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four eyes MY PRECIOUS The Lord of the Rings Fandom

SET PHASERS TO STUNNING YOUR GUIDE TO COSPLAY

find out what book character you are TAKE OUR QUIZ

NO GIRLS ALLOWED Misogyny in Comic Books and Sci-Fi

The Sounds of Music the science of scoring movies

Amazon Kindle

Kindle Your Love of Knowledge Cover Art by Cameron Wynn

from the editors

photo by TRISTAN KETCHAM

I

t should probably be recorded for posterity that very little productivity occurred in the small line of computers where Four Eyes was created (Mason would have preferred a circle). Well, five computers, counting Tristan, who is considered something of an honorary member. Class periods consisted of extensive and intense marathons of competitive Monty Python and the Holy Grail quote-offs; increasingly convoluted conversations consisting largely of offensive jokes; remarkably obscure references; and then the consequential brief times of extreme panic at deadlines where tensions ran high and there was quite a bit of shouting.

It is a testament to our stoic hearts and steadfast perseverance that any of us maintained some semblance of our sanity after this semester.

Friendships were torn apart, unlikely alliances were formed and we were pushed to the physical and emotional brink. But through the turmoil of the proverbial educational battlefield, we elevated our geekiness to new and unprecedented levels, and learned valuable things about our lives and our own inevitable mortality along the way. More than anything, we were reminded of the value of embracing our inner nerd, which is why we impart this to you, dear reader: a celebration of geek culture.

The great John Green once said, “When people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is ‘you like stuff.’ Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness.’”

This quote embodies the fundamental

idea behind this magazine. We all share the firm conviction that there is nothing shameful or wrong with being nerdy. To be a geek is to embrace art and culture, to be a part of a farreaching community that is passionate about the same things you are and to never be afraid of being enthusiastic about what makes you happy. Geek culture is about finding optimism and sincerity in a world dominated by cynics and pessimists and bigots.

This is what it means to be a nerd, or a geek, or a dork, or whatever it is that people want to call us.

So take that title and own it. Love it. Make it your own. Because we’re geeks, and we’re proud. v

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Table of Contents A Look Through Our Lenses 6 From the Editors 3

No Girls Allowed 11 Lord of the Cha-Chings 8

Marvelous History 16

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Set Phasers to Stunning 18 A Comment on Comments 26 My Precious 20

Sounds of Music 32 The Good, the Okay and the Morally Reprehensible 30 foureyes

a look through our lenses Cameron Wynn Evil takes a human form in Cameron Wynn. Don’t be fooled, because she may seem like your typical awesome, nerdtastic, geeky fangirl, but in reality, she is so much more than that. She’s the queen bee. The star. Those other three are just her little workers.

Cameron Wynn. How do I begin to explain Cameron Wynn? Cameron Wynn is flawless. She has two Fendi purses and a silver Lexus. I hear her hair is insured for 10,000 dollars. I hear she does car commercials…in Japan. Her favorite movie is Varsity Blues. One time she met John Stamos on a plane and her told her she was pretty. One time she punched me in the face…it was awesome. If you didn’t get the reference this was probably an immensely strange experience for you, and for that I apologize.

Eliza Fisher Eliza Fisher has understood some of the most obscure references her friends have ever made. She is extremely happy that she goes to LASA, because the people here are amazing. She became extremely geeky as she matured (although she’s still not actually mature), and she is now a fan of many things, including Harry Potter, Supernatural, BBC Sherlock, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, and a lot of other things that she doesn’t want to list because that would take too long. She has three dogs and a cat, her favorite color is green and her sense of humor is extremely sarcastic. She would like to thank Roxy for putting up with sitting next to her the entire semester, Cameron for being hilarious and Mason for whistling film scores almost every day… and you, for reading.

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Roxy Bonafont Roxy Bonafont is 14 years old and sources suggest she is pretty rad. She divides her time between stressing over high school, stressing over her excessive need to procrastinate and stressing because there are too many television shows to watch and not enough time for them in our fleeting human existence. She plays the cello and writes occasionally when she forgets that it is really hard. Her unhealthy tendency for extreme obsessiveness has driven away her loved ones. Her first love, at five years old, was Aragorn; and she has since expanded her considerable collection of fandoms to include Doctor Who and Torchwood, Sherlock, Supernatural, Harry Potter, Star Trek, the Whedonverse, Monty Python, Fringe and Marvel, among far too many others. She has truly enjoyed getting aggressively off-topic with her fantastically weird group.

Mason Marriott-Voss Mason Marriott-Voss shows an interesting incapability to sit in his chair. He has been involved in soccer for almost his entire life. He tries his best to balance his obligations to soccer and school with the need to indulge in geekiness. He is also on the debate team and contrary to popular belief, he does have friends and a girlfriend. He has three cats, a dog and a hedgehog.

With all of their names derived from Lord of the Rings, it’s safe to say that he is a pretty huge fan. But Lord of the Rings isn’t his only fandom, with Marvel and Star Wars on the list as well. He would like to thank the rest of the group for their work on the magazine. If they were here, they would describe him as awesome, helpful, and legen - wait for it‌

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Lord of the

CHA-CHINGS

by ROXY BONAFONT

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END

The most expensive movie ever made

$334.5

million production budget

1,050 VISUAL EFFECTS SHOTS

photo by WALT DISNEY PICTURES JERRY BRUCKHEIMER FILMS Kiera Knightly starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which was nominated for Academy Awards in Makeup and Visual Effects

photo by LIGHTSTORM ENTERTAINMENT DUNE ENTERTAINMENT INGENIOUS FILM PARTNERS

Avatar Avatar used cutting-edge motion capture techniques to make the Na’vi as realistic as possible

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

$269.6

million

production budget

SIX 25 TWO

45 weeks

The Inferi took people to create, plus an additional artists to complete the necessary shots, for minutes of screen time

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$255.5

word lexicon created for Na’vi language

1000million

production budget

900 people

WORKING ON VISUAL EFFECTS movie is

60% C G I

Floor-rattling explosions, epic battles, gorgeous cinematography-- everyone loves to get swept away in a darkened theater by a blockbuster movie, and there is no greater spectacle than in the imagination that goes into a science fiction or fantasy film. But how much time, effort and money does it take to create an entirely new world? Take a look at what went into making some of the most ambitious movies of all time.

photo by NEW LINE CINEMA

THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY

The trilogy took eight years to make and won a

For some shots, many of the sets such as Minis Tirith and Helm’s Deep were recreatedawards as large totol of 17 Academy models called “bigatures”, as large as 50 feet wide.

The Fellowship of the Ring

$93

million

production budget

Weta Workshop (a conceptual

design and physical manufacturing workshop) produced 48,000 items,

including:

The Two Towers

$94 799

million

production budget

The Return of the King

$94

production budget

1,488

V I S U A L E F F E C T S S H O T S

TREEBEARD took 28-48 hours per frame

million

visual effects shots

68 “bigatures” (large models) to render 2,000 weapons 1,000 suits of armour 10,000 facial prosthetics Elven suits of armour 1,800 Hobbit feet

Forty seamstresses produced

19,000

100 250

Rohirrim suits

costumes Elven armour

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Tangled $275.8

million production budget

the CGI animation took

six years

photo by WALT DISNEY PICTURES WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIO

to complete

Blended techniques of CGI and traditional animation while using non-photorealistic rendering to create the appearance of a painting photo by MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT DUNE ENTERTAINMENT LLC INGENIOUS FILM PARTNERS THE DONNERS’ COMPANY

X-Men: The Last Stand $241 m i l l i o n production budget

DIGITALLY REJUVENATED ACTORS IAN MCKELLEN AND PATRICK STEWART BY ABOUT 25 YEARS

X-Men’s extensive visual effects were created by eleven different companies

The Avengers $200 million production budget

2,200 v i s u a l e ff e c t s s h o t s photo by MARVEL STUDIOS The Avengers was nominated for Academy Awards and BAFTAs for Visual Effects Information compiled from: Wikipedia, IMDB, Business Insider, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended Addition Special Features

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No Girls Allowed Notoriously sexist content has tainted comic books and science fiction.

The girls aren’t taking it anymore.

by ROXY BONAFONT

photo by The WB

J

ennifer Kavetsky grew up loving science fiction. With a geologist and a science teacher for parents, she has always been fascinated by the scientific world.

Coupled with a her passion for reading and literature, science fiction is the natural combination of both interests.

However, she was shocked to discover that her love of science was seen by many as bizarre.

“Partly because my parents were both scientists, it never occurred to me that science (or science fiction) was often seen as a ‘for boys,’” Kavetsky, a Ph.D student at the University of California at Riverside writing her dissertation on the portrayal of robots in sci-fi during and after World War II, said.

“It wasn’t until college that someone was shocked that I read science fiction and was female. The thing is, there are a lot of women in science fiction and fantasy, but there’s still this stereotype that it’s a boy’s club.”

Women have always made up a huge part of the sci-fi and comic book audience and are major contributors to the community; many cite Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as the first science fiction novel. Despite this, science fiction and comic books have a history of showcasing highly sexist and misogynistic content. Comics are infamous for exemplifying the issue in a very visual way, with covers depicting overly-sexualized and scantily-clad women.

“

Science fiction gives us a chance to imagine different ‘what if?’ scenarios... In realistic fiction, cultural givens tend to fade into the scenery so we don’t always think to question them.

-Kavetsky

”

“Most of the roles female characters play in science fiction are similar to the roles they play outside of it. There’s the Damsel in Distress, the Temptress, the Girl Next Door,” Kavetsky said.

“In science fiction, women are often

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taken from FLIP Relapse #1 by RITA MOORE, BRANDON SIMPSON, ROBERT SAIZ FLIP Relapse is Moore’s superhero comic. She prefers drawing women with believable builds.

“All of the female characters are fully dressed although a couple wear form fitting attire,” she said. “Even with the spandex fit, I do not draw any character leading chest or butt first.”

used to represent the natural or the ‘normal’ to contrast with science and technology.”

This causes sexist norms in society to be more obvious when set in the imaginative scenario of a science fiction work. Kavetsky says it’s because we expect the genre to invent new societal configurations.

“Science fiction gives us a chance to imagine different ‘what if?’ scenarios,” she said. “In the case of gender, we can imagine alternate gender configurations, which is pretty hard to do in realistic fiction. And when science fiction fails to do this, it’s often more visible because we’re expecting the society of the future to be different than the one we have now. In realistic fiction, cultural givens tend to fade into the scenery so we don’t always think to question them.”

She says the cause for sexism in science fiction and comic books is “complicated”, but that it mainly boils down to an assumption that women are neither competent nor interested in science-- and sci-fi by extension.

“There’s… a kind of collective amnesia about this topic which includes the

science fiction community. There have been women writing and reading science fiction from the beginning but even now people are still surprised when I tell them what I do.”

She believes sexist content continues to be an issue due at least in part to a lack of female presence in the genre.

“There’s also a lot of social pressure that keeps women out of the science fiction community,” she said. “And since there are fewer women, there’s less awareness of potential problems and less incentive to solve those problems.”

Rita Moore, a comic book artist in the Austin-based company CCP Comics, agrees.

“I think it stems from being a male dominant industry with a strong male demographic,” she said.

Ever since a friend introduced her to the world of superheroes, Moore knew she wanted to be a comic book artist. She and a group of people passionate about comic books formed the independent company CCP Comics in 2007, and since then she’s worked on a dozen books. She has a

fundamentally optimistic opinion of the core message comics try to convey.

“My all time favorite graphic novel is Kingdom Come by DC Comics…. I can go into all the morals and subtext of the story, but the message I took away from it was, ‘physical strength and strength of character may not be enough to change the world today, but... at least strength of character can change the world tomorrow,’” Moore said. “That’s what always appealed to me about comics, or at least superhero comics. They try to make the world a better place.”

Despite this, she recognizes that comics don’t always live up to that ideal.

“In comics today you see a lot of the over-sexualization of women rather than straight up degradation that used to be prevalent especially in the golden age of comics,” she said. “In the golden age... they really showcased women that are incompetent, homebodies or damsels. Lois Lane for example went through ALL of these characteristics.

The comic industry began in the late 30’s with Action Comics. At that

time, the public view of women was that of the subservient housewife. It was life as they knew it then. Now, it’s life as we know it today. With advertising targeting the definition of beauty..., with male based marketing highlighting sexuality..., and with the notion that a woman’s most qualifying feature is her body, comics are simply reflecting the times. When sex stops selling, the media will stop marketing it.”

Moore said that when she sees misogynistic content in a comic book she’s been enjoying, she usually stops reading. “ I don’t like seeing women used or portrayed negatively,” she said. “I’ve personally known misogynists and men who have used women, and I know first-hand how it feels to be used or discriminated against, and it made me feel horrible about myself. The thought of comics telling women and girls that that kind of behavior is okay infuriates me.”

Moore said that comics should instead be promoting ideas of female empowerment and value.

“ I would like to think women are more than just their face or their bodies,” she said. “In my books at least, I hope that if any child chooses one of my characters as a role model, it’s because that character has integrity and a personal feature they can relate to and not because they look awesome in the smallest amount of clothing. I think especially in this day and age, we really need to remind people the importance of the content of one’s character.”

“

I hope that if any child chooses one of my characters as a role model, it’s because that character has integrity and a personal feature they can relate to and not because they look awesome in the smallest amount of clothing.

-Moore

”

Both Kavetsky and Moore believe that the culture of comic books and science fiction will continue to change and develop more feminist attitudes.

photo by DC UNIVERSE WIKIA

Wonder Woman, probably the most well-known female superhero, has been criticized by feminists for her revealing costume.

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“

photo by FOX

Special Agent Dana Scully of The X-Files was a voice of science and logic and an equal to her male partner, Fox Mulder.

One of my favorite Joss Whedon quotes was an answer to the question, ‘Why do you write strong female characters?’ He says, ‘Because you’re still asking me that question.’

-Moore

”

Kavetsky cited several characters who have already inspired change in the communities, such as Wonder Woman, Rogue from X-Men, Agent Scully of X-Files, and, of course, Buffy Summers.

“Part of the appeal of Buffy was that she was developed in response to the dominant narrative about women,” she said. “Joss Whedon decided he wanted to flip the usual ‘damsel in distress’ script and make the damsel the hero.”

Kavetsky believes that the sci-fi community is generally well-meaning and open to change.

photo by BBC In classic Doctor Who, the Doctor travelled with women known as “assistants” who would often get captured or cause trouble.

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“The science fiction community often sincerely wants to be ahead of the curve when it comes to social changes. It is a genre about the future, after all. But it doesn’t always live up to its potential,” she said. “One thing that I like about the science fiction community is that it tends to be pretty welcoming. Guys might be

surprised that I read science fiction, but they don’t give me a hard time about it. They’re mainly happy to have found a new person to discuss their hobby with, which is true for fans of anything. Science fiction is also a very tight-knit community so fans can actually influence what gets published [or] produced.”

Moore, too, is optimistic about the future and the ability of the comic book community to change.

“One of my favorite Joss Whedon quotes was an answer to the question, ‘Why do you write strong female characters?’ He says, ‘Because you’re still asking me that question.’ That I think sums up everything,” Moore said. “Equality has been a slow moving process in this culture but eventually, I think the history of female characters will be described as going from ‘damsel in distress’ to ‘female supporting character’ to ‘sexy strong female character’ to ‘strong female character’ to ‘strong character.’” v

We’ve all had that urge to spend an entire day in front of the TV.

Netflix is your friend.

MARVELous

One of the first major Marvel movies produced, “X-Men”, made about $296 million.

Martin Goodman established Marvel Comics in 1939. Its first office was at 330 West 42nd St, New York City.

The first “Captain America” comic was released in March of 1941 to help promote World War II.

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Marvel releases its first comic in October of 1939 featuring the Human Torch.

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In 1961, the “Fantastic Four” was created in response to DC’s “Justice League”.

Stan Lee, one of Marvel’s most famous illistrators, created The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman and Iron Man in the summer of 1962.

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The first “X-Men” comic was released in September of 1963, the team consits of Professor X, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Archangel, and Jean Grey. Wolverine was inroduced in 1974.

The “Avengers” made their debut in September of 1963. The original group, containing Thor, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Wasp and Ant Man, are still popular today. But now, Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D. are more predominant in the remakes.

History

For years, Marvel has been producing everything ranging from comic books to TV shows, all with a wide variety of super heroes and villains such as Captain America, Iron Man, and Doctor Doom. With such a wide base to draw from, they are a thriving corporation that should continue to for years to come. And many of their future plans have already created much fanfare with the nerd community.

The “Avengers” was the most anticipated nerd movie of year.

On opening weekend it grossed $207.5 million and is the third highest grossing film of all time.

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“Thor: The Dark World” is set to come out on November eighth and it is going to wrap up some loose ends from the Avengers.

“Spiderman” released in 2002, was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Mixing.

In 2003,”Hulk” was released to much anticipation. But ended up being marked as a “disappointment,” grossing just under $245 million. all photos courtesy of Wikipedia, except background, courtesy of NASA

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SET PHASERS

It’s never too early to start preparing for the next Comic-Con, Halloween or anime convention, but putting together a stellar costume that does such a fantastical character justice can be a difficult endeavor. Never fear, the cosplay how-to guide has arrived. Sweat, tears and a convincing wig serve as the building blocks for being successful in costume design or at least for having a great time convention hopping.

So take a deep breath, collect your thoughts and the sewing pins scattered on the floor from your fit of frustration, and enter the cosplay universe.

by CAMERON WYNN

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Once you have formed the idea and decided on the details make a list of the materials you need.

A costume plan can take weeks to perfect. It is Sort this list into things you can make, things that best to spend as much time as needed in this stage you have and things you need to buy. Buying a gold for the best results. Keep in mind things such as plated C3PO costume is probably out of your budget, where you are going, budget and practicality. After but sewing a black maxi skirt is not expensive or very getting a general idea of what the costume contain time consuming. Don’t flinch at going back to the composed of move on to sketching. You do not need drawing board and rethink your whole concept. Think brilliant artistic skills to sketch out your ideas. Just having a clear idea of what you need and how you want about how much time and money you’re willing to spend and cut down your list appropriately . the final product to look will suffice.

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A costume takes a lot of time and energy. The selected character must interest you since the costume will take a lot of dedication . Once you’ve decided to dress up as a Klingon or Bellatrix Lestrange you can start the planning process.

Store Bought or Homemade? A conundrum faced by many cosplayers, many have their own code when it comes to this. Keep in mind what works for you. If you are on a budget make your costume and buy used items. If you are pressed for time see what you can find in stores and make what you can’t.

photo and art by CAMERON WYNN Sketch out several ideas untill you find one that suits your style and needs

Don’t get scammed. It’s important to only buy from trusted vendors when you’re surfing the web. Getting stuck with something that’s the wrong size or in bad condition really stinks!

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photo and art by CAMERON WYNN This concept art for Jill the Giantslayer is a great example of sketching from several different angles

TO STUNNING 3 4

Your cosplay adventure can be insanely stressful or a terrific adventure. Hopefully your experience will consist of the latter. To avoid all of that stress make sure you schedule your time. If you are ordering things online do it in advance. Set up a day to buy your materials, you will probably have to take several trips as you realize you need things. The most important scheduling that you will do involves actually making your costume. Prepare for things to go wrong! Murphy’s law presents itself often in costume making.

You can make a costume with no sewing experience at all. You can make your costume from scratch or out of a box. Whether you are starting with a bolt of grey fabric or a store bought Gandalf the costume will need some changes. You can sew or glue your seams, it is the same idea with each.

If the midsection hangs loose cut along the two seams on the sides. Put it on and pinch the holes shut, mark the lines where the new seams will go. When you are cutting make sure you leave some space for the sewing or gluing you should need a quarter inch to either side, but better safe than sorry, it is easier to cut fabric than to attach more. Plenty of tutorials display themselves online to clear up any confusion about alterations. You can handle most simple things with a hot glue gun and photo by NORMAN CHAN Brilliant cosplay from WonderCon 2013, this will hopefully serve as some inspiration.

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Practice putting on your makeup, colored contact lenses and wig. It will take time to get everything to look right so gather your patience. A week before your grand debut put on all of your costume, the crazy hair, the blue makeup: all of it and see how it all comes together. Make sure you give yourself time to fix things. You should not perform this step an hour before you have to leave.

photos by CAMERON WYNN You can go in any direction with your costumes decorative seams are just another detail that increases the quality of your outfit.

A lot of great cosplayers are out there, if you are stuck and need inspiration on how to make this or that look up photos of other cosplayers.

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Confidence is key, you won’t have fun if you are It is important that you don’t have to explain your not excited about showing off all your hard work. costume all night and instead can just have fun and Remember you’re surrounded by other people fangirl over your outfit and everyone else’s. Look at exactly like you. Make your night a great one. If you’re your characters face shape and emulate it with makeup. not having a ton of fun then you’re not doing it right! v Draw the character from different angles to get the full Sources Include: Allegra Clark and Bethany Westmoreland of Sirens Call Creative, effect. cosplay tutorial.com, and Elizabeth O’Malley editor os AnimeCons.com. foureyes

My Precious...

Why Lord of the Rings fans are so protective of the epic series, despite the fact that it is by no means a ‘new’ story.

by ELIZA FISHER

F

rom reading the books once a year to owning a replica of an iconic prop (or the original, if you can afford it), ‘fandom’ takes many different forms. Some stories selected for immortalization by their fans are short, some long, some serious, some hysterically funny. But in the end, what matters is not what the story is about, but what the fans make it about.

“I’d like to think that the Lord of the Rings movies were the best

representation of a book that’s ever been made,” said Miles Kersten, a sophomore at Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy who’s been emotionally attached to the Lord of the Rings since second grade.

The Lord of the Rings is the quintessential epic, complete with all the favorite plot aspects - the reluctant hero and his sidekick, the mysterious mercenary, the love interest and the

magical races.

The history is vivid and detailed, practically a fan’s dream; the movies don’t skimp either.

The six appendices go into family trees extending beyond the end of the books, royal lineage so far back that characters in the book can’t remember it, and explanations that tie into prequels The Hobbit and The Silmarillion.

photo by THALITA CARVALHO Tolkien wrote this poem (which is both at the beginning and integrated into the story of the Lord of the Rings) to further dramatize the Ring’s travel from owner to owner.

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photo by CAKECENTRAL.COM Fans show their appreciation in a number of ways - this is a Lord of the Rings cake, designed for a sibling’s birthday.

The fight scenes are legendary, particularly the Helm’s Deep sequence. “Sprawling, impressive and absurdly detailed,” is the description Alexa Kichuk, a Lord of the Rings fan, uses.

The popular consensus is that Lord of the Rings (or LoTR, as it’s often abbreviated) is one of fantasy’s biggest hits, but there are also a few problems with equal representation. “The diversity of Middle Earth is centered around the different races of the world…” said Tanya Voss, an avid Lord of the Rings fan. “Of course, women are underrepresented, even in calling humankind ‘men’.” Part of the reason for this misstep was the time when LoTR was written.

The time period was a relatively strong influence on Tolkien’s writing – “WWII was understood to be clearly good vs. evil and the stakes were enormously high, against an overwhelming enemy,” Voss said.

“Tolkien served in the war and saw the horrors” – and he depicts the ‘horrors’ movingly.

“I think the LO[T]R movies capture the overall feel and heart of the books well... I also think the movies do a good job depicting the epic battles and

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personal struggles,” said Voss.

Alexa Kichuk’s personal opinion is that “hobbits are a metaphor for civilians, like they’re all calm and don’t really like leaving home”. Tolkien did, in fact, write a paragraph on the subject, and if you take Kichuk’s opinion into account, it changes one’s view of the hobbit-civilian parallel.

A main facet of the fandom is the struggle between ‘the books were better’ and ‘the movies were better’.... but which was better, or was either?

“

I think the LO[T]R movies capture the overall feel and heart of the books well... I also think the movies do a good job depicting the epic battles and personal struggles.

-Voss

”

“I really appreciate the scenery... [it] looked almost exactly like the drawings that Tolkien and his son did for Lord of the Rings,” Kersten said.

“I [also] think Lord of the Rings has

really helped out with how fighting scenes look in movies, like melee combat.”

Another big part of the fascination with LoTR is people’s ability to identify with the characters - there’s somebody for every type of person.

“I’ve always liked Sam and would most like to be like him,” Voss said. “He doesn’t need the spotlight and he’s not the flashiest, but his support for Frodo is unwavering and he never gives up or strays from his purpose, one step at a time. He finds delight in small things like seeing an oliphant for the first time or in his longing for po-ta-toes.

His love and tenacity drive him to do what’s right.”

Kersten, on the other hand, favors the warrior, Aragorn. “Like, he is my Lord of the Rings man crush. He’s just so [expletive]”.

Kichuk’s explanation for why she, as a high school student, identifies with Frodo Baggins was “Frodo, maybe.

You’re going into a journey, I guess, and it’s pretty scary,” High school students connect old stories to new cultural memes in a way that no other generation can.

Sometimes, though, it is barely

necessary for teenagers to bring the two together; it just happens on its own.

“One significant way the LO[T]R has influenced popular culture is Tolkien’s creation of a completely new and whole world for his books,” Voss said.

“

One significant way the LO[T]R has influenced popular culture is Tolkien’s creation of a completely new and whole world for his books.

- Voss

”

“It’s commonplace now to have stories and characters embedded in other worlds: Star Wars, Avatar, Ender’s Game, ... the list goes on and on.

Tolkien was the first to do that and he did it so well, so thoroughly. He created languages, histories (i.e., The Silmarillion), and races (i.e., hobbits) in this new world, a world that was so layered, complex and believable we could completely lose ourselves in it.”

The fight scenes, particularly, were a source of many good reviews.

“In Lord of the Rings, almost everything was live-action, and I think that shows,” says Kersten. “I think the Hobbit kind of screwed up.”

The Hobbit was created as a bedtime

story for Tolkien’s son Christopher, purely for children, but over the years, it’s come to be seen as a story for any generation. Something many ‘geeky’ parents think about, though, is ‘How old should my kid be when I introduce them to Lord of the Rings?’

“I started reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to them when my sons were little. Six? They have to be old enough to stick with pieces of a story that long parceled out over many nights. It was really fun when they were old enough for us to take turns reading to each other. I do think The Hobbit is a good first book to introduce Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

Easier, shorter, sillier words with still plenty of adventure,” says Voss.

Altogether, this description paints a picture that has delighted both children and adults alike for generations; the warm, comforting hobbit-holes, the mysterious Elves in their woodlands, the strong Dwarves with their crafting skill, and last but certainly never least, the Men, who may not be magical, but they try hard, in spite of their mundanity. “[W]hen things are overwhelming the only hope is to trust each other, come together, always fight for what’s right even when the outcome is uncertain,” said Voss. “...I like connecting with others who can imagine, connect to and appreciate other worlds, other ways of being. I think that’s an important part of being human.” v

photo by LEGO Lord of the Rings is so appreciated that it’s been recreated in many different mediums - a One-Man Lord of the Rings production, lots of paintings, and many Lord of the Rings LEGO sets.

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Doctor Who Complete Box Set, Series 1-7 on Blu Ray

Universal Sonic Screw Driver Remote On Sale Now!

A COMMENT ON COMMENTS Youtube is an amazing place, but the discourse on the site is less than beautiful. story by CAMERON WYNN

E

very day, people watch around two hundred million hours of YouTube videos. Content gets uploaded around the clock, and as creators script films and edit their work, the flamers get their keyboards ready. Armed with anonymity, bad grammar and a bitter disposition, a legion of negative commenters are unleashed. The flamers have arrived, and they will to tear the comment section to argumentative bits.

“You manage to find your way down to the bottom of the page and you’re looking through all the comments and seeing all the good ones and the hateful ones,” said Tristan Ketcham, an avid YouTube viewer. “It really just detracts from the video and starts arguments.”

YouTube: a veritable cornucopia of knowledge, discussion, human

experiences and dancing cats. Sadly, YouTube’s discourse does not match the quality of its ideals. The Internet is not a normal social situation.

Anonymity gives a commenter the power to broadcast strong opinions and offensive messages without fear of a social backlash.

“The comment section should be about the video, but more often than not, the comment section is about the comment section,” said Ketcham.

“It always feels like the one negative commenter will destroy the comments of the entire video,” said Ketcham.

It does not take much to catalyse the destruction of intelligent discourse.

“More often than not, negative comments will only come from one or two people,” said Ketcham.

The arguments in the comment section can get truly vicious. They can consume the comment section until there’s nothing but squabbling.

“

The comment section should be about the video, but more often than not, the comment section is about the comment section.

-Ketcham

”

photo from WIKIPEDIA Hannah Hart is a Youtuber famous for her ‘My Drunk Kitchen’ show.

These offensive commenters work incredibly effectively. The people defending their favorite videos really just aid the destruction of the comment section.

“All of the good stuff in the comment section is really lost unless you look for it,”said Ketcham.

“

All of the good stuff in the comment section is really lost unless you look for it.

-Ketcham

photo from WIKIPEDIA VidCon is a youtube video convention that takes place every year.

”

It’s not just negative comments that trash the comment section. Zoë Wills another youtube veiwer, believes that seemingly harmless comments still trash the comment section.

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photo from WIKIPEDIA Grace Helbig, famous for her vlog channel DailyGrace, is pictured here speaking at Vidcon. She’s famous for her quirky style.

photo from WIKIPEDIA

“I’ve found that a lot of people will comment on a charlieissocoollike video and they’ll be like ‘oh my god charlie is so hot I would totally marry him,’ and sometimes that’s irritating because it’s missing the point of… the video,” said Wills.

so lame,’” said Wills. “When [Girls’ Generation] did their DVD they had to replace the audio, because the fan chants were too loud.”

Wills firmly believes in setting the record straight.

However, most YouTube comments contain worse content than gossip about british video bloggers.

“I remember watching a video of Girls’ Generation’s Japan tour and there photo from WIKIPEDIA was this commenter that said, ‘oh my The Youtube corporation is a staple of the internet. god they can’t even sing live that is

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photo from WIKIPEDIA Hank Green is a Web philanthropists and musician (featured here at w00tstock)

photo from WIKIPEDIA This is a photo of Girls’ Generation, the pop group spoken of.

“So I was replying,” said Wills, “Then the guy just said ‘go [expletive] yourself,’” Flamers typically use thoughtless expletives in their negative ideas.

They feel that they can do this as the internet takes the person out of the words.

“For a few days I was rather scared to comment because I would prefer not to be told to go [expletive] myself... and at this point I was around 12,”said Wills.

Ketcham believes it’s just better not to comment on a YouTube video, “better to abstain than to incur all that wrath.”

“I have yet to comment on a YouTube video,” said Ketcham.

“

I have yet to comment on a YouTube video.

-Ketcham

”

This seems unusual, considering his

interest in Youtube. He believes that the comment section, if used properly, could prove useful, but that in its current state it only detracts from the video .

“It’s just people shooting down other people’s opinions,” said Wills.

The negative commenters do not care how if someones opinions contain truth - if they don’t match up with the negative commenter’s opinions, then it’s the commenter’s job to crush it.

“

Youtubers speaking at VidCon the annual youtobe video convention.

People have a right to an opinion and even if you think it’s the wrong one you shouldn’t say that it’s the wrong one because that’s the whole point of opinions.

-Wills

“I find that I always enjoy the video more if I don’t look at the comments,” said Ketcham, “I would suggest just not looking at the comments. It will make your experience better.”

“People have a right to an opinion and even if you think it’s the wrong one you shouldn’t say that it’s the wrong one because that’s the whole point of opinions,” said Wills.

Wills also thinks that commenting just adds to the problem.

So, it’s time for the positive commenter to take the highroad.

\ photo from WIKIPEDIA

”

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photo from WIKIPEDIA Youtube has many features including Geek Week and music awards

Do not feed the trolls. It may sound cheesy, but if you just ignore them they’ll go away.

“You can’t pay too much attention to the trolls, because you can’t really change people’s opinions through one incredibly witty comment,” said Wills.

Regardless of all this, the viewers keep coming back for more. Wills enjoys the groups of people that spring up around different YouTubers and the content expressed in their videos.

“You have this community with people who live on the other side of the world

photo from WIKIPEDIA Lily runs a vlog called iiSuperwomanii. She uploads videos every Monday and Thursday.

yet you all connect over this one unified thing,” said Wills.

Ketcham believes that YouTube and vlogging equates to a new way of art or literature.

photo from WIKIPEDIA Jenna Mourey, or Jenna Marbles, is a famous female youtuber. She has two dogs named Kermit and Marbles

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“I’ll read one of my favorite books and then I can watch a YouTube video, and the effect is very much the same,”said Ketcham, “It might be a different form of media, but it’s still got the same message. It’s still got the same potential to be meaningful, and that’s a wonderful thing about YouTube.”v

Siege of Helm’s Deep LEGO Set

Complete with Eight Minifigures and a Working Door!

The Good, the Okay and the Morally Reprehensible

by ELIZA FISHER

Start yes

photo by NEW LINE CINEMA

Do you have a thirst for no danger or adventure?

Do you have a good relationship with your parents? no

Do road trips/outings with friends have a tendency to go horribly Do you feel like your parents wrong? no undervalue you? yes no Do people often come to you for Do you hate it when people advice? are unfair/oppressive? yes no

Seriously. Would you put on a mask and a cape and fight? yes

HERO

no

Have you been described as ‘wise beyond your years’?

Would you rather plan an attack yes (y) or just stay out of it all (n)? yes no

MENTOR

CIVILIAN (hey, at least you will probably survive)

photo by LUCASFILM

no

photo by NEW LINE STUDIO

art by JEANSMUSICCLASS.WORDPRESS.COM

Sources: -msmyth2.blogspot.com/2010/05/examples-of-character-archetypes-in.html -cmsu2.ucmo.edu/public/classes/BakerCOMM%203000/Archetypes.pdf

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yes

Character archetypes in movies are a factor that people tend to disregard, when they think about which character is their favorite - so this can lead to a varied range of favorite characters. According to Marina S., also known as Ms. Myth, good examples of a hero can range from Superman to Marlin, from Finding Nemo. Mentors, on the other hand, are a relatively cut-and-dried group of people, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gandalf or Albus Dumbledore. This flowchart defines the characteristics of archetypes and analyzes which one fits the reader’s personality.

Would you be okay with working with a secretive master who might be evil?

Do you have a tendency to drop things/break things/mess things up? yes no

yes

no

Are you extremely, sometimes even blindly loyal?

no

SIDEKICK

yes

Do you feel like you will be ridiculed if you don’t hide all your weaknesses?

Would you ever sell out somebody who trusted you, if you thought it was yes for the greater good?

photo by LITTLEBYLITTLEBLOG.COM

yes yes

no

photo by NEW LINE CINEMA

yes

Do you feel misunderstood by society/the world?

Do you have a rival that, for some stupid reason, everybody likes better?

COMIC RELIEF

When other people are saying “That’s so mean!”, are you thinking, “I don’t see the problem...”? yes

VILLAIN

TRAITOR

photo by LUCASFILMS photo by MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT

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Sounds of Music

by MASON MARRIOTT-VOSS

photo courtesy of WIKIPEDIA

“

It’s also very esoteric and it’s very hard to discuss unless you know the basic terminology. Everyone can easily comment on the great stunts, huge explosions, beautiful costumes and so on...

Music requires a bit more understanding.

-Hubai

“

photo courtesy of WIKIPEDIA Henry Mancini, during a radio interview

A

good movie makes you connect with the characters. You fall in love with them, you hate them, you cheer for them. But it’s not just the movie itself that makes you feel that way, it’s the music. That background noise that flows in and out, inciting different emotions at every turn.

Without the combination of music and acting, movies just wouldn’t be the same.

Gergely Hubai, a teacher of music history and theory, says that this

under-appreciation is due to its nature. “[M]usic is one part of the film that’s not visual...It’s also very esoteric and it’s very hard to discuss unless you know the basic terminology. Everyone can easily comment on the great stunts, huge explosions, beautiful costumes and so on... Music requires a bit more understanding.”

Everyone hears and remembers a movie’s soundtrack. But no matter how great and memorable the score was, it will always be hard

to appreciate it without a decent understanding of how complex and thought out it is. No matter how noticeable it is, movie scores just don’t get understood.

“Composer Henry Mancini (writer of the famous Pink Panther theme) explained it this way: after the studio bigwigs first saw the completed film with the musical score, the composers always asked “Did they mention the music?”...The studio heads only mentioned the music if it was really really good - or really really bad,” Hubai said.

Even if the music is the best thing anyone has ever heard, the ability for people to understand the time and thought that went into making it just isn’t there. The general public doesn’t know how many times the song was written and rewritten. And the commercialization of the music industry has not helped to promote understanding. “[E]very week sees literally dozens of soundtrack releases from a great number of dedicated labels. These include films that just open in cinemas, but they also include releases of old films with interesting enough scores to warrant a release,” Hubai said. “Back in the 1950s and 1960s, only the biggest scores were released on a short LP and badly recorded compilations were the primary source of rare music. Now the only limit of releasing soundtracks are missing tapes and un-cooperative studios”.

The lack of appreciation can also be attributed to the lack of reason for Hollywood to promote understanding.

For years, they have only cared about getting their movies into the market, not the soundtrack of their movies.

photo courtesy of WIKIPEDIA Sheet music often times confuses the general audience.

“I don’t think Hollywood has any intention to raise awareness of film scores - all they have to do is make money with their films, it’s not their job to educate or inform people about the importance of this art,” Hubai said.

Without the support of major corporations, composers don’t

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photo courtesy of LUCAS FILMS Darth Vader’s theme is one of the most recognizable themes in the movie industry, but very little people understand how complex and thought out it is, taking weeks to finalize

“The role doesn’t change, but the means to achieve this do. There was a time when a long, thematic score with

34

“

There was a time when scores played second fiddle to whatever hit songs could be put in the films. If you watch and old black-andwhite movie from the 1930s and look at something like “Dirty Dancing” from the 1980s, you’ll hear the music to be totally different.

-Hubai

“

normally get credit for their work, they don’t get appreciated for the time and soul that they put into the piece. But there has been some improvement. With the increase in amount of film scores being published, the understanding of the music also increases.

“Whether it’s CD or iTunes, the more film music we have access to the better for those who are really interested in film music,” Hubai said. “By opening up their gates and vaults to specialty labels who really take of presenting film music in the best possible way, I feel Hollywood has done all that we can ask them for at this stage.”

This improvement can also be attributed to the way that music in films has changed over the years.

dozens of leitmotives was fashionable, but there was a time when scores played second fiddle to whatever hit songs could be put in the films. If you watch and old black-and-white movie from the 1930s and look at something like “Dirty Dancing” from the 1980s, you’ll hear the music to be totally different - but the role is the same. To make the film better,” Hubai said.

But this increase in original music hasn’t helped the spread of knowledge of music. In fact, it has hindered it.

Hubai said, “Back in the 1980s (when using pop songs with a nominal amount of score) was all the rage, some soundtrack albums made as much if not more money than the film itself. But this bubble has bursted since then so now there’s a new fad in film music (lead by Hans Zimmer’s style of hybrid scoring as

“

Often, people don’t know why it is important to understand the music.

They might say that it is enough to just say that they enjoyed the music, and they are right - to an extent.

“I’m not curing cancer or creating world peace with film music appreciation. If you have no interest in film music, you simply don’t get why it’s important to me or others, but

that’s okay - I don’t understand the importance of theoretical physicists other than providing great characters on The Big Bang Theory,” Hubai said.

I’m not curing cancer or creating world peace with film music appreciation. If you have no interest in film music, you simply don’t get why it’s important to me or others.

-Hubai

“

emulated by his former students / colleagues). All of these styles will find a receptive audience (old film music also has a small, but dedicated group of followers), but we have to accept that certain styles of music are more marketable than others. Remember that this doesn’t always make a film better - which as you may recall should be the primary reason for including any piece of music in your film.“

Appreciating music isn’t a necessary part of life. But some people might find it interesting. And there are plenty of things that you can do to develop an understanding and appreciation

for the music in some of your favorite movies.

“Obviously we can’t force anyone to appreciate film scores - if they have no interest, why push it?” Hubai said.

“However, if you...want to learn more about film music, go on the internet and research film music that you enjoyed in the film. Get it on iTunes, find it on YouTube or get the CD if you’re old-school in your listening habits. Hear the music on its own and see if it’s the way you remember it in the film, does it make you nostalgic, is it memorable enough to warrant a purchase. If you want to learn to appreciate film music, start with yourself, then perhaps tell a couple of friends and actively seek out films with the music of composers you enjoy. If there are a few million of you, studios will take notice.” v photo courtesy of WIKIPEDIA

Hans Zimmer, the leader in hybrid scoring

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