Monday 30 December 2013

Reading Assignment #7: Creating Conversations

Shrek the Musical (118)

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers SHREK! Oh man this is so great! Two STALWART friends of on a whirl-wind adventure!! Aren't you excited? #roadrip #bestfriends

Shrek @layers
@captainfuzz Listen. We are NOT friends, we are just going to get this princess and THATS IT. And stop singing!! #whyme #donkeysshouldnttalk

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
@layers Did I hear correctly? A brave night and his stalwart friend are coming to rescue me? Hooray! I'll be ready! #excited #finally #love

Shrek @layers
@princesslonely Yes, we're coming. But we are still NOT FRIENDS, OKAY? #nomoredonkeys #lessonlearned

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers Oh come on Shrek, that's not true. HEY! Is that a castle I see up ahead? I think we are getting close! #frenemies #castle #exciting

Shrek @layers
This is it! Man, the size is great, but just look at the location! #haha Now crossing the bridge to the dragon's keep #adventure #lava

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers WAIT hooold up. You expect me to just prance across this rickety bridge over a boiling lake of lava? #noway #tooscary @goinghome

Shrek @layers
@captainfuzz Oh come on, you're already half way there! Just WALK. I won't let you fall. #sigh #justkeepswimming #almostthere

Donkey @captainfuzz
OH MAN what did I do to deserve my amazing friend @layers! We crossed that bridge TOGETHER! That's what I'm talkin bout! #bringiton #nowwhat

Shrek @layers
@captainfuzz Okay, now you wait here, I'm gonna go get the princess and take care of the dragon. #brb #heregoesnothing

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
THEY ARE HERE! I mean, of course they are. I knew it would be today! I bet my prince is so handsome! #excited #finally #truelove #itstoday

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers SHREK!! I FOUND THE DRAGON! AAHHHHHHHH!! #idontwannadie #help #sos #pleasesendhelp

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers This just got weird. The dragon just fell in love with me or something! Come quick Shrek!! #awkward #help

Shrek @layers
@princesslonely Sorry for the detour- gotta go save my ass. #herotime @captainfuzz I'm coming. Just cuddle while you wait #sorrynotsorry

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
@layers YOU DIDN'T SLAY THE DRAGON?!! Oh boy. This is bad. Very bad. This is all wrong! #youredoingitwrong #fail #lordhelpus

Shrek @layers
@princesslonely @captainfuzz There. We are free. Everyone happy now? Good, now let's go. #keepmoving #relax #safe

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
@layers You did it! I'm sorry I doubted you... I mean, you're a little unorthodox, but you rescued me!! #hooray #finallyfree #myhero

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
Oh no... This can't be. My night turned out to be an ogre! This is all so wrong. Everything is going wrong. #worstdayever #depressed

Shrek @layers
@princesslonely Look Princess, Lord Farquaad sent me to rescue you, okay? HE wants to marry you. #ofcourse #whatdidiexpect #nolove

Donkey @captainfuzz
Hey, now that we rescued this princess, I could be ANYTHING! I could go to carnivals, or pull beer wagons even! @layers #whoyouldyoube

Shrek @layers
@captainfuzz Well, I guess I'd be a hero. Someone people look up to... Instead of just running away in fear. #iwish

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
Soon I'll be with my true love and the curse will be broken... I won't have to hide my face anymore at night #soon #iwish #itwillallbeokay

Donkey @captainfuzz
@princesslonely Princess!! What happened to you? You were all pretty and normal looking outside! #confused #whathappened

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
@captainfuzz Donkey! This.. is a curse. Whatever you do, you can't tell Shrek... or anyone!! No one can know! #secret #orelse

Shrek @layers
Maybe the Princess isn't so bad after all. But she couldn't love me, could she? I'm an ogre... Well, here goes nothing. #wishmeluck #inlove

Sunday 29 December 2013

Reading Assignment #6: Fine Tuning Text Connections

Shrek the Musical (118)
Text to Text/World Connection

Shrek the Musical bears some resemblance in terms of plot to Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. In A Tale of Two Cities, there is a large class of peasants and lower-class people who are governed by reigning aristocrats. These aristocrats, called Marquis, held a lot of power and used it irresponsibly, showing very little interest or care for the lives of lower-class citizens. One example of this is when the Marquis St. Evrémonde is riding through the streets of Paris in his carriage and orders the carriage to be sped up until he is recklessly careening through the streets. In the process, a peasant boy is run over and killed. As compensation, the Marquis tosses the father of the late boy a single coin, displaying that he clearly does not care for the lower class. The aristocracy depicted in this book differs from, but is similar to the monarchy ruled by Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Farquaad expresses distaste towards the fairy tale creatures, who represent the lower class in this particular connection, or otherwise an oppressed minority. 
In the lower class in A Tale of Two Cities, a group forms, calling themselves the Jacques. This is a revolutionary anti-aristocracy secretive clan than grows and eventually forms a forceful revolution of the French government, killing anyone who steps in their way. The fairy tale creatures in Shrek the Musical don't go quite this far, but akin to the novel by Dickens, the fairy tale creatures, representing the oppressed lower class band together with plans to overthrow the government. They come together and end up executing Lord Farquaad in a sense, as they direct a dragon to eat him. Just like in the contrasting novel, he is publicly killed and made into an example for others who might try to stop the revolution.
The two stories do not align perfectly, though both feature a flawed government with too much power, an oppressed lower class, and a revolutionary band that comes up from the lower class to overthrow and execute the current figures of power. Though this is primarily a text to text connection, I also listed it as a text to world connection, as A Tale of Two Cities is based on the French Revolution, a real even that took place in France in the 1790s.

Reading Assignment #5: Character Tweets

Shrek the Musical
Tweets by Shrek

Why are there fairy-tale creatures on my swamp?! Nobody seems to get it- it's MY SWAMP! Why can't they just leave me alone? #iwish #annoying

Off to get my swamp back, last thing I needed was a SINGING donkey! I hope it gets hit by a carriage or something.. #sorrynotsorry

Found Duloc. Looks like this Lord Farquaad guy is compensating for something with his castle though. #ifyouknowwhatimean #funny #tinyking

Apparently Lord Overcompensation wants me to find a princess for him before giving me my swamp back. MY swamp. #badday #seriouslyitsmyswamp

SOMEONE MAKE THIS STUPID DONKEY STOP SINGING RIGHT NOW. Never going on a road trip without duct tape again. #lessonlearned #whyme

Just saw a cat wearing boots and a hat. Is this stuff normal outside the swamp? Why didn't HE get arrested too? #strangeworld

Finally at the castle. Dragon, princess, and out. Let's get this over with. Also, apparently Donkey is afraid of heights. #imaknight

Found the delusional princess... and the dragon is in love with Donkey. What a weird day. #thisiswhyilivealone #imouttahere

Just as I expected. The princess was expecting a Prince Charming, not some big, stupid ugly ogre. I hate people. #duh #beinglikedisoverrated

Ya know, my life would be a lot better if I were a hero. I could do anything... That's who I'd be. #iwish #ifonly #bigbrightbeatifulworld

The princess is kinda nice after all. But even if I did like her- not saying I do- 'cuz I don't. But she's a princess, and I'm...an ogre #if

Some friends Donkey and Fiona turned out to be. Backstabbing jerks. #lessonlearned #gonnabuildawall #nevercomingback #noplacelikeswamp

Apparently I was wrong- Fiona likes me! But with the wedding, its too late now... Still hate Donkey a bit. #frenemies #crushed #lovesucks

Crashing a wedding. Wish me luck. #howdidigetmyselfintothis #noturningback #yolo #brb

IT JUST HAPPENED!! Officially married to an ogre princess and much less confused now. #wow #solucky #imabeliever #vivalarevolution

Saturday 28 December 2013

Reading Assignment #4: Character iPhone


Literature: Shrek the Musical
Author: David Lindsay-Abaire, based on the movie Shrek

Shrek's iPhone
Applications:

1. DBC: Similar to the British Broadcasting company, the Duloc Broadcasting Company is a TV station that provides news and entertainment for the viewer. Shrek occasionally uses this to unwind, or simply to keep up with all that is going on in the province of Duloc.

2. Fairy Tales: Everyone has their preferred literature to stimulate their mind, and Shrek passes the time reading fairy tales. As his eyes scan the pages, he silently has a deep, hidden longing to become a hero himself, to overcome a great beast and save a damsel in distress. However, being and ogre this desire is nearly impossible, and so Shrek uses his fairy tale stories to escape his own reality.

3. Ogre Recipes: From Swamp Toad Soup to Fish Eye Tartar, this app has it all. Ogres must learn to live alone, including making their own food, and so bizarre and unethical, yet somehow delicious recipes are created by ogres for their own livelihood. The app even allows the user to add their own favourite recipes, and so some of Shrek's own proud creations have made it into this app.

4. Duloc Map: Duloc is a large jurisdiction, which a person can easily get lost in. This app allows users like Shrek to easily navigate around, and should the user desire to go on a great and noble quest to save a princess, directions can be provided by the Duloc Map app.

5. Graphics Pro: You would probably not assume ogres to be extremely artistic, which is true. However, ogres like Shrek tend to decorate the boundaries to their swamp with brightly coloured warning signs telling people to stay out. This app allows Shrek to design somewhat artistic banners that are sure to grab the attention of a wanderer before he steps foot in an unfortunate place.

6. Netflix: Being an ogre, Shrek tends to have a lot of time on his hands. Generally he has no trouble finding things to do around the swamp, but on those late nights, it is nice to have some for of lazy entertainment. And so, Netflix provides Shrek with all the movies and TV shows he cares to watch.

7. Layers: Shrek lives alone and completely independently from the world. Naturally, this means that he has a lot of daily tasks to partake in. Layers allows ogres like Shrek to organize these tasks into a format that is easy to keep track of, and will remind him of things he needs to do.

8. Journal: Being a hermit, Shrek tends to be rather lonely. He has come to live with it happily as a fact of life, but the faint desire to speak to someone or something still exists. The Journal app allows Shrek to channel all his thoughts into words which will be safely kept in a private diary. Shrek took up journal writing back when he was seven years old, as he was sent out into the world completely alone and had to learn how the world worked first-hand and all by himself.

9. iStellarium: One tradition that ogres have maintained beautifully is astronomy. Ogres such as Shrek love to gaze into the stars, finding constellations and telling stories about them. iStellarium allows its users to gaze into the vast night sky at any time, map out constellations and much more.

10. Silence: In dramatic contrast to the standard issue Music app, Silence allows its users to plug in noise-cancelling headphones and enjoy hearing absolutely nothing. Shrek enjoys relaxing without distraction, but sometimes there are things such as obnoxious donkeys that interfere with that. So, this app allows Shrek to kick back and enjoy the sweet sound of silence.

iPhone Appearance:

Shrek lives a simple life, relaxed with not a care in the world. He doesn't have much to call his own, nor does he live very elegantly. On the iPhone itself, the phone is charging, which shows that he doesn't leave the comfort of his home much. On the case, he has a picture of his swamp; his humble living grounds, and just about all he has to himself. Shrek doesn't care for much, but of course his home is and always will be dear to him. He keeps very little and holds tightly to what he does have, and so his swamp remains pictured on the case of Shrek's iPhone.

Reading Assignment #3: Text Connections

Text to Text Connection:

The concept of breaking free from social standards that is referenced with the fairy tale creatures in Shrek the Musical seems familiar to me. The characters have been oppressed in the past for just being themselves, and they sing about this in Freak Flag. During this scene, they decide that they shouldn't be treated badly just because they're not like everyone else and decide to break free from the expectations of their culture. This reminds me of a scene in Billy Elliot in which Billy and his friend Michael have an interesting discussion about cross-dressing. Michael enjoys wearing women's clothes and ends up encouraging Billy to ignore what others want and take up ballet, telling him to be himself. This then goes into a musical number entitles "Expressing Yourself", in which Michael continues encouraging Billy to be himself and step outside of cultural norms.

Text to World:

It seems that Shrek the Musical addresses ideas that are far beyond a mere children's story. One particular element that appears in the story is revolt and revolution. In Shrek the Musical, the fairy tale creatures realize that they are being oppressed and singled out as a minority, and in turn they are sent to less than ideal resettlements- being dumped on a swamp or in a landfill, which to me sounds similar to reserves or even the Japanese internment. Just like in the show, the Japanese Canadians were oppressed for their race and sent away to camps and treated less than human. However, the fairy tale creatures responded with revolt, similar to events that have been happening recently in Northern Africa. Problems in government of several countries has led the people to turn against the government and overthrow those in power. In Shrek the Musical, the fairy tale creatures overthrow Farquaad's tyrannous reign and he is even killed (eaten by the Dragon) in the process. Not really entirely a children's movie after all, Shrek the Musical discusses oppression, government corruption, revolution and assassination. Those are some pretty mature real-world problems if you ask me.

Reading Assignment #2: Tweets

Shrek the Musical (71) How did Fiona not notice that Shrek was an ogre with his helmet on? He is still green. #daftprincess #comment

!- Loving all the cracks at Farquaad's height. Also how those jokes go right over Fiona's head. #puns  #funny

Seems to me that princesses make a pretty big gamble while waiting in a tower. Who know's who will rescue them? #romance #bigidea

Not sure text can compete with Eddie Murphy's sassiness. Donkey is just too great. #parfaitsaredelicious #bookormovie

Waiting around in a tower aint gonna give you what you would expect. Unless you really dig ogres. #noonedigsogres #lifelesson

Friday 27 December 2013

6 Word Memoir #4: Grandeur


Writer's Note
This is my favourite of the 6 Word Memoirs that I created. Many people strive for success, fame, or greatness, though I have decided that I want to aim for something higher. I find that many people who achieve notoriety do not actually deserve what they have accomplished. Rather than just wanting to be seen as great, I want to be someone who is worthy of this notoriety. I felt that a statue accurately represented this idea, as a statue is built to commemorate someone who has achieved greatness. The text stands like a noble proclamation, a declaration of who I want to be. In this photo, I used a handful of effects, including solarization, manipulation of brightness and contrast, gradients, and other effects to get the desired look. 

6 Word Memoir #3: Hate


Writer's Note
The idea behind this memoir is that hate is often talked about carelessly, though it is a rather big deal. In my opinion, there is no point in holding on to hate, but rather forgiveness. In fact, hate tears down relationships and needlessly ruins lives. The image shows a person sitting in the dark, lonely and sad. This implies that the sadness is because of unnecessary hate that has eaten away at the person, driving him into a state of loneliness and emptiness. The text in the image looms, bold and demonic-looking taking up an obnoxious amount the picture represents hate itself. There is no punctuation in the sentence, as it is a straight-forward statement. In this image, I used many effects, including darkening, old photo filters, vignette, desaturation and several others.

Monday 9 December 2013

Log Book: Finale

There is no picture to accompany this post, even though it has been a while since I've posted a log book update. This is because last week was show week, which you may have deduced from previous posts. The performances of Shrek the Musical have finally arrived, and ended quicker than anyone would've expected. The whole experience was wonderful and fantastic and the cast I was fortunate to be a part of quickly became very closely knit. It was well worth several months of work and two and a half hours of makeup every day. It was worth every moment, and was an incredible experience in its entirety. It seems strange to say, but I'm sure most of us would agree that we wouldn't mind giving up more Sunday afternoons or getting up early for rehearsal if we could do it all again. So, after all that happened, I don't regret doing Shrek the musical, despite how much I didn't want it last year.  In fact, I don't think I would've enjoyed it more if we had done a different musical. And now, it has all come to a close, though the cast has yet to dissolve.

Dialogue Assignment




     Malcolm humbly descended to the ground, in hope of directions. His associate, Zoe followed immediately behind.  They looked across the barren land, spotting a few Native people close by.
                “Hey!” Malcolm called out to the arctic dwellers. “Come here!”
                “You could try being polite about it at least,” Zoe scolded. Turning to the now approaching people, she said, “It’s okay, we’re only looking for directions.”
                Shrugging her off, Malcolm inquired, “Could you point us in the direction of Persephone?” With full knowledge of the city this stranger spoke of, the Inuit-like person examined Malcolm’s face before responding.
                “May I ask who you are?” The young woman asked. Her voice was soft and gentle, but had a tone of slight reservation.
                 Zoe stepped forward, without hostility.
                “We are travelers. Currently we are taking a load of cargo to Persephone,” she said, gesturing to the giant, looming mech that sat like a dormant statue, waiting to be awoken.
                 Studying the giant machine, the parka-clad woman decided to herself that she didn't yet trust the strangers who came in the walking metal beast.
                 "Don't you have computers and compasses?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
                 "Yeah, well it seems they don't work in this wasteland." Malcolm shot back, getting annoyed. "Seems nothing around here does." He gazed across the tundra in distaste.
                  Taken aback by his sudden bluntness, Zoe shot him a look.
                  "Making a real good impression there, aren't ya?" Zoe hissed at him. "As if we need to raise more suspicion than we already have!" Shaking her head, she turned back to the snow-dweller. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "It's been a long and tiring journey and we've run into a a lot of problems along the way. Can you please help us?"
                  "Yes," the small woman said, nearly whispering. "Come with me." She gestured towards Zoe to follow. She figured that the man was probably the leader, or the mech's captain, but she didn't trust him. She didn't like to judge people, but this man was impatient and came across as rude.
                   "What now?" Malcolm grumbled to Zoe as they trudged towards a nearby igloo. "We don't have time for this."
                    Zoe only shook her head at him as the woman disappeared into the igloo. Before long, she returned, to which Malcolm was thankful. The small lady held out a mitten-clad hand after standing up as if to hand something to the pair. Zoe instinctively reached out her hand to receive whatever it was that the stranger had to offer. Slowly opening her hand, a small compass dropped into Zoe's.
                    "This," the mysterious woman stated, "will not fail in the cold." She had a smile of understanding as if some unspoken connection had taken place between her and Zoe during the interaction. It was almost as if she knew what was really on board the mech and had decided to help and to protect the travelers.
                     "Thanks," Malcolm retorted without evident gratitude, "but which direction are we supposed to go from here? I mean, really, thank you for the little compass, but we are lost. Which way?" There was a hint of angst in his voice as this help was not the help he was looking for. He had asked a specific question and the woman seemed to avoiding answering the question straightforward.
                      "East." The small, blanketed woman responded with unexpected abruptness. "And eventually you will reach another village like this, but with a tower in the middle. There you will find fuel to continue on your way, and they will point you to Persephone from there." This was not at all the answer that Malcolm was looking for, but he was tired of trying to get a specific answer from this woman. He was tired, and assumed nothing more would become of the situation. Annoyed, he turned to walk back to his vehicle. As he turned, the woman discreetly handed Zoe a map.
                       "Good luck," she whispered with a forgiving smile and a wink. It was all she needed to say.
                       "Thank you." Zoe turned to follow Malcolm. Glancing back towards the igloo, the woman was already gone. But both the women knew what had just occurred, and they both knew why. Zoe smiled slyly as she climbed back into the machine.

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/190503he4ybjsjpg/original.jpg

Monday 2 December 2013

Log Book: Show Week


This is it: show week! The musical has officially hit crunch time, with our first dress rehearsal being yesterday. Needless to say, I am very excited to perform, beginning on Wednesday!

Log Book: God Bless Us Everyone


A choir I am in had the opportunity to sing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The concert was lots of fun, and rather amazing to be a part of.

Log Book: Candles


At youth group on Friday, there was a prayer-focused evening. It was cool; there were different stations with different things to do at each one. Each station was marked with a number and a few (fake) tea light candles. 

Log Book: Band Concert


Thursday was the annual Band and Choir Winter Concert. In my opinion, it went fairly well, and it was a good time.