Blog #9 Susan Lake creates Ebony

            Hello everyone, I am back to you all with my latest blog. I decided to look into an amazing artist from the community. The artist name is Susan Lake. She is an author of the book "Ebony and the Five Dwarfs". A book she had written and published in September 24, 2007.


            Susan Lake is an writer who was born and raised in Brooklyn, but now lives in Staten Island, New York. According to the back story bio in the book, She has been a reporter and columnist specialist for years. She now appears to do public relations in communities to promote and give recognition to her book. Even though her book came out in 2007, it appears now to be getting notice thanks to her appearance in the community events. In fact, I met her at a church community center in Staten Island a couple of weeks ago. After she gave a speech and a preview reading on the book itself, she stay to sign autograph on the books that was selling out at her panel. I gladly bought 2 copies of this unique book for my son and uncle who supports communities. 


              Ebony and the Five Dwarfs is a children's book loosely 
based on Snow White and the seven dwarfs with a mix of Cinderella
thrown in. It is Susan Lake own take on the classic from a African 
perspective. The main character "Ebony" is a African princess with a 
wicked stepmother aimed to get rid of her permanently. She runs into
not seven, but five Dwarfs who helps her in her quest.


               Susan Lake like some of us, grew up watching Snow White.
She stated that we often imagine playing these characters who are not
of color. She wanted to recreate a version that people of all color could 
identified with. She told me that making this book was a family project. 
As she write the story, her two daughters help create illustrations with
their drawings in the book. This shows we can all recreate magic in
our own refreshing way to a classic story. Besides, whoever thought 
we see a Disney Movie called "The Princess and the Frog" 
featuring ethnic characters. Let us hope we see more
stories from more positive ethnic characters.


http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/susan-lake/ebony-and-the-five-dwarfs/_/R-400000000000000242213

Site to the Book Store for Ebony and Dwarfs

Ron First IMovie

Blog #7 My Idol IMovie

             Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog. I been working for the past week on a cool little Apple application called IMovie. I decided to work on an "Artist Biography" for this project. I figure who better than my Idol, my inspirator, who shape the film industry, Mr. Steven Spielberg.
             


Spielberg sees E.T.

              Steven Spielberg was the subject of my hero who inspire me that I stated on my last blog. This is a continuation of sorts, but the thesis for this IMovie. Using IMovie, I put together a slideshow, showcasing spielberg's work in film and television. A visual timeline from the start of his career in TV with the " Night Gallery " to his latest project in film with "Rin Tin Tin", a CGI film from Dreamworks. I want to show his visual work and craftsmanship throughout these photo images I have projected here in IMovie.



Spielberg in Jaws



              I must say, the way I put this together, I wanted to give it a suspense tease of excitement. I wanted to start out with his early work in TV, then zip right to his early films and known blockbusters. A timeline of his work using a film intercut transition feature in IMovie with photos of him behind the camera and posters of his movies. I excluded the films, TV and cartoons he produced and just focus exclusively on his own movies he directed. I was trying to build the excitement from past to the grand present and future of his work. In his films, Spielberg likes to tease the audience on the spectacle of what's to come and have us focus on the story to care about the characters. This format of storytelling was first put together in "King Kong 1933", the earliest I remember. Spielberg is not the first, but I feel he perfected it. For example, in Jaws, he did not want to show the shark itself for an hour into the film. He also stated the talk among the main characters in the boat chasing the shark was the best part for him in the film. It shows he care more about the story than just the visual feasts in the movie. I was trying to show that through my presentation in IMovie. I wish filmmakers now will try to do that approach. We now get spoiled showing all the effect early in films now. If only Spielberg directed the "Transformers" films himself, they would be better movies.

             I had a issue with trying to get the right music for the presentation of Spielberg. For Steven, it had to be instrumental. I was first going to choose a instrumental theme from John Williams which would of worked best since he did the music from most of Spielberg films. I thought that each of his music scores from Spielberg movies couldn't capture the whole showcase overall. I decide to go with Spielberg's TV show theme from "Amazing Stories". I figure it fit the mold, but not the length of the presentation. So I decided to replay the short track and lope it together to fit the presentation. This project I present here I may continue to look for a longer track of this theme and change it once again to give it justice. I believe you can always go back and present your remake of your work to the mass if we feel it is not done well with the materials we have before. Spielberg shows this in "Close Encounters remake". The education of TCI should help us with the tools needed to perfect our skills.

http://youtu.be/4LcOZcWuXqc
         My link to my IMovie