9.79* - ESPN Films: 30 for 30

Daniel Gordon's film 9.79* is an ESPN Film as a part of their 30 for 30 collection of sports documentaries. Gordon's film captures the hype and controversy surrounding the 100 meter final at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. The race was highlighted by some of the fastest runners in history, performance enhancing drug (PED) scandals, and a world record time.

Gordon focuses on the eight runners that ran in the 100m final in 1988, including the world record holder at the time, Ben Johnson of Canada, and his teammate Desai Williams, along with the United States' Carl Lewis, Calvin Smith, and Dennis Mitchell. At the time, these were the fastest men in the world, but this was also a time when knowledge of PEDs was increasing and scientists had a new, better understanding of how to utilize these drugs to the advantage of an athlete. Gordon's main focus throughout the documentary was on the growing rivalry between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis. Over the years, the two went head to head in races all over the world. In the most recent history, Johnson had been consistently narrowly edging Lewis and Lewis was suspicious as to why. Gordon's film analyzes the historic 1988 final and uncovers the truths behind the use of PEDs in the majority of the runners from the race. Gordon's main goal is to display the evidence that is in the history books, while adding each runners point of view, but he chooses not to add his own.

Gordon's film does not touch on any dramatic aspects as all footage used is archival footage or in person interviews with doctors, scientists, and athletes. The only time Gordon chooses to have other types of film, is when he uses recreations of lab testing of urine.

When filming each interview, Gordon used multiple cameras to capture each subject from multiple points of view. Then, when editing them together, he wisely chose an appropriate angle for the mood of the quote. Gordon's camera men also use their fancy focus and unfocus skill to capture the emotion of the subject of an interview. Especially when the film reveals a major component of the scandal, the camera men very carefully capture the emotions.

Gordon's film does the subject very well, capturing the various points of view on the topic and the truth behind each runner's story. For any sports fan, I strongly suggest this film for an in depth look at the largest issue with sports today, PEDs. The race that should be well known to sports fans as the dirtiest race in history, is perfectly covered by Gordon to the enjoyment of the audience.

9.79* is rated 80 minutes long and is appropriate for all audiences. The film can be found on ESPN OnDemand and at select times on the ESPN stations. 

Yum

On Friday night I went to the restaurant Family Meal in Frederick, MD and was very pleased.

First, the restaurant was in a former car dealership, so the walls were huge windows like the show room and provided a very interesting atmosphere.

Second, the food was delicious. I have to say that the fried chicken was some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. The chicken had a wonderfully crunchy exterior, that was perfectly seasoned. While the interior remained succulent and came out perfectly cooked.

Growing up in a northern household, I am unaccustomed to wonderful homemade fried chicken. I can proudly say that I have only been to Pop-eyes and KFC a limited number of times so fried chicken is lovely to see on a menu.

Also, the French fries were fried in duck fat and were server with amazing dipping sauces. Despite the seemingly unhealthiness of this meal, my stomach cannot resist such beautifully prepared food.

It's not food you can eat every day but quite delicious it was.

Oh, December

My dream December is highlighted by snowy nights, crisp weather and freezing temperatures as it marks the beginning of the winter. Such weather brings snow days and with luck a frozen pond. Unfortunately, I've grown up in the wrong place for that. This weekend, for example, provided shorts weather and a rainy day. It's insane. December's bring the holiday spirit, and no one wishes for anything more than a snowy Christmas.

Since I was a child, my parents, who grew up in New England and Canada, spoke of going to the closest pond or park to play a little pick-up hockey. I've had tastes of such lovely things, the crisp air on your face, and your sharp blades cutting threw the crisp natural ice. There's nothing like it. In MD, winters can come with weather in the 50s. Not only no pond hockey but no sledding, days off, or snowmen. Don't get me wrong, I know we aren't going to have a white winter, with endless days off, but I pray for just a few days of winter weather.

As we move into the holiday season, it still feels like the end of fall. The stretch between Thanksgiving and winter break provides four five-day weeks. It would be such a delight, for one day off in the middle, provided by the weather.

Maybe I should move up North. That may be the only solution. Or maybe a snowpocalypse will bless our area with its presence. Either way, I long for a true winter.

NHL, SMH

I've avoided discussing this topic for a long time, because it's a sensitive matter to me, the NHL lockout. The stubborn owners and players association have been negotiating for nearly six months and virtually no progress has been made. According to many sources, the two sides still sit far apart. This lockout has done a burden on the players, and more importantly the fans. The players have been forced to move over seas to play the sport they love and abandon their North American teams. One of the greatest players in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin, went so far as to say he may consider never coming back if this season is cancelled. So far the season has been cancelled through December. Some of the greatest parts of the season will be missed including the well known Winter Classic on New Years' Day. Also, the HBO series based on the Winter Classic called 24/7. Most of all, this lock out is killing the fans. There is no hockey on television for the fans. No games to attend. Hockey fans have lost the great sport. The filthy rich men that own NHL teams and run the league have caused the second lockout in 10 years. But it doesn't even affect them. All that matters is the money to them, not the sport. The NBA missed nearly half their season last year, but was smart enough to realize that the lock out benefited no one and quickly fixed their mistake. The NHL needs to come to their senses quickly before losing fans and players to other leagues. The one thing the NHL has going for them is that they control the future of the sport many people love. Hopefully the NHL realizes what they're doing and quickly fixes all they've done wrong.

Blazers on Ice!

To the surprise of many, Montgomery Blair High School does in fact have an ice hockey team. Although it is not an official winter sport of the school, the team does exist. It exists like crew and frisbee, as club sports. The ice hockey team combines with Northwood High School and Albert Einstein High School in order to have a sufficient number of players. The Blair ice hockey team is led by some of CAP's finest, Assistant Captain Max K and Captain Sebastian R. Friday marked the kickoff of the season. On Friday night the Blair hockey team took on the DC Stars at the Rockville Ice Arena. Although the game was lost by the Blazers, it was close and came down to the wire. High school hockey is one of the greatest things. It combines the intense fun game of hockey to the passionate dedication to supporting your school. Friday's attendance numbers were down due to the late start time but in the future, Blair hockey games will serve to be the hot spot on Friday nights.

Come out to support the Blair ice hockey team on Friday nights at various ice rinks around the area!

Friday's game was captured by the steady hand of photographer Peter B.

Color of the Leaves

In my video above I intended to capture the beauty of the foliage around me in my daily routine. My favorite part of the fall is the changing of the leaves and the pretty colors. For this project I used my phone and the iMovie app. This covers the prettiest part of my day, the journey home from school. As I take the bus and walk the trees around me cease to amaze. Also walking my puppy when I get home and the drive to hockey practice along Sligo creek and scenic Wheaton Regional Park.

Niagara Falls

Over the weekend I visited Niagara Falls with my hockey team to compete in a tournament. We ended up having lots of time away form the rink that we spent at the falls on both sides of the border. On one of the days we visited the US Falls and viewed them from the observation deck. The next night we crossed the border into Canada to get a better view of the Canadian Falls and both of them at the same time. This presented me with a great time to take pictures from the bridge and both sides of the border to capture the beauty in the falls. Using my phone, this gave me an opportunity to use the panorama feature and capture even more of the falls at once. Unfortunately, for me the falls got a little boring cause after a while it is just water crashing over some rocks. But what a site it was at first. 

The Falls from the Bridge

The Falls from Canada

The Canadian Falls

The American Falls

Both Falls from Canada

Nature

As we relax at home surrounded by mother natures art I am forced to reflect on the beauty of the outside world. The elegance of the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof is so soothing and relaxing. Watching the rain fall and collect on the ground and rush down the road. As it collects in the creek turning it into a shift moving river. The water rushes down crashing over the rocks. The leaves turning colors as falling from the trees provides perfect scenery for walking a puppy. Together we can enjoy the weather and days off.
Mother Nature provides us with outstanding variables. The wind rustles the leaves off the trees and pushes us around. It cools us off on warm days and makes us search for protection when it's chilly. Occasionally we are blessed with snow and a day of fun outside, home from school. It's rare that the rain cancels school. It's slightly unfortunate too. There's no playing in the rain. And the large possibility of the power going out would result in very little to enjoy at home in our modern age. But it is what it is. The hype and excitement surrounding a storm is so enjoyable. Preparing in advance for what you know is destined to come. Watching the Doppler radar seeing how bad it may get. Praying you don't lose power and that school will be cancelled for one more day. Mother Nature is beautiful.

Permit!

I turned 15 years and 9 months old about a month ago. To a teenager living in MD this age is an extremely important three quarter birthday, marking eligibility to report to the MVA and receive a learner's permit. I did so one week after my memorable age landmark. In the three weeks since receiving my permit I have done quite a bit of driving, including a four hour trip on US Interstate roads.

I have already come to numerous conclusions about driving that are much different then what I have perceived from riding in the passengers seat for so many years.

1. It's not easy. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I did not believe it was going to be this difficult. My family only owns a stick shift so the addition of another variable does not help but being able to develop a familiarity with the huge piece of machinery in order to drive successfully is no cake walk.


2. Stop-and-go traffic is aggravating. As a passenger of course it sucks too, but inching by a speed limit sign reading 65 going a whopping 10 miles per hour is extremely frustrating.


3. Other drivers are not friendly. The people you share the road with often couldn't care less about you. They have no problem riding right on your tail or purposefully not allowing you to merge in front of them. The only thing on their mind is them and where they have to go.


4. The blind spot is real. When a car finds itself precisely in the spot where neither your eye or mirrors can detect it, that car is invisible. Merging while going 70 MPH is already difficult enough but when you are caught of guard your whole body jumps. Not fun. 


5. Going backwards is twice as hard. When you drive forward you only concern yourself with what lays ahead. When the car is in reverse though, you have to turn around while remaining aware of the front of the car and obstacles that may lay in the way while maneuvering.


6. Going steady isn't easy. When driving at high speeds the smallest movement can cause larger actions by the car. Also keeping a steady foot on the petal isn't easy. Unless cruise control is on, there are no breaks from anything. 


7. Going fast is fun! Enough said.

Archival Footage

For our groups dystopian movie, we are simulating full world destruction in a nuclear war. This archival footage of a nuclear explosion will be used to simulate to ending of the war at the beginning of the trailer. This clip demonstrates the destruction that we wish to have our audience believe has occurred prior to the setting of our film.




Our group also plans to use a few shots of chaos in major cities to show how the world is coming to an end due to this nuclear war. We will use shots of people running and screaming and more explosion shots to set the scene for what occurs next.

5x5 with "DB" Fair

The Best of "DB" Fair



Clips -
1. "DB" Fair eating two McDoubles smashed together with two McChickens
2. "DB" Fair playing one of his favorite games in the yard
3. "DB" Fair running through a fountain to collect lost coins
4. "DB" Fair losing an intense table tennis match
5. "DB" Fair preforming a dance routine on the Wii

I filmed my 5x5 project and editing the whole thing on my iPhone using the camera and iMovie app. I am extremely pleased with my final project. I believe it captures "DB" in a unique, comical way.

For our next video challenge we should all have to create a scene that branches off from another persons, creating one very long project. Or we should be required to tell a full story only using a set number of words.

Movie Trailer - A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange. Stanley Kubrick. R. 1971
In futuristic Britain, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) is found guilty of murder and rape. While in prison Alex is chosen for a experiment called the Ludovico Technique, which will allow for an earlier release after completion. Alex is later released from prison but all the effects of the experiments have not worn off and he undergoes a long recovery.



The movie trailer for A Clockwork Orange is exemplary of a quality movie trailer because the director fully develops a premise and dystopian protagonist through clips and quotes, directly from the film. The premise is developed by showing the murder and rape committed by the protagonist, Alex. This is then enhanced when they use a quote from one of the characters, "there's no law and order anymore." The dystopian society is then shown by the clips of Alex being chosen for experimentation and footage of the actual experiment. Violence in the society is frequently shown throughout the trailer. The protagonist is established as the viewer follows Alex's crimes, time in prison, and experiments throughout the trailer. The director does not fully establish that Alex will be seeking change in his society but clearly establishes him as the protagonist and the society as a dystopia.
When creating my own trailer, I will be sure to clearly demonstrate through film, why the society is a dystopia, and even add a quote or two, from the film to ensure the viewers understanding. I noticed the quick clips, that get right to the point, effectively convey what the director intends even when using a lengthy quote, other clips can be shown over the sound. Also, I will follow the protagonist throughout the trailer, so that the viewer can understand that this character is the main one, who will eventually be responsible for sparking change in the dystopia.

Web Learning

I recently read World Without Walls: Learning With Others by Will Richardson and annotated it.

The article can be found here.

In his article, Richardson covers how the world of learning is changing drastically. He recognizes the changes occurring to how students wish to learn and behave outside of the classroom. Unlike how I would expect him to react, Richardson is a full supporter of the movement, and even finds trying to ignore it "unacceptable for our kids". I would believe older generations to be against this new movement of technological learning. But Richardson realizes the extreme benefits to the new style although it discourages face to face interactions.

Richardson says, "we as educators need to reconsider our roles in students' lives, to think of ourselves as connectors first and content experts second." This is extremely important part of the topic of new styles of learning. In order for this new style to be effective, classroom teachers must recognize their new role. If teachers refuse to do so then the learning process can become very untidy and confusing for students.

We can use this strategy. Instead of using class time to learn editing techniques or filming techniques, students can use the world wide web to do so by utilizing the tools of the virtual world and then class time can be focused on projects.

I like the idea of spending more time on projects in class rather than learning about how to do the projects. The internet is full of experienced editors, camera men, actors, and writers, that if taken advantage of correctly, can assist us to reach new heights in our learning.

Cinema Review

Anthony Lane, a writer for The New Yorker, published "Batman's Bane," a review of the newest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.

Lane's review, annotated by myself, can be found here.

Lane's review focuses very little on the cinematic and dramatic aspects of the film. Lane takes this opportunity to criticize director, Christopher Nolan. Lane criticizes the tactics and work of Nolan and expresses his ideas that Nolan did a very poor job with Batman. Lane rarely analyzes the plot, characters, conflict, setting, theme, point of view, mood, or symbolism in the movie. Acting, sets, costumes, and make-up are mentioned very little except for a few lines about the acting of Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway. Lane chooses not to touch on any cinematic aspects of the film except for Nolan's choice of music, which he sarcastically voices his opinion on. Lane is very critical of the film and follows a very vague outline. He begins to describe a part of the plot but then stops to express his opinion and take shots at Nolan.

For our reviews we should be required to touch on literary aspects, dramatic aspects, cinematic aspects, and voice our own opinion of the film. We should not base our reviews heavily on one or two of these components. We should be able to write in any structure we choose as long as we include all four components. I would prefer to have large amounts of freedom when completing this quarterly assignment to make this project more enjoyable. Being able to complete this assignment on any film would make easier to complete and much more fun.

Number One

Hello world,

This shall be my first of many blog posts. My name is Sebastian. I am participating in a video class for the fourth time in five years. I enjoy being a camera man and editing much more than being on camera. Editing is my favorite part. In eighth grade at Takoma Park Middle School, I created a autobiography video on my own. I enjoyed this process greatly. Unfortunately, due to a computer crash, I no longer have a copy. I enjoyed this project because it was mainly editing, not filming. For the most part, I used still photos and voice overs. Another project I was thrilled with was an eighth grade PSA I made with a group about returning your books on time. I was a director and editor in this production. It was an extremely fun project because of the freedom we were allowed to have and the group I was able to work with.

I believe the use of blogs for school work will be extremely useful. We can use the blogs to make group projects much easier. This makes showing what you've been working on much easier. Also, the blogs can be utilized to share useful sources when we start learning new topics. Students can share things they've found that have helped them understand what we are learning. Corroborating is much easier with these blogs, as it provides a way to group things together. We can use our blogs to post about our progress on our change projects too. Groups can share what they've been working on and possibly get ideas from other groups.

The image I have uploaded represents me because I eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. My world basically revolves around it, occasionally a little too much, leaving less time for other activities.

Image credit: World Pond Hockey Championship