The New Media Center is getting busy as we head into the second half of the semester, and a good number of our patrons are using Photoshop. The average user might use it to touch up a photo, add text, or do some graphic design work. But then there are the extreme outlier users like […]
Continue readingToday’s reminder to read: Even Jedis are illiterate
Media Services primarily deals with films, so even though we’re part of the American University Library, we don’t often get to talk about literacy and books. But once in a while, we get an opportunity to talk about both. Ryan Britt, an author at science fiction blog Tor.com, wrote a funny-but-deeply-concerning essay pointing out that […]
Continue readingHot Docs: The Boy Game
Hot Docs highlights interesting new documentaries we’ve recently added to our collection. The Boy Game (DVD 8955) views bullying from a gendered perspective. The film – only 16 minutes long – posits that the bullying epidemic is in part caused by social pressure among boys to conform to the resilient, tough gender norms common among […]
Continue readingA salute to “breaking the fourth wall”
“Breaking the fourth wall” is one of the riskiest tools in a filmmaker’s bag. As recently exemplified in Netflix’s version of House of Cards, taking a moment to recognize the audience or the limitations of the visual medium can work like gangbusters for comic or dramatic effect. It can also backfire and distract the audience […]
Continue readingAU hosts the DC Environmental Film Festival this week!
SOC’s environmental film series joins forces this week with the D.C. Environmental Film Festival for a series of weeklong events highlighting the city’s best environmental filmmaking – both professional and amateur. The festivities kick off tomorrow with the premiere of Shooting in the Wild, a film based on Professor Chris Palmer’s exposé book about environmental […]
Continue readingHot Docs: Nuclear Savage
Hot Docs highlights interesting new documentaries we’ve recently added to our collection. Nuclear Savage (DVD 10606) puts a lens on the untold victims of nuclear testing. The effects of nuclear weaponry are well documented, yet few discuss the lives of the people intentionally exposed to radiation during nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific. The film […]
Continue readingHelp us figure out what this is
In the process of cleaning Media Services, we found this unusual… thing in one of our viewing rooms. It appears to be an end-table of sorts, but it goes up or down depending on the weight that’s on resting it. You can adjust the tension, but you can’t lock it at a particular height. We’re […]
Continue readingSXSW 2013 continues a tradition of fine film
It’s spring break here at American University, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the world is on pause. Austin is currently hosting South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual film/music/silly cat festival that attracts big names in media. SXSW festival entrants have launched careers, won top Oscars, and made people look at the world […]
Continue readingNew Acquisitions – March 2013
As we head into spring break, we’re adding some big titles to our collection. Oscar contenders Argo, Skyfall, and The Master are now available, as is the second season of Game of Thrones. But don’t overlook some of our other interesting additions, including The Naked Gun series, experimental film Holy Motors, failed Aaron Sorkin vehicle […]
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