Reno Style: (Caucasian) Hip Hop Sub-Culture March 10, 2008

As you can see, they are trying to make the letters “BLC”. This stands for “Biggest Little City.”  I was attempting to show thier sub-culture through this picture since the “hip hop” group is known for abbreviating ideas, places, etc. and creating their own slang.

BLC:

I looked up “hip-hop” in Wikipedia and this is the definition it provided me with:

Hip hop is a subculture, which is said to have begun with the work of DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Afrika Bambaattaa.

The four main aspects, or “elements”, of hip hop culture are MCing (rapping), DJing, urban inspired art/tagging (graffiti), and b-boying (or breakdancing). The most known “extended” elements are beatboxing, hip hop fashion, hip hop slang.”

So, there you go, a little bit of background on the hip-hop sub-culture.

My friend, Trevor, is always listening to rap music, using rap slang in conversations, and attempting to beat box. Most people would associate “hip hop sub-culture” with people of African descent. Trevor does not have the slightest hint of relation to an African American. He is the person on the far right on the picture in the blue zip up sweater. As you can see, he is the “whitest” Caucasian in the photo!

So, in a sense, I am attempting to display the “new” sub-culture in Reno that I see much of myself becoming more and more popular. It is the one with Caucasian, “white” people seriously attempting to become apart of the sub-culture that African-Americans gave birth to in America, “hip-hop.”

Personal

My personal reaction to this photo is one that stimulates me. They are all jumping around in the picture suggesting they are playing around and having a good time. Their casual clothing suggests they are laidback and down to earth. The fact that one of the guys pants is down suggests they are wild and not typically “polite” or “proper.” Their open body language shows me they are confident and proud. Lastly, the fact that they are all wearing hoodies also shows me they (their sub-culture) have a common trend in their style.

Historical

As I stated earlier, according to Wikipedia the supposed “fathers” of the sub-culture of hip-hop are  DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Afrika Bambaattaa. Since I am not familiar with any of these names, I decided to educate myself about these “founders” so I could understand the historical background of their sub-culture.

This is a picture of D.J. Kool Herc. I learned he is a Jamaican Hip-Hop DJ who began brek-beat DJing.

This is a picture of the other founder, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, of the hip-hop sub-culture. I noticed that the photo also sends out an energizing vibe. They are all laughing and having a good time. It is similar to the photo I took in that way. Also, they are all wearing clothes that are casual, but yet each individual has their “twist” to the same outfit. This photo is surprisingly similar to the one I took! It seems as though the one I took is just an “updated” photo with Caucasian individuals.

I then looked up Afrika Bambaataa. I found out that he is a DJ  community leader from the South Bronx. He was infleuntial in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1970s.

Here is a photo of him:

As you can see, he is wearing a mix of a colorful scarf and black and white t-shirt. I like to think that Trevor’s colorful, blue sweater comes from Afrika’s colorful wardrobe. Also, the black and white hoodie Jeff, the second guy from the left, is wearing also originates from Afrika’s black and white t-shirt. I feel as though the black and white t-shirt trend has just been “upgraded” to the black and white hoodie trend in their sub-culture. Yes?

So there is some historical background that I found interesting. I hope you did too!

Technical

Looking at the picture, it is obvious that the main key light is coming from the right of the photo. It is obvious that the photo was taken indoors since you can see the walls and carpeting.  Jeff’s hand in the air acts as a graphic vector, however, loses its influence because there is so much going on in the picture. If I had just had the other guys doing nothing with their bodies it would have been a more successful graphic vector. The signifier would be the “BLC” the guys are making with their bodies. If the viewer knows about how the Hip Hop sub-culture is known to abbreviate ideas, places, etc. and create their own slang, they would be more likely to understand the signified. The signified is the use of slang and abbreviations in the sub-culture.

Ethical, Cultural, Critical

An ethical consideration of the photo would be the fact that one of the individuals has his pants down. He pretty much caught me by surprise on that one! I kept it, though, because I feel it potrays their surprising, outrageous nature. Obviously, a man wearing pants down to his ankle can be sexually suggestive. Therefore, this photo can pose many ethical questions. Do they degrade women? Are they homosexual? Do they respect their bodies? These are just a few questions that can arise from a viewer looking at this photo. 

The cultural meaning of this photo would be one of contradiction. For the most part, I think our society associates hoodies, rap, and beat boxing with the African American community. In this photo, however, not one of the individuals are African American. They do not even look slightly from that culture. Therefore, I feel as though the viewer may feel a kind of “critical reaction” to this photo. They may detect that something is “wrong” or “missing” in the picture. In reality, though, it is a new culture that is emerging. I see it to be very popular in the Reno community. Also, African Americans do not see them as mocking their community. On the contrary, I feel as though Caucasians’ interest in encouraging the African American “Hip Hop” sub-culture serves to make “peace” amongst the two sub-cultures (Caucasian Hip Hop and African American Hip Hop).

Question mark. March 6, 2008

In class we talked about “zeitgeist.” Our assignment this past week was to pick out a particular “zeiteist” that reminds us of our high school or early college years. As you can see, I chose the poster “Mean Girls” because it reminded me of what high school was like in the beginning for me. However, this was not the only image that came to mind. There were many others and much of which contradicted one another with what they suggest. As a result, I question if there really can be a “zeitgeist” for any particular time at all.

For example, images of September 11th come to mind when thinking about early high school as well . This image has a sad connotation to it, therefore, suggesting a sad “zeitgeist.” However, I don’t remember every single day of that year as being sad. Another zeitgeist for me would be an image of concerts or images that show “first love.”These images have happy connotations associated with them. Both the sad and the happy images would take me back to my high school years. So the question is: Can one image really sum up an entire time period? Also, can one “zeitgeist” be similiar to the entire nation, let alone world? I don’t think so.

 Lastly, one event can give people contrasting feelings. For example, when George Bush won the election, it was a sad time for Democrats and a happy time for Republicans.

All in all, I think the idea of a “zeitgeist” is extremely questionable. Personally, I don’t think one can really exist.

Zeitgeist March 5, 2008

1. Personal:

I chose the poster of the popular movie Mean Girls for my “zeitgeist” of high school. Growing up in Las Vegas at a private school, I was familiar with many “mean girls” similar to the characters in this movie. As much as I have come to love my school, it was not exactly the most fun growing up in it. The majority of students in my school came from incredibly rich parents. While I was driving my “blue baboon” 1992 Caprice Classic, my classmates were coming to class in BMWs and Escalades.

The girls in my class were very materialistic, vain, dramatic, and judgmental. I relate to the Lindsay Lohan in this picture. As you can see, she looks as though she is almost hesitating about her decision to wear the “rebel” shirt. I can relate because I can still remember the yearning to be accepted and how tempting it was to be amongst the “in crowd” in the beginning of high school. I remember the nature of “second-guessing” yourself and being insecure.

Another thing that I relate to in this is picture is that as much as it looked tempting to be “popular”, I eventually decided I was going to “rebel” by not caring. I dropped the cheerleading team and hung out with people who were labeled as “not cool” because they didn’t have “cool” things, etc.  I didn’t care, I thought they were cool!

Like I said, my gut reaction to this picture is remembering the feeling that I felt walking through the hallways my first year of high school.

2. I am not really sure what the historical analysis of this picture would be. I would appreciate any input!

3. Technical:

Technically speaking, this photo looks as though it was taken in a studio meaning the poses and wardrobe was premeditated.

• lighting and color

        In this cover, it is obvious that the lighting is high-key lighting. The lighting seems to be evenly distributed in the picture. I could not pinpoint the key light.

        The intensity of light is high.  The color of the background atmosphere is white. This white backdrop directs the viewer’s attention to the four, colorful subjects. 

• composition and framing

      In this picture, the three girls in the backgrouns is the main subject. Lindasy Lohan (the girl with “rebel” shirt) is the secondary subject that serves as a graphic vector. As you can see, her eyes are pointing toward the “mean girls.” Through this visual technique, she diverts the attention of the observers to the ”mean girls”.

        As for framing,  it is obvious that this element was thoroughly considered and applied. The picture is positioned around the subjects, the four girls. The photographer chose to put Lindsay Lohan to the left of the picture. He also chose to take a close-up picture of her. He chose to put the three girls in the back of her. I think this was done for a symbolic reason, but I could be wrong. See, I think the three, “mean” girls are positioned behind Lindsay puposefully to illustrate ”talking behind her back.” Not only does Linday’s eyes in the picture serve to be a grpahic vector to the three girls, but it also can serve a symbolic purpose of showing how she is “watching her back.” If the photographer had changed the positioning in any way, the meaning of the photo would have been altered as a consequence. 

Speaking in “signifier” and “signified” terms, one signifer could be the poses the girls strike in the background. The signified of the poses is confidence. Lindsay Lohan’s body language, on the other hand, is fidgety. This could be another signifier and the sidnified would be insecurity.

4. Ethical, Cultural, Critical:

The moral and ethical repsonsibility that the producer had is to “keep in check” with the girls’ wardrobe and what it could suggest. Obviously this is a picture of girls that are supposed to be in high school. Also, the main subject, Lindsay Lohan, was a huge “hero” or idol to the young, “tween” population at the time the movie premiered. Consequently, the producer had an ethical responsibility to control what kind of image he was sending out to girls that looked up to Lohan. The producer had to consider the kind of trends he was promoting upon the adolecent population.

In this picture, the skirts of the girls’ are short. However, they are not “too” short meaning they do not suggest anything sexual (in the Western culture anyway), but they do not suggest ”innocence” either.  Which brings me to the next perspective, cultural. In this photo, the girls depict girls in the Western culture. Therefore, the producer  had to consider the culture of teenage girls in America. The high heels and color coordinated clothes show girls’ value of fashion. The close-knit pose of the three girls in the background of the picture demonstrate girls’ “need” to be in a group. It shows their value of friends and acceptance from others at this particular time period in their lives.

The photo (and movie) mocks teenage, girl “culture.” The point of the movie is to awaken girls to their stupidity. Unfortunately, it also reflects America’s values.  

I question that… February 28, 2008

       Lester writes, “Images in magazine advertisements and in television commercials show women as sexual objects to attract the attention of potential customers to their product.” While this statement is “half-true”, I would not generalize all advertisements to be of that nature like he did. I think that was a pretty bold statement for Lester to say.

         While sex does in fact sell, it really all depends what the company is trying to sell and who their target audience is. For example, a company trying to sell lingerie would undoubtedly use this technique. They are trying to cater to men to buy for women and women to buy for their self-esteem. However, would it make sense for a company trying to sell a brand of clothing for little girls? How about Christian jewelry? No, it wouldn’t. In that sense, parents/adults are the consumers and they are buying for their children. They would not want their children to look “sexy”. They would support companies that take pride in innocence.

         In conclusion, I have found once again one more statement of Lester’s that is completely “questionable”.  

Part 2 Album/Movie Poster Art February 27, 2008

• 

         Last week, I chose to do the movie poster of the horror film, The Exorcist. Consequently, this week I am analyzing album art. 

         For this blog assignment, I chose the cover art of the popular punk-rock band, Anti-Flag. For those of you who are unfamliar with the band, the purpose of their music is to discourage fascism and extreme patriotism. On their official bandsite they write, “Well, that would’ve been great if these jerks [other punk-rock bands] practiced what they preached, but unfortunately, their idea of punk rock was VERY fascist! They took to sporting the American flag on their jackets, saying the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and (like the bunch of goons they were) beating the f*** out of each other and anyone who got in the way.”

        As you can see, I thought this piece of album art utilizes the elements involved in semiotics simply because it blatantly, visually communicates a message to consumers about the content and purpose of their music.

• lighting and color

        In this cover, it is obvious that the lighting is low-key lighting. I could be wrong, but I feel as though I have found yet another example of  Chiaroscuro lighting (extreme low-key lighting to create distinct areas of light and darkness). The combination of hues of black,  red, and white in this photo pose an intense contrast to one another.

       Since the scene of this pictures involves red, “blood-marked” sky, it is not the source of key light as one would normally assume it to be. Instead, the main source of lighting in this cover seems to be from that of the distinct illumination that radiates from the bright white (White) House and cross tombstones.

        The intensity of light is low with the exception of the two sources of light from the white house and white cross tombstones. I feel as though the vertical crosses that are lined up projecting from the building serve to be graphic vectors. Due to their attention-seeking status, I think they naturally direct more light upon the subject of the picture, the White House. The color of the background atmosphere is very dark.  The fact there is still a small amount of light emitting from the clouds suggests the scene is not occuring during times near midnight. However, since the sky is tainted with war, it is difficult to decipher exactly what time of the day the scene is taking place around.

         Lastly, the Chiaroscuro effect in this picture encourages alertness. The heavy contrast in lighting makes the scene extremely intense and dramatic. I think the artist was wise to apply such a technique in portraying a war scene such as this one.

• composition and framing

      In this picture, the White House is the main subject. The light radiating from the white cross tombstones (secondary key light) is a graphic vendor. It diverts the attention of the observers to the White House by illuminating its presence in the picture. 

        As for framing,  it is obvious that this element was thoroughly considered and applied. The picture is positioned around the subject, the White House, to direct the viewer’s attention to it. Instead of taking a picture of the vast neighborhood the house was surely surrounded by, the photographer concentrated the picture upon the layout of the building. He chose to put the White House in the center of the picture. He could have provided another aspect of the building if he had chose to position it differently. However, the meaning of the picture would have been altered as a consequence.  As a result, it is apparent that the framing of the White House is crucial in making the desired statement the band is putting forth the effort to make.

       Through the use of framing, the essence of the album cover/band’s statement was captured.

• meaning — what does it mean? How does it mean?

       I think this is a creative pice of album art. It immediately visually communicates what the band is about for those who are uninformed. It puts semiotics to great use!

        One signifier in this piece of art are the white cross tombstones in front of the backdrop of the White House.  White cross tombstones denote death. Since they are laid out in front of the White House, the signified then could be said to be “death due to service to the United States of America”.

           Another signifier is the White House. Since it is the main subject of the picture, it could be said that the signified would be (its) power.

          Yet another signifier in the picture are the planes in the air above the White House. The signified would be war for the country.

          Lastly, the color red is a signifier as well. In the context of this picture, it signifies bloodshed.

                The overall sign is that people are dying for the United States of America. Since the album was released during the initial stages of war in Iraq, it is suggesting that America’s war is for fascist reasons. It also indirectly suggesting polticians are abusing their power and they are the cause of the war and death of many servicemen.

         

Oh, Lester. February 19, 2008

     On page 83 of the text, Lester writes “Producers are anxious to have provocative quests as interviewees or panelists. Because of the visual impact of television, the medium emphasizes personality over substance in most cases”. I am going to have disagree with him on that one there.

          Viewers are more likely to take notice of names of guest stars rather than personality in my opinion. A person with the most vibrant, entertaining personality wouldn’t have a chance on getting tv if Oprah was competing for the slot.

          I disagree with Lester that producers are anxious to have provocative guests as interviewees or panelists in comparison to a person of substance. If that were true than the Jerry Springfield show would be much more successful than programs of substance such as Oprah.

      Another example I will present is the 2008 Presidential election. The canidates running for office are by no means “provocative”, however, they are of substance. There is no doubt in my mind that producers are interested in having them on their show right now rather than a B rated celebrity that is known for saying outrageous statements.

Album/Movie Poster Art February 19, 2008

 For this blog assignment, I chose the cover from the scary film, “The Exorcist”. For those of you who are unfamliar with the movie, it is about a young girl who is possessed with demons. A priest was sent for to perform an exorcism on her. As you can see, the cover demonstrates the plot of the movie perfectly.

• lighting and color

      Personally, I am so incredibly impressed how the single instrument of lighting could make a picture so dramatic. In this cover, it is obvious that the lighting is low-key lighting. In fact, I feel this photo is a perfect demonstration of Chiaroscuro lighting (extreme low-key lighting to create distinct areas of light and darkness).

       The lighting in this photograph consists of a directional key light coming from the upstairs window from the house. If I am not mistaken, there also seems to be another source of key light which is the light from the lamp in the street.  Also, due to the source of lighting and the night-time atmosphere, there are attached shadows such as the slanted one coming from the man’s figure.

        The intensity of light is low with the exception of the two sources of light from the window and street lamp. The light from the window fulfills the role of illuminating the man, therefore, directing light upon the man. The color of the background atmosphere is a very dark suggesting that the photo is taking place in the late evening.  The Chiaroscuro effect in this picture also communicates an eerie mood.

• composition and framing

      In this picture, the profile of man is the main subject. The light from the upstairs window (the key light) is a graphic vendor. It diverts the attention of the observers to the man by illuminating his presence in the picture. It serves as a secondary subject that in turn serves as another graphic vendor to the profile of the man.

        As for framing,  it is obvious that this element was thoroughly considered and applied. The picture is positioned around the subject, the man, to direct the viewer’s attention to him. Instead of taking a picture of the vast neighborhood the house was surely surrounded by, the photographer concentrated the picture on a particular gateway to a particular home. In doing this, the photographer captured the main subject, the man, instead of capturing images that could have served to distract the viewer of the photo.

       Through the use of framing, the essence of the film was captured.

• meaning — what does it mean? How does it mean?

       I think this an amazing piece of film art. It visually communicates what the movie is about for those who are uninformed. It puts semiotics to great use!

        The signifier in this piece of art is the flood of light coming from the window. According to the picture, it is an unusual amount of light beaming down into the night shining upon a visiting man. Therefore, because of the context in which the light is being used, it is a material thing that signifies something “out of this world”. In other words, it signifies an extraordinary subject.

        The man amongst the night time atmoshere can be said to be the signified. His small profile in contrast to the huge home and the contrast of the night time lighting with that of the flood of light coming from the window demonstrates a man exploring the unknown. This element conveys an eerie, scary mood.

          The sign is that The Exorcist is a scary movie. For example, if potential movie-goers were to see this photo, they would immediately be able to tell the genre of the video. They would know it was a scary, horror film (the concept) just by the night time atmophere. Consequentially, it is the sign.

       Please feel free to comment!

“That’s Questionable #2″ February 11, 2008

       On page 37 of the textbook, Lester states that “…Color- more than any other visual attribute- has the capacity to affect the emotions of the viewer, a message may be forever remembered or forever lost.” There are a few things I disagree with in this statement.

        First of all, I disagree that color is the supreme visual attribute that is capable of arousing emotions in a viewer. When I see a gun, it doesn’t matter if it is yellow, black, white, red, or orange. It is the object itself that arouses emotions within me. Same idea goes for something as a flower. It doesn’t matter if it yellow, white, or red- it is still a flower, an object, that arouses emotions within me. Therefore, I disagree that color is the main element that ignites emotion. Instead, I feel that image itself (unique with all its external properties) is what strikes emotion. It is what feelings we are raised to associate with images that spurs upon emotion.

       Secondly, if color were responsible for the presence of emotion, then how did black and white films become popular? How were people capable of being entertained if not for the accomplishment of getting a desired emotion from the audience?

         Lastly, has Lester ever heard of a short term memory? In this statement he makes it sound as though memories are either permanent or forgotten suggesting there is no in between. He also suggests that color is the main determinant of what is remembered or forgotten. I disagree, I could easily forget a red sweater I saw in a store and forever remember a tragic murder scene with red blood everywhere. Once again, I think it is the content of the scene and there is much more elements involved in the process of whether or not someone remembers or forgets something. It does not all boil down to the hue!

           Once again, I have successfully found a “that’s questionable” excerpt in the text!  

Photography in Politics February 10, 2008

  

           This photo came from the article entitled “Obama Defeats Clinton in 3-State Sweep” that was published in The New York Times February 9, 2008 by Kate Zernike and Katherine Q. Seelye.

           Compostion

            In this photograph, the profile of Obama is the main subject. The people in the background looking at him are graphic vendors. They divert the eyes of the observer of the photograph to Obama. I think the spotlight in the upper left hand of the picture (the key light) serves as a secondary subject that in turn serves as another graphic vendor to the profile of Obama.

            I think the photographer employed a “simple” approach to this photograph. He did what was suggested in the tutorial link you provided the class with in “getting closer to the object”.

           Framing

            It is apparent that the photographer implemented the use of framing when taking this photograph. He positioned his camera around the subject, Obama, to direct the viewer’s attention to him. Instead of taking a picture of the vast amount of people that Obama was surely surrounded by, the photographer concentrated the picture on a select few of citizens around him. In doing this, the photographer captured the main subject, Obama, instead of the large auditorium of people which could have served to distract the viewer of the photo.

         Also, the framing definitely relates to the theme of the photo. On the edges of the photograph, people’s faces and bodies are half visible leaving the observer to infer the nature of the atmosphere in the photograph. By unentirely showing the chaotic scene, the observer can feel as those he/she is amongst the chaos instead of ”above” or objectively witnessing it from a distance. Consequentially, framing is essential in creating the mood of this photograph. 

           Use of Color

            I feel this is a low-key light scene with a heavy contrast of the subject, Obama, with the people surrounding him. I think this photo has a low-key effect because the scene is dominated by shadows and weak lighting. Even though there is a main source of light in the background, it is only directed to the center of the picture. The dark tones of people’s apparel are emphasized in the photograph and with the expception of the blonde male in the center of the photo, all the other people have fast fall off shadows.

            Also, the low-key light radiates a serious tone. The photographer could have used high-key light and if he had chosen to do this then a different mood would have been expressed.  

             In regards to the element of contrast, the “colorful” background containing a variety of hues serves to contrast directly with the black, back profile of Obama. As for brightness, it is low-key as I had mentioned earlier.

              If you would like to see/read the article that I found the picture in, you can click on this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/us/politics/09cnd-campaign.html

“That’s (Downright) Questionable!” February 6, 2008

      On page 5 of our textbook by Lester, I found a completely contradictory paragraph. I re-read it a few times and it still boggles my mind.

       He writes, “Through repetitive mental viewing and thinking about them [visual images] with thoughts in your mind over time, the images become permanent and your brain stores the visual memories.” He then goes on to say. “The content of the new and old images constantly bounces back and forth in your mind so that you learn from the images. Otherwise, you will forget them, as you do most words and pictures that stream across you as you journey through your life.”

      So, Lester, which one is it? Are they “permanent” or are they potentially “forgetful”? I always thought permanent meant PERMANENT meaning undestructible. Maybe I am totally misunderstanding his concept, but either way I disagree that images are permanently  stored in our brains. If that were true then I do not think my mind could store all the new information I am learning every day. Also, if he means that memories are permanent, then I would like him to explain Alzheimers to me then.

         All in all, I think this paragraph was completely confusing and downright questionable!