The Cocoanuts

The Cocoanuts is one of the many Marx Brothers films used to bring laughter to millions of viewers. In the clip, Groucho (Mr. Schlemmer) is trying to explain a map of the area to Willy (Chico). Many aspects of the clip can be easily missed if the senses are not engaged to find them. Groucho and Chico drop many one-liners and they come so often, quickly, and subtly that it takes at least three views of the clip to catch them all.

The setting is set in the lobby of the Cocoanut Manor. The owner Mr. Schlemmer is the owner, and a swindling conman to boot. He calls Willy over to him, yet another part of some master scheme to make money. I think that the script is really the key part to what makes the scene effective. It could have been dull and boring, but the lines that are mixed in with it make it hilarious. As he describes the places on the map he names the "Cocoanut Manor, Cocoanut Willy replies wittily, "Where do you get coconut custard?", and he is answered with, "that's on one of the forks." This was only many of many puns within a five-minute series. The jokes rely on a lot of words that sound alike to make them funny and use the ability to connect two ideas, such as one joke when talking about places on the map. Mr. Schlemmer starts off the dialogue: " And this over here is where the levies are." "Oh the Jewish neighborhood," replies Chico. It takes some brains to make "levies" to sound like "Levites," who are Jews.

Another one of the factors to this clip that makes the film so successful is the chemistry between the actors. They have acted together in many films, which makes it so much more enjoyable for the viewer. The timing of each statement is impeccable, and their body language and physical expressions go well with each other.

He Lives in You

As the scene opens, darkness is enveloping the African savanna. Giraffes formerly grazing look up anxiously as news travels to them by the soft particles of dust and leaves gliding through the wind. Other animals join in the jubilant march just to see what joyous news awaits. The heavy rhythmic beat of the African song progresses and intensifies just as dawn begins to creep in. The sun shows itself and rays of light beam upon many majestic features, the main being a protruding rock formation that stands out above all others--Pride Rock. A baboon balances at the tip of one of the big ledges and glances into the sky to see Mufasa, glowing brilliantly before everyone. The baboon seems at peace with the world as he has Mufasa above him, and he contently breathes in the scent of the particles on the wind swirling by him. Now the animals anticipate seeing a new born cub; they bow in honor, and just as subjects would bow before their royal, respected king, they bow before their new member in the circle of life. Simba and Nala walk proudly up to the edge of the rock to join the baboon in this moment. With great reverence, the baboon picks up the tiny cub and lifts her high for all the other animals to see. They cheer in exaltation and bow even lower to the ground so their bodies barely graze the ground. All this time, the new-born cub has a face of bewilderment. The wind blows the particles by her and she begins to show a mischievous grin. A particularly playful leaf blows by as the cub swats unsuccessfully in her first "hunting attempt." By this time there is much cheering and celebration. The antelope are prancing, the elephants are pounding, the flocks of birds circling in excitement. In a final moment of the miracle, the baboon massages a maroon liquid where on the forehead of the cub, giving it a miniature mane, and marking it as a member of Simba's pride.

This description mirrors the form of the music video, by playing on the style of music. Throughout the paragraph, I have used alliteration to mimick the steady beat in the African song. Alliteration is a repetition of consonants used to give emphasis or rhythm to a particular piece. I thought this was appropriate since there was rhythm throuhout the course of the video. Some examples of the alliteration I used are "...join in the jubilant march just to see what joyous news awaits..." or "...A baboon balances at the tip of one of the big ledges and glances into the sky to see Mufasa, glowing brilliantly before eveyone..." I also embeded a series that reads rhytmically: "...The antelope are prancing, the elephants are pounding, the flocks of birds circling..."

Blog Post 5

Many images show a grand landscape scene that spans across a desert or an ocean or the mountains. Some show details of nature, such as the intricate veins of a flower in the dewy morning. I chose a rather different sort of image. At first glance all a person would see is two pandas sitting on a rock chewing on a bamboo plant. A closer look at the details reveals that this picture is actually filled with illusions...and more pandas.

The artist thought through each intricate detail to include as many hidden pandas as possible. He also created it so that the hierarchy in the image would reveal the two main pandas as the central focus and most important part. A lot of emphasis is placed on them initially to hide the appearance of the other pandas. This was done with contrasting colors against a mostly monochromatic background.

There are also significant patterns. This is what distinguishes, yet hides the hidden panda faces. The repetition of bamboo reads seems unimportant, but reveals two hidden pandas on either side when taking a closer look. The rocks and leaves also have similar patterns, but use dark and light shading to create the face of the pandas. Even the fur of one of the main pandas is shaded to form another's face; however at first glance it looks like the folds a normal animal's fur would make if it were in that position.

I think this picture is a very good example to look at and analyze because it encompasses many of the design elements talked about in our reading, but also challenges the mind to look for all the details that a first glance would miss. These details that have to be searched for in pictures with hidden images help the writer to be more descriptive in their writing and mold the image in the reader's thoughts more completely.

Blog Post 4

"Move Along," a song by the All American Rejects sends a powerful message to its listeners. It talks of "losing yourself completely" but still getting up everday and moving along. When paired with the this video, the combination of genres makes it unforgettable. It does this in many ways.



When the song starts off the music and lyrics are paired with images of an unhappy person at different places. He is at work getting yelled at, a doctor with no purpose, and a man in an unhappy marriage. These images emphasize the real meaning of the lyrics. The monotonous look on the man's face also balances out with the quick-paced song.

There are many symbolic things as the video progresses. To show how unhappy the married man is, the video shows him sitting home alone with a wine glass. The camera angle makes the wine glass seem much bigger than it really is. The effect of the glass being big is symbolic of having to drink a lot, a habit that is picked up often by people who are depressed or whose lives aren't going well. Another part that is symbolic is the random images that appear during the verses. A picture of a phone off the hook, for example, shows that a person might be feeling so overwhelmed or swamped and is just having a really hard time.

This brings the video to the chorus. During the chorus the makers of the video used a really cool technique. The images flash quickly with the speed of the percussion beat in the background of the music. This is not only cool to look at but gives the lyrics "move along" in the chorus meaning when the pictures are "moving along."

Finally the song comes to the bridge, and the point of the song is realized. It shows the upset man falling backwards off the diving board into an empty pool, almost as if he has given up; however, the makers of the video then cut to a scene of him falling into a sea of hands, and save him. He gets up and performs the heck out of the rest of the song, which helped to emphasize its main theme since he got over his sadness.

Blog Post 3

One of the reasons people venture to youtube is to be entertained by a humorous, witty, or unbelieveable video. This video of clips from The Office provides us with such entertainment. But why does is appeal to us so much? Does it have to do with the filming? Is the chemistry between Jim and Dwight so magically appealing that we are drawn to this clip? And are there more factors and details in the video that make up why it is such a success?



The first aspect of this video has to do with the way it was filmed. Since the media is video and the genre is comedy, the makers of this clip can assess what characteristics make it different from others. First of all, they have no music in the background such as in other shows or videos. I believe that this makes the viewer focus on what the actors are saying. It also gives that unsettling atmosphere of a slightly awkward office. Some other unique aspects to the clip are that there are scenes where the actors give a little monologue or "confession" to the camera, making it seem like they are talking to or involving an audience.

The actors themselves play a big role in making this video unique. They have great timing with all of their lines. Jim, in particular can keep up a straight face through an entire prank, adding to the funniness of the fact that Dwight doesn't really know for sure what is going on. The chemistry between the characters is a facet of the clip that really pulls it together. It keeps the attention of the viewers becuase each person is so unique. In contrast, they also embody stereotypical characteristics, such as nerdiness.

One of the things that would make this video not so timeless, though would be the different references made to things going on in the world today. For example, in the clip where Jim impersonates Dwight, Dwight claims that it is "identity theft." Identity theft is a relatively new thing to sweep the nation, and in twenty years or so may no longer be a huge issue. Also, people who were from earlier generations and who are out of touch with society might not get the current humor.

Finally, I think some of the most important details of this clip lie in the editing. It was specifically made just for humor and had a certain theme--Jim vs. Dwight. Each clip was taken from a different episode and compiled just for this viewing pleasure.