Forces Of Nature
Where is the safest place on Earth?
--TECHNOLOGY--
INVESTIGATION
The problem is that the the earth is full of dangers and the forces of nature can be destructive and devastating. Here are some examples:
- Earthquake and tsunami, Japan (2011)
Cost: $235 billion (by the World Bank)
So far, 8,649 people have been confirmed dead and another 13,262 are missing since the 9.0-magnitude quake struck off the coast near Sendai, Japan, on March 11, 2011. The degree of damage caused by the earthquake and resulting tsunami was enormous. Videos show that almost no parts of any structures were left standing in the worst affected areas.
- Hurricane Katrina, U.S. (2005)
Cost: $81 billion total damage cost (by NOAA)
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst disasters in the U.S. history. It made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Aug. 25, 2005. At least 1,836 people died in the hurricane and in the subsequent floods. Five years later, thousands of displaced residents in Mississippi and Louisiana were still living in temporary accommodations.
- Sichuan earthquake, China (2008)
Cost: $29 billion (by the World Bank)
The May 12, 2008, Sichuan earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 magnitude. The quake killed about 70,000 people and left more than 18,000 missing. The epicenter was 80 km (50 miles) west-northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, where almost 4 million people resided.
(research and provided five examples of natural disaster in recent history)
Design Brief
My task is to work in pairs to investigate, plan and create a video that demonstrates my ideas and understandings of “the safest place on earth”, using knowledge and skills from Science, Technology and Humanities
Target Audience
The target audience is the MYP grade 7 students and teachers who will be acting as potential home buyers.
Testing Method
The product will be tested:
- The product will be a short persuasive film (aka infomercial)
- It will be shown to my target audience on Wednesday, the 29th May
- The target audience will complete a feedback form and the feedback form will ask questions that are directly linked to the design specification.
Design Specifications
The product must be:
- 5 minutes in length (10% over/under is acceptable) this include title and credits
- contain original and appropriate music
- it must be completed with a partner (both partners should appear in the film)
- balanced of original film footage (50%) and stock film footage or photographs (50%)
- balance between spoken word and music in the soundtrack
- effective use of text (titles, captions, subtitles, etc.)
- demonstrate effective editing techniques (i.e. transitions)
- persuasive
- demonstrate excellent video capturing skills
- include data to justify the location of the safest place in the world (charts, graphs, facts and figures)
I conducted some research about the relationship between music, films and emotions and this is what I found.
(a) find some excellent examples of effective use of music in films where the music enhances the story-telling experience.
Almost Famous: "Tiny Dancer" - Elton John
Cameron Crowe is one of the best directors in terms of coupling music with what you see onscreen, and he uses the soundtrack to great effect in films like Vanilla Sky and especially with the iconic ending of Say Anything. However it's this moment from Almost Famous which makes the biggest impact for me. Stillwater are on the verge of splitting, when they pick up their lead singer, who's been dropping acid at a fan's house, and all get back on the tour bus. The band are barely talking and tensions are running high when this song plays on the radio, and one by one everyone sings along, with appropriately feel-good results. The exchange at the end may be a little on the nose, and the scene may be too cheesy for everyone, but I defy you to watch it without smiling.
http://deadfinksdontblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/15-best-uses-of-songs-in-film.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7Qn3tel9FWU
Music unquestionably affects our emotions. We tend to listen to music that reflects our mood. When we’re happy we may listen to upbeat music; when we’re sad we may listen to slower, moving songs; when we’re angry we may listen to darker music with heavy guitar, drums, and vocals that reflect our level of anger.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/26/how-music-impacts-helps-our-emotions/
suppose that you were about to enter a new phase in your life and at that same time you discovered a new song that you liked a lot. Listening to this song more than once will make it become associated with that period of your life and then you will recall that period whenever you listen to it.
http://www.2knowmyself.com/How_music_affects_emotions
I also found this website: stereomood.com
Stereomood is a free music streaming service that plays music tailored to your mood and daily activities. Much more than radio, it's a tool to create playlists for every occasion, with the ability to tag and share music with everyone you know.
- creating songs is hard
- I learned how to make dynamic music
- how to make the tunes match
- how to make tunes stand out but not all messed up
- have a better understanding of dynamic music
(d) I Used www.clubcreate.com and create a song that is 3 minutes, is sad, emotive, moving and evokes feeling of devastation and destruction. You can listen to my song here: http://lstn.to/6QUY. When I compare and contrast the online tools clubcreate.com and soundation.com my thoughts are:
- they both have their goods and bads
- soundation seems easier to understand than clubcreate at the beginning
- clubcreate gives a more accurate timing
- soundation doesn't have a length limit, but i think clubcreate has a limit
- it's easier to add tunes in clubcreate than in soundation
(e) I conducted some research about Infomercials and this is what I discovered...
Infomercials, also known as Direct Response TV (DRTV), are television commercials which generally include a phone number or website.
Infomercials are also known as paid programming (or teleshopping in Europe).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infomercial
The student explains the problem, discussing its relevance. The student critically investigates the problem, evaluating information from a broad range of appropriate, acknowledged sources. The student describes detailed methods for appropriate testing to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification.