Academics & The Arts Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-15-2022

Speaking Spanish requires you to keep tabs on all sorts of topics: verb conjugation, irregular verbs, and parts of speech, to name a few. Plus, if you intend to travel, being able to ask for information is a must.

Article / Updated 11-14-2022

Uncle Sam wants you! But first, you have to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). This battery of tests covers ten subjects, and you have to earn a passing score before you can join any branch of the military. The catch is that you can only take the ASVAB if your high school offers it or a military recruiter arranges an appointment at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) or another testing location. Usually, high schools arrange for large groups of juniors and seniors to take the test all at one time — but if yours didn’t, you missed school that day, or high school is a distant memory for you, your only other option is to sit down with an Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, or Army recruiter and schedule the test. Your ASVAB scores are only valid for up to two years. If you took the test in high school more than two years ago, you have to retake it at your nearest MEPS before you can enlist. How you take the ASVAB test The ASVAB isn’t a one-size-fits-all test; it comes in a few varieties. High-schoolers typically take the paper-and-pencil (P&P) version, which requires you to open a test booklet and fill in answer bubbles on a separate sheet of paper; people who take the test at a Military Entrance Test (MET) site do this, too. (MET sites are located in remote areas that aren’t within a reasonable drive of a MEPS.) But most people take the computer adaptive test (CAT-ASVAB), which all takes place on a computer. You select an answer choice and move on to the next question, moving through the subtests until you’re finished or run out of time. It’s nearly impossible to cheat on the ASVAB (and you wouldn’t want to, anyway — when you get busted, you won’t be allowed to enlist). Your test-taking neighbors are all answering different questions than you are. When test proctors hand out P&P test booklets, they hand out several different versions, and the CAT-ASVAB adapts itself to your skill level. What does the ASVAB cover? The ASVAB tests your knowledge in ten topic areas through the following subtests: General Science tests your high school science knowledge, touching on biology, chemistry, and physical sciences. Arithmetic Reasoning takes a snapshot of your ability to solve mathematical word problems at a high-school level. Word Knowledge asks you to find the correct meanings of words to gauge your English vocabulary. Paragraph Comprehension presents you with reading passages, and it’s your job to answer questions and draw conclusions about them. Mathematics Knowledge tests your ability to solve algebra and geometry problems. Electronics Information features questions about circuitry, electrical principles, and electronic terminology. Auto Information asks questions about (you guessed it) automobiles and how they work. Shop Information checks your knowledge of tools, shop terminology, and best practices when it comes to building and making repairs with a wide range of materials. Mechanical Comprehension opens the door to your knowledge of mechanical (as in levers and pulleys) and physics principles. Assembling Objects requires you to connect the dots (literally) to show off your spatial reasoning skills and demonstrate how well you can fit together puzzle-like pieces. The Auto Information and Shop Information subtests are combined and called Auto and Shop (AS) on the paper-and-pencil version of the test; on the CAT-ASVAB, it’s presented on its own. How long is the ASVAB test? The P&P version of the tests presents questions of easy, medium, and hard difficulty in random order, but the CAT-ASVAB tailors itself to your ability. It starts by asking you a question of medium difficulty; if you get it right, it asks you a harder question. If you get it wrong, it asks you an easier question. The following tables break down how many questions you need to answer (and how quickly you have to tackle them) in each subtest. CAT-ASVAB Subtest Number of Questions Time to Complete General Science 15 10 minutes Arithmetic Reasoning 15 55 minutes Word Knowledge 15 9 minutes Paragraph Comprehension 10 27 minutes Mathematics Knowledge 15 23 minutes Electronics Information 15 10 minutes Auto Information 10 7 minutes Shop Information 10 6 minutes Mechanical Comprehension 15 22 minutes Assembling Objects 15 17 minutes Total 135 questions 173 minutes P&P Subtest Number of Questions Time to Complete General Science 25 11 minutes Arithmetic Reasoning 30 36 minutes Word Knowledge 35 11 minutes Paragraph Comprehension 15 13 minutes Mathematics Knowledge 25 24 minutes Electronics Information 20 9 minutes Auto and Shop Information 25 11 minutes Mechanical Comprehension 25 19 minutes Assembling Objects 25 15 minutes Total 225 questions 149 minutes If you took the ASVAB through an Army recruiter and later discover that the Air Force (or any other branch) is a better choice, it’s no problem — your scores are portable. Every branch takes the same test, and the military-at-large breaks down your scores for each branch when it grades your performance. You can join any branch you want, as long as you qualify, after taking the ASVAB once. What is the AFQT score? Your scores on Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, and Mathematics Knowledge blend together to make up your Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score. Every branch has a minimum AFQT score it’s willing to accept — and if you don’t make the grade, you don’t qualify for enlistment. Each branch also uses individual subtest scores and combinations of those scores to determine which military jobs you qualify for. If you take the CAT-ASVAB, the computer automatically (and immediately) tallies your score. If you take the P&P version, your test proctor will arrange for scoring and you’ll find out how well you did within several days. Your recruiter will tell you which jobs are open to you based on your scores.

Article / Updated 11-14-2022

Brexit is the term used to refer to the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) and is a shortened version of British Exit. On June 23, 2016, the UK decided to officially sever ties with the EU. This monumental decision came as the result of a referendum—or public vote of nearly all citizens of voting age—in which more than 30 million people voted. Brexit background The European Union is a group of 28 European countries that are tied by an economic and political alliance. This political understanding led the way for the use of the euro (the currency used in 19 EU countries) and permits citizens in the EU to travel and settle across borders without a passport. The EU even employs its own parliament and makes decisions regarding things like trade, transportation, and environmental policy. The BBC reports that the final vote supported the UK’s leave from the EU 52% to 48%. England and Wales were strongly in favor of leaving the EU, while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted for remaining with the political alliance. The EU allows the countries within it to function largely as a single entity. It was initially put in place to allow for the free movement of people, goods, and money under what it termed a “single market.” The argument for Brexit According to the BBC, the push to leave the EU was advocated mostly by the UK Independence Party and was not supported by the Prime Minister, David Cameron. Members of the UK Independence Party argued that Britain’s participation in the EU was a restrictive element for the country. As one of the EU’s primary initiatives is free movement within the region the party’s main arguments centered around regaining border control and reclaiming business rights. In addition, supporters of Brexit cited the high EU membership fees as a negative aspect of participation in the EU. It was argued that if the UK separates itself from the EU, these fees can be used to benefit the UK. The argument against Brexit The Conservative Party and the Prime Minister were strongly in favor of remaining with the EU. As a result of the decision to discontinue its participation in the EU, the Prime Minister has made a public statement that he will be relinquishing his position. He believes that the country needs a leader with the same goals as the majority of the country. He has promised a new PM will be in place by early September. The argument against Brexit pertains mostly to the business benefits. The argument is that the UK receives business benefits by being able to participate in the single market system established by the EU. In response to the criticism against the open borders, proponents believe that the influx of immigrants helps develop an eager workforce and fuels public service projects. Leaders in favor of staying also worry about the political backlash that could possibly result from other countries who favored staying with the EU. In addition, proponents of remaining with the EU believe that being part of a wider community of nations provides economic and cultural strength, as well as an additional element of security. What does Brexit mean for the future? While the decision marked a huge statement for the UK, the referendum vote is not legally binding. There are still many hurdles that must be dealt with before Brexit can become a reality. The UK is still subject to the laws of the EU until Britain’s exit becomes legal. In order for the UK to make its break official, the country needs to invoke Article 50. It is unclear exactly what this process will entail or how long it will take as Britain is the first country to take its leave of the EU. Once Article 50 has been formally invoked, the UK has two years to negotiate its departure with the other member states. But according to the BBC, “Extricating the UK from the EU will be extremely complex, and the process could drag on longer than that.” Amidst the aftermath of this shocking referendum vote, there is great uncertainty as political leaders decide what this means for the UK.

Article / Updated 11-14-2022

The political situation that has been created as a result of Brexit has many asking, “what is Brexit all about?” In order to fully understand what Brexit means, you have to look at a little bit of history. The 2016 Brexit referendum wasn’t the UK’s first vote on Europe. In 1975, there was a referendum on whether the UK should stay in the European Economic Community (EEC). The result of that referendum was a firm “Yes, please, we’d like to stay in,” with 67.2 percent of voters voting in favor. Let’s take a look at the past to see what Brexit is all about. Looking at the Brexit decision: The 2016 EU referendum results in more detail Fast-forward a generation, and the 2016 Brexit referendum turned the previous result on its head, but by a narrower margin. Overall, 51.89 percent voted to leave the EU, while 48.11 percent voted to stay in. But the UK is made up of four different countries, and, interestingly, the individual countries voted in quite different ways: England voted Leave, by 53.38 percent to 46.62 percent. Scotland voted Remain, by 62 percent to 38 percent. Wales voted Leave, by 52.53 percent to 47.47 percent. Northern Ireland voted Remain, by 55.78 percent to 44.22 percent. Why did people vote to leave in favor of Brexit? It’s difficult to fully understand the consequences of Brexit. For that reason, the answer will vary depending on who you ask. But some of the key reasons Leavers wanted out of the EU included the following: Having to make financial contributions to the EU’s annual budget Free movement of people and the perception that immigration from Europe was too high Wanting the UK to be able to negotiate its own trade deals, instead of negotiating as part of the EU bloc Perceived lack of UK “sovereignty” or control, with the UK being bound by EU rules and regulations Meanwhile, those on the Remain side of Brexit pointed out that, as with any EU member, the UK directly benefited from the EU budget — and from free movement of people and the EU single market, for that matter. Many Remainers also felt that the UK should be integrating closer with Europe, not distancing itself from its closest neighbours and biggest trading partner. What is Brexit all about? Understanding the UK’s complex relationship with Europe It’s fair to say that the UK never really bought into the dream of a fully integrated Europe, and it kept Europe at arm’s length whenever possible. When the EEC was formed in 1957, the UK didn’t sign up. And when the UK did apply, in the 1960s, its entry was vetoed by a skeptical France. The UK eventually joined the club in the 1970s but remained, in its own way, distant from Europe. Over the years, the UK has voted against or opted out of key EU arrangements, such as the euro single currency or the Schengen passport-free travel area. Throughout the 1990s and later, as Europe moved toward greater integration (political and social integration, as well as economic integration), Euroscepticism really began to grow in the UK. Nationalist parties like the UK Independence Party (UKIP), whose main mission was to get the UK out of the EU, grew in popularity and tapped into voter concerns around immigration in a very effective way. UKIP finally won a seat in the UK Parliament in 2014. A year later, in the run-up to the UK general election, the Conservative Party manifesto included the promise of an EU referendum. The Conservatives won, and the EU referendum took place a year later. Why Brexit happened: Looking at the key elements of the Brexit negotiations The withdrawal negotiations between the UK and the EU seemed to go on forever, but really they’re just the tip of the Brexit iceberg. That’s because the withdrawal agreement only covers the UK’s departure from the EU. It doesn’t agree on critical elements of the future relationship between the two, such as trade. The Brexit withdrawal agreement is purely about getting the UK out of the EU in an orderly manner. Trade negotiations — and agreements that cover cooperation in areas like security and defense — will not begin until after the UK has left the EU. This was a big area of misunderstanding for a lot of people, who assumed the “Brexit deal” was essentially a trade deal. So, what does this orderly exit involve? To ensure the UK’s exit would be as smooth as possible, the two sides negotiated the following key points as part of the withdrawal agreement: The divorce bill, or how much the UK has to pay to cover its existing commitments to the EU. The transition period (also known as implementation period), which is designed to ensure a controlled transfer, and give governments and businesses time to prepare for life after Brexit. The rights of EU citizens already living in the UK (and the rights of UK citizens living in the EU) to retain their residency status after Brexit. Also, that the free movement of people would continue until the end of the transition period. Theresa May had made it clear during negotiations that free movement of people would have to end after the transition period — it was one of her “red lines” that she refused to budge on. The fact that the UK will have to abide by EU laws for the duration of the transition period — something that raised a lot of eyebrows among Brexiteers. How to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The withdrawal agreement includes a provision for a temporary customs union between the UK and the EU until a trade deal is agreed upon, and this is known as the This backstop measure proved extremely unpopular among Brexiteers (and even many Remainers), even though it was designed to prevent a hard border and protect peace on the island of Ireland. The UK’s ongoing relationship with the EU in areas such as trade is not part of the withdrawal deal because, at the time Brexit negotiations were taking place, none of that had been negotiated yet. The political declaration sets out a vague aim to agree on a trading relationship that’s as close as possible, but it avoids any specific details.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-14-2022

Making sense of Brexit can feel like a full-time job. Find out what Brexit is and why it happened, how it impacts the economy, and what happens if the United Kingdom decides to rejoin the European Union in the future.

Article / Updated 11-14-2022

The key to recording dialogue in digital filmmaking is placing the microphone as close as possible to your actor without the microphone appearing in the shot. Also, aiming the microphone in the direction of the sound helps to keep the dialogue clear. Aiming your microphone can help you get a clear sound. If you’re using an external microphone on a boom pole or a handheld, it’s important to keep it as still as possible when recording because this prevents the device from picking up any noises from the boom operator. Microphones are very sensitive and can pick up noises, including from the hands holding them. The best way to detect unwanted noises is through a pair of headphones. Without headphones, any unwanted noise can easily go undetected, noticed only when you’re importing the footage into the editing tool later. You can use closed‐back headphones, which surround the ears and cut out most of the noise coming from the outside, so that the person monitoring sound can mainly hear what is being picked up by the microphone. These can be expensive, but a budget pair starts at only around $10. If you hear a distracting background noise through the headphones when filming, such as from a plane, gust of wind, or passing car, stop filming and wait for the sound to pass, and then retake that shot. If the sound of a plane appears in the background in one shot and not in the next, the sound will be uneven between shots, and this will sound odd for your audience. The following list describes a few ways to avoid recording unwanted noises during filming: Turn off any air-conditioning units or fan heaters while filming. Microphones can pick up noises that sometimes humans can’t even hear when filming. Make sure all cellphones are off or on silent when filming because if they go off, they can bring a shoot to a stop. Also, sometimes a cellphone’s roaming or searching signal can interfere with the camera and can be heard on the recorded audio. Avoid pointing the microphone in the direction of any clear background noise, including roads, waterfalls, or fountains. Again, these sounds can come across clearly in the recording and can make it hard to hear dialogue. Avoid filming in empty rooms because they can create distracting echoes in your recording (unless, of course, you want echoes in your film). To eliminate echoes, place hand blankets on walls to help deaden the sound.

Article / Updated 11-14-2022

You can use colored gels and filters to achieve certain effects in your digital film. There are different colors of light, which is measured in kelvin. This determines how cold or how warm the color of light is. Daylight is in the middle of the scale. If your shot is cold or too blue in color, then you can set your camera’s white balance higher to make the shot look warmer and more natural. If you’re shooting indoors using the lights in your house, your shots may look orange or red, and lowering the white balance setting on your camera will make your shot look more natural. Most cameras have an automatic white balance setting, which measures the color of the light in the room and changes the white balance setting automatically. You can set your white balance manually, however, because sometimes the camera gets it wrong. To find out how to adjust the white balance on your camera, have a look at the camera’s instructions. You can get different types of filters for film lights that can change the color and mood of a shot. These filter gels are specifically designed for use with studio lights, so they can withstand high temperatures. Some homemade options may not cope with high temperatures as well and could be a fire risk. Colored filter gel sheets can be bought from camera stores for around $5 per sheet, or you can save money by buying them in variety packs. Some lights come with colored filters. Colored filters are handy tools to have when shooting. If you want to create a moonlight effect for a nighttime shot, for example, you can use a blue filter or you could lower the white balance on your camera to create a more blue and cold feel. If you want to create a warmer more sunny effect, on the other hand, you could use an orange or yellow filter over your light or increase the white balance setting on your camera. Here are shots of an actor with and without a blue filter. The blue filter throws a blue light that makes the shot look cold. Making your shots look cold can add a special effect to your film. Most lights used for film can be quite harsh and can create strong shadows around the subject or character. To reduce these shadows, use diffusion filter paper (also called a scrim), which, when placed over your lights, spreads the light over a scene. This helps reduce shadows and create a more natural‐looking light. It also softens the light on your actors’ skin. Here is a shot of an actor with and without diffusion paper. Diffusion paper designed for studio lights can be bought from camera stores for around $5 per sheet. Diffusion lights are a good inexpensive option. Light doesn’t always have to be used on a subject. You can use lights to light the background of a scene instead, which adds depth to a shot. You could also add a colored gel to the background light to throw some color on the background. Any light you add to a scene needs to have a reason. For example, adding a blue filtered light onto one side of an actor’s face would look odd to viewers unless there was a good reason for it to be there — such as, say, to represent the moonlight shining through the window onto the actor.

Step by Step / Updated 11-14-2022

Sharing your digital film with your family and friends is great, but you may want to reach a wider audience. Sharing the film on a video‐hosting site like YouTube is a way to do that. The library of videos on YouTube gets billions of views every day, and some videos there have been viewed hundreds of millions of times. Uploading your film to YouTube allows you to share a link to your film with friends and family around the world and get comments and reviews. Before uploading your films to YouTube, however, make sure you have permission from a parent to do so. To upload your film to YouTube through iMovie, follow these steps:

Article / Updated 11-14-2022

You just press Record, right? Making your digital film is not quite as simple as that. Take your time. It’s important not to rush when setting up your camera. Rushing can lead to mistakes. It’s a good idea to make sure everything is set up before you call the actors in. If they arrive early, get them to read through their lines while you prepare for the shot. Directors often give instructions to cast and crew as part of the filming routine. If you watch behind-the-scenes footage from films, you can sometimes hear the directors calling out instructions to the team. These may seem like code if you don’t know what they mean. The following list describes some of the most common: The director gives instructions to the team. “Quiet on set”: This grabs the attention of the crew and actors around and warns them you are filming and that everyone should stop talking. If people continue to talk, you may need to shout louder. “Roll sound”: This is a cue for the sound operator to start the sound recording (if you’re capturing sound separately). It’s also an opportunity for him or her to warn you of any unwanted noises. If all is clear and your sound operator has set the sound recording, he will respond with “Sound rolling” or just give you a thumbs‐up. Ready to capture sound for your film. “Roll camera”: This is a cue for the camera operator to start the camera recording. When she’s done this, she’ll respond with “Camera rolling.” Remember to keep your finger away from the Record button while filming — you may accidentally press it again and stop recording. The camera operator is ready to capture footage. If you watch behind‐the‐scenes documentaries about the making of films you see the camera operator shout out “speed” instead of “rolling.” This is a leftover from the days when the cameras recorded onto reels of tape. On those cameras, the motors inside the cameras would need a few seconds to get the reel of tape rolling at the right speed. Back then, the camera operator would wait until the camera was rolling at the right speed and would shout “speed” to let the director know it was okay to record. This term may be out‐of‐fashion, but some camera operators still use it. You can use either “speed” or “rolling”; it’s up to you. “Slates”: This is the cue for the person with the clapperboard to introduce the scene and take number. Take one! “Action”: This is the last instruction to be called before the scene begins. It instructs the actors to start acting. Time to shoot some action. “Cut”: This instructs the camera and sound operator to stop recording after the actors have finished the scene. It’s important not to shout this too early: You may need the extra video footage later, when you’re editing your film. After many of the instructions called by the director, the crew is expected to respond — to confirm, for instance, that the sound and camera are rolling. Even if you’re filming on your own, it’s good to call out the instructions as a reminder to yourself and also to let people around you know that you are filming. It’s good to get into this habit for when you work with a larger film crew. Importing your footage from your camera can be done in two ways, as explained below: Importing directly from the camera: This involves connecting your digital video camera to the computer directly via a USB or FireWire cable. Your camera instructions will be able to show you where the USB or FireWire connection is on your camera. Your editing tool should recognize when the camera is connected and you can import your footage from the camera. Editing is a very important part of filmmaking. Importing from the media card: This involves removing the media card from the camera and inserting it into a media card reader connected to your computer. Your editing tool should recognize the media card when it’s inserted and you will be able to import the video clips from your media card. Using a media card makes transporting your footage easy.

Article / Updated 11-14-2022

Special effects aren’t just limited to illusions that look real only through the camera lens or after the postproduction stage of your film. Makeup is make-believe that can walk and talk without the magic of the camera but through the magic of talented makeup artists. Many people think of beauty makeovers when they think of makeup artists. You don’t normally think of monsters, alien creatures, and flesh wounds — but the world of the makeup artist is a broad one. Applying prosthetics Prosthetics is a term associated with artificial limbs. In the world of special effects makeup, however, prostheses are used to create additional limbs, burn victims, and monster effects (often all the sick, gross stuff). Prosthetic pieces, also called appliances, are usually made of foam latex, which can move much like human skin and muscles. Makeup effects artist David Miller designed the conehead makeup for Dan Aykroyd and the entire Conehead population in the film Coneheads. He also designed Freddy Krueger’s makeup for the Nightmare on Elm Street films. (Miller was working late one night trying to decide on the look of Freddy Krueger and glanced down at his melted cheese pizza — inspiration hit!) By gluing latex prosthetics in sections over his face and head Christian Bale was completely unrecognizable as Vice President Dick Cheney in the film Vice. You can also do mechanical makeup effects, like a head-cast made from an actor with features added to a fake head. I made a cameo appearance as a werewolf in one of my short films several years ago. My sister Marlene, a professional makeup artist, and makeup artist Jack Bricker took a cast of my head by pouring plaster over my face, leaving straws in my nostrils so I could breathe (that was the only time in my life that I’ve ever been plastered). When the plaster dried, they used the mold to design the werewolf head in latex and added hair and an extended muzzle to the dummy head. To save time and money, they only made a half-head because the final shot was a profile, and the camera would never see the other side. Here’s looking at scleral lenses Remember Michael Jackson in Thriller with the devilish eyes? Jim Carrey’s strange eyes in The Mask, and The Grinch? What about the White Walkers with the ice-blue eyes in Game of Thrones? The apes with the black eyes in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey? The actors all had to wear special contact lenses. These special lenses are called scleral lenses, which have funky pupil designs and are fitted to cover the actor’s eyes like conventional contact lenses. Linda Blair wore scleral contact lenses for The Exorcist and then again when I revisited her possessed state in my comedy spoof The Linda Blair Witch Project (see the following figure), where she finds out she’s possessed by famous comedians (did you know that possession is nine-tenths of the law?). You can stream my short on YouTube. Be sure to purchase scleral lenses from an optometrist or from eyewear specialists like Dr. Morton Greenspoon and Dr. Richard Silver, who have designed and provided special scleral lenses for many Hollywood blockbusters (including The Grinch and Men in Black). Although specialty stores, especially during Halloween, carry designer effects lenses, you don’t know if they’re made by a reputable company, and the lenses aren’t fitted to your particular eye shape. Not only could they cause discomfort or infection, but worse, damage to your cornea. Always consult an ophthalmologist before putting anything in your eyes! Take a bite out of this Another skill of the special-effect makeup artist is designing and creating teeth that fit over the actor’s own bite. A mold is taken of the actor’s real teeth — very similar to how a dentist takes a mold impression to fit you for a crown or veneers. The artist then sculpts a new set of molars — from ghoulish monster or vampire teeth to rotten buck teeth like Austin Powers. Refer to the preceding figure for an example of vampire teeth that fit over the actor’s own incisors. Pulling out your hair with lace hairpieces Lace hairpieces, including beards and mustaches, are used on almost every movie, and quite often on the main actors. Sean Connery wore a lace hairpiece throughout all his James Bond movies. You’ve often seen actors that you know are bald in real life sprouting a beautiful head of hair for their latest starring role. Even actors with hair have been known to wear lace pieces when they are becoming a different person on screen, as, for example, Tom Hanks playing Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Lace hairpieces are created by a specialty makeup and or hair artist. Ron Wolek designed and meticulously punched one hair at a time into a piece of lace netting for Ed Asner’s Santa Claus beard in my film Santa Stole Our Dog. Real hair or yak hair is often used. The weaved hair tied into the netting is then cut and shaped like a real haircut, or trimmed into a beard or mustache (often on a mannequin head so the actor doesn’t have to sit there for a long period of time).