Uggs: Cute or Uggly?

The Ugg Trend

You're on a beach in Australia or New Zealand - you choose. Your eyes follow a surfer as he runs up from the water, surfboard under his arm. Once he's put down his surfboard, he dries off and puts on what seems to be a furry, boot slipper of some sort. Suddenly, a group of surfers walk by and they're all wearing the furry things on their feet! 

Uggs, originally produced in the Australia or New Zealand, started as a beach boot for surfers and beach goers in the 1960's. Though the boot didn't gain popularity in the U.S until the late 1990's, today one can't go very far out of his/her house without seeing at least one person wearing a pair of Ugg boots or slippers. Their extreme comfort and durability in snow, rain, and other wet terrain make Uggs a no brainer for, well, anyone looking for something to wear during the winter months. 

The Ugg trend started when Uggs started gaining serious popularity in 2004. Once available for adults in a couple shades of tan, Ugg Australia (the company name) began producing Uggs for babies, toddlers, kids, teens, and adults. They also began to offer an array of colors and designs. After the trend picked up you could see girls wearing Uggs with skirts to school and babies wearing Uggs to daycare. Not only were Uggs "in", they were a status symbol. With the average price of a pair of Uggs being between $100-$200, they allowed you to wear strange looking snow boots while still being upscale and classy. Like Crocs, Uggs are comfortable and colorful - but are they fashionable? Many people will bash Uggs and their looks, yet everyone seems to have at least one pair (real or fake) in their house. 

Fussell's idea, "everyone must wear a uniform, but everyone must deny wearing one", relates to Uggs because they've come from being practical to being a statement piece. It's interesting though, because even though Ugg produces a variety of cheetah print, bedazzled, fur covered, and other funky designs, you will rarely see those designs off the shelf and on someones feet. This is because everyone wants to wear what everyone else is wearing: tan, black, or grey Uggs. This makes it easier to pick out the people who truly dress for themselves. Next time you see someone wearing glittery Uggs, give them a high five for individuality. 

Out of this World

           I believe that everyone lives in their own world. I mean, sure, we're all here living on the same Earth. Looking at the same things. Listening to the same things. But we're seeing everything and hearing everything differently. From the moment one is born, they create their perceptions of everything in their own mind. No two people look at the same thing and see the same thing. Everyone has their own needs, desires, and qualities that are unique to them. How would we cope with everything that life throws at us if we weren't able to have our own thoughts? I think our mind is a safe place in which we can think anything we want and not be judged, criticized, or humiliated for it. I feel like we are each the center of our own universes. This may sound dumb or arrogant, but the world does revolve around us. My world revolves around me.
       
          The world is of course a mirror of who we are, because we're looking at it through our own eyes. We're able to make the connections we want, when we want. We have the power to ignore, worry, change, lust, feel, hear, see, and touch. We use our powers everyday to manipulate the way we feel when we're exposed to any given situation. Sure, there's hundreds of people that may have touched and influenced a person's life, but at the end of the day, that person is only that person (if that makes sense). It's up to each individual human to create the world they want. I don't think we are shaped by the world, I think we shape the world simply by existing. We may belong to Earth, but the world belongs to us; to me.

Hidden in the Shadows

          This shot from Double Indemnity takes place just as Keyes is leaving Neff's apartment after visiting to let Neff know that he's close to figuring out the Mr. Dietrichson murder case. Phyllis has arrived just in time to hear Keyes begin to make an exit, allowing her barely enough time to quickly hide. I think the way the scene is set up with the lighting, the dimly lit hallway, and the placement of the characters is really representative of the movie's plot. First, we've got Phyllis hidden away from view (but still in the view of the viewers) while Keyes is  further down the hallway with his back towards the audience. Finally, Neff is standing in his doorway, half blocked by the door. Keyes is oblivious to what Neff has done, so his distant placement in the shot shows that.

         One of the interesting things about this shot is that each character has their back facing the audience, making it so that we can't see their faces. This goes to show that each of them has their own hidden thoughts, ideas, and motives regarding the murder. The placement of Neff in this shot is key, because it shows him in the middle of two of his closest alliances, who just so happen to be working against each other. Another interesting piece to the shot is the darkness (clothing/lightning) of Phyllis and Keyes on either side of Neff, to Neff's central, brighter lighting.  Putting Phyllis behind the door and in the shadows and Keyes on the other side of the frame in another shadow only strengthens this idea that Neff is in the middle of a situation (two alliances) that he can't escape from. This shot creates an almost spine tingling moment of mystery for the viewers who are on the edge of their seats as Keyes almost catches Phyllis. With a dark set and dark characters, this shot brings Neff into the light, directing the viewers eyes to the movements and actions of the main character in charge of piecing together the crime the story centers around. Overall, shadows play a big part in this film, especially in this shot, because they're able to deliver darkness into settings, like a residential hallway, that wouldn't normally be so dark.

Minority Report - Frame Analysis - The Precogs' New Life

I chose this shot of the female precog, Agatha, in her cabin at the end of the movie. Here, in this scene, Agatha looks very light and serene, which is quite a change from her usually frantic disposition. Agatha is shown in a yellowish soft light from the setting sun in this frame. The fact that she’s bathed in light while the rest of the frame remains in shadow draws the viewer to her. This frame is interesting because all 3 precogs are shown, but Agatha is separate and highlighted, as she seems to be for the length of the film. The 2 boy precogs are in the background, very dimly lit. All 3 of them are reading books, which unites them in this shot. The 2 male precogs are still important, just not as important as Agatha, which is represented in this frame with the placement of the 3 precogs. The director made sure that all 3 precogs weren’t separated in this shot. I think this shows that they started out together at the beginning of the movie, and they’re still together at the end of the movie, sharing the same habitat. The lighting in this shot is significant because it shows the relationships between the 3 precogs. The 2 male precogs are lit, yet still in shadows, while Agatha is very well lit, showing her importance. The left top corner and the right bottom corner are both lit, creating a kind of symmetrical effect. It shows that all precogs are powerful and special humans, but Agatha’s lightning puts her on a different level than the other 2.

This shot is a combination of a panning shot and a long shot, because the camera moves throughout the little house while scanning each subject shortly until it moves out of the house and zooms out on the land leaving the house a little, scenic cabin in the distance. I believe that this shot was used to show the continuous movement of life. It shows this by constantly moving, slowly, showing each of the subjects as they carry on their lives. Life doesn’t stop for anything – I think that’s the idea that’s being represented in this shot. This shot also concludes the film quite well as it brings it to an end in a gradual and subtle way that leaves the viewer with a good feeling about the resolution of the film. Something that stands out to me was the talisman or charm that Agatha is holding onto while reading her book. Again, this differentiates Agatha from the other two precogs, who are only holding books. Another thing I’d like to point out about this frame is the costume choices. All 3 of the precogs have swapped out their high tech, almost supernatural suits for normal, comfy looking clothes. I think this lends itself to the resolution of the precogs and their new life as “normal” people.