Mobile Eyes: Video

And now to my English video...

Mobile Eyes: Index Card Script

My "Mobile Eyes" public health idea is about teenage smoking. I am spending this school year studying in Hungary, in a Hungarian high school. I've noticed that at school the majority of the students smoke cigarettes. Back in Vermont it's rare to find a teenager that smokes cigarettes. I want to make a film that shows the negative effects of smoking and to question why people smoke. My film is going to focus of helping Hungarian teenagers that smoke to quit smoking.

Index Card Script

Card #1: Images of smoking advertisments.

Card #2: "Do you want a cigarette?"

Card #3: It starts with just one.

Card #4: One quarter of 11 to 13 year olds who smoke as few as two or three cigarettes a day become addicted in just two weeks.

Card #5: Images that show the effects of smoking.

Card #6: "No."

Card #7: Visit notobacco.org for more information.

Phase 3 Module 2 - Reel Bad Arabs

The first thing that came into my mind when I thought about the word "Arab" was a picutre of a dark skinned man wearing a turban and a robe.
I think that this image comes from the movie "Aladdin".



1. The limbic part of my brain was intrigued by the stereotypical Middle Eastern music. I feel that the images in the video are also very powerful, especially the video clips of well known movies that relate to the stereotyping of Arabs. The reptilian part of my brain was suprised by the sudden explosions and guns shots in the beginning of the video. The neocortex part of my brain is stimulated by the questions that this video brings up. For example, why are Arabs stereotyped as villans and murderers? Is it to make us less sensitive to future attacks on Arabs?

2. I think that the camera movement and the short clips of other films are powerful.

3. Rhetorical Questions are commonly used throught this film. For example in the beginning of the film when Dr. Shahenn asks, why can we not unlearn our predjudices against Arabs? These questions provoke thought.
Group Dynamics are also used in this film. As found in this quote from the film, "whenever we see anyone being vilified on a regular basis we have to speak up". Dr. Shahenn is trying to use Group Dynamics to call us to action.
I agree with the points the Dr. Shahenn makes in this film, but I think that he uses Hollywood as a Scapegoat for making us believe stereotypes about Arabs. Although the Arabs we see in movies may be a large part of what we see when we think of Arabs, we also find these stereotypes in newspapers, television, and in other people.

4. One suggestion I would make to the filmakers of "Reel Bad Arabs" would be to point out that not only Hollywood wants and makes us believe these stereotypes about Arabs.

5. I do recommend this film becuase I think it asks important questions about the way we think of Arabs.

PHASE 3: Module 1

1. The most challenging thing for me would have had to be making the movies. I was used to the newer iMovie so using the older version was difficult. I also never had much movie making traning before DOTCOM other than making movies with my friends.

2. The most rewarding part would have to be movie night. Watching the movies we struggled to make, finally make it to the "big screen". It felt amazing to see everyones amazing movies!

3. The most fun for me would be the never ending Poot n' Roll joke. No matter how many times Poot n' Roll was put in a sentence it was still wicked funny. The songs about Poot n' Roll were pretty great too.

4. I'm excited about following everyone elses blogs now that I know everyone and know their personalities. I am also excited about learning how everyone else is doing in their counties.

And I'm sorry if I spelled a lot of things wrong, since I am in Hungary the spellcheck says that every word is wrong.


Now for the picture...

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/photo.php?pid=2274986&id=544705885

Blogger won't let me upload it so I have to post this link. It's a picture of some of the love and friendship that was made during DOTCOM. :)

I'll try to post it again later.

Day #5 DOTCOM Reflection Assignment

1. While in Washington D.C. we learned through games about media. An example of this is: the game about designers, engineers, and messengers. One person in a designer who designs a Lego model in any shape they want. The engineer has to create the exact same Lego model as the designer envisioned. The messengers of both the engineer and designer had to explain what the designer created to the other messenger, and the other messenger had to pass that information on to the engineer. This game helped us reenforce the idea that unless you are physically see the event, you can never be sure that the information you are receiving is accurate. The language barrier was also made the information less accurate.

2. I learn a lot about the similarities between my colleagues from Armenia and Azerbaijan. Everyone has been very friendly and some of them have also been helping me with Russian. I found that the Beatles and dancing have been common interests and great conversation starters.

3. As a naturally shy person, it has been challenging to put myself out there and make friends. The other students who are part of DOTCOM have made making friends and being outgoing easier.

4. I found it very exciting to finally meet the Azerbaijanis and bond with them. I loved getting to know everyone and become great friends.

Go DOTCOM!

My Top Three REEL ACTION Themes

1) Race/Ethnic Issues
Race and ethnic issues is my first choice for this video because, I think that racism and philistine ideas are hurtful, destructive, and dangerous. In middle school I went to a predominately Hispanic school and I, being Caucasian, was in the minority. I was bullied because of my race if I tried to talk to a Hispanic person, so I stuck with my friends in my race. The situation was so dire that there were two separate cafeterias, and by separate I mean if you went to the other cafeteria you would be harassed, for Caucasians and Hispanics. I think that racism should be talked about more than it is, and for people in America to realize that racism isn't dead.


2) Stereotyping
I think that stereotyping is another important issue that should be discussed. Stereotyping has personally effected me. When I first moved to Vermont I was considered the stereotypical Connecticut teenager. I found this hurtful because the people that were stereotyping me didn't know me well. I think that we should learn not to stereotype people into categories, but rather should learn from them about different cultures and ways of life.


3) Environment
The environment is my third choice for this video because, I think that global warming and energy use affect us all. I also think that the way we make energy is important to our environment, such as switching from coal and oil to renewable resources. Also the amount of energy that we consume is an important issue to discuss and monitor. Without regulations this widespread problem will continue to destroy lives, and bring the early demise of our species.

Ana's 90 Second Elevator Pitch!

Hi all! Sorry about the delay, I had a hard time putting my video on youtube. Also the pictures of our lockers didn't seem to work. Despite the slide our lockers are not outside. I loved making this video!

Module #7

1) A. The most fun/exciting part of DOTCOM PHASE 1 for me would have to be meeting new people, and learning about common interests. I found out that many Armenian and Azerbaijani youth also like the Beatles and Harry Potter! Getting to know them better has helped me put a face on the Caucasus, because I have never been there.
B. The most challenging part of DOTCOM PHASE 1 was finding videos for Module 5 an Module 3.
C. The only thing that I would suggest for the DOTCOM PHASE 1 project is, that there should be more getting to know you modules for connecting to other DOTCOMers and learning about their cultures and lifestyles. The guest speakers were one of the other great things about DOTCOM, that I really enjoyed asking questions to.
2)
I find this video very amusing because of the comical start before he actually started playing the balalaika. I also find it quite funny that he would actually be playing the Mario Theme song on the balalaika, a traditional Russian instrument.

Module 5

This video engages the limbic part of our brain at the beginning, the soft music playing in the background and the semi-soothing images of a quiet, peaceful house. The reptilian part of our brain become active when the old man pulls down his sheets and starts screaming. The neocortex part of our brain connects this advertisement to the movie "the Godfather".
Other messages:
1. Symbols. The "TruthinEngineering.com" at the beginning, "Audi and the R8 are here" and the Audi symbol at the end.
4. Hyperbole. This video makes this new Audi car seem to be much more fitting for our modern times, rather then older cars.
8. Simple Solution. The solution to this video is to buy a new, more elegant car, also hinted at in "TruthinEngineering.com".
12. Humor. This advertisement is quite funny, if you've seen the Godfather.
20. Beautiful People. Not quite beautiful people here as much as a glamorous lifestyle. The fancy car, extravagant house etc.

Module 3

This video influences the reptilian part of the brain. At the beginning of the video the scene is relatively relaxed, and not in the least bit scary. After seeing the giant pigeon drop it's package we might become startled, because it was unexpected.

Media Inventory

I love to read books. I like to read all kinds of books ranging from fiction to biographies. I am currently reading a large collection of Sherlock Holmes stories.

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I regularly read The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Times Magazine. I admit that I enjoy the New Yorker mostly for it's witty cartoons.

I play the guitar and the play piano. I love music! I listen to a variety of music but I mostly listen to classic rock. I listen to music from the radio, my ipod, and my computer through itunes. But I still like listening to my mother's old vinyl records. I just got a new Beatles CD yesterday that I love! It's called "Yellow Submarine".

I sometimes watch television. The shows I usually watch are House, Flight of the Conchords, Scrubs, or the Office. The picture below is of Dwight, one of the main characters in the Office. The Office is a television show about the everyday lives of people who work in an office. It's hilarious!

I do not usually play video games, but I occasionally play DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and Guitar Hero. For those of you who don't these things Dance Dance Revolution is a game where the player has to stand on a dance platform and hit the colored arrows with their feet. Guitar Hero is music video game where you simulate playing a guitar by pushing buttons on a plastic guitar when the button comes onto the computer screen. Here is a picture of what Guitar Hero looks like on the computer screen.

I usually use the computer everyday to do my homework, listen to music, or go on facebook.

I use the internet for around 5 hours a day. As I said before I use the internet to research for my homework or projects, find new music, and go on facebook.

It's really hard to rank them because they are so prevalent in my day-to-day life, but here it is:

1) Music

2) Internet

3) Books

4) Newspapers/Magazines

5) Computer

6) Television

7) Video Games

Knowledge Tree

My name is Anastasia Sizensky (a.k.a. Ana Siz). I live in Chelsea, Vermont (USA).My favorite subject in school would have to be a tie between physics and history. I love to learn new languages. I am currently learning Chinese, Russian, Italian, and French. I hope to one day go into buisness managment. I'm more of an outgoing person than  shy or quiet. My school is pretty small so its kind of hard to be shy. My school is not a typical school, to say the least. We have yurts outside were we hold classes. We call our teachers by their first names. Everyone is pretty friendly to one another. We have a saying at my school: if there are as many teachers as dogs at school, you know that your at the Sharon Academy. I love meeting new people and traveling. 

I'm reading "The Kite Runner", which is a wicked good book that I recommend to everyone. The last movie I saw was probably Valkyrie, which is about an assasination attempt on Hilter's life. I subscribe to Time Magazine and The New Yorker. I read the New York Times regularly. My favorite bands are the Beatles, Eric Hutchinson, Flight of the Conchords, the Rolling Stones, Clash, and the Doors. Its really amazing what a broad reach and influence one newspaper or a band or a movie can have.

What I'm concered about in my town is the way stereotypes can really affect a school at even the smallest scale. The kids in the town that I live in go to a different high school than me. They go to a small public high school no one likes. They call my private school the "Shadamy" (Sharon Academy). They think that most of the people in my school are hippies or granola eaters, and it can be really hurtful sometimes.

I think I can contribute to this program because I have a different point of view than most American teenagers. Because I have learned to live in a totally different cultural setting from a suburban, SUV driving, Starbucks sipping town called Greenwich (CT).  I am now on an outpost on the mountains on central Vermont. In a town of less than 1,000 people where most of the them are descendants from the Yankee settlers of 1784. Even though I am only 200 miles away from my former town in the same country the cultural divide is almost as great as if I were in Nepal.