Mentoring

Who I'm Mentoring: Winston & Schorl

Schorl: Schorl will be creating art for articles #3 and #29 and uses a realistic compositing style for his art. He will be creating realistic looking images to represent the articles/

Winston: Winston is creating art for article #25 using a hand-drawn style on Photoshop using photoshop brushes and lots of color. His poster is centered around a human with symbols of the article around him.

Film Review 5

So I just stumbled out of Maze Runner about 2 hours ago, and this film is incredible. First, it had all the normal features of a good action flick, intense action and insane camera angles which literally kept my adrenaline pumping throughout the film. It is incredibly fast-paced for such a complex concept, spending due amounts of time explaining the situation but equal amounts on the action. The lack of full explanation only benefits the film because it places the viewer in the role of the boys of the maze to some extent, and often utilizes shaky camera and sound design to add a pseudo first-person element. I'd say it's a solid 7 to soft 8/10 for films in this genre, and the plot twists just keep you angry and interested the whole way through.

Film Review 4

The Nike Lunarfly QS 306 is a semi recent (last 1-2 years) shoe that emphasizes simplicity and combines the traditional basketball sandal and a running shoe/slipper. The shoe features straps instead of laces, emblazoned with JUST DO IT. across the top. I enjoy the practical placement of this motto, every time you look down or are literally "feeling down", the bright colors and text stare back up as a motivational reminder. The knit mesh upper is typical of Nike but the low profile shape and thick tongue are unique.THis shoe was quickly popularized on the internet through its appearance in Yung Lean's "Kyoto" video. I enjoy Nike's relentless list of new releases and would like to see more innovation like this in the future.

Article 15: Progress

My art so far is not developed all the way, but does reflect the article which I am representing, Article 15. This article describes our right to nationality, an essential part of life because every human has a place where they come from and should be able to represent themselves as such. I think this is important, for self-identity and for an easier understanding of other cultures, to have nationalities. They allow us to feel as if we belong somewhere, and better understand where others come from based on values attached to their nation.

Notes on my Thumbnails: (Article 15)

Elliot: The 3rd is the only one clear enough to convey the concept of nationality, if the visuals are done correctly.

Takai: The 1st and 3rd are the best ideas, and they definitely show the article.

Copyright Infringement Case: Beastie Boys vs. Monster Energy

The Beastie Boys and Monster Energy battled in court over Monster's apparent illegal use of multiple live songs in a commercial. Monster went so far as to create a music medley of these live songs available for download on their website, claiming that an employee believed the company had legal rights to the use of the performance. This is a direct violation of Michael Yauch aka MCA's will, stating that no copy of their music shall be used in advertisements.

This all seems relatively simple, except for a one-word expression by Dj Z-Trip which made the permission of use slightly unclear. When showed the video by Monster of him performing the Beastie Boys music, he responded "Dope!". This, in some cases, could be considered permission to use the music, but the claim was later dismissed by the jury, as Z-Trip testified that "Dope!" meant he liked how he looked in the video, not explicit permission to use the songs.

Monster Energy lost the case, and was ordered to pay 1.7m.

In my opinion, what Monster did was reckless and completely insensitive. With such specific terms in Adam Yauch's will, it is not hard to avoid infringing the copyrighted content. It is fair to say that the employee which created the content is no longer with the company, but I believe that such a large corporation has a responsibility to double—even triple-check what they are releasing and permissions associated with it. The ruling was fair in my opinion, and it goes to show that the further up in fame and monetary value these cases are, the more intense they become. 

Definitions of Key Terms

Copyright:

A set of laws defining the ownership of created works, how they can be used, viewed, shared and copied by others.

Fair Use:

An agreed upon set of allowed uses of work, such as for parody or education.

Creative Commons:

A public, free copyright system which allows a creator to decide what terms his/her work will be shared with, such as "No Derivatives" (only the original work), "No Commercial Use", etc.

Public Domain:

Works that are released into the public pomain have no owner, so they are free to be sold, modified, or appropriated. Art that is over 75 years old becomes a part of the public domain.

Privacy:

The right of an individual to hide and selectively share themselves and parts of information about themselves.