TOW #13 - Visual- Fish in the dark

On a recent trip into New York City, the train pulled up next to an advertisement that was strangely compelling and even provoked my friend to put a reminder in her phone to see the show. I took a picture of it as a reminder as well. The imagery was strangely captivating, the placement of the ad is clever, and the more detailed version of the show's poster is even more intriguing.

Why was this poster so eye catching? The contrasting coloring of blue and orange definitely added to the initial grabbing of the viewer's eye. The colors usually aren't seen together and make the poster something different than its surroundings. At first glance your eye is pulled to the seemingly glowing lit up bulb that contains a fish. Once again, the poster is striking in its originality. In font just as large and loopy as the title of the new comedy itself is the name Larry David. David wrote the show and plans to star in it, which brings a whole different audience to the theater world. Many would deem Larry David a household name, and to connect the lovable actor to a new show on broadway brings a whole different crowd to the production. Finally, the title itself is captivating. The image of a fish, more specifically the crazy looking fish positioned at the top of the poster sitting in the dark is quite hilarious. This not only makes the poster memorable but the title of the show sticks with you as a comedy.

What was also interesting about the advertisement was its placement. Where better to put the poster for a show that will be in New York City on Broadway, than on the very route to the city itself. Not only will it give city goers an activity idea, but those who are frequently going into the city are constantly reminded of the show's existence. Being at one of the middle stops along the ride, people from Trenton up to NYc may see this show's poster and fall suit to its provoking design.

Finally, when I looked up the show itself online, the poster was more detailed. Surrounding the fish was praise for Larry David that was easy to see on a small screen. The poster on the way to New York cleverly avoided including overwhelming text as it would be distracting and take away from the impact of the title and Larry David's name.

TOW #12- IRB Part 1- The Fervent Years

The Fervent Years is written somewhat dryly, it appeals to those who care about the subject matter. Written by Harold Clurman, the book reveals what it was like during one of the most influential times of American theater. Clurman has directed a plethora of plays including those by Arthur Miller and Eugene O'Neill.

For a gifted member of the theater society, Clurman is absurdly wordy. The man can really stretch out a subject. Despite some exaggerations and hypocritical tendencies, he works to stress what is important and delivers his message efficiently enough. The quality of confusion that ensues following a reading almost reflects what sorting out an approach to theater may have also possessed.

The difficulty in following Clurman's thoughts may also pertain to the reflective aspect of the piece. Yes, there is plenty of historical background information. But there is also the development of his friendship with the Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner. Clurman divulges into the process of his career. All of his personal growths, as well as those in the field, are clearly important pieces to his viewpoint of how theater should be.

That viewpoint is that theater should be valuable to people because it connects to them and opens their eyes to new or different things in life. Clurman consistently comes back to this idea. Without a solid purpose for revealing everything about his life, nothing he goes into such detail about would be so fascinating. Even his relationship with his love-interest, another big name, Stella Adler, plays into the development of Group Theater and its influence of a changed perspective.

An important part of how Clurman explains his process is his connection to the relationship between actor and director. In the first chapter, Clurman explains a lesson learned from Strasberg that how a play is portrayed is just as important as what is written in the play. Later, when developing their own shows, each director chose their own actors, in order to be sure they fit the show. So while some ideas may conflict with one another, there are consistencies in Clurman's actions.

TOW #11 - Jack in the Box (Visual)

Every Yom Kippur I realize how frequently food is advertised on television. Yes, because I am so hungry my senses are heightened to the beauty that is nourishment and every year I have have a craving. Unfortunately, it is never the bagel and lox that I end up with. This year it was tacos, and the actual taco I ended up with was not like the ones I saw on TV. 

It makes sense for advertisers to make food look better in their advertisements than what it is actually like. What makes even more sense, is for these faux portrayals to be revealed as such. In the advertisement "Jack in the Box" a simplistic approach to criticizing advertisers is achieved through use of juxtaposition and laconic sentences.

The visual is quite plain. The focus is the taco advertised versus the taco we all know and hate. The clear contrast between the two delivers the message intended without overwhelming the viewer. If the picture contained too much information the viewer could potentially lose sight of the intention. In addition to critiquing the advertisers, the image strives to inform the general consumer. While many people have encountered the scenario, (a lesser taco) they may not have realized the attempt the advertiser has made to manipulate. By juxtapositioning the tacos, the disappointment is made clear and relatable.

The public service announcement-esque image involves a short description above the limpy taco. Describing the actual food, the image writes, "Most attractive ends" and "largest pair of 4 tacos". These simple phrases lend to the emphasis of the horrid nature of the actual tacos. While assisting the creator in critiquing the tacos, they are not distracting and simply attempt to provoke to reader to be bothered by the scenario and relate to it.

TOW #10 - 'Gone Girl': Film Review (Written)

The Hollywood Reporter is well regarded for their reviews. The writer of the "Gone Girl" review, Todd McCarthy, has been a critic for over 30 years and he has the power to stamp a film with its reputation. For "Gone Girl", McCarthy reveals a credible opinion with his strong diction and well executed arrangement. 

When describing a movie it cannot be generic. Because each movie is special and specific, it must be described in such fashion. The words chosen to describe the movie must carry the perfect connotation that the critic wishes to give. McCarthy describes "Gone Girl" as "a sharply made, perfectly cast and unfailingly absorbing melodrama".  Right away, the reader is given an idea of where the review is headed. It clearly is a positive response, but references no generalities of the movie as a whole. Never describing it in entirety in any light gives McCarthy room to contemplate the negative aspects of the movie as well. 

The negative parts of his review never really translate as totally negative. For example, he comments on one part, "in which the images of the actors are often so softly lit that sometimes you can scarcely make out their eyes." Whether or not McCarthy really find this to be a bad thing is up to the reader's discretion, and that is just what he wants. It is his job to communicate what may be good or bad about the movie, but by never committing the low-lit images as something bad, he avoids making vast decisions for every consumer, when he is just one man.  

Before even beginning his review, McCarthy provides a trailer for the film and basic information about the cast, director, screenwriter, ect. This opening allows him to speak to an informed audience, without having to provide detailed context when shedding judgement. He also begins by focusing on the fan-base and how he thinks they would react. McCarthy addresses his primary audience by doing so, as the people most concerned with how a movie adaption is done, is those who are fans of the thing being adapted. Continuing, McCarthy reflects on different aspects of the movie, providing brief summary as he goes, and sparking interest as to how the movie will end. 

IRB Intro #2

For marking period 2, I have chosen "The Fervent Years" by Harold Clurman. A lot of my interests outside of school revolve around theater, and one of my goals for this year was to look into theories and ideas surrounding acting for my TOWS. More specifically, this book focuses on Group Theater, a very significant experiment in American theater. It was recommended to me by my sister, and I am very excited to read it.  

TOW #9 - 4 things Obama should do- fast (Written)

This past week were the midterm elections. The outcome was pretty clear, those who ran against Barack Obama's stances won. CNN, a typically left-wing and liberal news source reflects on the elections in the article, "4 things Obama Should Do- Fast".  Written by Jason Johnson, a professor of political science and frequent guest on CNN, this article successfully looks at the glass half-full rather than empty. 

Johnson is very optimistic in his approach. In his conversational tone he is able to communicate an opinion that some may object to, he writes, "First, let's be honest about what happened Tuesday night. The stock market is way up, unemployment is the lowest in six years and gas prices are way down. So, by most objective measures, the country is doing well." Rather than jump into the fact that our president has been deemed a lame duck, he looks at what is being done well. He also does not actually being by discussing the election itself. This helps remind the reader that while we did elect new people, the state of our nation as is may not be as bad as many think. By communicating with the audience in such a colloquial fashion,  Johnson effectively reveals his opinion, without being on the attack. 

The arrangement of the article also assists Johnson in giving validity to his argument. Before ever revealing what he believes, Johnson opens with a reflection on American politics since 2006 and continues with statistics. This establishes his credibility, making the reader more susceptible to his opinion. After this, he addresses the election's outcomes, also very factually, and recognizes why people voted against President Obama's policies, even though he wasn't up for re-election. Without critiquing any party aggressively, Johnson explains that despite the new, seemingly "impossible", congress, there can still be progress. He breaks them clearly into 4 basic categories and briefly addresses them, finally revealing his opinions. By laying the groundwork and not bombarding the reader with what he believes, Johnson creates an argument that is considerable and appealing.   



http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/07/opinion/johnson-obama-next-steps/index.html?hpt=op_t1 

TOW #8 (Cycle 7)- Blink (IRB)

Blink continued to inform and entertain me until its end.  The complexity of the brain is simplified so any reader can gain insight as to what is happening inside their head. Quite frankly, the whole concept sort of freaks me out, makes me very self aware, as now I cannot make a snap judgement without wondering why I was able to make it. Nonetheless, Malcolm Gladwell is successful in achieving his purpose, effectively explaining something complicated to the public so they can know when to "blink and when to think", through his use of arrangement and exemplification.

Without being boring in its formulaic approach, the book is split into six subjects (chapters) and each subject is opened with one example. This example is thoroughly explained and then Gladwell continues with three or four other ways of explaining the concept. By the end of the chapter, the original example is tied back to the rest and the reader is exposed to many versions of one idea. This may seem convoluted, but that's me, not Gladwell. An example of how he does this is Chapter 4, Paul Van Riper's Big Victory: Creating Structure for Spontaneity. Gladwell introduces why a team won in the Millenium Challenge, explains how improv works under the same idea, give the reader a chance to try out the concept, connects the idea to medical practices, and then concludes with the outcome of the Millenium Challenge and makes everything connect. By using so many examples and intertwining them with his main idea, Gladwell successfully gives each reader a way to relate to his material.

While the way these examples are arranged plays a role in connecting with the reader, the real feat is in the substance he presents. Personally, I began to understand the concept when he explained it through the improvisation activity, as I have participated in it before. Gladwell recognizes that his audience is full of different personalities and backgrounds, and not everyone will be able to understand his material in the way he may. Without the variety of examples, Blink would not be as "user-friendly" and the concepts Gladwell portrays would be lost.