Extra Credit Evaluation

I had never used a blog before this class. I like the short form blogs in comparison to essays, the format made them easy to write and turn in. I also liked how the website makes it easy to throw in pictures and format how I want the blog to look. I also liked how the blogs had us use real world examples to help explain topics. The only difficulty I had using the blog was not reading about it and missing the first one, which fortunately for me, was not a grade. I found all of the blogs interesting and not too difficult, the most difficulty I had was not being able to decide on movies and scenes for the blogs specifically analyzing shots or plot. I am also finding this blog somewhat difficult, because I am struggling to make it 200 words. I would recommend using blogs in the future for any course, because they have been an easy and interesting way to keep students involved in the material. There is nothing I would change about the blogs, except to maybe add resources for finding examples, which could sometimes be difficult, especially finding one that I could write whole paragraphs about.

Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report.

Globalization, Glocalization, and Spider-Man

Globalization is the process of different cultures around the world becoming more similar and accessible to each other. This is mainly the result of improvements in transportation and communication technology, especially the development of the internet. This includes economic globalization, which is the increase in a globalized financial system.

Glocalization is when something that worked in another culture is tried in another. This process follows the mentality that what works should be repeated. This concept is also a driver concepts of cultural imperialism and hybridity.


An example of glocalization is when Japan created it's own Spider-Man series. Their Spider-Man was similar to the American only in looks, the origin story being completely different. This version also includes giant robots, which are apparently very popular in Japan.

Victoria's Secret Commercials

Victoria's Secret ads are always filled with near perfect women who are barely dressed and posed in sensual positions. They are obviously highly made up and the cinematography is very flashy, high energy, and sexual. They also have a very feminine, purring voice describing whatever the advertisement is for. The women obviously have to heavily diet and exercise to be in the shape they are in. These commercials are obviously very effective because Victoria's Secret seems to be the standard store for women to go to and always has a good location in malls and shopping centers.

The appeal present in these adds is sexual/affiliation. These are the kinds of ads that attract one gender and make the other want to be affiliated. These ads often lead to controversy as women are often treated like objects and standards are set way too high for the kind of shape and appearance which people have. This controversy can actually help the ads by bringing them more attention.

This commercial exemplifies this appeal because the women are only wearing underwear and are beautiful and very skinny and shapely. This ad would make women want to be like the ones in the commercial, especially when they see how men react. This commercial's sexuality always creates a strong reaction, especially when girls and boys are watching TV together, because the girl will pay attention to the guys reactions or tell him to look away. Girls may call guys perverted when they pay attention, but really the girls are jealous of the reactions the Victoria's Secret models get.

Three Act Structure in Final Destination

In Final Destination, the first act is mainly taken up by the build up to the plane crash. The main character begins to feel tension as he senses the impending crash. There is foreshadowing building up suspense as the audiences gets clues as to what is going to happen. After the main character has his dream, there is the suspense as to whether his dream will actually happen. The mini-climax of act one is when the plane actually crashes and the main character's fears are confirmed.

Act two consists of characters being killed off and the suspense of the hero trying to save his friends. The clock ticks down as characters are killed one at a time. The main character gradually figures out who is going to be killed next using a diagram of the plane. The moments where the main character knows what the audience does not builds up suspense. The second act ends when the last character to die dies and the main character takes fate into his own hands.

Act three has the main character in a building he has rigged to be completely safe. The movie concludes with the main character seeming to give up his life to save his friend. The final scene shows that the main character has survived the incident, but a cliff hanger ending reveals that death is still coming for them. The conclusion happens quickly as there is only one scene after the main climax, displaying that this film is using the Hollywood three act structure.

TV Sitcom: The Middle

The TV sitcom originally was filmed in front of a studio audience or just with a laugh track. The sitcom usually takes place with a recurring cast of everyday characters in everyday places, such as a suburban home or common workplace. Usually the main characters are all members of the same family. It is common that in the featured home, there is an implied television where the camera is.  Sitcoms were originally episodic, with a situation coming up and resolving itself all in one episode, returning the situation of the characters to normalcy. Each episode usually would end with the characters learning a lesson.

The Middle is a good example of what the classic sitcom has morphed into. While featuring a normal family, with the members in fairly normal careers (car saleswoman and quarry manager), there is no live studio audience or laugh track. The show also uses more locations than sitcoms originally would, transitioning more like the average movie than a classic sitcom. The show is, for the most part, episodic. While situations are resolved, they occasionally come back in another episode. For example there is an episode where the son Axle gets a girlfriend his mom doesn't like. The episode ends with them breaking up, but the girl comes back in another episode when they begin to date again. Unlike the standard sitcom, there is not always a lesson, but episodes occasionally end on the theme of family camaraderie.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Shots

In the scenes around twelve minutes into the Texas Chainsaw Massacre,the director uses close ups at the beginning to show a gruesome scene from a few angles, adding to the horror before a quick cut to a close up of a character's reaction of disgust. A close up of the back of the van as it drives off adds dark humor as a round about way of proving the characters statement that she would never go back into the van wrong, because it does not show her, but it assumed she is in the van. Finally a medium shot is used as the whole group of main characters are shown in the van, displaying the tension and disgust they are all feeling. As a character speaks the camera cuts closer to other characters faces than his, because he is saying something which they don't like, so their reactions are currently more important. Long shots are later used to show that they are in the middle of nowhere and also to set the scene of the beat up old shop that they pull in to. This really sets up the feel of desolation which is aided by the lighting, color scheme, and attitude of the characters. Mid shots are used to display the actions of the characters, while close ups are used to show reactions and emotions.

The Star System

One of the most important aspects of the studio system was the star system. The star system is when a studio uses the popularity of a star as the primary force to get people to see movies. Stars would be in several movies in a row and became some of the most remembered figures of their time.

Unlike today’s times, where actors often surprise audiences with their versatility, in the early 20^th century actors would always fit a similar role. Movies and characters would often be rewritten just so a specific actor could fulfill his or her typecast. Studios presumed that they knew what audiences wanted from specific people and would not allow those actors to veer from that idea.

An example of how the star system has moved into modern times is the career of actor Will Ferrell. When you go to watch a Will Ferrell movie, you know it’s going to have at least some goofy comedy in it. Even one of his more serious movies, Stranger Than Fiction, still featured some over the top comedic moments from Ferrell. When Will Ferrell’s name is on a movie it is often assumed that he is solely responsible for whether the film is successful or not, showing the huge power one star can have over audiences and studios.

All in the Family compared to Modern Family

The show Modern Family is similar to All in the Family in many more ways than just having the word family in the title. The older father character in Modern Family is very similar to Archie in All in the Family. He tends to be grumpy and scrutinizes the other characters.  The gay son in Modern Family seems to have the same lack of approval type relationship with his father that Archie has with his son in law. Both fathers have son in laws, although in very different circumstances.            

One major difference between Modern Family and All in the Family is that Modern Family shows three different related families all linked together, rather than one small family unit. This allows the show to display characters in very different familial situations. A big difference is also that there are kids on Modern Family, rather than all adult characters. Modern Family is also shot in a fake documentary style, while All in the Family is shot like a standard sitcom with a laugh track.

          

Modern Family has to push issues much farther to make a point than All in the Family did, because society has become so desensitized. All in the Family did one episode about homosexuality, while it is a recurring theme on Modern Family due to two main characters being a gay married couple with a baby. Modern Family has had an episode very similar to the episode we watched of All in the Family, where the father suspects that one of his friends is gay because of his son’s intuition, but it is by far not the only time homosexuality is brought up. Modern Family also has the occasional crude moments, which would have been much more controversial at the time All in the Family was showing.

Changing Technology

Improvements in a technology that was exciting and new became a primary factor in the boom of the radio industry.

Technological change continuously morphs the way people interact with media. New technologies can assist in different forms of media reaching a greater, more specialized audience in new ways. Major companies are often wary to invest resources into new technology, but funding a new technology with fortunate timing can pay off greatly.

The standardizing of patents by the U.S. Navy and later, the pooling of patents in 1920 gave the radio industry a huge boost. The invention of the vacuum tube in 1906 allowed the long distance transmission of radio waves. These improvements in technology allowed one station to transmit its signal to the many homes with radios, making radio a huge social force.

Catharsis

The theory of catharsis is displayed in countries with less censorship and less crime.

Carthasis is the theory that antisocial actions in a fantasy world will make someone less likely to perform the actions in real life. This theory rose to popularity in the 1930s and resurfaced later with the introduction of violent television and video games. This theory revolves around the relief of tension and curiosity as well as the ability of consumers to separate real life from fiction.

A major example of this theory is censorship in Canada. In Canada there is significantly less censorship on violent movies and video games, but also significantly less violent crime. If children, especially from a young age are used to letting out stress or violent/criminal urges they may naturally have in the form of violent games such as Grand Theft Auto they may dismiss any thoughts of committing these crimes in real life.

Hegemony

The concept of hegemony raises questions about the medias effects on society's views towards morality. Especially starting around the 60s and 70s, Americans started to become more open about issues of sex, gender, and overall morality. Hegemony may not have been the start of the movement, but the display of new mentalities in film and music spurred new ways of thinking. Even with changes in entertainment media, new media spurs new ways of thinking through the concept of framing. Many ideas seem radical at first, but over the course of time they become more normal for the majority of people.

The use of sex and nudity in film and television and its effects on society is a major example of hegemony. During the 60s and 70s movies such as The Graduate or Animal House barely had nudity, but still displayed premarital sex as normal. Now, many movies, such as the reboot of Friday the 13th, have stepped up the nudity and on shows such as Gossip Girl characters have increasingly ridiculous sex scandals. This shows in the general attitude of current young people, who no longer take sex as seriously as the generations of the early 20th century.