nicmor

[nicmor]

This week we watched the short films produced by my fellow classmates which was very fun to do after watching professional films throughout the quarter. I thought all of the films were truly amazing and each one was unique. I think these films really expressed the true talent of my classmates which really amazed me. After watching the short films, one that stood out to me was the second short film shown. This film was made by Zoe. The plot of her film was that her and her friends go out together to a party and get lost. The film demonstrates many of the themes we have gone over this quarter especially the main theme of Afrofuturism. This short film was really well made. When Professor Due mentioned that it was all shot in one day, I couldn’t believe it as it looked so professionally produced and filmed. One of my favorite parts of this film was the driving scenes. I thought it was really cool seeing the care go around town and displayed the whole journey of getting to the party. I thought showing the street signs was also a great addition as it made the audience have a better understanding of where the film is taking place and to overall, feel more immersed in the short film. Additionally, the scene of the girls in the bedroom getting ready all together really reminded me of me when I get ready with my friends to go to a party. Moreover, I also thought that the implementation of the music was really nicely executed. I thought it was a great fun addition. Especially the scene of everyone dancing in the street before experiencing the horror aspect and banging on the door was a really interesting contrast to watch. Nonetheless, this film was really beautifully done and displayed some amazing talent in everyone who participated in this short film. As mentioned before, although this short film stood out to me today, I do believe that all of the short films were really great. I think they all demonstrated all the aspects we learned from watching various films throughout the quarter. Although I could never make a film as amazing as these students, I am really proud of their great efforts. I do think many of these students are very talented. 

[nicmor]

This week I watched Professor Due’s short film, “Lost”. I have already watched this film in her 112A course last quarter, but I watching it again felt different this time as I was able to pick up aspects of her short film that I did not notice before. Something I really enjoyed about this short film was it being shot on an iPhone. I thought it was done really well. I think that it being filmed on an iPhone allowed me to feel very immersed in the film. Although some individuals may think that the shakiness may be described as poor quality, I thought it allowed me to feel the rush and the emotion the character in the film was experiencing. We see this when Professor Due is seen running through the woods. The music used in the short film also allows us to feel the emotions going on which is important. My favorite part of the short film was the ending when she wakes up from the “dream” which in reality was a nightmare, just to find out it is a reality. This demonstrates how strong dreams truly are. I used to not believe that dreams had real meaning but as I got older, I realized that we should not ignore our dreams as they have a lot of meaning. I think this film was a great example for those doing the creative project for the final. Nonetheless, I think that this short film incorporated many great elements we have discussed throughout the course this quarter. This week, I also learned about Missy Elliot. Although I didn’t know who she was prior to this weeks lecture, I learned that she was a very talented artist who was well known for her hip hop music. I thought it was amazing that she used elements of afrofuturism through her music by demonstrating black individuals in science and fiction universes. I thought it was cool that she made an song after the fist black woman went to space. Another thing I thought was amazing is that she opened a lane for other artists like Kanye West and Janelle Monae to think of themselves in space. After watching her music video, I can tell that she has a very unique take on mixing hip hop with elements of afrofuturism. 

[nicmor]

This week, I learned about Bina, a robot who is said to be a civil rights activist. I learned that she came to fruition when a wealthy family wanted to preserve the wife and her spirit. This robot is unique as it is very humanistic. It contains the features of facial recognition, motion tracking, voice recognition, head movement, eye movement, and so much more. This robot has the ability to connect to the internet so it can deliver any information you may ask it. Learning about Bina truly surprised me as it is such an interesting and unique way of keeping someones memory alive. I think this is a great demonstration of how technology is advancing and is being used to function and preserve life. Bina spoke in a Ted Talk where she looks like a real person minus her sitting on a podium and not having a full human-like body. Although she sounds a bit robotic, I am amazed with some of her capabilities despite of her not being exactly perfect as she stumbles on some of the questions she gets asked such as when she is asked if she is alive. Her being asked that seemed a bit creepy to me. Nonetheless, after watching the interview, the intersectionality of immortality was quite apparent. In the interview, the real Bina says that “death is optional” which was interesting as she felt like she had to create a robot version of herself to a computer. Despite her taking in information, it seemed like the robot isn’t a perfect representation of her as she didn’t even have the same favorite color as the actual Bina. Although I understand why this may be done, the directions is quite scary. I agree with Professor Due when she mentioned that we cannot actually transfer our essence to a robot. Although we may try to make a robot be like us, it will never truly resemble the human. I think this is kind of trying to be cloning which is quite scary to see. The robot which got citizenship to Saudi Arabia was very scary to me as it seems like individuals are trying to have these robots take over. I think it is scary to think that individuals want to replace real humans for a computer. As we have talked about throughout this course, I think technology can be amazing when used with caution. In these examples of the robots, as a human, it is very frightening to me and scares me to think what the future will be like. 

[nicmor]

This week I really enjoyed watching the film “The Brother From Another Planet”. I thought the story line was very unique compared to any other work I have seen. The film covered many themes such as migration, escape, xenophobia, slavery, healing, repair, policing, community, and so much more. I thought this film was very different as it demonstrated how a slave became integrated in a completely different city and society. I thought the use of him running from police from the beginning he arrived just shows the reality of the modern world and how it consists of individuals escaping from being in trouble and harmed. The film also goes to show how bureaucracy is established when he is trying to  obtain his unemployment. I thought this was a great way the director was attempting to show how difficult governments make it to receive stuff to almost make it easy to give up. Another film we discussed prior to this week was “Dirty Computer” by Janelle Monae. This film has to be one of my favorites we have discussed in this class as it dives deep in to the themes of oppression, technology, and othering. Jane’s identity was replaced by being called “dirty” which is a term used to describe those who are different than the rest. This was how othering appeared in this film. I thought the use of technology and how the characters were having to survive from the oppressors erasing their memories was a really cool take on this sort of storytelling. I liked how Janelle Monae used technology to demonstrate how oppression can occur. The ending of this film was by far my favorite part. The ending demonstrates how Jane and the rest of the characters were able to survive. They achieve this by coming together and using some sort of gas to kill the oppressors. I thought that the use of community to come to this point was a very significant aspect of the film. This film along with many we have discussed in class show that a community is needed in order for survival. Although it can be achieved alone, with a community, we are able to help one another in surviving together. This message stood out to me and reminded me that having a community to lean on is very important. 

[nicmor]

Two real life issues that are necessary to create my Earthseed community is an environmental disaster and political turmoil. In these two examples, I would be seeking shelter from communities that we build. In the case of an environmental disaster, we are seeking safety from physical endangerment while in contrast, during political turmoil, we are seeking safety from the dangers of becoming economically hurt or filled with much social tension. When there is an environmental disaster, we turn to our community to ensure we are safe and to help each other to obtain proper resources such as food. In addition, when there is political turmoil, we also turn to our community, to ensure we feel a sense of belonging and to ensure we feel understood. Although these may not necessarily always provide us with direct safety, it is the feeling of safety that a community provides. An Earthseed verses from Parable of the Sower includes "All that you touch, you Change. All that you Change, Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change”. This verse means that when coming together, we can manifest change through our environment. The second verse is “The Destiny of Earthseed Is to take root among the stars”. This verse emphasizes the importance of establishing a community since community is the roots of the standards and beliefs we carry and practice. Since I enjoy the nature, I hope to create my earthseed by a river where there is clean water with the people I love most. This location allows me to feel a great amount of peace. Being in this location allows me to also feel less distracted compared to a busy and loud city. This location being by the water and in a green location also allows me to create lots of crops all factoring in to helping during the case of a natural disaster or to be away from all the political uproars in the case of a political uproar. I hope to have a nurturing and welcoming community where all are welcome. However, I think only everyone that is able to contribute to a community and individuals who are givers rather than takers are more encouraged to join. Since I believe in democracy, I hope to have the same for my community where everyone will have a role to contribute to. I hope to incorporate the new technology of producing crops in a fast manner so that we can have fruitful crops all year round. Additionally, as mentioned before, our environment being by the water, growing crops and creating energy allows to have all the resources to survive. Lastly, the two steps my community will take in order to build a better future is education and preservation. I hope to foster a educational environment to empower and lift the generations with lots of great knowledge. Due to the proximity of my earthseed, I hope to also preserve the land we live on, taking care of wildlife, crops, and the land overall. 

[nicmor]

Prior to taking this course, I did not have much of an understanding as to what Afrofuturism is as well as what to expect but through my enjoyment of Professor Due’s 112A course, I know this one had to be amazing as well. As the class started, I thought the incorporation of futuristic and fiction elements to black individuals’ work of art was quite cool and interesting. Throughout the few lectures we have had so far, I became aware of the artists that incorporate the element of afrofuturism in to their work. I have especially enjoyed learning about afrofuturistic music which includes utopianism, spirituality, mind expanding, liberation, technical innovation in music, and more. I think I really enjoy learning afrofuturistic music since I am a big music lover. One artist who incorporates Afrofuturism in his work is by Lil Nas X. Specifically, in the music video to his song, Montero. We see the incorporation of Afrofuturism through his futuristic clothing and appearing like a mythological animal. We also see this through the visuals of him being in the garden of eden which I thought was an interesting element. It makes me wonder why he chose the garden of eden as well as why he chose to be portrayed as that species. Nonetheless, I thought this music video stood out as he truly demonstrated self expression. Lil Nas X demonstrated his true self by explaining his sexuality and identity through this artistic music video which I thought was something that makes him stand out from other artists. Another artist who we discussed in class is Beyonce. As a Beyonce fan, I was so caught of guard as I have not picked up on this before. I thought how Beyonce demonstrated afrofuturism in her performance through her costume and incorporation of African culture. I thought her golden outfit and jewelry that reflects the beautiful African culture. Another artist, Sun Ra has also demonstrated afrofuturism in Space is the Place which I thought had a unique as it shows an exploration in outer space demonstrating the escape of social and political conflicts. I thought that using outer space to feel a sense of freedom was something that I thought was very amazing and a great depiction of how many feel the need to escape when faced with times of conflict. 

[nicmor]

Blog Post #6

This week we watched the several amazing short films that were shot by my classmates. The short films that were created were all very unique from one another. After watching them, I was able to see how talented some of my classmates are whether it was through their story line, the music integration, or their editing skills overall. I was able to tell how much time my classmates spent on this project. I think it was really amazing to see how they were able to show integration of themes we have learned throughout the quarter in a very unique manner. I really liked how some individuals incorporated their family story in to their projects. I appreciated it as it allowed for a personal touch in these stories. One that truly stood  out to me was Vanessa’s short film. In her film, she told her mothers story. Although it was displayed as a horror film, it was truly beautiful. After her filmed was shown, she mentioned how her mom said that doing this film and being a part of it allowed her to heal. I thought that this was truly amazing. I think that not only was her mom starring in the film very cute, I thought that her being able to feel a sense of closure after the film was just amazing. I think it shows how she was not only creative but using her personal story made it feel a bit more realistic and personal. I was able to feel a deeper sense of emotion because of that as well. I think by incorporating family images at the end also allowed for me to understand how this story was a bit more personal. Moreover, many of the films did an amazing job of editing the film so that it matches up with the scene being show. I think this is something that is not quite easy to do well but I thought that many of my classmates did an amazing job with the song selection they incorporated. I think music can change the entire film as it sets the mood for the scene. Nonetheless, I watched so many amazing films which showed how much we all learned about black horror in this course and how important themes of horror are important to be incorporated in order for it to stand out. 

[nicmor]

Blog Post #5

This week, I was able to gain a deeper yet more insightful understanding of many films. However, I particularly enjoyed watching Professor Due’s short film, “Lost”. I really liked the story line of the film. I thought it was done really well especially for it being shot on an iPhone. In addition, I liked the way it was filmed  as it felt like I was there. This element allowed me to feel fully immersed and a part of the film. What truly stood out to me was when the woman Professor Due was acting as woke up from her nightmare just to realize that what she dreamed of turned out to be her reality. This added a great amount of suspense that I was able to grasp through the screen. Overall, this film stood out to me as it incorporated some of my favorite elements of horror that we have discussed throughout the quarter. Moving on, “Destroyer” was a great graphic novel. I thought that the incorporation of Black Lives Matter and police shootings was a very relevant theme that stood out to me. I think this stood out to me as the rise of Black Lives Matter occurred when there were a lot of incidences of police brutality such as the tragic death of George Floyd. Another theme that stood out to me was the length of a mother’s love. It reminded me of the times my mother put myself before her, sacrificing so much for me. I saw this in “Destroyer” and really admired how persistent she was in looking for and saving her son while putting her own life at risk. This short story was a great representation of the lengths out own family goes for each other, especially children. To protect, and to guide us children during all of life’s challenges. This week we also discussed “The Devil in America”. I thought this film was interesting as it brought up many points in history, especially the killings of black people in America. I thought it was interesting that her mother kept warning her about her history but she was quite ignorant which lead her to disconnect from her family’s history. 

For my final project, I will be writing an essay. I am still fully deciding on what it will be on however, I think I will be comparing and contrasting “Get out” and “Us”. I also plan on incorporating the subtopics of isolation, family dynamics, and duality. 

[nicmor]

Blog post #4

This week in lecture as well as in discussion section, we discussed about many different films. However the ones that stood out to me most are “Tales From The Hood” and “Eve’s Bayou”. To begin, “Tales From The Hood” is a film which incorporates many themes such as police brutality, retribution, black complicity in racism, community responsibility, slaver, crime, and more. All of these themes that are seen throughout the film stand out  however, it stands out as Tales from the Hood addressed important contemporary issues that people face. For such reason, I found it enjoyable to watch as they were topics that were relevant. These include domestic abuse, racism, and police brutality, among others. This movie, in my opinion, is significant because it tackles terrible problems that people encounter in their lifetimes. I think it's fantastic that this topic is being addressed to the audience of this movie in addition to the fact that I think it's relevant but topics that should also be confronted. I appreciate films like these because they address larger issues at hand that need to be faced and challenged for better change. Moving on, “Eve’s Bayou” was a film that included the themes of magic, secrets, community, betrayal, retribution, curses, responsibility, loss of innocence and more. The themes of loss and innocence and secrets however, stood out to me the most. The scene that surprised me the most was when Eve’s father kissed her. In addition, the secrets of the domestic violence Eve’s sister had to endure was hard to watch but especially when she told 

Eve what happened to her. Having to experience that strips you from your youth. In addition, being told that at a young age is also a loss of innocence as it makes you grow up faster. Watching it was not only hard but it made me feel for the characters. So although I thought the film was interesting because it confronts the topics of domestic violence, I still think the film was quite hard to watch. Nonetheless, the two films, “Tales From The Hood” and “Eve’s Bayou” are two excellent movies that tackle contemporary issues that were displayed in unique  manners. Although “Tales From The Hood” was difficult to watch because of the violence and “Eve’s Bayou” was hard to watch due to the tragic topics, I think they were important topics to be demonstrated. 

[nicmor]

Blog Post #3

This week, we watched and dove deep in to the film, “Candyman” directed by Jordan Peele. This film had very interesting elements incorporated. To begin, I thought that there being interracial love in the film was interesting as the black man and white woman who was in fact in black face were in love. I do think this says a lot about the time period the film took place in as interracial love was looked down upon. Although I did not enjoy how violent the film was, another theme that stood out to me was the urban crime. The lynching and the violence also says a lot about the time period and issues that were faced at that time. However, I did think the part where if the word “candyman” was said five times, the person died was thrilling and put me at the edge of my seat as it was something I was not expecting to happen. After Thursday’s lecture, I was able to gain a deeper understanding as to why the film is quite problematic. I thought that black individuals are seen as props is not something that sits well with me. In addition, I did not like how black pain was expressed thought a white individuals eyes. I think that is inappropriate and incorrect as black pain should be shown as it is. I think I liked the new “Candyman” more as it demonstrated the more modern issues of racism. These being gentrification, police brutality, housing issues, and more. I really appreciated that these important modern-day problems were brought up in the second film as it shows a different side of racism. I thought that the incorporation of the Black Lives Matter was a great addition as it demonstrates the modern day fight for black justice. Moreover, I thought the element of the puppets was very creative as it allowed one to use their imaginations to what was going on rather than it being more apparent. I also thought it was a fun addition to the horror aspect of the film as horror isn’t my favorite. I also appreciated that the second candyman film had more humor so it wasn’t as intense as the first film. Although both films had really compelling themes, I did enjoy the second film much more than the first as it wasn’t as intense and because the themes were more relevant to the time we are living in. 

[nicmor]

Blog post #2

After this weeks lectures, I was able to gain a deeper understanding on both"Get Out" and “Us”. Both films were directed by Jordan Peele. Despite the two horror films being filmed by the same director, they are in fact very much different from each other. While “Get out” shares its take on being black in the United States. The film dives deep in to the theme of racism in America. Although I thought the film was interesting, I didn’t necessarily like it due to the eerie feeling I felt which watching it. However, I thought it was a unique yet interesting take on what it is like being black in the United States. Additionally, I thought that the message Jordan Peele was sharing was strong yet important. Moving on, I think I enjoyed the film “US” a bit more than “Get Out”. I thought “US” had an interesting and unique story line, unlike any film I had ever seen. On the families vacation, they came across “The Tethered” which is their doppelgängers. Although I got a bit spooked by the doppelgängers, I liked the thrilling aspect I felt when watching this film. I particularly found it interesting that Jason being neurodivergent and that is the reason as to why he was able to get handle his doppelgänger truly amazed me. Although I did not catch on to  this detail until Thursday’s lecture, I was amazed to learn that something that society sees as a “disability” essentially allowed him to succeed in handling the doppelgänger.  In addition, I like that the film looks at Jasons disability as a superpower. I thought that this take was quite amazing and an empowering message to deliver to the audience. Moreover, the theme in the film “US” demonstrated throughout the film included isolation, privilege, preparedness as well as survival. These themes stood out to me and allowed me to connect to the film a bit since I too have also felt isolation and felt a sense of not fitting in or a sense of not belonging. Something I thought was interesting was that the family would tend to compare their social classes which I thought is something we as humans tend to do. Overall, I think both films were great however, I do think I liked the themes and the story line of “US” more. 

[nicmor]

Blog Post #1

As someone who isn’t a big horror fan, and gets scared of such films quite easily, I didn’t know what to expect of this course. However, as the course has begun and through analyzing and better understanding the history and the deeper meaning of the films, I have truly began to admire the art form. I also have been able gain a better understanding as to why individuals do love horror and more specifically, black horror. I did not expect myself to end up liking horror films but I am curious as to if I will be able to watch an entire horror film without having to cover my eyes by the end of the course. 

To begin, I found the short story, “The Comet” to be quite interesting. I thought that the way in which the disaster allowed for two individuals of different races to come together and put their differences aside. I think that in times of danger such as the one occurred in this short story, the segregation no longer mattered which is something I found really amazing. In addition, the differences of the time were demonstrated when on individual asked the white woman if the black man who saved her should get lynched. This alluded to the idea that black men were seen as some sort of danger to society who cause harm. I think that by including lynches in the short story allows one to better understand the time period the short story takes place in. This short story really stood out to me as it displayed the beauty of putting differences aside and the importance of not having any prejudices against certain ethnic and cultural groups. After all, we are more similar than different. 

Moving on to Bree Newsome’s  film “WAKE”, when watching the film, I felt a sort of eerie feeling. Which although I did not necessarily like such feel, I learned a lot about conjuring and what it actually means. I was surprised to see the rapid shift from the beginning of the film and then to the end where she was excited to find the love of her life to then the sudden contrast of him being quite a nightmare. I certainly was not expected for the woman to get impregnated by the creature who certainly creeped me out. However, I was intrigued by the sort of witch craft that was shown in the film. These two works were very unique and although different from each other, I thought they were both very great works. Nonetheless, I have truly enjoyed learning about black horror and can’t wait to expand my learning.