Blog Assignment #9: Freak Factor

Freak Factor by David Rendall

In Freak Factor, David Rendall discusses nine ways in which a person can use their weaknesses to build their strengths and become a better, and more efficient person.

In the section titled, “Flawless: There’s Nothing Wrong With You”, Rendall writes that each person has both strengths and weaknesses, and that they come in pairs. Each strength is paired with a weakness that cannot be separated from it. If this is true in every case, I do not know, however I would consider this valid because in the chart that he provides, I found myself to attain more than a few of the strengths, and the weaknesses that are paired with them. For example I consider myself to have the strengths of creativity, adventure, and positivity, but could also be called unorganized, irresponsible, and unrealistic, respectively. If this really is the case, then it ultimately seems there is no escaping our weaknesses, and that they will follow their paired strengths no matter what. Which is why we should be focused on improving our strengths, instead of fixing our weaknesses. Up until the point that I read this article, I have been focused on fixing my weaknesses, and I was unsure if what he was writing about was valid. I almost had a closed mind until I got to this section and saw a list of my strengths and weaknesses written out in chart form. It makes perfect sense to me and helps me see that maybe my weaknesses are not really weaknesses at all, maybe they are just aspects of my strengths that society might consider to be weak.This chart has also made me think to look out for someones corresponding strength when I notice one of their weaknesses. All in all, it seems this way of thinking would lead to a more positive place to live.  

The next section I found to be helpful was “Foundation: Build On Your Strengths”. It opens with the quote by Marilyn vos Savant that says, “Success if achieved by developing our strengths, not eliminating our weaknesses”. And now, after reading this article, I agree with that statement. Focusing our our better qualities will our weaknesses slowly fade away. Rendall then states three points as to why you should build on your existing strengths instead of trying to fix your weaknesses. The first point says that building on your strengths is energizing. Math and reading make me tired. I can not focus and have no will to do so. However when I paint, draw, or work on a video project, I have undivided attention. I am awake and alert and love what I am doing. The second point states that your strengths are your natural gifts and they should be tended to. I was given the gift of creativity and artistic ability. It is what I love to do, and what I plan to do for the rest of my life. These god given gifts are going to help me become successful so why wouldn’t I focus on them? Lastly, he says that our strengths make up for our weaknesses. If I can make a movie that is going to make me million dollars, really, who cares if I am good at math? By working on my strengths and making them better and better, my weaknesses will inevitably become irrelevant. I find this lesson to be valid and consider it a very useful tip for success.




The final section I am choosing to write about is “Freak: The Power of Uniqueness”. David Rendall opens the section with another inspirational quote, this time from Albert Einstein; “Great spirits have always experienced violent opposition from mediocre minds.” This translates into the fact that creative people with open minds do their best to keep their minds open and keep the creativity flowing. This section is the story about the leaning tower of Pisa and how its accidental uniqueness has caused millions of people from all over the world to come see it’s tilt. He then states that five lessons can be learned fro this story. First is that the flaw in the leaning tower of Pisa is vital to its appeal. Perfect people do not exist. People’s flaws make them who they are and give them the unique qualities that help them succeed. Second, he states that fixing the flaw of the tower did not get them anywhere, but it didn’t stop them from trying. He is saying that attempting to fix your flaws will ultimately get you nowhere, so you should spend your time improving your strengths. Next, he says that even if you cannot fix your flaws, you should spend tie to maintain them, because they compliment your strengths and, when looked at in the right way, can also be a strength. Finally, he says that people will always be there telling you that you are weird or to stop being a freak. What we have to tell these people is that in the end, people will flock to see the unique, not the ordinary. These rules for being unique are valid in my opinion because they use specific facts as examples.

While reading this article, I looked at my own strengths and weaknesses to see if they had matches.  I decided that I have strengths in creativity, passion and spontaneity.  I am passionate about what I do, stay positive, and do the best I can. However my weaknesses cause me to be unorganized and the curse of taking any opportunity that comes along, sometimes leaving unfinished projects behind. When I open my mind, my creativity can not be contained. I become so passionate about my ideas that there is weakness in being disappointed when something doesn’t turn out the way I planned. Usually, I would be focusing on how to fix my flaws and turn them into good qualities. But after reading this article I have realized for the past couple years I have been focusing my strengths, and trying to figure out how to improve the good parts about me. Everyone has flaws, but not everyone has the specific talents that each one of us possesses. Some people are good at editing. They should focus on their editing skills while the other guy focuses on his writing. Together, they can create something amazing. I’m not saying that just because you are not great at something it means that you shouldn’t learn how to do it. I’m just saying that we should all share the skills we posses with each other and create something great. My creative process shouldn’t be the same as any one elses; that would mean we would all the same ideas. There would be no room for originality or creativity. My weaknesses and my strengths combine together to make me who I am. I will not fix my weaknesses because fixing them would be like taking the lean out of the tower.

Blog Assignment #8: Brainwashed

Brainwashed by Seth Godin

In Brainwashed, Seth Godin talks about seven ways to reinvent yourself. In the Acknowledging the Lizard section, the reader is encouraged to ignore the part of his or her subconscious that holds back letting out creativity in fear of being laughed at or discouraged by our peers. Ship was written to show the importance of getting things done. Without making our ideas realities and sharing them with others, we as humans are not accomplishing anything. Finally, Learn drills into our brains that learning in this world we live in never ends. School is ongoing and there is always new information to learn.


I will be the first one to admit that I felt these blogs were pointless and I would not even start them until the Sunday before they were due. But looking back, I think the posts really helped me understand what we were learning at the time. Even though what I was writing about was taught in class two or three weeks before, it was almost like a review for everything I had learned. Personally, I need to get my thoughts into words and talk about things to truly understand them. It’s not until I am forced to figure out something and explain it in my own words do I really understand the details of a project I am working on. For example, I can think I understand the concepts of light, color, line and shape in my head, but when I go to write about them I freeze. Completely these assignments allowed me to organize the information in my head that I know about these creative processes and really understand what I’m thinking, and how to use them in the future. Being able to understand these subjects and apply them to both my own, and other’s artwork, I feel more comfortable going into my major. I have always had a passion for video production and art, and for the most part know what I’m talking about, but being able to explain them to someone else makes me feel entirely more comfortable and prepared with what I’m going into. Even though most people wouldn’t call finishing all three blogs the night before they were due, a “good student” move, I feel like the blogs have made me a better student because of the way they help me understand what I’m doing and how to apply it to my own work. Furthermore, I enjoyed completing these blogs because of the readings that sometimes went along with them. They were both uplifting and encouraging to be creative original when making art. They told us to step outside the box and then asked us our own opinions on the matter to start us off. We were given open topics where we were allowed to write down our own emotions and opinions and share them with others. My favorite blog assignment was Blog Assignment #2: Finding Your Howl. I enjoyed this assignment because I was able to tell one of my own stories and how one of my favorite quotes connected to it. I love being able to share my thoughts and voice my opinions, so overall I think the blogs were a success.

Blog Assignment #7: Scene Deconstruction

 Big Fish: Circus Scene

Big Fish has many themes and lessons to be taught. However in this particular scene, Edward sees the love of his life for the first time. He says ‘they’ say that when this happens, time stops, but what they don’t tell  you is that afterwards, it has to speed up to catch up with itself. The active theme in this scene is that life is short, and time doesn’t slow down for anyone. It is active because even though time speeds up after he sees her, the actual lesson “life is short” is not stated directly.

I chose this scene because space, rhythm, and movement are all so clearly identified. The scene takes place at a circus. When Edward Blood looks out into the chaos, he sees no less than fifteen different hula hoops being spun, along with other acrobatic stunts, leaving nothing stationary. The movement is reinforcing the theme in that life is moving at a fast pace, and will never stop. Also, a use of space is demonstrated when time stops for Edward and everything around him comes to a halt, but he is able to move through time and space to get a closer look at the love of his life. This also reinforces the theme by showing that even though sometimes we feel time is going slower, it is still going at its constant speed. Tension and Release gives this scene an interesting appeal. Tension builds up as Edward walks through the frozen acrobats, and then is released when time speeds up again to catch up with itself. Contrast and Affinity is also demonstrated by the contrast between a moving Edward through performers and popcorn being thrown, frozen in time. Contrast is also shown when time speeds up and Edward is still in normal time. This scene of Big Fish is my favorite because it combines all of these elements to create a magical, yet witty way of getting the message out there that none of us have enough time, and we need to act, instead of daydream in order to accomplish our goals, and get what we want in life. We need to chase our dreams instead of watching them pass by.

In Class Assignment iMovie

In Class Assignment: Animation

Blog Assignment #6 - Animation Deconstruction

          These two still frames from the animated Pixar film Monster's Inc. can be compared and contrasted using color and lighting terms and concepts. The top frame uses cool purple, green, and blue hues to represent the happy and bright atmosphere Mike and Sully work in, even though their jobs are to scare kids. They are nice monsters and would actually never hurt a child. The brightness of the light streaming in from the glass ceiling is actually making Sully glow like an angel. How could anyone be afraid of a fuzzy monster with light shining down on him like it is in this scene? Instead of shadows, saturation is used in this same way to make Sully and Mike look like smiling, kind creatures. The only shadows used in the top still frame is the shadows cast on the floor from the giant bodies of these gentle giants. All of these examples symbolize Mike and Sully's personalities, instead of their frightening jobs, and set the mood as happy instead of terrifying. 

         The second still frame gives off quite a different mood. Dark blues and blacks are used in this scene to not only show that the little girl, Boo is supposed to be scared of Sully, but that Sully himself is terrified of the little girl. The only brightness in the shot is that of Boo's smiling face looking into the sun shining down on her and Sully. There is limited saturation used in the background and on the door showing the viewer that is where the evil lies. Boo does not want to return back to her room because she is afraid of other monsters that visit her every night. However, plenty of saturation is used on Boo and Sully to show that neither one of them are evil. They are both good characters, even though they are afraid of each other. Once again the shadows represent the evils in the movie, like the bad monsters that enjoy scaring little kids. Even though Sully appears to be terrified, they both stand in the light, showing that by the end of the film, they will become friends, and defeat the evils they will come to face.

Blog Assignment #5 - Storyboard Imitation

            Even though Finding Nemo is an animated film, the director and camera crew still has to keep in mind the rules to shooting a film. The 180 degree rule, the Rule of Thirds, and the 30 Rule, all still have to apply to animated films in order for the audience to not get confused and stay visually intrigued. Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, the directors of Finding Nemo followed all three of these very important rules. The 180 Rule is followed because the camera shows them from their right side, from their front, again on their right side, back to the front again, one more time from the right side, and then ultimately from the back, showing the two fish swimming away. Dory and Marlin are never shown from their left side, in order to keep from confusing the audience from thinking they are swimming in the opposite direction. The camera does not cross the 180 degree line that is drawn from the beginning, keeping the viewer on the right track.

The Rule of Thirds is followed in every shot of this scene from Finding Nemo. In the first shot, Dory and Marlin are both placed a third of the way in from the sides of the frame. In the second shot, both fish are placed in the first third of the frame, and the mysterious fog is taking up the second two thirds of the frame. In the third shot, again, they are placed on the imaginary lines a third of the way from both sides. The second frame is repeated in the fourth, and finally, showing the fish from the back, they continue to follow the Rule of Thirds.
Lastly, the 30 Rule is followed because the shots never jump more than two levels of shot from one frame to the next. In other words, not changing the shot by 30% or 30 degrees.
Stanton and Unkrich demonstrate their directing talents in this scene by following the essential rules of camera movement. 

By doing this they understand that the audience’s eyes will not have to do too much work to follow the scene, and in turn will not be confused by which direction the fish are swimming.