Evaluation for Extra Credit

Before RTF 305, I tried using Xanga when I was in middle school.  I used it to talk to my friends and to be artistic.  I thought it was cool to have my own web page with my own customizations.  The main focus of my blog was to talk about my day and talk about music.  The blogs for RTF on Blogger provided a new and different way to do homework.  I liked it because I could access it wherever I wanted from different computers.  Overall, the blog was not very difficult, being a somewhat experienced blogger.  I do think a blog is a weird concept especially when there is now Facebook and Myspace.  I can't imagine taking time to read someone's personal blog nowadays, but for school it is good to be able to access other classmate's blogs.  The blog prompts that were the most interesting were the ones where we found examples of concepts from the media.  Specifically, the dramatic style narration blog prompt because it prompted me to think of movies in a critical way rather than just as a mere audience member.  I recommend using blogs because it saves trees and allows easy access to assignments.  The only thing I would change is to give the prompt earlier in the week.

Globalization

Globalization is when cultures from around the world are integrated through communication and technology.  Specifically, hybridization of fashion from Japan to the United States is an example of globalization.  The form of technology that influenced this movement was through music.  Gwen Stefani's album L.A.M.B. was influenced by 4 Harajuku Girls from Japan.  Their style was uniquely Japanese mixed with anime elements and modern fashion to make them appear to be cartoon-like.  Gwen Stefani practically made it "ok" for Americans to adopt these Harajuku styles. 

Advertisment Appeals

The advertisement I chose was one from the magazine, "In Style: Makeover."  The product that is being advertised is makeup powder by Physicians Formula.  I feel as if this is a persuasive ad because it has 5 pictures of different women with flawless looking skin, complete with the statement: "Mineral glow pearls create an instant luminous glow.  We promise."  Not only is there evidence of that "luminous glow" seen in the 5 pictures, but the expressions they make in their pictures portray them as happier people because of the makeup they are wearing.

The advertisement appeal featured in this ad is achievement, prominence, and attention.  Generally these kind of ads evoke feelings of necessity, like the need to be more noticeable, to succeed in relationships, to achieve happiness or fulfillment, etc.  My advertisement is basically saying if you use this product, you will achieve beauty, attention, and happiness, and that is their promise. The consumer not only sees 5 pictures of living proof of the product, but also has been given a promise that the product will make skin glow enough to radiate and attract attention.


 picture of the product-

3 Act Structure: Shrek

I.  Shrek's swamp is taken over by Lord Farquaad, forcing out all of the creatures.  Shrek decides to meet with Lord Farquaad at his palace and demand the swamp back.  In this act, the peak occurs when Shrek decides to siege his swamp and venture to a land far, far away. (approx. 25mins)
II. Shrek reaches the palace and is forced into a competition by Lord Farquaad to save Princess Fiona.  Lord Farquaad insists that he will give back the swamp if Shrek saves Fiona for him.  After,  Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona travel to the palace.  The peak in this act occurs when Shrek and Fiona start to fall in love on the journey, and he overhears her saying something about an "ugly beast" out of context.  His feelings are hurt, so he asks Lord Farquaad to retrieve his maiden himself.  (approx. 40 mins)
III.  The climax is when Shrek realizes that Fiona was not talking about him behind his back, and that she does care about him.  He then crashes Fiona's  wedding with Lord Farquaad by walking in and expressing his true feelings for Fiona.  The resolution is when Shrek and Fiona kiss, then she transforms into her "true form," an ogress.  The story then ends in marriage and has a happy ending. (approx. 25 mins)

TV Sitcoms

“TV is the campfire around which our nation-tribe sits to weave and re-weave our traditions and tales.”

         -Bill Moyers

I thought that Bill Moyer's comparison of TV to a campfire couldn't have been said any better.  The TV has entertained us all since we can remember.  For a lot of us, it is where we gained information that was not suited for our age at the time.  The traditions and tales retold through television provide a commonality between the entire nation allowing us to distantly experience different cultures.  When Moyer says "weave and re-weave," he is commenting on TV production's ambiguity.  It can be fiction, nonfiction, tall, short, etc.  The entertainment factor  is what drives the family together around the television to bond while watching the screen.  Hence, the comparison to the campfire where the family sits in a circle and watches the fire.

A sitcom that my family and I enjoy together is "Seinfeld."  We like it because it is a sitcom that you can watch whenever without following it weekly.  Each episode is independent from every other episode.   The episodes are short, they allow us to be together sharing a common interest, and it provokes laughter and happy vibes within our household.   

Scene Shots from "Donnie Darko"

"The Lifeline Discussion" scene

Long Shot: The long shot shows the entire front half of the classroom, maybe to even look like you were amongst the students in the back.  The classroom is basic with a blackboard and an old T.V.  The setting is in the 1980s in a city called Middlesex.  The long shots in this scene present the structure and "proper" morality that the faculty of Middlesex High School has.

Medium Shot: The medium shot that epitomizes the scene and its corniness is when the students have to read flash cards with specific scenarios of right and wrong doings.   The students then have to draw an "X" on the "Spectrum of Emotion" graph drawn on the blackboard.  The graph is linear and horizontal with only two represented emotions: Fear and Love.  The are placed at opposite ends of the graph.  The viewer can get a feel that the students are annoyed by this task, but they perform the assignment anyway with the least amount of enthusiasm as possible.  

Close-up Shot:  Donnie, the main character played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is asked by the teacher to place an "X" on whether he thinks Ling-Ling, the example from the flashcard, should give back the money from the misplaced wallet.  The teacher asks him if she is expressing fear or love when she doesn't take the money and returns the wallet.  Donnie's closeup portrays his anger and confusion with the teacher and her whole philosophy that human emotions can be summed up by two words.  He believes the spectrum is much broader, which it obviously is, but this is the scene that emphasizes the manipulation of people and false beliefs to cope with life.  The video which prompts the whole "Lifeline Discussion" is supposed to be life changing and motivational even though it is full of lies, hypocrites, and ignorance.

http://wonderreviews.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/donniedarko_donnie.jpg

Vertical Integration in the Classical Hollywood Era

An important aspect of the studio system from the Classical Hollywood era is the U.S. market at the time and how it was vertically integrated.  The successes that came from the Classical Hollywood movie productions was contributed  by the consumer's support, the minute competition,  and the systematic consistency.  Vertical integration affected the production of films by making it "Fordistic," and less diverse.  By less diverse, I mean the actors were used and re-used, the scenes were all shot at the same site, and particular companies held all of the power needed to produce the desired product.    The studio would make films that the audience wanted to see.  Because of the simplicity of the hierarchy in production studios (AKA "the Big FIve" not including the three minor studios), it made it easier for the audience to communicate what films they intended on seeing.  An effect of audience feedback ultimately resulted in the evolution of genres.  The creation of genres allowed the audience to determine film popularity, for example the craze for "Gangster" or "Crime" movies.  

All in the Family vs. Will & Grace

The episode of "All in the Family" portrays bias in sexual orientation, specifically toward heterosexuality.  A recent television show that contrasts these ideas is "Will & Grace."  In this show, homosexuality is glamorized and made to heighten a gay persons lifestyle.  In "All in the Family," Archie is a well known bigot in the past media.  Today, Will from "Will & Grace," is a well know flamboyant gay man.  Archie made the sitcom almost a satire of the times, due to the fact that he was in reality a civil rights activist.  The two sitcoms are similar because they make their everyday lives dramatic and comedic.

http://www.amuzingcompany.com/images/will_and_grace_v702.jpg

Permanently Puncturing Self Esteem Not That Softly with a Hypodermic Needle

Thesis- The “Hypodermic Needle” in media is a main cause for women to have low self esteem, eating disorders, etc., which is exactly the message in “Killing Us Softly.”

The Cultivation Theory plays a part into what is the “Hypodermic Needle” by sifting the way a woman perceives herself inside and out. Images of waif-like women are burned into our heads by local, national, and global media everywhere. Girls growing up see these images of models, and their minds are cultivated to believe that that image is what is accepted. Sex sells, especially in a nation like the United States where men become bigger, better, and stronger faster.

I understand these two particular concepts because as a child, my mother was a fashion merchandiser. I grew up looking at magazines and imagining myself on the cover. As I got older, my body was always very thin so that was the least of my struggles. Many people would tell me I was too thin, but thinking back to the models I see in magazines, I thought I wasn't thin enough. I was so absorbed in magazines, especially in middle school, that I developed self-esteem issues as well as millions of other pre-teens across the globe. Now that I am almost an adult, I am smart enough to have a balanced diet and exercise to remain thin, although I can't say the current models don't make it difficult.

This is and was my favorite model as I became aware of my sexuality and my body type:

EQUALITY FOR ALL

The two documentaries' purposes were heightened when played back to back.  I completely agree with the expressed views that women are objects to society.  As much as I love magazines and advertisements, I do not agree with the exploitation and fabrication of the female body or like in "Tough Guise," the male body.  I hope that America will invest their attention realistically into advertisements.  I want to see everyday, ordinary people advertised.  A woman shouldn't look at a ad for her favorite jeans and cringe because she will never look the same as the waif-like model.  My view is basically synonymous to the women in the first documentary, except I thought she exaggerated a bit.  Although the ideas she obtained from some of the pictures were a stretch, she made an excellent point that women still have a way to go for total equality. Men on the other hand have no need for a search for equality.  They search for ways to trump other men in physique and attitude.  What opened my eyes was to see the Star Wars figurines drastically change from ordinary looking in the 1970s to ultimately not tangible in the 1990s.  I cannot stand the men in the world that only care about their appearance.  A perfect example of those men are featured in the reality show, "Jersey Shore."

Why RTF

Rtf attracted me because i love music, especially the radio.  I have always know that I wanted to do something in the music industry and when I heard about RTF, I was sold.  I don't watch a lot of TV or movies at that, but I still like them.  Being around all of these film lovers is making me enjoy film more and more everyday.  I want to change the radio industry.  People say it is dying but I want to be the one to bring it to life.  Like maybe the next women Howard Stern!