Making this video with Julia and Parker was a really fun and amazing experience. Not only did we have a blast, but we created a film that I am really proud of. Our idea was really great and had an important message (but I suppose I might be a little biased). We were able to address the fact that technology is taking over our lives and that we are oblivious to the world around us when we are using these gadgets. We no longer appreciate the real world for what it has to offer us. We need to supplement it with a cyber world as well. We only faced two minor problems throughout our filming. First, our ideas were a lot bigger than actually feasible for a one minute video, so it took a little while for us to accept the fact that we had to be short and sweet. Lastly, our only technical difficulty was blending the voices and background music perfectly. In parts it is hard to hear what Julia and Parker are saying over the music, but I don’t think it ruined our film in the slightest. I really enjoyed this project and had a great time filming it!


Video taken from YouTube

The Guidance of a Smart and Sassy Baby

Thesis:

Using E-Trade to manage your investments is so fun and easy, even a baby can do it!

Triune Brain:

Neocortex – The neocortex is being activated throughout this video to process the dialogue as well as the writing on the screen.

Limbic – The limbic brain is activated throughout this video to process the baby singing as well as the brief musical interlude at the end.

Limbic – The limbic brain is also activated when you see the baby talk and be humorous because it triggers the emotional brain and it just makes you happy inside.

Trends:

Technological shift from analog to digital because you can access this video on YouTube from many different places like your computer, smartphone, iPad, etc.

Personal shift from mass to participatory because you are able to interact with the video on YouTube by rewinding, pausing, or fast-forwarding.

Cultural shift from private to surveillance because once the video is YouTube, the viewers are able to be tracked and logged.

Facts:

• Riding the dog results in a time out

• On E-Trade you can check your investment portfolio and research stocks

• E-Trade allows investments to be unleashed

• There is an e-trade ap for smartphones

• Babies can apparently speak in full coherent sentences while making their own investments

7 Principles:

Emotional transfer – You feel really happy and smiley throughout the entire video because there is a baby to make it cute and funny.

Production techniques – The simplistic filming of the E-Trade commercials is a clear production technique because it represents the fact that it is supposed to be documenting the life of a baby. There is also no real change in lighting or camera angles which make it feel like the baby turned on the camera himself and is complaining to it rather than it seeming like a commercial.

Ownership – It is relatively clear that this is an E-Trade advertisement, but you are more focused on the funny talking baby making witty comments rather than the owner of the commercial until the very end when the large logo appears on the screen and an unknown man recites the slogan.

Persuasive Techniques:

Humor is clearly used in this commercial because seriously, what is funnier than a cute talking baby with an attitude?

Warm fuzzies is obviously a big part of this commercial since they use a cute baby as their spokesperson.

Symbols are also seen in this commercial with the E-Trade logo at the end of the video.

There is also one big lie in this video…babies don’t talk or make investments (at least not very thoughtful ones).

*Videos taken from YouTube and photos taken from Google images*

Just a Dash of Media in My Childhood

When I was younger, “You’ve got mail” had two meanings and AVRDolphin was my alias. My parents divorced when I was little, which resulted in lots of moving over the years. When we would move I would get nervous in the new houses, so I unfortunately got into the habit of only being able to fall asleep with the TV on. This presented a problem. I would stay up way too late because I wanted to see how the shows ended. So my sister and I found the best solution. For a whole year we would fall asleep watching the movie, “You’ve Got Mail.” We would start from where we left off each night and would eventually rewind it and start again. It was the perfect plan, and to this day that movie still puts me to sleep. Who needs Nyquil when you have a Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks love story to get you to sleep?

America Online was my childhood. The day my Dad created my new identity, AVRDolphin, there was a whole new world to explore. I could search things, play games, receive emails, watch videos, but I barely did any of that. I would get really excited when I heard the computer man tell me, “You’ve got mail,” but the emails were always pretty lame. The instant messenger aspect was where my time was spent. I remember going into school giving everyone my screen name hoping they would chat me later. I would sit at my huge PC desktop at night with a bunch of IM’s open, just typing away. My Dad would often come in to check up on me, hoping I was typing so vigorously about something intellectual like homework instead of how cute my crush looked that day. He was almost always disappointed.

Photo taken by me: Distracting my nephews with TV while my sister and I got some other stuff done around the house

Therefore, growing up I was no stranger to television or the internet. Being the youngest of so many siblings, the rules were a little more relaxed for me and television was how I was kept occupied (a tactic still used on my nephews). I even learned the concept of time using the TV. When I would get sad my parents were leaving for a little while they would say, “We will be back in two Barneys and one Sesame Street” to make it seem like a lot less time. When I was in elementary school, I had both a TV and a computer in my bedroom and was allowed to use both of them whenever I wanted. Although my parents’ famous line was, “Watch as much TV as you want, but you are the one who has to stay up late and finish your homework.” And that I did. I would attempt to do my homework while watching TV, muting during commercials to do the reading portions. It was not the most efficient way, but it worked just fine and I always got everything done! I was the kid in school that people were jealous of, not because I was super cool and awesome (which I obviously was), but because I was allowed to watch things that they weren’t. My favorite being the show Friends. I was allowed to stay up later and watch the grown up shows that they dreamed about. This only got me in trouble a few times. Once at a friend’s house when I begged her mother to let me watch 7^th Heaven so I wouldn’t miss anything (these were days before Hulu and DVR). Other times I would inform my friends of something I learned on a show or in a movie. Apparently these things kids weren’t supposed to know for a few more years.

My favorite song when I was growing up...



video taken from YouTube

I can say definitively, I was not a fan of newspapers as a child. My parents love the New York Times and always have, which is the last thing a child wants their parents to like. It took their attention off my sisters and me. They were unable to multitask when reading the newspaper, which made my breakfast time incredibly boring. Although when Dad was reading it was the ideal time to ask him questions. Our favorite being, “Dad can we have a million dollars please” with an automatic “Yes” response. We were very smart little girls and he still owes us a lot of money.

My Dad also owned a publishing company when we first moved to New Milford, Connecticut. My sisters and I would often get dropped off there after school by our carpool until he was done working. Depending on the day, this was either really fun or incredibly boring and long. We loved playing with his employees and distracting them from their many tasks (sorry Dad), and they would even let us help with little things like shredding paper. We would often resort to painting our nails with White Out at his secretary’s desk or photocopying our hands with the copy machine (both very fun ways to entertain ourselves). All of these activities were fun, but only for so long. I had a very short attention span as a child. Therefore, the production of newspapers became just as boring as the actual newspaper itself. Occasionally we would do our homework, but we usually managed to find something better to do instead.

Top photo taken from Google images

A Little Taste of My Life

My name is Anabel and senior year of high school I was voted most likely seen eating and most often heard chewing. I love food and eating and everything else that comes along with it; perhaps this is why my nickname has always been Belly or Bellybutton. I am from Connecticut and am the youngest of a very large, complicated family with one very delicious common interest: food. Just to give you a little taste of my life, I have 2 full sisters, 2 half sisters, 1 half brother, 3 step sisters, 1 step brother, a mom, a dad, a stepmom, and a stepdad. If addition isn't your thing, this adds up to 9 siblings and 4 parents. I am the baby. My mom and her 5 oldest children (me excluded) are incredible chefs. Some of them professionally trained and others naturally brilliant in their culinary skills. When you are the youngest, your family tends to take care of you by default. Therefore, I mostly just do the eating. Since I have yet to hit my cooking stride and am used to being told what to do by my older siblings, I have mastered the art of being a sous-chef, even though my overprotective sisters still get nervous when I use knives.

Food, and the process of cooking, is the religion I would consider myself to be a believer in. I was not brought up practicing any organized religions, but I was brought up on the ritual of family time in the kitchen. Our holidays and family gatherings (even just dropping by for lunch) are always planned around meals and who will be the chef in charge (of that particular meal). Our excitement for new dishes (and new cravings) often influences the days’ activities in each of our houses. For example, this summer I nannied for my twin nephews, and my sister and I often planned out what we would cook each day during the kid's naptime. We were either planning what we ourselves would eat or what little dishes we would make for the kids to taste test in order to see what they liked and didn't like. Our creativity was only limited by what kinds of vegetables were ready for the picking that day in my sister's garden. A lot of our summer recipes came from my summer read: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. And let me tell you, they are two very well-fed little boys!

My personal and academic interests have been greatly influenced by my love for food. I am an Environmental Studies Health and Policy major with an interest in how different foods and their quality affect the health of populations. I plan on focusing on how they are grown and that could be connected to people’s nutrition. I am interested in taking my personal love for food and looking at it from a bigger perspective. Possibly a perspective that will have a greater reach then the inside of my "belly."

We also enjoy a little encouragement when we cook/eat...

photo credit: 1st picture: my mom, 2nd picture: me
video from YouTube