1.)Melanie
I told you it was great, the first and last parts were truly adorable.
I thought that your video most certainly portrayed you as an active person, there was one picture of you relaxing on the couch and then lots of friends and basketball photos.
I also thought the song was quite fitting, from what I can see you are a fairly jovial person.
I am glad that you pointed out your sisters importance in your life, she was in quite a few photos. Would you say that she is part of the very foundation of your character?
I have one last question, "are you falling, yes are you falling, does she keep calling, you back again?" Jk. Good Job.
Dylan
2.)Tyler
Another great video. You really got your point across. I don't know you at all but from this I can concretely say that you are driven to succeed. The part where you were kicking the football was a powerful image, you tried and tried and finally got it through that gigantic prong thing (i don't play sports).Good job.
Dylan
3.)Ben
Awesome video! I agree it was pretty existentialist, almost mocking of the typical way of life in our city. People aren't as unique as they try to make themselves seem in their videos. I also like the fact that you used a blank stick figure to represent yourself. That was a statement right there, intentional or unintentional.jk
Dylan
4.)Ali Jo
I don't know you nor have I ever talked to you, but that video gave me great insight into your opinions and way of life.
It is interesting to see a person point out their own follies or imperfections because none of us are perfect no how hard we try.
I agree with you, our school system is hardly idealistic, what system do you feel would better suit you?
You hardly come off as a redneck, your insight on American Politics and society is saintly. You seem steadfast in your opinions and I find it admirable that you have spent as much time and thought on this as you have. Good Job
Dylan
5.)Russel
I find it interesting that you pointed out how basic your way of life is. It shows a quality of realism that many people do not seem to possess. Good Job.
Dylan
Insights/Analysis:
1.)I found it interesting that some people didn't have much if any analysis on their own lives. One would assume that after 16-17 years of life, a person would be able to make a reflective statement about their way of life. In some instances, people just listed activities or hobbies that they felt defined them. How does excessive advertisement in our society effect how we see ourselves?
2.) The American way of life seems rather material oriented. Those who actually analyzed their lives didn't even mention their hobbies or activities, whereas those who provided little to no analysis emphasized both. It seems that with depth of thought comes some degree of realization that many things in our society are trivial and somewhat disgusting. I saw pictures of makeup, sports teams, video games, and tv shows, yet almost no trace of the actual person behind them. When a person meets someone they ask them what bands they like, what their favorite movies are, what books they like to read, which sports team is their favorite. That is what we grow up with, questions about stuff not who we are, just what we like and want.
3.) Style/music taste greatly determines ones portrayal of themselves. People who listen to hip-hop or rap often tried to portray themselves as tough and fly probably because the lyrics to a majority of hip-hop songs are about being a big bad fly guy. People who listen to very mainstream music tended to be more "Typically American" probably because that way of life is more mainstream and popular, so the music follows suit. People who listen to more thoughtful and bohemian music seemed to offer a more human existential opinion on the AWOL. What one listens to is reflective of their way of life and outlook on the world.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Dylan's AWOL
Here is the link to my video, I couldn't figure out how to put the actual video on my profile:
http://www.vimeo.com/1754561
Explanatory/Analytical Writing:
DESCRIPTIVE:
In my AWOL video I tried to incorporate all of the significant aspects of my life to try and show how I live and what kind of person I am. There were three main elements of my life that I tried to highlight, the first one being thought and my own inner dialogue. While I obviously cannot record this inner voice, I tried to portray it by having me gazing off into space in the first clip of the video. I didn’t want to come off as some hippie, daydreaming, airhead, so I tried to add a dash of beauty and sophistication by playing explosions in the sky, which in my opinion is very deep and spiritual music. In actuality, I have been thinking about my current way of life and how I can change it for some time now, and in my opinion those are truly meaningful thoughts. I seldom think about sex, partying, and even stuff that I want. If I were to play some song publicizing the fact that I “gotz bitches n’ hoes” and “I be tough an’ yo don’t wanna mess wit me” I would be creating a false image of myself. I decided to use a song without lyrics because I don’t particularly like talking and I don’t want to create a tough, badass, or rebellious image of myself. I think that that clip with that song reflected the largest and most important aspect of my life and shows me for me. I wish that I could have included more about thought’s significance in my life, because I spend almost every second of every day thinking how can I change this about myself, how can I make this experience more pleasant?
The next main element that I focused on was my adoration of reading. This one is actually more of a continuation of the first clip. My specific choice of song also went hand in hand with this next concept. I hate action books, corny romance books, science fiction books, the whole lot of them, the one kind of book that I can actually read is a book with strong purpose. I feel cheated when I read a book that has little to no deeper significance because I haven’t learned anything, I might as well have been watching television. One of the most incredible books I have ever read, A Clockwork Orange, made me think and dig for the inner meaning of the text. As I said, this goes hand and hand with my method of thinking, I like to see more than the obvious, more than a bunch of young hooligans raping and robbing the citizens in their neighborhood, more than the surface of life and every medium within it.
The next primary element that I focused on in the video was my love for music. In the video I put a clip of me playing bass alone, really getting into it even though there is no sound. I also put several pictures of me playing live with my band between this and the following clip to show my dedication to it. What I was trying to portray with this section is what music is to me, beauty. The music I play is beautiful and emotional like Explosions in the Sky songs, and every song I play reflects the amount of thought and creativity that I put into writing them.
Music is also, in a way a relationship to me. Many of my friends are musicians, and one of my best ones plays lead guitar in my band, playing music with him is one of the largest and most enjoyable parts of my life. He is also one of the largest contributing factors in my personality, so by putting him in my video I am showing where I, Dylan LaPointe come from.
My little brother Austin is also one of the most important people in my life. He is my best friend, something I think I portrayed well in my video. In every shot of us together, and there are quite a few, we are laughing and joking around showing each other that we love and care about one another. He has given me my silly sense of humor, and as a result has helped me create some of my best and most enjoyable memories.
I love my way of life and all of the people in it, however there are a few things that I would change if I was given the opportunity. The American Lifestyle is piggish and people spend vast portions of their lives trying to formulate a false and acceptable mask that they can put on. Some try to destroy this mask but can never fully get rid of it. I am one of those people, I try and run from the mainstream, and I feel that I am somewhat successful. Despite my best efforts I feel that I still retain some of the petty values that plague mankind as a whole. In the video this is even reflected in the way I dress, I wear skinny jeans whose sole purpose is to accentuate the body and to make it attractive to look at. I work out and exercise so that I have a good body. I pierced my ear, it holds no significance but to look cool. It’s the little things such as that that make me feel petty and conformist.
I feel like I haven’t been under a media cloud my whole life and like to think that it hasn’t ran as large a portion of my life as people say it has. Aside from those few things I think that my way of life is fabulous. I see myself as somewhat unique and my lifestyle isn’t overindulgent or media guided. I hardly watch tv, I eat in moderation, I try to keep the earth a beautiful place, I very rarely shop, and I am fairly modest. To me that sounds like someone making an effort to be true to themselves and be and do what they feel they should. If every day were like today I would be one happy man.
ANALYSIS & INSIGHT:
I would say that I am generally well situated to have a meaningful life. Analysis and thought are important to me on a daily basis, and if my life follows suit then I have to say that I will see and understand more than some may. As of my life being pleasant, one may never know, anything can happen, but I am not a very risky person so I don’t see myself in any precarious positions in the near future. I am a fairly optimistic person, and the road looks clear ahead.
As I said earlier, the elements of myself that I am not too fond of are primarily a result of societal pressures, but I can see how all of these things may be interconnected. Those societal pressures have shaped me in a way that has made me liked by the ones I love and care for just as the ones I love and care for have attempted to turn me against that which is mainstream (they do). Had I not had these social pressures I may have not been given the opportunity to be with these people. Had I not met these people I would not have been the way I am today. It is possible that these pressures have helped to give my life meaning so the “good the bad and the ugly” all work together to create a hopefully enjoyable life.
Let me define a “Typical American”: a Typical American is a person with the goal of their own betterment through wealth and success. Is that not what all of those European settlers came here searching for so long ago, a chance at success. With that definition, I would like to say “no,” I am not a Typical American. My goal in life is not to make large quantities of money so that I can be a rich man with a ton of shit he doesn’t need and a grandiose appearance to create a false sense of confidence. The fact is people who stray from our system in our society (the homeless) become miserable, they life cold and alone, shunned by all. I want to live as low to the ground as possible so that I can live pleasantly without overindulging. The fact is, the world does not need another Donald Trump, or Bill Gates, no one person needs that much money to live. My father always says, “I hope I make it small someday.”
I would like to think in greater depth about why I do certain things, for example, why did I pierce my ear/wear skinny jeans/ work out if I am so openly against the pursuit of acceptance? I would also like to analyze things in my past to help explain why I am the way I am today. I am at the fairly young age of 17 so I trust that I will have far more to analyze in my coming years. At this stage in peoples lives, they are desperately grasping for identities so it is likely that most of the self analyzing done at this point is done to assume a persona. Opinions change and so does life, once I analyze a comfortable way of life to the point where I believe it, I will question everything I do, everything I see, and every element of my life.
http://www.vimeo.com/1754561
Explanatory/Analytical Writing:
DESCRIPTIVE:
In my AWOL video I tried to incorporate all of the significant aspects of my life to try and show how I live and what kind of person I am. There were three main elements of my life that I tried to highlight, the first one being thought and my own inner dialogue. While I obviously cannot record this inner voice, I tried to portray it by having me gazing off into space in the first clip of the video. I didn’t want to come off as some hippie, daydreaming, airhead, so I tried to add a dash of beauty and sophistication by playing explosions in the sky, which in my opinion is very deep and spiritual music. In actuality, I have been thinking about my current way of life and how I can change it for some time now, and in my opinion those are truly meaningful thoughts. I seldom think about sex, partying, and even stuff that I want. If I were to play some song publicizing the fact that I “gotz bitches n’ hoes” and “I be tough an’ yo don’t wanna mess wit me” I would be creating a false image of myself. I decided to use a song without lyrics because I don’t particularly like talking and I don’t want to create a tough, badass, or rebellious image of myself. I think that that clip with that song reflected the largest and most important aspect of my life and shows me for me. I wish that I could have included more about thought’s significance in my life, because I spend almost every second of every day thinking how can I change this about myself, how can I make this experience more pleasant?
The next main element that I focused on was my adoration of reading. This one is actually more of a continuation of the first clip. My specific choice of song also went hand in hand with this next concept. I hate action books, corny romance books, science fiction books, the whole lot of them, the one kind of book that I can actually read is a book with strong purpose. I feel cheated when I read a book that has little to no deeper significance because I haven’t learned anything, I might as well have been watching television. One of the most incredible books I have ever read, A Clockwork Orange, made me think and dig for the inner meaning of the text. As I said, this goes hand and hand with my method of thinking, I like to see more than the obvious, more than a bunch of young hooligans raping and robbing the citizens in their neighborhood, more than the surface of life and every medium within it.
The next primary element that I focused on in the video was my love for music. In the video I put a clip of me playing bass alone, really getting into it even though there is no sound. I also put several pictures of me playing live with my band between this and the following clip to show my dedication to it. What I was trying to portray with this section is what music is to me, beauty. The music I play is beautiful and emotional like Explosions in the Sky songs, and every song I play reflects the amount of thought and creativity that I put into writing them.
Music is also, in a way a relationship to me. Many of my friends are musicians, and one of my best ones plays lead guitar in my band, playing music with him is one of the largest and most enjoyable parts of my life. He is also one of the largest contributing factors in my personality, so by putting him in my video I am showing where I, Dylan LaPointe come from.
My little brother Austin is also one of the most important people in my life. He is my best friend, something I think I portrayed well in my video. In every shot of us together, and there are quite a few, we are laughing and joking around showing each other that we love and care about one another. He has given me my silly sense of humor, and as a result has helped me create some of my best and most enjoyable memories.
I love my way of life and all of the people in it, however there are a few things that I would change if I was given the opportunity. The American Lifestyle is piggish and people spend vast portions of their lives trying to formulate a false and acceptable mask that they can put on. Some try to destroy this mask but can never fully get rid of it. I am one of those people, I try and run from the mainstream, and I feel that I am somewhat successful. Despite my best efforts I feel that I still retain some of the petty values that plague mankind as a whole. In the video this is even reflected in the way I dress, I wear skinny jeans whose sole purpose is to accentuate the body and to make it attractive to look at. I work out and exercise so that I have a good body. I pierced my ear, it holds no significance but to look cool. It’s the little things such as that that make me feel petty and conformist.
I feel like I haven’t been under a media cloud my whole life and like to think that it hasn’t ran as large a portion of my life as people say it has. Aside from those few things I think that my way of life is fabulous. I see myself as somewhat unique and my lifestyle isn’t overindulgent or media guided. I hardly watch tv, I eat in moderation, I try to keep the earth a beautiful place, I very rarely shop, and I am fairly modest. To me that sounds like someone making an effort to be true to themselves and be and do what they feel they should. If every day were like today I would be one happy man.
ANALYSIS & INSIGHT:
I would say that I am generally well situated to have a meaningful life. Analysis and thought are important to me on a daily basis, and if my life follows suit then I have to say that I will see and understand more than some may. As of my life being pleasant, one may never know, anything can happen, but I am not a very risky person so I don’t see myself in any precarious positions in the near future. I am a fairly optimistic person, and the road looks clear ahead.
As I said earlier, the elements of myself that I am not too fond of are primarily a result of societal pressures, but I can see how all of these things may be interconnected. Those societal pressures have shaped me in a way that has made me liked by the ones I love and care for just as the ones I love and care for have attempted to turn me against that which is mainstream (they do). Had I not had these social pressures I may have not been given the opportunity to be with these people. Had I not met these people I would not have been the way I am today. It is possible that these pressures have helped to give my life meaning so the “good the bad and the ugly” all work together to create a hopefully enjoyable life.
Let me define a “Typical American”: a Typical American is a person with the goal of their own betterment through wealth and success. Is that not what all of those European settlers came here searching for so long ago, a chance at success. With that definition, I would like to say “no,” I am not a Typical American. My goal in life is not to make large quantities of money so that I can be a rich man with a ton of shit he doesn’t need and a grandiose appearance to create a false sense of confidence. The fact is people who stray from our system in our society (the homeless) become miserable, they life cold and alone, shunned by all. I want to live as low to the ground as possible so that I can live pleasantly without overindulging. The fact is, the world does not need another Donald Trump, or Bill Gates, no one person needs that much money to live. My father always says, “I hope I make it small someday.”
I would like to think in greater depth about why I do certain things, for example, why did I pierce my ear/wear skinny jeans/ work out if I am so openly against the pursuit of acceptance? I would also like to analyze things in my past to help explain why I am the way I am today. I am at the fairly young age of 17 so I trust that I will have far more to analyze in my coming years. At this stage in peoples lives, they are desperately grasping for identities so it is likely that most of the self analyzing done at this point is done to assume a persona. Opinions change and so does life, once I analyze a comfortable way of life to the point where I believe it, I will question everything I do, everything I see, and every element of my life.
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