Monday, February 17, 2014

Moodle Assignment 6.1

The topic of my research paper is the effects of static stretching before exercise, however, I will be touching on some points referring to dynamic stretching and stretching after exercise. Based on my research thus far, there is no benefit of static stretching prior to exercise. In order to help get my point across, I will be utilizing different perspectives of the topic. For example, my interview with Professor Cukr will provide information from different perspectives on its own. She is a college professor in the field of exercise science but also has experience in various clinical practices. This is important to my research because she has the knowledge from her degree and also from her experience. I would also like to interview a physical therapist on the matter and am thinking about incorporating athletes and their coaches/trainers into my research. The combination of education and hands on, first person experiences will only strengthen my thesis.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Understanding Comics 5-9

In chapter 5 McCloud explains the idea of synaesthetics. He explains that the main goal is to unite the 5 senses and portray a certain feeling. The examples given on pages 118-120 best describe the idea of synaesthetics. For instance, the sight of short, sharp, jagged lines may cause the reader to get a sense of anxiety. This technique is used to help the readers gain a better understanding and become more engaged in the text.
In chapter 6 we learn about the importance of pictures and words. Pictures alone were becoming more representational and specific while words were being separated and becoming more abstract and elaborate. Pictures and words were slowly becoming enemies instead of sidekicks until Rodolphe Toepffer who brought the "family" back together.

In chapter 7 McCloud eplains that our species main goal is to reproduce and survive but that does not mean that our every thought at every second is focused on those two things. Art and other visual literature is incorporated into our lives for "greater survival." Page 164-165 gives a good example of this idea. The prehistoric man strives to reproduce then changes to survival when he is being chased by a predator. When he escapes the predator he sticks his tongue out and mocks him which is artful and in no way related to human instincts.




This picture is explaining the fact that survival is simply that without art. There is no reason to survive without visual literature or art in some form. 

The six steps of creativity may aid in the understanding of an artists brain. First comes an idea or purpose which simply means that the artist now has the content of his art in mind. The second step is form (how the artist will contain the content). The third step is idiom. Every piece of art belong to a genre or is a genre all on its own. The fourth step is structure, in other terms, how to compose the content. In the fifth step, craft, the artist is applying what he knows to get the job done. The final step, surface is referring to the "superficial exposure" of the work. In other terms, what the audience will first notice.

Color was timidly introduced into the world of comics by commerce and technology. Color only adds to the idea of synaesthetics, making the reader feel a certain way. Just as shapes and styles add to the emotion of a story, color does as well. There is a good example of how color affects the readers on page 187. The three men reading comics at a bus stop and the one reading the colored comic is more intrigued and immersed into the world of the comic.



every artist has their own opinion.    

Color gives the art a more 3D effect and come off to the reader as more realistic which draws them in toward the world of the comic, however, comics will never be completely replaced with color.

Comics are powerful because they are able to defy the inability that humans have to make others feel the same as they do. This is well explain on pages 194-195. To put it simply, comics have the power to make you understand. Comics have an incredible amount of potential because of everything that McCloud has previously talked about. Iconography, closure, style, simplicity, and the combination of words and pictures are what make comics powerful enough to achieve understanding. Since the beginning of comics, readers have been able to be more and more immersed in the stories because of the constantly increasing simplicity in the cartoons as seen on page 204. In terms of animation, through expressionism and synaesthetics the seed of the invisible is planted. This is where closure comes into play.
http://www.powerofcomics.com/

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Understanding Comics Chp 1-4

In chapter one McCloud states his opinion about comics being thought of in a narrow mindset. Will Eisner describes comics as "sequential art." The art of comics does not depend on quality or subject matter. McCloud also explains the difference between animated movies and comics. Both are sequential in time but only comics are "spatially juxtaposed" meaning that they are physically side-by-side.
As for the history of comics, society has been using comics since about 1519. Historians have even been able to read some of the old manuscripts discovered by Cortes. The manuscripts found tell the story of an ancient hero, 8-deer "Tiger's Claw." Ancient Egyptian scribes have also been found and interpreted. There is proof of the use of comics throughout all eras.
In chapter two, McCloud talks about the development of fictional characters and the idea that simplification equals amplification. Also, the more simple a character is, the broader the audience. More people can relate to the cartoon if it is not targeting a specific type of person. I was very intrigued by the idea that society sees a face in almost anything. For example, we see faces and even emotions in cars, outlets, cans, etc.
In chapter three the idea of "closure" is brought up. Closure explains how humans typically trust that a whole exists when only a part is present. For example, if you were to see a picture of a man from his waist up you would automatically assume that his legs still exist. While reading a comic you may notice the space between panels that has no apparent meaning to the story. This space is called "the gutter." The space within the gutter can portray different types of transitions which vary in the amount of reader imagination. The first type of transition is "Moment-to-Moment" and involves very little closure. The second is "Action-to-Action" which portrays the same subject in the same scene but performing a different action. The third transition is called "Subject-to-Subject and shows different subjects in the same time frame. For example, this transition could portray a conversation or a immediate cause and effect. The fourth transition is "Scene-to-Scene" which could portray several years later or different scenes at different times. The fifth, Aspect-to-Aspect" is much like a wandering eye. Showing things that are most likely in the scene but not within the frame. The final transition is "Non-Sequitur" and show no logical relation at all.
In chapter four we talk about the transitions of time and motion. To put it quite simply, by combining multiple Aspect-to-Aspect panels into one, the reader now understand that all of the actions are going on within the same time frame.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

research paper part 1

I, for the most part, have my heart set on approaching this paper as an Exercise Science major. I plan to follow the guidelines under option three and find trending topics in the world of Exercise Science, This is my ideal plan but if I can not find any major trending issues in the field I will broaden my approach and look for trends in all Health Science careers.
I plan to research these issues myself for a foundation and will build upon it, mainly, with an interview with my Weight Control, Nutrition, and Exercise professor. I have other people in the field to interview as well for additional information or if Professor Cukr is too busy. I will then continue to build on my paper with more research.
I feel that option three is best for me because it is related to my major and i am passionate about it. Also, I obtain the interpersonal skills that are necessary for successful research. Logical-mathematical and bodily-kinesthetic inteligence are my other strong point that would be assets to me in this paper.

Monday, January 13, 2014

pg. 107 #3 and 4

Yellow Shirt by The Icarus Account is one of my favorite songs and the lyrics mean a lot to me but the chorus is what initially caught my attention and I believe that was because the lyrics do an incredible job painting a picture in the audience's head. Just like a story or an essay, songs are better with descriptive words. I shaped the lyrics into a rain or teardrop (to be interpreted by the reader) because the lyrics speak of rain which sets a gloomy tone. This also could be interpreted as a teardrop because the girl that the lyrics are portraying is sad but does not realize how much her smile means to someone. I chose colors to put emphasis on a specific adjective or phrase. For example, "outshines" goes from a gloomy to a bright and shiney yellow. "sun is still ablaze is yellow, orange, and red to put emphasis on the blazing sun. I also utilized different style fonts to tell the story. "Gray" is a plain, traditional, boring Times New Roman. "shining star" is a fun, elegant font to portray the girl who is being described as the shining star.

The first thing that I notice when looking at Oakland's old logo is Pete. He is the largest part of the logo. He placed directly in the middle and brought forward from the "Friends of Pete" circle. Pete has strong, masculine features such as a big chine, defined jaw, and facial hair. His facial expression also help to portray Oakland and strong, fierce, determined individuals. His image makes the audience feel a sense of pride but definitely could do a better job of exciting the audience and really getting them passionate about what it is trying to portray. The intended audience consists of Oakland students, High School students and parents, and Oakland competitors. This logo is very basic compared to the current one and does not make the audience feel passionate about the school. Also, the "OU" is very small and pushed aside. This could be easily missed and the audience might not ever associate the logo with the school. The new logo is most definitely more effective compared to the old logo. It is updated, fierce, larger, and the audience can clearly understand that the logo is portraying the Oakland University Grizzlies.

Intoduction

My name is Carlie Craven, I am a Health Science major with a concentration in Exercise Science. In high school I was extremely involved. I am proud of my previous titles as Freshmen, Sophomore, and Junior Class Secretary, Senior Class President, member of the National Honor Society, and Varsity Volleyball Captain. During the Fall semester I decided to change my concentration from Pre-PT to Exercise Science for the sole reason of being more career ready with a Bachelor's Degree. It has always been a dream of mine to pursue a career as a Physical Therapist but I'm starting to realize how long it will take to achieve a Doctorate. Besides that, I'm loving college and the fact that I'm becoming independent and I can't wait to see what my life has in store for me!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Project 1 Revision Free Write

After reviewing my feedback from project one I have thought of a few things that I could add or improve on. First of all, in the beginning of my essay I had a small typo that should have been caught before I submitted the assignment. Also, the essay really could have been a lot stronger if I were to take more time to put emphasis on my mother's and mine relationship. I talked about it very briefly in various paragraphs but nothing that would have affect on my audience. In terms of detail, I also plan to talk a little bit more about my moms side of the story. As of right now, my essay is propaganda. The closest I get to telling her side of the story is talking about how I was trying to understand and relate to her. No matter how thorough my understanding was, it is not truly her side of the story. However there is one part of my essay that needs for description of my emotions. When I tell the story of my mom getting sick after her last cigarette, I fail to describe how that situation made me feel.
In terms of my podcast, however, I was to add more sound effects and music. At first I was against the background music but now I feel that it would only make the piece stronger.