rather than me controlling them. On the other hand I feel like we are surrounded by a lot of great media that can be an incredibly beneficial source for good and truth. In class we talked about media being something that took a message from a giver to a receiver, from one point to another if you will.

This blog is dedicated towards the Media I am exposed to on a daily basis, and my reactions to it. I'm sure that by the end of Fall my perspectives will change even more than they have to this point in my life, and that my understanding and comprehension of the media will also continue to increase. My hope is that through this we can together come to an understanding of how to better utilize the good and eliminate the bad aspects of media in our lives.