e: 62 m u l Vo : 17 Issue
Driftwood The Community Newspaper of the University of New Orleans
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FEBRUARY 20, 2019
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President Trump Declares National Emergency to Build Border Wall
-Photo via MSN.com Border fence going up in Texas.
-Photo via Flickr The US-Mexico border fence.
JACK WAGUESPACK News Editor This past Friday, President Trump declared a national emergency on the border with Mexico to gain access to billions of dollars to fund the construction of the south border wall. Congress had previously denied Trump access to the amount asked for by the administration, raising concerns about separation of powers between the cabinets. The emergency was announced outside the White House during Trump’s 50-minute speech, along with concerns addressing drug flow between borders and “illegal criminals.” Immigration and border control have been main talking points of his administration ever since the 2016 elections. According to the Migration Policy Institute, Trump’s 2016 campaign speech in Arizona was the first time immigration was mentioned.
Trump laid out a 10-point plan on his immigration policy and future plans for his presidency which included building a wall around the entirety of the US-Mexico border and increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers. He also focused on the drug war in Mexico, along with sex trafficking and how it pertains to the U.S. and the safety of its citizens. While these changes in policy radicalized conservative voters, it also started a new movement within immigrant communities and supporters of more open borders. Beto O’Rourke, a 2020 election prospect, recently held a march in El Paso protesting the idea of barbed-wire fencing the area that separates El Paso, Texas from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. During his address, President Trump stated, “I’m going to be signing a national emergency. And it’s been signed by other presidents. There’s
rarely a problem. They sign it; nobody cares.” NPR found this statement to be true, although many of the emergencies have followed a national disaster, such as 9/11 or the Iran Hostage Crisis. The National Emergencies Act was introduced to the House on Feb. 27, 1975 and was then passed later on in the same year. This grants the President certain powers during an active crisis, some of which include suspending all laws regulating biological weapons and the ability to authorize military construction projects. CNN reported that there are currently 28 active national emergencies, ranging from 1979 to 2019. Following the declaration of the emergency, the administration is expecting pushback from Congress. Prior to the national emergency, the US saw the longest government shutdown, 35 days long, due to Congress and the President not being able to come to a consensus on a budget for the border walls. Trump said that he “expects to be sued,” and is confident that he will win in the Supreme Court. Congress has the power to undo the declaration with a two-thirds majority vote or with a joint resolution from the President. 13 states are also following in California’s footsteps by pursuing lawsuits against Trump, stating that only real emergencies ought to be granted funding. If all 13 states can prove harm was caused by the declaration, then they have a strong case against the president.
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FEB. 20. 2019
Student Spotlight: Ian Trahan BY JACK WAGUESPACK News Editor
I: I played at the Railroad Festival, which is a festival back home in DeQuincy.
Ian Trahan is a freshman pursuing a degree in Jazz Studies at UNO. Trahan moved to New Orleans from DeQuincy, Louisiana, where he first started his career as a musician. He has his own band back home and also plays weekly in New Orleans. He plans on playing many gigs around the New Orleans area and hopes to move to New York City after college to further his musical talents. You can usually find him playing in the UNO band during sporting events or hanging out with friends around campus. You can also find videos of saxophone covers on his YouTube channel, IanSaxMusic. Ian lets us in on his plans for his future and how he started as a musician.
J: Who do you look to for musical inspiration? I: If I had to pick one artist that inspires me, it would have to be Grover Washington Jr. If I had to pick a teacher, it would be Chester and his son Jairus Daigle. Even though it’s more than one person, they always taught me together so I count them as one.
I: Ian Trahan / J: Jack Waguespack J: When did you first learn to play the saxophone? I: I still am learning, but I started to play in sixth grade. So, it was around seven, almost eight years ago. J: Did you always have an interest in music? I: Oh yeah definitely, I always did. My mom and dad were in the band at their high school and my step-dad is a professional guitarist, so I’ve been around it my whole life. J: What have been some of your favorite gigs?
NEWS
J: What do you do when you aren’t playing music? I: I mean, I love sleep. I hang out with my friends, play some video games, but most of the time I’m practicing. J: Do you plan on making a career out of being a musician? I: That’s the plan! I really hope I’m able to move to a bigger city for more opportunities, but New Orleans was a great place to start. Especially with all of the culture here. Wish me luck. J: What is your dream gig? I: Definitely touring with Beyoncé. That’s the main goal. J: Do you know how to play any other instruments? I: I know piano, [electronic wind instrument], and a little bit of the drums. Eventually, I would really like to learn bass.
-Photo via Ian Trahan Trahan playing his saxophone at one of his many gigs.
ASH WEDNESDAY Weds., March 6
Ashes will be distributed during Mass at the following times:
Newman Center Chapel All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to join us for Mass and the distribution of Ashes.
CATHOLIC PRIVATEERS
Catholic Campus Ministry at UNO
University Center Alumni Drive International Center
Newman Center
Elysian Fields
9:00 AM & 12:00 Noon
Weekly Mass Schedule: Sundays at 6:00 PM Mondays-Thursdays 12:00 Noon
ENTERTAINMENT
FEB. 20. 2019
Krewe du Vieux parade presents parodies
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BY MILENA MARTINOVIC Staff Writer
The satirical Krewe Du Vieux parade, followed by the krewedelusion procession, rolled through the Marigny and French Quarter neighborhoods on a pleasantly warm Saturday evening. The atmosphere was electrifying: diverse crowds of people gathered to cheer, drink and laugh at the cynical floats based on political, national and local topics. The Marigny was swarmed with artists, out-of-town family members, tourists and regular Joes. It seems as though the parade gets bigger every year, and this year marked the 10-year anniversary for the DIY krewedelusion that started post-Hurricane Katrina. Though Krewe Du Vieux is considered the most adult parade of Mardi Gras, it didn’t stop young parents with strollers and children from attending. The artistic Marigny parade-watchers always come through with the costumes, outfits and looks, making the experience of parade-watching feel like a DIY couture fashion show runway. A lot of the floats carry over from previous years, like the TOKENS sub krewe with its larger-than-life smoking device. There was plenty of new humorous artwork as well — the most prominent pieces alluding to the NFL referee scandal. The rowdy parade-goers happily caught throws such as the logo stickers that read “NAH” instead of “NFL.” Some krewe members were dressed as clown referees and carried signs like those used by eye doctor. The signs read, “If you can read this, then you have better eye vision than all NFL referees.” The theme this year was “The City of Yes, Yes, Oh God Yes,” referencing mayor LaToya Cantrell’s new “City of Yes” campaign. Local topics of city’s public works failures were prominent, like the crude image of a male sex organ depicting the Entergy shortage map, or a colorful, creative float with a bright, lit-up sign reading “Road Twerk NOLA” with gnomes as construction workers twerking instead of working. The controversial NOPD crime cameras were not spared either, with huge eyes on all sides of the float alluding to “the Big
Krewe Du Vieux satirical NAH sticker replacing the NFL logo , and Krewe Du Vieux lolli-pope as parade throws
Brother is watching you.” Religion — Catholicism, that is — wasn’t spared either. Half-naked men dressed as nuns in fishnets and habits were riding around bike carts and “lolli-popes” — lollipops with stickers of the Pope on them — were being thrown. While Muses’ throws are widely considered the most aesthetically rich and practical — shoes, makeup brushes, art pads, fans — there’s no denying that the Krewe Du Vieux throws are the funniest, punniest and crudest of them all. Unlike other big St. Charles Avenue parades, almost no beads were thrown.
-Photo by Milena Martinovic
Krewedelusion had a refreshingly strong theme of “Think globally, act locally.” Overall, their tone is more anarchist, and it is reflected in their DIY floats, which feature a lot more papier-mâché and have a lower budget in general. The Trashformers, who were part of the parade, were collecting unwanted beads, plastic cups and other parade items and will use the parts for an art performance. This environmentally conscious move feels welcoming and something that’s long overdue in Mardi Gras and the city in general. But, as with everything in “Nawlins,” it’s a long, slow rollercoaster of a journey.
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FEB. 20. 2019
NEWS
Hectic Happiness by UNO’s Dr. Reed BY DEMI GUILLORY Reporter Dr. Gilda Werner Reed is an award-winning, well-established UNO professor. Now she can also add “published author” to her extensive list of accomplishments spanning seven decades. A psychology professor at UNO since 1994, Reed has documented her life in “Hectic Happiness,” a book that she hopes inspires others in challenging times. Reed has had her fair share of ups and downs. She and her “soulmate” husband Sam have been married since 1967, and have a total of seven children and 16 grandchildren. Two of their children with disabilities were adopted as babies, and Reed affectionately jokes that she’s forgotten which ones they are. She is a polio survivor who ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. Reed won her primary, but her bid ended with a loss in the general election. In the same year, she was named Louisiana Woman of the Year by BayouBuzz, as well as honorary member of the Jefferson Fire Fighters Association. But the newly released book was not inspired by one single defining moment or experience in the native New Orleanian’s life. Instead, it is a combination of family, career, political and cultural experiences that she says has shaped her life. She expressed an interest in wanting to relate her experiences — good and challenging -Photo via GW Reed Publishing, LLC. alike — in a book that would “share a life welllived, despite obstacles, in order to motivate “Giving up is NOT an option,” Dr. Reed says is the message she hopes readers take away from her new memoir “Hectic Happiness,” available now online and in the UNO library. others not to give up,” Reed remarked.
Reed keeps a busy schedule between full-time teaching and a large family, which she says hindered her writing of the book, which had been in the works for a while. “Teaching full-time definitely slowed me up,” said Reed. However, her long-term journaling habit had its advantages. “Journals since age 14 years old helped considerably,” Reed replied when asked about how she was able to manage to find the time to write a book. “Hectic Happiness” is an extension of those journals, detailing the triumphs and tribulations of her life. The book is also — in her own words to The Psychology Times — the “heart-melting adorableness, enchanting exuberance, delightful antics and jaw dropping accomplishments” of her children and grandchildren. Reed says the book is both a comedy and drama. It is “a real love story of a real person, a survival story of triumph and tragedy, joy, and pain,” she continued. The book started selling a month ago and has already received high praise from people “old and young alike,” Reed said. One of those reviews came from a former student. This was particularly special for Reed, who sees teaching as an honor, not an obligation. This mindset is what has kept her teaching thousands of students for as long as she has. “Hectic Happiness” is Reed’s first book, but she doesn’t plan on it being her last. “This book left way too much untold,” she said, promising that more stories are ahead. Those interested in reading the book can do so by ordering through Amazon or directly through her website at gildareedpublishing.com. The book is also now available to check out right here at UNO in the Earl K. Long library.
NEWS
FEB. 20. 2019
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Privateers desert Islanders BY STEFAN MURO Reporter After a week’s worth of rest, the Privateers resumed conference play at the Lakefront Arena hoping to get back to winning ways. Their opponent was the (10-14) Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders, who defeated the Privateers with a 76-61 score earlier this season. Despite of that, UNO leads the all-time series 11-8 (6-2 at the Lakefront Arena.) Since the Privateers are 10-2 at home this year and the Islanders are 2-8 on the road, a win was expected for UNO. The biggest headline going into the game was the absence of Privateer senior guard Ezekiel Charles. The team’s leading scorer tore his achilleas during Tuesday’s practice and will miss the rest of the season. Head coach Mark Slessinger said, “it’s a tough, tough way for him to end his career. There isn’t a better model student athlete for us and he has done a phenomenal job in leadership. He had an incredible year. It’s heartbreaking for him and this team but, you can see the strength of this team through his influence.” Sophomore guard Troy Green said, “It’s tough, Zeke is really our brother. This whole team is really close and when he fell, we were shocked in practice that it really happened. We just have to focus on the next man up.” In the first game without Charles, the Privateers persevered with unselfish basketball and a whole team effort rather than finding “the next man up.” In the first half, Green lead the team in scoring with seven points off the bench but three other players also scored five points to keep the Privateers ahead. After a rather clean start to the game, traveling and charging violations seemed to plague the last 10 minutes of the half. UNO was able to capitalize off of A&M’s 11 personal fouls and 10 turnovers at the charity stripe, making eight of nine free throw attempts. In the last minute, a thunderous dunk by Scott Plaisance Jr. intensified the energy of the crowd and carried the team’s momentum into the second half with a nine point lead. Although UNO never lost that lead, the foul ridden second half gave the Privateers quite a scare. After having a game high 15 point lead, 13 Privateer fouls brought the game within four points in the final minute. This Islander run was preceded by an “and1” dunk by sophomore guard Tre Gray and lead to a flagrant 2 foul called on UNO’s sophomore all-purpose guard Damion Rosser. Despite of losing Rosser to ejection, the Privateers played to their defensive strengths and managed
-Photo by Stefan Muro Men’s basketball team bounces back from homecoming heartbreak.
to cause three turnovers in that last minute. After several hail mary’s down the court, clutch fast-break buckets from junior guard Larry Robinson III, freshman forward Jahmel Meyers, and free throws from freshman forward Gerrale Gates put the game away. Even with all of the foul troubles, the Privateers won convincingly by 10 points. The final score was 58-68. The Privateers’ victory was fueled by their 20 points of 24 shots at the foul line as well as 12 team assists. Gates wound up leading the team in scoring with 14 points (nine at the free throw.) Green’s 13 points contributed to the bench’s total of 32 for the game. After the game, Green said that, ”the toughest team wins. It could be grimy, it could be pretty. If its grimy, it’s our game to win because we practice like that.” The Privateers improved to a (14-10) overall record and a
(9-4) conference record, placing them 3rd in the Southland Conference standings. They resume play this Wednesday at home against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions.
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THE TINY FLOA
-Photos by Brennan Probst “A Modicum of Decency” was the theme of this year’s eleventh running of ‘tit Rex, a parade made up entirely of shoebox-sized floats. The procession passed through St. Roch, Bywater, and Marigny neighborhoods and gave out miniature throws to large crowds of onlookers.
ATS OF TITREX
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FEB. 20. 2019
ENTERTAINMENT
Keely and Du BY DEMI GUILLORY Reporter
The first of two plays scheduled at UNO for the spring 2019 season wrapped last weekend. Keely & Du took center stage in the Robert Nims Theatre for five days beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 12 and closing on Sunday, Feb. 17. The play, presented by UNO Theatre, was written by Jane Martin and directed by L. Kalo Gow. The year is 1993 when the play begins, and Keely (Emily Bagwill) finds herself trapped and imprisoned in a foreign basement somewhere in Rhode Island. She has been raped by her ex-husband, Cole (Ja’Quan Monroe-Henderson), and is three months pregnant. Du (Claudia Suire) is the first person Keely meets after becoming conscious following her abduction. Suffice to say, their first encounter—and thereby the first scene and much of the play—is a tense, dramatic one. Keely slowly wakes up disoriented, but immediately bolts for escape when she notices she is bed-bound by a handcuff to her left hand. Walter (Patrick Hunter) is introduced in the same scene. He, like Du, is a right-to-life activist who believes his purpose in life is to save and protect the unborn babies. But a more accurate description of his character would be a right-to-life extremist who is controlling, presumptuous, and downright insufferable at most points of the play. Du has her obvious faults as well. And while it’s hard to sympathize with anyone other than Keely, the true victim here, Du does shows moments of resolve and breaks the “rules” laid forth by Walter multiple times. She seems conflicted and a prisoner of Walter’s tyrant personality in a different way, bound to loyalty to him by blood as his sister. It is clear that Du strongly opposes the abortion Keely desperately seeks, but it is also clear that she opposes the inhumane way Walter tries to discourage one. This obviously doesn’t excuse her criminal involvement, but it does make one a little more sympathetic towards her. On the Saturday evening that I attended the play, the theatre was packed with an excited audience of students
- Photo via the Theatre UNO Facebook page. Keely (Emily Bagwill), Du (Claudia Suire) and Walter (Patrick Hunter) share one of many heated exchanges in the play “Keely & Du,” which concluded its five-day run on Sunday, Feb.
and members of the general public. This being my first time to attend a theatrical performance at UNO, I was initially shocked by the size of the theatre. I’m not quite sure what exactly I was expecting, but I definitely was not expecting to walk into a room smaller than some of my lecture classes. However, as the play progressed, I began to appreciate the intimacy the small setting provided—at certain parts, it truly felt like we, the audience, were right there in the play ourselves. The acting was impressive overall. I was particularly moved by Bagwill’s powerful performance throughout the duration of the emotionally charged play. Hunter, who took on the role of Walter just 12 days prior to opening, appeared every bit the professional. This was Suire’s first role in a UNO production, but there were no visible signs
of it. Though the play was dark and heavy in subject matter, including rape and describing abortion in disturbing detail, it offered welcome moments of comedic relief — particularly in the interactions between Keely and Du. The final scene mirrors the opening scene, this time with Du in Keely’s position, locked up in a women’s prison. It seemed like poetic justice: it is fine to believe passionately in something, but not to go to the extreme in defending your beliefs, because it will eventually backfire upon you. The second and final play on schedule for the spring season is Othello by William Shakespeare. It will also run in the Robert Nims Theatre from April 24-28 and May 1-4.
Producer from L.A. screens his films and discusses on campus BY MILENA MARTINOVIC Reporter What’s it like to produce movies and tv shows? The UNO students had a chance to witness a successful producer from L.A. tell stories and screen a diverse selection of his work. On Friday, February 15, Srdjan Stakic, an award winning international producer screened a full length documentary about a refugee woman from Syria, a low brow Swedish tv comedy about two silly detectives in L.A., a teaser for the upcoming Asian food non scripted Netflix show, and a full length horror feature. ‘Dreams of Daraa’ follows a four year journey of a Muslim woman with three children from war inflicted Syria to Jordan to Germany where they seek asylum. It differs from other straightforward documentaries of the similar caliber by using unique combination of Verite footage, archival video, and water color animation. This story hits close to Srdjan as he seemed asylum himself in Sweden as a young adult in the nineties escaping his then war torn home country of Yugoslavia. As a result, he worked for the United Nations for ten years before realizing he wanted to move to Los Angeles and become a producer. He spoke of it being strange for dealing with his ego that after a successful career he had to start by getting coffee for someone at age thirty three. Interestingly, for ‘Dreams of Daria’ him and the filmmakers could not go to Syria to shoot the documentary as the war was happening then so they got in touch with the local filmmakers there and collaborated. He spoke of the importance of keeping the budget low and hiring local filmmakers when possible. Most production companies and studios are hesitant about doing this as they don’t trust the local below the line talent. He also spoke of the importance of ‘following the story’, even if it turns out very differently from what a filmmaker thought it would turn out to be. For example, there were two women they chose to follow, but had to choose only one even if they both made for interesting documentary subjects. It is often said in Hollywood, ‘it’s to what but who you know’ and the next example of Srdjan’s professional life confirms this saying. On the complete opposite genre spectrum, by knowing a friend from Sweden, he produced a first ever US shot TV show for Swedish TV called ‘Swed-
-Photo by Hamp Overton Students had a chance to witness a successful producer from Los Angeles tell stories and screen a diverse selection of his work.
ish Dicks’, as in detectives. It’s now in the making of its third season. First season can be found online for the US audience, although they might be discouraged by its crude and stereotypical portrayal on manners of Hollywood, men and sex. The show gained a large momentum by having Keanu Reeves on it one season, whom a friend of his knows and asked to be on the show. He also screened a trailer for an upcoming Asian food travel show ‘Family Style’ he produced. The show travels to several Asian countries as well as California where a host like a chef, a singer or simply a large instagram personality shares their favorite food spots and cooking. Lastly, he screened a new horror feature ‘St Agatha’ about a pregnant woman who goes to live in the convent in the 50s. He told a story of how different the script he was
-Graphic via of IMDB St Agatha movie poster
presented with was in the beginning, and how basically he had to buy the basic premise and the name and hire a different writer to write the script again. Not being a gore horror film fan himself, he did stress the incredible power of it carrying over to the rest of the world: comedy is regional and too specific, while dramas don’t gross that much but the horror genre translates well everywhere. The film was directed by a prominent horror movie director Darren Lynn Bousman of ‘Saw’ II, III and IV. ‘St Agatha’ was screened for free on the large screen at the UNO’s NIMS theater on Friday.
FEB. 20. 2019
FEATURE
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Mardi Gras Field Guide: NOLA Craft Culture BY MILENA MARTINOVIC Reporter Whether you count the days until Mardi Gras season begins or count the days until it’s over, we can all agree that Mardi Gras is a special event that is a significant component to New Orleans culture. With this field guide series, I will single out the key aspects to Mardi Gras and the specific places you can go, either in preparation for the parades or just for fun. This week, we focus on all things glitter. At first glance, it may seem to be nothing more than a nostalgic staple of first-grade arts-and-crafts projects, but as co-business partner of NOLA Craft Culture, Virginia Saussy states, “It brings out the creativity in people that may not think they are creative.” She agrees that the instant allure of the craft store is rooted in the association it has with youth, and believes that this works in their favor since everyone, for the most part, looks at their childhood with a smile. NOLA Craft Culture, nestled comfortably in the quirky Mid-City neighborhood, opened its doors on Jan. 4. New Orleans native business partners Lisette Constantin, Eleanor Pritchard and Saussy have all struggled to find places to buy materials for Mardi Gras costumes/accessories. As long-time members of the Krewe of Muses, accessorizing a shoe was a must. Before creating the store, Saussy spoke with other Muses members, Mardi Gras Indians and second-line participants and found that “the people that followed the unique New Orleans traditions were not finding what they needed in New Orleans.” Constantin, Pritchard and Saussy saw an unmet need and took it upon themselves to create a store to support the cultural artisans of New Orleans. They aimed to have the store reflect New Orleans’ attitude of celebrating during all four seasons. The store carries more than 1,000 pounds of glitter,
- Photo by Nicole Guillen NOLA Craft Culture sparkles outwardly as an advocate of local New Orleans art culture, and it’s not only because of the glitter.
with names as colorful as “Melonball Orange” and “Cold Enough for Pants Blue.” NOLA Craft Culture also sells essential craft supplies, including hot glue guns, modge podge and a wide variety of embellishments. Artwork by local New Orleans artists is scattered throughout the store. Pieces are sold on consignment. If you feel inspired to make your own creation, you can simply grab the things you bought and work downstairs
in the community workspace. From elaborate headdresses to earrings, you can find something to create for Mardi Gras or for any day of the year. Check them out: 127 S. Solomon St. / www.nolacraftculture.com
QUESTION OF THE WEEK WITH STEFAN MURO “I got hit in the face with a whole bag of beads. Imagine getting hit in the head with a five-pound bag. It was bigger than my head!” Edward Juarez freshman, electrical engineering
“I saw my grandfather on a float, and he gave me everything he had once he saw me. ... Beads, cabbage, cups, footballs, you name it!” Tyler Bilello freshman chemistry
“What was your most memorable Mardi Gras experience?” “My first Mardi Gras, when I was seven years old, my dad picked me up on his shoulders and brought me up to a brightly lit float and I was given a big black and fluffy teddy bear. It made me feel incredibly special to be picked out of a sea of people.” Laura Brailsford junior biological sciences
“Endymion 2015… that was a crazy and ballin’-out party!” Shane Siegle sophomore, history
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FEB. 20. 2019
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OPINION
FEB. 20. 2019
EDITORIAL
No place for blackface Some call it an ill-advised Halloween costume decision. Others may associate it with Virginia’s Democrat governor, Ralph Northam and certain photos of his from college. Or recently, many think of a pair of shoes made by Katy Perry. Princeton historian Rhae Lynn Barnes describes it to be “as American as the ruling class.” Blackface has unfortunately reemerged as a trend within the past few weeks. With racial tensions higher than ever in Trump’s America, this ongoing problem is just feeding flames to the fire. Too many years have gone by where people have taken this underrated error in judgment as a joke coupled with a hearty laugh. There is no place for laughter and only place for action. Before there is action, there is reflection. Why is blackface considered one of the ultimate mistakes? Well, blackface is traced back to the Elizabethan era, most notably from Shakespeare’s production of “Othello,” in which the title character dons blackface. It wasn’t popularized in the United States until the civil war. With hostility against African Americans peaking at this time,
white people decided to mock them in exaggerated portrayals of dark skin, painted with polish and tattered clothing. According to Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History, these portrayals took the form of minstrel shows, in which black people were seen as “lazy, ignorant, and cowardly.” Most recognizable of the characters depicted was Jim Crow, who was created by Thomas Dartmouth Rice. Not only are these depictions personally offensive to African Americans, but this was especially damaging to the goal of the abolishment of slavery. People saw this and began to associate the struggles they endured from slavery with entertainment. A cry for help was a cue for laughter and jokes. Their vernacular, their culture, their pain were all summarized in an hour-long show meant to raise the spirits of spectators. Virginia governor Ralph Northam was raised in a culture where ideas like this were acceptable. If there’s anything Trump has done as president that has been indirectly progressive, it’s that he’s exposed some of the overwhelming amount of racism still present in the United States, much of which can be attributed to miseducation and ignorance of history.
COLUMN Last weekend, a Netflix Original film came out called “High Flying Bird.” The film was directed by a renowned, hard-working and serious technology experimenter by the name of Steven Soderbergh. “High Flying Bird” is a film about the NBA lockout in 2011 that lasted 161 days. The film revolves around a newly drafted player and his agent trying to shake up the NBA during this time period. Firstly, the film features absolutely no basketball, which I suppose plays into the whole lockout thing; and secondly, the film was shot entirely on an iPhone 8 equipped with a wide-angle lens. The film was operating on a budget of $2 million dollars, which is a big budget for shooting on an iPhone; but if you take a look at his previous films, you’ll see that “Logan Lucky” had a budget of $29 million, “Magic Mike” had a budget of $7 million and “Ocean’s Thirteen” had a whopping budget of $85 million. Soderbergh is no stranger to a wide array of budgets, and he’s also no stranger to being one of the first big directors to jump onto new trends in technology. He was one of the first to shoot in 4K resolution, to shoot a larger-budget film on a Canon prosumer handheld camera — similar to the camera used in Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later.” Now, Soderbergh, if you’re reading this, please stop. I get it, iPhones are diverse pieces of technology that actually have some serious aptitude camera-wise, and yes, they shoot amazing resolution, but you’re getting ridiculous. His film previous to “High Flying Bird” was a film with Claire Foy, “Unsane.” That film garnered a huge amount of claim due to the “look” and “aesthetic” of it. The film was shot on an iPhone 7, and gave the entire movie a shaky, handheld, wide-angle look that is disorienting and truthfully makes it unwatchable for me. Overuse of wide-angle lens in film is an entirely different opinion column for me, but it’s quite a distracting look. “Unsane” had a small budget of around $1.2 million, and I’m willing to bet Soderbergh can get a much larger budget for his films. Usage of iPhones and consumer/prosumer cameras is meant for independent filmmakers. I’m not saying this is some sort of exclusivity, but I’m saying that for directors who have all these larger budgets and access to cinema-grade cameras, as well as marketing, production companies and large sets, they
A result of this exposure has been persistent speeches, protests and social media posts against the furthering of this racism. The America now condemns anything demeaning or offensive to the thousands of cultures present in our melting pot. Before you claim that you are only dressing like a character who happens to be black for Halloween, think about the reason why people long ago painted their faces a different shade. Since the beginning, black people have been discriminated against for the color of their skin. They have been met with hostility and anger for looking different from 87 percent of the United States’ population. With so much attention on their skin, they’ve earned the right to claim it. Black faces are for black people only. Leave your face alone and appreciate how different we all are. In relation to the rest of the world, our America is diverse and accepting, but it needs to improve.
-Photo via Flickr People are of different colors. Embrace it.
DRIFTWOOD STAFF
Impact of iPhones on film sales BY DYLAN MININGER Entertainment Editor
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already have access to many more resources than the average young filmmaker trying to create their dreams — and they should take advantage of that. “Tangerine” is a 2015 film by director Shaun Baker, done on a microbudget and shot on three iPhone 5s’ with mountable anamorphic lenses. This film was hailed as an absolute tour de force and brought the relatively unknown director into the spotlight. He didn’t shoot the film on iPhones for aesthetic; he shot them on the iPhone because he had minimal resources and took the cheapest route he could. To filmmakers like myself, this was an absolute inspiration. Watching him grow as a filmmaker, from shooting on an iPhone to shooting his most recent film on 35mm film, has been an exciting process. Watching a man who has directed $85-million-dollar films turn around and shoot on an iPhone is unexciting, and frankly, it’s silly. Go ahead and mess around with your 4K technology and expensive futuristic camera equipment. That’s fine. But please leave us the consumer cameras and the cheaper equipment, because we are out here just trying to bring our ideas to life on what we can afford.
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-Photo via Dylan Mininger Why are some of today’s multi-million-dollar films opting for cheaper equipment?
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