The Influence Documentaries Have On An Individual

Documentaries, whether you know it or not, can influence the way you act or live your life. They strive to make change in a society or reveal what’s going on in the world with things such as the environment, or the ocean, for example. The objective of documentaries can be informative, and they can fall under informative bias, or informative unbiased. Documentaries can be informative yet biased in the sense that you’re given facts, statistics, but it’s all for what the creator believes. Or unbiased since some documentaries have no words and just show clips and montages. Here are a couple documentaries that fall under informative biased, and some that are informative unbiased.

• Informative and Biased Documentaries:

1. Blackfish (2013): This documentary is about the controversy surrounding people hunting and capturing killer whales, and goes further by showing how humans use these killer whales for their own enjoyment, even though people know it's causing pain to the whales. 
• reasons why it's biased: The documenter, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, is trying to promote awareness to what's going on with our killer whales and the people that are capturing them. She wants people to not support the capturing of whales by not going to amusement parks such as SeaWorld. 

Black Fish

1. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014): Cowspiracy is about a man by the name of Kip Andersen, also the documentor, who realizes that his effort to save water by taking shorter showers, biked everywhere, recycled, and did what any good environmentalist would do, was not making a difference compared to the water being wasted from the mass-production of meat. 
• reasons why it's biased: Kip Anderson is said to be a vegan, and he's imposing this guilt onto meat-eaters by revealing facts and statistics about the terrible things animals have to go through in order for a meat-eater to have their meal.

Cowspiracy

• Informative and Unbiased Documentaries: 

1. Blue Planet: Natural History of the Oceans (2001): This documentary is a TV Mini-Series with 8 episodes, and the documenter just shows clips of the ocean and montages of sea life with no words, just background music so the audience can interpret it the way they want. 
• Reasons why it's unbiased: There are no words, it's just background music. The creator isn't trying to impose an idea onto you, it's purely for entertainment. 

The Blue Planet

1. Honey Badgers: Master of Mayhem (2014): This documentary is a 52 minute video on honey badgers and just gives the audience facts about it, such as being ruthless by eating snakes, bee hives, trash, and are able to fight lions, and fight off buffalo. 
• Reasons why it's unbiased: They're just informing the viewers on honey badgers, they're not asking the viewers to help support honey badgers by donating, or anything, they're simply just informing the audience on the animal. 

Honey Badgers

Whether you watch a documentary just because you're bored and it's on your Netflix suggested page, or you're really intrigued, it will almost always be informative and biased, or informative and unbiased. These are a good start for people who want to begin watching documentaries since the list includes some really persuasive ones to impact change on a society, and the latter half just for your viewing pleasure. What are your go-to documentaries?

The Art of Perspective

Films and tv shows all have their own style of filming that best fits their show. We have the usual film technique where it's a single camera setup, shaky camera, and multiple-camera set up. The single-camera set up, according to tv.com, is just one camera doing all the work, so every shot and camera angle is taken using that one camera. Generally, they'll have to move and reset the camera in order to get a new shot. Shaky camera is used to make it seem real, like we're experiencing what the actor is going through. Lastly multiple-camera set up, according to tv.com, is mostly used in live studio audiences and all the actors perform together and multiple cameras film everything from different angles and perspectives. Now let's see some TV shows and films that used these styles of filming.

• Single-Camera Set Up

The Office, single-camera setup

• Shows like The Office and Modern Family use this style 
• During either of these shows, we can notice that it's a single-camera setup because the person filming usually follows the person talking, to create continuity, rather than cutting to a different scene. 
• The Office in particular, is a perfect example of this. In every episode we see Michael Scott talking in his office, and when he's going to walk out, instead of the scene jumping to Michael already out, the camera follows him. 
• The same with Modern Family, when Phil Dunphy is at home with his children and they're moving to another room, the camera will almost always follow them, rather than cutting to a different scene. 
• Shaky-Camera Set Up
• Movies like The Hunger Games and Saving Private Ryan use this style to enhance the scene. 
• In a scene in The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is stung by Tracker Jackers. To make the audience go through what Katniss is going through, they create the shaky-camera perspective when she is running. They add this style and now the audience is seeing what Katniss is seeing when she's running. (Skip to 2:19 in the video)

• In Saving Private Ryan, the same technique is used to portray that we're seeing exactly what the actor is seeing, when they're running across a battle scene they use shaky-camera setup to really enhance the audience's visual effects. 

• Multiple-Camera Setup
• If you've seen shows like Saturday Night Live, I Love Lucy, or Seinfeld, then you've experienced multiple-camera film style. 
• Saturday Night Live, or SNL, does this by filming one person, then switching to another camera. They do this in every sketch and skit by focusing on one person, then shifting it's focus to the person they're talking to. 
• In I Love Lucy, we see Ricky constantly telling Lucy not to get into any shenanigans and the camera turns to Lucy and films her reaction. 
• Similarly, in Seinfeld they show Jerry, George, and Elaine talking in Jerry's living room then another camera will cut to Kramer coming in famously through the door. 

I Love Lucy, multiple-camera setup

These are the most popular types of perspectives and techniques we see in film and tv shows. A lot of people really have their preference and don't like a particular one, other people don't even realize it. Some people don't enjoy the shaky-camera because they can't focus, it hurts their head. While others, like me, enjoy it because it's as if we're seeing what the character is seeing. Whatever your preference, there are shows and tv shows that will fit your taste! What're your favorite film perspectives?

Tis' the Season for Holiday Movies

It's that time of year when holiday movies are on tv all day and you just want to be snuggled up on the couch drinking hot chocolate. Christmas time, arguably the best time of year (at least for me), is the perfect time to just relax and watch your favorite christmas movies. I have made a list of must-watch movies for this holiday: 

1. Polar Express (2004)

• A great movie for all ages
• It's an animated movie about an adolescent boy who does not believe in the spirit of Christmas or Santa Claus, and is taken on a journey to the North Pole on the Polar Express. Throughout the movie we see him on his journey as well as the other children on the train, and when he arrives at the North Pole he starts to believe. 

2. Home Alone (1990) 

• A great movie for all ages
• Kevin McCallister, an 8-year old is forgotten at home alone during the holidays while his family are going on vacation to Paris. While he is home alone, he is forced to protect his home from two robbers so we see him execute his elaborate plan.

 

3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

• A great movies for all ages
• Similar to the first one, Kevin McCallister is in New York City by himself and is again faced with the same criminals from the first film. 

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

• A great movie for all ages
• Based on Dr. Seuss' book, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," which later got turned into a TV special in 1966, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a holiday classic. The Grinch, who as a child was turned away by the Whos of Whoville, and therefore forced to live on a hilltop on his own. As he is slowly welcomed back into Whoville, he is shortly after humiliated by the mayor and hatches a plan to destroy Christmas for Whoville. 

5. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)

• A great movie for children 
• This movie is not like others where it focuses on one theme, instead it's divided into a, "three-part anthology-style video." The first video we see Donald Duck and his kids re-live Christmas every single day. The second video is Goofy trying to convince his son Santa Claus is real since his son is skeptical about it. Lastly, the third is of Mickey and Minnie with the theme of "ironic Christmas selflessness." Although they're three different videos, they are all linked together. 

6. Elf (2003)

• A great movie for all ages  
• Buddy was given up for adoption, but he fell into Santa's sack and we see him struggle to fit in with the other elves. He realizes he is an outcast and is on the search for his birth parents in New York City.

 

7. Jingle All The Way (1996)

• Great movie for all ages 
• A father, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, promises his son the most popular children's toy for the holiday, a Turbo Man action figure. With it being the most popular children's toy, all stores are sold out so he has to look for it everywhere. 

These are my top 7 movies for this holiday, there's a movie for everyone. If you're into animation, remakes of classics, or just movies to get into the holiday spirit, I think these movies are a good place to start. What are your top christmas movies?

Movies to Look Forward to, End of 2015 Through 2016

As the year is coming to an end, a large amount of amazing movies have come about. With films such as The Martian, Inside Out, Southpaw, Youth, Carol, Mr. Holmes, The Walk, and Bridge of Spies, the rest of 2015 has some exciting movies coming out mid-December, and 2016 looks to have game-to-movie adaptations, comedic, sport films, animations, something for everyone. Here is my list of movies to look forward to for the rest of 2015 and 2016:

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

• In theaters December 18, 2015, Director: J.J. Abrams
• Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew
• Takes place 30 years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

   2. The Hateful Eight

• In theaters December 25, 2015, Director: Quentin Tarantino 
• Cast: Channing Tatum, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russel, Walton Goggins
• Post-Civil War, eight strangers take shelter where tension arises 

 

   3. Concussion 

• In theaters December 25, 2015, Director: Peter Landesman 
• Cast: Will Smith, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Luke Wilson, Alec Baldwin
• Dr. Bennet Omalu discovers the truth about football players who suffer brain damage due to concussions 

   4. The Revenant 

• In theaters December 25, 2015, Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu
• Cast: Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter
• Inspired by real events, Hugh Glass fought a bear and was left for dead. Glass seeks redemption on his own team. 

   5. Race

• In theaters February 19, 2016, Director: Stephen Hopkins
• Cast: Jeremy Irons, Jason Sudeikis, Amanda Crew, Stephan James
• Based on Olympic runner Jessi Owens at the 1936 Olympics, where he experiences Hitler's Aryan supremacy 

   6. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

• In theaters March 25, 2016, Director: Zach Snyder
• Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jessie Eisenberg, Gal Gadot
• The world of Superman and Batman collide, war between each other ensues, and all the while a new threat arises 

   7. Captain America: Civil War 

• In theaters May 6, 2016, Director: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
• Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Paul Rudd
• The Avengers are split into two camps, one led by Steve Rogers, and the other by Tony Stark

   8. Finding Dory

• In theaters June 17, 2015, Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
• Cast: Ellen Degeneres, Ty Burrell, Idris Elba, Willem Dafoe, Ed O'Neill
• Dory is reunited with her loved ones, and along the way everyone learns a few things about the meaning of family 

   9. Ghostbusters

• In theaters July 15, 2016, Director: Paul Feig
• Cast: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Dan Aykroyd 
• Plot is still unknown according to IMDB. 
• There is still no trailer, but here are lead female characters on set

   10. Suicide Squad 

• In theaters August 5, 2016, Director: David Ayer
• Cast: Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Ben Affleck, Jared Leto, Will Smith, Scott Eastwood
• Government agency recruits' supervillains from prisons in order to conduct dangerous missions in return for mercy 

   11. Moana

• In theaters November 23, 2016
• Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk, Auli'i Cravalho, Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
• Daughter of the chief, Moana sets off to an island in order to help her family, and we follow her and her hero the demi God Maui on their journey
• There is still no official trailer, but here's Auli'i finding out she got the part of Moana

Like I said, the rest of 2015 and 2016 has something for everyone. Whether you're into superhero movies, there's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. If you're into a movie with female lead characters and are a fan of SNL (Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, etc.), Ghostbusters is for you. If you're more of the sports-movie type, there's Concussions starring Will Smith and Race. For the children, there are two main animations: Finding Dory and the new princess Moana. Which one are you excited for? 

Two of My Favorite Hobbies Combined into One Person

Who is Alexi Pappas? For starters, she's a professional athlete for Nike's Oregon Track Club Elite, a filmmaker, an actor, and a writer. At Dartmouth College, she majored in English and creative writing, while also running for their cross country and track and field program. Afterwards, she pursued her Master's Degree at the University of Oregon and continued to run there as well. I look up to Alexi Pappas because we are very similar in the sense that she ran in college and aspired to be a filmmaker, just like me, and she still continues to run professionally and is currently working on her next film, Tracktown.  

Some people don't realize how hard it can be to balance athletics and school. For me personally, I take athletics very serious and try to improve myself when I'm not working on filming. It's important to find a good balance however, and whether that's taking my camera and laptop to practice to work on a video for a few minutes before practice begins, or working on an idea for a video on a flight to our next meet, in order to succeed in both. In an interview, Alexi was asked how she can balance being an athlete and a student, and her response resonated with me. She said, "being a student athlete is difficult, but it rules. I think a huge part of managing the commitment was me realizing it was my choice to take on both athletics and academics- having a good attitude about writing a final paper on a six-hour long bus ride to a championship race can be grueling, but it can also be fun!" I feel the same way, it was my choice to pursue both filmmaking and running, and now I even work on videos about running. 

Her film Tracktown, which she wrote, directed and produced with her boyfriend Jeremy Teicher, is not autobiographical, but it's about a little girl named Plumb who's growing up as a runner, and she said the character shares some characteristics with Alexi. She began writing the film in 2013 and the Sundance Institute's Creative Producing Lab Program and the San Francisco Film Society soon picked it up, according to RunnersWorld.com. With more and more people hearing about it, more people have joined her team as well as runners such as Nick Symmonds, and Andrew Wheating.  

In an article with RunnersWorld.com, Alexi spoke of the similarities between running and part of filming and said showing up to set is like showing up to a race or practice. "Even if you're feeling off that day, you do your warmup routine and get into in and give 100 percent of whatever you've got that day," Pappas explained. "I try to remind myself that even though the process is so hard and intense, in retrospect, it rules. I've never felt more excited about something." This is definitely how I feel, although I've never acted in any of my videos, when I've finished a video and I'm about to share it, I get this feeling in my stomach like I do before a race. 

With the olympics less than a year away, Alexi planned her schedule to film the Tracktown movie two summers before preparing for the Olympics. She said filming the movie during the summer of 2014 was strategically planned so that she could focus the next two years on making the US Olympic team. Tracktown is currently in post-production, and Alexi is currently training for the Olympic trials.

Her attitude towards being a filmmaker and a runner is really inspiring because it shows that you can do both, and actually succeed in both. When her movie comes out, you know I'm going to purchase a ticket to go watch it in theaters. When she's on tv during the Olympic trials, you know I'm going to be cheering her on.