Sunday, October 6, 2019
Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3
Mythology - Essay Example The cult of a hero are relevant to every day personââ¬â¢s life is because the values of that hero influence the group as a whole. In essence, any action taken by the people in the cult always reflect the decisions that would have been made by a hero. In a defined culture, a hero must be able to be successful without sacrificing the traditions of that society. A cultural hero does not have to reflect change necessarily; an invention of any sort would suffice to make him a legend. In the Quran, Moses without a doubt plays a very vital role of being a hero. Moses frees his people from the cruel oppression of the Pharaoh and leads them to the promise land. Moses was no doubt a humble and a valiant man, but adapted to his role when his people needed him the most. Understanding Roman and Greece mythology and philosophy are important as they influence the ideas that are innovated in modern society. Chaos ruled the world, and hence initiated the creation of beings. Not only did the Greek mythologies often discuss the human-like qualities that the Godââ¬â¢s possessed such as jealousy, hated, love, but also the fact that the Gods communicated with humans in a daily basis. In essence, the lesson becomes of morality, as good people will be honored and bad people will be punished. The Renaissance era that took place in Europe was a prime example of how artists tried to portray the stories of Greek mythology. Myths teach modern society that the world is full of flaws and have influenced all aspects of modern society such as: politics, literature, religion, poetry, infrastructure, and government. Greek myths at times are pure entertainment and donââ¬â¢t always serve as a reminder of ethics. For instance, the popular STAR WARS chronicles, depict a lot of ideas from Greek mythology as these myths have influenced our beliefs shown in our traditions. A classic example of how the
Saturday, October 5, 2019
American Foreign Policy since 1877 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
American Foreign Policy since 1877 - Assignment Example In its formative years, American foreign policy dealt with issues like challenging the Great Britain, maintaining their trade in the overseas, etc. In spite of these early hindrances, the country has managed itself by emerging into a key international power or even a sole superpower by the end of the twentieth century. During the Gilded Age, instead of having robust foreign policy, America turned its focus on internal growth paving the way for political, military and economic stability of the country. ââ¬Å"In the years that followed, the United States lapsed into diplomatic inactivity, not out of weakness but for lack of any clear national purpose in world affairs. The business of building the nationââ¬â¢s industrial economy absorbed Americans and turned their attention inward.â⬠1 In the early 1920s, the country followed the path of isolationism in their foreign policy by avoiding key role in the League of Nations and seeking to have a free operating authority. However, as time went, the countryââ¬â¢s foreign policy turned from cautious into aggressive dealing due to the confident intervening strategies. In the period of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he confidently intervened in the world affairs through various strategies of presidential diplomacy. As his term coincided with the Second World War, his key role in ending the War and also his successful handling of the colonial conflicts between the nations strengthened Americanââ¬â¢s position in major areas of the world. In addition, along with United Nations, America invested heavily for strengthening the war-devastated European democracies through the Marshall Plan. This expansion of its foreign policy strategies into Europe also led to the establishment of trade relations with those countries, thereby giving it strong influence in those countries. Thus, its victory in the Second World War and its key role in the post-war phase elevated United States as the most powerful nation in the world leading to dramatic changes in its foreign policies from the political perspective. ââ¬Å"By the end of the war, the United States stood alone, easily the most powerful nation in the world, its power greatly increased by its mobilization and war effort, its rivals defeated, and its allies exhaustedâ⬠.2 In the days of Woodrow Wilson, the economy of the country expanded into overseas markets as well, and that provided the platform for America to exercise its dominance over Third World Countries, thereby orienting its foreign policy further. That is, the prodigious development of American economy in late 19th century and early 20th century demanded the Americans to look abroad for further economic growth and expansion. ââ¬Å"Through the 19th century, America concentrated on creating a nation that spanned the continent, and it avoided foreign entanglements. Once industrialized and more prosperous, it began looking for foreign markets and colonies.â⬠3 Americaââ¬â¢s gross d omestic product quadrupled towards the end of the 19th century, which in turn led to the export of surplus products. ââ¬Å"Roughly one-fifth of the nationââ¬â¢s agricultural output was exported, and as industry expanded, so did export of manufactured goods. Between 1880 and 1900, the Industrial share of exports jumped from 15 percent to over 30 percent.â⬠4 These heightened exports and foreign trade relations paved the way for industrial expansion of the country into European as well as
Friday, October 4, 2019
Investigate a business idea and produce a realistic, practical Essay
Investigate a business idea and produce a realistic, practical business plan considering the financial aspects of the proposed b - Essay Example This company will be established after assessing both local and cross-border market. The current skin care producers concentrate mainly on women, where most skin care products are manufactured to cater for women. The primary target market for Face Care Limited constitutes the increasing number of high-profile men who desire to improve their looks and be presentable (Cadogan, 2009). Face Care Limited seeks to target working class men since young professional men make up 59% of the young profession; these people prefer high quality skincare products; this is a great opportunity that the company needs to be tapped. Mission Statement The mission of Face Care Limited is to become the premier provider of oily skin solutions to men. Face Care limited is dedicated to provision of a solution to men whose skins produce a lot of oil due to active oil glands. The products are aimed at regulating and controlling the production of sebum. Vision Face Care Limitedââ¬â¢s vision is to be the intern ational leader in the provision of high quality skincare products. Core Values The companyââ¬â¢s key values are customer satisfaction, honesty, accountability, and reliability in its operations. The firm will focus on promoting likeability of skin care products among potential customers to increase the market size. This is because customers will buy large quantities of the products if they achieve high utility after using them. Customer satisfaction will be achieved through offering affordable prices and substantial quantity of products. Honesty is a key virtue in any organization, and Face Care Limited aims to create a transparent relationship with both the internal and external environment such as workers and clients. In the event of the Face Care Limited receiving complains concerning any harm caused by the companyââ¬â¢s products, the management will be accountable and responsible to bear the consequences (Das, 2010). The initial solution to the problem of defectiveness wil l involve immediate recall of skin care products from all shelves and stores. Constant delivery of high quality products in the market will make the firm reliable in identifying new market opportunities, and meeting customer needs effectively. Plan of Operations The operational plan comprises of several elements that the company intend to implement in its production in order to achieve the objectives of firm. Proper assessment of vital components such as sales channels, value proposition, key resources, cost structure, revenue streams, key partners, and key operational activities will enable Face Care Limited to widen its market size (Vale, 2006). Capital raised from promotions of the products will act as the revenue stream for the company; this is through our sales channels, for instance, Face Care intends to use its own website for promotional purposes (Cadogan, 2009). A successful business should target customer segments that have working class men models equipped with the skills of marketing. The promoters have developed a Business Model Canvas for Face Care Limited. This is an action plan that the company intend to use once it becomes operational; it will assist the management in dealing with any possible future challenges. The Business Model Canvas consists of solutions on how Face Care Limited will manage its activities to reach out to clients (Douglas & O'Reilly, 2011). It consists of solut
Envioronment assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Envioronment assignment - Essay Example The effect of this disease affects the most productive sectors of the society because it deprives the economy of scarce resources of skills, it leaves countless number of orphaned children, and a country lessened with people at their prime. HIV/AIDS have declined life expectancy in Botswana as it joined the ranks of seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia that have life expectancies below 40 years of age. Study showed of the ECA showed that by year 2020, among those aged fifteen to forty-four, there will be more men than women. There is an implication of increased HIV infection among younger women because there is evidence in the study that older men inflict younger women thru marriage (ECA). Impact of HIV/AIDS is hardest on the family, because as people die, they leave a struggling family both emotionally and financially. Poverty is enhanced because savings are spent during the period of illness. Due to death of parents, t he number of orphaned children left to governmentââ¬â¢s care also increases. The number of orphaned children in Africa is already in the range of thirteen to fifteen million children. In summary, HIV/AIDS destroys human capital, weakens the mechanisms that generate human capital formation and produces a chance for the children to contract the disease, thus making education less attractive to them. 4. Actions undertaken by Canada, the United States and other developed countries to lessen the impact of AIDS in Africa. The control of HIV/AIDS cannot be done alone by the government of Africa. They need concerted effort of the whole population, the government and help from foreign governments and institutions. African government can seek support from Canada, United States and other developed countries who are affluent enough to donate funds and resources for AIDS control. For instance, they could enlist assistance of the World Health Organization in the European Region that has set a program particularly intended for the region. Botswana can take advantage of several programs of WHO that has been designed to prevent transmission of AIDS, among which are: HIV testing and counseling, syringe and needle program, reduction of sexual transmission among men of same sex and thru sex workers; reduction of vertical transmission by mothers to babies, and access for treatment and care. The World Health Organization in Europe has 53 member states that put together their efforts and resources on the control while U.S. has devoted a sizeable amount of donation for the purpose. Part 2. The Precautionary Principle. There is a saying that goes ââ¬Å"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cureâ⬠. This I believe is the principle that is considered in the precautionary principles of scientists. Precautionary measures are taken when it is believed that a certain activity would be harmful to human health or the environment because the cause and effect relationships are not scientifically proven. Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration firmly states: ââ¬Å"that in order to protect the environment precautionary approach shall be applied by States according to their capabilities. When there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as reason for postponing cost- effective measures to prevent environmental degradationâ⬠(Rio Declaration). Precautionary measure is taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a
Oscar Zeta Acosta Essay Example for Free
Oscar Zeta Acosta Essay Abstract The paper that I wrote talks about Oscar Zeta Acosta and his impact on the Chicano community. In the leaders contribution I talk about how Acosta was an attorney for the Chicano movement and generated controversy. In the leaders contribution section I talk how Acosta addressed political, social, and educational injustices against Chicanos. Acosta used his time and profession to help the Chicano movement. He contributed through two of his books that are a major part of the Chicano literacy renaissance. He also clashed with the Judicial system a lot of times for reasons that he thought were right. In the section others perspectives I talked about how he was scrutinized by many people but was still recognized through his significance in the Chicano movement. Leaders Context Oscar Zeta Acosta was born in El Paso, Texas on April 8, 1935. A little after he turned five he and his family moved to Californias San Joaquin Valley because his family couldnt make a living during the Depression. His parents started working as migrant field workers. Acostas father was different from other people. He had a passion for competition he had to compete with people more then anything. When Acosta was little his father would always make him argue with him. As he said in his book Oscar Zeta Acosta: The Uncollected Works I guess that is where I became as nasty as I am. (5). When Acosta went to high school he wasnt one of the average Chicanos going to school. He became involved in sports and music he was also president of his class. He got a scholarship for music at the University of Southern California. But he decided not to go. After finishing high school, Acosta joined the U.S. Air Force. Acosta then worked his way through college, becoming the first member of his family to graduate. Acosta attended night classes at San Francisco Law School and passed the California Bar exam in 1966 on his second try. (Oscar Zeta Acosta: The Uncollected works) In 1967, Acosta began working as an antipoverty attorney for the East Legal Aid Society in Oakland, California. Then he moved to East Los Angeles, where he joined the Chicano Movement and generated controversy as an activist attorney during the years 1968-1973. But his activities began in Oakland but it was in East Los Angeles where he gained notoriety. He defended various Chicano protest groups and activists such as the Saint Basil 21 and Rodolfo Corky Gonzalez. As an attorney, he figured prominently in legal cases which addressed political, social, and educational injustices against Chicanos. Acosta is also a well known author of two most important novels of the Chicano Protest Movement. An Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo (1972), and The Revolt of the Cockroach People (1973) . Acostas characteristics involve him being savage, nasty, not giving up nor letting anyone out him down as he said in his novel The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo I dont give a shit what other people have to say about me(130). I believe that all of these characteristics has made him, become who he was. Because he didnt care what others thought about him, he kept on going when things got hard . Acostas father had to do a lot with him becoming like this, because Acostas father would push Acosta to become better then anyone else made him become the nasty interior person he was. He would never show his emotions and never really found his true identity because Acostas father would always push him to do extracurricular activities, and he didnt have that extra time to spend it with the other Chicanos out on the block. It was until later on working as a Legal Aid and saw the Chicanos rioting and walking out for causes he didnt know existed. Leaders Contribution Oscar Zeta Acosta contributed to the Chicano community through two novels that he wrote. Those two novels were a literary contribution to the Chicano community and movement. He used his profession as an attorney to defend Mexican/ Chicano walk outs for better education. Acosta demonstrated his contribution through joining the Chicano movement. He used his profession as an attorney to defend various Chicano protest groups and activists such as the Saint Basil 21 which was The Catholics for la Raza the coalition in an ill-fated protest at St. Basilââ¬â¢s on Christmas Eve, 1969 and also the Rodolfo Corky Gonzalez where he led a Chicano contingent to the Poor Peopleââ¬â¢s March on Washington D.C and issued a ââ¬Å"plan of the Barrioâ⬠which demanded better housing, education and restitution of pueblo lands. Acosta figured prominently in legal cases which addressed political, social, and educational injustices against Chicanos. He frequently clashed with the judicial system, winning ardent supporters as well as making political enemies. He also contributed two novels that he wrote called Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo (1972), and The Revolt of the Cockroach People (1973) . Those were two novels that were highly acclaimed as major contributions to the Chicano literary renaissance. Acosta was a catalyst for change because he contributed his time and profession to the Chicano Movement. Acosta defended his community and race and he also took cases that defended Chicano education, and Chicano rights. He contributed to the Chicano literary renaissance. He is someone that may not be well known to everyone because no one talks about him now but during the Chicano movement he was a catalyst for change because he helped the Chicano community be what it is today by not attaining the injustices they had in the education and in the living of the Chicano community. Other Perspectives Oscar Zeta Acosta is a controversial Chicano author, activist and attorney whose work focuses on ethnicity and ways that people of Mexican ancestry in the United States forge an awareness of themselves and how they get treated by other people. Even though Acosta sometime contradicts himself he is still considered by a few a very great person and activist. The website à ¡Para Justicia y Libertad! said that Acosta was A gifted writer and storyteller, an activist, a civil rights attorney, and is considered the Malcolm X of the Chicano/a community. Also in the article called Oscar Zeta Acosta: One of Godââ¬â¢s own prototypes he said Oscar was a legendary, compelling figure in Chicano history his remains in the shadows of the general American culture ( p.1) . There is one thing was for sure that most Chicana would say that he was a feminist and grouse! (Bandido 115) . Some Chicanas even dislike the way he talks about women in his book. He talks about women as if they were objects and he also talks about them in a vulgar way in the books by calling them bitches of hoers. He also talks in a very feminist way, when you read his books you can notice how he mentions or trys to lower the feminine perspective and the mentality of a women. Conclusion Based on the research I have conducted it is my view that Oscar Zeta Acosta was a key component in the Chicano movement because of the role he took by defending the Chicano community when no one would defend them, and especially because Acosta took his profession and his time to defend them. His work affected my life because it showed me that in life you have to pursue your goals to achieve them. Even though it might be tough there reachable. What surprised me about Acosta was his language in his books because I thought an attorney would not talk or especially write a book with vulgar and derogatory language. Another thing that also surprised me about Acosta was that he was a feminist I believed that someone that would defend people like the Chicano community because of the injustices they are facing in society would discriminate other people. Acostas importance during his lifetime was that he was an essential part in fixing the Chicano education and living in the Anglo world. Reflection Leader Selection.I am pleased with my catalyst for change choice Oscar Zeta Acosta. I learned more about the Chicano education injustices and also about the Chicano movement. Even tough there where parts that I wasnt pleased about hearing like on how he was a feminist and how vulgar he talked about women in his books and how he just thought they were objects. I still found my catalyst for change interesting like on how he wasnt like the rest of the Chicanos while he was growing up, he was like an outsider to his own race. Methodology. At first it was difficult to find books that Acosta has written or books that talk about him, because every book store I went to said they did not have them but they could always order them but it would take about to two weeks and when I would say no thank you ill try some where else they would look at me if I was crazy. At the end I ended up going to the downtown public library and I was luck there was only one copy of the books. Maybe next time what I would do differently is choose a person that has sources that are available everywhere. I believe that I did pace my self with reading the books and writing the paper. My time management was effective at times, because there was times I go carried away doing other things but I would still do my paper even though at times I would have to sleep late. Critical Reading. Reading the sources was some what difficult because of the language and sometimes the metaphors he used. What I learned about the whole reading concept is that it is going to be very useful in college and that you have to learn how to pace yourself when you read also that you have to skim the book, also having a dictionary in hand would be very useful to. Note taking did become easier as I worked along. I found note taking very useful since the books I was reading were not mine so I couldnt highlight the important information that I would be using for my research paper. I found the note taking system very useful, probably the other useful thing that would of helped me would have been if the books were mine because I wouldnt have speed threw the books to get them in by their due date. Writing. In writing my research paper the difficulty I faced was not knowing how to get my point across I found that difficult to do because everyone that read my research paper did not know who Oscar Zeta Acosta was. Probably the one thing that would of been useful was choosing a person that people knew at least the name to. The paper we got with the prompt and the instructions on what we had to answer helped a lot because while I was writing my paper I was looking back to see if I answered the prompt and followed the instructions and criteria. The skills that I believe that I need to work on is on my writing and how I try to get my point across because I found that hard to do. The skill that I believe that I was getting better at was knowing how to paraphrase. Experience. I did enjoy working on this project alone because I worked on it at my own pace, but I do enjoy working with others. I believe this research paper would have been better in group because you dont have top rush threw books because everyone can read a book, also because everyone has their own style of writing and looks at the prompts differently so it would have been easier because everyone could have contributed through their opinions and ideas and could have answered the prompt more efficiently. I believe that the most interesting part of this research paper was getting to know everything that your catalyst for change did, because I just knew a couple of thins that Acosta did like being a lawyer and defending the Chicano community, but I didnt know or have a clue everything else he did and how he acted and how he was a feminist. I believe that the most difficult thing about the research paper was the paper itself, because everything was just new to me because I have ever used MLA format before.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents Essay Example for Free
Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents Essay Childhood obesity has become a recurring theme in the news today. A variety of issues has been discussed regarding the cause of this popular issue. Emphasis is placed on parents, culture, school meals, and a number of other factors leading to obesity. Children and adolescents are not blind to the attention placed on obesity among them and their peers. If the thin bodies of magazines, TV and media werenââ¬â¢t enough, children now have to face the harsh realities of statistics that are constantly broadcasted in the news. This being the case, many children and adolescents have developed unhealthy means to either get thin or stay thin. Many struggle with eating disorders. Eating disorders involve a variety of descriptions of unhealthy patterns of eating. All of them involve some abnormal pattern of eating, including not eating. No matter the type or term given the disorder, they represent a serious situation and are a mental health concern. Two of the more well-known types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Both are common among youth. Anorexia Nervosa Description Sometimes just being ââ¬Ënormalââ¬â¢ in size is not what an individual sees as normal in himself. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which being thin is not the only issue. It is characterized by starving oneself. Signs include a body weight of less than eighty-five percent the normal body weight for that specific height and age; 3 consecutive absences of a menstrual cycle; and an abnormally strong fear of gaining weight (e.g., ââ¬Å"Eating Dis.â⬠n.d., para. 12). A more common outward sign of anorexia is the intense fear of gaining weight. The youth may repeatedly express verbally his desire to be thin, his belief that he is fat or overweight, and a generally twisted view of own size or weight. All of this is typically coupled with an already thin body size. Use of laxatives in addition to severely limiting food intake is commonly seen. Anorexia Nervosa Cause The cause of anorexia is not one specific factor. It is widely agreed that many issues combine to lead to its development. These include social, cultural, psychological, and biological concerns. The role of neurotransmitters in anorexia is researched today. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter ââ¬Å"known to affect appetite control, sexual and social behavior, stress responses, and moodâ⬠and ââ¬Å"modulates feeding by producing the sensation of fullness or satietyâ⬠(Rome, 2003, p.100). A decrease in this neurotransmitter can be indicative of anorexia. There are also some indications of genetic factors involved in causing anorexia. Having a family member who suffers or has suffered from anorexia can predispose a child to development. ââ¬Å"There are now multiple case-control studies designed to investigate the familiality of eating disorders, which demonstrate a higher rate of Anorexia nervosa in relatives of probands with anorexia nervosaâ⬠(Rome, 2003, p 101). Bulimia Description Another eating disorder common among children and adolescents is bulimia. Bulimia can actually be a subtype of anorexia. It is characterized by bingeing on food then purging the food via induced vomiting. The bingeing is considered uncontrolled and the person typically ingests much larger than normal amounts of food, sometimes secretively. Then, within an hour or two of eating, the person purges the food. This is usually done by self-induced vomiting; however, the vomiting is typically seen with misuse of laxatives, urine-producing medications, and enemas. All of these enable the individual to purge herself of the recently ingested large quantities of food. These binges occur ââ¬Å"at least twice a week for three months or may occur as often as several times a dayâ⬠(e.g., ââ¬Å"Eating Dis.â⬠n.d., para. 23). As a subtype of anorexia, the bulimic person is abnormally underweight. Being underweight, however, is not a prerequisite of the bulimic diagnosis. In fact, the average bulimic is of normal weight, but sees self as being overweight. Other common attitudes associated with bulimia include extreme exercise, secretive or abnormal eating habits or rituals, and irregular or absent menstrual cycles. Both bulimia and anorexia are commonly seen in individuals already suffering from anxiety and/or depression (e.g. ââ¬Å"Eating Dis.â⬠n.d., para. 29). Bulimia Cause As with Anorexia nervosa, a specific cause for bulimia is not known. Several factors, however, are thought to increase the likelihood of this disorder; many of these are similar to those of anorexia nervosa. Cultural and social influences on appearance and size, family problems, and mood disorders all have an effect on the development of bulimia. Gender plays a large role as well. The majority of youth suffering from both bulimia and anorexia nervosa, although more so with bulimia, are females (Fisher, 1995, p. 431). The same case study cited in the familial causes of anorexia nervosa indicates that having a family member who has previously been diagnosed with bulimia can also predispose an individual to the same behavior. Treatment Although Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia are two separate identifiable diagnoses, the treatments of these physical and mental disorders are similar. Physicians first analyze the individualââ¬â¢s specific overall health and possible contributing factors. The primary care doctor is the necessary authority to either treat or recommend for treatment. Possible physical effects such as malnutrition and dental issues are treated as needed. The mental and psychological treatment varies according to the childââ¬â¢s specific needs. Individual and family therapy, behavior modification, and cognitive therapy can all be used. Focus primarily tends toward the development of adequate coping skills, positive body image, and positive self-talk. Frequently, mood stabilizers are prescribed in conjunction with one-on-one therapy (Rome, 2003, p. 104). The family plays a key role in treating children and adolescents most significantly by the fact that parents and adult figures in the childââ¬â¢s life control and direct the routine of said child. In cases of severely physically compromised children, monitoring of vital signs, nutrition, and electrolyte balance by trained healthcare professionals may be necessary (Fischer, 1995, p. 435). Conclusion Eating disorders are spread across both adults and youth. As increasing attention is given the issue of childhood obesityââ¬âand as the media continues to push the preference for abnormally thin figures in beautyââ¬âthe youth will suffer. They seek unhealthy means to be what culture, family, and society says is normal, accepted. Bulimia and anorexia nervosa are the result of these issues and remain common eating disorders among children and adolescents. These disorders, however, can be diagnosed and treated. Most important to the treatment of any disorder affecting children and adolescents is the role of parents or guardians. References Eating disorders in children and adolescents (n.d.) In Eating Disorders. Retrieved from http://www.lpch.org/diseasehealthinfo/healthlibrary/growth/eatdis.html. Ellen S. Rome, MD, Seth Ammerman, MD, et al. Children and adolescents with eating disorders: the state of the art. Pediatrics. 2003; 111: 98-108. Fisher M. Golden NH, Katzman DK, et al. Eating disorders in adolescents: a background paper. Adolescent Health. 1995; 16: 420-437.
Alien (1979) and Prometheus (2012) Comparison
Alien (1979) and Prometheus (2012) Comparison Introduction In this essay I will compare the visual effects of two movies an older movie and Ità ´s prequel. As a fan of sci-fi movies, for this writing I decided to compare Alien (1979) and its prequel Prometheus (2012). The Prometheus movie was nominated for an Academy award for visual effects in 2013 whereas Alien won an Academy award for visual effects in 1980. Many scenes in this first movie were so good that they had appeared in Prometheus too. Even the trailer consists of the same scenes. Moreover the plot of the both movies in general is about crew on a space towing vessel. They end up on a distant moon then the crew realize that they are not alone on the spaceship when an alien stowaway is on the board. 1. Alien 1979 Director: Ridley Scott Visual effects supervisor: Brian Johnson What worked best on visual effects for this movie are mostly modellers and prop makers. Models of the ship were very detailed and huge, for example the largest one Nostromo was 17 feet long. The team couldnà ´t use the cutting edge technology of motion control to capture the seventeen-foot model of Nostromoà because the budget did not allow the time for shooting stop-motion. This led the special effects team to develop a camera that moved slowly on a drive mechanism. Furthermore, shots of Nostromos were mostly close ups. Interior sets of a spaceship were all connected and real so actors felt like they are in a real place. For the xenomorph they created a suit and found a slander tall man who wore it. He had to attend thaichi lessons because of the moves. The head of the xenomorph had mechanical parts and was made out of car parts, silicone and jelly for spit. The designer of the xenomorph and its previous stages ( facehugger andà chestburster ) and ship was H. R. Giger. There are only a few shots of the alien in the movie because Ridley wanted to create fear in a viewer, many times using dark places so viewer would not know where the alien is and what to expect. These are the most famous scenes: chestbuster scene A chest which was fake was used for John Hurts character Kane for the scene. It appeared as if Hurts neck was connected to the fake chest when He was underneath the table. The director tried to make the scene very much authentic and one of the steps was to use real organs which were bought from a butcher shop and were stuffed in the fake chest cavity. Another idea was to use hoses to help pump and spray the blood as the creature would explode from the chest. The actors were not told about all the actions that would take place and they definitely did not expect to be sprayed with blood as the alien creature arose. facehugger scene The Facehugger as seen in the opened egg are bits of cow innards and probably other animals. The tail of the Facehugger is an intestine and a blast of air is being pumped through it. The Facehugger dissection scene involved raw oysters in a plastic mold of the creature. Revelation of Ash scene In the scene where Ash is revealed to be a robot and has his head knocked off,à theyà created a puppet of the Ashs torso and upper body which was operated from underneath by a small puppeteer.à The following scene of the surviving crew interacting with Ashs remains used both his actor, kneeling under the table with his head coming up through a hole cut in its top, and an animatronic head, made using a face cast ofà Ashà ´s actor. Unfortunately, the whipped latex made the head shrank as it was drying and therefore, the final item bore little resemblance to the real Holm. Ashà ´s inner workings and fluids were made ofà milk, caviar, pasta and glass marbles. Personally I didnt notice that the fake head is smaller than the actorà ´s and I think that this shot was made really realistic. 2. Prometheus 2012 Director: Ridley Scott Visual effects supervisor: Richard Stammers Ridley created many elements and shots similar to ones in the Alien movie such as space suits, similar ship design, kept the original look of alien ship, the space jockey, similar interior of the ship, basic elements like hypersleep chamber, medical scanner, strong female leading role, breakfast scene, in alien the on-board ship computer is called mother and in promeheus they call it maam. There is also a humanoid robot on the board. Environment A lot of the final environment work is a combination of real photography and 3d set extensions. Real aerial plates are pictures of Iceland and Wadi Rum. Ridley wanted the amazing landscape feel believable. They analyzed the area using Google Maps and DEM satellite maps which give displacements, they put that into Maya and combined all that information and built up a rough 20 mile landscape. The pinnacles on the ground were taken from real rock in Iceland. They scanned and textured the shot and from that created CG variations. They used a program to randomly scatter them across the landscape based on manually painted intensity maps.à NASA helped with recreation of the environment by providing photos of ice being expulsed into the atmosphere of Saturns moon Enceladus and information about the potential look of different exo-planets. For the sandstorm in the movie they used Flowline to simulate natural looking pluming dust, then their own volumetric tool for visualizing and Renderman rendering.à In comparison in the original Alien the ship was covered in darkness and a storm with zero visibility. The set was created from motorcycle parts and matte paintings. Pretty much all of the sets in Prometheus were built practically and also modelled in 3D. And that includes the weird caverns and chambers on the moon, as well as the interiors of the ship Prometheus. Concept artists firstly built up sets in 3D so they would know right off the bat that it was achievable. Surgery scene I think this scene is somehow an recreation of the chestbuster scene from Alien but this time it is even more disturbing than the one from alien because Dr. Shaw finds out that she is infected and pregnant and has no choice but to perform a C-section on herself using the MedPod. The Med Pod was built and function in real life to make this scene looks realistic. Actress was filming this scene for 4 days then creature was added in post-production. They had to cover her belly with tracking markers as they had to matchmove as closely as possible to make the effect work in physical space. Conclusion In general, I really like both movies the making of them but also the plot. I highly appreciate that Ridley Scott in Prometheus stuck with creating real scene sets and did not just leave everything on post-production. The real sets added the feeling of realism into the movie also the fact that they cooperated with NASA in the effort of creating realistic environment.à Regarding to the Alien movie I really like the ideas that they came up with such asà camera on mechanism to create slow motion footage, using of real animal viscera to make creatures look real and disgusting and I highly admire the work of one of my favourite artistà H. R. Gigerà in creating designs for the movie. I think I would be able to achieve some shots in the Alien but also in the Prometheus. In the Alien movie there are many shots in which mechanical parts had to beà included for instanceà like in chestbusterà scene they had to create a pump for exploding of the chest so these kind of shots would be hard for me to achieve if I had to create them using the same technique but I would be able to create a model of the Nostromo and also the facehugger model .à Prometheus also used real size models but there was also SGI included. In order to SGI I think I would be able to create an eviroment like 3D set extensions ( create ground extension and 3d pinnacles and texture them). After all I think that both of these movies are madeà really good, they have the same scary, mysterious feeling , the same visual look andà creative ideas were included not to mention the amazing plot. Bibliography Seymour, M. (2012). Prometheus: rebuilding hallowed vfx space. [online] fxguide. Available at: https://www.fxguide.com/featured/prometheus-rebuilding-hallowed-vfx-space/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017]. Anders, C. (2012). Cite a Website Cite This For Me. [online] Io9.gizmodo.com. Available at: http://io9.gizmodo.com/5917639/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-design-of-prometheus [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017]. Watkins, A. (2014). Behind-the-Scenes: Making of the Chestburster scene from Alien. [online] Cinemablography. Available at: http://www.cinemablography.org/blog/behind-the-scenes-making-of-the-chestburster-scene-from-alien [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017]. à Ash. [online] avp.wikia. Available at: http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Ash [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017]. Jacob, J. (2016). The Making of Alien Documentary. [image] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHjNWzn73k [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017].
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