Movie 3 & 4

The two movies that I watched for this blog post were about diamond jewelry and a Buffalo Bill Wild West Revolver. These two artifacts are very different from each other however you could look at them both as accessories. The diamond jewelry could be an accessory for a girl while a gun or revolver is an "accessory" to a police officer which is part of their uniform. Another similarity between the two movies is their explanations of how both of these products influence consumers today whether it is a positive or negative outlook.

The diamond video explained how diamonds were cut and shaped to make the articles that we wear on our neck, ears, and wrists. It also discussed how media practices like billboards and TV commercials influence consumers that this type of jewelry is rare means something sentimental when wearing it. Consumers also feel that a diamond ring for example is symbol that represents marriage and love which forces consumers like us to purchase an expensive diamond for that special someone. This is also a phenomenon that has spread across to different cultures.

The history of the Wild West revolver gun was explained in the beginning of the second movie. It went on to how it became so popular and how models of new revolver guns are based off of the original revolver. New companies have went on to design and develop their new and improved products and have attracted consumers. Another interesting topic of the movie was how today in our world it is frowned upon to some to have it be legal to carry an armed weapon on you. This is a controversy that we still deal with today and it was suiting to include it in this movie.

Movie 1 & 2

The first movie that I watched was about the Apple iPad product. I thought the animations especially at the beginning with the pencil and cutting it to create the iPad was really cool. This symbolized how one does not need pencil and paper anymore, everything can be done on this popular device. The movie especially captured the points of how the iPad can be found everywhere and how it is changing our generation. It also went into great detail about the actual design of the iPad; including showing the inside of the product itself. There were also statistical facts that covered the business, social, and cultural values of the iPad. Showing how the iPad has become extremely popular to consumers and how many apps they can have on it reflects the aspect of consumerism and portrayal of the media.

The second movie I watched was about the Seattle Space Needle, one of the famous landmarks in our country. I liked how this movie used other video clips within the movie to hit all of the points that needed to be made. It was introduced at the beginning how the Space Needle was constructed and then went in to discuss the business, social, and cultural aspects. I liked how the author of the movie Incorporated a clip from the restaurant in the building to discuss the business practices of the artifact. The social, cultural, and consumerism all ties into how the Space Needle is a tourist attraction for all ages, generations, and races. The use of technology in the building supplied the element to discuss how it relates to the media.

The links that I find between these two movies is how consumers of each artifact have impacted the popularity of each one. For the iPad, it is the way it functions and the easy access of everything in one device that consumers love. The Space Needle is a landmark that tourists are interested in seeing and draws people from all over the country and the world to experience the site in person. Another connection would be how culturally diverse both of the artifacts are by media approaches and how the world wants to become more technologically savvy.

Informance Movie

Enjoy my movie about high heels! (:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0XJlRn7Ge4&feature=youtu.be

Target Observation

Here are 5 artifacts that I found at Target that can suggest connections of design process, consumerism, and media influence:

A shopping cart is an excellent artifact that was designed specifically for Target stores nationwide. It can connect to the design process by the way it was made. There is a large space for items to be put in the cart while shopping in the store as well as space underneath to fit more items if necessary. In order to shop for multiple items in the store, the consumer needs to use a shopping cart so  one can get everything they need without carrying it. The shopping cart can also suggest that consumers should buy more than just one or a few items in the store. With so much room in the cart, there is plenty of room to shop till you drop. Target's logo is also located on the cart which suggests that the cart can only be used at Target stores. Placement of the logo can relate to media influence as the logo is known globally and appears in commercials.

Apple products are not only sold in Apple stores, but stores like Target. The display of the new iPhone 6 has actual models of the phone and the apple logo and phone are advertised pretty largely on a bright background to attract consumers to look at it. Target also has specials on the new iPhone which may be cheaper than buying the phone at a mobile phone store such as AT&T or Verizon. Selling apple products like the iPhone at stores like Target relates to consumerism by having the products be available at more common stores like Target. One would know where their nearest Target store is located but not necessarily an Apple store. The Apple logo and font used in the Apple ads relate to the media by being universally known and is constantly used in ad campaigns.

Clothing items of popular sports teams in the area are sold at Target in one display. One can easily find their favorite sports team and purchase apparel for the upcoming or current season. The display includes clothing for men, women, children, and even infants/toddlers. There is also assortment of clothing articles like t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, jerseys, and tank tops. Here the consumer has a lot of options to choose from. It can also relate to consumerism by possibly being at a lower price than one would pay for the same thing at a sports shop or team shop. The logos like the Reds, Bengals, and Kentucky Wildcats influence media by being placed all over the articles of clothing. Product placement is probably the biggest influence on media for this display in Target.
 

Like the Apple products, Starbucks coffee is sold in Targets. Sometimes, even Starbucks store locations are inside Target so customers can drink their favorite brand of coffee and get their shopping done. The display includes a sign with the Starbucks logo at the very top and all of the products on the shelf are obviously Starbucks related. Consumers now can buy Starbucks brand coffee or tea without having to go a Starbucks location. It could also be possible that the bags of coffee are cheaper than buying a single cup. Now consumers can have Starbucks roasted coffee in their house and can bring Starbucks home with them. The logo advertised by using a dark background so it will stand out and customers will notice the display right away. The logo is used on all Starbucks products and even things like cups, napkins, and bags from the store; consumers can recognize the logo fairly easily. The logo is also used in all of Starbucks advertisements.

Target has a small selection of fresh produce that is located near the boxed and canned food items. This display is the first food related one that customers will see when they turn the corner to go find the snack food items. Having this display out first suggests that customers can not only buy brand name food, but fresh fruit, vegetables, and handmade bakery items. These foods are on the healthier side of the food pyramid. Selling fresh produce now suggest that consumers can come to Target instead of going to the grocery store to buy their food. From personal experience, this can save consumers time by only going to one store for everything instead of multiple to get groceries. This also comes in handy when a consumer only needs a small amount of groceries. One can also pick up something here if they forgot to grab it at the grocery store. As far as media, Target commercials advertise that they sell produce necessities like milk, bread, and fruits/vegetables. This shows that Target does indeed sell items like that and one does not have to make a trip all the way to the grocery store for those kind of items.

Connections

In the in-class airport assignment, we were to come up with additional objects that were found in the main object we were looking at (an airport) and then think of the space where the objects are located. Taking my artifact, which are high heeled shoes, here are two more artifacts that relate to the shoes and a space of where they would be found at:

Additional Artifact #1: Shoe Box

-an individual box contains the shoes that one has just purchased

Space of Artifact: Shoe Store/Mall

-any store that would sell shoes

Additional Artifact #2: Lipstick

-make-up like lipstick goes along with the sense of being pretty when wearing high-heels and the feeling of "dressed up"

Space of Artifact: Cosmetic Store/Drug Store

-any store that would sell cosmetics/make-up

Project Viewing

It was great to see some past students' projects in class and to get an idea of what my movie should look like as a finished product. The first lesson I learned while I was watching the movies is that it would be a good idea to have a balance of music and talking. This was probably my biggest question going into this project; would I have to talk in the movie or can I make it without it? The one movie Patrick showed us that didn't have any talking wasn't very well put together and it just had the same music on a loop throughout the whole thing. As much as I hate how I sound when I record myself, I know I need both music and speaking to make my movie better. Second, I learned that a lot of pictures and even diagrams are okay to use in this movie. The movie with about the Nike running shoes included many pictures of more than just shoes but of races, others wearing Nike shoes, diagrams of the leg and foot muscles, and he included his own photos of his own pair of shoes. This answered another one of my questions which was could we use other pictures besides our own. One of the movies that literally blew me away was the one that had animation in it. That made the movie over the top and definitely the best one that I saw. The last lesson I learned was to make sure that the information on the slides can be clearly read and up for a sufficient amount of time so the audience can actually read it. It was really distracting not being able to read the material on the slides and to not have an idea of what they were saying at all. The purpose of this movie to teach the audience of what the design process and characteristics of the artifact chosen. If the audience can't see the information, then there is no purpose to the movie. I will definitely be making several visits to the Media Depot to make my movie to its full potential!

Tiny Home

After reading the New York Times article on the newly developing micro NYC, I feel like the article was trying extremely hard to glamorize the lifestyle of living in a tiny space. I honestly could not picture myself living in such a small area with barely any room. I would get so frustrated with everything being so close together and literally having such a compact space! I was impressed however by the picture they showed in the article of the girls' 313 square feet apartment. It looked up to date and very modern, and actually a lot bigger than I expected. One thing I would like about living in such a small space is that everything in that apartment would be mine and I wouldn't have to share a space with anyone but myself. Living with roommates can be so frustrating sometimes, especially when you are polar opposites of each other. Although it is a tiny space, everything in that apartment can be "designed" how I want it to be and I wouldn't have to deal with the worries that come with living with someone else. The downfall of having such a small place is that it would not be a good place for friends or family to gather. I love having my friends over and I would lose that when living in a crowded area. I would also be worried about feeling claustrophobic; as they mentioned in the article, the architects came up with ways to fix that issue such as having big windows or a balcony. I think the room would still give off the same effect though. If I had the choice though, I would definitely not live in an apartment that is under 400 square feet; I need my own space!