Extra Credit Blog Post

I have not used an blog before my RTF class.

One positive aspect was applying outside information and prior knowledge to concepts we learned in the course.

I was not always sure what was expected in the blog, although the prompt was clear I thought I did the work that was necessary and would sometimes be confused as to why I didn’t receive full credit.

When I had problems I would look for Keara’s (my TA’s) comments and use concepts we discussed in our section fro the blog.  In addition if I did not understand something I would ask one of the many people in the class.

I enjoyed the blog prompt in which we used a movie that we knew really well and were suppose to apply in to the narrative structure. I thought this was interesting because it helped me fully understand the application of narrative structure.

Yes, I thought it was a great way to apply new forms of technology with homework in the classroom and I would recommend using it for future classes.

I really liked at the beginning when the structure of each blog post was clearly stated and I think it should be added to all blog-post in the future.

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Please do not use my paper in a report.

Go Global!

Globalization is spreading across similar values, expectations, images (etc.) between countries breaking down differences and unique features in cultures.

By infiltrating local customs and cultures a western “cultural imperialism” spreads western ideals and standard altering other cultures.

This can be seen with international hit-tv shows such as “Sex and the City.”  The sexual exploits of women in the big city makes their lifestyle of materialism seem fabulous and an ideal way women should live.  This is much different value system than some country’s more conservative cultures, however by globally marketing this show the western standard of sex and feminism is infiltrated into other cultures.

Celebrities in Advertisements

In this ad the very beautiful Dannika Patrick is shown holding a glass of milk with a milk mustache, with the wind blowing in her hair the milk seems to give her power.

  The overdone make up and black leather jacket lead the audience to see the sexual appeal of her astethics. Not only does this advertisement use the celebrity appeal, it also uses sex appeal, the combination of both makes the milk seem like if one drinks it they will become as cool as Dannika.

By using a celebrity advertisers draw in a wider audience who looks up to the celebrity and wants to be more like them or drink more milk like them.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Introduction: The ballad of Ricky Bobby begins as most stories: with the formation of the hero.  The audience is introduced to his rather odd circumstance of birth and his negligent father.   The audience is introduced to the success of Ricky Bobby’s career, which is very superficial.   The introduction peeks when Ricky pops open his champagne bottle after winning the race.

Complication: The new, French driver Jean Girad challenges Ricky to a race and defeats him.  This complication peeks and causes Ricky to hallucinate that he is on fire.  Ricky crumbles and feels like he has lost his sense of identity, who no longer knows who he is, unless he is driving.

Ricky regains his confidence (after his father comes back and teaches him how to drive) and realizes that he is in love with his former assistant Susan. After the build up Ricky races at Talladega against his arch-nemesis Jean Girad.  The final climax could be seen in the final few moments when Ricky and Jean race on foot towards the finish line. 

The final resolution peeks when both drivers Ricky and Jean are disqualified from the race and Cal; Ricky’s best friend wins.  The formerly broken friendship is repaired and the family is all reunited at the local Applebee’s.

The Importance of Being the Fourth Wall

            The “fourth wall” is a characteristic of sitcom television, as well as realistic theatre.  By creating a wall between the audience and the actors a barrier is achieved that separates reality from the world, created on stage.  Sitcoms, created out of the world of vaudeville theatre also use this technique to make their viewers forget the worries of their real world and distance themselves from reality.  The fourth wall is also useful for the technical crew of television.  By creating a wall that is never seen by the audience the camera crews are able to have a spot to film.  It also allows for people, such as directors, producers etc., to directly view and control the scene, which is being filmed.  One interesting point that Mr. Tain made was that often times the fourth wall is typically where the television should be in the room; almost as if we are the television, the entertainment for the characters.

One of my favorite sitcoms, That 70’s show uses the fourth wall continuously.  That 70’s Show follows the more traditionally comedy sitcom set up by placing nearly all of the scenes in the settings of homes, the main one being that of the main character- Eric Foreman.  The room probably most essential to the characters lives’, the basement, is set up so the fourth wall is exactly where the television should be.  This set up follows for other rooms such as the Foreman’s living room as well as the Pinciotti’s. By keeping the fourth wall, as well as other traditional styles of sitcoms, the viewers are able to feel as if they really were watching a show from the seventies, instead of one filmed a few years ago.

Lions, Tigers, and Film- Oh my

In this shot, the director Victor Fleming introduces and orients the audience with the vastness and adventure that still awaits Dorothy and her friends.  By using a long shot Fleming shows the trials (the field of poppies) and the journey ahead before they arrive to the emerald city, their much-anticipated destination. 

In the second shot Fleming shows each of the characters and their worried, fearful reaction to the “wizard” of Oz.  Not only is the audience able to see the wizard’s brain working, they are also able to view the body language and disappointment in Dorothy thanks to Fleming’s use of the medium shot.

In the last image, Fleming’s short shot places emphasis on the action of the Wicked Witch of the West who is trying to work her magic on Dorothy’s infamous ruby slippers.  By zooming in Fleming places a emphasis on the “special effect” of the witch’s magic, as well as the power of the red slippers.

The Roarin' Radio 20's

The mass appeal of the celebrity was helpful to the radio world of the 1920’s, ensuring it’s sponsors a means to advertise and helping Broadcast Companies transition from the sounds of radio to the sights of television.

Celebrities, the stars of Hollywood now have global appeal reaching out their opinions (and products) to the worldwide audience who attentively listens and follows suite.  The individual celebrity holds a significant amount of power, thusly when their opinion is given out masses follow in suite; as seen by the Ugg-boot and Twitter trends.  Celebrities are groomed for mass appeal, or to a specific type of audience, by creating an individual who is so appealing companies can sell their product or their values to that audience and take it further, take for example Miley Cyrus.  Miley Cyrus began her career on the Disney Channel television show Hannah Montana. She was young, cute-sy and had a style geared toward the Disney audience, thusly Disney could sell her products, after winning over the heart of girls with Hannah Montana Disney took Miley further than the television screen and on a countrywide tour.

Through the radio broadcast of the 1920’s celebrities were created and used by advertisers and by broadcasting companies.  Celebrities, such as seen in this Wednesday’s lecture with the celebrity of the 1920’s- Jack Benny.  In the video clip below the writers of the script cleverly drop the name Tandum bicycle into the scenario Benny encountered, a company, which I guess, sponsored the show.  Jack Benny was a name known to many Americans, thusly many trusted his judgment whether it was what soap to buy or which cigarette to smoke, and advertisers used this to their advantage.  The celebrity creation stemming from the radio in the 1920’s increased audience listeners and the appeal of certain shows.  The creation of radio celebrities also helped bridge the transition for Broadcasting Companies from radio to television.  How could a company ensure that they would have an audience’s attention?  Keep the same celebrities and give them their own television show.



Jack Benny's Television Show

Link to the Radio show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqUjciB0Q80

Priming in the Media...

Priming in the Media

Priming is the means by which advertisers or other companies in the media try to persuade the audience towards their own goals, by evoking emotions or memories related to a particular image.

Priming is the method by which the media grooms the audience by stimulating one idea related to others.  By unleashing certain media clips or images a connection is made between the audience, the certain media clip, and a related thought for the audience member.   In releasing certain media clips the audience’s emotions can be triggered either negatively or positively.

In the advertisement I chose the creators of this intended to gather the pathos of their audience by making the trees similar to the twin towers from the September 11^th attacks in New York City.  Nearly every American has some relationship with the towers or can remember exactly where they were when they found out the towers had fallen.  By evoking a sense of empathy felt by the audience in the past, the advertisers want that same sense carried over to the trees they are trying to save.

Food for Thought...

The Taco Bell advertisement “Hands off the Buns” clearly accomplishes the concept of hegemony by framing their idea to an audience, that sex appeal is instantly given by eating their product, and changing how they react and act to consuming their food.

 

By framing media with techniques such as biased information or even the particular diction a distributor of media can control the viewpoint of an audience easily. The “gatekeepers” of the media will often frame stories or advertisements by using flashy titles or taking photographs out of context in order to implement their opinion on an audience member.  By influencing the viewers gatekeepers of the media implement their wanted beliefs and messages.

In the Taco Bell advertisement a woman is objectified with nothing on and a suggestive expression across her face.  The near-nakedness of the woman in combination with the random rabbits captures most viewer’s attention for various reasons perhaps the best technique that this particular advertiser was designing the catch phrase to be centered across the woman’s body.  The double entendre for the catch phrase of the slogan suggests that by keeping ones “hands off the Buns!” and eating tacos one is also reaching a certain level of sex appeal.  By framing the tacos from Taco Bell as something sexual and suggestive the company implements in the mind of their viewer that the number of tacos one eats is directly proportional to ascetic sexual appeal, thusly go forth and eat a fourth meal!

Why I chose RTF 305

As any new coming student I was very overwhelmed by the process of selecting classes. Choosing between Physics or a UGS course could make or break the social scene (or lack there of) for my freshman year. Thankfully, UT designed a program just for students like me who are overwhelmed by the concept of  sitting next to complete strangers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday...  thusly began my enrollment in the FIG program at the College of Communication.

I am in the FIG group: The Good, the Bad, and the COMM and although most members of my FIG are RTF majors,  I am in the Pre- Public Relations program. I think with the combination of meeting with all film majors in addition to this RTF class by the end of the semester I hope to be well versed in the ways of film and other forms of media.

I also hope to fully develop an opinion on a question that our book asks several times "Does society and culture influence the media or does the media influence society and culture?"

I think it is a very interesting question with several factors to take into account and I hope to be able to answer that question with full confidence by the end of this course.