Just saying, you won’t see Kris Bryant or Mike Trout here, but you definitely will in like next ten All Star Games.

I’m just gonna talk about my This I Believe video here, which is probably cooler than the actual World Series. But there’s a lot of stuff to be covered, so get a coffee!!!

Visual Choices

Although baseball was not the central topic discussed in my essay, I used a lot of baseball footages to show my dedication toward baseball. Implementing multiple baseball films also show consistency with the title of my essay- “The World Series with Gold.” I simply tried to relate my trust in money with the sport I have been watching since five. I believed the purpose of it was perfectly conveyed through the video as the audience would be fully aware of the frequency baseball appeared on the video. It would be really really hard for a person to not notice the intended use of baseball. It was EVERYWHERE.

At the start of the video, I added “cheering voices” in my video to show the intensity of my personal “World Series.” This was achieved as the cheering was clear and perceived to be nerve-wrecking.

From 0:17~0:20, I intentionally made the background gold to stress the point that the baseball is “golden.” However, the effect was hardly achieved since the audience could barely see the flying baseball.

At 0:24, I dropped the camera to the ground(and stuffed it inside a bunch of leaves) to emphasize defeat.(falling down usually corresponds to failure) This action further illustrates the importance of the discussed baseball scene and how a single at-bat determines my future. I believe failure was perfectly shown in this action.

From 0:57~1:02, I intentionally made the camera shake to mimic walking.(no one could walk in a perfect straight line) The sudden change of motion of the ground(from advancing really fast to an immediate stop) served as a reminder of how “abrupt” the stop was, as stated in my essay. This was successfully achieved.

From 1:18~1:21, I repeated a single film twice to show that I actually kept replaying a specific segment from the Youtube highlight. This effect was self-explanatory.(definitely achieved)

From 1:23~1:24, I intentionally shaked the camera vertically to capture the motion of “looking up.”(usually one would adjust his eyesight by moving his head vertically while being called to look up) This effect was perfectly achieved; it would be pretty easy for the audience to tell that I was looking up.

You would see a cute kiwi at 1:38. In the self direct section, kiwi = me eight years ago and I = my dad eight years ago. By the way, the pillow below that kiwi was a cat, but she was too ugly to be displayed… Cats are SUPER DUPER CUTE, but that one is an exception. No means to undermine cats, Ms Barrow!

===> The TV behind was an electronic board playing baseball highlights. This helped made the scene more realistic.

From 1:38~2:14, I used self direct to illustrate the dialogue with my dad. Sometimes, I zoomed in to a specific character to show that the character was talking, which added coherence to my video. With certain zoom-ins, the audience could easily follow the script. There are also several occasions when I included both characters to show what the conversation was like.

From 2:12~2:14, I increased the size of a “high-five” gradually to inject humor in my video while the audience is befuddled by the cuteness of that kiwi. That “high-five” also serves as a clear contrast to the whopping $32.5 million mentioned before. It is the buildup of the following phrase… I believe the effect is successfully achieved because the “high-five” looks really cool and laughable.

From 2:23~2:35, I animated a function of wealth and success to support perhaps the most important sentence in my video. Using some artistic elements(not that artistic really since I am the drawer), the audience might be more interested in my video and make them willing to spend an extra 90 seconds to finish it. The effect is pretty successful because the graph is understandable and it is probably the most artsy thing I have produced in my life… I’m not even joking.

From 2:36~2:38, the screen suddenly turned from black to bright yellow. An immediate turn from “midst of abyss”(total darkness) to enlightenment(brightness) vividly illustrated the script. Also, notice that the light was blurry at first.(I blurred it using digital skills) It WASN’T a technical error; it WAS intended. When a person stays in darkness for a long time and the light is suddenly opened, his eyesight would be blurry for few seconds since his eyes are under adjustment. I tried to create that type of effect using blur. Overall, the effect was really really subtle and the audience would just regard it as a technical error… Ikr, sad.

From 2:51~3:15, I made the background colorless to illustrate poverty, frustration, and desperation, which were all conveyed in the script.(the script showed how much I fear poverty and the emerging negative thoughts if I were poor) Using black and white background could construct melancholy images; paired with a sad oral tone, the audience could clearly perceive the internal emotions of this section. This effect was pretty successful.

From 2:51~2:57, I intentionally zoomed in to detailedly capture poverty.(portrayed every single detail of a poor society) This effect was partially achieved because while the nuances of poverty were shown, digital quality was also lost during the process.(zooming at an insignificant object significantly decreased the quality)

Notice the music turned from pessimistic(quiet and low-key) to optimistic(gradually becoming louder), signifying a chance in attitude.

From 3:15~3:22 and from 3:27~3:38, I intentionally produced an unfocused film to show that I was rigorously studying these materials for my future. The shaking camera showed that I was working really hard.(overall rigorous study) The effect of it might be controversial; part of the audience might consider that as a digital issue, others might understand the true meaning of it. Personally, I would take the latter part because c’mon, who wouldn’t use a tripod when he has one!

From 3:47~4:00, I showed myself! I figured that it would be really weird if I just kept talking without showing my face. There isn’t really intended effect for showing my face.(just have an awkward feeling without it)

New Techniques 

VideoScribe(an animation app): I used VideoScribe for a great chunk of animation: from the story telling of Shenzhen to an f(x) between wealth and success. The purpose of using VideoScribe is straightforward: create artistically acceptable images without my hand.(my art is worse than a normal first-grade kid) Creating animation also formulates a realistic journey of my anecdote in the video, making viewers feel like as if they actually visited Shenzhen. VideoScribe also smoothes out the scenes with some actual drawings.(instead of a series of segmented films) Both effects are perfectly established.

Time lapse(from 1:07~1:10): I time lapsed a night scene at Kaohsiung Exhibition Hall.

DUDE, I lived really far from there and still went there for a three-second film. I am a VERY good kid.

I used quick motion to establish my impatience while watching boring political news on the electronic board. Quick flashes of near surroundings showed my lack of attention towards any object around me, including the electronic board. Apart from the time lapse, I blurred and dark & whited the night scene to further build on the portrayal of impatience. With these two additional tools, the impatience was perfectly established.

Quick motion: I don’t think this is a new technique, but I used it numerous times in this video to speed up the pace. Using quick motion made the video less dull.

Other Imovie techniques include: Picture in picture, light adjustment, adding default voices(first time using it), reducing background noise, and many other more.

 

Yolo, today we’re gonna focus on the behavior of Abigail Williams, a cool liar in The Crucible.

In a Christian society of Salem, one is expected to follow God and deter Satan, but Abigail certainly takes that norm to another level. Of course she’s still trying to expose witchcraft and align her with the good side(I am not sure actually), but she assembles too many lies to achieve that goal. As you might well remember, “thou shall not lie” is in the 10 Commandments in which all Christians are bound to follow. Abigail has sacrificed the founding values of Christianity for the sole purpose of satisfying her vindictive nature.(accusing Elizabeth Proctor) That apparently violates her values, if she has one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Abigail Williams do not solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the duty of a benevolent Christian, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the 10 Commandments of the Holy Bible. So help me God.(you should find this quote very similar to the inauguration mantle last week)

 

From my personal analysis, Abigail lies for one reason  – desire for revenge. Abigail still begrudges the fact that Elizabeth Proctor fired her for an alleged affair with her husband, John Proctor. Abigail sees the witchcraft business as a perfect opportunity for legally murdering Elizabeth Proctor, even if that path means harming many other innocent companions. I personally think that vengeance is a horrible path to take, which gets even worse if it sacrifices others. No one knows if those women actually sign a contract with the Devil, but Abigail definitely summons the Devil with her blatant lies. 

 

I have been personally adhered to certain family values like “logic is everything” and “money talks,” but there were still some occasions that I disobeyed these mottos. If you don’t know, I am highly obsessed with materialism and am a strong believer of individual success, but I still give money to almost every homeless person I see on the streets.(my dad condemns such charity) However, this violation does not harm anyone. Ironically, this act, to an extent, actually helps those people in difficult times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My dream in a picture: pursuit of wealth 

 

Unlike Abigail, the values I violate do not have a significant impact on other’s lives.(nor is it guilty in nature) Her violation of a Christian value(don’t lie) leads to the death of many spiritual women, while the result of this considerable cost is an evil vengeance. Her words are the cause of brutality in Salem. Not the Devil, but her lies. 

Yolo, it’s been a long time since the last blog post. Anyways, the first paragraph is a brief personal anecdote(if you want the detailed account, click here), followed by a comparison/analysis with The Crucible. 

 

Brief Story(alert: you should read the link and skip this)

It was five years ago, when I wasn’t at KAS but at a local school, but that memory is still vivid inside my brain.

Simply put, knowing I was there watching the entire scene coldly(yep coldly), my teacher forced me to turn in my classmates, who fought at the pedestrian street using brooms. I remained silent until my teacher threatened to punish everyone in our class for my insubordination. The sudden increase in responsibility and outburst of pressure led to my confession, just like what Tituba faces in The Crucible. 

Confession or silence is like black or white. No one knows which is better. NO one. 

Analysis on Tituba’s Confession

It is a confession on something that never happens… The confession is caused by pressure.

In The Crucible, Abigail Williams, a great liar, falsely accuses Tituba of demonstrating demonic arts on her, forcing her to ally with the devil.(who knows if it exists) Tituba, enduring the intense whipping from Reverend Parris and facing the stern interrogation by Reverend Hale, originally pleads innocence and states Abigail Williams was lying, but as the activity gets more violent, Tituba succumbs to corporal pain and psychological suffering. She eventually turns herself in for witchcraft, of which she has never experienced. 

There is no devil unless it is forced out of us. 

 

Pressure and responsibility can make an innocent person confess for the benefits of himself/herself and of the public.(one might most likely confess if denial represents death and confession means survival)

Sacrificing purity, honesty, and integrity for an easier road is much more common than holding values eternally. Even a strong-minded, high self-esteem individual like me(probably bragging but whatever) put down my values(self esteem) and align myself with an “easier path for others.”

Such irony is unfortunate. Such lie is everywhere. Such confession is broken. Broken. Broken. Broken. 

 

Little Note

If you haven’t read the full story I have linked above, YOU are really BROKEN. Here’s your final chance to salvage yourself from breaking apart.

 

Personally, results are WAY more important than efforts. This might be a controversial standpoint, but it is however the social convention that operates the world. Think about it. When have efforts been evaluated in college or occupational admissions? Executives will only look at one’s resumes as it is the best indicator of his potential to succeed. Effort is definitely necessary, but individuals put effort simply because they want results. No one does work for nothing!

 

From my personal experience, results are always set as priority; effort is simply a tool to receive better results. I study math daily to fulfill my desire for algebraic knowledge and to, more importantly, prepare for future exams such as AMC or ASDAN.(two prestigious math contests) It is highly unconventional of me, and of most people I believe, to labor for nothing. Although it is true that I might learn something during the process(effort), I will never initiate the process without a specific goal.(result)

I don’t “work” for “work;” I work for success. 

The notion-results = everything-is justified by a dialogue between Ah-cang and his grandpa in “The Drowning of An Old Cat.” Ah-cang says that ” ‘I really did buy a bonito, but a truck ran over it and squashed it.’ ” Grandpa then replies ” ‘Isn’t that same as not bringing one home?’ “(Huang 9) This conversation depicts the confrontation between effort and results. Ah-cang mentions his effort as an excuse of failure, while grandpa, a clear-minded evaluator, is more inclined toward the results. It shows that results are more important than effort since as grandpa says, trying hard and failing a task is same as not doing it. As mentioned before, instructors do not care about how much one works, but how much one achieves. Although this might seem very harsh for people who fail many times, it is the universal truth applicable in society. Perhaps you will learn from mistakes and get a great result next time!

Sadly, this is what people care…

In short, people work diligently for results since results are what people look at.(people only look at your test scores with disregard to your effort) Failure cannot be justified by “trying my best.”

Results are definitely more important than effort. There are millions of people that devote their life into a field, but only few are remembered for their contribution and their groundbreaking results.