PTS(D), or post traumatic stress disorder is unfortunately a very common thing among humans, especially those how have witnessed the struggle and hurt of war. Through out the novel Ceremony, we discuss PTS(D) of which the main character, Tayo, lives with. In the video, a Native American Vietnam war veteran, Albert Laughter, speaks of his hurt with PTS(D) and how his home land saved him. He now runs Native American ceremony's for other Native American war veteran. Laughter talks about why he does the ceremony and says this. "A lot of veterans are still in their home area, but their mot all together  because their minds are still over there. And that's gonna follow you and that's gonna haunt you" (Albert Laughter). By having a human heart, these veteran's hurt and feel the war everyday of their lives. That is a very heavy burden to live with, but Laughter is trying to lift that weight.  In Ceremony, we see Tayo fight with himself and in the end wins with his PTS(D). "But lying above the center that pulled him down closer felt more familiar to him that any embrace he could remember; he was sinking into the elemental arms of mountain silence" (Silko 187). Tayo lets nature heal his heavy heart, just as it did for Laughter, and what Laughter uses to heal other veterans. A heart is something that is easily taken over and swayed. Like Tayo and laughter, many Native American war veterans let their human heart be overtaken with grief and regret, how could they not. But this also means the heart can be changed and swayed to the better. In Ceremony, Tayo think the following, but it hold roots to all war veterans. "..he could still feel the love they had for him. The damage that had been done had never reached this feeling. This feeling war their life, vitality locked deep in blood memory, and the people were strong, and the fifth world endure, and nothing was ever lost as long as the love remained"(Silko 204). Even though a heart can easily feel pain and carry that burden, it can also feel love and be changed by that love. A human heart is a very heavy thing. Most humans cannot help but have a heart the feels pain. PTS(D) is a good example of having a heart be a burden. We as humans have the ability to feel and with that our hearts can become a burden, carrying with it everything we only wish to forget, but a heart is also a beautiful and can feel love. That in it self is a burden, but can give life to those who need it the most.

As humans we want to feel and be felt. Every human longs for their own heart to be heard and felt by other and in other, it is just part of our genetic code. The most common way to get the communication of the heart across is by the means of art. With the modern day mass media and culture, the ability to spread ones heart is amazing. With the help through mass media and the humans dieing need to feel, the world of art is begging to become messy. Our want to be herd could ruin art. "Its global masturbation (Andrew Keen). Here, the music critic Andrew Keen describes the modern mass technology area of art as something that everyone feels they must be part of. He sees this as a bad thing, but that is not nessarly true. With the help of technology, people who would have never have had the chance to experience or create certain kinds of art, suddenly have that ability. Its not about how the art is made or felt, its about giving the heart the chance to feel and relive some of it burden. As the famous neoclassical musician, Olafur Arnals says in the film, PressPausePlay, "But I think it sounds good and that's what matters...and I hope that people realize that its no about elitism and rules...but about doing something nice"(Arnalds). With the help of mass media, more hearts are begin lifted from their burden then ever, and yes, while our need as humans to feel and be felt is creating a chaotic world of art on the inter webs, art is begin shared which can only help to bring people closer to each other and their own hearts. In the interview video with Arnalds, he says this, "...I'd rather have it just be about feelings and delivering something to anyone, and I like to open it up...Becca's I want to make music that affects people..."(Arnalds). Again, we see here in Arnalds statement that it is not about how the art is felt, but that it is felt, and by having the Internet that is easier then ever. Although by having the burden of heart wanting to feel, we as humans have created a messy art world in some peoples eyes, the amount of art everywhere is only helping to have people feel and be felt.

Empathy is one of the biggest burden's of the heart. Humans this genetic need to empathize with other and due to that need, we have created a false society of empathy. We now fill out need for empathy by using consumerism and technology. The modern thinker, and author of The Empathtic Civilization, Jeremy Rifkin, studied empathy and the part in play in our modern day society. "We are actually soft wired to actually experience another plight as if it we are experiencing it ourselves" (Rifkin). This is a big discovery into the human heart. To learn that humans are meant to feel empathy and act upon it, is huge and weighs quite heavily in our actions. Slavoj Zizek a modern thinker, think that because of this need to act on our empathy that we have created false ways to battle our need for empathy. "The real aim is to try and reconstruct society on such a basis that poverty will be impossible, and the altruistic virtues have prevented the carrying out of the aim" (Zizek, First Tragedy and Then Frace). What Zizek means right here is that we has humans wish to be empathetic and help those in need, but we have begun to fins ways of only get rid of the burden of empathy upon ourselves without solving any modern issues in our world. Even so, empathy has begun to grow around the world due to mass media which can now connect people easier then ever. Even though we have begun to create a false empathy, there is still hope to create a generation of the most empathic people the world has ever seen. As Roman Krnaric says, another great thinker of our time, "I think that empathy is the way to revolutionize our own philosophy's of life, become more outrospective, to create the revolution of relationship that I think we so desperately need" (Krnaric, The Power of Outrospection). As humans we need our empathy to be fulfilled, and with the realization of our need to give empathy, we as humans can begin to rid our heart's most heavy burden, empathy, and begin to help the world.

In the film Seven Pounds, the human heart is a common theme both physically and symbolically. Seven Pounds truly is the story of the human heart and just how heavy of a burden it can be. The main character, Ben Thomas(Tim Thomas), kills seven people, including his wife, in a car crash that he caused. After the crash, Ben is in ruins, lost in his own despair. At the begging of the film, Ben says this line which really reflects his heart at the present moment, "In seven days, God created the world. In seven seconds, I shattered mine" (Seven Pounds). Ben is a very broken man, so much so that he related himself to God to describe the amount of guilt he has on his heart. We again see here that humans cannot help but feel. Our heart's are burden in the sense that when we least what our hearts to feel, they do. Ben wants to make up for what he has done so that the burden may be lifted. In the film, Ben plans to give his eye to a blind man by the name of Ezra. Ben calls Ezra right before he kills himself in a bathtub and says this, "I had to certain...that you where a decent man. Kind, slow to anger...I want to give you a gift"(Seven Pounds). Ben's need to make up for what he had done is so great that he not only plans to give his eyes to Ezra, but his heart to his love interest Emily. The burden of a heart feeling grief and guilt is obvious in the film, In the film Ben owns a box jellyfish, the most deadly jellyfish in the whole world. Ben kills himself with this jellyfish and in the film it is a symbol of acceptance with death. "I never forgot what he said, that is was the most deadly creature on Earth. To me, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen"(Seven Pounds). If looked at carefully, one can see the reflection of Ben's heart int his quote. A heart is a beautiful and deadly burden. We as humans wish for our hearts not to feel, but it is just one of the many beautiful burdens of having a heart.

In the documentary Carigslist Joe, we once again come around to humans actions of empathy. Joesph Garner lives an entire month int he film off of nothing but he goodness and kindness of people, and the internet website, Carigslist. Amazingly enough he does survive and entire month and ends up back home on the 31st of December. On the website of the film it gives a quick synopsis of the film and the meaning behind his journey. "Through his exploration, Joe gained insights into our collective psyche, and took the pulse of an anxious nation teetering on a knifes edge of hope and uncertainty...His experiences raise the profound question about who we are as a society and where we are headed..."(Zach Galifinanakis). The discovery made from this film is that people can take acre of each other and that our need to help is greater then our need to be safe. This can be thought of as a burden of the heart, for sometimes it is better to not get involved with people. But our hearts will not allow it. What is wonderful though is that we are usually glade we listened to our hearts. In the case of the film, it is for Graner, and he came out knowing that people can take care of one another. "...the most inspiring experience of my life. The generosity of people, and like the stories they share,and the connections I've made in one month was so deep...truly inspiring on humanity...to know that we can take care of each other(Graner). The human heart's burden of needing to help and be compassionate it truly a beautiful thing and a bit strange. On his travels Graner really saw just how beautiful of a burden our hearts are. In the film, one of the men that helped Graner says this, "Reality is far stranger then any fiction Hollywood can come up with." (Craigslist Joe). This is very true, for no Hollywood movie could actually portray the kindness and burden of a human heart. It is amazing to be human. Our hearts are a heavy burden that makes us some of the strangest, and most beautiful creatures on Earth.

7 pounds

Water, an image of life and change is what comes to the mind of most humans. Water, is then, a very common theme used through out film to convey to the viewer when a time of change, or burst of life is occurring or about to appear. In the film Seven Pounds, water can be seen through out the entire film in many different forms to help convey the film's story. The film uses a lot of shots of physical water, like that of stormy seas and gentle rain. The many different tints and colors of water is used through out as decor and costume as well. Then the occurrence of water being used to act like glass is also seen in the film. The main character, Ben Thomas (Tim Thomas), is donating he organ's to seven people to make up for the car crash he caused, causing his wife and six others to die. Around him in the film, there is constantly the imagery of water and is part of his character and his story. It comes in the forms of the ocean, ice, colors, and many other outside sources around Ben, to give the viewer the diegesis of film, along with the situation and inner most thoughts of Ben. Through out the film, water is used to converse the ideas of Ben, to weave together the stories of the past and present, and to give the overall diegesis of life and death portrayed throughout the film. 

Water in the film is a direct link to the Ben and his inner most feelings. The viewer may not know what Ben could be thinking at any given time, and the only hints given is that of face the actor who portrays him. But water elements, such as color scheme and decor, that existence in almost every shot, help a viewer to come to know Ben.  The film starts with a shot of ocean. In the shot itself,  the actor cannot be seen and there is no dialogue, but already hints to the diegesis of the film(life and death) and Ben's character have been introduced to the viewer. "The shot is under water, with a reserved aerial shot so the lighting is seen above the water. Ben's silhouette swims across the light" (Seven pounds). Here the viewer already gets an image of Ben as a character. The ocean is very large and deep and is often associated as something that can be both beautiful and full of life, but also terrifying and destructive. By having the shot be under water looking up into the light, the viewer gets the idea of Ben's character being lost in depths of despair and reaching for the light associated with his inner beauty, that he cannot see. The viewer also gets the diegesis of film with  the underwater ocean shot. The diegesis of the film is life and death, something very much like that of the ocean, which gives a home to thousands of creatures, but is also very powerful and can take life easily. The relationship between reflection and water also helps for the viewer to get to know the most inner thoughts of Ben. In Seven Pounds, water is used like a mirror on several accounts. Like water, a mirror that is not broken, one can see their reflection, while if the mirror is broken or the water choppy, one cannot see there refection clearly. In the motel in which Ben dies, the walls are all blue and are covered with the paintings of stormy seas. Even though every shot in the room hints towards Ben's chaotic feelings, there is one scene that really stands out. " Ben Thomas stands in front of a crystal clear mirror. The camera then moves out to a medium shot to show Thomas in the mirror, the blue wall, a paintings behind him. Also to the jellyfish tank at the bottom left corner" (Seven Pounds) This shot shows beautifully the inner most feelings of Ben at that time and how see's his goal clearly. Right before this shot takes place, Ben speaks with his love interest Emily, and is getting ready to go to dinner with her. In this moment in time, Ben would seem at peace with himself, but as the shot frames back, that mood changes into one of despair and regret. The stormy paintings of the ocean on the wall behind him ,with the solid deep blue wall, continues to hint the audience Ben's inner battle's that are deep and rage on. Then the box jellyfish in the left corner tells towards Ben's accepts of death that he will achieve with the jellyfish, even in a time of joy. This shot reflects that Ben knows what his task is in life clearly because of the mirror, and his acceptance with death that he has chosen, even if people come into his life that may make him doubt himself.  In the begging of film, the ocean is shown multiple times. There is the shot of which is motioned above, which is just part of a scene shown through out the start of the film. The whole scene has shots of the ocean and the viewer is shown a very beautiful beach house. As a viewer is being shown all these beautiful shot's, Ben says this line. "In seven days God created the world, and in seven seconds, I shattered mine"( Seven Pounds). During this line, Ben is walking out of the ocean on what appears to be a warm beautiful day. The mix of the warm lighting, the ocean, and the words said in this scene gives the viewer the idea of what kind a person Ben is and what his mission is. Even though in this scene, Ben is obviously speaking of death, the warm lighting and him emerging from the ocean gives the idea of life reborn and moving on to bigger and better things, which is Ben's real goal. Ben's goal to bring life to other by donating his organs and making up for the seven lives he took. Although viewer does not know yet that Ben has and will be giving his organs to those in need of them, this scene brings the feelings of life that is part of the diegesis of the film.

The second role that water plays in the film is bringing the past, present, and future all together to give foreshadowing to the viewer and help the viewer understand the reasoning behind every word and action in the film. Physical water is used very much through out the film but so is the color scheme. Blue colors appear in the film quite often, especially when Ben is in a shot or something important is happening within the film. One of the first pieces of foreshadowing that is seen by the viewer is when Ben calls the lovesick blind man, Ezra. Even though it is very suttle the viewer gets a really good look at Ezra's face to see that Ezar's eyes are like the color of the ocean. While on the phone, Thomas says this to Ezra, "...I look at my life and it is surrounded by so much beauty, and you can't see shit...do even know what color the ocean is..."( Seven Pounds). The ocean holds much life and it home to much beauty, and with this shot,  the viewer sees the foreshadowing for later in the film when Ben will give his eyes to Ezra. The ocean holds beauty and life like that of the world that Ezra cannot see, but by Ben giving his eyes to Ezra, he will be able to see  experience that beauty and a whole new life. Ezra's eyes being blue hints towards the new life that Ezra will have and how that life is being given by a man who's heart is in a despair as deep as an ocean.  A major key element through out the film is the box jellyfish that Ben owns. The jellyfish helps him to kill himself and stands as a major symbol of death in the film. Not only is the jellyfish from the ocean, directly connecting Ben and water together, but in the in which when Ben finally says why he owns the jellyfish, the viewer gets a bit of light into Ben's past and inevitable future. As Ben fills up the jellyfish tank with water, his face is in the blue glow. The shot then cuts to a scene of Thomas at the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a child looking at box jellyfish, and he says this, "I never forgot what he said, that is was the most deadly creature on earth. To me, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen"(Seven Pounds). Water being put into the jellyfish tank in this sequence of scene's connects to past, the present, and the future. The viewer learns about how Ben obtained the jellyfish, why he has the jellyfish, and the jellyfish's future propose, and the water that he is filling up the tank with connecting piece. Ben is literally filling up the vessel that holds the thing that kills him. Water brings life, like that of him finding the jellyfish beautiful, but it can also bring death. As a child Ben thought the jellyfish beautiful, but in this current moment in time, the jellyfish is nothing but a symbol of death to Ben. A  water major symbol through out the film is the relationship between glass and water, which reflects towards the car crash that killed Ben's wife and 6 others. This is most obvious towards the end of the film. Ben puts himself into a bathtub full of cold water and ice where he then puts the jellyfish in with him to be stung. In the scene, the ice in the bathtub looks like broken glass. "A medium close up of Ben, the whole shot is tinted blue. Ben's face is facing towards the right, eyes shut. Lying on his left side in a shower curtain and ice is spread all across his body, looking like that of glass"(Seven Pounds). In this shot, the ice he is laying in and the shower curtain look like that of broken glass. In this entire scene sequence the viewer sees flashbacks of the car crash, giving the viewer the sub conscious parallel between in the ice and the broken glass. By having the ice look like broken glass, this really brings the viewer back around to the car crash and the reasoning behind Ben killing himself in the first place. The ice is the water connecting piece in these scenes.

The diegesis of the film is life and death, and the idea of giving back a life that you have taken. Rain is used through out film as well as the imaginary of the ocean, to symbolise change and new life. When Ben first meets Emily, its raining outside, and Emily herself is a symbol for life for she often surround by rich-in-life decor and warm lighting. Towards the end of the film when Bem decides that it is time for him to take his life, it is raining outside. He then calls Ezra and says this, "..I had to be certain...that you where a decent man. Kind, slow to anger...I want to give you a gift"(Seven Pounds). The gift that Ben is talking about right here is the gift of his eyes that he is going to give Ezra after he dies. In this scene its raining outside and the background behind Ben in blue and dark, then when the shot goes to Ezra the lighting is brighter and yellow. With these two tints, combined with the imagery of rain, it gives the viewer the idea of one life ending and another begging, rain being associated with life. The deeper blue tints behind Ben suggest the colors of the ocean, which can easily be associated with death. As Ben kills himself in the bathtub, it's important for the viewer to notice all the blue in the scene. The whole bathroom is full of blue tiles and other blue things like the shower curtain. " An aerial view looking down. The bath water is a light blue with ice in it looking like that of broken glass. The tiles around the shower are a deeper blue, so is the curtain. Rubber gloves and the bottle of neutralizing liquid for the jellyfish sit on the bathtub. A note sits on the floor. Ben wears long pants, sneakers, and a short sleeved red shirt."(Seven Pounds). By having the all the deep blue's in this shot and also having a aerial shot in the scene helps the viewer to be reminded of the ocean at the begging of the film. Subconsciously, the viewer gets the idea of death in how the shot is aerial. At the begging of the film, the shot looks up through the water towards a light above. Now the shot looks down and there is no light. This gives off the feeling of watching someone rise up to heaven from death and of someone small and helpless, which is the feelings of Ben in this shot. The ice in this shot also looks like Ben is sitting in broken glass, giving off the theme of a broken man and death that occurred in the car crash. All the dark blue's in this shot along with the aerial view give the viewer the feeling of death occurring. After Ben dies he donates his heart to Emily, and the  theme of water and blue shows up again. As Emily is being wheeled into the the operating room the reoccurring theme of blues shows up , but in a much lighter tone. "A wide screen shot of the operation room Emily is in. All the doctor's are wearing blue. The equipment in the room also looks blue. A single light shines down in the right hand side of the screen where the doctor's are implanting Ben's heart into Emily." This shot represents life. This shot is similar to that at the begging of the film in that there is a single light shining through a blue background. This shot is the opposite of what it looked like  in the bathroom where Ben just took his life. The room is full of movement and lighter blues. Water can take life, but is also give life and in this shot that becomes clear to the audience through the lighting and the parallel image of the begging.

Film is a very moving art form. The ability film has to move an audience is above and beyond unbelievable. Film does this in many ways, and we see in Seven Pounds several method's that film can move a viewer. In this case, the symbolism was some of the most beautiful throughout the film and made a real impact on the viewer. Although maybe not seen at first, the symbol of water in the film leaves a special kind of emotion with the viewer and helps to bring the movie around in the large circle to bring to the surface how emotional the screenplay is. By understanding the deeper meanings behind any film and acknowledging the amount of passion and time put into film, helps a viewer to really feel understand the message that is meant to be left by the film makers. Seven Pounds is expectation, with its amazing imagery and moving theme. Seven Pounds is a very powerful movie full of life, death, and how to save humans and the human mind. The symbol of water discussed above was just one the amazing way that the creators of Seven Pounds helped to leave a viewer with an emotion of hope and understanding.

Television Film Terms

Television is sometimes not seen as a film, but this is very false. Television shows hold just as much cinematography as any movie. By picking apart the new hit show, The Black List, one will see many examples of how Television is like that of full length film.


In this photo, an example is shown of lighting, more specifically, low key lighting. Low key lighting is typically used in very intense settings and is a darker lighting then usual. The Black List is a intense crime show with a much deeper underlying plot that can be seen through the low key lighting used in this shot. The main character, Raymond Reddington is sitting on the right and with the bright light in the back it makes him seem more intense and shadows most of his body, making him seem very shady and untrustworthy. The man in the back left corner who is almost totally shaded also adds a dramatic feel and you get the idea form his shaded lighting that he not only works for Reddington, but he too is untrustworthy in this scene.
In this photo, a good example is shown of contrast. Contrast is used to help create intense moods and give a feeling towards one character over another. The background on the left side is much brighter and holds more yellows, while the background on the right is darker and holds more gray. This not only creates nice contrast but helps to give an idea into the character The man on the left, the woman's(right) husband has always been one step ahead. He has always had a plan, while she continues to stumble around in the dark. The contrast helps the viewer to see the man first and his image to help give and idea to the scene and the underlying plot's.

Here is good example of decor. The decor in a frame is just as important as what is happening with actor in film. Decor is used to hint towards the idea's and feelings that need to be brought out. Here we see the main character (Reddington), who is a very strong and independent character, but he does have an inner fear that haunts his every move, sitting  in this unfinished building. The viewer gets a hint at the other side of Reddington The room is a bit of mess and is being tore down. There is no paint on the walls and the only real furniture is the lamp. We also see the Reddington is sitting on a box labeled at Fragile, suggesting his fragile state and messy life he keeps hidden.
This is an example of shallow focus. Shallow focus if when the background for foreground is very out of focus and the depth of filed is little to none. The viewer will notice Reddington in this shot and nothing else and that is because the man on the left and the background are in shallow focus. Reddington is the only thing in this shot that is in focus the viewer will only really see him.



Here the viewer will see one of the warmer shots of the show with the lighting. Lighting is very important to create a mood and that can be seen very well in scene. Without knowing the show, one can tell that something touching has happened and for one of the few times in the show, Reddington is showing sympathy. Even though Reddington body language does not suggest the sympathy he is feeling, the lighting creates it his mood. The lighting in this scene also helps to give the viewer a brighter look upon these two characters relationships.






Costume is very important in film to give insight into a character or to maybe give a character an image. Here we see the husband of the female lead, Elizabeth Keen, Thomas Keen. He always wears very simple clothes to give the idea of his life being less complicated and dark then his wife's, who always wears dark clothing. The clothing he wears is also meant to fool the viewer into thinking that he is a simple family man, which is not true. His clothing is used as a cover of his real purpose in the show and to shock not only the others characters in the show but the audience when his true identity is shown.


This shows what is called a close up. This is where the camera gets very close to the actor's face to show the detail upon the actors face whether it be an emotion or some important image upon the face. Close ups are typically used in a very personal moments for that character. It is used to bring the feeling of intimacy to the audience. In this shot, the close up was used  to show the human side of Reddington and make the audience see his weaker, softer side and to sympathize with him.

A medium close up is different from a close up in that it is usually not just the actors face but their bust as well. Medium close ups are not as intimate but do show more the background and what the character is wearing which. A medium close up can make the character seem closer with more intimacy then usual,  but still show the character living in the plot, as where close up's have a feeling of the character lost in themselves for a few moments and hold much more feeling then a medium close up.

In this image, the viewer sees a change in color. Color can be very important for creating moods whether it is a tint in the film for the colors seen through out the foreground and background. Here, the viewer sees a bit of green tint, suggesting towards illness. The color helps to make both Reddington and the other man look more sickly and stressed and also to give the idea of decay and destruction happening around them through out the scene.




Lastly framing. Where the images and actors are places in a frame can create a mood and can cause a viewer's to see certain things in the frame and not see others. In this shot here, Reddington is in t e right side of the frame and is also leaning to the right, forcing the viewer to look in his direction. This causes the viewer to see Reddington's face first before the emblem above his head to get an idea of what his mood is and how the scene will continue.

Blog Post 28

In my previous blog post I talked about common terms used in film and how they can be reflected into every day music video's. The terms included Auteur, Diegesis, Editing, Flashback and Flashforward, Focus, Genre, Mis-en-scene, and the difference between a shot and a scene. This week the class and I watched many more videos and continued to see these terms come into play for each video. For Auteur, or the "author" of the video, the song Swimming Pool by Kendrick Lamar. Just by listening to song and not watching the video or the background of the artist, one would have no idea that the song is

about Lamar's struggle with alcoholism. For diegesis, in the music video, See You Again by Carrie Underwood, you say an obvious massage of both happiness with reuniting and also with the pain of losing, but full of hope of never begin gone forever. The colors throughout the film where warm and the film was made up of other people stories of living and losing, helping the watcher to get the feeling's the song has intended. Flashback's and Flashforward in music video's are pretty common in that there is always at least one throughout the videos. I Carrie Underwood's video for Just a Dream, we see the

flashback and flashforward begin used almost continually to help hint the audience into the meaning behind the song and the feelings that were felt and are going to be felt to the person that is in the song.
In the music video the best of Times by Sage Francis, we see Mis-en-scene begin used very well along with interesting focus and stylistic type of genre.  The mis-en-scene, or the still shots in the film that could tell a story, are plentiful in this music video with casket full of photo's scene throughout, referring to letting the past go. The focus through out the music video is great as well as in Sage Francis face continually goes in and out of focus with his background. The video is made is a stylistic genre, which means it does not tell a story. Although there are some story like elements to the video, most of the shots and scenes do not follow a direct story-like pattern.