- Prior to taking this course, RTF 305, I had never used a blog before
- I did, however, think that it enhanced the learning experience for the course. When going over certain topics in class, I was able to go out and take real world examples that better relate to me, which helped me understand much of the course material a lot better.
- I did not have any difficulties with the blog. I felt it was fairly easy to use and the blog assignments as a whole were very easy to complete.
- The most interesting prompts were those relating to the structures of movies and television sitcoms, which were prompts 4, 7, and 8. I felt that I was able to relate these structures with movies and sitcoms that I am very familiar with, rather than just examples from class, which allowed me to learn the concepts a lot better. The most difficult prompt for me was blog prompt 2, which dealt with the uses and gratifications theory, as well as social learning. Just for me, I felt that there were gray areas when it came to these theories, and it required me to reread some of the course material before writing that blog.
- Yes, I would recommend that blog posts be added as part of the coursework for future classes. I think that the blog posts get the students involved by allowing them to write about what they want to write about, and in a way it is an active learning exercise. I found the blog posts very interesting, because they were very personalized and related to me.
- I don't think that there is much to be improved on or changed. Though, I would prefer earlier notifications on the prompts of the blog posts, as well as sticking to the initial prompt rather than revising it in later e-mails.
Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
RTF 305- Blog Post 10
Put simply, globalization is the process of increasing interconnectedness among nations, cultures, and people. One of the subjects we talked about in class was cultural imperialism, which is the effect that one nation's culture has on another. Cultural imperialism fits the definition of globalization because having one nation's culture affect the culture of another nation increases the connection between the nations, and makes them more similar.
Cultural imperialism, however, tends to be mostly driven by the United States because it is such a large media hub. The United States exports unimaginable amounts of movies, music, and many products (although they may not be manufactured in the United States) to other countries, which in effect, brings a bit our culture to those countries.
One example of this is the exporting of the iPod to other countries. In a 2007 quote from Apple COO Tim Cook, he stated the following about Apple's market share for mp3 players, “We’re doing very well outside the U.S. We’re now over 60% in Australia and Canada,” said Cook, citing over 50% share in Japan and now Hong Kong, “in the 40-50 range in the UK, Switzerland, Singapore, and Denmark. We hit a high in Germany of 28% in the most recent numbers. And so, pretty much everywhere you look on a year-over-year basis you would see really good progress.”
This exportation of the iPod is a perfect example of cultural imperialism and globalization because part of our culture is being exported to other countries, connecting our nations, and is allowing our American culture to be represented in their own cultures.
Cultural imperialism, however, tends to be mostly driven by the United States because it is such a large media hub. The United States exports unimaginable amounts of movies, music, and many products (although they may not be manufactured in the United States) to other countries, which in effect, brings a bit our culture to those countries.
One example of this is the exporting of the iPod to other countries. In a 2007 quote from Apple COO Tim Cook, he stated the following about Apple's market share for mp3 players, “We’re doing very well outside the U.S. We’re now over 60% in Australia and Canada,” said Cook, citing over 50% share in Japan and now Hong Kong, “in the 40-50 range in the UK, Switzerland, Singapore, and Denmark. We hit a high in Germany of 28% in the most recent numbers. And so, pretty much everywhere you look on a year-over-year basis you would see really good progress.”
This exportation of the iPod is a perfect example of cultural imperialism and globalization because part of our culture is being exported to other countries, connecting our nations, and is allowing our American culture to be represented in their own cultures.
Ipod ad in Japan- http://www.cultofmac.com/japanese-youths-prefer-ipods-to-cars/1814
Sunday, November 7, 2010
RTF 305- Ninth Blog Post
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc
We've all seen the commercial. Images of animals with various injuries appear on the television screen while Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" plays in the background. Your heart breaks a little more each time a picture fades and another appears. Although this may not be an advertisement for a product, it is still an advertisement for the End Animal Cruelty Campaign which raises funds for animals that suffer from animal cruelty. But what is it about the advertisement that causes you to give in and dial the number displayed on the screen?
This advertisement relies heavily on the use of emotional, image, and ideological appeals. Usually, these appeals are used to depict a product or image that you really want for yourself. They usually strike a chord in a person and make you want what you see on the screen. However, emotional, image, and ideological appeals are used very differently in this commercial. They show you what you don't want to see or don't want to happen, and tell you that if you donate money to the foundation, you will help these animals from the situations in which they are depicted. Although the appeals may not be used in the traditional positive sense, there are still considered emotional appeals because the advertisement really makes you feel sympathy for the animals shown, and convinces you to donate to the foundation
I believe that this is a very powerful advertisement, and I am certain that many people have donated to the cause just because of the emotional, image, and ideological appeals that it presents.
We've all seen the commercial. Images of animals with various injuries appear on the television screen while Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" plays in the background. Your heart breaks a little more each time a picture fades and another appears. Although this may not be an advertisement for a product, it is still an advertisement for the End Animal Cruelty Campaign which raises funds for animals that suffer from animal cruelty. But what is it about the advertisement that causes you to give in and dial the number displayed on the screen?
This advertisement relies heavily on the use of emotional, image, and ideological appeals. Usually, these appeals are used to depict a product or image that you really want for yourself. They usually strike a chord in a person and make you want what you see on the screen. However, emotional, image, and ideological appeals are used very differently in this commercial. They show you what you don't want to see or don't want to happen, and tell you that if you donate money to the foundation, you will help these animals from the situations in which they are depicted. Although the appeals may not be used in the traditional positive sense, there are still considered emotional appeals because the advertisement really makes you feel sympathy for the animals shown, and convinces you to donate to the foundation
I believe that this is a very powerful advertisement, and I am certain that many people have donated to the cause just because of the emotional, image, and ideological appeals that it presents.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
RTF 305- Eighth Blog Post
The structure that is most prevalent in today's films is the three act structure. The first act is the introduction, the second act is the complication, and the third act is the resolution. The three act structure is mainly defined not only by its three acts, but also by the climax which occurs late within the third act. A film that follows this general structure is Finding Nemo.
Within the first act, or introduction, the setting and main characters are introduced. In Finding Nemo, you are introduced to Nemo, Marlin, and a few other characters that live in their neighborhood. The introduction continues until the point where Nemo is picked up by a diver, which is when the complication is introduced. In all, the introduction only takes about 30 minutes or so to develop. By the end of it, you are well aware of the setting, characters, and the general path that the movie should take.
The second act, or complication, builds on the complication that has been introduced at the end of the introduction. It also takes up the majority of the time of the movie, taking about an hour or so to develop. Within this second act, Marlin, Nemo's father runs into Dori, a fellow fish with short-term memory loss. As the story continues, you follow Marlin and Dori through their multiple obstacles through the ocean as they try to find Nemo. While all of this is occuring, the story also follows Nemo in his journey to an aquarium in an Australian man's dentist office. Within this complication, Marlin, Dori, and Nemo must face multiple small conflicts while facing the main complication of them being separated and trying to find each other. Marlin and Dori face conflicts with sharks, jellyfish, a school of fish, and are even swallowed by a large whale. Nemo, on the other hand, faces the conflict of being given to the Australian man's niece, who is known for killing fish. The complication builds on these conflicts and heightens tensions.
The final act, or resolution, still builds on these tensions, but then soon follows by resolving the conflicts after the climax. The climax, or turning point of the story, happens in Finding Nemo when Nemo escapes from the dentist's aquarium. After this, he runs into Dori and finally finds his father again. The climax and resolution in the third act only take about 20 minutes to occur.
In whole, the three act structure, as mentioned in Dr. Ramirez-Berg's lecture, is a very common structure that is well suited for stories of triumph and happy endings. Finding Nemo almost perfectly fulfills each aspect of this structure.
http://cynicritics.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/marlin-and-dory-finding-nemo-1003067_1152_864.jpg
Within the first act, or introduction, the setting and main characters are introduced. In Finding Nemo, you are introduced to Nemo, Marlin, and a few other characters that live in their neighborhood. The introduction continues until the point where Nemo is picked up by a diver, which is when the complication is introduced. In all, the introduction only takes about 30 minutes or so to develop. By the end of it, you are well aware of the setting, characters, and the general path that the movie should take.
The second act, or complication, builds on the complication that has been introduced at the end of the introduction. It also takes up the majority of the time of the movie, taking about an hour or so to develop. Within this second act, Marlin, Nemo's father runs into Dori, a fellow fish with short-term memory loss. As the story continues, you follow Marlin and Dori through their multiple obstacles through the ocean as they try to find Nemo. While all of this is occuring, the story also follows Nemo in his journey to an aquarium in an Australian man's dentist office. Within this complication, Marlin, Dori, and Nemo must face multiple small conflicts while facing the main complication of them being separated and trying to find each other. Marlin and Dori face conflicts with sharks, jellyfish, a school of fish, and are even swallowed by a large whale. Nemo, on the other hand, faces the conflict of being given to the Australian man's niece, who is known for killing fish. The complication builds on these conflicts and heightens tensions.
The final act, or resolution, still builds on these tensions, but then soon follows by resolving the conflicts after the climax. The climax, or turning point of the story, happens in Finding Nemo when Nemo escapes from the dentist's aquarium. After this, he runs into Dori and finally finds his father again. The climax and resolution in the third act only take about 20 minutes to occur.
In whole, the three act structure, as mentioned in Dr. Ramirez-Berg's lecture, is a very common structure that is well suited for stories of triumph and happy endings. Finding Nemo almost perfectly fulfills each aspect of this structure.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
RTF 305- Seventh Blog Post
The one thing that sets most sitcoms apart these days are their episodic or serial structure. Many modern shows seem to be taking more of a serial structure, while most older shows seemed to have an episodic structure.
It seems that when looking at older sitcoms like Full House, Family Matters, and The Cosby Show, they seem to follow a more episodic structure. That is, they usually have a lesson that is learned by the end of the episode, there is familiar and predictable plot development, and each episode is likely to raise and answer central question. I believe that this similar structure is attributed to the time period in which family sitcoms were very popular, and much of the plot revolved around the children learning lessons.
However, modern shows seems to be shaking up the norms in sitcoms. Shows like The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Pushing Daisies, seem to have more of a serial structure. This means that generally they advance long-term plots, plot patterns aren't as predictable, there may or may not be a central question raised, the show isn't as lesson-centered. The shows we see today are very different than those we have seen in earlier decades. They present different situations, and don't always center around the family. Because of the deviation from the focus of family, I believe that modern sitcoms have been allowed to create much more dynamic situations, and have in turn taken more serial structures.
It seems that when looking at older sitcoms like Full House, Family Matters, and The Cosby Show, they seem to follow a more episodic structure. That is, they usually have a lesson that is learned by the end of the episode, there is familiar and predictable plot development, and each episode is likely to raise and answer central question. I believe that this similar structure is attributed to the time period in which family sitcoms were very popular, and much of the plot revolved around the children learning lessons.
http://www.carseywerner.net/cosbyshow_eng.htm
However, modern shows seems to be shaking up the norms in sitcoms. Shows like The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Pushing Daisies, seem to have more of a serial structure. This means that generally they advance long-term plots, plot patterns aren't as predictable, there may or may not be a central question raised, the show isn't as lesson-centered. The shows we see today are very different than those we have seen in earlier decades. They present different situations, and don't always center around the family. Because of the deviation from the focus of family, I believe that modern sitcoms have been allowed to create much more dynamic situations, and have in turn taken more serial structures.
http://www.jellostapler.com/the-office-downloads.html
In whole, modern shows seem to have taken a more serial structure while older sitcoms utilized a more episodic structure.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
RTF 305- Sixth Blog Assignment
During Monday's lecture, Professor Ramirez-Berg spoke about many different types of shots, shot progressions, camera angles, and each of their meanings. With these different shots, a director is able to portray feelings of loneliness, sadness, happiness, confusion, and many other emotions within a scene.
One of my favorite films is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film depicts the internal struggles that Joel Barish must face while undergoing a procedure to erase his memory of his ex-girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski. By undergoing the procedure, he must relive every memory from the present to the day that he met Clementine.
Just like in any other great film, the director of Eternal Sunshine, Michel Gondry used different shots to portray different emotions in every scene.
In this scene, Joel Barish, played by Jim Carrey, is dreaming of one of the days he spent with Clementine. After realizing that he doesn't want this procedure done, he is pleading with his doctors to stop doing the procedure. The overhead, high-angle shot used in this scene is a powerful indication of the lack of power that Joel has. He is at the mercy of his doctors, and this shot does a great job of portraying it.
Another type of shot mentioned in Monday's lecture was the low-angle shot. The low-angle shot is used to give power to the given individual. Although this doesn't quite depict the traditional low-angle shot, it is still relatively low, and shows how the doctors have complete control in this scene. The shot is in the point of view of Joel, who is sitting in a seat and is being questioned by his doctors. This shot does double the work by not only giving power to the doctors, but by also taking power from Joel and the audience, who are watching this scene in his point of view.
A third type of shot explained in Monday's lecture was the close up, or extreme close up. The close up is generally used to provide information dealing mostly with emotion. In this scene, Joel has awoken in the middle of his procedure, and is panicking because he was just having a dream about drowning. The close up allows us to see his expression and watered eyes, which in turn depict the panic and pain that he is going through while undergoing this procedure.
As you can see, camera angles and different shots are very powerful tools. They have the ability to depict multiple feelings and emotions, and really have control of setting the mood in films.
One of my favorite films is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film depicts the internal struggles that Joel Barish must face while undergoing a procedure to erase his memory of his ex-girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski. By undergoing the procedure, he must relive every memory from the present to the day that he met Clementine.
Just like in any other great film, the director of Eternal Sunshine, Michel Gondry used different shots to portray different emotions in every scene.
In this scene, Joel Barish, played by Jim Carrey, is dreaming of one of the days he spent with Clementine. After realizing that he doesn't want this procedure done, he is pleading with his doctors to stop doing the procedure. The overhead, high-angle shot used in this scene is a powerful indication of the lack of power that Joel has. He is at the mercy of his doctors, and this shot does a great job of portraying it.
A third type of shot explained in Monday's lecture was the close up, or extreme close up. The close up is generally used to provide information dealing mostly with emotion. In this scene, Joel has awoken in the middle of his procedure, and is panicking because he was just having a dream about drowning. The close up allows us to see his expression and watered eyes, which in turn depict the panic and pain that he is going through while undergoing this procedure.
As you can see, camera angles and different shots are very powerful tools. They have the ability to depict multiple feelings and emotions, and really have control of setting the mood in films.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
RTF 305- Fifth Blog Assignment
The aspect of the studio system that seemed most prominent was its use of vertical integration. This meant that they controlled production, distribution, and exhibition; keeping everything in one place. Besides containing a great deal of power through their vertical integration, they also had writers, actors, actresses, and everyone else in between on contract. This meant that they were unable to work for anyone else or have much flexibility in doing anything other than their work for the production company.
Many of the films created under this studio system defined the Classical Hollywood era, a very important period for film that took place between the 1920s and 1940s. As a result of this vertical integration, many of the writers, actors, actresses, and other workers were used continuously and frequently. Because each person was on contract, some workers were forced to produce film after film at a much more frequent rate than that of today.
A perfect example is in the overworking of Judy Garland. The young actress starred in fifteen films between the period of 1941 to 1950, which is much more frequent than that of any actor or actress today. This led to the eventual retiring of Judy Garland and her disappearance from the public eye at a rather early age.
In whole, the studio system of the Classical Hollywood era was very efficient. It spat out movies at an incredible rate, most of which were extremely successful. It's use of vertical integration and contracts gave it an immense amount of power over many of its workers. However, despite being very efficient, it did overwork many of its stars at the time.
http://thompsonian.info/delconn.html
Many of the films created under this studio system defined the Classical Hollywood era, a very important period for film that took place between the 1920s and 1940s. As a result of this vertical integration, many of the writers, actors, actresses, and other workers were used continuously and frequently. Because each person was on contract, some workers were forced to produce film after film at a much more frequent rate than that of today.
A perfect example is in the overworking of Judy Garland. The young actress starred in fifteen films between the period of 1941 to 1950, which is much more frequent than that of any actor or actress today. This led to the eventual retiring of Judy Garland and her disappearance from the public eye at a rather early age.
In whole, the studio system of the Classical Hollywood era was very efficient. It spat out movies at an incredible rate, most of which were extremely successful. It's use of vertical integration and contracts gave it an immense amount of power over many of its workers. However, despite being very efficient, it did overwork many of its stars at the time.
http://thompsonian.info/delconn.html
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