Multimodal Assessment

This assignment was a particular challenge for me. I was unsure of what to write about for my narrative, and then after just a free write exercise in class, I realized that I had some overwhelming feelings about the divorce of my mother and my stepdad. After writing my narrative, I was unsure of how I should transform the written work into a film piece. Dave Underwood’s visit to class was extremely helpful, since I had to read my narrative in class. He suggested that I use voicemails or an interview as a source of my voiceover elements. After that suggestion the ideas started to flow and I was able to feel better about this assignment.

The title I used for my narrative was “So Long, George”. I did this because the narrative was more informative and provided more background about the divorce. I used the phrase “so long” because it’s a more nonchalant way of saying goodbye. He was not my father, and although he had been in my life for a very long time, his departure was not as significant as I thought it would have been. I was very affected emotionally, but my everyday life didn’t change very much. Other people also didn’t seem to notice, so it was like it wasn’t a very big deal, even though deep down it was to me. I titled my film piece “George”. I did this because the whole work is very simple and it is a voicemail recording from him playing along with some scenes of me. There is not any background information provided in the film, or at least not to the extent of my narrative. I wanted the title to seem more like it was just a character bio or a chapter from my life, since in a way he is. I also didn’t want to give away too much or try to inform the viewer too much by making a longer or more complicated title. I chose a very simple font, because the whole feeling of the film is simple. I also didn’t know a lot about using title pages in iMovie, but even if I had spent more time playing with it I would have kept the same simple font or one very similar to it.

My idea for the film piece was to show the detachment that my stepfather has from my life now. I think detachment and loneliness and isolation from someone is a very relatable topic. I think that by showing myself along in every scene of the film, viewers can tell that the person who is speaking in the voicemails is no longer in my everyday life, and I do not hear from him very often anymore. I had struggled with the best way to translate my idea into film, and I changed from my original idea which would have been images of a man with his face out of the frame, doing various activities with my own voice providing voiceover. In the end, I think my original idea would have been too complicated and not as successful as my end result.

The visual scenes were very simple. Over the course of one day I shot myself doing various activities. At the beginning of the film, I am driving, and I provide two different angles, one focused on me and another over the shoulder shot showing what I would see while driving. The next scene shows me walking from my car to unlock my house. Following that scene, I have a few different scenes of me sitting at my table doing homework and then sitting on the couch reading for class. Throughout the whole film, I have a series of voicemails edited together playing. I wanted to do this and only have his voice playing because it shows the more one sided and detached relationship we have now. The quality of the recording was very nice because you can tell that it is a voicemail, and it has the harshness of a voicemail, which is something I wanted to translate in the final product. I had a few issues with the volume of the audio changing in the final uploaded piece, and if I could make any changes to the piece I would try to make the audio flow more smoothly. I think though there are parts where the audio is soft, and the viewers have to focus more on what he is saying and pay more attention. Also the louder parts I liked because George is very loud when he talks, especially when he is on the phone. I always thought he sounded ridiculous and it made me embarrassed for him, since when I talk on the phone I don’t like people overhearing me. He also has a thick Chalmette accent and the people in Chalmette are also very loud when they talk, so I think it is helping to solidify his character. I could not have had anyone else record this with a script or something, it had to be him. I was nervous to ask him, since we do not talk very much anymore but I was very glad when he finally agreed to help me. I didn’t really give him any instructions about what to say except that it was for a project and I needed a few to choose from. A few that he left me were a little bit too sappy and I was worried that the personal level that they would be too personal for an audience to connect to, so I used some parts of them and edited them down. Regarding the scenes used, I also wanted viewers to feel like they were experiencing the day with me, and the length of time could have been seen easily. I wanted them to see that I go about normal days without a connection to George. I also thought that the length of the audio emphasized that when we do talk, we have a lot to fill each other in on because it is so rare that we catch up. I think the transitions between each scene were very good. I think that they flowed well and worked well together. I did not want to pretend that all the scenes followed each other in real time, since I had shot it all over the course of several hours. I wanted viewers to clearly see the change in time. I also wanted viewers to imagine that these would actually be places I would listen to a voicemail: while driving, walking into my house, or even sitting in my house while doing homework.

The final film I created was 4 minutes and 28 seconds long. I had the audio cut off right before it transitions to a black screen before going to the credits. I did this to make a emphasis on the fact that most of the communication I have now with my stepfather is through voicemails. Having the black screen provides a moment of reflection after watching the video, just like you would have reflection after listening to a voicemail. I think the video could have been shorter, but because there was so much audio I wanted to include, having it actually be any shorter would not have been as effective in getting my point across to viewers. I think because there was some variety in the scenes and since they changed, I think boredom was avoided. If I had spent too much longer on each scene or only had one long scene, then I think it would have been boring to viewers.

My film was well received by the class. I think they really understood what I was trying to communicate and what I was going for. This made me feel very good about it, because I was worried that the detachment between the audio and the visuals would have been too disconnected for viewers to get. I was also worried that the piece would be too personal, like the viewers would not be able to relate to it, but I think they did, and it really helped having people read my narrative before we made the films. The only real issue I had with the end product was the audio glitches, which I think I could work out with more experience using iMovie or with some help from someone with more knowledge. I was disappointed in myself for not getting the video done in time for the original due date with the rest of the class, but the extension really helped me get everything done.

Assignment 1

Nothing comes to mind. Sitting at my computer there is no where to begin. Writer’s block can barely begin to describe the feelings I have while trying to write a paper. There are usually so many other things I would rather be doing than sit down to write a paper, or to write anything. Facebook calls my name as I sit at my computer.

I think a lot of why I dislike writing so much is because every time I write a paper, I think, “This is it, this is great”. Whenever I get my paper back or see my grade, it isn’t as good as I was hoping. I guess that is normal and what many people think as well but for me it only adds to my procrastination. I dread receiving a writing prompt. My stomach gets that awful feeling and I start to think maybe I’m sick and this paper really won’t help.

I have always been studious. When I was younger I always worked very hard in school. I wanted to get good grades. It helped that it was the only thing I could be better at than my brother. I think my attitude about writing changed my senior year of high school. My attitude about everything changed then. Senioritis kicked in and there wasn’t much effort put into my schoolwork. It was all downhill from there. I came to CU very excited about being in college and the whole experience.

Part of that experience was my freshman writing class. I will say that I tried very hard to stay studious my first semester. I went to almost every class and when I didn’t I felt so bad about it I didn’t let myself do it again. Wow, so much has changed since then. My writing teacher was very nice and very approachable. I put in more time on my drafts and papers than I ever have before. The tricky part about that is, no matter how much I tried or did, I didn’t get any better. She would even give me tips or tell me how I should fix something, and it still came out terrible. I got a decent grade in the class purely because I went to every class. It was not because I got any better at writing.

I really don’t like peer evaluations. I know when I’m reading someone else’s paper, I have a really hard time telling them how to fix it, so I think most of the other people must be feeling the same way and not really being super helpful. I think when my partner would read my drafts, and I’m thinking of freshman writing in particular, there was so much that needed to be fixed that she just couldn’t even find a place to begin, so she just told me about grammar errors or editing my commas. I overuse the comma. I probably didn’t pay close enough attention to the rules of commas, so I just assume they can be used in places when they are inappropriate. I think that the freshman writing class is where my strong dislike for writing came from. I just could not understand why I was not getting any better. So when I had to hear over and over in that class that I was making the same mistakes and was just mediocre, I thought what’s the point in trying very hard if I just end up with the same result when I don’t try hard. I have written many papers last minute or due the day of even. I always tell myself next time I will start earlier and next time I will do better. Of course it never happens. I’m really hoping this writing class can save my opinion of my writing and benefit my writing in general.

Assignment 2

Miwa Yanagi and Feminism

Japanese photographer Miwa Yanagi works in a theatrical aesthetic that expresses fierce feminist perspective narratives. Working with women as her subjects she communicates feminist ideas as well as other ideas “that cannot be openly discussed in Japan” (Mampaso 250). She has many series that deal with this issue, including Elevator Girl, Fairy Tale, My Grandmothers, and Windswept Women are just a few to name. The series Fairy Tale uses black and white images to express a new take on classic fairy tales, recreating Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood. The bold perspective she uses to convey a widely known story allows viewers to rethink and interpret the story in a new way. The whimsical feelings of her photographs are offset by the disturbing character of old age and the lack of color in these black and white images. The tales become more like horror stories while her works transport the viewer into a chilling scene of a fairy tale gone wrong. In her Elevator Girl series she employs color. Throughout her work, feminist perspective emerges in her interpretation of the roles women play in the idealist roles women play that are fictive.

Yanagi was born in Kobe City and now live and works in Kyoto; she works with photography and video (Bergquist). In the Fairy Tale series Yanagi represents the fictions of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson with all the characters being portrayed by young girls. Often a character is wears a mask depicting old age. The photographs portray one moment in each story, which seems to imply the moral or lesson of the entirety of the tale and can be identified without the title based on the alignment with each of the fairy tales it represents. According to Janet Koplos, the images “retain the violence of the Grimm originals; yet are rendered with a casual artifice. Little Red Riding Hood, for instance, is a bloody mess as she clings to her grandmother in the literally unzipped belly of the wolf.” Fiercely feminist Yanagi analyzes the roles women play. She has continued to address women's roles since then with a series on imagined ideal grandmothers, and now with her more recent black-and-white "Fairy Tales" series (Koplos). Women tend to be idealized in these tales, so that is what she is showing in the photographs by presenting their roles in slightly new ways. Another series Yanagi creates about the roles women fill is My Grandmothers. The subjects are young girls who portray what they think their life will be like in fifty years. It is easier for them to imagine their life in fifty years than to express their personal present wishes, because they should be pleasing everyone around them and suppressing their own wishes inside (Mampaso 250). She also likes to depict “independent women that take care of themselves” (Mampaso 250).

The Elevator Girl series emerged her reputation of being a feminist. She “captures the uniformity of female submission in her series on the theme of the Elevator Girls who welcome visitors to department stores and invites them to buy” (Martinez 174). Based on Yanagi’s own fear of being stuck in a repetitive task for most of her life, simply because she is a woman, she stated, “When I started the series, I was working as a teacher after graduating from university. Back then, I strongly felt that I was just playing a role in a standardized society, having a particular occupation in a particular setting. I did not work as an elevator girl literally, but the idea resonated in me in a symbolic way” (Wakasa).

The series Elevator Girl communicates the loss of identity and feeling of disregard for individuality. In many of the photographs, the women are all dressed the same. For example, in the image Before and After a Dream, all of the women shown are wearing the exact same outfit. The white top, red skirt, and brown hat trick the viewer to think there is a set of mirrors at work. Actually this is not the case, and the subjects are all dressed the exact same way and even look extremely similar. There is no direct eye contact and the faces of the women are cast down or away from the camera. This could suggest that women are not confident in their actions and should always be unnoticed. This same idea comes through the image Elevator Girl House 1F. The women are lined up as if they are mannequins decorating a hallway. The viewer cannot tell them apart, and it communicates that women are on display and have no purpose other than to beautifully blend in to the background. She shows the pain of the women who are stuck in the repetitive tasks. Viewers cannot see any individual face clearly and individually, the subjects are perfectly expressionless. The images are usually dark or have some subjects more in the dark than others, and they aren’t doing anything meaningful.

Miwa Yanagi employs photography as a way to illustrate feminism and the roles of women in society. In her series Fairy Tale, she twists the roles of the characters in unexpected ways. These works cause the viewer to questions all that they knew before about the stories. The dark and mysterious portrayal is strengthen by the power of age. Her works in Elevator Girl remind viewers of the monotonous and repetitive tasks of women’s lives. It is a personal fear that can be understood and shared with many observers, both male and female. My Grandmother allows young girls to question their lives in the future. The roles they expect to fill and the ones they would like to fill are shown. It is both a reflection of what is expected of them and the acknowledgement that they have more of an imagination of the way things could be. Miwa Yanagi’s work is fantastic in illustrating the roles of women and the obstacles they face, while at the same time portraying them in strong ways.

Multimodal Video

Untitled from Emma Winchell on Vimeo.

Multimodal Narrative

So Long, George

Have you ever known been so oblivious and focused on your own life you didn’t realize what was actually going on? What could be more important than getting through every day of high school? Between school and sports and a social life and getting ready for college, there wasn’t time for stuff that weren’t directly related to those things. I mean as far as I was concerned, I was busy all the time and what was going on with me was most important.

I remember the day they sat me down, just a random day after school at the end of my junior year. I was almost sure of what they were about to say. Surely they would say don’t worry Emma, we’ve been fighting but it’s all going to be fine. I mean from what I could tell, things seemed better. Sure, I was living at my dad’s house so I wasn’t around for most of what was going on anymore but really how could things be that bad. I haven’t seen mom cry in a while and George was doing his usual crazy before the sun comes up workouts. It was all normal to me.

My immediate reaction was shocking. I didn’t think I’d be that upset and crying uncontrollably. I knew this was always an option. But they’ve been together for, what, 14 years. That could be wrong I stopped keeping track after 8 years. I didn’t think they would actually go through with it. Plenty of people stay married when they shouldn’t. I just figured things would work themselves out. But no, here it comes. This was really happening. No more pretending nothing is wrong or wondering what is going on. They were getting a divorce, already going through a separation period. This was all going so fast. I didn’t understand. Later of course I realized that my mom wasn’t happy and that a divorce was the best thing.

But what would happen to George? He was trying so hard to make things work. He told me he would still be in my life and he still loved me. Could that even be true though? Why would he want to stick around anyway when he wasn’t required to anymore? Things wouldn’t be the same. What about Kim, my stepsister? Would she still be my stepsister? She was my favorite person to hang out with and I looked up to her. Would she still take me to the mall or out to eat?

I’m not going to lie; I wasn’t the nicest to George. I would complain so much when he would put NPR on during the ride to school every morning. I would beg him to take me to fast food places, even though he hated all my favorites. Sometimes I would just be mean to him for no reason. I was just being a brat. But it what would it be like without him? Who would I joke with? Mom certainly didn’t have any sense of humor. I got my sarcasm from George. I had known him since I was four years old. He was my step dad. He brought me to gymnastics every Saturday for a year, sitting in the car listening to Car Talk on the radio the whole time. He would get me Mary Lee’s donuts after, even though they repulsed him. I still remember the first time he bought be a present, before he and my mom were married. That was it for me, I knew this guy was pretty awesome, but I was only four and anyone who bought me a toy was the best. He even gave me Kim’s old Barbie car to ride around and play in. He drove me to school when we lived in Watson, which was at least a half hour ride. I learned the importance of saving electricity from him, and I never really appreciated it until I started living on my own. I will never forget his favorite saying, “You eat to live, you don’t live to eat”, which he loved to say when my brother and I wouldn’t finish our dinners. He helped me with math homework, and is the only reason I could figure out the “Harsh Question” every week sophomore year in geometry.

It is weird to not see George every time I go home, to be in my mom’s house without him around. Now he lives in Kansas City, taking care of his granddaughter. He still sends texts for holidays or even just to let me know he was thinking about me. It is hard to realize that things are never going to be the same, and that I didn’t really take advantage of the time I had with him. To me, he will always be my stepdad.

Assignment 4

As if!

Clueless, a film directed by Amy Heckerling in 1995, offers a humorous and satirical story of the life of valley girl, Cher, who eventually makes the discovery that she is clueless. A popular student at Beverly Hills High School, Cher contemplates the woes of getting a driver’s license, playing match-maker, passing her debate class, and finding a boyfriend. This film stars Cher (Alicia Silverstone), her best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash), and Cher’s stepbrother, Josh (Paul Rudd). Transfer student Tai (Brittany Murphy) is completely out of the loop as far as fitting into Beverly Hills goes. Cher decides to take Tai under her wing to show her the ropes, but things get out of control when Tai becomes more popular than Cher. In order to raise her grades, Cher decides to help two of her teachers by playing matchmaker. Cher tries desperately to make Christian (Justin Walker) her boyfriend, only to find out he is gay. She comes to realize that she has been in love with Josh the whole time. A satirical film, Clueless mocks itself by over stereotyping and creating extreme characters.

Throughout the film “valley girl” speak and funny one-liners keep the pace and tone of the film light; inner dialogue in the form of narration further develops Cher’s character; the plot becomes a journey of self discovery for the main character. Clueless is by far Heckerling’s most feminist film (Felando). Her comedic films boast fast paced dialogue and clever humor that occasionally point to the sexism and superficialities of American consumer culture. They both mock and celebrate the insipid yet well-intentioned values of suburbia, even in upscale Beverly Hills. Clueless has feminine humor despite its big studio backing (Felando). Cher expresses a clever awareness of the superficialities of consumer obsession and of sexism. (Felando) One example of the way consumerism shines through the film is the names of the characters Cher and Dionne. Both names come from well known figures “of a bygone pop culture era”. The reference to Cher and Dionne Warwick “link the film to an era in which teen culture first economically and socially dominated the US. The reference to the two stars’ infomercials links the two film characters with consumerism... since her (Cher) lifestyle is dominated by mall culture, by the urge to buy and consume.” (Margolis)

Clueless has a very high production value and a very Hollywood nature about it. Bright colors of scenery and costume emphasize the over the top nature of Beverly Hills High School. Clueless uses clear lighting and focus. This translates the idea that main character Cher hides nothing from the viewers that could live under the surface of her vain, self-absorbed and self-centered facade. Cher epitomizes the very essence of transparency. Viewers hear her every thought and her emotions are clearly on her sleeve. She voices her inner dialogue consistently throughout the film so viewers do not miss a beat of it.

Along with inner dialogue, there are other techniques to show stereotyping throughout the film. Gender roles and gender stereotyping prevalently appear in the film. Cher is the main portrayal of female stereotyping. She is represented as a “ditz with a credit card” who can’t drive or park, and has a predisposition toward the mall. The only way which Cher can find comfort when she is feeling distressed or upset is through shopping. This reinforces the idea that women are a shopping mall’s target audience and the things they love best involve shopping. The stereotype that women cannot drive is also shown in this film, when Cher fails her driving test after making extreme disregards for the laws. Cher cries her way out of a bad grade in P.E., claiming “an evil male had broken my heart.” This situation fuels the stereotypes that show women as weak and break down and cry over frivolous things, and those instances in particular that involve men. The film also shows the idea that women always compete or vie for a male’s attention. Cher overtly uses her sexual appeal by doing things she thinks will get the attention from Christian that she seeks. With Cher in the foreground of the shot, Christian remains in focus. Occasionally Cher, while still being in the foreground, loses the focus while the main focal point shifts to Christian. The use of this rack focus allows for Cher to remain in the frame but allows for the attention to shift to Christian.

Males in the film are represented as dominating, evil, and heart-breaking creatures. Cher’s father is the source of her wealth and makes his money as a scary litigator. He is a widower consumed with his work and does not care too much about Cher’s activities. However, he is very hard on her about her grades and when she gets a parking ticket. His facial expressions in response to Cher show viewers that even he thinks she is just an airhead with too much money and not enough focus. Her father is the definition of white male privilege. He yells at Tai, “Get out of my chair”, while they sit down to dinner. This shows that he feels entitled to get anything he wants and applies his lawyer tactics to all parts of his life. After only meeting Tai for the first time this outburst establishes his dominance in the room. He also exemplifies the doting father by buying Cher a brand new car despite her lack of license since she “needed something to learn on.” Murray (Donald Faison) Dionne’s boyfriend portrays black male masculinity. He exhibits his dominance when he tells Dionne, “Yo, woman, give me five dollars.” She responds with, “Murray, I have repeatedly asked you not to call me woman.” “Excuse me Miss Dionne? Street slang is an increasingly valid form of expression. Most of the feminine pronouns do have mocking, but not necessarily misogynistic undertones.” This scene addresses male superiority in that a certain kind of slang regularly puts women down. His use of street terms and the way he dresses in baggy clothes sets him apart from the other white male characters in the movie. This signifies the distinction and diversity of race in the film. It also stereotypes black characters as street through his speech and clothing.

Along with stereotyping, the film addresses the issue of female body image. Body image concerns most women in everyday life, however the film poses this point in a way that makes body image is a woman’s main concern. For example, before her makeover Tai does not dress like a Beverly Hills girlie girl and has more of a “grunge” style. After Cher’s makeover on her she dresses much more provocatively and gets attention from men. Tai ditches the baggy clothes, which “she could be a farmer in”, and opts for dressing just like Cher and all the girls at Beverly Hills High School. She sacrifices her personality and her ways in order to fit in with the other popular superficial girls who would never talk to the skateboarder or stoners who Tai identifies with the most. Instances still occur that show viewers that Tai has not fully accepted her new way of dressing. For example, when Cher, Christian, and Tai go to a college party, Tai fidgets and adjusts her overalls and sweater in about seven different ways. Two tall older men try to talk to Tai, but viewers understand from the camera angles and the fact that the men’s necks and above are out of the shot that she finds herself once again out of her element. Cher’s mother is introduced in the beginning of the film, bringing up another issue of body image. She died during a “fluke accident during a routine liposuction”, which emphasizes the importance of society’s standards on female beauty and the extremes that are taken because of it. Plastic surgery is also seen at the high school; while Cher and Dionne show Tai around, girls with bandages on their noses surround them. Clearly nose jobs are the best way to fit in at the high school since they are so normal that almost every girl has one. This idea comments on society’s emphasis on the pressure to reach a perfect ideal. In a world full of rich people, these extreme measures taken on a person’s body in striving to achieve perfection is a complete norm when in reality they are such unnecessary drastic measures. These elements in Clueless fuel Heckerling’s mocking of plastic surgery obsessed people and the consumerist ideals of our society.

Clueless mocks the elements of a box-office hit film. Clear lighting and focus provide a direct and to the point interpretation. The comedic feeling is emphasized by an upbeat pop soundtrack. “Kids in America” (by the Muffs) being played in the opening scene has a lot of implications for the movie. It implies that Cher and her friends symbolize typical American teens, which is absurd since they are an overly stereotyped character representation. These characters do represent types of teens but to an extreme extent. “Supermodel” by Jill Sobule plays during Tai’s makeover, in which has the lyrics, “I don’t care, what my teachers say, I’m gonna be a supermodel; and my hair will shine like the sea; and everybody will wanna look just like me”. When analyzing the lyrics, not caring what your teachers say and only caring about the way you look stresses a superficial element. This music in this scene implies that through the makeover Tai will be better off while adding to the fact that the whole process is entirely superficial. Because of the generic pop style of the song, viewers focus more on the melody instead of the lyrics and message of the song. Consumerism and branding is clearly seen in one particular scene where Tai is singing along to the Mentos mint commercial. The fact that she sings along and knows all the words shows our culture’s obsession with buying products and the way media captures audiences to buy those products. “Rollin’ with My Homies” by Coolio also shows the superficial connection between Tai and Elton (Jeremy Sisto), the boy she tries to make her boyfriend. After Tai realizes Elton is not interested, she acts like it was their song every time she hears it. She focuses so much on the song being their main connection that viewers can see no substantial relationship will develop from her efforts. In a very clichéd moment, “All By Myself” by Jewel plays as Cher walks alone and ponders her relationship with Josh. She comes to her epiphany during the climax of the song while a fountain lights up behind her, emphasizing the pivotal moment in the film.

Clueless provides Amy Heckerling’s satirical commentary on the wealthy teens living in Beverly Hills while still incorporating feministic ideas. She addresses stereotyping and sexism head on. At the same time, Heckerling mocks American consumer based society while also celebrating it. Clueless was successful while having its serious issues underlying the comedic performance of the actors and dialogue. This film also launched Alicia Silverstone’s career into gear. Clueless’ Major box office success through widespread acceptance among viewers and critics solidified Heckerling’s status as a legitimate director despite being in a male dominated field.

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was born on August 6, 1928 in Pennsylvania. He is very well known throughout both the art and non art worlds. Warhol pioneered the pop art movement of the 1960s and 1970s. His philosophy about art and what can be considered art made an immense impact on even today’s art world. His works involve consumerism and our society’s obsession with consumer products and celebrities.

Warhol was diagnosed with chorea at a very young age. It is “a rare disease of the nervous system, which left him bedridden for months” ("Andy Warhol Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com."). Since he was such an outcast and often home sick, he turned to art.

Andy Warhol was not sure what he should paint, so his friends suggested he paint the things loved. Out of this, he started his works like the Marilyn Diptych and the 100 Soup Cans. Warhol loved celebrities, so he often used famous people like Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O, and Elizabeth Taylor. In the Marilyn Diptych, he makes a connection between the death of Marilyn Monroe and her celebrity status. It is “a stark and unresolved dialectic of presence and absence, life and death, mediating on the conflict between Marilyn’s immortality as a movie star, whose image and being lives on, captured for all eternity on rolls of film, and the real life death of Norma Jean” (Patterson). He is able to make the pop culture of the day into icons. The way in which he portrays many of his celebrities also makes them into the modern day saints that we worship through our obsession with their lives.

The Campbell’s soup cans were another work that used commercialism and branding, which can be seen in 100 Soup Cans. Warhol used a silk screening technique, “for the repeated image was reduced to an insipid and dehumanized cultural icon that reflected both the supposed emptiness of American material culture and the artist's emotional noninvolvement with the practice of his art” ("Andy Warhol Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com."). In this work he is uses the process of printing to make a connection to the repetition of our lives and how obsessed we are with buying brands that our society is.

On June 3, 1968 Andy Warhol was shot by Valerie Solanas. Solanas wrote the S.C.U.M. Manifesto which was a separatist feminist attack on males (“Andy Warhol”). She was sentenced to three years in jail. The shooting had an effect on the rest of Warhol’s works (“Andy Warhol”). After the incident, he focused on doing portraits for famous celebrities and wealthy patrons. He also began doing films. Chelsea Girls was his most popular and critically successful film. It told two stories by having two films being projected side by side. He also published many books, like The Philosophy of Andy Warhol.

Warhol is a very influential artist even in our current day. He is often criticized for being a “business artist”. However, he was able to make us question what is art and what can be art. Even branding can be art. He was able to find what would sell, and capitalized on that. This is done in our society every day; it was just uncommon in the art world until Warhol did it so blatantly. Warhol is able to mock our consumer driven market while being financially successful.