''Gamer Revolution''

1) According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing video-games for individuals and societies?

According to the film, the pros of playing video-games can be one recruitmen tool to attract the young to join the U.S military activity and fight for the country as a soldier.It can be a military trainning as well. Young people can play with the real soldiers and talk to them in the games. Moreover, young people only have one chance to live. If they died in the game, they cannot get a new start until the game finished, not likely to other games. It represents a ''realism'' in the virtual world of video-games. So, it can help the young learn and get more military experience in such realistic trainning.

Secondly, video-games can be a part of medical treatment and psychological therapy. For example, the young can learn how to live in the reality through playing ''remission''. They learn and practice more, then driving them to the next level. This games can help them have a special experience that they seem to live in a real world in the games.
On the contrary, there are some disadvantages of playing video-games. It promotes and encourages the violent behavior. Actually, players may imitate the violent behavior such as murdering others and do it in real world. They may enjoy killing people and have fun of it. Also, playing video-games will cultivate the aggressive minds of players and stimulate the violent sentiments or ideas. So, players will have violent behavior.

In addition, children will be addicted to playing video-games. It is because game reward engagment. In the virtual world, players can have virtual money and power and so on, that means they can be super hero or even the master of the universe when they are playing the video-games. It makes '' a false sense of identity''. At last, players loss their work,isolate themselves, fail to handle their study, or give up their life to go to death. These negative effects will decrease the productivity of the society further.


2) According to the film, is there any evidence that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world? Do you agree?

There are some evidence to show digital games can make people have aggressive values and anti-social actions. For example, the test of ''FMRI'' scanner proves that there are more activities in brain when players are playing digital games. Undoubtedly, players would have a stronger feeling or emotion in their brain activity. It is the charactristic of aggressive effects as playing digital games provide aggressive impluses to players. Therefore, people may have an anti-social actions as well.

Some research has shown that about 80% of games players would have violent mind that can increase aggressive behavior. I think the reason is that young people would imitate the behavior that is done in the games and then they do it in the real world. For example, one 18-year-old person robbed and murdered a taxi driver because of imitating the same behavior in the games' virtual world. It makes people have horrible desire to act in the reality definitely.

I agree that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world. Although some studies pointed out that there is no clear link between aggressive behavior and the violent ideas in the games and some anti addiction softwares are used in order to limit the hours young people can spend on playing games, it seems that games can give an incentive for the young to have such violent behavior.

Apart from that, I believe that some games such as ''first person shooter'' can promote and spread a message of violence or anti-social actions. It will affect how people think and act so that there are13 countries decided to ban it.

3) Should governments have the right to ban certain games? Why or why not?

I think that government should not have the right to ban certain games. Although these games have such horrible effect on how people will act in the real world, citizen can have a right to choose certain games too. Also, there are some advantages of playing digital games. For example, people can improve their social network and relationship between their friends through playing digital games. Besides, they can relieve their pressure.

If people can have a self-control to play certain games and don't spend too much time on it. Then, they can enjoy the fun of it and thus there is no need for government to ban it.

Animation and CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) in Cinema

• What are the Pros and Cons of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)?

For the Pros, Computer can make some roles play in the film and these roles are not existing in the real world although it is performed by some actors in the "backstage", for example, the apes in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Indeed, it can help the author to have a great creativity in a film script. It is because author don't need to have misgiving about the authenticity and feasibility of the characters when he or she creates it. That means all the imagined can come true in the film. Most importantly, CGI make hyperrealism. We can enjoy it so much.

As for the Cons of it, as we all know, the movement, facial expression and gesture are all presented by the real actors behind the scenes. Actors don't need to show their face and appearance, so no audience would know who they are without casting information. It is not fair for them because actors also strive for the best performance. When the film is being famous, the actors may not obtain the same benefits.

Also, CGI may not be as real as the normal role because of the hyperrealism too. We never see the characters which are made by digital technology, we would not believe that these characters are existing in the world as it is not a real thing.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Super Trailer HD
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Super Trailer HD

 

• Will Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) makes actors obsolete? Yes or no? Why?

 I think that CGI will not make actors obsolete. The main reason for that is that CGI  is unlike real actors although it can make a dynamic or lively characters. For example, CGI often used to make some 3-dimensional graphics in the science fiction film. However, people would think it is an imagination or a fake graphical image because of hyperrealism. It is ironic that when people are weary of hyperrealism, they would like to choose the real actors again, not the CGI.

So, I think CGI would not make actors obsolete and replace it. They can exist simultaneously.

• Should digital characters be nominated for acting awards competing with humans?

 As I mentioned before, all the motions of CGI are presented and performed by real actors through digital technology. It really involves the acting section. So, I think digital characters should be nominated for acting awards in the above situation.
 
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Super Trailer HD

On the other hand, some digital characters are created by scanning clay model and used in an animation. These digital characters are not existing in the real world and so they are inanimate. Actually, digital characters can be infinite if people have an inspiration to create more and more. It can be said that it is an imagination for human. Actually, acting awards should be rewarded for someone who are good at acting and making a breakthrough as well as contribution for the film industry. Thus, I don't think this type of digital characters should be nominated for acting awards.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of motion capture?

One of the advantages of motion capture is that it can make the charcaters more dynamic and lively in their performance. It can give an enjoyment for the audience who love watching animation. 

In addition, motion capture can help to express the psychological states and personal feelings if characters have a natural and suitable motion.

However, motion capture may have a sense of exaggeration. When actors want to show one action, they would portray themselves deliberately. It may destroy the whole unity of motion capture, so that audience may think the motion capture is so strange.

Moreover, motion capture may draw the audience's attention and then audience may not concentrate on the content of the movie. There is a loss when paying attention on motion capture excessively.

• Should animation strive for photorealism?

I don't think that animation should strive for photorealism.

It is because animation acn be a space for our imagination. To me, I regard animation as a form of recreation. It can help us release daily life pressure. Sometimes, photorealism may be too rigid and even static. If it strive for photorealism, we may lose one enjoyment or pastime.

'' Mission to Earth ''

A)What is new or different about this example of digital cinema when compared with a) traditional ways of telling a story b) and constructing a film?

a) '' Mission to Earth '' is an interesting digital cinema I saw. There are some differences between this digital cinema and traditional film in regard to the ways of telling a story and construction of the film.

First of all, '' Mission to Earth '' only shows the keywords to illustrate the main content. Sometimes, it has voice over to tell the audiences what the messages are. It differs from the traditional film. It is because it don't have a certain and structural plot which includes beginning, development, ending and so on. Maybe it just takes daily activities to be one video clip or fragment. For the whole production, it may have only one music to be used, not likely to the traditional film which play a music as a complement of sentiment in some particular moment. There are different versions of the same representation at the same time. It is the most interesting thing I think.

Also, '' Mission to Earth '' have no obvious designated characters and supporting role either. All the scenes are not pre-organised . It invloves different location and no fixed place is recommended. Certainly, the interaction between the holder of the camera and the "interviewee" can show what reality is. And then audiences can imagine the content and goal of that video clip freely. For the traditional film, it does a well preparation before making a film. It leads people to take part in an unrealistic world whether or not it has voice over in the film. The characters would convey all the messages and content through their dialogue. Time, place and theme are always specified and in oder. Even it don't allow people to have a great imagination.

b) As we know, '' Mission to Earth '' is mainly constructed by 2D geometric animation and many video clips. There are many squares in different size within one big frame. Actually, there are two or three video fragment to be used in one frame and different versions of the same representation would be shown at the same time as the features of visual narrative. So, audiences can have a great enjoyment because it gives much more information when they watch. In addition, music is one element in the aspect of using sounds. The traditional film would not use one music in the whole process.

Apart from that, '' Mission to Earth '' have no particular director indeed. It is because organization of content, for example, the format or composition, are determined by the software finally. You just need to have one camera to make a video and then you can use these videos to construct a digital cinema bu using related software. For the traditional film, it would have the director's own style as the whole process is monitored by him or her. That means the director would make the temporal and spatial organization by his or her preferences. Most importantly, it needs time and resources to do a well preparation.

B) What other art (film, digital art, painting etc) does this film remind you of?

This film reminds me of Piet Mondrian’s painting. It is because its composition is represented by rectangular or geometric forms, the visual representation of the motion graphics are constructed by some circles squares, etc. Additionally, it have some video clips. If images are similar to other images that would arrange them closely. All these elements make the whole composition to be more abstract and concrete.
Movie Editions

Concepts: Form

Moreover, the movie or video clips emerge from different position in the whole frame. It makes a sense of parallel movement. The simple composition and style can give a space for our own imagination. Also, the lines and colour is on one flat surface, no matter how you change it. The frame seems to be combined by a fragment of paintings and images. So, it is so modern and attractive. These all are so similar to the features of Piet Mondrian’s paintings, example is as follows.




Piet Mondrian, Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1930
(reference by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mondrian_Composition_II_in_Red,_Blue,_and_Yellow.jpg )

C) Wrap up- central question for Manovich –what can this new medium do?

This new medium is created by "soft cinema".

As the above mentioned, the software can put 2D animation, motion graphics and some video clips together to construct a film.

This new medium can show much more information as it contains different datas at the same time. Also, it can let us compare all the video clips and images in regard to the visual representation. Sometimes, two video clips might use the same scenes with different version or camera movement that is an unqiue style of this new medium. It is a new and creative medium we can enjoy.

I think this new medium can be one propaganda to spread the anti-war messages such as '' Mission to Earth ''. The video clips show the real suitation of people' daily life activities, so it can help them to express their feelings and what the unfairness they face to the society, their goverment. Then, this new medium can have a function of arousing the awareness of the public.

During the making digital cinema process, although the software decide the sequence of video or the position of 2D animation, the maker can design the whole compostion and the number of frames as well. Even the maker can choose some similar video clips to play together in terms of colour and content.

"Modern Times: pros and cons of new technology"

1) In a couple of paragraphs, summarize the way that Chaplin is affected by new technology in the beginning of the film Modern Times.

In the beginning of the film Modern Times, Chaplin was crazy because of the malfunction of feeding machine.After he tried to demonstrate how to use the machine, he had a great excitement and then suffered from nervous breakdown.

Chaplin looks just like ''plaything''. He is controlled by some maintenance workers and the traders of the feeding machine or even new technology. Indeed, I think Chaplin is one of the experiments as well.

The second reason for his situation is that he works under great pressure for a long period of time. Everytime he follows an intense procedure which needs lots of action to do. In his mind, he cannot stop tightening the screws. Otherwise, production line will be stopped working. It brings Chaplin mental effort and makes him crazy finally.

So, when Chaplin had great pressure on his work and confronted an unpleasant experience, he was crazy.


2) Then discuss any similarities or differences in the way you experience common digital technologies such as computers and the Internet.

In my opinion, one of the similarities is that new technology cannot increase the productivity.

For example, when I search the information on the Internet, there are many irrelevant information I found. Moreover, some information may be wrong. So, I need to have careful consideration on the degree of accuracy of the information when I decided to use it. Undoubtedly, it cannot increase my working efficiency as it is a waste of time.

In the film Modern Times, businessmen recommend a boss to use feeding machine to limit the lunch hour and then increase productivity. It is because workers cannot stop for lunch. However, this machine is not working and practical. It also makes trouble for Chaplin lastly as he got a nervous breakdown. It is ironic that the malfunction of feeding machine seems to symbolize Chaplin's mental problem.

Secondly, another similarity is Chaplin and I also have addited to do something.

Sometimes, I was addicted to computer games or watching movies on the Internet. It just likes Chaplin to concentrate on tightening the screws continuously. Although he had kinks and nervous breakdown, he still liked to tighten all the things which look like screws. Definitely, Chaplin cannot control himself anymore.

On the other hand, there is one difference I discovered. That is our digital technologies such as laptop computers is new and modern. The most important thing is that many digital devices such as notebook(small computer) is portable. You can carry it anywhere. You would see the feeding machine is too big and even bulky. It is difficult to move or carry although it is movable.

Let me introduce myself first:D

Hello, my name is Ho Lai Na. You can call me ''Nana''.

Welcome to enter my blog!!!

I'm quiet and I can't bear too much noise.

I'm not sporty as I hate doing exercises.

Don' t afraid of me. I'm so friendly=]

I like LittleGreenMan because I think that I'm so similar to it.

We are all living independently.

This is my first time to know more about digital media and technology.

I'm unfamiliar with digital technology.

But I hope I can have a further interpretation on this topic.

Just like LittleGreenMan, we all like to explore more in the world.