Representation

 Media: Avatar the Last Airbender

Avatar the Last Airbender is an animated tv series that came out in 2005. Although it is an American cartoon, the show is heavily inspired by Japanese anime. Because of this, majority of the characters in the show are of Asian ethnicity. The show has a variety of different Asian cultures. Although the show takes place in a different world, the countries represent different cultures. 

For example, the Fire Nation is heavily inspired by Japanese culture. One thing that shows this is the presence of dragons within their culture. The Fire Nation is also clearly based off of Imperial Japan. However, even though the Fire Nation is the antagonist in the tv show, the show still humanizes the people of the country. There are a couple episodes where the main protagonists are under cover in the Fire Nation. During their time spent there, they learn about the nation's rich culture, and how most of the people there are not bad people. It teaches that the citizens of a country may not agree with their country's actions, and that they are separate from their leaders.

The show Avatar has a several disabled characters in the show. One of the main characters in the show, Toph, is blind. When the main protagonists first find her, they learn how her parents don't let her Earthbend because she is blind, and they believe that she isn't capable of taking care of herself. This shows something that most disabled people have to go through. Many disabled people have to deal with people thinking less of them because of their disabilities. There is another character in the show who is also disabled, Teo. Teo is wheelchair-bound, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying life. His father, an inventor, made him a special wheelchair that allowed him to move faster. His father also made him a wheelchair attachment with wings that allowed him to fly. Teo never really talks about himself needing to use a wheelchair, because he still is able to live a full life. 

The show also mentions the issue of sexism in society. In the very first scene of the pilot episode, Katara is angered at her brother for saying that men should be the ones that hunt, and women should stay at home taking care of families. The show has many of these moments in the show where they mention societal issues like this.

Avatar the Last Airbender manages to represent many different cultures and societal issues, despite being in an entirely fictional world. The ability to do this so well in a show targeted towards kids, in a show focused on saving the world and lots of action, makes it a truly great series, in both representation and just a great show in general.

Genre Research Activity - Drama

Drama Films: The Art of Emotion

Dramas typically tend to have a story that is more grounded in the real world. This allows the viewer to connect more with the characters and have an understanding of the world it takes place in. The drama films generally have conflict, as most films do, but they are often focused on the character development of the characters and how they evolve throughout the story. The main character/characters almost always finish the story a different person than who they started out as. Dramas also often spread awareness of certain issues, from widespread social issues to problems many people experience. Some dramas even cover real events, for example Titanic. However, they often stray from what actually happened to create an immersive experience. 

Dramas tend to use shots that add intensity to what is being shown, for example, close up shots, which can be used to show the emotions a character is going through. Dramas also have complex scripts, with many different layers to the storyline. If you completely unable to predict what happens in a story, you know it was well made. 

Dramas are not based off of necessarily intense stories to make them intense, like action movies. Instead, they often are intense due to what the characters are feeling, and their personal and emotional stakes, not physical.

A great example of a drama film is the move Whiplash (2014). Directed by Damien Chazelle, it tells a story of an inspiring drum student and his abusive band instructor. The movie is based off of experiences that the director himself went through when he was in band.  His main message is about the pursuit of greatness and its cost. However, the movie also shows what the effects of emotional abuse can be, spreading awareness of that issue. There are really only two main characters in the entire movie, and the storyline itself seems fairly simple. However, with the use of masterful dialogue, genius camera angles, and twist and turns in the plot, Whiplash ends up being one of the most intense movies I've ever seen. 

Another example of a drama film is the Quinten Tarantino movie Inglourious Basterds (2009). This movie takes place during WWII, an event everyone knows about. However, the plot itself is completely fictional: A group of Jewish soldiers who get revenge on the Nazis in WWII. The plot is far from real, but the setting of WWII helps the viewer understand the context. Inglourious Basterds doesn't rely on a fast pace to keep the viewer intrigued. There are many singular scenes that last well over 20 minutes. To add intensity, the movie uses intense dialogue and situations that keep the viewer wondering what will happen next. The best part about the movie is that the viewer isn't sure if the movie takes place in our world until the very last scene. We know how WWII ends, but will the same thing happen in the movie?

Here are some more great examples of drama movies:

1. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Quentin Tarantino: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/

2. Almost Famous (2000) - Cameron Crowe: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181875/

3. Shutter Island (2010) - Martin Scorsese: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130884/

4. Baby Driver (2017) - Edgar Wright: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3890160/

5. The Breakfast Club (1985) - John Hughes: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088847/

Sound Project

 In our project, you can hear a taxi pull up and drop off a passenger in the city. The woman walks to a line of people, where she gets her id checked by a bouncer. She then walks into a nightclub. However, soon after, the police come crashing in, causing the party to stop.

Outline: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jKZpOPFQ-ZBdE0-LFDWBvnNdY5uzllKK/view?usp=sharing

We started out by trying to think of a situation that was both interesting and easy to convey through just sounds. We thought both taking a taxi in the city and going to the nightclub would be interesting to portray, so we combined those two ideas. We then thought the police coming in at the end would be a shocking and unexpected way to end it. We thought having just silence in the very end after all the loud noise would add an interesting juxtaposition to the project.

We started out by figuring out which sounds we should record folly for. We decided the footsteps of the heels should be done with Foley as it would allow us to control the pacing of the entire soundscape. It also allowed us to record the same heels on different surfaces. We also decided to record the velvet rope clip and the wallet with cash with Foley as we wanted to get a very specific sound. When editing the project, we started with the base sounds of the soundscape. This included just the sound of the car and the city background. Then we added the sounds of actions, such as the high heels walking, the audio for the dialogue, the wallet unzipping, the velvet rope at the bouncer, and the police bursting in. After that, we added details such as people walking by and chattering, glasses clinking and being filled, cheering at the party, and glass breaking when the police show up. Finally, the music in the club scene was added after the quieter sounds were already mixed.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16VZElXfU_yySCSNiq1XCaotLgcY05a7W?usp=share_link

Final Project: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gJTMI5EY4SHah7Tr8D3wsv7pAMRCFI4G/view?usp=sharing

Preliminary Project: The Camera Shots Quiz

 For the camera shots quiz, our assignment was to tell a story by taking 15 different shots to show our knowledge of different kinds of shots and camera angles. The twist was that we would have to tell a story using only inanimate objects.

My partner and I had decided to tell the story of a pencil. We started at the pencils "birth", which was the pencil being taken out of the box, newly sharpened. We would then show different events in the pencil's life, including the tip being broken and newly sharpened. The last scene would show the pencil, much much smaller, being thrown away, a new pencil taking its place. 

I think we did a pretty good job telling the intended story. However, I think we should have had a greater variety of shots. I also believe we should have tried to frame the shots better so they looked more like the shots they were meant to be. For example, it was hard to distinguish between a close shot and a medium shot of the pencil.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VuDiPcn56M8ckMcQfhWESORy5Nsmyk_b/view?usp=drive_link

 Hi, my name is Zach, and I'm an AICE Media student for the 2023-24 school year. I am fascinated with movies and film, and I hope to one day pursue that as my career. I hope you enjoy the process of my Cambridge Portfolio!