In the first video, we heard a movie trailer starring Tim Allen and Jack Nicholson. The film sounded like a comedy due to the upbeat music and lighthearted dialog, where the voice-over-narration also added to this effect. The keynote sound seemed to be a symphony in the background. The signal sound was the narrator or the characters who were involved in the dialog. The ending music seemed like a community sound.

During the second video, it seemed to portray an almost savage mood. The eerie music added to this effect. No words were spoken, but the buzzing and beating of drums make it seem like a crazy wild jungle. It gave off an urgent tone and a sense of anxiety for the listener, which are emotional effects.

Kozloff’s “Voice-Over Narration in American Fiction Film” starts out with the origins of storytelling. Oral-traditions, as stated, has been the most “ancient, fundamental, and widely accessible” methods of storytelling. In contrast, the youngest would be cinematic storytelling, but intertwining the two create a hybrid of “word and image, narration and drama, voice and ‘voice.'”

Most people do not even notice or pay attention to voice-over-narration in modern cinema. It is a major element of cinema and seems to have an infinite number of uses. To fully comprehend voice-over-narration, it must be defined via each of the three words. First, “voice” implies the medium. “Over” relates to the relationship of images and sound from the scene usually from a speaker off-screen or off-camera. Lastly, “narration” connects to the context within the scene, such as recounting events to the audience. Voice-over-narration is used in numerous ways, such as commercials or fictional films.

In the second article, voice-over-narration is described as something which has always had controversy. Many seem to find ways to bash at the idea, while few murmur the benefits. Nonetheless, the fact remains that the technique is popular and widely used. The explanation of voice-over-narration seems to be much clearer in this article than the previous, and even puts it in one clear sentence: “In voice-over narration proper, viewers hear someone recount a series of events from a time and space different from that simultaneously pictured on the screen.” Early voice-over-narration was done solely by the third person, but evolved as lecturers became more in demand. The radio, coincidently, turned into a great proponent of the style. Much detail and examples of films, such as Seabiscuit, like Nordstrom wrote in her portfolio were referenced. Numerous benefits can be created from voice-over-narration, despite criticism, such as “…add a level of poetry to a movie.” Another thing which stuck out to me was that voice-over-narration does create a sort of novel-like feel, where “…fundamentally, because voice-over refers to the most traditional of storytelling forms—that of oral storytelling—it reaches out to the audience in a singular way, making the filmgoing experience feel more “natural,” more intimate.”

After reading these two papers, it is clear that there are some definite cons to voice-over-narration. Kozloff’s article has a quote saying, “‘And God help you if you use voice-over in your work, my friends. God help you. That’s flaccid, sloppy writing. Any idiot can write a voice-over narration to explain the thoughts of a character.'” Some feel that the technique is simply sloppy writing and that anybody could do it. It could be a shortcut to what directors or actors cannot fully portray otherwise. Instead of clearly filming a scene and exemplifying the idea, one could just say a few words to get an easy way out. As stated, Kozloff defends voice-over-narration and does so by giving clear examples of films, and analyzes why they are beneficial and helpful. As shown earlier, voice-over-narration can add even a certain “poetry” to the film! After a clear definition of this technique, I now can relate to this because I have heard it numerous times in films. Whether it is to give some introduction to a film or explain something, I believe it seems to enhance the film if it is done correctly.

A few films which seem interesting to analyze myself are the following:

1. Lord of the Rings I, II, III
2. Lord of War (2005)
3. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
4. Arrested Development (Television, 2003-2006)
5. Fight Club (1999)

The first text I read was “Acoustic Cyberspace,” by Erik Davis. It struck me as very abstract. There were things in it I have never heard before in my life and makes it hard to grasp, like the idea of acoustic space where it is not limited only to music but can expand to other spaces. Other topics, on the other hand, are easy to comprehend and make very great points, such as resonance and how it has the ability to break glass.

Virtual reality environments seem to be something in the much distant future, but in actuality, there are many virtual reality environments that can immerse people in something different. For example, Davis wrote of his experience on 3D audio, which emphasizes more of the listening portion of our senses rather than our overrepresented visual portion. I agree that this sort of virtual reality could give a stronger visual experience than solely a picture.

In addition, the idea of atmosphere is utilized in almost every public place today. Even in private places, sound provides ambiance and mood for the situation. This is amazing and truly one of the major powers music can have on its listeners. It seems that even sound has the ability to create a utopia and perfect world. Most of all, I believe it gives hope to people. That is why I believe the author wrote that when the radio erupted as a major thing, people thought “Now we will be able to communicate across the world, now we will be able to solve conflicts, now we will have better education, now we will have more democracy.” However, the radio of today, according to Erik Davis, is too commercialized and “mapped out” to its fullest extent in most places already. Though there are still some “indie” radio stations, such as college radio or pirate radio stations, it has become a “vast depressing wasteland.” The internet seems to be the new unexplored spectrum which can and is already becoming an acoustic dimension of electronic media. It is not immune to the same fate of radio. Music, as emphasized is a great example of something which can bring people together and organize, due in majority to resonance.

This paper was very interesting and held many ideas which I have not heard before, but ultimately is true and makes a lot of sense. The idea is to continue pushing the boundaries of acoustic space where there will always be something new to “map” out. He used the word “map” a few times, which makes me think that mapping out these spaces is important. It is critical that there will always be something new to explore. For example, the radio was something new and exciting, and now the internet seems to be doing the same thing. While writing this blog, I must confess that I was listening to music which filled up my acoustic space. It really made me think that what I am listening to is much more than just music. It is an expression of emotion and almost reaches out to you. Music causes atmosphere and ambiance to shift and move to somber, happy, or even a partying mood. There are so many possibilities to sound and its entirety as a dimension sometimes alien to our own.

In Megan Nordstrom’s E-Portfolio, she seemed to follow a Pirate theme where everything referred back somehow to Pirates. It seemed pretty clear on what assignments are expected and what is due. Her response to Response Paper 1.2 and 1.3 seemed intriguing and allowed the reader, in this case myself, to have some insight to what is expected this quarter for English 121. These tasks seem to be very interesting, and dare I say, fun to do. This overview of Nordstrom’s assignments and tasks are clear and define why we are doing these things through the expected outcomes of the paper.

Two quotes, one from each reading, each have importance in the fact that they relate how sound is so important in life, which is probably one of the reasons why this class has a major focus on audio. First, from “Acoustic Cyberspace,” Davis promotes a clear idea that “It is precisely this acoustic dimension that gives us tools, not just as individuals, but particularly as collectivities as well. It enables us to modulate and re-singularize this new environment in powerful ways—ways that the visual, the graphic, and the text-based, do not.” Clearly, this shows that Davis believes acoustic space and its dimension has the ability to shift peoples’ thinking and even alter environment to a new one. Tone here is persuasive. The purpose is to persuade the reader that this idea is true. Megan Nordstrom even stated that during her Response Paper 1.3, that “…although the visuals are an important asset to the clip, it is the sound that carries the trailer and gives the movie its unique dark comedy feel.” It was the sound which altered the mood of the film, which in this case was a dark comedy feel. Think about how movies would be without sound, let alone music. It would be so much more dull! A romance movie with a final scene where two lovers finally kiss with just the sound of background noise? No! That would create no emotion and no feeling. That is why movies today create a mix of sound and vision and allow scenes like the one mentioned to actually have the possibility of producing tears in its viewers. This, too, has a persuasive tone which uses evidence of sound in trailers and movies to create an effect. Though both quotes address different topics in sound, they connect in the same way. Simply put, sound is a powerful tool!

The eleven sounds of “The Sonic Version of Influential Events in My Life” seem to portray a person who is athletic, and has gone through tough trials in her life. First, the rationale of the order of the sounds seem to exhibit that she started out more melancholy and had a more somber mood. This is shown by the fact that it starts out with “crying” as the first sound, then continues to “Live Like You Were Dying,” and sports coaches yelling. However, by the end of the playlist, it has songs such as “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” by Cyndi Lauper. It shows that the author’s mood has lightened up and I feel that there is more control in their life.

Other sounds which could fit into the playlist would be things which are downbeat in the beginning of the playlist and more happy in the end. For example, in the end of the playlist, cheering or sounds of congratulations could be put on the list. Perhaps Arethra Franklin’s “I Will Survive” could go on here.

This person has a music taste for country, rock, and some classics. She most likely is a girl due to the fact that it has “Cheer Coach yelling” as well as “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.”

I have had many chances and opportunities to serve my community as well as learn from these experiences, and sure enough I have served. One of the most prominent experiences I’ve had volunteering has been tutoring and mentoring young third graders at a local elementary in Federal Way, WA. It was during my sophomore and junior year. The kids were in need of much help, many of whom were ESL (English as a Second Language) students. I felt a huge burden to help and assist these kids, not to mention that I needed community service hours as well as extra credit in my Spanish class. However, these were just extra perks which made the experience that much better.

The experience can now be felt as beneficial and definitely positive. Not only does it look good on paper, but it gave me experience and the chance to impact the lives’ of numerous kids. The atmosphere was just amazing; right when you walk in the door they shout your name and just have a mood of excitement at your presence. Even if you aren’t teaching them anything, just being someone the child can talk to can have major benefits for the child. Nothing about it was unproductive or negative.

I now have experience with working with kids, and I believe that may help at the Boys and Girls Club. Hopefully it goes as smooth as my past experience.