The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4B - Thursday, October 4, 2007 M-FLICKS From page 1B an American team investigating murder. Louder clapping after a brutal gunshot ends a terrorist's life. The exalted cheers were as relentless as the violence. It was shocking and disgusting. Later, characters played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bate- man duke it out with an enormous Saudi. Fierce violence abounds. Garner ends the brawl by stab- bing a knife into the behemoth's head. A cheer yet tobe paralleled echoed through Natural Science Auditorium A, garnished with applause and one particularly simian grunt of "Yeah!" The audience's voracity for violence and gore was astonish- ing, and it brings out the most dis- turbing in M-Flicks crowds, who continually engage in a participa- tory celebration of brutality. This not only makes it impossible to watch the movie at hand - even one like "Children of Men," whose violence is in service of power- ful allegory - but it hints at an alarming impulse to find release, even thrill in extreme violence. Why did this devolution occur? "Children of Men" and "The Kingdom" are very different movies, but they share violence as a window into greater social tensions, and it seems the audi- ence is unaware of the emotional ramifications they are intended to carry. This primitiveness of University-centric M-Flicks audi- ences is especially upsetting. It's not as if we are isolated from this base and vulgar bloodlust. These are our peers who are cheering at the gushingofblood and clapping at death. t 1 ยข . :.. L 3.. Engineering freshman Brian Surguine sketches University alum Ray Schnueringer at Alice Lloyd Residence Hall. Rediscovering the human form DJ From page 1B instrumental and a capella ver- sions of the fast-paced "Da Mys- tery of Chessboxin'." With the instrumental for "Scenario" playing on one turn- table, grab the kick, or "one" beat, of the "Chessboxin' " instrumental and release it on the "one" of "Scenario." After some trial and error, you'll real- ize "Chessboxin' " is faster than "Scenario." Using the turntable's pitch adjustment, decrease the speed of"Chessboxin'"until it plays at the same tempo as "Scenario." If this process proves too con- fusing, try it with doubles of the same record. Scratching The aptly titled "baby scratch" is the first scratch technique that a DJ should learn. It consists of isolating a specific sound on a record (pick up the infamous Super Duck Breaks battle record for a wide selection of scratch- able sounds) and moving it back and forth against the needle. While it sounds simple at first, the trick to executing it well is not to put too much pressure on the record. Once your fingers develop a sensitive touch, you'll be able to increase your hand speed and manipulate the vinyl with greater ease. The world is yours The key to becoming a suc- cessful DJ is to practice every day, preferably for hours at a time. A common thread in inter- views with accomplished DJs is the allusionto marathon practice sessions during their formative years. As with other instru- ments, the turntables and mixer require a relentless dedication and a honing of one's craft. Once you feel confident you've mastered the fundamen- tals of DJing, there are countless ways to showcase your skills. Whether it's spinning at a club, hosting a radio show or making your own mixtapes, DJing is the ideal vehicle for you to commu- nicate your musical vision to a far-reaching audience. By KIRA ROSE For the Daily Walking into the art studio on the groundfloor ofAliceLloydResidence Hall is both exciting and daunting. Dried paint that once dripped from paintbrushes coats Open Figure the counters and Drawing floors. Handprints, Workshop sketches and sig- o o natures overpower Tuesdays and the walls. The sink Thursdays area is an art proj- at 8 p.m. ect in itself. The At the Alice atmosphere, com- Lloyd Art Studio, plemented by the ground floor sounds of Buena Vista Social Club, is a welcoming one. Yet the Open Figure Drawing Workshop taught by Mark Tucker, the "Arts on the Hill" program coor- dinator and Lloyd Hall Scholars Program lecturer, isn't for the eas- ily discomfited. Confirmed by the occasional giggling of passersby, not everyone is prepared for what they witness. Those that attend the work- shops do not draw still lifes - they draw nude models. Arts on the Hill, the workshop's sponsor, began seven years ago as a housing initiative spurred by the need to create extra-curricu- lar activities. Tucker's Open Fig- ure Drawing Workshop has existed since the program began and takes place from 8 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Anyone is welcome to grab some complimentary charcoal and a sketchpad. Although the work- shops are free and open to the public, the majority of its participants are college students. For the eager beginner, the first class may be somewhat of a culture shock. "It's not like a nudist colony," Tucker said. "It is interesting how in our society, we are exposed to so much partial nudity that we don't see it anymore." For some, observing a live model rather than mundane objects enables a heightened emotional connection to their work. The setup allows for a conceptualizationofthe humanbody divergent from the media's desensi- tizing images. For Tucker, the pres- ence of nude models also encourages dynamic instruction. The involvement of the model, University alum Ray Schnueringer,, spans eight years, beginning when a friend requested that he model for a course at Eastern Michigan Uni- versity. Though he found the ordeal unnerving at first, Schnueringer has since modeled for figure drawing and sculpture courses through the University, Eastern and the Steiner School. During the hour-long ses- sions at Alice Lloyd, Schnueringer rotates between standing, sitting and reclining poses every five to seven minutes. Although Tucker's workshop has previously employed other models, Schnueringer's consistent presence demonstrates his passion for being a small part of the students' creative ventures. Having worked together since the program began, Tucker and Schnueringer share an amiable familiarity, strengthening the work- shop's appeal and its lighthearted, fun-loving nature. "He is so patient and works with people on all different levels," Schnueringer said of Tucker. Tuck- er's priority is helping his students find their creative voice. Humor and ease fill his classroom. The workshops provide a common arena for artists, whether profes- sional, practicing or self-proclaimed. For one hour twice a week, the blandness of the world can be imi- tated, shaded over or perfected by a swipe of the hand. POP CULTURE From page 3B There's an unspoken gap between the apparent signifi- cance of the past and the trivial- ity of pop culture today. As soon as something becomes history - whether that's the history of American politics or TV dinners - pop culture suddenly becomes monumentally important. We read critics like Roland Barthes and Jean Baudrillard, Sigmund Freud and Noam Chomsky, con- vinced we're elevating our minds to the highest degree, but fail to acknowledge the richness of our so-called vapid culture today. We don't believe pop culture has the power to shoot up the same way it can trickle down, at least not until we turn back to Pop Art of the '60s. But then again, Warhol and Lichtenstein weren't considered the path-paving geniuses then that they are now. Pop culture requires a sense of patience to appreciate its complex- ities, and it's no less deserving of our attention than anything else in which we invest our energies. It's not a force to be reckoned with, but a force to digest at leisure or through invigorated thought - as pop culture today and history tomorrow. - E-mail Hartmann at carolinh@umich.edu. a 0 I M I I V I Iq ... with the U-M School of Information The SCHOOL OF INFORMATION offers NINE master's degree specializations in a MULTIDIS- CIPLINARY curriculum. Our students represent more than 10 ACADEMIC MAJORS. We even offer the flexibility to TAILOR your own program. And we have DUAL DEGREES with six U-M schools and colleges. Our DOCTORAL PROGRAM prepares stu- dents to become the next generation of profes- sors and researchers. That's why we say we're meeting the challenges of the INFORMATION AGE...today.