My favorite Musical/Play turned movie.

My favorite musical/play turned movie.

Recently I watched the “Phantom of the Opera”, these were some of my thoughts. The “Phantom of The Opera” has been a classic Broadway production for many years. Over the decades, its superb music and acting have filled theaters from New York to London. It has since been made into a motion picture of the same title. The film is an excellent example of a movie musical in many ways. The use of cinematography increases the already moving effect of the music. The cast, music, and cinematography combine to make “The Phantom of The Opera” a masterpiece that expands upon the already moving score, by adding the visual effects of cinema.

One way the “Phantom of The Opera” stands out, as a musical, is how it incorporates visual acting to accentuate the music. Songs such as “Music of The Night” and “All I Ask of You” have more emotional impact when accompanied by good video and acting. The acting in the Phantom greatly enhanced the musical in general. It was accurately portrayed to the original storyline, and didn’t distract from the tone of the music. Although the movie actors did not have the superior vocal abilities of those in the actual Broadway play, the vocals were satisfactory. Looks and style were chosen over vocal talent, for the lead roles, most likely.

Another portion of the musical, which is notable, is the cinematography. The movie is shot quite well, without distracting moves or angles. The lighting and mood of a scene accentuates the music rather well. From the dreary darkness of the phantom’s lair, to the sprawling ballrooms and masquerades, the music’s surroundings are done with great care. The plot line was easy to follow and riveting. It is the story of a disfigured boy who becomes a dark, murderous phantom of the opera house. Then, upon the arrivial of beautiful new soprano, he begins to wreak havoc in the theater. The mysterious, hidden nature of the story, adds depth to the plot. It left me thinking all the while, “what will happen next?” There were no slow moments of monologue or confusing twists, and the story was captivating. All in all, the movie aspect of the “Phantom of The Opera” was quite excellent.

But the most important part of this “Musical” is the music. The one thing that makes this play and movie a classic is the emotionally moving and epic songs that it entails. Many different musical styles are used. From the slow thoughtful interlude to the epic full orchestral symphonies, every bit of music is breathtakingly excellent. Also, the happy jovial sounds of “Masquerade” and “Prima Donna” add some joy to the otherwise melancholy sonatas of the phantom. The feeling of “grandeur” is felt throughout the movie’s music. The full orchestral sounds of many of the sounds give an epic feel to the words. The full sound and strong tenor of “The Music of The Night” make it my favorite song in the film. The music also creates a very intimate feel at one moment, and then transitions to an epic symphony in the next. It is this technique, which I find to be a superior way of communicating feeling and thought to an audience. There are many other aspects of the music in “The Phantom of The Opera” that make it an excellent movie, but it must be admitted that the music at the actual play, is far superior to that of the movie.

Everyone enjoys a good story. Add a little music and it’s even better. “The Phantom of The Opera” does this quite well. It employs a solid plot, good acting, and superiorly written score. The Broadway play may be better, but if you simply want to watch a good musical from the comfort of your couch, this is quite acceptable. The music in the movie makes everything else work. The rest of the movie revolves around it. It is a movie that will take you in with spellbinding song, and spectacular visual accompaniment. “The Phantom Of The Opera” is an excellent musical that will be watched and listened to for years to come.

Why Do I Forget Things?

Why do I forget things?

Being a college student is a daunting task. We have many things going on in our life in tandem, to prepare us for life ahead. It’s extremely easy to forget the things we need to remember, especially in classes. The amount of information we absorb and are expected to remember in our courses can be overwhelming. The effective use of memory can help college students immensely in this regard. There are several techniques that can increase one’s ability to memorize and remember key information.

One of the most important keys to memory is interest. If you aren’t vested to some degree in what you are trying to memorize, you will have a more difficult time remembering it. This is because the brain organizes and retains information based on value and relevance. This process would affect how the memory would be stored in one’s mind. Also, the more background and general information you have to pull from on a topic will help as well. One practical way to learn involves using Mnemonics. Mnemonics are methods for remembering information such as acronyms and songs. It is centered on retrieval of information. One prime example is using the word HOMES to indentify the great lakes. If you can create one of these for your subject of study, you will greatly increase your brain’s information coding ability.

One of the most common strategies in encoding memory is being used at this very moment. It involves learning information in blocks, so it can be retrieved easier in the future. This is most common in telephone numbers, and it deals with the coding of information. Another memory technique is called the “pegword” method. This entails using a list of single words to link to ideas that need to be retained. If I needed to remember a sequence of events in a story for example, I might string a list of subject words that would remind me of the bigger plot. Research finds that most Americans are visual learners, so this next technique is particularly widespread. It’s called the “method of Loci.” It suggests using images to retain information, since the sense of sight is one of the most powerful and can be used very effectively to retain information. This strategy helps in the retention of information from the mind. In the end, there are many strategies we, as college students, can make use of in order to better remember the many facts that get jumbled around daily.

Why Literature?

Why literature?

My name is Aaron King. I am 20 years of age and am a student at University of Memphis. This is my sophomore year of college and I am undecided in major. I graduated from Faith Heritage Christian Academy high school. My family is from Memphis and I was born here and have lived here since. My mother and father both work and live in Memphis, and my sister is a freshman in high school. I consider music one of my greatest passions in life. I’ve played guitar since I was 13 and the piano for 6 months. I’ve been playing with friends for the last 5 years in various places, but mostly for churches. Reading is also a hobby I greatly enjoy. I’ve read many books over the summer such as; “Miracles” by C.S.Lewis, “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller, and others. I’ve worked with my dad doing carpentry work for the last 6 years. It’s not steady work, but it’s a good opportunity to learn a useful skill. I spend a great deal of time at The Vue at poplar plaza, hanging out with friends and working to serve our college community.

I was drawn to take a lit course because I’ve loved reading for so long. I don’t know anyone in the field and haven’t taken a course in this field before, but I am interested to see what new facts and concepts this semester will reveal. I am not exactly sure what my career plans are post college. I love music and I may pursue that, or use that talent in the church, as I have for most of high school and college. Wherever I am, I hope that God will use me to proclaim the gospel.

The Importance of Plays

Plays have been around for many long years. A play is a very focused way of telling a story, in a way that can be seen with live people, rather than in text, or film. They are almost like reenactments of stories, from long ago, in which the audience can see the story better. I enjoy going to plays because even though you may have heard or read the story before, it takes on a new life when you see people acting it out in front of you. Shakespeare’s plays have been some of the most done plays in recent time. They take an immensely moving story and put it on the stage. I remember when I saw “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Orpheum some years back. Although I knew the story, seeing the play brought it to life in a way I had never experienced before. Performed dramatic plays are a vital part of story telling, and one of the most beneficial means of communicating a meaningful story.

Why is Shakespeare Great?

Hamlet is a classic story that depicts the way Shakespeare wrote to a tee. Shakespeare has been and continues to be one of the most definitive writers of his time. His masterful stories have captivated many readers over the years. His tragedies, sonnets, and other works are some of history’s most acclaimed writings. He is one of the most well known writers to the common person. But what makes Shakespeare so great? Historians have uncovered so very little about this man who has given us to much great literature. Some have even claimed that he never existed. His stories captivate us because they involved key common themes that are relatable to all mankind. These tropes have been used time and time again in literate as a kind of template. The reason Shakespeare is so renowned is because we acquire many of our literary tropes from his work. This is what makes Shakespeare one of the greatest writers of his time and throughout literary history.

Music & Writing

Music is a major part of my life. So is written word. From the time I could read, I’ve always enjoyed immersing myself in books and stories. This love of reading is what I attribute a great deal of my vocabulary and English skills to. Reading has also affected how I play and listen to music. I greatly enjoy writing songs, and song writing has some of the same elements as writing in general. As with an story, one is trying to communicate some idea, or feeling. Even when the mode is a melody, the same is still true. In every song, regardless of lyrics, the music itself communicates it’s own ideas and feelings. This is one of the most powerful aspects of music. There are many songs that can create an environment, without any words at all. I think music and writing go hand in hand, and I am grateful for both.

Point of View - Worn Path.

Worn Path Reflection

I thought the “Worn Path” was a pretty good short story. I think it was very well detailed in the story. It allowed me very well to create in my mind the vision of Phoenix on her trek. The point of view from the text was third person omniscient and it allowed the reader to create his own image based on the description. The movie was third person in it’s point of view, but to me it somewhat limited how I viewed the story. I feel like I could embrace the story better if I didn’t have to movie, but just the text. When I read the text, I could easily in vision her and what she was doing, and the possibilities were boundless. But the movie left me limited by what was on the screen. In other words, in the movie, the screen was the point of view, the lens through which we saw Phoenix. We knew nothing beyond it. The text however, allowed us to think beyond the words and to give framework and structure to what was given. I think this is the defining difference between text and visual story telling.