Showing posts with label GCE Lab School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GCE Lab School. Show all posts
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Cine-Bridge
In my class Social Entrepreneurship we learned everything that comes into learning about making business. We mainly went over hedgehog concept, marketing, incentives, mission/vision statements, financial projections, sales, pitch, legal structures, and we also read the book The E-Myth. As for FEs we had many guest speakers come in, we had the founder of Purple Asparagus, the director of 826Chi, and we had our very own founder of GCE Eric Davis come in. All of these people showed us what worked best for them and what they could have done better, everyone was saying how they needed to make their marketing better, which was a key takeaway. For the action project, we had to create a business idea of our own, we had the entire term to work on this, and each subject of our business was discussed whilst learning about it, such as what our mission/vision statement would be. We had to create a video doing our pitch, recreating the idea of we actually had to do a very quick pitch to someone about our business. I really liked this project, because I feel it really helps me with thinking about the future, and I really hope I can make this an actual business at some point. I struggled a lot with my time and being able to hit everything content wise, without going over time. Below is my pitch, hope you enjoy learning about my company Cine-Bridge!
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Learning To Survive
In my unit 3 of my class Endurance we learned about the aftermath of being in hell and coming out better people from the heroes journey. The main people we looked at was the writer of Night Elie Wiesel and a man from Africa that was a child soldier and was able to escape when he got older. As far as field experiences we, for the first time, created our own! Mine was going to CineSpace, a landlord basically for production companies that need space to film or a hub to go to so they can talk about the film's progress. For the action project we had to create a survival book for our future goals in life. For me that is becoming a director in film, where I was able to talk about what I need to be prepared for, what materials I will need, to set a timeline of what my future might hold. This action project was pretty simple I would say and I liked doing it, like the others it helped with figuring things out for my future and I am very grateful for that. Something I didn't like was that we had to think about the future so much, I am someone that likes to not think about the future but this was something that I felt helped a lot. I really hope you enjoy, and if you hope to become a film director I hope this is helpful in understanding the field!
What?:
My dream/mission is to become a film director and work in the film industry, I want to pursue this because I am very into art. With art, it can be very hard finding jobs and films are in art form that I a lot of people like and can get into. Not only because I see film as an easier art form to get into, but I also really like being able to work with so many people and be able to create something and make it real for people to experience. On the note of experience, I get a lot of emotions when watching films, and I know this is true for just about everyone, I want to spread that and have people talk about what their favorite movie is and why it made them laugh or cry. Right now I am in high school as a small independent filmmaker and soon going to college to study film. After college or during college I hope to become a director in film that is highly recognized, I want to change up the game in some films to keep people more interested!
Lay of the Land:
To be a film director the main job would be a director and then from there I can grow and do more such as acting or writing. The requirements are very varied, because a lot of people have become directors for blockbuster films after being an independent one for so long. But for me I want to go to college and take classes that way I can learn from people in the industry and network more, this way when I get close to graduating I can contact my teachers and see if they can give me a job. That is the main reason, also I feel college is helpful for many things and I know that it can help push me to be a better director. The requirements at Columbia to graduate a Director would be to take multiple classes where you study directing, acting, screenwriting, lighting, set design, almost everything; this way when you start the working with a crew you know the kind of language they use to work and function when doing their own jobs. The best person I can learn from is really myself and see what I do and how it can change to be better. At school, the best people are my teachers because they have knowledge and experience you want. Something very important is that while I am going to school, that piece of paper doesn’t mean much when I graduate because it is more based on the work I make and if I good features; college does help a lot though with networking. According to The Department of Labor, on average a film director will make about 70 grand a year. That number is only a mean, it is very hard to tell how much they will make because as I said it really comes down to work you put in. It is very important that in my career I have made a film reel to show off to people so they will hire me to be the director for that film, otherwise they won’t want me. Something interesting I found on Sokanu, is that the peak for maturity in this field is the age of 62, meaning I have a lot work to do to make sure I can lower that number for myself and prove that I am a great director. Right now more people want to be film directors and the growth rate for them coming in for the next 10 years is estimated to be a 9.1% growth. The film field for a job is very hard, and keeping a stable job is not really option because it all focuses on how much work I am willing to put in. I am prepared to do this and I have realized what I need to do, once I start college I can start doing what I need, which is work! I have already made three films of my own and have worked with a film company for a day doing multiple things, meaning I have a good start.
Timeline:
2017 - Made three films of my own
2017/2018 - Start college
2019 - Start directing my own films in school
2020- Graduate with a BFA in Cinematic Directing
2022 - Start interning at a production company
2023 - Get a paid job to start working myself up to being a director
2025 - Prove myself to be a good director
2027 - Direct my first blockbuster movie
2029 - Go to Oscars for new young Director
2035 - Direct my third blockbuster
2037 - Start collaborating more with independent artists
Materials:
The resources needed for this actually aren’t to bad to get, what I will need in college are the classes and money for the classes. I am going to Columbia College in Chicago and tuition normally is about $28,000 each year so in all the four years I will have paid $112,000. It might not even be that bad because for this. Scholarships are involved meaning that I won't have to pay that much exactly. As for other supplies such as a crew and equipment, most of that will be provided for me when I am in school. Then, when I am in the industry and I am a director, the crew and equipment/space will be paid from the production company and not me directly. In the beginning it will cost a lot, but if I learn to really take advantage of that money and time, then in the future it will pay off.
Non-negotiables:
There are a lot different roadblocks that can happen, and I feel that depending on what it is will determine what I will sacrifice. I will not sacrifice the fact that becoming a director is very important to my life and if someone or something is getting in my way; such as certain relationships I will need to really think if they are worth keeping to better further myself and my career. As for if it is something intellectually that I need to know then I know that I will be willing to put in the time in college or outside to make sure I have mastered what I need to get over.
What if?:
Worst-case scenario is that the film business is failing and I can’t become a director because the need is being lost. In that case I will have to find another job where I can use my knowledge to become an independent filmmaker and share my own work with people that still respect the art form or even become a teacher to people that want to become filmmakers. I have also thought about a business that I can create that will bring independent filmmakers closer to blockbuster production companies so that there is a new element that the want for filmmakers and directors will go up. Also something I need to prepare for is the simple fact that I might not want to do film anymore and I need to find a new field. I don’t know what I will do if that happens, I might try my best to finds something different in art where I have a good amount of experience that I can switch into. I think I would try to go into business because while hard it can be very good invest to study more. That even goes with my plan if the film industry was failing, because while I wouldn’t be doing films directly I would still have knowledge that isn’t thrown out of the window.
Inspiration:
“Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director. Everything after that you’re just negotiating your budget and your fee.”
- James Cameron
“A Lot of Times You Get Credit for Stuff in Your Movie You Didn’t Intend to Be There.”
- Spike Lee
“I think audiences get too comfortable and familiar in today’s movies. They believe everything they’re hearing and seeing. I like to shake that up.”
- Christopher Nolan
“But having a really good understanding of history, literature, psychology, sciences – is very, very important to actually being able to make movies.”
- George Lucas
“If a Million People See My Movie, I Hope They See a Million Different Movies.”
- Quentin Tarantino
These are five quotes by very famous directors that I really like because they prove to step out of the normal and to just work and prove yourself as a director.
Map:
Advice for Others:
If you want to be a film director, then start working, it something I have start doing and it has helped me so much. I have only made three films, in each you can see more growth in each, not a lot but enough to know that I am heading down the right path. I would say school is important to go to and learn what you can, the professors have worked in the field and know what they are talking about and know people that can get you a job. This is an amazing field that has so many benefits, you literally just need to work, keeping working and proving yourself. This is a path that where reaching the end is very difficult.
Sources:
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 01 June 2017.
"How to Become a Film Director: a Sharp Reality Check." Learn Filmmaking | Articles and Blog for Filmmakers. N.p., 05 Feb. 2017. Web. 01 June 2017.
"Film Director." Sokanu. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017.
"101 Great Filmmaker Quotes." FilmmakerIQcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017.
Nicholas’s Survival Kit
(Film Director)
NVA ”Take One” 2017.
Become The Director, Be The Director
What?:
My dream/mission is to become a film director and work in the film industry, I want to pursue this because I am very into art. With art, it can be very hard finding jobs and films are in art form that I a lot of people like and can get into. Not only because I see film as an easier art form to get into, but I also really like being able to work with so many people and be able to create something and make it real for people to experience. On the note of experience, I get a lot of emotions when watching films, and I know this is true for just about everyone, I want to spread that and have people talk about what their favorite movie is and why it made them laugh or cry. Right now I am in high school as a small independent filmmaker and soon going to college to study film. After college or during college I hope to become a director in film that is highly recognized, I want to change up the game in some films to keep people more interested!
Lay of the Land:
To be a film director the main job would be a director and then from there I can grow and do more such as acting or writing. The requirements are very varied, because a lot of people have become directors for blockbuster films after being an independent one for so long. But for me I want to go to college and take classes that way I can learn from people in the industry and network more, this way when I get close to graduating I can contact my teachers and see if they can give me a job. That is the main reason, also I feel college is helpful for many things and I know that it can help push me to be a better director. The requirements at Columbia to graduate a Director would be to take multiple classes where you study directing, acting, screenwriting, lighting, set design, almost everything; this way when you start the working with a crew you know the kind of language they use to work and function when doing their own jobs. The best person I can learn from is really myself and see what I do and how it can change to be better. At school, the best people are my teachers because they have knowledge and experience you want. Something very important is that while I am going to school, that piece of paper doesn’t mean much when I graduate because it is more based on the work I make and if I good features; college does help a lot though with networking. According to The Department of Labor, on average a film director will make about 70 grand a year. That number is only a mean, it is very hard to tell how much they will make because as I said it really comes down to work you put in. It is very important that in my career I have made a film reel to show off to people so they will hire me to be the director for that film, otherwise they won’t want me. Something interesting I found on Sokanu, is that the peak for maturity in this field is the age of 62, meaning I have a lot work to do to make sure I can lower that number for myself and prove that I am a great director. Right now more people want to be film directors and the growth rate for them coming in for the next 10 years is estimated to be a 9.1% growth. The film field for a job is very hard, and keeping a stable job is not really option because it all focuses on how much work I am willing to put in. I am prepared to do this and I have realized what I need to do, once I start college I can start doing what I need, which is work! I have already made three films of my own and have worked with a film company for a day doing multiple things, meaning I have a good start.
Timeline:
2017 - Made three films of my own
2017/2018 - Start college
2019 - Start directing my own films in school
2020- Graduate with a BFA in Cinematic Directing
2022 - Start interning at a production company
2023 - Get a paid job to start working myself up to being a director
2025 - Prove myself to be a good director
2027 - Direct my first blockbuster movie
2029 - Go to Oscars for new young Director
2035 - Direct my third blockbuster
2037 - Start collaborating more with independent artists
Materials:
The resources needed for this actually aren’t to bad to get, what I will need in college are the classes and money for the classes. I am going to Columbia College in Chicago and tuition normally is about $28,000 each year so in all the four years I will have paid $112,000. It might not even be that bad because for this. Scholarships are involved meaning that I won't have to pay that much exactly. As for other supplies such as a crew and equipment, most of that will be provided for me when I am in school. Then, when I am in the industry and I am a director, the crew and equipment/space will be paid from the production company and not me directly. In the beginning it will cost a lot, but if I learn to really take advantage of that money and time, then in the future it will pay off.
Non-negotiables:
There are a lot different roadblocks that can happen, and I feel that depending on what it is will determine what I will sacrifice. I will not sacrifice the fact that becoming a director is very important to my life and if someone or something is getting in my way; such as certain relationships I will need to really think if they are worth keeping to better further myself and my career. As for if it is something intellectually that I need to know then I know that I will be willing to put in the time in college or outside to make sure I have mastered what I need to get over.
What if?:
Worst-case scenario is that the film business is failing and I can’t become a director because the need is being lost. In that case I will have to find another job where I can use my knowledge to become an independent filmmaker and share my own work with people that still respect the art form or even become a teacher to people that want to become filmmakers. I have also thought about a business that I can create that will bring independent filmmakers closer to blockbuster production companies so that there is a new element that the want for filmmakers and directors will go up. Also something I need to prepare for is the simple fact that I might not want to do film anymore and I need to find a new field. I don’t know what I will do if that happens, I might try my best to finds something different in art where I have a good amount of experience that I can switch into. I think I would try to go into business because while hard it can be very good invest to study more. That even goes with my plan if the film industry was failing, because while I wouldn’t be doing films directly I would still have knowledge that isn’t thrown out of the window.
Inspiration:
“Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director. Everything after that you’re just negotiating your budget and your fee.”
- James Cameron
“A Lot of Times You Get Credit for Stuff in Your Movie You Didn’t Intend to Be There.”
- Spike Lee
“I think audiences get too comfortable and familiar in today’s movies. They believe everything they’re hearing and seeing. I like to shake that up.”
- Christopher Nolan
“But having a really good understanding of history, literature, psychology, sciences – is very, very important to actually being able to make movies.”
- George Lucas
“If a Million People See My Movie, I Hope They See a Million Different Movies.”
- Quentin Tarantino
These are five quotes by very famous directors that I really like because they prove to step out of the normal and to just work and prove yourself as a director.
Map:
NVA “Map of Directing” 2017
Advice for Others:
If you want to be a film director, then start working, it something I have start doing and it has helped me so much. I have only made three films, in each you can see more growth in each, not a lot but enough to know that I am heading down the right path. I would say school is important to go to and learn what you can, the professors have worked in the field and know what they are talking about and know people that can get you a job. This is an amazing field that has so many benefits, you literally just need to work, keeping working and proving yourself. This is a path that where reaching the end is very difficult.
Sources:
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 01 June 2017.
"How to Become a Film Director: a Sharp Reality Check." Learn Filmmaking | Articles and Blog for Filmmakers. N.p., 05 Feb. 2017. Web. 01 June 2017.
"Film Director." Sokanu. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017.
"101 Great Filmmaker Quotes." FilmmakerIQcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
The 12 Hour Delivery
In Unit 2 of Endurance, we read more of Dante’s Inferno looking more at what the nine rings of hell were like. We mainly looked at people that put themselves in situations that call for a lot of enduring. One person we looked at was David Blaine, the magician, and his process for staying under for 17 minutes. Then, we looked at this girl Laura Dekker, who traveled the world on a boat by herself at the age of 14, and looked at her process through doing that. Both of these people had goals in their life that they need to fulfill to be whole. That’s where the action project comes in we had to figure out what our goal was in our life, for me it’s filming and becoming a director. So for the action project, we needed to figure out what we could do for 12 hours to get one step closer to our goal. I in these 12 hours I wrote a script, found actors, location scouted, filmed and edited my video together. We also had to document what the process was like and show what things we had to prepare for and random things that came along the way when trying to do these 12 hours. For myself, I made a film called, “The Briefcase” where this one man has to make a life changing exchange to get money for his family. I faced a lot of small challenges during this process, such as writer's block for example. What I liked about this action project was it really helped me get back into filming and that process and also taught me so much. Something I didn’t like was having to document myself while filming and doing tasks because it became a nuisance. Down below is my film I made and the video my process and all the things I experienced, a behind the scene if you will.
The Process behind filming:
The Process behind filming:
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Chapter 1 Of My Life
In unit of my new class endurance we looked at different things people in the past had to endure both mentally and physically, and how it got them to be the amazing people they are known to be. We even did some endurance challenges of our own; the first one we did was sitting for 10 minutes without moving or sitting, something a lot of us were not able to do. The second one was holding a chunk of ice for 1 minute, two times; some people didn’t make it the first time and everyone did second time. Lastly, we had to do a boot camp training exercise with a teacher of Karate. As for the action project, we had to imagine ourselves 50 years in the future, for me that would be the age of 68. In this age I am writing an autobiography about myself and the mission I have for myself when I was a kid turning into an adult. I had to talk about the many things I had endured and how they got me here. I enjoyed doing this because I have such a strong mission to be in the film industry, and this only helped fuel the passion. There wasn’t anything I struggled with, I would’ve liked to have tried this not in essay form possibly. Below is the first chapter I have created my future book, hope you enjoy!
Chapter One:
Understanding
 |
| p3MediaWorks"On Set" 2016. |
I was born in Bulgaria and adopted when I was the age of one by a Greek family in Chicago. I was raised in the northwest side of Chicago, having a more privileged life than others, but it would take longer time to realise that. Growing up I would always make sure that I was good student, always messing around with friends on the weekends. When I was growing up a lot of people would want to go partying, where my friends and I would just drink pop, and play video games till the sun came up. Then as soon as the week started, I would jump into my school work, pushing through all the stuff I needed.
Then sooner than I could see, high school hit me. I was a very poor test taker and because of that I would make sure in the classroom I was doing amazing. I was going to go to school called Notre Dame, having to be part of their special ed program. This was something my parents and I weren’t happy about, but I was determined to prove them wrong and make my way up to an A in my classes. Then a funny little thing happened, I was found on the waiting list of a school named GCE Lab School, a small school still starting out. I visited this school and saw that this place was for me, classes where every student had a say, not just in the classroom, but the entire school the students would have freedom. In the school, there were two classes and instead of tests, it was mainly projects. This was a big mental challenge for me at first and something I struggled to adjust to, but after I did everyone saw that I was growing as a person. The school taught me so much about myself and the city I lived in.
Outside of school, I was doing various activities such as teaching myself to learn to ride a skateboard, taking martial arts, and learning more about my Greek language. I was always pushing myself to learn new things to help my body and my mind. My freshman year was when I when I had big physical challenge of breaking my arm for the second time, and after that I always to take care of it and make sure it wouldn’t break again. If it did break again, I would have to do special programs to make sure it was taken care of. I would take care of it by doing yoga and sports, this making me more careful with my body. In my years of high school I kept changing my idea of what I wanted to do with my life, when I would go to college and work. At first, it was an architect because my that was dad did, and I liked art and math which architecture catered to. Then in my sophomore year and junior year, I wanted to work for the CIA because I was training with martial arts, and I wanted to use those moves to some good use. After finding out what I would really have to do to get into the CIA, I decided it was something I wasn’t interested in. Late into my junior year, I wanted to do art more, and I was more into films. That is when I found my passion and what I knew what I could do: become a director.
To become a director I knew I had to go to a school, that would have great classes for that. I started applying to a lot of art schools with film programs, because I also wanted to study various art styles. I applied all over, but knew I wanted to stay close to home, the place I wanted to into the most was Pratt in New York, because for one it was a great art school, and to study film in New York was my idea of amazing and the perfect school. I had a list of all my school from which one I wanted to go to the most and the least:
- Pratt Institute
- Rhode School of Design
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Columbia College
- Savannah School of Art and Design.
To prepare I was making my own films each one better than the other. I was even taking classes at a small art school called Marwen to get more knowledge, doing animation and GIF making classes. Everything I was doing would be to prepare myself for film school.
One of the biggest road bumps I never saw coming was making an art portfolio. I didn’t rush to make one, but was smart and found old things I have done that I have done as a projects and found out those would work, plus my films I made, making the art portfolio I knew I could put together.
Now let’s jump forward a little, to my time in college studying film at Columbia College, and yes it wasn’t very high up on my list, but after looking at their film set, I knew this was the perfect place. My first year was very difficult having to adjust back to normal school tendencies; I hated having to take normal core classes such as English, math, science, history. But, I knew that if I could do great in those classes and pushed through I would be able to get to the filming.
Once I was filming I was loving it, getting to work with so many people that all had the same passion as me! Having such a great place to work on my ideas and learn more, to study all the things I ever dreamed for. There have been a lot of times where I will argue with the people I am working with because one of us wanted the film to a certain way. We would always come to some agreement, not really happy but able to still make it amazing. I would learn to make so many films, some being a noir style, some being animation, POV, anything you can think of! I was trying everything. I needed to fuel my need to learn and grow, because I was determined to work my butt off to show what I was made for!
I got the second chance of life by being adopted, and I was going to show that it was worth it! When I was 18, my friend and I were talking at Starbucks and he was said that, “A strength you show is powering through extremely difficult situations that could make or break a young adult.” I took that in such a positive way that I knew that I could do this and that I could be the film director I decided to be in my junior year of high school. My journey through all these parts of my life reminds me of Frank Worsley the captain of The Endurance, because on his journey he a lot of challenges, but each one only made him stronger and fight harder. All of my challenges lead to the best moment ever, the film I am most proud of.
The film I am most proud that I made when I was a senior was an action film that incorporated animation in it, I called it Surfer. It is a style that has been done before but not very common anymore, and at the time I knew it would be amazing… and it was! The film was about a man that discovers and he can enter any TV show he wants and make his life just like the show. This was something that took me months to make from all the design aspects, but my professors loved it and so did everyone I knew! I was able to bring another style to life. Not only did this film get my myself an A but it was able to get my name around in Hollywood and the filming community. Soon more people wanted it to be shown all around. This lead for so much success, and I learned something important: Understanding the things you endured as a young person are what got me where I am today, is the most important thing ever.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Greek Films
For community service I have been working for the Greek FilmHellenes as a helper in any event that they have going on. The Greek FilmsHellenes is a group of Greek people that help independent filmmakers that are Greek. They do this by getting a collection of films, selecting what they see best and showcasing it at the Skokie Theater. My role was to help around with any events. That included; helpingset up and promote the organization at other Greek events. Each year at Navy Pier they hold an events called, "Neighborhoods of the World" this is for Greek artists, businesses, and resturants to showcase what they have for the public. At this event I took pictures and directed the public to see if they wanted to make a quick video to submit so they could earn free tickets to the Skokie Theater showcasing. Also, each year there is a Greek parade which celebrates Greek independence. During that event I walk with the Greek FilmHellenes and hold up signs to show my pride as a Greek person.
 |
| NVA. "Greek FilmHellenes." 2015. |
From this experience I have learned a lot, in showing pride for a community, how to run a non-for-profit, and how certain films will be judged. I am someone that wants to be a filmmaker and this shed light on what people really like in films and what they don't. I will contunue to help out this organization and hopefully be a full on member one day. I was, from working with them for so long, considered to be a leader in a youth program they are thinking of starting up. This would be for young people, probably in the teens, that want to be filmmakers of their own.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Chicago Mix
In my new class Mixtapes, we studied Blues and Jazz and the historical context about those styles of music. We also learned about what goes into making music today versus the past, and how to improvise different sounds together. For FEs we went to Columbia College to sit in on a music theory class that was learning what we were learning and we learned more about Bebop Jazz music. We then the next day went to Stony Island Arts Bank to learn more about House music and how it grew in Chicago; we looked at some pieces from Frankie Knuckles, who was the founding father of House music. Lastly we went to Electrical Audio Studios to look at recording studios and how people record their music. For the action project we had to create a playlist of 5 different song that we think would be good for the Pitchfork Music Festival and explain how they show an attitude towards the world. I liked the range and the freedom we had with this project, because I feel the songs I picked were great, and have a nice range of genres. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like because I thought that this was a very fun project to do and think of. Below is my podcast of the 5 songs I thought would be best for the festival, hope you enjoy!
To listen to the full version of all these songs click the links below:
1. Childish Gambino - Me and Your Mama
2. Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor
3. J Balvin ft. BIA & Pharrell Williams - Safari
4. Chance The Rapper - Summer Friends
5. Georgie Porgie - Life Goes On
Saturday, February 25, 2017
The Vision
In unit 3 of my class System and Models we learned about how to make a company or group work the best, and different methods that are used to have the best working group. This includes looking at measures like Total Quality or Six Sigma, then looking at Commons, which are resources that are shared but not regulated. We also looked at the different work environments and how they can change the amount of productivity in a company. For an FE we talked to the head of the school Eric Davis about the different functions of our school. For the action project, we had to take a system with in the school, could be anything, and talk about about it through SWOT. I will explain SWOT in the presentation below. While explaining it through SWOT we also had to show how it relates to different trends that businesses do, the Commons, and Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. We then have to figure out how to make this system better and explain why it would work. I chose to talk about the teachers and how they collaborate with each other. Something I thought was interesting about this project, was there have been times when they use what we say and implement in the school itself. Something I thought was difficult was coming up with a way to present all of this, because it didn't need to be a presentation, that is just how I ended doing it. I would have liked more time so I could have made it more interesting and creative.
Friday, February 24, 2017
A Civil Future?
In unit 2 of my class Equality, we learned more about what we did in the past unit, but focusing more on the present and future of what race, gender, and class looks and will look. For a FE, we had Elizabeth Dozier come in and talk about what she is doing to help the people of Chicago. We also we went to go see the new film Hidden Figures. This helped a lot at looking at how race put our nation very behind in the mission to get to space. For our action project, we had to create a newspaper article for the future, 2117, on an issue we see would be alive during that time. Then create a toy that we think that children would have to play with, and a law/policy that should be in place to that future issue. For my issue I chose the subject of class, and how when there is a lack of a business in a certain neighborhood it can affect a lot. Something I liked about was that it pushed my creative mind to try to think further than the here and now. Something I didn’t like was the openness of it, because it was a little difficult to think of what can happen in a 100 years. Please enjoy reading my news article!
NVA Times
Feb 28th, 2117
Mariano Foods Stop Putting Stores in Low Income Neighborhoods:
History and Present:
Back in 2019 Whole Foods and Mariano’s boards came together and joined as one company, sharing resources and profit. The new company blew out the competition, even putting Aldi’s out of business. After many years business has been slow and quality of products lowering from expansion of stores, the board decided yesterday that they are taking their stores out of low income neighborhoods. The president of the company has this to say, “We have for years been losing money from all these stores in low income neighborhoods they are placed in. We decided to put them in high income neighborhoods so we can make the quality of food as good as possible again.”
Responses have been very negative from people in the neighborhoods they are pulling the stores from. An estimate of 1 million people have lost their jobs, and others have now to take a longer commute to get their jobs. Because of this, we are going back into our old ways of having food deserts where only fast food is the option for people in these neighborhoods. Sean Israel has this to say, “I had been working in that store for 5 years providing for my family, and now I have to work at Wendy’s which isn’t paying as well.” Sean is one of a million to have lost their jobs due to the company's decision to take their stores out.
For further expectations, we will see from the company if this was a smart choice or it will make it worse for them. Many cities are worried that now we will be back tracking into the early 2000s because very hard working people can’t have fresh food available to them. Mother Jean Harris has this to say about her children, “I am someone who wants my children to always eat healthy. How are they supposed to do that now that Mariano Foods is taking their store out of my neighborhood. I can’t drive up to the suburbs to get that food.” This is a very tragic event for many people, with cases from losing their jobs and fresh food, to now having food deserts again.
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New amendment signed into order:
28th Amendment:
Each state must have an equal amount of store and restaurant options in every part of the cities.
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Response:
Today is Feb 28th, 2117, my name is Valentin Lubinov. Living in this world is very interesting, so much better technology than the ones my parents and grandparents carried. I really don’t understand how they were able to survive that way. Because of Donald Trump’s election many things were set into motion over seas. A war has been raging for a while now, but it is mostly just threatening and no true action as been done yet. Racism is alive still although many people try to pretend that it is gone, but nothing is changing. Funny, my grandparents said something very similar to that me when I was younger.
As for the Mariano Foods moving their business to high income neighborhoods only, many people have lost their jobs, including some of my friends. I think it will blow over, and the company will realize that they need to go to being everywhere. It really helped people with their jobs, I don’t really understand why they would do something like that. Then due to that they might sign the new amendment into place that says they can’t do that, so that these people can have their jobs back; I would be more than happy to see my friends get their jobs back.
Our new President who is the second female president since 2020 is wanting to see a lot of change. For a long time, our society has been falling back onto old trends, like when I was reading about Donald Trump when he was president. I can’t believe a man like that became president. I am really glad that this president wants to make good change, and see more equality in our world today. As for the environment itself we are really trying to keep everything healthy but it is very hard with population we have the amount of needs that need to be met. Our new president, Mary Frank will make sure that we start to preserve land even more, and make sure that each town has some kind of park.
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Thursday, February 23, 2017
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
In my advisory class, Math Camp, we had to pick a math subject that we were interesting in learning more about. Then work on it for the entire class practicing the subject and getting good at it. We only met once a week on Mondays, we would give ourselves homework, or just use our class time to work on it. My subject is Card Counting, which is very popular when playing Blackjack aka 21. The point of the game is to get 21 in your hand to win, in casinos you are playing against whoever is at your table, and mainly the dealer. Card Counting is used to win the game, or have a better chance at winning, usually used to make sure you know what to bet when playing at casinos. This is related to math because in order to count the cards you need to be able to add and subtract very fast, it is very important to be able to remember things and adapt very quickly that is happening in the game. It is something that uses a lot of very simple math, but in such a fast pace that it can help you win a lot of money when you come out a casino. Hope you enjoy learning Card Counting and hopefully get good at yourself!
Now first thing you need to know to be good at Blackjack in general is basic strategy:
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| Blackjack Institute. "Basic Strategy." 2002 |
This chart shows you what you should and shouldn’t do when playing. This is an easy way to keep yourself ahead of the game. Now for counting cards it is very simple. Whenever a card is played you make sure you know how that affects the count. So I will tell what card does what.
- 2 through 6 = +1
- 7 through 9 = 0
- 10 through Ace = -1
Now that you know that when the deck is being played you just add or subtract numbers now. Say a 6, 5, 4, 7, ace, and 10 are played, the count would then be +1. This is because the 6, 5, and 4 made the count +3, but because the Ace and 10 were played it was dropped to +1. The count is very helpful in that it can tell you what to bet, and if you should go high or low. The main thing you should always know is that 10 has the most cards in a deck; you have the 10, Jack, Queen, and King. That is 16 cards out of 52 cards. Meaning they are the most likely to be played. You have always have to remember what is being played so you can also change your moves, because if a lot of 10 cards have been played then the chances of you getting another 10 are very low.
Lastly there is a thing called True Count, this is basically when you are playing a game with more than one deck. The way this works is, say your count currently in a game is +3, and there are 2 decks being played the true count would be +1.5. You divide the count by the amount of decks that are being played. This isn’t the easiest thing to do though because all casinos use a different amount of decks, and they have shuffle machines that can change everything in an instant. There is even a machine that keeping the true count is impossible because you can’t focus on how many decks are being played when it is constantly shuffling the cards.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Can I Help You With Something?
In unit 2 of my class System & Models, we learned about groups of people and how they come together, and how they go apart. As an FE we went to Mariano's and divided into groups to look at people and see what people go towards most in the store. As for the action project, we had to, with a partner or not, pick a subject we would want to do a lab report on. My partner and I choose to make an experiment to see how employees come up to us based on our gender, and see if there are any trends. Something I liked about our project was that we go to choose anything we wanted and got to use ourselves to our advantage when doing the experiment. Something that was difficult at first was choosing our subject, because my partner and I knew we had to do some extra stuff for our experiment since it was more than one person. Please enjoy looking at my lab report, and seeing how employees come up to people!
Friday, February 3, 2017
Marching for the World
In my class Equality, we went over the basics behind race, gender, and class, and all the ways in our world we aren't equal with these three subjects. We did have a guest speaker, Elizabeth Dozier, where we got to talk about issues in our city, Chicago. For our action project we had to make a history book chapter on a big event and show how to relates/effected race, gender, and class. The event I chose, was a very recent one, the Women's March, which happened on January 21st, 2017. This was a march for women's rights but turned into something much bigger. Something I liked about this project was that we got to choose any event, and really show how it connects with race, gender, and class, especially because it was so soon. Something I didn't like was that it had to be like a history book because the format of a text book is very hard to really copy, so I really had to play around with everything and make it look nice. Please enjoy reading my chapter in a history book for the Women's March!
Monday, January 23, 2017
Number One Protagonist
In the course System and Models, we learned about different personality tests and how they can be used in certain situations to help people understand you more, but also to help you understand yourself more. Next to that, we went over imaginary numbers and they can dispel the theory of not being able to square root a negative number. For the action project, we took multiple personality tests such as the Myers Briggs, Enneagram, DISC, and the TKI. Each of these show what kind of person you are in different ways. We then had to make a self portrait of ourselves and write an artist statement how two of these tests relate to our self portrait. The self portrait could have been anything visual, so I decided to do an actual self portrait of myself but add some details to make it relate more the personality tests I wanted to use. What I like about this project was being able to freely create anything and show how it really does represent us, even if it looks nothing like us. Something I struggled with was coming up with a way to do my self portrait, and how I wanted to do it, mainly because it was so free. I hope you like my drawing and like hearing more about me!
“Looking at Power”
Pencil/Markers
H 10 ½ “ x W 8”
Taking the Myers Briggs personality test and the Enneagram test, I learned more about myself in that I do take on a leader type of image. For the Myer Briggs personality test, I belong to the ENFJ community of people. Some famous people that fall under this category of the different 16 possibilities are Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. To go into more detail the, ENFJ are known for being, “natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. With a natural confidence that begets influence, ENFJs take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community (ENFJ Personality “The Protagonist”, 2011).” I really agree with this because I really like helping others with a passion, it makes me feel good. They do say that this category does not back down from talking out, which I don’t agree with for myself because I do tend to stay quiet, but I am speaking out more, because of my school. In the image I show this by the angle I drew myself, where I am looking up, as a leader would. I am stepping up and becoming the leader I know I can be in this world. For the Enneagram test, I fall under the One category, which has traits of a Four and Seven. To go into more detail: “Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards, but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and impatience. At their Best: wise, discerning, realistic, and noble. Can be morally heroic (“The Preformer Enneagram Type One” 2016).” I find that statement interesting because I have heard people say that about me, but I don’t really think of making mistakes; I actually like them, because I can learn and grow. Besides that, I really agree with most others things. They both strongly relate to each other, but the Myers Briggs is a bigger picture of how I am and the Enneagram goes into a little more detail of why I am like that. To symbolize that into the drawing, I used words and colored them to pop more - a way of going into more detail to explain my morals and personality type. Work, because I work hard, and push others to do the same. Create, because I like to create new things to make something better or solve a solution. Lead, because I am good at pulling people together and getting them to do what is necessary. Imagine, because I have a lot of big ideas of what I want to do in the world. Lastly, Future, because relating to Imagine, I have great plans for the Future, and I like to have a plan built for what will happen.
A couple of other tests that I took were the TKI, which shows how you are in conflicting situations, I got the Accommodator, which basically means, “the complete opposite of competing. When accommodating, the individual neglects his own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person; there is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode. Accommodating might take the form of selfless generosity or charity, obeying another person's order when you would prefer not to, or yielding to another's point of view (“An Overview of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)” 2009).” I agree with this a lot because I do tend to do this, just so I don’t have to fight anymore. I do feel in some cases this works with being a leader, because you need to know to work with people, and that might mean breaking up a fight so you can focus on what is important. Another test was the DISC, this measures what kind of person you are in a group. The personality I got in mine was Steadiness meaning, “is known for being steady, stable, and predictable. They are even-tempered, friendly, sympathetic with others, and very generous with loved ones. The S is understanding and listens well. Preferring close, personal relationships, the S is very opened with loved ones, but can also be possessive at times and hold them close (“Personality Types of DISC: S Personality Style (Steady)” 2017).” I agree with this a lot really because I am like this in many ways, in a group this works well for someone that is willing to put in the work with some guidance. I find that this can have some leadership qualities because they can put the forward, depending on the person they can pull people together. These two tests I believe are more detail of my two others being the Myers Briggs and Enneagram, they are represented but in a different way.
To create this image, I used pencil to have a outline of what I wanted and slowly made it more crisp and not as messy. Then I went over it in Sharpie and for the details used a thin point Sharpie. Same with the letters, and I planned out the colors actually. My thought process of doing so was really what it is important and what color really connects with the word; also depending on which one connect with the tests the most. That is why LEAD is all in capital letters and in red, because I want the viewer to see that first with myself. And then the other words are the thing keeping it up, like support, going into what it takes to lead.
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| NVA. “Looking at Power” 2017. Chicago |
“Looking at Power”
Pencil/Markers
H 10 ½ “ x W 8”
Taking the Myers Briggs personality test and the Enneagram test, I learned more about myself in that I do take on a leader type of image. For the Myer Briggs personality test, I belong to the ENFJ community of people. Some famous people that fall under this category of the different 16 possibilities are Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. To go into more detail the, ENFJ are known for being, “natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. With a natural confidence that begets influence, ENFJs take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community (ENFJ Personality “The Protagonist”, 2011).” I really agree with this because I really like helping others with a passion, it makes me feel good. They do say that this category does not back down from talking out, which I don’t agree with for myself because I do tend to stay quiet, but I am speaking out more, because of my school. In the image I show this by the angle I drew myself, where I am looking up, as a leader would. I am stepping up and becoming the leader I know I can be in this world. For the Enneagram test, I fall under the One category, which has traits of a Four and Seven. To go into more detail: “Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards, but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and impatience. At their Best: wise, discerning, realistic, and noble. Can be morally heroic (“The Preformer Enneagram Type One” 2016).” I find that statement interesting because I have heard people say that about me, but I don’t really think of making mistakes; I actually like them, because I can learn and grow. Besides that, I really agree with most others things. They both strongly relate to each other, but the Myers Briggs is a bigger picture of how I am and the Enneagram goes into a little more detail of why I am like that. To symbolize that into the drawing, I used words and colored them to pop more - a way of going into more detail to explain my morals and personality type. Work, because I work hard, and push others to do the same. Create, because I like to create new things to make something better or solve a solution. Lead, because I am good at pulling people together and getting them to do what is necessary. Imagine, because I have a lot of big ideas of what I want to do in the world. Lastly, Future, because relating to Imagine, I have great plans for the Future, and I like to have a plan built for what will happen.
A couple of other tests that I took were the TKI, which shows how you are in conflicting situations, I got the Accommodator, which basically means, “the complete opposite of competing. When accommodating, the individual neglects his own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person; there is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode. Accommodating might take the form of selfless generosity or charity, obeying another person's order when you would prefer not to, or yielding to another's point of view (“An Overview of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)” 2009).” I agree with this a lot because I do tend to do this, just so I don’t have to fight anymore. I do feel in some cases this works with being a leader, because you need to know to work with people, and that might mean breaking up a fight so you can focus on what is important. Another test was the DISC, this measures what kind of person you are in a group. The personality I got in mine was Steadiness meaning, “is known for being steady, stable, and predictable. They are even-tempered, friendly, sympathetic with others, and very generous with loved ones. The S is understanding and listens well. Preferring close, personal relationships, the S is very opened with loved ones, but can also be possessive at times and hold them close (“Personality Types of DISC: S Personality Style (Steady)” 2017).” I agree with this a lot really because I am like this in many ways, in a group this works well for someone that is willing to put in the work with some guidance. I find that this can have some leadership qualities because they can put the forward, depending on the person they can pull people together. These two tests I believe are more detail of my two others being the Myers Briggs and Enneagram, they are represented but in a different way.
To create this image, I used pencil to have a outline of what I wanted and slowly made it more crisp and not as messy. Then I went over it in Sharpie and for the details used a thin point Sharpie. Same with the letters, and I planned out the colors actually. My thought process of doing so was really what it is important and what color really connects with the word; also depending on which one connect with the tests the most. That is why LEAD is all in capital letters and in red, because I want the viewer to see that first with myself. And then the other words are the thing keeping it up, like support, going into what it takes to lead.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
The Independent Artist
For my independent study, I worked on beefing up my art portfolio for various colleges. I spent a lot of time working on essays and making different films that I could add to my art portfolio. I plan to go for a film major and I decided I needed to have more film work in my art portfolio. This independent study allowed to me see if film was something that I could get into and it also allowed me to explore different styles of film like animation and noir. The biggest project that I completed was a Noir film which you can watch below.
I submitted applications to the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD). Each college requires two essays, one talking about personal aspirations and another talking about why I as an artist is a good candidate for their school. In addition to the essays, each of the colleges asked for something different to be included in my portfolio. For instance, Pratt asked for a film treatment and RISD asked for a separate art project following their guidelines. So, I needed more time to work and explore my art and be able to follow my own schedule. This is why I decided to have an independent study. I worked on a lot in the month I had to myself. I was able to work on my essays and really focus on what I needed before a certain deadline for SAIC.
Then I got to work on various films. I worked on different animations, as well as creating a movie about someone doing something so bad they needed to lose their identity. In that short film, Lost & Gone, I want the audience to interpret what it is that he did that he would need to lose his identity. I created new film where for a week I planned out the script and was always writing down ideas for how it look very good, this way I got to see more of the planning behind films. I knew I wanted to create a Noir film, so I started by looking up the elements a Noir film, other than the fact that they are usually in black and white. I got a few people I knew to be the actors. Following a storyboard and a script, I recorded the actors. Then I took the footage to post-production, where I edited a short film to tell the story I set out to tell. I am very proud on how it came out and I wish I had more time for this independent study. But I will still be creating films. In fact, I already have another idea ready. I want to keep growing as a filmmaker and artist and that’s what I plan to do.
I submitted applications to the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD). Each college requires two essays, one talking about personal aspirations and another talking about why I as an artist is a good candidate for their school. In addition to the essays, each of the colleges asked for something different to be included in my portfolio. For instance, Pratt asked for a film treatment and RISD asked for a separate art project following their guidelines. So, I needed more time to work and explore my art and be able to follow my own schedule. This is why I decided to have an independent study. I worked on a lot in the month I had to myself. I was able to work on my essays and really focus on what I needed before a certain deadline for SAIC.
Then I got to work on various films. I worked on different animations, as well as creating a movie about someone doing something so bad they needed to lose their identity. In that short film, Lost & Gone, I want the audience to interpret what it is that he did that he would need to lose his identity. I created new film where for a week I planned out the script and was always writing down ideas for how it look very good, this way I got to see more of the planning behind films. I knew I wanted to create a Noir film, so I started by looking up the elements a Noir film, other than the fact that they are usually in black and white. I got a few people I knew to be the actors. Following a storyboard and a script, I recorded the actors. Then I took the footage to post-production, where I edited a short film to tell the story I set out to tell. I am very proud on how it came out and I wish I had more time for this independent study. But I will still be creating films. In fact, I already have another idea ready. I want to keep growing as a filmmaker and artist and that’s what I plan to do.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Road to Olympus!
In unit two of my class, Game Changers, we basically worked creating our own game and looking at the process to see how games are made. We talked to many different officials in the field of game making and designing as well as seeing how playtesting can work in the designers favor. We went to the Chicago Toy and Game Fair to present our second edition of the games in the Young Inventors Challenge. This was super helpful in seeing what the industry looks for and really seeing a good game vs. a sellable game. For the action project, we worked on making the board and making it better also just had to really show our game off, by showing the process, and making an elevator pitch. The game I co-created was Road to Olympus, which you can learn more about below. What I really liked was that I got to have a partner, which made it easier to do a more complex idea and really get different viewpoints on what we should do. What was stressful was getting the board ready for the Game Fair because we had to have two editions done in a week to make it ready for the fair. I over came that stress by worker hard and using any free time to my advantage. I really hope you like learning about the game I created with my partner DR!
Hello! I am NVA and my partner is DR; together we have created the game Road To Olympus - a Greek Mythological game where you can play as one of 7 demigods. Hades has captured these 7 demigods and now they must make their way back to Olympus, going through 5 creatures the Sphinx, the Cyclops, the Hydra, the Minotaur, Medusa, as well as Hades himself to get to Olympus. They can pray to the gods to help them, but their prayers can be heard by any god, even Hades. In the end, only 3 can make it back to Olympus.
Creating this game was so fun, but stressful at the same time. What was fun about it was how my partner and I were able to make an actual game and in a pretty short amount of time. That was fun for me because I got to see how I can really push myself. I also really liked doing playtests with so many different people. It was a great way to really learn on what can be improved and made better to appeal to more people. One day during lunch, I got bunch of people and we just started playing my game and slowly more and more people wanted to see what the game was about. That was something I was super happy to see - that our games was actually appealing to people, and it was still in its first edition. We got to talk to the people from Marbles and they were able to give us great feedback on how our game could be improved. I think the thing I am most proud of is making the last board. I say that because so many people were telling me that we need to make it where the person gets the sensation of actually getting to climb to Olympus. The only thing that was stressful were due dates, and needing to get it ready for Chicago Toy and Game Fair with only a week. Besides that, I am very proud of the game I have created with my partner DR, we learned a lot together and I could not have done everything without him. In the end, I put a lot of mental and physical work into this project and I am happy to look at my game and see all the different stages it went through to become what it is now.
Hello! I am NVA and my partner is DR; together we have created the game Road To Olympus - a Greek Mythological game where you can play as one of 7 demigods. Hades has captured these 7 demigods and now they must make their way back to Olympus, going through 5 creatures the Sphinx, the Cyclops, the Hydra, the Minotaur, Medusa, as well as Hades himself to get to Olympus. They can pray to the gods to help them, but their prayers can be heard by any god, even Hades. In the end, only 3 can make it back to Olympus.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Honey I Love This Trip!
In my new class, Game Changers, I am learning how everything works in depth about tabletop games such as how you define a game, the different genres of games there are, and all the mechanics behind games. Also we looked at randomizers like dice and how certain dice give you more abilities, such as a die with 12 sides (d12) versus having 2 dice that are 6 sided (2d6). For FEs, we went to Cat and Mouse, a game shop, where we learned how to play Settlers of Catan, and ask the expert, Peter, who worked there his experience with games and game making. We also talked to Jason Little, a game designer who has created over 50 games, and we asked him questions about what the industry was actually like. For the action project we had to think of a scenario where some people would like to play a game and our recommendations for that scenario. I chose a scenario that I lived through where a bunch of kids are going to another country and they need to do something while in the airport. The two games I suggested they should play are WA and Honey I love You. What was challenging was that this scenario was that I lived through it and when I was stuck in this airport with all these people while only knowing one person, it would’ve been fun to play these games. We did have games we played in airport, but the problem was that they were more of riddles than actual games. What I like about this project was how free it was in getting to choose the scenario and the games we see fit to play in those circumstances. I hope you enjoy reading my scenario and seeing why WA and Honey I Love You are the best choices for the kids in that airport!
Scenario:
A bunch of kids are stuck in the airport for a service trip and not everyone knows each other. What is a game that they can play to keep them entertained while they are waiting for the plane? You are trying to give the trip coordinators the best game so the kids aren’t bored whilst waiting. They have certain needs that are:
- They need a game where they can learn each other's names and more about each other.
- They do have room because it is late and the airport is mostly empty, so it could be a physical activity.
- They have no money to spend.
I have chosen two games that meet these needs, Honey I love You and WA. Below are the reference sheets to describe the games in more depth:
These kids could really gain a lot from both games. They are both icebreakers so the kids can get more comfortable around each other for the trip. They both involve great interaction to help them get comfortable as well. They are physical games so they aren’t just laying around bored in the airport. Plus they are both free and pretty fast to learn after some playthroughs. Each game does have one thing that another might be lacking in, but together they work very well. When I was on the trip we played both games, and both helped us get used to each very quickly and got our minds ready for the trip.
I recommend Honey I Love You more than WA just because you get to really connect with people, and everyone is happy and laughing at the creative ways people think of to make others laugh. An additional bonus is that some people in the airport know each other so they might use names and that will help people get used to new names. It really gives people something to talk about afterwards, as well.
Scenario:
A bunch of kids are stuck in the airport for a service trip and not everyone knows each other. What is a game that they can play to keep them entertained while they are waiting for the plane? You are trying to give the trip coordinators the best game so the kids aren’t bored whilst waiting. They have certain needs that are:
- They need a game where they can learn each other's names and more about each other.
- They do have room because it is late and the airport is mostly empty, so it could be a physical activity.
- They have no money to spend.
I have chosen two games that meet these needs, Honey I love You and WA. Below are the reference sheets to describe the games in more depth:
These kids could really gain a lot from both games. They are both icebreakers so the kids can get more comfortable around each other for the trip. They both involve great interaction to help them get comfortable as well. They are physical games so they aren’t just laying around bored in the airport. Plus they are both free and pretty fast to learn after some playthroughs. Each game does have one thing that another might be lacking in, but together they work very well. When I was on the trip we played both games, and both helped us get used to each very quickly and got our minds ready for the trip.
I recommend Honey I Love You more than WA just because you get to really connect with people, and everyone is happy and laughing at the creative ways people think of to make others laugh. An additional bonus is that some people in the airport know each other so they might use names and that will help people get used to new names. It really gives people something to talk about afterwards, as well.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
SMART Investing
In Unit 2 of my class Economics, we learned about investing, and different types of things to invest in, such as bonds, mutual funds, and stocks. Then for the math side of things we focused a lot on matrices and how to add them, multiply, scalar multiply, find the determinant, find the inverse; also to solve a system of equations using the methods I listed before. For an FE we went to Northwestern Mutual to meet the owner and see what it is like to deal with investing and financial planning as a job. We also talked to former director E.D. to see his philosophy on investing and talk about the best time to start investing and saving money, now. Leading me to the action project we had to make a financial portfolio, by thinking of three SMART goals, and one would be for 1 year, one for 5 years, and one for 25 years. We were then given $49,128.87 to invest into companies we would want to invest in that we could use to get money for those three goals. I decided to invest in Disney, Nike, and General Electric, I will explain why down below in the post. Something that was difficult about this was definitely thinking of the goals, just because it is very hard to think of where your life will be in 1, 5, and 25 years. What I did like about this is that I can apply to my actually life, maybe not with the same amount money given to me, but it helps me think about my future more. I think for this if I did have that money I would definitely invest the same way because I think my 25 year goal will will be set, and I care more about that time, than I do in 1 or 5 years. Down below is my portfolio, hope you enjoy reading about my plans for the future!
First I want to talk about my philosophy when it comes to investing, now I have never invested before, but after studying it for so long and talking to professionals I came to this conclusion. I want to make investments where I can make some kind of profit, and have it be something I believe in. What I mean by that is doing a good thing for a nice cause, and getting some kind of reward for that. When it comes to my risk tolerance, I took a test, and I have a 27 score, which basically means that I have a moderate one, where I am not too risky with my choices in investing.
As I said for my investments I have a 1 year, 5 year, and 25 year goal, and here they are:
1. 1-year goal: Summer trip to Greece and Bulgaria ($2700)
2. 5-year goal: Move into my own apartment ($25,000)
3. 25-year goal: Have my own house, with car and start college fund for kids ($320,000)
You might be wondering what kind of companies I value. Well, ones that are innovative and think outside the box. While also trying to appeal to citizens and not just themselves, almost as something that wants or has long term values/plans. Now for my own person values just as NVA. I value doing good in the world, by helping people out, doing my part in something, making sure everyone is okay. Being creative, and not just sticking to what certain people have to do, thinking away from them so I can think of something better. To always be happy, and smiling, and knowing that certain things happen for a reason and you need to learn to live with it and face your fears.
These are the share prices for the three companies I am investing in:
$93.05: Disney
$51.16: Nike
$28.92: General Electric
Two Companies I like the most are Disney and Nike, so I will tell you a little about their companies.
Nike:
- I assume that Nike and Disney, even though it looks like they are going down, will come back from the season for Basketball and other sport to start up again; for Disney they will have new movies coming out, giving them a higher rate.
- I assume that my 25 year goal will work out better than wanted because I put so much money towards it.
References:
“General Electric Return on Investment.” CSI Market. N.p.,n.d.Web. 27 Oct. 2016
“Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz.” Rutgers. N.p.,n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
"Nike Return On Investment." CSI Market. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
"Nike Inc. (NKE) | Valuation Ratios." Stock Analysis on Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
"Walt Disney Co. (DIS) | Valuation Ratios." Stock Analysis on Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
“Walt Disney DIS”. MorningStar. N.p.,n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
First I want to talk about my philosophy when it comes to investing, now I have never invested before, but after studying it for so long and talking to professionals I came to this conclusion. I want to make investments where I can make some kind of profit, and have it be something I believe in. What I mean by that is doing a good thing for a nice cause, and getting some kind of reward for that. When it comes to my risk tolerance, I took a test, and I have a 27 score, which basically means that I have a moderate one, where I am not too risky with my choices in investing.
As I said for my investments I have a 1 year, 5 year, and 25 year goal, and here they are:
1. 1-year goal: Summer trip to Greece and Bulgaria ($2700)
2. 5-year goal: Move into my own apartment ($25,000)
3. 25-year goal: Have my own house, with car and start college fund for kids ($320,000)
You might be wondering what kind of companies I value. Well, ones that are innovative and think outside the box. While also trying to appeal to citizens and not just themselves, almost as something that wants or has long term values/plans. Now for my own person values just as NVA. I value doing good in the world, by helping people out, doing my part in something, making sure everyone is okay. Being creative, and not just sticking to what certain people have to do, thinking away from them so I can think of something better. To always be happy, and smiling, and knowing that certain things happen for a reason and you need to learn to live with it and face your fears.
These are the share prices for the three companies I am investing in:
$93.05: Disney
$51.16: Nike
$28.92: General Electric
Two Companies I like the most are Disney and Nike, so I will tell you a little about their companies.
Nike:
They value their customers and want to make sure every athlete is taken care of so they can perform at their best. P/E ratio of 23.32. Dividend yield of 0.85%. They have been around for a long time, and sponsor many famous athletes, also because they sell so many different products they are always making money. This company really focuses on my values, and they are a company that takes care of people, and they think outside of the box a little, in making sure someone can perform the best. Now below is what they stock looks like for Nike in one year. Now it may seem that is dropping, but it actually leveling it out, because Nike has a lot of bursts. Also during the that it was high was basketball season, so that when it starts again the stocks will go up.
Disney:
Disney:
They work to entertain people, and make sure kids, teens, and adults are all happy from their products. They are always expanding, and trying to see how they can make certain things better. They have a P/E ratio of 17.84. They have a dividend yield of 1.53%. Also because they are always expanding and have been around for so long they are well protected in the market. Again, this one looks like it is dropping, but they just haven’t come out with any big movies yet. At the left,down below, it is very high, and well they had just done the Star Wars movie, and there are a lot more to come, and even Marvel movies. So this is perfect because I will get to hit those high points, as the same for Nike.
Time horizons are huge, because they can really tell you how much money you might invest in one thing versus another. Knowing that here is how I invested in my 1,5, and 25 year time horizon:
- For year one of my invest to take a summer trip to Greece and Bulgaria, I want to invest in General Electric and Nike. I would invest a total of 1,281.28, meaning 50/50, so 640.64 towards each company. This would give me 12 shares for Nike and 22 for General Electric.
- For 5 years of my investment to have my own apartment. I want to invest in General Electric and Disney. I would invest a total of 1,951.56 and again 50/50, so 975.78 towards both companies. This would give me 10 shares for Disney and 33 for General Electric. \
- For 25 years of my invest to have my own house, car, and college fund started. I want to invest in Disney and Nike. I would invest a total of 45,896.08 and again 50/50, so 22,948.04 towards Disney and Nike. This would give me 448 shares for Nike and 246 shares for Disney.
You might be wondering how I thought that through, well I shall tell you. At first I knew I needed to have the most amount of money towards the 25 year goal. I also knew for the first goal that I didn’t need a lot of money back from my investments. So what I did was add the two share prices from each one and multiply it by 2, and keep doing that until I came along a number I thought was fair.
Let's look at Return on Investment (ROI) to make sure I get a good percentage of money back. Nike as an ROI of 23% and General Electric as an ROI of 3.19%. So to find out the ROI of year one I will do 0.50 (50%) times 0.23 (23%) and add that to 0.5 times 0.0319 which is 0.1309. Now we can say that my ROI for year one will be 13%. Disney has an ROI of 12.5%, so with that we can find the 5 year. 0.5 times 0.125 plus 0.5 times 0.0319 which is about 7.8%. But I am not done there I would turn that 7.8% into 1.078 because 0.078 is the decimal of 7.8% but we add that 1 for the next year. Next we do (1.078) to the fifth power which equals 145.6% for my ROI in 5 years. For my 25 year, we do the exact same thing we did in the 1 year and 5 year, just different numbers. So, 0.5 times 0.125 plus 0.5 times 0.23 which is 17.7%. Lastly we do (1.177) to the 25th power which is 5880% for my ROI in 25 years. Now I can use that to find out how much I will have in those time horizons.
Now I believe having a diverse lifestyle is important and it is important that you use that kind of thinking in investing. For example, my stock sector is very diverse from entertain (Disney), energy (General Electric) and consumer goods (Nike). Disney is an in entertainment field because of what they sell to people, or give out to society. General Electric is energy because of how it deals with all different types of energy, from renewable to fossil fuels, and seeing how we can make everything better in the world. Nike is retail because it sells clothing mainly and accessories for athletes. My strategy for this was use companies that focused on different products, but had the same values in the end. So they are diverse in way but not in another.
My Assumptions:
- For year one of my invest to take a summer trip to Greece and Bulgaria, I want to invest in General Electric and Nike. I would invest a total of 1,281.28, meaning 50/50, so 640.64 towards each company. This would give me 12 shares for Nike and 22 for General Electric.
- For 5 years of my investment to have my own apartment. I want to invest in General Electric and Disney. I would invest a total of 1,951.56 and again 50/50, so 975.78 towards both companies. This would give me 10 shares for Disney and 33 for General Electric. \
- For 25 years of my invest to have my own house, car, and college fund started. I want to invest in Disney and Nike. I would invest a total of 45,896.08 and again 50/50, so 22,948.04 towards Disney and Nike. This would give me 448 shares for Nike and 246 shares for Disney.
You might be wondering how I thought that through, well I shall tell you. At first I knew I needed to have the most amount of money towards the 25 year goal. I also knew for the first goal that I didn’t need a lot of money back from my investments. So what I did was add the two share prices from each one and multiply it by 2, and keep doing that until I came along a number I thought was fair.
Let's look at Return on Investment (ROI) to make sure I get a good percentage of money back. Nike as an ROI of 23% and General Electric as an ROI of 3.19%. So to find out the ROI of year one I will do 0.50 (50%) times 0.23 (23%) and add that to 0.5 times 0.0319 which is 0.1309. Now we can say that my ROI for year one will be 13%. Disney has an ROI of 12.5%, so with that we can find the 5 year. 0.5 times 0.125 plus 0.5 times 0.0319 which is about 7.8%. But I am not done there I would turn that 7.8% into 1.078 because 0.078 is the decimal of 7.8% but we add that 1 for the next year. Next we do (1.078) to the fifth power which equals 145.6% for my ROI in 5 years. For my 25 year, we do the exact same thing we did in the 1 year and 5 year, just different numbers. So, 0.5 times 0.125 plus 0.5 times 0.23 which is 17.7%. Lastly we do (1.177) to the 25th power which is 5880% for my ROI in 25 years. Now I can use that to find out how much I will have in those time horizons.
Now I believe having a diverse lifestyle is important and it is important that you use that kind of thinking in investing. For example, my stock sector is very diverse from entertain (Disney), energy (General Electric) and consumer goods (Nike). Disney is an in entertainment field because of what they sell to people, or give out to society. General Electric is energy because of how it deals with all different types of energy, from renewable to fossil fuels, and seeing how we can make everything better in the world. Nike is retail because it sells clothing mainly and accessories for athletes. My strategy for this was use companies that focused on different products, but had the same values in the end. So they are diverse in way but not in another.
My Assumptions:
- I have made the assumption that even though my 1 year or 5 year goal might not go as planned, I put enough money into my 25 year, because I believe that to be more important.
- I assume that Nike and Disney, even though it looks like they are going down, will come back from the season for Basketball and other sport to start up again; for Disney they will have new movies coming out, giving them a higher rate.
- I assume that my 25 year goal will work out better than wanted because I put so much money towards it.
References:
“General Electric Return on Investment.” CSI Market. N.p.,n.d.Web. 27 Oct. 2016
“Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz.” Rutgers. N.p.,n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
"Nike Return On Investment." CSI Market. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
"Nike Inc. (NKE) | Valuation Ratios." Stock Analysis on Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
"Walt Disney Co. (DIS) | Valuation Ratios." Stock Analysis on Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
“Walt Disney DIS”. MorningStar. N.p.,n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Comedic Genius
In unit 2 of Journalism we learned about how to formulate a podcast, and make sure one can flow very smoothly. We did by following what Ira Glass had to say on making a good story, and doing it in a podcast form. For an FE, we went to Columbia College, to their Journalism Department, where they do TV and radio broadcasting for class. For the action project, we had to think of a famous person in the 20th century, and make a podcast about them. In this podcast we had to explain why they are famous, and we had to tell a story about them. The person I chose for this was Jim Carrey, for he is one of my favorite actors. He also has a side to him not many know about, and it is one that I really wanted to show in this podcast. Something challenging was getting the story together, and editing the podcast together. What I am proud of is that I got my message out, but in the podcast, I tried to do what Jim Carrey loves to do, which is getting people to smile. I did this by trying to add humor to the podcast. Thank you and I hope you enjoy listening!
WHEN
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WHO/HOW
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WHAT
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00:00:00 to 00:13:47
00:13:48 to 01:02:52
01:02:53 to 01:07:07
01:27:81 to 01:32:30
01:32:31 to 01:50:30
01:51:47 to 01:53:64
01:53:65 to 03:36:55
03:36:56 to 03:44:76
03:44:77 to 04: 15:92
04:15:93 to 04:22:42
04:22:43 to 04:29:03
04:29:04 to 04:40:43
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Jim Carrey voices fades
Background Music starts
(“Ambient Background” by Soundshrim)
My voice fades away
My voice fades
Her voice faded
Song fades out
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Jim Carrey: I watched the effects of my father’s love and humor, and it altered the world around me, and I thought, that’s something to do. That's worth my time.
NVA: From GCE Chicago High School, this is NVA, today we are going to be talking about the famous Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey is a comedian that became very famous in the 20th century, from doing In Living Color, Liar Liar, Truman Show etc. Now let me talk about what I think of him first, then we will see what someone else thinks about him. While I am talking, please think of what you think abou him. Is he just a goof? And afterwards did anything about your view of him change? For me Jim Carrey has always been this person that can make me smile. When I am feeling down, or need some reason just to smile, I would turn to him. Watching so many movies he is in. Going on Youtube and looking at his funniest moments from various movies, interviews, and impressions.
Jim Carrey: You love me, you really love me!
NVA: I learned something when I stumbled upon a video. Jim Carrey is very inspiring, and wants people to just do what makes them happy, and spread that happiness through what they love to do. Many people view him as a guy just acts crazy and loud, I see him as someone that wants to just make your day better in any way possible.
Jim Carrey: The purpose of my life has been to always free people from concern.
NVA: So today we have M.A. with us and she has been able to see his comedic genius grow throughout the years. And so, I want to ask you what has been like to see this progression and how has he changed the comedic scene?
Jim Carrey: Hold on I got to warm up, I don’t wan’t to pull a hammy!
MA: Well, Jim Carrey started out in a TV show called in Living Color and he was just kind of a stand-in. He was not one of the A-list, and he quickly rose to stardom with his impressions and rubbery face. One the things about Jim Carrey however, is that he really is a comedic genius. In order to be a comedian you have to be quite smart, you have to be able to ingest the news, ingest what’s going on in the world/worldwide. So you can relate comedy to it. Jim Carrey, thought most of his movies he does play kind of a goofy guy, I don’t think he has written any of those movies but he may have. He may be typecast- ed as this goofy guy but in reality he is brilliant and really comes off making the movies moe in depth and inspiring for people. Even the Cable Guy, which really is.. I thought it was a funny movie, it kind of taught you something about people at the end; and I think that’s something Jim Carrey brings into his movies.
NVA: So he can make society a little more relatable for you, in his comedic genius?
MA: Yes, Jim Carrey comes off as a goof but in reality he tries to inspire, the youth, by sending them messages in some of his Ted Talks and different podcasts about how life is short and you need to do what makes you happy and strive for excellence.
Jim Carrey: My soul is not contained with the limits of my body, my body is contained with the limitless of my soul.
NVA: Alright thank you MA and thank you for everyone that listened, I hope you enjoyed this!
Jim Carrey: Okay I'm gone! Taking off! See ya… bye!
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