Sunday, December 13, 2015
Media now.
When you work in the media you have to gather information and facts to be distributed and broadcasted to the audience. This is the sole purpose and goal of media. Media personalities, personnel and journalists are tasked to inquire details and information about current issues and happenings that the public should know. Their duty is to broadcast information/news to the public through mediums like print, television and radio. That’s the whole idea of being part of the media, the main objective of media people.
Nowadays, media personalities or journalists influence the public when broadcasting information or news with their added opinions and judgment. These opinions and judgments are mixed with emotions and manipulation, on purpose or not, that exploits or twists the public to agree on what they have to say. True or not, coincidence or not, media personalities and journalists have to maintain integrity when doing one’s work. The public is subjected to conclude such actions from the media, which results to different reactions and response. Media personalities and journalists are tasked to provide concrete information, and this only. They don’t have to pitch in their opinions or direct the public into to conclusions. I think that’s one of the main dilemmas of the media now, media people are given so much privilege and recognition that drives them to thinking that their insights are very much needed. It’s becoming a norm in networks and should be stopped.
With this practice, the public is manipulated to what the mediums want them believe. And that is completely wrong. Every individual has the right to all information they could have. And with information incorporated with media’s opinions, it would dismiss the essence of broadcasting.
Individuals have their own opinion on all issues. May they be exposed on media or not, we all have our stand. Media has no control to what the crowd has to say. Print, television and radio have no control to the opinions of its viewers. But if news and information are filtered or reinforced, this will affect the public’s opinion. The public has no control in this because these are hidden agendas of media, for their own sake.
But for me, the public has the last say on what these mediums broadcast. They’re the ones to judge whether it’s good or bad information, if false or true. The public should just be aware and knowledgeable that media has its own world and has their own definition. They may be serving us but we have to realize that there are rules and regulations within their networks that we have no knowledge of.
But we have to keep in mind that without an audience, the media wouldn’t be put to use. Without the public, the media wouldn’t exist.
We all should just know what roles and responsibilities we have for the society, work with integrity. That way, all things would be fair.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Book: Looking for Alaska
"Looking for Alaska" was the first book I've read written by John Green. I heard good reviews about the book online and from some friends. The book won the 2006 Printz Award as his debut novel. I read it during the summer of 2011. I chose Looking for Alaska because I recently read it again a few weeks ago and it’s actually the first book I’ve ever read again. It was totally worth it.
Looking for Alaska has a unique arrive on my taste on books. When I read the first few chapters of the book, I didn't really capture the whole idea of the story. I thought of the protagonist, Miles as a loser, who also admitted it himself. Miles has this unusual obsession on reading famous last words and author's biographies without reading any of their books. He set himself to an adventure by moving to Culver Creek Boarding School to seek the "Great Perhaps." It was his answer to their argument for leaving home. With the heat and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek, he met Alaska Young. The out of this world, gorgeous and adventurous Alaska.
His roommate, The Colonel introduced him to Alaska. Along the way, he met Takumi and together they spent most days. Spending time drinking, smoking, studying, hanging out and the highlight of it all, the pranks. Miles evolved wildly into a whole new person, caught in the snare of drugs, cigarettes and pranking the rich and authoritative students of the Creek. While looking for "Great Perhaps" he then became affected by these changes. Miles falls in love with Alaska deeply in his own definition. When they shared one kiss, she stopped and told him "to be continued."
After that one kiss they shared, Miles' life changed drastically. The Colonel and Pudge aka Miles tries to make sense of it all and seek for answers. And on this process, they find answers to questions they weren't even asking.
When Miles became Pudge, the smoking wine drinker, he felt the deepest, obscure love and sorrow towards what has happen to the "Great Perhaps" that he was looking for.
This book has taken me to a whole new level on the concept of love. It was amazing. And I know that “love” is not something that one person can talk about fluidly. I think anyone can and will understand love when the person has experienced it. Any reader may think of the story as mainstream but once you get into the character's life and view, it is beyond ordinary. Every detail told unveils a different story and that's what I loved most about the book. Each character just moves you. Love and grief moved me. Pudge made it seemed that love is something you don't have to wait for. Not like those books with stories, telling that love is something you strive and work hard for. This book showed the different kind. Love was something you just do. It's something that just comes naturally. And even if he was given love vaguely, he had it and he felt it. It was there. The book was dramatically passionate. The sorrow Pudge felt was for loss.
But in my point of view, it's a bit different. I believe that no one can be that broken that cannot be mend. In my view, I think the sorrow was for Alaska. The point was to find the way out of the labyrinth but she just found herself helpless, weak and cold in the end. That's brokenness for me. That's what people should work on.
Looking for Alaska has a unique arrive on my taste on books. When I read the first few chapters of the book, I didn't really capture the whole idea of the story. I thought of the protagonist, Miles as a loser, who also admitted it himself. Miles has this unusual obsession on reading famous last words and author's biographies without reading any of their books. He set himself to an adventure by moving to Culver Creek Boarding School to seek the "Great Perhaps." It was his answer to their argument for leaving home. With the heat and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek, he met Alaska Young. The out of this world, gorgeous and adventurous Alaska.
His roommate, The Colonel introduced him to Alaska. Along the way, he met Takumi and together they spent most days. Spending time drinking, smoking, studying, hanging out and the highlight of it all, the pranks. Miles evolved wildly into a whole new person, caught in the snare of drugs, cigarettes and pranking the rich and authoritative students of the Creek. While looking for "Great Perhaps" he then became affected by these changes. Miles falls in love with Alaska deeply in his own definition. When they shared one kiss, she stopped and told him "to be continued."
After that one kiss they shared, Miles' life changed drastically. The Colonel and Pudge aka Miles tries to make sense of it all and seek for answers. And on this process, they find answers to questions they weren't even asking.
When Miles became Pudge, the smoking wine drinker, he felt the deepest, obscure love and sorrow towards what has happen to the "Great Perhaps" that he was looking for.
This book has taken me to a whole new level on the concept of love. It was amazing. And I know that “love” is not something that one person can talk about fluidly. I think anyone can and will understand love when the person has experienced it. Any reader may think of the story as mainstream but once you get into the character's life and view, it is beyond ordinary. Every detail told unveils a different story and that's what I loved most about the book. Each character just moves you. Love and grief moved me. Pudge made it seemed that love is something you don't have to wait for. Not like those books with stories, telling that love is something you strive and work hard for. This book showed the different kind. Love was something you just do. It's something that just comes naturally. And even if he was given love vaguely, he had it and he felt it. It was there. The book was dramatically passionate. The sorrow Pudge felt was for loss.
But in my point of view, it's a bit different. I believe that no one can be that broken that cannot be mend. In my view, I think the sorrow was for Alaska. The point was to find the way out of the labyrinth but she just found herself helpless, weak and cold in the end. That's brokenness for me. That's what people should work on.
Film: Spellbound
As a communication arts student, I’ve had a glimpse of performing arts myself. I’ve a performing arts class for one semester during my sophomore year here in De la Salle University – Dasmarinas. I’ve experienced performing in front of a huge crowd for our final production in class. I can say that performing arts is something that can’t be eradicated. There are numerous amounts of people who values and support performing arts. Not just for us students who take communication arts or in the same field, but the ones who truly love performing arts. I can say that there are still people who do love performing arts.
Film may be booming at this age but performing arts is unavoidable. I’m also taking Media Production as my course track this semester, and my course track revolves mainly around the field of filmmaking. But I’m not saying that film has taken over the limelight of performing arts. My point is, that film and performing arts has their own audiences. They both have a different crowd.
I just don’t think that performing arts will lose its grip because of film. I don’t agree because I’ve had a chance to experience both even for a short amount of time. I just think that they both have different kinds of people who appreciate it, and clearly have their own way of appreciating it. Film supporters appreciate film by watching films available all over the place. While performing arts supporters appreciate performances by watching them in selected areas. Another thing that I can say is that all actors and actresses need to go through performing arts before anything else anyway. I guess performing arts is irremovable to the industry after all.
Spellbound is an exact example of this. It was a horror romantic comedy film. It is about a magician named Jo-goo, who falls in love with a woman named Yeo-ri, who apparently sees ghost and is being followed by one ghost from her past. Yeo-ri became an inspiration of all the magic performed by Jo-goo, and she eventually worked for their production. Yeo-ri is known to be an introvert in their workplace, she never socializes with anyone. She leaves alone in her apartment, with her family and friends separated from her.
But finally, Jo-goo invited Yeo-ri to go out to drink with their co-workers, and that’s when they started talking. Eventually, they fell in love with each other. As time goes by, they both discover that a ghost is following Yeo-ri from her past, her best friend who got killed in an accident. Her best friend was angry to Yeo-ri because during the accident, Yeo-ri was saved first by the rescue. She wanted to take revenge for having to die when they both had the chance to live. She hinders Yeo-ri from being happy by sabotaging all her happiness, even harming her loved ones.
For the rest of her life, Yeo-ri lived a quiet, isolated life because she didn’t want to harm others. But in the end of the film, she discovers that her best friend only wanted to get back what was hers, the necklace that Yeo-ri borrowed. After that, her best friend left Yeo-ri and Jo-goo alone with no danger and interruptions. They both were free to fall in love again.
I liked the movie. The camera works and technical jobs were amazing. I’m not even criticizing the film because the cinematography was excellent. I guess Korean filmmakers have that edge against other filmmakers. I just think that their cinematography works are very flawless and full of effort. They put so much work in to small details and scenes of the films that makes it even more appealing to its viewers. No wonder Korean films are thriving in the Philippines.
In regards with the plot or story of the film, it was very mainstream and basic to me. It’s just that films with plots like Spellbound are common and have become common to the eyes and ears in the film industry. Not even only in the Philippines, but all over the world.
I just think that the Korean film industry has their own edge in filmmaking for their efforts in filmmaking. If a film like Spellbound were to be produced here in the Philippines, it would clearly be not the same. I’m not saying that it would be bad; I just think that film viewers will see the significant difference of both films if it were produced in Philippines and Korea.
Film may be booming at this age but performing arts is unavoidable. I’m also taking Media Production as my course track this semester, and my course track revolves mainly around the field of filmmaking. But I’m not saying that film has taken over the limelight of performing arts. My point is, that film and performing arts has their own audiences. They both have a different crowd.
I just don’t think that performing arts will lose its grip because of film. I don’t agree because I’ve had a chance to experience both even for a short amount of time. I just think that they both have different kinds of people who appreciate it, and clearly have their own way of appreciating it. Film supporters appreciate film by watching films available all over the place. While performing arts supporters appreciate performances by watching them in selected areas. Another thing that I can say is that all actors and actresses need to go through performing arts before anything else anyway. I guess performing arts is irremovable to the industry after all.
Spellbound is an exact example of this. It was a horror romantic comedy film. It is about a magician named Jo-goo, who falls in love with a woman named Yeo-ri, who apparently sees ghost and is being followed by one ghost from her past. Yeo-ri became an inspiration of all the magic performed by Jo-goo, and she eventually worked for their production. Yeo-ri is known to be an introvert in their workplace, she never socializes with anyone. She leaves alone in her apartment, with her family and friends separated from her.
But finally, Jo-goo invited Yeo-ri to go out to drink with their co-workers, and that’s when they started talking. Eventually, they fell in love with each other. As time goes by, they both discover that a ghost is following Yeo-ri from her past, her best friend who got killed in an accident. Her best friend was angry to Yeo-ri because during the accident, Yeo-ri was saved first by the rescue. She wanted to take revenge for having to die when they both had the chance to live. She hinders Yeo-ri from being happy by sabotaging all her happiness, even harming her loved ones.
For the rest of her life, Yeo-ri lived a quiet, isolated life because she didn’t want to harm others. But in the end of the film, she discovers that her best friend only wanted to get back what was hers, the necklace that Yeo-ri borrowed. After that, her best friend left Yeo-ri and Jo-goo alone with no danger and interruptions. They both were free to fall in love again.
I liked the movie. The camera works and technical jobs were amazing. I’m not even criticizing the film because the cinematography was excellent. I guess Korean filmmakers have that edge against other filmmakers. I just think that their cinematography works are very flawless and full of effort. They put so much work in to small details and scenes of the films that makes it even more appealing to its viewers. No wonder Korean films are thriving in the Philippines.
In regards with the plot or story of the film, it was very mainstream and basic to me. It’s just that films with plots like Spellbound are common and have become common to the eyes and ears in the film industry. Not even only in the Philippines, but all over the world.
I just think that the Korean film industry has their own edge in filmmaking for their efforts in filmmaking. If a film like Spellbound were to be produced here in the Philippines, it would clearly be not the same. I’m not saying that it would be bad; I just think that film viewers will see the significant difference of both films if it were produced in Philippines and Korea.
Film: Shift
It was not a love story. That’s one sure thing that I can say to the film, Shift. I wasn’t. The film was about gender, love, culture and work. Though, the concept of love was present in the film, it was not the center of it. That’s in my opinion, at least.
The film revolved around the life of Estela (Yeng Constantino), who is an unconventional call center agent. Estela struggles for direction in her life with numerous talents, interests and ambitions. I think that’s the main dilemma of Estela in the film. The fact that she has all those talents and ambitions, but never having the guts to try them out. Throughout the film, Estela is portrayed as a free-spirited girl with a lot of potentials. But there was never an execution of any of it. She knew photography, she writes songs, she sings and many others but never focused on one skill that she has.
Then Estela meet Trevor. Their unusual friendship became something more personal than Estela could ever imagine. It was a mixture of being real and true to them.
Their odd friendship was conflict to the main message of the film. I guess their close friendship was misinterpreted by viewers, which made them think that the film was a love story. There was just too much chemistry between the two characters. And as we all know, typical Filipino viewers look for romance in every film they watch. But I know that the love formed between the two characters was not the message of the film. And I think that, that was one of the things that I noticed. The film gave so much emphasis on the ‘friendship’, that it was misinterpreted. There were too many scenes and sequences that showed their closeness to each other. And that’s why people who have watched the film would say that it was ‘bad’ love story, as what a typical Filipino viewers. Because we all know Filipinos want the “and they lived happily ever after” ending in every film.
“Shift” was about change and transformation. At first look, many would probably say that the film was about ‘shift’, like the term usually used by call center agents. The long hours of staying in one cubicle, talking to random callers for a conversation with answers prepared beforehand. But instead of change and transformation, instead of portraying what the word really mean, Estela finds herself in the same situation where she was before. No change and no transformation. The same as she was from the beginning of the film.
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