the shindig

the shindig VOLUME I

The Undiscovered Lives of Theater Technicians Find Out the Secrets Behind Music The Creating of Video Games The Struggles Faced by Female Muscians

spring 2018

Why the Alamo Drafthouse is So Loved

Courtesy of ACL Fest

Courtesy of ACL Fest Photo

by Sydney Photo

by Katrina Barber Gawlik

letter from the editors

When our team was created, at first we were hesitant because we were unfamiliar with one another, but once we figured out that we all shared a deep love for entertainment, we knew that we would be able to create a magazine full of life and joy. As we began to brainstorm ideas, we came into conflict regarding the topic of the issue: would it be musicbased? Art? Film?

But as soon as we took the time to really listen to each other’s interests, we realized that we didn’t have to only focus on one subject. We could write about music, art, film, video games, theatre, comedy, or even psychology. With the diverse content of each article and ASF, we were able to tie together all concepts into a magazine made especially for you, the reader.

We have all dedicated many hours to this magazine, and hope you enjoy reading it!

Sincerely,

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Table of Contents

12 20 30 II

or Your Horr th Movie Dea

Best Steam 2017 Games of

6

Anatomy of a Movie

14

use Picture Ho Pioneer

Behind the Curtains

32

Developer Mode

8

She Sings

18 24

Popular Wedding S ongs

on of Compositi lay a College P

26

36

Mind Mus

ic

ch Word Sear

Cover by Abby and Georgia, Back Inside Cover by Abby and Yahya, Table of Contents by Abby and Emily

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meet the authors Emily Wang is a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. She volunteers at Austin Pets Alive, Youth2Senior, Keep Austin, and Austin Habitat for Humanity. She watches her favorite shows, which include Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, and South Park. She aspires to attend either UPenn or NYU. After graduation she wants to become a Wall Street Banker. She plans to start a nonprofit organization aiming to feed the homeless over the summer. She chose to do her article, “Picture House Pioneer,” on the Alamo Drafthouse because she enjoys watching movies and knows how important the Alamo Drafthouse is to all who enter it.

Georgia McLeod is a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. She volunteers for an animal rescue based in Austin. She is a member of the technical department for the Alley Cat Players. In her freetime, she enjoys taking photos and listening to music. One of her favorite bands is Beach House.

She enjoys travel and hopes to visit all of the continents someday. She wrote her article, “Mind Music,” on the psychology of music because she was curious about why music affects people so deeply.

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Madison Horvath is a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. She works as a hostess at J.T. Youngbloood’s in her freetime. When she’s not working or procrastinating, she enjoys being a stagehand for the Alley Cat Players. Much like her fellow editors, she enjoys listening to music and reading. Her favorite books include The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak and The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman. She wrote her article, “Behind the Curtains,” about theatrical technicians because she herself tends to stay behind the scenes, and she’ll happily say she loves every minute of it.

Yahya Syed is a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. He enjoys working with computers, coding, and playing video games. He likes to bike with his friends and play soccer and basketball. He wants to attend the University of Texas at Austin.

After graduation he wants to become a hardware engineer. He chose to do his article, “Developer Mode,” on video game development because he enjoys coding and creating consumer media himself.

Abby Greendyk is a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. She plays kickball and violin and enjoys reading and listening to music. Her favorite books are Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys and The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. She grew up in a musical family and enjoys listening to artists such as Amanda Shires, Metric, Wilco, and Amy Winehouse. She chose to write her piece, “She Sings,” on females musicians because she feels that the opinions of women in the music industry haven’t been expressed enough.

V

Anatomy a Movie of pro t abo agoni ut t st le selv hem arn s es -

in t falls s i n o g prota th love and i love w dventures has a r ou d th an wi ck d ve ra un lo dt so ’t in oun hat aren ll fa ie s tes t but d in quo eep d

er er aft ily ev happ d te fea de is jail in n l la t i vi pu d an

villain i s villano us

t res e t s n e i s/die v o e l av le

retir e dies d agent n (or d oes) early

Action

t en lp m rn he t ve for gen o G ds w a n se ne m fro red is rehi t n e g a t retired p new agen l e h to vi l

VI

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Coming ing Com of Age

angs ty te en intro

By Madison Horvath

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sad, lone ly life a s singl a e perso n

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family ( escape narrowly) s the d witch/ e curse mon/

s in move

Horror

y irk ain u q s m ut ge t o e” ur “ge ther ff b r to cte ra a ch

y app ! y h ne all alo fin not d an

nevermind

Romance

ily sly m u a e f bvio use t i o wh nto d ho e i es nt ov hau m

creepy things happen tee ed na aunt r h y p ge cree is out fo gir e s townslc hou om d o o l fol k wa rn the b pl ain family the house is s creepy ; the family does nothing and ignores the supernatural

VII

Noelle Hampton sings alongside her band The Belle Sounds at 3Ten ACL Live, one branch of the Austin City Limits music venue family. She leads the group with her husband André Moran as one of Ausitn’s “Best New Bands”. Photo courtesy of Noelle Hampton.

She Sings a story of women in music

By Abby Greendyk

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Women are the 51 percent minority, no doubt about it. But there’s one specific area that knows sexism in a whole different way, and Margaret Wright, Noelle Hampton, and Michelle Patronella have experienced it firsthand.

Austin is the live music capital of the world, and from local venue Emo’s to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, soul singers to country rockstars, the city is home to one of the most diverse music scenes in America. So many different styles of music are scattered throughout Austin, and so many different types of musicians are there to share it. Everyone has a different story to tell, and while the way they grew as artists can vary immensely, there’s one thing most women in the music industry can say they have in common: struggle.

Margaret Wright was born and raised in Austin, and she was attracted to music from a very young age. She started off as most younger sisters do: by copying her older sibling, who just happened to be a musical genius.

“I would get up there [on the piano] and I would just bang.” said Wright. “It didn’t make sense to anybody,” she said.

Growing up on the east side, Wright was constantly involved in music wherever she went, from playing the piano at church to gathering at Rosewood Park for “Wednesday Night SingAlong”. As she got older, Wright realized that people were actually enjoying her music, and she decided to major in music at college. She had never been much of a rule follower though, and when she didn’t “do it their way,” she switched to a major in elementary education and a minor in music, which led her to teach music classes in many schools. Along the way, there were obstacles she faced, but Wright turned her head the other way and pushed the hardships out of her mind.

“Art is beautiful, and there’s not enough of it.” she said. “It takes a lot of unhappiness away from people when they’re able to act out the way they feel, sing the way they feel,” said Wright, expressing how distraught she was when she heard that some schools don’t provide music or art anymore.

And even when music is taught to children who

continue on in that industry, a certain half of those artists experience a lot harder time succeeding.

Women have a hard time in every area, but in a business that already sets the bar high, some female musicians struggle greatly, which baffled Wright.

“Women can do a lot and women do do a lot.”

-Margaret Wright, native Austin singer

“These days I really don’t understand: why is it that they’re so negative toward us? How did they get here? They didn’t just drop out of the sky, you know,” said Wright. It’s no secret that men are treated differently, and that is something that a lot of women don’t understand, especially Wright.

Luckily, she has grown up with an attitude that keeps her going.

“I never have thought that they were better than I, or that they could do more, because women can do a lot and women do do a lot,” she said.

Keeping that mindset probably contributed a lot to her happiness and success throughout her musical career. By keeping her eye on the prize and ignoring obstacles thrown her way, Wright was able to build an outstanding reputation as an amazing soul singer throughout Austin.

On the other end of the spectrum, Noelle Hampton, the lead singer in Austin Americana band The Belle Sounds, has made a name for herself alongside her four bandmates. Although most of the action takes place in Austin now, IX

Hampton originally fell in love with music while living in her hometown, San Francisco.

“I had a real lightbulb moment, and I remember thinking, ‘This is exactly what I want to do.’” said Hampton. “I felt in my soul that there was

how women look. I deal with that everyday,” said Hampton.

Combine that with the audience’s need for variety in women’s voices that is absent in men’s, and it makes it a whole lot harder for females to

Michelle Patronella is the Director of Event Production at local music scene The North Door, a cocktail lounge featuring diverse music. Photo courtesy of The North Door.

something bigger to come,” she said while recalling what got her started in music.

She was young and she knew what she was getting into, but succeeding in the music business is harder than it looks, and that hit Hampton hard.

“I was making really good money, but I was working so hard, and I just got really depressed, really down. It put me in a pretty dark hole, and so for about 2 years actually, I didn’t play anything,” Hampton said.

Even after opening for huge artists like Wilco and Bob Dylan, when she and her husband moved to Austin, the stress she was feeling darkened Hampton’s world for quite a while. But all it took was a little talk with a helpful friend, and she realized that baby steps were what she needed to take. After searching for bandmates, Hampton put together a band that would bring her out of her dark hole and into the light. She was able to reboot and find a new path, but not everyone is.

The pressure put on young musicians is daunting, even more so for women.

Along with many other struggles, a woman’s image as she ages is one that’s taken differently in the music industry.

“We have to deal with getting older in a business where people don’t care how men look as they get older, but they care a whole bunch X

make a living or even be happy as a musician.

While there are women artists who are able to ignore all of that, they’re definitely hard to find.

“I know that there’s judgment about it, and I try very hard to be that strong woman that is like, ‘I don’t care,’ but society makes that difficult,” said Hampton.

Hopefully, though, with recent movements highlighting self-love and appreciation, the females in our culture can begin to overlook negativity.

In other parts of the music business there is just as much discrimination; it just goes on behind the scenes.

Like many other women in her field, Michelle Patronella, the Director of Event Production at Austin venue The North Door, has experienced sexism as well.

“Of course, but I do my best to ignore it and move on with my life.” said Patronella.

On the flip side, there are many aspects of being a woman that men don’t get to experience.

“Being a woman, it gives you such a special perspective. And women, we’re like family. I don’t know if it’s an advantage-it’s just a different way of seeing things,” said Hampton, looking at the bright side of things.

And lyrics are just one form of art where women

can express feelings that other females might have in common. Even with all the obstacles both male and female artists have to overcome when making a career for themselves, there is still an extraordinary amount of talented musicians of all types in the world. The sheer amount of them can be intimidating, but it’s important to remember that everyone has a chance if they work for it.

“It’s just because there are so many. But you know what? There are so many good ones. And there’s room for you, or anyone, if you just continue to fight. There is room, because everybody loves a little something different,” Hampton added.

Both Wright and Hampton have a lot of advice to young musicians starting out their own careers, and it comes from true experience.

“Really believe that you want to do it. Every

single day you have to wake up and have intention towards what you’re doing. And all that doubt, it’s going to be a killer,” said Hampton, emphasizing self-confidence and motivation. She also added, “Accept help and accept money. Don’t fear it, and don’t think it makes you less of an artist. It makes you feel more empowered.”

But it’s not just in the music industry where you have to have a little faith in yourself.

“You play it the way you want to play it.

Whatever instrument, whatever sport you’re involved in, whatever your career choice is, it’s the way you do it,” said Wright, adding, “If you enjoy what you have to offer, what you are doing, what you are creating, what you like- don’t stop.

You never know who you’re entertaining.”

Margaret Wright sings at the piano with her bass player at The Skylark Lounge in Austin on March 30, 2018. Skylark Lounge is one of the many Austin venues that features female musicians regularly. Photo by Abby Greendyk.

XI

The Best Steam Games of 2017

Source: Steam

By Yahya Syed

#12

The Witcher: Wild Hunt

Released May 18, 2015, The Witcher 3 is an RPG where you play a monster hunter with a quest to find a child from a prophecy

#10

Released July 9, 2013, Dota 2 is a multiplayer strategy game where you battle others using an array of characters, items, and abilities

Divinity: Original Sin II Released September 14, 2017, Divinity is a turn-based fighting game where you choose your destiny from start to finish

#11 DOTA 2

#9 Warframe

Released March 25, 2013, Warframe is an action game about legendary warriors, the Tenno, who must fight a war against the Grineer to save the Solar System

#7 #8 Ark: Survival Evolved

Released August 29, 2017, Ark is a survial game where you are stranded on an island with nothing; you must hunt, build shelters, create technology, and try to tame the dinosaurs which roam around the island XII

H1Z1 Released February 17, 2016, H1Z1 is a battle royale last-man-standing game where you search for weapons and vehicles in order to stay alive while a toxic storm compresses the map

#5

#6

Counter Strike: Global Offensive

Released August 21, 2012, CS:GO is a multiplayer shooter game where you play against your friends and strangers in several gamemodes, ranging from Team Deathmatch to Bomb Defusal

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Released December 1, 2015, Rainbow Six is a first-person multiplayer shooter where players fight against other players using a variety of classes

#4

Rocket League

#3

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands Released July 7, 2015, Rocket League is a multiplayer game where you play soccer while driving cars on a large arena

#2

PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS Released December 21, 2017, Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a mutiplayer lastman-standing game where you and many other players are thrown onto one map where you gather resorces and fight to survive

Released March 6, 2017, Ghost Recon: Wildlands is an open-word third-person shooter where you and three other players fight to relieve Bolivia of a drug cartel

#1 Grand Theft Auto 5

Released April 13, 2015, GTA V is an open-world game with online capabilities where you can do anything from driving cars to shooting to flying planes XIII

The Alamo Drafthouse offered the chicken yakotori following release of Isle of Dogs.

Photo by Emily Wang.

A statue of a robot stands guard in front of the Drafthouse entrance on Slaughter Lane. Photo by Emily Wang.

Picture House Pioneer The Alamo Drafthouse is an extremely popular movie theater founded in Austin.

By Emily Wang

The aroma of fries and burgers wafts through the air while moviegoers rush into the theater to get seated before the movie begins. A film plays while the waiters rush around making sure the food is delivered and that everyone is comfortable.

Everyone sinks into their seats as the experience of their lifetime begins.

According to drafthouse. com, the Alamo Drafthouse was founded in 1977 in Austin

XIV

by Tim League and his wife Karrie League with their primary locations in Austin.

Tim and Karrie had always loved watching movies, eating food, and drinking beer, so they decided to combine all of this into a theater. It was initially a very simple movie theater, screening second-run films while selling tickets and food at extremely low prices, but Tim’s unique programming skills soon caused professionals in the movie theater business to notice.

From there, the Alamo gained more and more momentum and is now a wildly successful movie theater with many unique qualities.

Ankita Bhardwaj, a frequent moviegoer, said that her favorite movie theater is the Alamo Drafthouse.

There are many reasons why the Drafthouse draws in so many people of different ages.

Each Drafthouse location has an aspect of it designed to target the young and the old.

“In all Alamo locations, the entrances are very unique with characters from different movies all around and can even be considered art,” said Ishaan Mehta, a student at Bowie High School. “This appeals to the younger audience. For the elders, most Alamo theaters have certain days when they play much older and classic movies.”

Some Alamo Drafthouse locations have stone statues of different characters from popular movies standing to greet you as you go see your movie. These statues don’t just appeal to younger kids, though.

Older generations also find them entertaining and fun.

“Our grandma was visiting from India, and she likes to take pictures of everything,”

themselves, while their children have fun. The style of the theater is arranged and the different, creative aspects of it distracts kids.

“The place’s theme is really interactive and in your face so it almost distracts the kids enough for parents to have fun also. With all the posters everywhere and the retro vibe, it doesn’t feel like Vicious snakes on top of the ticket booth at the a normal movie Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter Lane. Photo by theater, and a lot Emily Wang.

Although there are other of little kids find that fun,” Anna Alvis, a movie theaters that also serve food during the movie, the Alamo enthusiast, said. takes it one step further, incorporating the movie themes into their menu.

“A lot of people watch movies religiously, and creating a menu based on the movie is just another reason to come back,” said Mehta.

The staff is also a key part to making the food aspect of the Alamo run smoothly, along with assisting customers and making sure their experience there is as amazing as possible.

“The staff enforces the concepts of the theater and, said Bhardwaj. “We took a One thing the Drafthouse is without the staff, the theater billion pictures with the ape most known for is their food. would not be able to serve statue and sent it back home to It’s a major factor that sets it food to their guests,” he said.

“Additionally, the staff is very India. It was really fun.” apart from other theaters.

When parents bring “It is a movie theater, but for welcoming and makes an their children to the Alamo a movie theater, their food is atmosphere that makes you Drafthouse, they want to enjoy really good,” said Bhardwaj.

“A lot of people watch movies religiously, and creating a menu based on the movie is just another reason to come back”

-Bowie student Ishaan Mehta

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Lawgiver from the Planet of the Apes statue in theAlamo Drafthouse on Lakeline. Photo by Emily Wang. want to stay there.”

Before every movie, one or two celebrities from the movie everyone is about to watch feature in the “Don’t Talk” PSAs, a unique Alamo Drafthouse feature.

“The audience will listen to those celebrities and just not want to talk because celebrities tell us everything these days,” said Bhardwaj.

The fact that celebrities are willing to take time out of their busy days to shoot a PSA for the Alamo Drafthouse says a lot about the movie theater.

“The theater is beginning to make a large impact on the industry,” said Mehta.

Right now, it’s local and mainly located in Texas. In a way, this XVI

gives the Alamo Drafthouse an advantage.

“Due to their locality, their main goal isn’t simply to gain the most profit, unlike major corporations, yet it is to simply e n t e r t a i n ,” Mehta said.

“This mindset of entertainment over money induces the whole experience of watching a movie more amusing and entertaining to the moviegoers.”

The Alamo Drafthouse is able

come in pairs and not alone,” said Bhardwaj.

They are also known for their strict rules and policies. Making sure their rules are followed is what allows them to make sure the audience gets a satisfying viewing experience.

“One of their rules is no late seating, and I think it’s a good rule because I wouldn’t want someone coming in halfway through the movie yelling and sitting next to me,” said Bhardwaj.

Another rule they’re known for is not allowing kids under the age of six to enter the movie theater.

“Babies do cry, and it wouldn’t really be a good movie experience if someone just started crying,” said Bhardwaj.

There are also special viewing

“Due to their locality, their main goal isn’t simply to gain the most profit, unlike major corporations, yet it is to simply entertain” -Bowie student Ishaan Mehta to put more thought into the tiny details, even seats. For example, arranging the seats in groups of two.

“Making the seats in pairs would draw more people in because people would want to

events specifically targeting immigrants, which Texas has a lot of. According to the American Immigration Council, one out of six people who live in Texas is an immigrant.

“A lot of people are from

The Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter Lane often puts out different pieces of art that are stationed along the outer and interior of the theater. Photo by Emily Wang. different countries, and not a lot of movie theaters show foreign films, and it would make it more likely for the people from those foreign countries to come watch the movies,” said Bhardwaj.

Along with foreign language movies, indie films play in the Alamo Drafthouse. Indie films are independent films that are made in independent film companies. Usually, they stand out because the director’s artistic choices can be seen more clearly.

“A lot of people want to try out something new, so instead of going to mainstream films, they go to foreign language and indie films,” said Mehta.

There was a particular filming that took place in Lake

Travis, where the movie Jaws was shown while the audience floated around in tubes.

“It makes it a very Austin thing, because that’s not something you would take your five year old or your grandma to, but because we have such a large college population here, fun adventure movie mixes are a great night out,” said Alvis.

The unique Jaws showing is just one example of the many qualities that make the Alamo stand out in a sea of millions.

“It breaks the idea that movie theaters are gross and staffed by 14-year-olds, so it definitely could bring up business anywhere,” said Alvis.

They’re obviously doing

something right. Business is booming for them, and many other theaters might start thinking about imitating some of what makes the Alamo Drafthouse stand out to increase their own profits.

“The Alamo’s a trendsetter because other theaters would probably want to copy what the Alamo does,” said Bhardwaj.

The lights slowly flood the room as the movie fades to the end credits. Excited chatter can be heard as people discuss who their favorite and least favorite characters were. Happy and full of all the food they ordered, they pay and slowly walk out.

XVII

What Goes Into a Typical 10 bundles of 1x4 1 bundle=100ft

12 cast Members

20 mics

20 cans of paint

24 hours of performance

28 tech rehearsals XVIII

College Theatrical Production?

By Georgia McLeod

50 props 42 costumes

82 techs

Each symbol represents 5 units

350 light fixtures XIX

behind the curtain

By Madison Horvath

XX

A set piece designed by W. Scott Bussey. Courtesy of W. Scott Bussey.

The lights dim, and the curtain rises. The play is beginning. But when the audience applaud they will fail to remember the techs, the people who bring up the curtain, control the lights, monitor the microphones, and give up all their free time to create the show.

Technical theatre is everything physical about a production besides the actors. Technicians, or techs, design and build the sets, control the curtains, lights, and sounds, and push the set pieces on and off stage during the show. They are led by technical directors, who receive sketches from the designers and make sure everything fits in the budget and complies with safety standards before shipping it to the scene shop, where the carpenters build it, and then on to the paint shop, where the painters put on the finishing touches. The completed piece is then transported to the theater where technicians take it

on and offstage as directed by the stage manage r.

Being a technician means a multitude of things, but almost all involve getting up early and staying up late for days or weeks at a time to prepare for the show. And while

Set for an upcoming production.

Courtesy of W. Scott Bussey.

actors get flowers and standing ovations, at the end of the performance technicians have to set up for the next day before even thinking of going home.

“There’s often been

“You do it because you like being around the other people.”

-Anne Millitello, Head Lighting Design for CalArts School of Theatre XXI

“Where I grew up there was a local theater, and after high school I volunteered at the theater,” she said. “I loved the atmosphere and the comradery, and the theater was so open,” She added.

“You do it because you like being around the other people.”

W. Scott Buss e y,

Scott Bussey with a set design. Courtesy of W. Scott Bussey.

misconceptions about what people do in the theater,” said Anne Militello, Head of Lighting Programs at CalArts and Founder of Vortex Lighting in Los Angeles.

the realm of a technician,” she added.

Militello worked as a stagehand, or a technician who doesn’t have a specific job and

technical director for the Texas Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, agreed.

“A tech is never going to get the accolades, no one’s going to walk out and give you a bouquet of roses. It’s not gonna

If I would’ve gone into something else, I don’t think my job would have made me travel to all these places and see these neat places and these interesting people.”

-W. Scott Bussey, Technical Director for the University of Texas “There’s people that are there until opening night, that are running the show backstage, that are programming; that’s all in

XXII

rather helps out backstage, in her early career. She went on to become a lighting designer for theater and music clubs in New York City, on Broadway, and eventually became a Show Lighting Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering before founding Vortex Lighting.

happen,” he said.

“But for me, it’s by doing technical theatre that I have traveled the United States and a lot of the world. If I would’ve gone into something else, I don’t think my job would have made me travel to all these places and see these neat places and these

interesting people.”

“Techs are definitely a huge part of theater,” said Sophia Lum, a high school actress and makeup artist. “The techs have been very kind to me.”

As great as it is, tech isn’t all fun. There’s an incredible amount of hard work involved.

“You could get to be in the theater for two weeks straight up to midnight. That doesn’t happen often but it does happen sometimes and over the course of years and years and years that can really kind of wear on you,”

Bussey said.

Tech theatre is difficult - as anyone who’s in the industry will tell you but it’s also incredibly rewarding. If it weren’t for the people who make it happen -- the techs who bring up the curtain, control the lights, and monitor the microphones -- the show wouldn’t go on.

The scene shop where the majority of sets at Bass Concert Hall are made. Courtesy of W. Scott Bussey.

XXIII

1. “She’s like Texas” by Josh Abbott Band (TX) 2. “Fishin’ in the Dark” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NE) 3. “Lucky” by Jason Mraz (IL) 4. “Wop” by J. Dash (AL) 5. “Juicy by the Notorious B.I.G (NY) 6. “Just a Kiss” by Lady Antebellum (NV) 7. “Would You Go With Me” by Josh Turner (AK) 8. “Fishin’ in the Dark” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (MN) 9. “Electric Slide” by Electric Slide Music Makers (NC) 10. “Get Low” by the Ying Yang Twins (WA) 11. “Solarflare” by Yung Lean (OH) 12. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by the Jordanaires, Haley Reinhart (CT) 13. “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (ME) 14. “Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle (KS) 15. “Over and Over Again” by Nathan Sykes (HI) 16. “Get Low by the Ying Yang Twins (OR) 17. “Wedding Song” by Fleeting (WI) 18. “Country Grammar” by Nelly (MO) 19. “That’s My Kind of Night” by Luke Bryan (NH) 20. “La Gozadera” by Gente De Zona (FL) 21. “Fishin’ in the Dark” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (MT) 22. “Wop” by J. Dash (LA) 23. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver (WV) 24. “California Love” by Tupac Shakur (CA) 25. “Under Pressure” by Queen (VT) 26.”Wop” by J. Dash (GA)

XXIV

top 10 in : america

Wedding

songs

By Abby Greendyk

27. “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn (NM) 28. “Get Low” by the Ying Yang Twins (MI) 29. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen (NJ) 30. “All About Us” by He Is We (ID) 31. “Electric Slide” by Electric Slide Music Makers (KY) 32. “Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money (MA) 33. “Fishin’ in the Dark” by the Nittiy Gritty Dirt Band (SD) 34. “You for Me (Wedding Song)” by Johnny Gill (MS) 35. “A Couple of Forevers” by Chrisettle Michele (MD) 36. “Just to See You Smile” by Tim McGraw (AZ) 37. “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock (PA) 38. “Wedding Song” by Fleeting (WY) 39. “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker, Old Crow Medicine Show (RI) 40. “Carolina Girls” by Heneral Honson & the Charimen of the Board (SC) 41. “Would You Go With Me” by Josh Turner (CO) 42. “Here and Now” by Luther Vandoss (DE) 43. “Fishin’ in the Dark” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (ND) 44. “Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle (OK) 45. “Electric Slide” by Electric Slide Music Makers (IN) 46. “Get Low” by the Ying Yang Twins (VA) 47. “Fishin’ in the Dark” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (IA) 48. “White Dress” by Ben Rector (AR) 49. “All About Us” by He Is We (UT) 50. “God Gave Me You” by Dave Barnes (TN)

“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, “Marry You” by Bruno Mars, “All of Me” by John Legend, “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston, “Don’t Stop Believin”

by Journey, “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce featuring Jay-Z, “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz, “Hey Ya!” by OutKast.

XXV

Mind Music

Continuing to uncover the many effects of music on the brain.

By Georgia McLeod XXVI

What at first glance seemed to be merely a collage of sound waves may hold much more effect on humans than was once imagined.

Music activates many areas of the brain, not stopping with the auditory cortex. It impacts everything from the visual cortices that paint powerful images, to the motor cortex that inclines listeners to move along with the beat, to the emotional networks that produce a whole spectrum of feelings.

Whether used for entertainment, comfort, or even the treatment of conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, music has a significant influence on people. More and more focus is now being put into the study of the psychology of music, and the results turning up are fascinating.

Music takes a complex effect on the mind, with emotion being arguably one of the most important components of its allure.

Tuomas Eerola is the head of the music department of Durham University in England.

Along with being a professor of music cognition, he has directed many research projects and contributed his findings to several journals.

“I would say that the capacity of music to move us emotionally is the biggest appeal,” said Eerola.

“We want to experience emotions and savor the moments of emotional changes.”

It has been scientifically proven that music has a remarkable ability to provoke emotions.

“Because music affects us so deeply, brain structures dedicated to emotions are likely to be

affected by music,” said Niels Hansen, a postdoctoral research fellow in the school of music at Ohio State University.

Hansen is currently working in the university’s Cognitive and Systematic Musicology Laboratory. There, members conduct experiments and develop new ideas that propose music’s relation to the mind.

Interestingly, music affects each listener differently. The particular mood expressed by a song will

recall those moments vividly. “ M u s i c captures the era and memories of a time period quite efficiently,” Eerola said.

“This is especially true of the music that you listened to through your formative years, so the music of that era might be particularly charged with meaning and associations.”

There are other ways that music’s many effects can be amplified in the young. Hansen

“Because all of us associate personal memories with music, different pieces of music will very often have very different degrees of significance to each of us.”

-Niels Hansen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow likely not be constant among everyone.

“Because all of us associate p e r s o n a l memories with music, different pieces of music will very often have very different degrees of significance to each of us,” Hansen said.

The times and places in which one has listened to a song may impact its meaning to them later on, as well as cause them to

found that upon first developing a taste in music, one will most likely relate in a unique way to those who also enjoy that genre.

“Because of a psychological phenomenon that we call ‘the reminiscence bump’,” Hansen said, “you are very likely to prefer the same music that you preferred during your teenage years for the rest of your life.”

For these reasons, music often becomes a part of young people’s XXVII

Niels Hansen works in the Cognitive and Systematic Musicology Laboratory at Ohio State University.

Photo courtesy of Niels Hansen.

identities, holding varying meanings from individual to individual. However, some of music’s impact is universal.

“Music does have some basic, instinctive effects on all of us no matter who we are and where we grew up,” Hansen added.

For example, various sound mechanisms are often employed to induce certain responses in listeners.

“In Western culture, the cues that signal ‘happiness’ are fast tempo, major mode, staccato-like articulation, high pitches,” Eerola said. “Interestingly, many of these are similar in non-western cultures...and may tap into more fundamental processes.”

Particularly loud and irregular XXVIII

chords will be displeasing to almost all people due to natural human instinct.

“Music also plays with our expectations and there is lots of evidence that violations and confirmations of such expectations can be emotionally rewarding or unpleasant,” Hansen said.

Though musicians may not have studied the exact science behind the subject, many seem to share a similar opinion about the importance of musical effects from their own experience.

“I think words can definitely inflict various feelings, but there’s also instrumental sounds we add in depending on the vibe of the song,” said Taylor Baker, a

musician who collaborates with Drew Walker in a local Austin duo.

Just as people perceive the emotions of others in everyday conversations, they can sense moods in music.

“One can also pick up the emotional cues in music and this process of contagion can sometimes makes us feel the kinds of emotions music may express,” Eerola said.

Music has proven to extend past cultural boundaries. It has evolved alongside human culture for as long as can be remembered, becoming so common that even among differing backgrounds, almost everyone shares an appreciation for it. Many people

value music not only as an enjoyable way to spend their time, but also as a mode of connecting with others.

“Music is nowadays often a private experience,” said Eerola, “but it has the great potential of being something that brings hundreds of people together and lets them experience something similar at the same instant.”

Recently, many researchers in the music and psychology field have tried to find evidence explaining why people may choose to listen to music that matches their mood, such as picking sad music when they are -Tuomas Eerola, Music Cognition Professor sad.

“One possibility is that sad articulated that through music,” music gives you a sense that to handle.”

Eerola has a similar opinion. he said. “Music may then act as an you are not alone with your “Somebody else empathic friend and actually help sadness,” said has experienced to cope with the underlying cause Hansen. “This the same of sadness.” m i g h t feeling Hansen believes music can make it a n d be beneficial to mental health, easier helping to lift people’s moods.

“On the population level, it is known that people who engage in arts are healthier and live longer,” Eerola said.

When used in rehabilitation and therapy, music has helped those with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and several other conditions.

“It has been shown several times that music facilitates recovery from stroke better than any other method,” Eerola said.

Today, recent research continues to show many ways, both small and large, that music influences people all over the world in their everyday lives.

“Music has been around at least as long as language, so it must be worthwhile!” Hansen said. “It must be one of the things that Taylor Baker and Drew Walker have been making music together since 2013, when they met at Austin’s SXSW festival. make us human.”

“[Music] has the great potential of being something that brings hundreds of people together and lets them experience something similar at the same instant.”

Photo courtesy of Michelle King.

XXIX

At midnigt, you hear a knock at the door.

I open it.

I ign ore it.

closet.

You hear glass shattering, silence, and then footsteps.

I clim b wind out my ow.

A man stands, panting. He begs you to let him in.

I slam the door in his face.

Il

et

hi

A man stands waiting for you. He says if you move, he’ll shoot. m

in

.

He takes out a knife.

im.

I figh th

I run ou t the do o r t o m y car.

The man breaks into your room.

I ju an mp d r ou un t t to he w my in You can’t seem to get your car dow . car to start. He breaks

He shoots you with a tranquilizer dart, but he uses the one for elephants by accident. You die.

XXX

I hide in the

your window, punches you, and kills you.

ack.

I fight b

He finds you because closets are lame hiding spots.

You win! You don’t die because you have common sense.

I surre

nder.

er.

I surrend

He takes you to his house which is filled with clown portraits. You die from shock.

How would you die in a horror movie?

I scream

for help .

I ru n call upstai rs an 911 . d

Your neighbors are partying hard and can’t hear you. He shoots you.

Hasn’t anyone told you police never do anything in horror movies? You get stabbed.

By Emily Wang

XXXI

Developer Mode

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDIE AND AAA VIDEO GAMES

By Yahya Syed

“Halo 4” is a AAA shooter game developed in 2012 by Certain Affinity and 343 Industries. Photo courtesy of Microsoft.

All of the hours spent working on one project. All of the designing, coding, and testing; the late nights and bug fixes.

All of it leading to one day: the day the video game reaches the public.

Video games are a large part of life for many people. Some XXXII

people play games, some develop, and some do both. There are two main types of video games: indie and AAA. Most people play AAA games, or games that have large budgets, large teams, and are sold commercially in stores such as Walmart and Best Buy. Some well-known AAA games include “Forza Horizon 3” and “Call of

Duty: Black Ops.” Indie games are games developed by smaller companies and are found either on online game stores like Steam or on the game studio’s website.

Some popular indie games are “Minecraft” and “Cuphead.”

“Many of the popular indie and AAA games we see released take anywhere from two to six years

“Desert Child” is an indie racing game published in 2018 by Akupara Games. Photo courtesy of Akupara Games.

to make,” Erik Umenhofer, the founder and lead developer of Firebelly studios, said. “Some of the simpler ones are down to one to two years. Some games take even longer.”

several years,” said David Logan, the CEO of Akupara Games, an indie game developer.

Depending on the size and complexity of the game, it can either take a short or very long

“We have projects that range from several months for a full development cycle all the way to several years.”

-David Logan, Akupara Games CEO There is a large range in game development time between every game, whether it be an indie or an AAA game.

“We have projects that range from several months for a full development cycle all the way to

time to complete.

“Whatever game style you pick, you have your engine at the heart,” Umenhofer said. “Most of the time, every game has a custom engine built either from scratch or on top of another engine like

Unity, XNA or Unreal,” he added.

Game engines are a large part in development for video games as all of them use at least one. They can be made for anything from graphics to physics to gameplay.

For example, most realistic games use Havok, a p h y s i c s engine that Akupara Games is a developer and recreates realpublisher of indie world physics games. Image into video courtesy of Akupara games.

Games.

“We use several game engines that help put it all together,” Logan said. “[A few are] Unity and Unreal. Unreal is used more for graphic-heavy titles, usually first person or third

XXXIII

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered” is a AAA game published in 2016 by several developers, including Certain Affinity and Activision. Photo courtesy of Activision.

person shooters or action games, and Unity is the most flexible from what I’ve seen in terms of hitting a bunch of genres,” he explained.

Game engines are also designed for different platforms. Unity is a game engine that is used as a base for mobile games and is used for most indie mobile games.

“When you move a game to mobile, you have to change controls and graphics,” Umenhofer said. “You can’t pack a 100 megabyte texture into the game if its on mobile. Buttons have to be bigger as you are using a single finger to move around rather than a mouse and [keyboard],” Umenhofer said.

There are lots of differences between mobile and PC gaming, but two main factors are graphics and controls. Graphics on mobile games are usually lower quality than PC because they have lower-

XXXIV

end graphics cards due to their size.

“It’s a little bit harder to get a super beautiful first-personshooter on mobile, that might be weird with controls as well,” Logan said. “I think controls are

games.

“On PC, games are generally using mice, on consoles they’re generally using controllers,” Logan said. “They will have controllers on PC, but I wouldn’t make a controller-only game on

“Depending on the team size, you’re going to have designers, writers, artists, composers, engineers, dev[elopers], managers, etc.”

-Erik Umenhofer, Firebelly Studios CEO the main thing.”

Apart from graphics, controls are also a very large difference between mobile games and PC

PC because you’re going to lose that all out of your audience.”

Input methods, such as controllers and keyboards, are

“EmergeNYC” is an indie game published in 2016 by Akupara Games, Flipswitch Games, and Hasbang Games. Photo courtesy of Akupara Games.

usually made for specific systems.

Controllers will mostly be used for console, and keyboards will generally be used with PCs. “Depending on the team size, you’re going to have designers, writers, artists, composers, engineers, dev[elopers], managers, etc,” Umenhofer said.

“Indie game teams sometimes pull double, triple, [or] quadruple duty on these roles.”

Game teams need to have people with specific skills in order to produce a well-rounded game.

“In terms of phases of game design, generally you would have pre-production phase where you’re finding out the title, you’re doing a lot of stuff on paper or very roughly,” Logan said.

“You would [then] move on to production, where you would bring in your team of artists and animators and programmers to start building out the ideas for the type and design.”

Game design, like other types of development, is done in phases. As work is completed, Certain Affinity is a AAA game developer founded in 2006. Image courtesy of Certain Affinity.

development teams move another phase closer to release.

“Then, once the game is in a good spot, you move more onto post-production, where you would be writing up the title, putting on the polish and finishing touches, [and] you’d be doing a lot of play testing with QA, and then ultimately you’d be bringing it out for distribution,” Logan said. “Then you’d be doing marketing and bringing it to different distributors like Steam

and Google and Apple.”

At the end of game development, developers have to put lots of time into testing in order to find bugs and ensure quality of the game. Later, the developers will ask distributors, both online and retail, to sell their game.

“Some of the common teams on game projects are gameplay, characters, environments, engine, and platform,” said Ryan Treadwell, a developer at Certain Affinity. “Teams can feature a multitude of disciplines from programming, art, audio, concept, and are supported by producers.”

In order to create a good game, a development team has to be diverse, with many people all of different backgrounds; a game requires time, effort, and dedication in order to be good.

XXXV

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The End

Courtesy of ACL Fest Photo by Charles Reagan