Extra Credit Blog

*I had never used a blog before this course.

*For me, there were many positive aspects of using a blog in the course.  Firstly, having blog posts for our weekly writing assignments as opposed to the typical paper, helped make me feel more at ease when writing as well as less crunched for time because it was a more relaxed format.   I felt as though the blog allows students to focus more on the actual facts and points they want to express rather than wasting a lot of time focusing on proper formatting such as sentence structure and how “fancy” we sound.

*I never faced much conceptual difficulty with the blog.  The only technical difficulty I encountered was that I never could figure out how to insert a video or advertisement into my blog.  The farthest I could get was attaching a link that you could copy and paste into the URL bar to take you to the page.  I’m not very tech savvy so a quick tutorial on how to do stuff like that would have been helpful.  Although my blog might not have always looked as nice or been as convenient, you could still find it as needed, and I also tried to explain any link I had in depth incase it did not work.

*I enjoyed the blogs at the beginning of the year that asked us to discuss a topic or key term (straight forward) and provide an example.  Sometimes the blogs were a little bit to vague (more conceptual blog prompts) which could get a bit confusing at points, but I never struggled with a prompt too much.  For example, I enjoyed the second blog asking us to define one of the key terms from lecture and then apply it to an example of the term/concept at work in the media.  I’m a big fact person.  I did not enjoy the eight blog asking us to break down a familiar film into it’s three-act-structure.

*Yes, I would recommend the use of blogs in this course again as well as in any other course.  I feel as though it puts a more relaxed feel to the course as well as is a writing form that students of today’s generation is more comfortable with.  It keeps us thinking about lectures throughout the week by typing a blog on them a week later as well as is nice to read what some of the other students in the course got from the lecture and there take on the blog prompt.
*To better improve the blogging experience I would recommend asking students to relate the concepts they discuss in their blog to examples from that weeks screening instead of a random media example.  I don't feel as if the screenings were ever really I big part of the course and this could help incorporate them into the class as well as increase awareness of the films' relevance and understanding of the topic.

I will end my final blog post with “Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report.”

Globalization and Glocalization

Globalization, as defined by Professor Straubhaar in lecture, is the process of increasing interconnectedness among nations, cultures, and people.  The dominance of the United States in areas of cultural technology, such as film, has led to what many refer to as the “Westernization” or “Americanization” of the world.  The idea of globalization is reinforced by the rapid advancement of technology in the world today.   These new technological developments have made intercontinental communication easier (world wide News networks, Skype, etc), essentially making the world appear a smaller place.

Globalization is connected to what we call glocalization.  Glocalization is when someone will take an idea or formula that has been successful in one place and adopts that idea to fit the culture of another.    One could see this process as a barrier to the idea of cultural imperialism where the US seemingly has started to overpower some local cultures to near extinction, because glocalization is in a sense a way of preserving local cultures. You take one media and change it to suite the culture of another.

Glocalization can be done on a smaller scale but for me where it is most powerful and noticeable is in the film industry.  The United States has “glocalized” several foreign films from many different nations to become major box office hits in the US.  For example, in 2009 the Swedish film Let the Right One In was remade in the US to better appeal to the American crowd as Let Me In, a vampire tale.  Another remake that proved a major success was when the 1968 French film of adultery and the chaos that resulted, Le Femme Infide?Le was remade in the US in 2002 into Unfaithful.  These films all proved big successes across cultures although they were remade to better suit each audience’s cultural differences.

Advertisements that satisfy curiosity-STRIDE

            An advertisement campaign that has currently caught my attention is the new stream of commercials promoting STRIDE gum.  In particular, the commercial promoting their newest flavor of the gum, STRIDE MegaMystery.   In this commercial a man is recording a web blog, about to reveal what the mystery flavor of this gum is.  Suddenly three men riding ostriches burst through the walls of the room to attack the man telling him to “zip it” and putting an end to his web stream.  Pretty funny stuff.  This advertisement is powerful in that it is so completely bizarre it catches everyone’s attention leaving them laughing and confused asking each other, WTF?  It commands attention through this utter bizarreness as well as persuades people to go buy the product to see what in the world the ad was talking about.

            One of the general advertisement appeals that we discussed in lecture was that of satisfying curiosity.  This advertisement appeal usually aims to supply target audiences answers to key questions they might have about a product or gives them a solution to a problem they might have through their product, but other times the appeal to satisfy curiosity takes on a different tactic.  One where the advertisement will do something so odd and unexpected that is raises curiosity about the advertisement and thereby the product itself.  We see an abundant use of this type of “satisfy curiosity” appeal in many of the commercials that air during the super bowl.  Everyone is fighting for your attention so the idea is to make your ad more bizarre than the last and it will stick in your target audience’s heads; they will be curious about your product.  This is every advertisers goal; raise curiosity and get them thinking about your product.  If they are thinking about your ad while shopping and pass by your product they will be more likely to pick it up and explore just what your product is.  I know for me personally, as long as the price difference is not too large, I tend to choose my product purchases for nominal things such as chewing gum, razors, etc, based on which advertisements I like the best.

            The advertisement for STRIDE MegaMystery chewing gum exemplifies this advertisement appeal to satisfy curiosity by shocking the viewer by the utter bizarreness of it all.  Who in the right mind would think to have nerdy men in helmets ride in on the backs of ostriches and peck them to stop a “secret” from being told?  Ha. Ha.  I know for me at least, the ad left my asking myself, “what just happened?”.  SRIDE thereby succeeded in making me curious of there product and answered my curiosity of why men on ostrich-back just stormed through the walls by letting me know that their gum flavor is a mystery and that it is important that it stay that way, so I will go buy some and try to figure out what the flavor is myself.   I have attached the commercial for a good laugh.  You’re welcome. 

Just incase that didn't work b/c I'm not very computer savvy, here is the link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzLkRr2g3aA 

3 Act Structure: Cinderella

My movie choice for this blog prompt might be seen as a tad bit childish and simple (because it is), but it has remained one of my favorite movies throughout my life and follows Hollywood’s three-act-structure of film perfectly.  I have chosen to discuss the classic Disney movie, Cinderella (everyone has to admit that the little kid inside of them still loves this “happily ever after” film too).

Act 1: Cinderella starts out like any other movie by introducing the characters, providing the viewer with an idea (and because it is Disney and the characters are simple, an exact portrait) of each of the main characters’ personalities.  We see that the main character, Cinderella, is a sweet and kind-hearted young woman, friends with all the little woodland creatures, trapped in her household being treated as a slave by her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters.  The evil stepsisters are ugly and spoiled, given their every wish and demand by their stepmother.  The stepmother is wicked and cruel, manipulating Cinderella’s father into marriage for his money and using Cinderella as her own personal servant.  The first main event that occurs in the act is when the Prince invites all the young women in the land to his ball so he might find a wife.  Cinderella naturally should be invited, but instead is stepped on as usual by her stepsisters and stepmom, forcing her to spend all her time helping them prepare for the ball and leaving Cinderella dirty and with absolutely nothing to wear but rags (certainly not proper attire for a royal ball).  Cinderella starts to cry for it seems she will never escape this hell in which she lives and then magically her fairy godmother appears.  The fairy godmother scene is the Plot Point ending act one.  This is a magical event that has just occurred; the fairy godmother turns Cinderella’s rags into a beautiful ball gown with glass slippers, her to friends that are rats (Gus-Gus and Jaq) into two beautiful white horses, a pumpkin into a carriage, and so on.  This is a major plot point because now Cinderella has been presented with the opportunity to break out of her prison and attend the ball.  This is risky because her stepsisters and stepmother could recognize her (and she was forbidden to attend until she finished all her chores) and it is not really her world anymore.  The only catch is that she must be home before the clock strikes twelve for the spell ends at midnight.  This last little catch is key to this mini climax (plot point).

Act 2: The second act is the longest part of the film (although it might not look like it if analyzing the length of my description of act one above).  Act two begins when Cinderella’s carriage arrives at the castle for the royal ball.  She must be brave enough to enter, and when she does everyone is so captivated by her beauty and presence that the entire ball seems to stand still as the entire court takes notice, including the Prince.  Cinderella is approached by the Prince, making her the target for green eyes of jealousy by every other girl in attendance, and she spends the entire night at his side, dancing and talking.  Cinderella, infatuated with the Prince, and he with her, looses track of the time and is snapped back into reality when she hears the first strike of the clock marking midnight.  Cinderella embarrassed to reveal her true identity in rags as a servant rushes out of the ballroom, leaving the Prince with no explanation except for a frantic, “I’m sorry, I have to go!”  The Grandfather clock clanging out the twelve rings of midnight is the mini-climax, or plot point, of the second act.  Here there is a lot of action in that Cinderella is frantically running away, accidently leaving a glass slipper behind in the process, as her dress turns back into rags, while the Prince chases after her.  The Prince is too late though and all he finds is the sole glass slipper, picking it up and vowing to find the owner of the slipper and marry her.

Act 3: The final act of the film is the shortest act and it contains the resolution.  It consists of the Prince going door to door all throughout the land, having women try on the glass slipper (the only thing he has left of his dream girl), searching for the shoe’s (and his) perfect match (or fit).  When the Prince arrives at Cinderella’s house the evil stepsisters attempt to force their feet into the shoe and laugh at an embarrassed Cinderella as she asks if she might be given a chance to try on the glass slipper.  This is the true climax of the film because when Cinderella is trying on the slipper, although we know it will fit, it is unknown of whether or not the Prince will accept her and her true social standing.  Of course the shoe is a perfect fit and the Prince asks Cinderella to marry him, despite the rags she wears.  Their wedding is the “Happily Ever After” ending (resolution of the third act and film as a whole) that most films that use Hollywood’s three-act structure end with.

TV Sitcoms-Friends

           The great thing about the TV situational comedy is that one can sit down turn on the TV and start watching it for the first time, or after not seeing the show for a month and still be able to pick up on each characters unique personality and relationships, as well as what is going on in the show within the first couple of minutes.  Viewers are able to indulge in a sitcom whenever they want (there are usually re-runs) as means to unwind or just be lazy because the shows usually have very small levels of plot and character development.  One would not be able to just turn on a series show such as ‘24’ or ‘Gossip Girl’ in the middle of the season and be able to understand what and why everything was happening; they are too complex (each show builds off the last).  Sitcoms on the other hand are usually comedic, are pretty predictable with familiar plot development, and tend to end at about the same place where they began.

            The fact that sitcoms are usually comedic helps draw a very large audience.  The predictability of the shows allows for viewers to watch without much in depth thinking or understanding.  The main characters in the show never really stray from their defining personality traits, and almost always play the same role within the group of characters.  Most sitcoms are episodic, but some can evolve into serial sitcoms over time (think Boy Meets World and Friends). This occurs because sitcoms have a seasonal text along with episodic texts with mini-resolutions.  This means that although there might be a underlying story line or issue (such as a relationship) building throughout the season, each show brings up new issues and storylines that are almost always resolved at the end of that 30minute show.  The fact that some sitcoms become serial is just kind of like a reward for loyal followers to see what happens, but the topics of each individual show remain skin-deep to wear a random viewer can still come in and understand almost everything that happens in the first time watching the show.

            A comedic sitcom that started out as episodic but became more serial is the show about America’s favorite and most loyal group of coffee house buddies, Friends.  If you have ever seen Friends you know that from beginning to end the characters all stayed pretty much the same.  Ross was the nerdy and awkward guy that you loved, Monica that OCD, beautiful ex-fat kid, owner of the apartment the friends seemed to always gather in, Rachel the beautiful and trendy one, Pheobe the quirky one, Joey the aspiring actor/ weird ladies man, and Chandler the goofy one.  In every episode you knew that a conflict would arise in one of the friends lives or between each other, there would always be a coffee house scene, and every show would end with all the friends coming around the help each other out and all would be perfect again in their close-knit friendship circle.  Friends became a serial sitcom in that everyone was always asking the question, “Will Ross and Rachel end up together?”  Chandler and Monica also got together at some point near the beginning of the series and so on.  Loyal followers knew the deeper parts of each relationship between the friends, but you could also not watch it for a month and come back to find it perfectly humorous and make sense of almost everything, because for the most part, nothing ever changed.

Final Scene of Titanic broken down shot by shot

When analyzing how different types of camera shots can affect the mood and meaning of a particular scene in a film, I could not resist discussing my all time favorite movie, Titanic, and the scene that I personally believe to be one of the most moving, beautiful, and heartbreaking scenes in the film; the dream scene (ending scene of Titanic). 

The last scene of the movie starts out looking at old Rose’s pictures (her most prized possessions) while she is sleeping, and then goes to show us what she is dreaming about.  In the dream the camera first shoots a long shot of the entire ocean, blurred and slowly focusing in on the unsinkable Titanic at the bottom of the ocean.  The long shot emphasizes the isolation of the ship at the bottom of the sea.  The camera then starts to pan the hallways of the ship, as light starts to appear and the ship becomes new again.  These shots, still long shots, allow the viewer to become oriented with what they are seeing as the realization sinks in that what they are seeing is merely a dream; Rose’s fantasy.  The fact that the camera moves through the ship like a maze, long shot to long shot, builds suspense in the viewer because they know that the camera is leading them on a journey through the Titanic to something important.

The next shot is a medium shot where we have almost reached the important thing we are on the look out for.  People appear and the camera focuses on the back of a young man.  Because it is a medium shot we still do not see the man’s face, building the mystery factor of the scene.  The young man slowly starts to turn around to face the camera and extends a hand, informing the viewer the path they have been following through the crowd of people was a person walking (yet the camera has not yet shown this person); we are watching the scene through their eyes.  This medium shot is the information shot and it informed us that the man at the top of the stairs is Jack, and one can assume that the person he reaches his hand out toward is Rose.

The next shot is a close up, and here a woman takes Jack’s hand lightly, highlighting the safety of the relationship, and then the camera focuses on Rose’s face.  A huge smile lights up the scene as she holds Jack’s hand and they kiss.  The close up of their faces gives the viewer important details of the immense love of Jack and Rose’s relationship; lovers finally openly together and accepted.  Eventually the shot pans out and light floods the screen.  A final long shot reinforcing that this was yet a dream.  This closing shot emphasizes Rose’s sadness as her and Jack will never be, yet her joy in that he will always live on in her heart.

I have attached a link to the video of this final Titanic scene; found on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN_OmyAUrSU  

Studio System of Classical Hollywood

            When taking a look back at how movies were made during the Classical Hollywood period, it is obvious that things were done a little bit differently than they are now in the cinema.  One particular aspect of the studio system of classical Hollywood that proved especially important in influencing the types of movies made was the “Star System.”  In classical Hollywood production studios would actually contract talent.  In other words the actors that appeared in their films only appeared in films made and produced by that studio.  This idea of contracting talent is one of the things that helped expand the power of the big five studio power oligopoly as well as greatly influenced what type of films a studio would create.  Audiences could connect with the movie stars of the films they watched.  The stars were the only tangible and real product of the cinema, and they were the link that associated a film with a studio and set the studios reputation.

            Audiences slowly developed their favorite stars and fan bases built.  In Classical Hollywood people choose to see a film because of the actors in the film, not because what the movie itself was about.  Even the trailers for movies focused mainly on whom one could expect to see appearing in the film, never releasing much information about the actual plot of the film.  Because film studios contracted their actors they had actors that sang, others that acted tough, some that were mysterious, some could dance, and so on.  The film studios would produce a film based on the talents of the actors they had contacted.  For example, if a studio’s most famous contracted actor was a singer with great comedic timing, the screen writers would be instructed to write more musical comedy films; thereby the studio was producing several musical comedies purely because they have an actor that can draw an audience, so they are going to write more movies that he can flaunt his strengths in.  This idea of the Star System enforced the movie studio oligopoly of MGM, Paramount, 20^th Century Fox, Warner Bros, and RKO, because these studios had more money than the smaller ones to contract up and coming actors (and more than one power actor), thereby automatically gaining larger audience bases.  I already stated that audiences during this age tended to view movies based on what actors appeared rather than the actual quality, so if five studios have all the most popular actors in Hollywood on contract, what studio could challenge them?

            A prime example of the infamous “Star System” at work lies in the work of Classical Hollywood actor, Henry Bogart.  Bogart was very good at portraying the anti (outside the law)- hero.  This talent led the studios to place him in that type of film, so if someone was to go see a Bogart film they could expect to see him portray a character anywhere in the range of a gangster to a police detective.  It is all the same type of role though (mysterious man, outside of the law, always tends to be more good than evil, protagonist).  Because Bogart was such a big name in the film industry, with a huge fan base, the studio under which he was contracted- Warner Bros.- became known for its production of urban crime and war films (such as Casablanca).  Warner Bros. knew that Bogart could draw a crowd, so they produced as many films of Bogart’s strengths and genres that they could.