Question Response

In response to Christie's question, I do believe that people have become desensitized to images. This however is not the fault of the viewer, but rather a natural outcome of the concept of photography. We have all seen the power of repetition, which goes the same with photography. We see an image over and over, and we become use to it maybe even comfortable with it. This imminent outcome of photography has its negative aspects, however there is a crucial factor of importance. These images make us remember. For example, when thinking of the JFK assassinaiton, whether you were alive at the time or not, everyone pictures the same image of the motorcade and president slumped over. Therefore, due to photography and our desensitization to images, a compilation of history is catalogued forever.

Shawn Kepfer

NW Film Fest

The movie I saw was entitled Selfless. It was a very entertaining movie to say the least, filmed in Portland and Seattle. Highly recommended.



-Bryce VanHoosen-

NW Film Festival

On Friday I attended Shorts II. Although it started off promising with Smile, it was overall a disappointment with videos that made little sense, and did not present any idea with enough power or conviction to move the audience. That is, aside from Little Pleasures, which was powerful, even if it was disturbing. It showcased a girl who force fed herself gum until she was gagging and eventually vomiting. Although it was mentally and physically unsettling, it's critique of destructive behavior, such as drug use, was very powerful.

NW Film Festival

I went to Shorts 2 at the NW Film Festival, and was disappointed. The first film called Smile was the only decent one, because it was the only one that had a storyline. All the other films where random and tried way too hard to be "artistic". My least favorite was probably one entitled The Tourist, it was a excerpt from a film that Jack Nicholson was in and it was him played in slow-motion. It got worse because the "artist" had edited out all of the background, and replaced the audio with the sound of a wind gust. I sort of expected films like this to be at the festival but Shorts 2 was judge favorites, so I hoped for more and didn't get it.

Derek Klayum

NW Film Festival

I attended Shorts I on Thursday night. It was at nine and after another film.
I liked the longer ones that told a specific story the best.
The one I was most excited to see what the one about the restaurant, because I work at a restaurant, but it turned out to be a lot less exciting then I thought.

Mania drama

In reading my write up you'll see why it was drama(running late, traffic jams being lost and no cash). I enjoyed the film and it gave me some insight into the history of the Blazers. I was a big fan in the 90's when they were making their run for the championships. Then stopped following when they would fall short later on. Now with the new blood I am starting to listen to the games and starting to get the "mania."

The Power of YouTube

YouTube is something that I don't use very often, but I am starting to more. It really is a great site because it emphasizes free speech. I think it's wonderful that anyone can put their own material on the space for millions to see. It supports individuality while creating a form of social networking at the same time. With the creation of this site, everyone now has the power to create what they want and post it for all to see. I only wonder what will happen when YouTube begins streaming live video. This could be a great new feature or it could be potentially dangerous. For now it is a very useful tool, whether it be for fun, professional, or even for research.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whmp5yRnABs

Shawn Kepfer