EXTRA CREDIT!!

When we had to post what our favorite blog was at the beginning of the semester, I had no idea where to even look. I used Google to find an interesting looking one, but that shows how much blogging experience I had before this course. Blogging has become another useful form of communication; therefore, it was a pretty positive learning experience for those who had never learned to blog in the past. Also, doing the blogs every week would help us to learn the material for the class. I did not really have any difficulty using the blogs. The more difficult blogs were the ones that were less interesting, but that obviously depends on the person. One that I found interesting and easy to do was the star system blog. I would recommend using a blog in future courses because I feel like it taught me a lot. Whether it was about the reading assignment or lectures that week, or about blogging in general, it had positive effects that should be performed in future courses. I don’t really have any suggestions to improve the blogging. It was annoying to have to come back to reality on the weekends every Sunday, but it was a learning experience, and that’s what college is about!

Globalization

Globalization is when nations, cultures, and people become increasingly interconnected.  Creating media has become easier over time, and also less pricy.  Because of this the production of media has leaked over into other countries, not just the United States.  Globalization is spread through forms of technology like the internet or cellular phones, and in a more modern language facebook and texting.  The uses of technology have beneficial perks like keeping society informed about the world. 

 Cultural imperialism is when the strongest culture blends with the less dominant ones and the effects are noticed.  This process reflects imbalance in global power structure. 

The US remains the dominant country when it comes to music, television, and films. An example of a film that represents cultural imperialism is Slumdog Millionaire.  The film was spoken in English, while the questions asked were Indian related.  Slumdog Millionaire is a global release, and global releases hold a large profit for production companies in the United States.  This could very well be why much of American films, music, and television can be found all over the world.

Gets me every time...

One of the common characteristics of advertising includes grabbing the viewer’s attention.  After reading the assignment and thinking about certain advertisements that made an impact on the way I feel, a particular commercial came to mind.  When the Sarah Mclachlan animal cruelty commercial comes on, it tugs at my heart and makes me want to call the number on the screen without a second thought.

The first thing you see when the advertisement begins is a pitiful looking dog, and then the text “every single hour in BC, an animal is violently abused.” The add then continues to show sad looking animals while playing a very depressing song by Sarah Mclachlan. Sarah gives the number to call for help. By the end of the commercial I’m asking my mom if we can have another pet.

The appeal used in this advertisement discussed by Professor Straubhaar would be the nurture, guidance appeal. The definitions of nurture include: to feed and protect; to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development;   to bring up; and to train.  When the music, pictures, texts, and speech given by Sarah all come together, the viewer is persuaded that the animals need someone to nurture them and guide them to a better life.  Another plus to the add is a celebrity is the one telling us we should make the call. Professor Straubhaar made clear nothing sells like a celebrity.

Not only does this add tug at my heart while it is playing, but it’s even been a topic discussed days later at school; therefore, it definitely grabbed the attention of its viewers.

Sex and the City

The three act structure is widely used over the movie industry according to Professor Ramirez Berg.  It is a structure that the majority of viewers are very familiar with.  It consists of a beginning (introduction), middle (complication), and the end (resolution). The movie Sex and the City has a lot of inner conflicts taking place, but the main issues revolve around a three-act film structure.

The introduction helps establish who the main characters are and what the storyline is about.  The introduction usually last around thirty minutes.  The intro of Sex and the City gives a brief background of the four best friends, the main one being Carrie. Carrie could not live without her three girls, but the film is mainly concerning herself and her lover Big who decide to get married.

During the complication, the audience’s relationship is strengthened with the characters as they see a conflict arise.  The conflict in Sex and the City is when Carrie is stood up by her lover Big at their own wedding.  The complication is Carrie dealing with her grief.  This segment last typically somewhere between thirty and sixty minutes.  I particularly remember this section of the movie lasting a little too long to remain in the audience’s comfort zone. 

The third and final act known as the resolution usually takes up about the last thirty minutes of the movie.  The resolution follows the climax and is the solution to the conflict.  In the end of Sex and the City, Big and Carrie both realize they made mistakes and decide to get married once again and live happily ever after. J

sitcom

The concept I find most interesting and relative to the shows I watch is the mini resolutions concept.  A mini resolution comes to life when the characters in the show face a difficulty.  The characters spend the remaining time of the sitcom trying to resolve their issue, and by the end of the show, the issue turns into a lesson learned.

A sitcom is usually a 30 minute show that gets the audience smiling.  A sitcom is very convenient for someone who is on their lunch break and needs a quick laugh while relaxing for a bit.  A mini resolution fits fabulously into a sitcom because it’s the concept of fitting the moral of an hr long show into a compressed 30 minute one.  Instead of having a drawn out full resolution, a mini one takes its place. 

Just the other day I was watching an episode of My Wife and Kids.  An issue arose where Clair was caught faking sick so she could stay home from school and have her boyfriend come over.  Mr. Kyle is a comical character so I could not wait to see how he handled it.  Though I knew he was going to be mad and make a big production of punishing Clair, I knew that by the end of the 30 min sitcom everyone would be smiling.  Because of Colin Tain’s lecture, I now understand that the ideas behind the happy endings of sitcoms are a part of mini resolutions. 

Cinderalla Story Shots

                          

Before Professor Ramirez-Burg’s discussion, I had no idea of the significance of the different types of shots during movies. I chose to use “Cinderella Story” as my example because it is one of my favorite movies and I can clearly see how the variety of shots makes the emotions clear. The first type of shot discussed was the long shot. The bottom right picture on the collage is the best example of the long shot because it is taken from a distance and gives an overview of how the love story ended with the two main characters riding away together.

The next shot discussed was the medium shot. The tope right photo on the collage is a good example of the medium shot because it lets the viewer know that Carter was Sam’s best friend, her go to guy, also a big part of the movie. Another example of the medium shot would be the sixth picture in the third column. This picture shows the cheerleaders and the two evil step sisters coming together to ultimately bring down Sam. All of the characters in this picture are the antagonists in the movie.

The third type of shot would be the close up. The best example of a close up shot would be the seventh picture in the first column. In this picture Sam’s emotions are expressed so clearly. She is extremely hurt by the skit that was just displayed by the cheerleaders for the whole school to see. It was about Sam and she was shocked, angry, and clearly upset.

SUPER stars

                               

How often do people go see a movie just because a certain actor or actress is a part of it?? I know I catch myself doing it all the time. Take the Twilight Saga for instance. Do millions of girls go see the movie just for the intriguing love story, or do they really just want to see Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson on the big screen? The star system helps describe why directors choose certain actors.

The star system is a method made to promote movie stars in the light where they are most promising. This system puts more emphasis on image rather than on the celebrities’ acting skills. It did have an effect on what types of films were produced because most actors or actresses became associated with certain genres, and directors would shape the plot around those genres to keep the targeted audience coming back for more of what they love from the celebrities. 

Someone who was a part of the star system was Joan Crawford. Joan started as a dancer and one day signed a contract with MGM. After a lot of hard work and campaigning, she found fame. She was constantly playing the role of a hardworking young woman who found fortune and romantic success in the end. Her targeted audience loved what she brought to the screen especially during the Depression- era.

                                               

Dad's show vs. mine

All in the Family is an American comedy that started in 1971 and ran until 1983. The show is based on a working class racist who argues with his family over issues of importance during that time. An interesting comparison to All in the Family would be Reba, a show staring Reba McEntire that ran from 2001 to 2007.

Something that both All in the Family and Reba have in common is that the main characters in both shows are very stubborn and wise cracking. Both Reba and Archie always believe they are right about everything, and they use their outspoken sarcasm to make the shows comical, which keeps the targeted audience coming back for more. When my father was younger he would watch All in the Family with his family to get a good chuckle, and today my modern day family watches Reba for the same reason. Another similarity between the shows is that the kids, even though married, lived for a good while with their parents.  This fact also brings a difference between the two shows to my mind. In Reba, Cheyenne is pregnant and marries the father, Van. This was not something that Reba and her divorced husband Brock had in mind for their oldest daughter, but they accepted it and made the best of the situation. If Gloria, the daughter of Archie and his wife Edith, had gotten pregnant during high school, all hell would have broken loose. It is more common for teens to get pregnant in today’s society, and the shows demonstrate the difference in the beliefs between 30 years. During the time of All in the Family, issues of race and sexuality were huge, and it showed throughout the show. In the episode we watched in class, Archie assumed a male friend of the family was gay, but he couldn’t even bring himself to say the word. During an episode of Reba, Van’s sports agent was homosexual and came on to Reba, but it wasn’t portrayed as anything absurd.

Although these two shows were made 30 years apart, both comedies are hilarious and recommended by many, including myself.

People Love Radio!

I believe that audience demand was probably the most influential in shaping the radio industry in the 1920’s. If a new product comes out and no one is interested in it, it's demolished soon after. Radio was a universal interest in the 1920's. If it wasn't for its popularity with the people, radio would not have been as successful as it is today.

There are new technological inventions begin created all the time. The radio helps the public stay up to date. Whether people are listening to news, music, or soap operas, they are still listening. In order for any product to be successful the public has to enjoy it. The radio played a crucial role in saving passengers and reporting news on the titanic disaster. This incident immediately attracted attention to the growing forms of technology, so much that the Radio Act of 1912 was created. According to our textbook Media Now, the Radio Act of 1912 began the regulation of airwaves and was the first licensed radio transmitters.

We have learned in previous chapters that media companies compete with each other to attract and capture their audiences.  Radio offered advertisers direct access to the homes of the public. As displayed in Radio Days, the family tunes in to the radio all day every day to listen to their favorite ads, shows, music, and news. To increase the size of the audience, advertisers now tend to turn stations toward entertaining programs. In the 1920’s advertisers were worried there was too much news and not enough entertainment taking place on the air, but because the radio was so new and popular with the people, they were enthusiastic about anything the radio industry aired.

This video gives a little more background on the history of radio. It gives evidence of the audience’s effects on radio by sharing that the first commercial radio station was not open until 1920, and 3 million radio sets were already purchased in America by 1922.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VroOv5FHwlk 

PRIMING

My last post was about agenda setting and how the media gets to choose what the audience sees, which means they have a major say in telling the public what to think about. Priming intertwines with agenda setting because they both have a major effect on the media’s audience. Under aged kids watching rated R movies is an example of the priming theory.

The priming theory infers that media images stimulate related thoughts in the minds of audience members. People are not usually aware that the priming is taking place because it is understood to occur outside the awareness of our conscious. Priming is different from memory that straightforwardly retrieves information because direct retrieval relies on explicit memory, and priming uses implicit memory. The effects of priming are proven through research and little examples in everyday life like kids watching rated R movies.

A study took place in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs that found that youngsters who watch rated R movies are much more prone to drinking than those who don’t. The doctors who took on this study believe that when a child sees adult content in movies it actually changes the adolescent’s personality, and sadly it is becoming more and more common for kids to watch rated R movies.  A commenter posted their thoughts about the study that I found interesting. “I think that’s true. The first R rated movie I saw was Color Purple and I was only 7. I can still remember asking my mother for a shot of tequila after watching that.” Pondering this comment makes me think back to the days of my childhood when my parents wouldn’t allow me to watch BRING IT ON. I was so angry at the time, but now when I hear my nine year old little cousin singing along to Kesha’s famous single Tick Tock, which speaks of brushing teeth with a bottle of jack; it makes me realize how times have changed, how the media has changed, and how kids have changed because of this media.  

This video of Beyonce's Single Ladies compared to the video of a group of 7 year old girls in a dance competition is a prime example of how the media has effected the girls and an example of the priming theory in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir8BO4-7DkM

sources:

Cherry, Kendra. “What is Priming?” September 19. 2010. www.psychology.about.com. Web.

Franich, Darren. R-rated movies can cause early drinking, says Science; “Pop Watch.” April 26. 2010 www.popwatch.ew.com. Web.

AGENDA SETTING

Agenda setting can be described as the process in which mass media determines what the public thinks about. The Coverage of a Tsunami vs. an Earthquake in the German TV news helps me to understand the effects of agenda setting by looking at the drastic results after the media chose what to share with the public.



The media sets the agenda, the topic that’s discussed and shown to the world. By being able to choose what the public sees, the media affects the opinions of the public. More specifically, gatekeepers can either decide to cover a story or let it fade away until no one remembers its existence. My example of agenda setting compares a tsunami that hit South-East Asia in December 2004 to an equally disastrous earthquake that hit Pakistan in October 2005. The gatekeepers covered both natural disasters, but one definitely dominated the other.


The difference between the coverage of the tsunami and the earthquake was very noticeable. Because the tsunami received far more publicity in both printed media and television, the public was more aware of the disaster and donated more funds. In comparison, the earthquake received very little funds because the coverage was microscopic compared to that of the tsunami. For example, just in Germany, the tsunami received 666 reports in the three tv channels, resulting in $USD178 million, while the earthquake received 66 reports that contributed to donations of only $USD8 million.

This video is an example of how much media coverage the Asia tsunami received. It was number 6 in the 2004 Tsunami Top Ten News Stories Of The Decade. I believe these facts represent that the media is able to mentally prioritize our world through agenda setting.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr5JLBwoewk


Source: Agenda Setting Theory, http://www.agendasetting.com/res_theory.php. Web 

Michelle's RTF 305 Blog

It is approximately 12:53 am and I am attempting to create my very first blog. I'm not known to be a technology expert, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what this RTF class has in store for me. I was signed up for it when I joined my Communications FIG group. Right now I am in the college of Undergraduate Studies, but I hope to transfer into Communications asap. I'm not for certain what my ultimate career goals are yet, but I do know I love working and conversing with people. Media seems to be playing a bigger part of our lives every day, so I'm very interested to learn more about it!

I've never been a big blogger, but one that looks intersting is http://www.austinstylewatch.com/blog/