First Position Analysis/Review

The documentary First Position, directed by Bess Kargman, follows the stories of six ballet dancers as they make their way though the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) competition. Aran Bell, an 11-year-old living in Italy (his father is a military doctor), travels hours to his ballet classes. He is very passionate, and very talented for his age. He is very close friends with Gaya Yemini, an 11-year-old from Israel, even though they do not speak the same language and are constantly competing with each other. Michaela DePrince (14) was adopted from Sierra Leon after rebels killed her parents. She lives in Philadelphia, and hopes to overcome the stereotype that African-American dancers cannot make in the ballet world. Rebecca Houseknecht is a 17-year-old graduate from Arundel High School and attended the Maryland Youth Ballet (which, coincidentally, I attended for seven years, until the end of 7^th grade). Seeing Rebecca in a famous documentary, after seeing her on a regular basis at the studio a few years ago was really cool and made this film much more personal. After her participation in YAGP, Rebecca joined the Washington Ballet (which she has since left to study at Towson University). Miko Fogarty (12) lives in Palo Alto, CA and hopes one day to become a professional ballet dancer. Miko is incredibly strong and flexible, and has a lot of support from her mother. Her mother also makes her brother do ballet, but he does not share the passion or commitment to dance that Miko exhibits. Joan Sebastian Zamora is a 16-year-old from Colombia. He lives in Queens, New York, ands works to support his family that still lives in Colombia. Joan Sebastian receives a full scholarship from the Royal Ballet School in London for is outstanding performance in YAGP.

Bess Kargman does a very good job developing the backstories of each of the characters, and therefore creating an interesting plot for viewers to follow. The viewer has a better understanding of each character during the competition after learning about their lives in detail. The costumes are, of course, very nice ballet costumes, and the narration really adds to the movie’s effect. All of the films shots are very nice, and there are a variety of different shots. There are many extreme close-ups of the dancers’ feet on pointe. Instead of just having the one wide shot of the dancer from the audience, there are close-ups and medium close-ups during performances to grasp the viewer’s attention. It must have been very difficult to get these close-ups, and they are all of very high quality. There are no special effects, which is good in my opinion because I think that they would tae away from the documentary. They would reduce the viewers understanding that everything in the film is real, and that these people are living the lives described in the documentary. This documentary was well done and kept my interest, even though it is 90 minutes long. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 96%, and IMDB gave it a 7/10. 

The Teenage Brain

I have long wondered why teenagers make stupid decisions, which we later regret. Why do we not realize at the time that we will regret our actions, and choose then not to do whatever it is. I decided to do some research this week on the teenage brain's wiring (not quite as fun as cookies, but still interesting).

The ventral striatum, active during risk-taking tests, encourages behaviors that give us rewards. During adolescence, this part of the brain is stronger than the more logical, organized part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex. The ventral striatum encourages responses to rewards, forcing teenagers to explore the world and become self-sufficient. Some researchers believe that “the adolescent brain specifically evolved to respond to rewards so teens would leave behind the protection provided by their parents and start exploring their environment-a necessary step toward the independence they will need in adulthood”(Mascarelli, Amanda).

During adolescence, teenagers' brain regions begin to be able to work together more efficiently and precisely. The new speed of travelling information is caused by new insulation tissue that isolates axons (fibers that connect the brain to nerve cells) from interfering signals. Excess synapses (connections between axons and the brain) are discarded during teenage years. Scientists call this process “synaptic pruning.” This strengthens the synapses the brain consistently uses, but makes it more difficult to perform new, unfamiliar tasks like language learning. Learning foreign languages at a younger age is easier than starting a language in high school or college. Synaptic pruning eliminates some of the language leaning synapses that it believes to be unnecessary, in order to focus on the development of the native tongue. When we need to use these language-learning synapses again (in high school or college), they are fewer, and it is much more difficult for our brian to make the right connections quickly and efficiently. Synaptic pruning, axon insulation, and the strength of the ventral striatum enable the teenage brain to make decisions, even if they are not always logical, thought-out choices. Here is a short video about research of the teenage brain.

 

Chocolate-Espresso Crackle Cookies

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  • These are great holiday cookies. Chocolate cookies with a hint of coffee, these cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Instant coffee can be used instead of instant espresso. 
  • This recipe makes about 40 cookies.
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  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 2 teaspoon instant espresso

  • 2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

  • 1+1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (1+1/3 cups chips), melted and cooled

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, for coating

  
  

  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. 

  In an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. 

  Beat in egg until well combined. mix in cooled chocolate.  

  Gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. 

  Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets.

  Bake until coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. 

  

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Becoming A Vegetarian...Slowly

People choose vegetarianism for a variety of reasons. Here are a few:

• Conservation of Fossil fuels: Fossil fuels are used to produce feed for animals, transport the feed, transport the animals to the slaughter house, slaughter the animal, and then transport the meat to a store. 
• Water Conservation: Four hundred and fourteen gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of meat. More info on pollution caused by meat industry
• Many vegetarians give up meat because of their concern for animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each year. Factory farming strives to maximize production (of animals) while lowering costs. Thousands of cows are confined in barren dirt lots and have a corn based diet instead of a grass diet. Drugs are added to feed to make fatten the cows faster.
• Avoid diseases caused by the consumption of meat. E. coli is a disease that can be caused by the consumption of uncooked, infected meat. Here's a clip from the movie Food, Inc. (which I watched in my journalism class) about Kevin Kowalczyk, a boy who got E. coli.

Here are a few dinner recipes I've tried so far:
Vegetable Curry: A little bland, so I added an extra 2 teaspoons of curry powder, a 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cumin, and some red pepper flakes. I didn't have any yogurt, but it was fine without it.
Garbanzo Bean Burrito: I liked this recipe- the yogurt sauce was really good!

Recipes I hope to try:
Quinoa and Black Beans: Sounds good and relatively easy to make.
Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup: Sounds really fatty...and really good...

Capture the Fall Project

I used iMovie to create this film. I shot it with an iPhone 4S, because its video is higher quality than the old point and shoot I used for my 5x5.

Molasses Cookies

These molasses cookies are amazing. To make them thicker, refrigerate the dough for a few hours, ideally overnight. This allows the gluten to develop.
Another tip: Put parchment paper on you cookie sheets. This ensures that the cookies will not stick to the sheet, and makes cleaning up much easier.
This recipe only makes about 2 dozen cookies, so I always double it.

1 cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup shortening

¼ cup molasses

1 egg

2 ¼ cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp salt

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, shortening, molasses and egg with electric mixer. Stir in remaining ingredients except sugar.

Shape dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll in sugar. On an ungreased cookie sheet, place balls about 2 inches apart. 

Bake 13 to 16 minutes or just until set and cookies appear dry. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Blondies

These blondies are best right out of the oven, but are good for about a week after they're made. Microwaving the blondies for a few seconds to melt the chocolate makes the blondies really good after the first day. They're super sweet and have a sort of caramelized taste because the butter is melted with the brown sugar.

1+3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1  cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1+1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave in a bowl. Put the brown sugar and melted butter in a large bowl (or a mixing bowl) and stir until smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat the eggs and vanilla into the sugar/butter mixture. Gradually add the four mixture and mix until smooth. Fold in chips.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until blondies are light brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Muffins/Bread

This is my favorite fall recipe. You can make either muffins or bread with the recipe (I always make muffins because they're really easy to put in my lunch, and bake in half the time).

1+1/2 cups sugar
1+2/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 325. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the eggs, oil, water, and pumpkin and beat until well blended.

For muffins:
Pour batter into two muffin tins (use paper liners or butter). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For bread:
Pour batter into 2 buttered and floured loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate

Chocolate is really the most important part of my life. I don't know what I would do without it. But why do we love chocolate so much?
Well...endorphins are released when eating chocolate, creating a sense of happiness in the consumer (probably the reason for my addiction).Theobromine , the most commonly identified chemical in chocolate, is a stimulant similar to caffeine.The theobromine and caffeine in chocolate are physiologically addictive, prompting the chocolate craving. 
How to eat chocolate:

• Please buy some good chocolate (my favorite is this 77% kind that has cocoa nibs in it)
• Eat smaller pieces and smaller amounts (yes a Hershey's bar is way too much...it contains more sugar that a woman should be eating in an entire day)
• Savor it...it's really the only way to enjoy all of the flavors. (and if you got any fancy chocolate its expensive enough that you shouldn't be gobbling it down)

Americans have been terribly misled as far as chocolate goes. All those ads for fake, gross Hershey's chocolate...whose sweetness burns my throat and leaves me gasping for some kind of  drink to get the taste of tons of sugar out of my mouth...why do people even pay attention to them? Dark chocolate is really the only chocolate worth eating...it has even been proven that eating small amounts of dark chocolate everyday can help reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks. 

So not only is chocolate delicious but it's kinda good for you!

Archival Footage

This clip has a lot of good shots of big fires. We could use the fires shown at 2:26, 2:32, 2:40, and 3:02-3:12, without the audio. We also plan to use archival footage of mobs and soldiers. The shots of fires and mobs will be used at the beginning of our trailer during a sequence of short shots that help create the dystopian premise of our trailer.

Movie Trailer

In Time. Andrew Niccol. PG-13. 2011

After being gifted more than 100 years, Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) travels out of the ghetto to New Greenwich and tries to bring down the time system with the help of Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter of the rich Phillipe Weiss (Vincent Kartheiser). The two are pursued by the Timekeeper (Cillian Murphy) as they attempt to redistribute time evenly throughout the districts. 

The action-packed trailer for In Time gives an effective overview of the plot using text, dialogue, and music. The entire first half of the trailer is used to develop the movie's premise that citizens live in a dehumanized state where time is the new currency. Text gives the audience background information about the society, helping the viewer understand what is happening during the trailer. The music throughout the trailer creates a sense of urgency, its volume increasing until the gunshot that ends the trailer. Short clips from the movie keep the trailer exciting, and captivates the audience. The fast pace also adds to the intensity of the trailer. For my dystopian trailer to stay interesting, my group will need to keep each shot short, as longer shots tend to be boring for the viewer. I will use text at the beginning of the trailer, similar to In Time's trailer, to establish the film's setting. Using techniques similar to those used in In Time's trailer will help my group create an exciting trailer for our Dystopia project.

5x5

1. Kerry hitting
2. Annie taking a ball
3. Play at third
4. Kara's bunt
5. Allie's hit, Annie running home

To create this 5x5, I used a Canon PowerShot SD850 IS. I edited it using iMovie. While I was editing my project, the of my clips' audio was not playing on iMovie, but when I uploaded it to YouTube it was there.
I am fairly pleased with my 5x5. The audio in it is really bad though, as is the quality (it's pretty pixelated).
For our next independent film challenge, we could make another short film. It could tell a story, and have a time limit like the 5x5. We could creatively tell a story using a similar format.