Beautifully Produced Oscars Show

I just watched the Oscars and I thought it was very beautifully produced, and I’m talking beyond the graphics.

I like how they explicitly grouped the awards by the process of making the film, so they’re not just appearing out of order, and that they used the same people to present each group of awards with their comedy bits and what not.

While I thought that bringing past winners of the supporting and leading roles to present the nominees was very meaningful and exclusive in a way, sort of like initiating someone into a sorority or fraternity (although I have absolutely no clue to the actual process), it must be even more disappointing for the losing nominees to be brought up to the stars before being dropped off falling to the ground.

When I first heard that Hugh Jackman was hosting, I didn’t think it would be a good show. But the fact the he did at least two musical numbers made me realized why they picked an actor instead of a comedian to host. There is just something that Jon Stewart or Ellen Degeneres could not have pulled off had they hosted tonight.

With the graphics, they used a very elegant approach and kept it simple. They used the Oscar statue to be the “1” in the 81^st Annual Academy Awards logo, which normally would seem like the obvious answer to a design student’s project. But this was done very effectively and carefully to make the Oscar statue look like a 1 next to the wide 8 yet also the statue itself.

What stood out for me was the way they presented the nominees, in those little collages before they announce the winners. With the screenplay awards, they zoomed to a scene in the script, with a typewriter face, and played the typing against the actual scene in the films. With the documentary awards, they interviewed the directors and crew of those films. It’s all very thought-out.

Watching the Oscars makes me want to watch more movies. There are so many films out there that tell really compelling stories that it’s a shame not to view them.

And finally, a nice touch to pair the credits with this year’s upcoming films. I think Meryl Streep as Julia Child would be fun to watch.

Flush.

What Have I Done? (Anniversary Review 2008)

Today marks the first anniversary of Flush. A year ago, I “soft opened” this blog, and believe it or not, I still haven’t “grand opened” it, although I’m not sure if I really need to anyway.

Flash Review

The past year has been a bumpy ride. I finished my last undergrad class, got sucked into the world of Sim City 3000 and Sims 2 as I prepped for my job search, started my beta site, got a job at Peet’s, went to see Sagmeister speak, skipped out on Alumni Day (I’m sorry!), worked on a freelance project for my aunt’s business, bought a new printer, watched the impressive production of the Beijing Olympics, resumed working on my portfolio and site, and rekindled my passion for web developing.

My attitude on design has changed, and that has helped me narrow down the types of careers that I would like to pursue. And every day, I’m getting closer to that job and that career. Working on my site almost every day excites me and motivates me because 1) I’ve grown to enjoy coding and designing, and 2) I can’t wait to share with the world what I’ve done.

Prediction for the Next Twelve Months

I don’t know.

Nobody does, and I’ve been wrong enough times about where I would be right now to not make any more general predictions. But I will always have hope, I will always have my expectations, and I will always believe in the future.

A year from now, I may or may not be a designer, and I may or may not enjoy coding still/anymore, and I may completely change my mind about this site and start a brand new one, or career. And that’s perfectly okay, as long as I am okay with it and it’s for the better. I may not reach my current desired destination, but that may or may not be as important as the journey to get there. I mean, I totally wish I were rich already and not have to work but become a philanthropist and help starving children in Africa or save the rain forest in South America, but it would probably mean more to me if I actually pay my dues, work my way up, meet interesting people, and learn about the issues to get there.

Flush.