Final

Easy access to technology can either bring more people to music or lower the quality. The advances that have been made to improve the creative process have also stretched it reaches. "Today we live in a world of nearly unlimited computing power and connectivity" (The Huffington Post; Technology and Music). The technology in existence today provides a way to share media and music globally. There is not limit to where the technology can reach. The new techniques have also opened a door for a new form of music. "Innovative music has always been inextricably linked to technology" (The Huffington Post; Technology and Music). As a new, technological form of music becomes popular it arguably drowns out the base idea of music and composing. The artist loses the connect with the instrument and therefore the music, making the quality diminish. Just because something is easy and fast, does not mean it is always the best tool. In Press Pause Play, Moby says "In five minutes, I can do what took six months" (Press Pause Play). Before new technology an artist would have to spend five months working on their music and from a connection with the song that would translate into the sound. That lost connection can impact the quality of the music shared with the world. Technology can be both an advantage or disadvantage to the music industry.


In order for one to heal, they must first face what haunts them. In the film Smoke Signals Victor is trying to cope with the lose of his distant father. His friend Thomas says "Do we forgive our fathers in our age, or in theirs? Or in their deaths, saying it to them or not saying it. If we forgive our fathers, what is left?" (Smoke Signals). All Victor has of his father is resentment for leaving but if he accepts the reality he can move forward and be at peace with his father. An article in the Huffington Post talks about the connection between acceptance and healing. "If you don't allow your body to attend to your feelings through its natural healing process, your body may force you to deal with it at a later point, whether you want to or not" (The Huffington Post; Accepting and Embracing Grief: A Road to Healing). It is natural to go though the struggles that accompany grief in order to grow stronger and better in the future. One can never be fixed, but healing is accomplished when their hardships are embraced. "In the acceptance phase, you learn to accept the loss and integrate it into your life. It's not so much that you are fine with the loss or tragedy. Instead, your mind, body and emotions are finally able to accept the events that have occurred, and you see it as something you can assimilate into your everyday life, thoughts and feelings" (The Huffington Post; Accepting and Embracing Grief: A Road to Healing). Though unpleasant situations, one shapes who they become and can find a possessive why to turn their life around. It is because one embraces their past struggles that they are able to heal and create a better life rather then push down the emotions and continuously destroy them inside.


Connecting to other cultures can be a positive outcome inside a dark healing process. In The book Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, Tayo is a Laguna Pueblo veteran trying to cope with PTS. "Caterpillar spreads out dry corn husks on the floor. He rubbed his hands together and tobacco fell into the corn husks" (Silko 167). The caterpillar in Laguna culture is viewed as evil and damaging to the crops but in Navajo culture it is seen as magic and helpful to the crops. Tayo uses aspects from both cultures to begin his healing process. Getting a different view on things can open ones eyes to a new way of life that is uniquely beneficial to them. In a article on the HereToHelp Website, it talks about connecting to many cultures. "We can participate in and belong to many cultures, though we usually identify mainly with one. When we look at culture this way, it becomes a very fluid entity, applicable to all people" (HereToHelp; Trauma, Resilience and the role of culture Identification in Healing). Culture is not set in stone, one can combine and distort culture to individually fit their life. Mixing culture gives one the opportunity to find what they really need and a way to look at life that can help them overcome anything. "Connecting people with other from their own cultural background and belief system is essential to promoting and maintaining resiliency (i.e., the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties). It's a way for people to share their strengths and acknowledge their challenges- to have a cultural relationship" (HereToHelp; Trauma, Resilience and the role of culture Identification in Healing). Connecting with outside cultures not only opens one up to new ways too think but also new people and their experiences. One can find strength in others and use that in their own internal battles. Combining many cultures into a single unique culture that fits a persons specific needs is the best way overcome the struggles in life and find the healing process that is truly going to work for them.



Life is full of duality. With every dark turn life makes, light can be found. In the film Seven Pounds, The main character Ben is at battle with these two sides. "The first time I ever saw a box jellyfish, I was twelve. Our father took us to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I never forgot what he said... That it was the most deadly creature on Earth. To me it was just beautiful thing I'd ever seen" (Seven Pounds). Even something with so much beauty can be so destructive. It is not one or the other, both sides live in balance. Ben falls in love with a Emily, a women in need of a heart transplant. She says "What if... may pager goes off... and it's a heart... and... it works? And my body doesn't reject it? And... what if I have time?" (Seven Pounds). In order for Emily to have the time she wants, Ben must sacrifice his heart to her. He has found happiness but their is a dark side to it as well. His happiness depends on Emily, and the only way to save her is to lose himself. helps many people on his journey, but every time he helps someone he is taking away from himself. "All I ask is for you to honor my wishes... and, of course, live life abundantly" (Seven Pounds). In order for them to live life abundantly like he wants, Ben must give up his life. In order to enjoy the light in life, one must take on the dark as well. The two aspects are always together and intertwined.


One must find a way to see the light when they are surrounded by darkness. In Tim McGraw's song If You're reading This, a soldier is wring a letter home to his family for if he doesn't make it back himself. The lyrics say "If you're reading thins, there is going to come a day. You move on and find someone else and that's okay. Just remember this, I'm in a better place. Soldiers live in peace, and angles sing amazing grace" (If You're reading This- Tim McGraw). Even in a time of sadness, the soldier finds the happiness that can come from it. The music video has a sad theme but moments of light and joy when the soldier thinks of the bright future still ahead for his loved ones. In another Tim McGraw song, Live like you were dyin', a man learns he is sick but chooses to embrace the life he has left instead for drawn in the darkness. " I went skydiving, I went rocky mountain climbing, I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu, And I loved deeper, And I spoke sweeter, And I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin', And he said, Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dyin" (Live like you were dyin'- Tim McGraw). One must live the life they have and make the most of it. Dwelling in the darkness is not actually living. The music video has the man looking back at his life as if it was an old movie, remembering the good times and not focusing on the bleak future. "He said, I was finally the husband that most the time I wasn't and I became a friend, a friend would like to have" (Live like you were dyin'- Tim McGraw). Sometimes it takes grave situations for one to truly start living their life on the light side. Even though the unfortunate times are hard and can easily consume ones life, one must push past them and find a way to enjoy the good in life.

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music video/images

The Guardian- Jack Fischer

Jack and the coats guard sign is in focus but the background is not. His uniform and the sign tell you about him and his career.  The bright light in the image represents happiness. Blue is the color that stands out.

The Lion King 

Bright lighting symbolic of hope and happiness. Lifting the lion up to the sky show his importance. The sky is blue and the rock is darker. 

Chef

The food truck stands out but the 2 characters are the main focus. Colors of the food truck are bright and catch your eye. Father and son, look alike with matching aprons. Image gives off a happy feeling. 

Keith Urban - Raise 'Em Up ft. Eric Church  

From the establishing scene to the end the color scheme is black and white. Even though the video is in black and white, there is still bright lighting that give it a happy feel. The videos plot consist of many kids and teen dancing and enjoying life. As part of the mise-en-scene, the American flag is in the background during some of the kids shots. This  describes how America raised up in hopes for a better life and that is what parents want for their kids.  Diegesis shows here were parents with kids showing them raising them up physically and metaphoric. The adults are trying to relate to the kid by acting like them. The rate when the adults are acting like kids is slow representing the time spent with their kids is valuable as well as the time they were growing up. The kids also dance in slow motion which creates the idea that the time when kids are growing is special and once in a life time. The focus is one the people the whole time where the background is blurred. Things in life get hazy but its the people in life that matter. 

Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying 

The black and white clip are flashbacks making the diegesis being he looking back on his life. The main color is white, representing heaven. The lighting is very bright and hes costume blends into the background like he's an angle. In the end of the video all the black and white shots come together and form a montage of his life. The angle of framing is always moving and rotating with the singer in focus. The black and white clips are framed as if they are on a screen and he is watching it like a movie. As he is singing the video fades and then transitions in correlation with the song. There isn't a band or any other person in the video, so it is completely focused on his life. He has a clear chair so it makes him look like he is floating relating back to him being an angle and the concept of the song with is living like you are dying and nothing is holding you down. The framing for the majority of the video had medium long shots so the view.got to see the white surroundings but focus on Tim McGraw. 

Craigslist Joe & The Emphatic Civilization

Joseph Garner does an experiment to test the empathy and willingness to help others people have. Technology can either amplify or discourage it. "As a country we're wealthy, diverse and technology sophisticated yet some say we lost the sense of community." (Craigslist Joe) With easy access to technology many think that society loses what brings people together. People can connect online and the idea of connecting in person becomes abnormal. Before his experience Joe says "it can be hard to relate to the struggles around me" (Craigslist Joe). Technology can transport one anywhere, but as a result one gets farther from where they actually are. People lose the sense of community and interaction among people in person. Afterwards Joe describes the experience as "Truly inspiring on humanity to know that we can take care of each other" (Craigslist Joe). When technology is out of the picture and people are forced to interact with each other, a different form of connection is made. They connect on an emotional level and therefore feel the need to help and support one another.

In The Emphatic Civilization Jeremy Rifkin talks about empathy and how it is shared among people. Jeremy says "empathy is what allows us to stretch our sensibility with another so we can cohere in larger social units" (The Emphatic Civilization). Empathy connects us to each other and brings people together with a sense of community. Technology has given people the opportunity to connect on a larger scale. "can we connect our empathy to a single race writ large in a single biosphere" (The Emphatic Civilization). Empathy is being stretched and reaching people one would have no chance of interaction with if not of technology. Jeremy says "we have the technology to think universally as a family" (The Emphatic Civilization).  Technology can connect people on a larger scale and give them the sense of community across the world. These sense of community promotes empathy and brings it worldwide as well. 

Media and Communication

The film Press Pause Play disuses the change in media over the years and how that has resulted in a larger range of possible artists. With new resources more people have access to the equipment need to create music. "With just me, my laptop, an idea and five million downloads." (David Weinberger). With very limited items now, one can create a piece of art and share it with the world. Today the technology gives this opportunity to everybody. "Everybody is an artist, in olden days people didn't make stuff" (Moby). Any person that wants to can easily make music. This was not the case in the past. The technology has improved, opening the door for new artists. "In five minutes, I can do what took six months" (Moby). The technology has not only connected more people to music but also in a shorter time. Artist can easily create music and put it out into the world. All of these advantages have come with the technology that has progressed over time.

Images and music have a way to connect emotion to a subject. In the film Existential Bummer with Jason Silva uses images to enhance what he is talking about. For example the old photos they use. These bring the viewer back in time and connects them throughout time to people and emotions. Without the images the viewer would only hear the worlds. The Images make them feel and connect to them. In the film The Most Astounding Fact, Neil DeGrasse Tyson uses music to add dramatic effect. Music amplifies an ordinary moment and makes it important. Music tells one how to feel. Depending to the beat and sound, one knows the feeling the artist was feeling and feels it themselves. In the film Press Pause Play Olafur Arnalds talks about how even without speaking the same language, two people can feel the same thing and be connected. "Technology can connect art to people with different language" (Olafur Arnalds). Music and photos are a form of technology that connect people. They don't need to speak the same language to be connected and feel the same things.

Smoke Signals

Thomas and Victor both grew up surrounded by stereotypes and separated from the world. As they start out their journey to leave the reservation they run into Velma and Lucy. Velma says " Yeah, your leaving the rez and goin' into a whole different country, cousin" (Smoke Signals). The reservation is keep so separated by the two different cultures. There are stereotypes on both sides that keep the disconnection from ever being able to come together. Natives have resorted to becoming stereotypes in order to be respected. Victor tells Thomas "you gotta look mean or people won't respect you. White people will run all over you if you don't look mean. You gotta look like a warrior! you gotta look like you just came back from killing a buffalo" (Smoke Signals). Even thought their tribe was never known for hunting buffalo, that is the main stereotypical idea about natives. In order to gain respect the boys must present themselves as warriors, and become the stereotype. People get set in their ways of thinking and let these stereotypes influence their views on all natives and therefor judge them before they even say anything and treat them inferior. When Thomas and victor are in the police office, Victor tells the man he has never had a drink of alcohol in his life and the police officer proceeds to question that and ask Victor "what kind of Indian are you". (Smoke Signals). The stereotypes have influenced the cops thinking of all natives and he judges Victor before he even knows his story and the truth about him drinking. These ways of thinking are set in our ways and therefore continue to up keep the separation.

In order for Victor to heal from his Dads death and leaving him earlier in life, he must first face it. Thomas always tried to get Victor to relies this. Since they were kids Thomas would always ask Victor why his dad left. He was trying to get Victor to see the real reason he left and that it was not because of of him but the fire he started. On their trip Thomas continued to tell stories about Victors dad no matter how many times he told him to stop. Thomas was trying to get Victor to think about his dad and face the truth of what had happened. If you keep denying tragic events you can never heal from them. Suzy Song also pushed Victor to face his fathers death. She encouraged him to go into his fathers trailer and look at the things he had left behind. She knew it would be help Victor heal to connect to his father and seeing his belongings would be a good way of doing that. Victor needed to really think about and absorb the pain in order to get past it and heal.

Ceremony part 6

As Tayo is healing from his PTS, his triggers are fading away. Tayo is seeing things in a new light. "The valley was green, from the yellow sandstone mesas in the northwest to the black lava hills to the south. But it was not the green color of the jungles, suffocating and strangling the Earth. The new growth covered the Earth lightly, each blade of grass, each leaf and stem with space between as if planted by a thin summer wind." (Leslie Marmon Silko 203).  The green that once made him think of the horror he endured during war had turned into life and growth. It is now a happy and uplifting connection. Tayo is able to relax and enjoy things that once sent his mind to the darkest places. "The terror of the dreaming he had once had done on this bed was gone, uprooted from his belly; and the women had filled the hollow spaces with new dreams" (Silko 204). Tayo used to lay in that bed and the sound of the old springs would take him back to the hospital or to a coffin, but now she has helped him replace though thoughts with new dreams and new memories that relate him to a bed. Tayo is noticing a change in the weather and it is no longer triggering his PTS. "Only the sky had changed, washed clear of the dust and haze which had swirled off the red clay flats the summer before. He could smell wild flowers growing in the weeds and grass beside the road, and he heard the big bumblebees and the smaller bees sucking the blossoms" (Silko 204). Tayo is seeing the growth and new life that is coming from the weather and not letting it take him back to the jungles of the Philippines. He is embracing the life around him and living connected to it.

Tayo has a new and positive outlook now that his PTS is less effective on his life. He is starting to see the brighter side of things. "He was overwhelmed by the love he felt for her; tears filled his eyes and the ache in his throat ran deep in his chest. He ran down the hill to the river, though the light rain until the pain faded like fog mist. He stood and watched the rainy dawn, and he knew he would find her again" (Silko 202). Instead of focusing on the rain and his old trigger he is optimistic for his future and finding the women again. He is embracing the Earth and letting that overwhelm him instead for is trauma from the past. Tayo is becoming more aware of the life around him. "He knelt over the arching tracks the snake left in the sand and filled the delicate imprints with yellow pollen. As far as he could see, in all directions, the world was alive. He could feel the motion pushing out of the damp Earth into the sunshine" (Silko 205). He notices the life within the Earth and it gives him a feeling of happiness and hope. He can relate to being trapped under something damp and hopeless and is now reaching for the sunshine. The women has been his connection to the Earth and she is bring out this new sense of security. "The sunlight moved up and down his back like hands, and he felt the muscles in his neck and belly relax; he lay down beside the pool, across from her, and closed his eyes" (Silko 206). The PTS and stories that lingered in his belly have subsides and he is now free to relax. Tayo  is embracing life instead of fearing it.