Media 150

Media 150 has been an interesting class. Because of this course, I now look at the different kinds of media that I consume with more knowledge. The lecture courses taught by Kelly Anderson and Martin Lucas were informative and increased by knowledge of different kinds of media that I previously had no experience with beforehand. For example, I love film, but I had little idea of the work behind making films. Because of their instruction on film techniques and tools, I now have a better idea of filmmaking. One of my favorite experiences in the course was the lighting assignment, which let the students have a hands-on idea of the all work it takes to set up lighting on set. I was surprised that it took so much time and so much care to set up lighting.

Another aspect of the course that I enjoyed was working with HTML and CSS to make our website. I had some experience with HTML when making personal websites many years ago, but I did not have the chance to use my capabilities for academic work before. Knowing some basic knowledge of HTML and CSS gave me a feeling of accomplishment, and I was able to give my Media 150 website a more personal touch.

I find it unfortunate that we had so little time to do much of the hands-on work in Media 150. However, the course is a great attempt at instructing film and media students in a variety of mediums, that will no doubt prove useful in our media-making in the future.

Design I Like

The design that I chose was the DVD cover art for the film "Dead Alive", a 1992 New Zealand film by Peter Jackson. Also known by the title "Brain Dead," it is a zombie horror film that falls under the "splatstick" sub-genre, which combines comedy and splatter special effects. The movie tells the story of Lionel Cosgrove, who lives with his domineering mother. Lionel's mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey, which turns her into a zombie. Lionel, though frightened, remains faithful to his mother and keeps her locked in the basement with a steady supply of townspeople. However, the zombie becomes ever more crazed, and Lionel is sent spiraling into a ghoulish nightmare. The special effects of the film are characterized by graphic portrayals of gore, which focuses on the vulnerability of the human body and the theatricality of its mutilation. In "Dead Alive", the gore is so excessively used that it becomes a comedic device.



The cover of the DVD depicts a close up of a young woman's face, her eyes open and horror-struck, with her hands pulling away at her lips to reveal the head of a skeletal zombie in her mouth. Because of the extreme close-up, the composition of the cover art feels direct and claustrophobic. The zombie is just seconds away from leaping out of the body. The combination of what appears to be a drawing and a picture of an actual figure is seamless and effective. The eyes of the zombie parallel the bulging eyes of the figure. There is a comedic tone to the cover art, and to me, is more funny than frightening.

The typography used for the title is a bright neon green, with purple shadowing. The type is angular. While the image on the cover art is pretty frightening, the color scheme of the type is more brings a more light-hearted and fun mood.