Semester 2

Arts TRYathlon #1: Choose Your Own Adventure

Event Logistics (2/19, dorm-room, personal movie watching)

#film

For this Tryathlon, I watched the movie Before Sunrise. It's a romance movie that is the second in a trilogy called the Before Trilogy. In my Scholars workshop, I'm learning about narrative structures in order to build a story for a visual novel. Similar to a movie, I have to brainstorm a plot, setting, theme, and characters. Since this is a romance, it reminded me of examples of visual novels we looked at that dealt with dating and romance. We've also explored how characters make choices that impact the plot to varying degrees. Some are minor choices, like what to eat and drink, while others have more severe consequences, such as who lives and dies. This particular movie is almost entirely conversational. What the characters choose to say to each other impacts their romantic feelings for one another, which drives the plot. At the climax, their conversations become more heated and emotional, which creates suspense as to how the film will end. What’s special about this movie is it takes place over the span of one afternoon. In such a short time frame, every line of dialogue counts. Had the characters chosen to say a few things differently, their relationship could have turned out much differently. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. I don't usually watch romance movies; but, it handles ideas like love, happiness, and the meaning of life in such a mature, thought-provoking way.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

Event Logistics 3/13/24, Hoff Theater, Saltburn (2023)

#visualart, #film

For this TRYathlon, I chose to watch the film Saltburn at the Hoff Theater. This is a film I heard a lot about, especially regarding its controversy. In my Art Scholars group, we are creating a visual novel with college students as main characters. The story is meant to tackle themes of grief, loss, and growing up. It's interesting how Saltburn takes a completely different approach to a similar setting. It also happens to involve college students, mainly a few students from Oxford; but this film is more about class-relations. It has an extremely twisted protagonist, and can be cynical, almost to the point of comedy. I found it confusing because the first half felt like a college coming-of-age story while the second half is a bizarre look at the corrupting influence of desire (at least what I've read about it). While I found the themes and consistency to vary, there's no doubt this film has struck a chord with many people. I think this is partially because the actors give memorable performances and the shock factor of many scenes evokes strong opinions. One thing I feel we didn't discuss my Scholars workshop is how to advertise a story so people want to experience it. The marketing for this film really contributed to its success. Personally, I thought the film was somewhat disturbing and outside the genres I usually enjoy; but the film's popularity and marketing drew me to it nonetheless.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

Event Logistics (March 27, Bel Air lounge, Penpal with friends)

#writing

For my last TryAthlon of the semester, I went to the Craft and Chat for writing letters. I decided to write two of them: one for my family and one for my high school friend who goes to Pitt. I haven't been writing nearly as much as last semester since my courses are more geared towards STEM. Also, I haven't written a letter by-hand in a minute. I enjoyed letting my thoughts run free, which was extremely relaxing. When we were finished I decorated each with stickers and markers. I think many of us are so accustomed to writing in an academic setting, that we forget writing can be a pleasure activity. In my scholars workshop, we have to write dialogue for our visual novels. I was also thinking of adding letters as objects to inspect. Overall I enjoyed this and many of my older relatives would definitely appreciate some more handwritten letters.

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