Lauren Rule- Midrash (Outside Reading #3)

I found an article describing the practice of Midrash.  During my college career, I did a paper from Professor Thompson about the practice of Midrash.  I don't remember too much about it, except that it was usually associated with Judaism.  In my paper, I noted Midrash was occasionally used in Christianity.  It doesn't seem so crazy to me since Christianity evolved from Judaism, but apparently associating it with Christianity was incorrect.  The article defines Midrash as "the designation of a particular genre of rabbinic literature containing anthologies and compilations of homilies".  I understood Midrash as commentary to the sacred texts.  In the early days, women were not allowed to participate in Midrash and a rabbi was required during the sessions.  I found parts of the article very informative, but reading religious text (or about religious texts) has always been difficult for me.  There are so many references that I just do not understand, it is a little frustrating.  Midrash, it seems, has evolved over time.  The interpretations has changed with the culture of Judaism.  The article also notes the influence of other religions on Midrash.  

Article

Ben Culotta - I Robot

      In the film I Robot, I believe there are many religious footprints stamped on this movie.  This movie I feel is not about robots at all but rather what it means to be a human being.  At one point in the film, Will Smith says to a robot "You are a clever imitation of life, can a robot write a symphony … can a robot take a blank canvas and turn it into a masterpiece?". The robot counters with another question, "Can you?". The point of this exchange is that it's not to show what a human being is.  Rather it shows us what makes us a human and that we are created in the image of God.

      With their conscience, the robots in this film start to have feelings and everything else that we see in a human.  If a machine can be like a human, then cant people act just like machines?  In reality, we are more than just machines, even if the theory of evolution is telling us otherwise.  God filled us with ‘"divine spark", which these robots will never possess.  We have the characteristics similar to that of God.  As I mentioned earlier, we are created in the image and likeness of our one true God.  In this film, the robots exist in an area in between technology and human.

Steven Watts-Outside Reading

The recent release of the Hobbit has many movie-goers applauding Peter Jackson's new film, while it has left others feelings sick, literally. Jackson made a decision to present the film in 48 frames per second, which is twice the speed of the typical 24 FPS. Jackson's intent was to make the film feel more life life and realistic for the viewers, but instead it left some feeling the exact opposite. I found some articles on this topic that really interested me because of the many varying opinions. It is interesting how such a seemingly small decision can become the number one thing that anyone wants to talk about when speaking about the film. Those who loved it were able to do so because for them, Jackson hit the nail on the head and made it feel more life like. For those who hated it, they felt as if it became a fake and unnatural environment within the film. It is interesting to see how one film style can be translated so differently by the eyes of different viewers.

http://theweek.com/article/index/237247/why-isnbspthe-hobbit-making-some-moviegoers-sick

Steven Watts-Outside Reading

As my part-time job while attending school here at CNU I have worked at a church in Williamsburg as a video editor. I make anything from promo videos to inspirational interviews with congregants, but the one thing that always remains as the most difficult piece of any clip is the music. I decided to do some reading on the use of music in a film to grasp a better understanding of the medium and how it is developed in films. There was an article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's student magazine that I thought really summarized the use of music in a film exceptionally well. It simply stated, "A films's score can convey emotion or mood, and prepare the audience for what's to come." Using music to set the mood of the film is a very important aspect of displaying the meant context of the film. A depressing scene would feel completely different to a viewer if it had a light and happy score behind it.


http://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/departments/classroom/lights-camera-music/

Steven Watts-Outside Reading

I recently was reading an article on the different film techniques that film director Alfred Hitchcock employed in the various movies that he made. The thing that I found most interesting to read about was how Hitchcock took ample time to make sure the shot was framed in order to convey the necessary emotion. He says "the emotion comes directly from the actor's eyes". This is a very interesting concept that I was easily able to relate to the films that we viewed throughout the semester in class. The emotions that are conveyed through the character would be nothing if it were not for the way that they were presented by the camera. The camera is not meant to act as a camera, but rather it is there to take on human qualities so that it is able to convey the emotions to the viewing audience.


http://borgus.com/hitch/hitch2011.htm

Ben Culotta - Bruce Almighty

      Another film we were able to choose for our final paper that contains a positive religious message is Bruce Almighty.  Too often we as humans are selfish and think we know it all.  In this film, Bruce, the main character in the film begins blaming God for all the problems occurring in his life.  He has a rare encounter and somehow he is given the power of God.  At the time, he thinks he was just handed the best gift in the world, when in reality he has no idea what the role of God entails.  Bruce keeps up with his selfish ways, but soon his actions catch up with him and he basically loses it all.  I really feel this is the way we all can be.  We blame our problems on God, when we really need to be seeking him in our time of trouble.  God will be there for us if we have faith.  To me as a Christian I feel that this films message was approaching a religious message in a great way.  The move was humorous, but the message the audience received was so much more.  We see Bruce at his lowest point without God, and then see him at his best with his heart full of love and compassion.  Selfishness can ruin anything and everything, and Bruce learned that in this film.

Ben Culotta - Field of Dreams

      One of the film's we were able to choose from for our final paper was Field of Dreams.  Though I did not choose this film, i decided to blog on it due to the religious symbolism I believe is embedded in the film.  The appearance of Shoeless Joe, the return of Moonlight Graham, and especially Ray's connection with his father, all are magical in that they become possible because the rules of time and space have been suspended in some way on Ray's field.  In my opinion, the voice we hear commanding Ray, is God's voice.  Of course, these things happen because of God's direct intervention.  The real story of the film is Ray's choice of whether or not to listen to the voice. What the voice is telling him to do is completely crazy, yet in light of this, he chooses to disregard conventional thinking and build the field because he has faith that this is the right thing to do.
      In fact, I believe Ray may portray the role of a prophet.  His experience is one hundred percent biblical.  Like the story of Noah, Ray is told to build something that makes no sense, yet he does it out of faith.  Like Jonah, Ray tries to hide from the voice of God, but just cannot.  Like the disciples, Ray is required to trust to the Lord.  Additionally, every time we hear the voice it almost has if God his testing Ray just as the bible says.  All these are important religious symbols that are evident in this film.