Blog Assignment 3A

Compare and contrast Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton and Khalil Fong

Original: (1977) Written by Eric Clapton, and Produced by Glyn Johns

Cover: Written by Eric Clapton, Arranged by Khalil Fong, Produced by Edward Chan, Charles Lee and Khalil Fong

This song, Wonderful Tonight is a very famous song that has been covered by many people. I chose to compare Khalil Fong to the original artist, Eric Clapton. At the same time the tempo, melody and lyrics are the same, the timbre of the voice, layers of instruments and the way they sang and are totally different that make the song have different style.

Subconsciously, both singers sang the song like telling a story of a couple goes out a party and expressed the how much they loved each other. Also the lyrics can tell us the images of this story.  As listening to the song consciously, there are a short movie goes around in my mind: everything the singer sang becomes slower because of the slow tempo: she brushes her hair slowly, they get out the car slowly and they danced in the party slowly. In affinity, the melodies of both songs are in major and wide range. Because is a cover, the melody does not change much or at all.

In contrast, because they are different people, their voice is certainly totally different. More specifically about the voice is the timber. Both of their voices are perfect for the song, but different timber of their voice make the songs’ emotions turn out very differently. Clapton’s voice is older and raucous like and feels like very wide while Fong’s voice is younger and more like focused on a point. As result, The  couple in Clapton’s version has been married for a long time, been through many difficulties and still very love each other, and they can’t be apart as they are each other’s soul mate; the couple in Fong’s version, however, they are younger and seems like they just got together and they are in the most excited part of each other’s life. Maybe is the years of recorders because Clapton’s song was recorded in 1977. Additionally, Clapton’s version have accompanied female voice in the background while Fong sang the song all by himself along with the accompanied instruments. 

Actually, even though two versions sounds almost identical, they are different kinds: Clapton’s is rock genre and Fong’s is R&B genre. Consequently, if we listen very closely and listen a few times, the ways they sang are slightly divergent. When Clapton sang the original one, some part of his lines have been twisted a little bit and some notes are connected. On the other hand, Fong sang the song as the rhythm goes, like he sang the syllables on the beat while Clapton sometimes sang before the beat. Also, some of their ending phrase were sung differently: Fong have stress on the end of the phrases which Clapton does not. For instruments, the songs have different layers of instrument, and have different sources. There are more layers in Clapton’s song than in Fong’s. The original version has beats, a small part of electric sound, and used different drums while the cover only have an electric guitar, guitar and the drum. 

If I just listen to these two songs for fun, I would not see these differences and similarities between them, because they just sound same except the singers are different. I like the cover better, because for me, this song should be very quiet and calm. Clapton’s version has too much layers which the song become a little noisy with the beats and electric sounds. In contrast, Fong expresses the quietness and calmness perfectly. This is what I feel right now because I am tired. Maybe sometime I will like the original better when I have more energy. 

Lab Assignment 2: Music/Song

Christina's Song

Carolyn's Song

Jaosn's Song

MDIA 203 Soundscape

Soundscape for MDIA 203

Sadness upon finding out Ester Bunny isn't real.

Blog 2: Find your Howl

Find your Howl by Johathon Flaum

The story is about a protected rare kind of wolf, read wolf, try to find a Howl. The red wolves became vanished so people feed them in a cage and these wild wolves' howls were lost. Mumon is one of the red wolf that tries to go out in the forrest to find the howl. In the journey, he became like a real wolf to hunt for the food, but he had the dilemma about killing others to be survived. The ironic thing is he felt ashamed after he eat and what end up become his power in his body. He then begin running and running, he doesn't feel exhausted. When he was shot by the farmer lately, he finally find his howl. He feels himself differently, the freedom. He paid same amount to find himself the freedom.

Flaum tries to give us a message we need found us the most important thing in our lives, but at the same time, we should pay same amount to find such thing. We may become a different person, or we may lose some other important things in our lives. We may hurt the people around us and love us, and at the same time, we get hurt, too. Sometimes we may choose not too find the howl because who knows what will terribly happen, but instead to do something so valuable, we would waiting to be feed every day and the die with a lot of regret. Flaum tells that even we know the road in front of us is very hard, we should go for it, and we will find something surprised in another end.

Now, here is the recording for my favorite poem and some thoughts:

This is the link to box.net

Audio Assignment

14 Ways of to get Breakthrough Ideas

14 Ways to get Breakthrough ideas by Mitch Ditkoff

This article is mainly about how to get a creative idea for innovations. He introduces 14 different ways that can get the idea more easily. In each suggestion, he gives us some examples on famous people that get their ideas in strange ways. Some suggestions we may have known and use already, and some of them we may have used but did not know what exactly called. Every individual person have their own way to get ideas. These 14 ways probably are not only ones to come up a new idea, because the human brain can be explore much more that we don’t know of. There are three of them I know the best and would like to talk about: 

Listen to your subconscious

I have used this way of getting ideas, and I think this is a good suggestion. Most of time, my dream is completely off from my own track of my life but still could happen in real world. Some of them I can remember and try to write them down because I think it will become a break point in the future. This one is actually very helpful. I believe that human brain can be most functional when it does not need do anything other than imagine and explore more new ideas. My brain could get so crazy that I could not believe how that would happened in my mind. This way does not necessary just occur in dreams while I sleep, I can also get when I stare at one point and become empty, because that is when the brain rests. In the future, when I work with more and more creative people and the field becomes more competitive, my crazy dreams might become a breaking point. From now on, I should record every single subconscious spark when my brain is resting. 

Take a Break

If the one above is getting ideas, I think this one may apply to the progress of something. As I said before, brain will work best when it does not do anything, so when I become stuck in the middle of a project, I should take a break like get something to drink or to go out to see a movie. When a person is very concentrate on what he is doing, he may easily ignore some important parts which he will discover when he is off for a moment. I like take a break, or I could say I always take a break. Sometimes I may fall in asleep, talk to my friends or get lunch or dinner. After I come back from break, I can observe something new and work more efficiently. For my own creative life, this will be the same technique for keeping myself on the right and more creative track on my project. 

Hang Out with Diverse Groups of People

I have much to say about this suggestion because I am experience this right now. I know the diverse is not necessary about nationalities and ethnic groups, but being a international student, I have learnt so much from Americans since I first come here. I have learnt not only just different background or eduction system, but the way I look at things. After I come to the U.S., I can think the problems in more angles, see people in different was other than appearance and come up an idea more easily. Even though I can meet many different people in China, they still have some in common with me. In contrast, Americans are totally different from me, language, background, culture, and education everything is different. The only common things between me and them when I first come here was the music, Jacky Chan and Bruce Lee, the age and don’t like homework. Now, because I have communicated with them and learn from them for a long time, I have more common things that we can seat down at a coffee shop and talk about. Not only Americans, but also includes those international student from other countries. Lucky me of these experiences, I become easily talk to people that different from me, which means everybody, but with some same interests. In the creative life, sometimes the idea may come from a friend that so different me. I always want to make a movie or short on certain people I know and have very interesting life stories. I believe everyone on the earth have story that could be made for a movie, so to meet diverse people is a great way to start. 

Prompt #12: What “failed experiment” or unexpected outcome might be interesting for you to reconsider? Who else might you invite to participate in this effort?

I haven’t have much “failed experiment” in this creative field, but I always want to do two things: to make a film of my host mother and to make a film or animation based on my favorite fictional gay story. First my host mother in Philadelphia, because she and her neighbor's story were so amazing that I think I should use my own way to tell their story. The second one about the gay story, I want to do this because I think love can conquer everything, no matter age, nationality, ethnic group, and gender. I think two handsome man together is one of the most beautiful thing in the world. Although there is more and more people accept gays, and there are many gay movies, I just want do it myself. There is a certain way to express things, like musician can play their favorite songs, the artiest can draw their favorite subject, and I can make a movie that based on my favorite things. The people I might invite would be people that interested in. I know some of my friends think the same with me, but everybody is too little to complete a project herself, I think I could organize them someday and make a movie we like.  

Blog Assignment 1A: Creative Person

What kind f creative person am I? Em...That is a very good question. I am the creative person that start using my creativity in the middle of process of something. That means sometimes I couldn't get an very creative idea in the beginning, but while I progress my project, I become more creative and will change many things I have done early in the process. Hope this may make sense. However, after I am done, when I see other people's work, I will say to myself, "why I did not think of that? That is so cool." I would say the most creative things I make is during sleep. Before I fall in asleep, I would think tons of idea of my project, my future new home, or my life in the future; and in my dreams, I always dream very strange things. One day I told my father about my wired dreams, he said I should write those down so someday may become a creative idea.

Actually, no one or I can't remember who directly inspire me to be this kind of creative person or to choose this major. Before I came to the U.S. four years ago, I would never think of me involved in the industry that need a lot of creativity, team work, and knowledge from many field. Also, when I was in China, we as student did not get many opportunities to explore our creativities. The event that inspires me become a creative person was to involve in doing yearbook of my high school after I came to the U.S. Planning the template and all that stuff needed creativity, too. Since then, I become interested in media and finally I decided to choose this major, which I think I can meet more and more creative people who could inspire me more.

1. Pirates of Caribbean by Gore Verbinski

Many people familiar with Captain Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl. I have not watched until this winter, (I know I am behind with all famous movies) and as soon as I finish The Curse of Black Pearl, I felled in love with the movie. I loved it not only the characters were handsome and beautiful, but also the way it composed was amazing.  I watched the preparation and back the scene segments, and there were much work to find a port, build a exact smaller-protion ship, and set the cave in studio in Los Angeles. Form the movie, we can see the contrast and affinity between these characters and the scenes. For example, Jack Sparrow and Will Turner have different goals and want different to sail on the sea, but they are the same to have goals and know how to trade with others and each other. They all have something to protect.This movie haven't inspire me anything in my work yet, but it inspires me to think more widely and to learn more knowledge in every field. By the way, I also love the music in the movie by Klaus Badelt, which was completely bound with the movie.

2. Home Alone 2 by Chris Columbus

This is the first movie I saw when I was a kid. At that time, the only thing that "inspired" me was "I really want to the U.S. for Christmas."Now it comes true. The movie is not like those 1 billion budget and 2 billion profit movies, it is a family movie with some elements of adventure and comedy and was a holiday movie, so it is very relaxed. Consciously, the movie presents that the kid is very smart and used his creativity and some help to bit two bad guys. Subconsciously, it says that adult are so arrogant that ignore children's power and eventually lead themselves to failure. When people become adult, the dark and cruel side of true society conquer their purity. In contrast, the children can use their imagination and do what they want, even though they make mistakes that not too serious, they can be forgiven. Here it inspires me: a lot of times, we can found inspiration of ideas from children's action and words, and we sometimes can think like a child.

3. Winter Tales by Sergey Yazvinsky

I found this video after somebody told me this great website for video making. I am learning stop-motion animation now and this certainly will inspire me in my work later of the quarter. Sergey Yazvinsky was very creative, he uses a vacuum as the main character. There were no narration or actual text, but the images can pretend to be the imagine text. The text says that if vacuum have a hand, he can do many things other than clean the floor. Behind the text, there is a massage about that only a few things could change the whole life.


Finally, the goal of me to be more creative is too watch more television shows and movies, so I could find more creative videos more easily.

Too Early for the class

This is the only 8 a.m class of the week, and this is the first week. I finally know what my friends said about the early classes: Too Early!!! I was registered for 5 p.m lab, but I have other things to do at that time. When I saw this lab was open, I changed immediately. This is only one I could registered. I think is better because I can get done earlier, and this is not conflict with my activities I am working on. Also, get up early is good for me...kind of. It's too early, but it doesn't matter, because this is not a lecture class, so I won't fall in asleep. ^0^