Representation Blog

 In the show, “Monsters,” Menendez brothers Erik and Lyle are represented with very different stereotypes, highlighting masculinity and vulnerability. Lyle's character is portrayed as very protective and aggressive. This representation can be seen in various moments throughout the show when he is yelling or resorting to violence, which reinforces stereotypes relating to anger and intensity. Lyle’s character expresses the idea that men should not show vulnerability in emotions. This portrayal restricts the understanding of masculinity, creating the impression that strength only comes from aggression. 

Contrastingly, Erik is shown as a more emotional and “weaker” character, which is more often associated with a female or sometimes gay persona. Females and homosexuals are typically displayed with softer manners, differentiating with Lyle’s character significantly. This contrast reinforces the idea that sensitivity is a negative trait in men.  

The representation shown within both brothers emphasizes society’s opinion surrounding gender and masculinity. The show illustrates the impact different stereotypes can affect a personal identity, also suggesting that men can either exist as really masculine figures or emotional outcasts.

Sound Project

The sound lesson and assigned videos gave me an improved understanding to the media world. I learned about the different techniques and uses of sound and how they are incorporated differently depending on specific situations. In addition, I discovered that mostly if not all the sound is lost during filming, so foley artists are responsible to recreate them using different and louder objects/instruments to dramatize a sound. 

The directions for the Sound Project were to create a soundscape that captures a story only using sounds. Working with 1 partner chosen at random, we would create an outline for our desired scene, which varies from 1-2 minutes. Actual dialogue was limited, and only 7 words were allowed, if we chose to add them to our project. Our understanding of foleys would be tested, as 4 or more of the sounds included in the project were required to be foleys. The creation of these sounds would be recorded and submitted as 1 out of the 3 files we would submit. The other 2 were 1-3 images of our audio editing timeline, and the complete soundscape. The submission for the foley recording is the last names of both group members_foley_period, and the submission for the soundscape is the last names of both group members_soundscape_period.

During brainstorming, my partner and I considered all our options and approaches on our scene, avoiding the unavailable ones or the example provided in the directions. Once an overall theme was chosen, we broke it down into different scenes to incorporate multiple layers of sound within each scene. To organize, we were instructed to use an outline. This outline allowed us to picture how each sound would fit with one another. Once fully thought out, we began the editing process. Here is a picture of part of our editing timeline: 

The editing resource we used was iMovie.

Overall, I was quite impressed with our project for it being our first time, though there is always room for improvement. Therefore, some things I'd improve for next time are my editing skills. It was very challenging layering sounds and combining them smoothly. Volume for every sound is crucial and can often be a miss if not done well. I would like to elevate my foley sounds by being more creative with them next time. Aside from that, I think the combination of our sounds was very well done. 

Link to project:

TrinidadZeeman_soundscape_per7