Contemplation

February 8, 2010

More Information, Less Contemplation: Film Edits Illustrate The Rapid Acceleration Of Contemporary Life

Scales are a standard a icon of balance. In most images of scales there are two plates suspended by chains hanging on either side of a pole that teeters on a post. Place weights on one side and the arm dips until an equal amount of weight on the opposite plate brings the scale back into balance. It is a great symbol that cannot be replicated with electronic scales or industrial scales. Changing from scales that balance to scales that quickly provide a digital number is a great metaphor for our times and our lives. More information can be retrieved in a minute then our great grandparents could gather in a lifetime. This information has led to great advancements in many fields from industry to medicine. It has also increased the pace of our lives. Where once there was a spring where information bubbled up, now we are in the middle of a raging flood of information impossible to consume or digest. Movies are a great mirror of this changing pace.

When a film was being edited, it used to require something called a flatbed. An editor would pull clips of film from a bin which has strings of celluloid hanging from little hooks and drops into a giant canvas bag on wheels. The editor would choose what he wanted to insert into the film, go to the bins, find the clip, cut the film on the flatbed then splice and tape the piece to be inserted. The editor repeats this process for the sound. Each changerequires a physical insertion which took time. Aware that each cut was a commitment to time and effort, the editor would be thoughtful about the reasons for the edit, considering the reasons and visualizing the outcome prior to cutting the film. Every slice of film meant sacrificing a frame and a half of the work print. Every cut was deliberate and thought through ahead of time.

The advent of digital technology altered the way films are edited and viewed. What would have taken hours to accomplish can now be done in minutes or even seconds, without damaging or altering any work product. If an editor has a questionable idea, he doesn’t have to think it through. He can try it and see what it looks like with little time or effort spent. Visualizing an edit is replaced by trial and error, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. All the restraints of cutting and taping film are gone. As a result the number of cuts in a typical scene has multiplied dramatically. The old rules of editing are changing and the language of film has evolved.

Compare a film from 1950 to a film made today. The amount of information fed to an audience is very different. Current movies are frenetic, exciting, stimulating assaulting the senses and immersing the audience in a full out rapid fire experience. Comparing old movies to new movies is similar to the difference between being moved by a painting and being flung about by a roller coaster. Most teens find the pace of an older film slow and dull. The constant stimulation and movement of films made today reflect the larger social trend; while we are capable of processing more information quickly, it has increased our pace of life to almost addictive frenetic levels.

There are many advantages in our ability to collect and process massive amounts of information quickly. However, if we lose our capacity to sit quietly and reflect on what it really means have we gained anything?

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January 24, 2010

You Must Know These Job Search Tips

During an active job search it’s tremendously important not lose your hope and stay motivated no matter what. The following recommendations will hopefully help you in achieving your goals and land the job you want.

1. Define your enemies that discourage you in a job hunt. And your enemies are lack of control, constant rejection and failure. It’s essential to realise that all these factors shouldn’t affect your motivation and self-esteem.

2. Focus on your future. Don’t waste your time thinking about your previous employer. Every time you look backwards you are being sucked into unnecessary contemplation that won’t give you anything.

3. Put a stress on your strong sides. Although, it is in a human nature to spend much more time thinking about our own weaknesses than strong sides, you should remember that to get a job you need to focus on your strengths.

4. Envision your goal. It’s not enough to have a goal of “getting a job”. Envision it, in every detail.

5. Be prepared. Drill your interview, update/improve your CV, receive a reasonable job search, career counseling and help. Bear in mind that “good enough” is never enough.

6. Networking. The fact is that around 70% of jobs are found through personal contacts, i.e. former colleagues, friends, friends of friends, etc. On the contrary, less than 10% of jobs are obtained via the Internet. Hence, what are your reasons of spending 95% of your time online?

7. Challenge your excuses. It’s the same thing every time we need to do something very important – we make excuses. Challenge them and break the habit – make step forward and make a call now and not when you’re “in the mood”.

8. Don’t give up. While landing a job you really want, you will fail at number of occasions but that’s not the end of the world. Remember that the more potential employers you’ve gone through the better your chances of initially working with the one you want.

9. Keep up your professionalism. It’s essential to understand that being a professional is not the way people treat you but whether they recognise your skills. Manifest your professionalism in every detail. And remember that the most essential time to be a professional is when you are not being treated like one.

10. Compile a well-written CV and motivation letter. Highlight your achievements that resonate with the company’s business and interests. Decide what is the most important and put it in the first place. This can also boost your motivation.

11. Concentrate on your bottom-line value to the company. Of course, everyone talks about their skills and experiences, but companies employ because they need someone to resolve their issues and achieve certain goals. That’s what you should concentrate on.

A professional job coach can help you to create your career freedom. Dusty Rollins can be your job coach and show you how a real job coach can help.

Right now we are living in the world where info makes life easier.

That is why if you are properly armed with the info in your topic you can be sure that you will always find the solution to any bad situation. So, please make sure to get back to this web site on a regular basis or – the easiest way to take care of it – sign up to its RSS. Thus you will have a direct shortcut to the freshest informational updates here. Blogging can be helpful, you just need to know how to use them.

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November 21, 2009

Effective Job Search Recommendations

During an active job search it’s tremendously important not lose your hope and stay motivated no matter what. The following recommendations will hopefully help you in achieving your goals and land the job you want.

1. Define your enemies that discourage you in a job hunt. And your enemies are lack of control, constant rejection and failure. It’s essential to realise that all these factors shouldn’t affect your motivation and self-esteem.

2. Focus on your future. Don’t waste your time thinking about your previous employer. Every time you look backwards you are being sucked into unnecessary contemplation that won’t give you anything.

3. Put a stress on your strong sides. Although, it is in a human nature to spend much more time thinking about our own weaknesses than strong sides, you should remember that to get a job you need to focus on your strengths.

4. Envision your goal. It’s not enough to have a goal of “getting a job”. Envision it, in every detail.

5. Be prepared. Drill your interview, update/improve your CV, receive a reasonable job search, career counseling and help. Bear in mind that “good enough” is never enough.

6. Networking. The fact is that around 70% of jobs are found through personal contacts, i.e. former colleagues, friends, friends of friends, etc. On the contrary, less than 10% of jobs are obtained via the Internet. Hence, what are your reasons of spending 95% of your time online?

7. Challenge your excuses. It’s the same thing every time we need to do something very important – we make excuses. Challenge them and break the habit – make step forward and make a call now and not when you’re “in the mood”.

8. Don’t give up. While landing a job you really want, you will fail at number of occasions but that’s not the end of the world. Remember that the more potential employers you’ve gone through the better your chances of initially working with the one you want.

9. Keep up your professionalism. It’s essential to understand that being a professional is not the way people treat you but whether they recognise your skills. Manifest your professionalism in every detail. And remember that the most essential time to be a professional is when you are not being treated like one.

10. Compile a well-written CV and motivation letter. Highlight your achievements that resonate with the company’s business and interests. Decide what is the most important and put it in the first place. This can also boost your motivation.

11. Concentrate on your bottom-line value to the company. Of course, everyone talks about their skills and experiences, but companies employ because they need someone to resolve their issues and achieve certain goals. That’s what you should concentrate on.

A competent job coach can assist you to create your career freedom. Dusty Rollins can be your job coach and show you how a real job coach can help.

Nowadays we are living in the world where knowledge quickly enhances the quality of our life.

Due to this if you are properly armed with the knowledge in your sphere of interest you can rest assured that you will always find the way out from any bad situation. So, please make sure to get back to this blog on a regular basis or – best of all – sign up to its RSS. Thus you will have a direct shortcut to the freshest informational updates here. Blogs can be helpful, you just need to understand how to use them.

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