Extra Credit Blog Post

            I’m a huge fan of blogs whether it’s a sports blog or music blog and I’ve always wanted to have my own blog, but this is the first time I’ve written my own blog. I thought the blogs were highly beneficial in regards to this course because they were a deviation from the boring and conventional papers from other classes. Also I thought using blogs introduced everybody to another media outlet if they had never used blogs before.

            When we were originally asked to embed pictures and links into the blogs themselves, I had no idea what that meant. Luckily, we could just paste the pictures and links into the blogs themselves.

            My favorite blog post was the “All in the Family” blog post because I thought it was different than most of the other blog posts.  I thought most of the blog posts were very similar in that most of them were to create your own definition of a concept, describe your new definition, the definition given in lecture, and than relate your definition to an example. The blog post on the studio system, the blog post on the radio industry in the 1920s, the blog post on the TV sitcom, and multiple other blog posts match up to that same structure. I would make the blog prompts more diverse in the coming years.

            I would recommend the blogs in the future because the course name was Introduction to Media Studies and through using the blogs; I was introduced into using an alternate media outlet. I think using the blogs makes students more interested in the class because they are more interactive than writing papers. Also, having to write a blog every week makes students be aware of what’s going on during the lectures rather than writing a paper where a student didn’t need to show up to class.

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

Globalization

Globalization is the advancement of technology that causes the world to seem smaller by allowing the flow of ideas, cultures, ideologies, etc.  to spread throughout the world.

In regards to cultural imperialism, this flow of cultural ideas is heavily unbalanced which causes certain ideologies to become more common around the world. Western culture is usually the dominant flow of ideas, with Hollywood having the majority control of the movie industry and most of the global media conglomerates being based in Western nations.

One of the biggest culture flows comes from the Disney conglomerate. Disney is stationed in California and through its dominance has spread throughout the entire world. Disney has produced huge animation blockbusters that have had popularity overseas. Also, through its amusement parks in the United States, other Disney amusement parks have popped up around the world. Disney’s ownership of networks, has had more influence overseas.

                                 photo taken from http://www.ststours.ca/cms_images/Disney%20Castle.jpg

Call of Duty

This ad is an advertisement for the new video game Call of Duty: Black Ops. The commercial starts with regular everyday people in their regular everyday clothes fighting in a war-zone. Then Kobe Bryant and Jimmie Kimmel make cameos as their everyday persona fighting as soldiers. It shows everybody enjoying being a soldier and participating in the fighting. The commercial then ends with the caption, “There’s a soldier in all of us.”

http://www.youtube.com/user/CALLOFDUTY?v=Pblj3JHF-Jo&feature=pyv&ad=7219472852&kw=call%20of%20duty%20commercial

video taken from youtube.com

To me, this commercial was very effective because I got to see one of my favorite athletes in the commercial to promote an awesome looking video game. Also, I thought the fact that the advertisement showed everyday people fighting made it relatable to the normal person.

One of the main advertisement appeals in the ad was a human tendency toward aggression and dominance. Human beings have pent up aggression or a desire to get out their violent, primal urges which goes hand-in-hand with a physiological need to be dominant. In this ad, we see normal everyday people getting out their violent side by pretending to be a soldier. People can see themselves in this role and therefore would want to buy the game.

Also, I thought this commercial played on a really entertaining aesthetic presentation. The commercial showed people shooting, grenades exploding, etc. so it was very pleasing to watch. Consumers will be more willing to buy a video game that is visually pleasing. I also thought that the celebrity cameos would make this product more successful because people always like to see their favorite celebrities in advertisements. 

Three Act Structure

Even though it is a much better book than movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is one of my favorite movies that follows the three-act structure that Professor Ramirez-Berg lectured about. In the first act we get the introduction of the characters, especially our main character, Harry Potter, and the distant family he’s living with. However, the plot point at the end of the first act and the beginning of the second act is when Harry learns that he is a wizard. This point in the story line escalates the stakes because Harry is not going to just be living a normal life anymore and will have wizarding problems. There is going to be an implication of a conflict because of the mysterious nature of wizardry. We are going to see much more action in the next act.

In the second act, we see a conflict developing. As Harry and his friends adapt to lives as wizards and witches, they see that there is something suspicious with Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell, they think one of them wants to steal the sorcerer’s stone. We don’t know who wants to steal the stone, but we learn in the next act. The plot point finally comes when Harry and his friends are in the Forbidden Forest and Harry sees a creature feasting on unicorn blood. Harry comes to the realization that he is in serious danger and must protect the sorcerer’s stone. This escalates the stakes by setting up the next scene’s answers to these questions: who is the villain? Will he end up with the sorcerer’s stone? The stage is set for the ultimate showdown between Harry and the villain.

With the final act, we finally have the answers to our questions. As Harry goes to protect the stone, we learn that the villain is the unsuspecting Professor Quirrell. In the climax of the movie, we have the final battle between Harry and the team of Quirrell and Voldemort over the possession of the sorcerer’s stone. Luckily Harry escapes with the sorcerer’s stone in a violent fight. Quirrell dies while Voldemort escapes. The conflict is resolved (only to some extent as there are sequels) and the story starts to wind to an end. 

                                               picture from http://www.hp-lexicon.org/images/film/ps/film-ps-dvd-cover.jpg

Sitcoms

         Sitcoms are still probably one of the more popular types of television programs in modern society even though we’ve seen a decrease in quality sitcoms in the past couple decades.  Most people enjoy watching them because they aren’t very complicated and are very easy and relaxing to watch. Most sitcoms are half an hour long and are mostly humorous to watch, usually having characters in ridiculous positions. The characters usually don’t develop very much and aren’t very deep, which probably contributes to the mindless, comedic aspect of a sitcom. Usually a sitcom revolves around a central them, but the end of the episode most often resolves specific episode problems.

            

                                                 Taken from sidereel.com

             My favorite sitcom Friends typifies this comedic structure. Most of the episodes are about a group of six really good friends going through their every day lives. Most of the comedic substance comes from hilarious yet sometimes far-fetched situations and one-liners. Each episode has its resolution at the end. Some of the characters develop slightly over time but most of the characters remain similar to they are at the pilot. Friends isn’t at all complicated to watch but makes for an entertaining television show. 

Camera Angles

             In the opening scene of the motion picture Angels and Demons, director Ron Howard uses different camera angles in order to describe and set the tone for the scene. The first scene takes place in a big indoor pool and Howard uses the long shot to set the stage for the scene. From the long shot, we see a man swimming in the pool with another man entering the swim complex. There is an almost ominous tone as these are the only two people in the building.

            As the camera moves in for the medium shot, we see the swimmer to be Tom Hanks, the star of the film. If you have seen the movie, The Da Vinci Code, you recognize him as the character Robert Langdon. The other man does not look familiar. If not, you don’t know who these people are yet, but we know they are going to have a relationship because the man is walking toward the swimmer, even though the swimmer doesn’t immediately realize this man’s presence.

            Finally, the camera moves in for a close-up. We are able to identify who this unknown character is, as there is a crest on his briefcase that represents the Vatican. Also we know this person is in a position of power, as the camera is focused upward on the man. As the camera angle focuses on this man’s face, we see a concerned expression, which tells us that there is possibly a problem within Vatican City. Just from this expression, and by extension, this camera angle, we know the basis of the conflict for the whole movie. 

Star System

            In my mind, the most significant component of the studio system is the star system. The stars were the actual representation of what the film studio produced. They were contracted and then paid to sell the studio’s product, i.e. the movie. Between the top eight however, top talent could be rented in between studios.

            The star system affected which films a company produced in many different ways. First of all, most stars became associated with specific genres. If the public were used to seeing certain stars in certain roles or movies, companies would continue to give actors similar roles. Also if a film company had seen success from another company using a specific actor to star in a specific type of movie, they could rent this actor to make a similar movie of their own.

            Judy Garland and Humphrey Bogart were perfect examples of this phenomenon. Judy Garland’s work for MGM prompted her to become associated with musicals. Therefore, MGM started to produce more musicals for her to be a part of and produced one of their biggest hits in The Wizard of Oz. Bogart’s work basically reflected the genre evolution of his time. At first, Warner began to produce crime movies with Bogart as its star, but as censorship took over, they produced a likeable criminal type character, which Bogart took the role of. Then finally Warner began to produce detective films and Bogart assumed that role of well. In each movie, Bogart would end up in his classic outfit of a raincoat and hat. 

Comparing Sitcoms

            From when All in the Family aired in the 1970s, the evolution of the sitcom became evident when Modern Family came on TV.  In this particular episode of All in the Family, most of the comedy centers on Archie’s personal issues and how the rest of the family believes his stubborn stereotypes are politically incorrect. However, in Modern Family, the laughs are based on the different family interactions and personal problems that they all face. It also seems that All in the Family, was trying to send a message about societal problems while modern sitcoms don’t always necessarily try to teach a lesson and rather just go for comedic entertainment.

            Even though they are more than 30 years apart, All in the Family and Modern Family do maintain some similarities. Both shows display some sort of dysfunctional family element. In All in the Family, Archie’s family has various comical problems in terms of how they interact, argue, debate, etc. with one another. Similarly in Modern Family, the three separate families all of their certain idiosyncrasies which makes their relationships so successfully hilarious. Also both shows have typical familial roles. They both have the goofy husband, the kids that almost back talk their parents and wives who love their husbands.

            Both shows deal with the issue of homosexuality, but in totally different ways. In the episode of All in the Family, when Archie’s daughter brings home a friend that acts flamboyant for a man and Archie immediately thinks he’s gay. He begins to call him pansy, tuity fruity and other types of stereotypical insults without even getting to know him. This attitude makes Archie seem unreasonable and homophobic which criticizes society’s view of homosexuality at the time. However, Modern Family deals with sexual orientation head on, as one of the families consists of a gay couple for parents. This marks a change in societal thinking because back in the 70s, people such as Archie had discriminating thoughts about homosexuality while, in today’s society, it is commonplace to see a gay couple raise a family. 

Technological Change

            Even though industry factors, regulation and government intervention, and audience demand had important contributions in molding the radio industry in the 1920s, to me, technological advancement and radio innovations laid the foundations for these other forces to take place. Without modern radio technology at that time, these other factors would not have been as significant.

            We can’t talk about the affects of technological change without mentioning Guglielmo Marconi and David Sarnoff’s contributions. Marconi improved the Hertz transmitter, succeeded in having a transatlantic transmission in 1901, and founded British Marconi and American Marconi as two-way radio businesses, while Sarnoff developed the commercial radio industry and envisioned the radio as a household music box and a mass audience radio. After WWII, AT&T established itself as the first network. AT&T connected stations by telephone lines and was the first to use advertising and fees for using radio. Without these technological innovations, radio in the 1920s would not have been used as a universal means of communication or entertainment.

            Some people argue that government regulation was the most influential force in affecting the radio industry; however, government regulation would not have been necessary if technological advancement had not taken place. Because more frequencies had been discovered, the government had to step in to regulate who would be able to broadcast on these frequencies and established this by requiring radio stations to earn licenses. Also the government also only stepped in when AT&T started to have a monopoly on radio because of its state-of-the-art technology. The only reason government intervention was ever needed was because of technology and radio expansion. 

                                                                  photo taken from rent-direct.com

Cultivation

             My understanding of the term cultivation forces me to analyze the images from Tough Guise by thinking that they are planting the ideas of men needing to be tough and/or violent as normal. Then as we keep seeing these images over and over they become more common sense and men act upon these stereotypes.

            To me, I understand cultivation in media the same as cultivating land. In farming, you cultivate the ground so you can plant seeds to grow into vegetables, trees or any type of plant. I think the media uses the same process to influence all stereotypes and have people act upon them. They plant the idea of the stereotype in society’s ideology and then it slowly starts to grow and grow until it reaches a commonplace status. Because then this societal pressure is assumed to be normal, people act upon it.

            

                                                                            photo taken from krystallee27.wordpress.com

            The cover of Tough Guise has a picture of a young boy with a ferocious look on his face and flexing his muscles. Obviously Tough Guise is trying to expose this media stereotypes. Tough Guise is trying to show this affect of cultivation on young boys. They see the media portrayal of what it means to be a “man” and grow up thinking that men need be strong and violent. This little boy pretending to act tough shows that cultivation can affect younger generations so they grow up with these stereotypes being considered normal.

            

Hegemony

In his article on hegemony, Lull argues that hegemony is a concerted effort by the upper class to push values and ideals on the lower class that seem commonplace. In my mind, I think of hegemony as an exaggerated combination of gate keeping, agenda setting, and framing which helps me interpret the media coverage by FOX News.

According to the actual definition of hegemony, media outlets control this flow of subconscious ideas by selling them as commonsense, thus going unnoticed. Obviously, media is not random; certain people control what is displayed (gate keeping) and frame how one should perceive this display. The fact that one class of people can control these two dominant aspects of media causes me to believe that they can push its personal beliefs onto society and can affect its ideology. 

Fox News Compilation on Barack Obama

This is a video compilation of FOX News footage bashing President Barack Obama. Even though this was not compiled by Fox News, the footage is legitimate. With my view of hegemony, because Rupert Murdock can control what to cover and how to cover news on his network, he is pushing his conservative views and Obama criticism onto his audience. Thus he can affect how some of his viewers think and react, all by being a gate-keeper, agenda setter and framer, of the news. 

                                             picture is from teenagegraffiti.com

My First RTF Post- why RTF 305?

Hey everybody, I'm Daniel Dern and I'm from Southern California. I'm pretty pumped for starting RTF 305 because in high school, I took a journalism class and it sparked my interest in studying other forms of media along with print journalism. Through this experience of writing on the paper, I've realized that the print journalism world is fading, and in its place, blogs/internet articles/other electronic media outlets are popping up. By taking this course, I want to learn more about the transition from print and paper media to digital media.

This is my personal favorite blog that takes a humorous look at the NBA: Ball Don't Lie