Perception

Today we are going to talk about perception. It's no lie that movies as cool as Inception and the Pirates of the Caribbean series look totally rad onscreen. However, what the actors see are quite different, as they act before many of the special effects are added in. When you see the actors in these movies out on the street, many people think "wow! they're so brave! they traveled to their doom in a giant whirlpool and fended off the kraken of the sea!" Unfortunately, if you watch any of the behind-the-scenes videos for any of these films, you will be disappointed. Often these actors are braving the cold out in a drafty studio with a nothing but a green screen behind them. It's lovely to think that movies are reality, however. It seems better that way. Another example is reality television; as soon as the cameras turn off, the actors and actresses strip off their fake eyelashes and go to their actual, real-life homes. Really, do you think that these people just wake up in the morning with perfect makeup and fake eyelashes and curled hair? It's just not realistic.

I got to thinking about perception because of this video I've had bookmarked for a while on my computer:
(Only watch to about 1:20 or so because then they start talking about how the ink is made and it's not relevant to to the topic of perception)

I rather enjoy this video, it's very relaxing and nice. The classical music in the foreground adds a nice touch and the visuals are gorgeous. However, if you watch further along in the video, you can see the factory workers wearing earplugs and masks over their noses and mouths. In reality, this is a loud, dangerous factory full of fumes. Takes the magic out of it a bit, doesn't it? And that's just the question. This idea of beauty; should it be messed with? By exposing the reality behind these delightful pictures, the magic seems gone. Human nature wants to believe the magic, though. Maybe it's better to not think about the technicalities and just dream of lovely workshops where ink oozes in pretty colors all day. Makes life much better, doesn't it?
Marvelous musings.