When film first hit the scene it was showcased as the new spectacular medium of entertainment. People were in awe of a screen coming to life in front of their very eyes. Once the novelty wore off, the audiences became more interested in the content of film; film appeared to us as a reflection of the real world because the public understood it only through the context of their everyday experiences. We have reached the point where the film world and the real world have become a reciprocal system, each borrowing content and meaning from the other. But the parallel relationship between these two worlds has been questioned by many theorists, such as Michael Roemer in his article entitled “The Surfaces of Reality.” He states that, “There are times in the history of the medium (film) when story, treatment and performance drift so far into a studio never-never land that we cannot help but make a virtue of “pure” reality, as free from interference on the part of the film-maker as possible” (Roemer 15). But he also takes the other side of the argument by acknowledging that film has come closer than any other medium to replicating our experience of life by way of the illusion of motion and uses of diegetic sound. After comparing the opposing viewpoints and what they had to offer, Roemer concludes that the language of film is merely the surface of reality, but it can transform everyday toils into art; apparently his belief that film is beneficial to human existence has won out, but he doesn’t discuss how the glamorizing of reality can highlight the true depravity of our world. Using this correlation between film and reality as a starting point, I intend on searching through a number of scholarly articles to observe how real life perception has been impacted by film and how that affects relationships in society.
From the surrealist perspective, editing continuity and condensation techniques make film much like a dream. Film theorist George W. Linden states that, “Film consists of shadows and the flow of images, the presentation of presence, a perpetual evanescent elsewhere, an imminent beyond” (Linden 45). Cinema offers us the temporary status of omniscience. Therefore, while we view situations and conversations that we believe could very likely be found in the real world, we observe it from an overview position which no person, no matter how powerful, can have outside the theater. So realistically, people don’t watch movies to experience a presentation of reality; they watch to feel that all-seeing power and receive a false sense of inclusion. Linden, however, neglects to make the distinction that we are often incorporated in the action of our dreams. I suppose there are some instances where I have a sort of narrator’s perspective, but normally I’m involved in the dream plot line. Even though dreams are fragments of meaning (some less meaningful than others), they often position us as one of the characters, making the land of slumber a more accurate portrayal of reality.
In an article entitled “Two Exercises on Film Manipulation,” Alice Cross gave a storyboarding assignment to a group of high school students to see how they visualize a written plot via long shots, medium shots, and close-ups. She gave all of the students the same outline; a student is late for class, the teacher confronts the student, and a few students react to the situation by taking some sort of action. Cross noticed a pattern with most of the students’ shot sequence. The majority of the students began with a long shot of the class room, transitioned to a medium shot when the altercation between the teacher and student started, and narrowed down to a close-up of the teacher or student’s face at the height of tension in the argument. It might initially be assumed that a sequence such as this has been ingrained into American youth via the constant interaction with film narrative. But Cross continued her analysis stating, “I asked the students to recreate the way they observed the room when they first entered it that day. Initially, they probably took in the whole room, and as they decided where they would sit, their perception narrowed to a small part of the room, and finally probably concluded as a close-up of the particular desk they chose” (Cross 97). This arrangement of human perspective has obviously had its input on the continuity shooting of film, but we should also realize that shot sequence in film has, in turn, affected the way we organize reality in our minds; this is just an example of the binary trade off.
Stefan Machura stresses the disparity between law practice in the real world and the Hollywood manufactured courtroom scene in his piece entitled “Law in Film: Globalizing the Hollywood Courtroom Drama.” Machura asserts that, “It is beyond dispute that the cinematic portrayal of the American legal system and its personnel is far removed from legal reality” (Machura 118). In films, the courtroom case almost always involves a jury when in reality trial by jury is only a last resort. And since the vast majority of cinematic legal proceedings are criminal cases one would assume that most courtroom litigation involves criminal law, but civil cases are far more common. The dramatic film model of the American courtroom scene eventually impacted the rest of the world due to the international success of American movies; not only did foreigners come to believe that the intensity of gavels, theatrics, and courageous speeches was the standard in a real courtroom, but the actual legal proceedings began to change in some countries in order to mimic the Hollywood courthouse structure. For example, it has been observed by several German lawyers in the past decade that attorneys have been allowed to put on more of a dramatized performance to impress clients. Therefore, the false perception of reality is actually being absorbed by other cultures and prevails in the real world; it is even more legitimate since it emerges in the practice of lawful authority. Machura has very interesting observations, but he misses the chance to expand on his investigation by not inferring that America’s domination of international media has shaped other cultures perception of the US and how they live their everyday lives.
David R. Imig’s article, “The Use of Film in the Measurement of Student Learning,” suggested that the medium of film would be much more conducive to the learning process than the static form of the written word. Imig contends that, “Film is dynamic in time and orientation, presents multiple visual and audio information that can depict a range of interpersonal behaviors beyond that conveyed by printed words or other symbols” (Imig 260). It is crucial to point out that Imig believes the application of knowledge and value judgments demonstrates a higher level of learning than retention and understanding, which are usually the standards for written tests. It seems as though he has hopes of utilizing film as a sort of simulator for real life situations. As a result, film’s resemblance to reality can be used to train the public to analyze human experiences through the dominant scope; having a more complete likeness to the real world (compared to that of print), film more completely controls us. Unfortunately for Imig, his hypothesis that learning through film would yield higher scores was incorrect. He didn’t take into account that the stringent form of standardized testing had already been ingrained on the high school and college participants who have been molded since the cradle.
The film City of Brass was an attempt to mask reality as opposed to trying to mirror it. The director, Hisham M. Bizri, uses a technique that poses a double reality; the conscious mind encounters the real environment of the optical world while the unconscious mind is enraptured by the symbolism of the computer-generated imagery. Bizri describes masking reality as “obscuring or covering up the true state, identity, or character of a thing, but also to altering its appearance and misleading by presenting a different apparent identity” (Bizri 7). Therefore, Bizri still encodes his perception of reality into his film, but it is not easily noticeable on the surface. He challenges his audience to dig into the latent information hidden by computerized technique. If we really digest this method and understand how it applies to real life, his purpose begins to take shape. Since his film disguises the symbolism that reflects reality through digital effects, it insinuates the stance that real world content can be found only beneath the everyday manifest that we encounter, and it is technology that hides the truth from us. In an ironic twist, he uses the tool of computers to express their insignificance in his vision of human existence. I suppose the question he has to ask himself is: How effectively can a movie screen, which is a falsity, convey reality?
Anders Linde-Laursen contributed his two cents about the effects of film by analyzing two Danish films (Denmark 1935 and The King Commanded 1938) and explaining how they shaped Denmark’s national identity in a specific era. For example, The King Commanded is about the abolition of the law of adscription, which insured the availability of army recruits by constraining male peasants to their birthplaces. The resolution involves the protagonist, Jacob, and his sweetheart, Anna, moving out of the community to start their own farm. The moral stressed here is that the situation is resolved by peaceful means, as opposed to some of the extremely violent breaks from oppression occurring in other European countries. The funding for both films was predominantly taken care of by public institutions, unveiling the organized attempt to manipulate the collective attitude of the imagined community. Another early example of the use of film for social change is presented by Alison Murray Levine in her article entitled “Projections of Rural Life: The Agricultural Film Initiative in France, 1919-39.” Levine describes how the French government utilized cinema to inform farmers about new agricultural techniques that could yield better and more plentiful crops; this campaign was an attempt to prevent what was known as the “rural exodus” (leaving the country for the city). These are just two cases of how the big screen directly influences and, more accurately, injects itself into current issues of the social sphere.
It is crucial to note that while governments can use film to force a conformist ideology on the people, the public can also produce a combative counter perspective via the weapon of cinema (as long as it’s available). In Wolfgang Muhl-Benninghaus’s article, “German Film Censorship during World War I,” he contemplates the techniques and legislations used by the German government to minimize the thoughts and behaviors assumedly available to the public. Film censorship was first introduced in Berlin on May 5th 1906, although no action was taken until two years after that. Since cinema appeared to be encroaching on the monopoly of expression and meaning that written culture had over the people, it felt only natural to treat film censorship like that of the press. The censorship board was originally comprised of civil administrators appointed by the government to ensure that public decency is upheld. But with the outbreak of World War I, the censorship office was taken over by the military to rally support. Then when World War II came about, film and film censorship was utilized to permeate Nazi ideologies and stifle defiance. My point here is that whether it be for the purposes of the evil Nazi regime or the betterment of the German Empire, film censorship is a tool to enforce the status quo and, therefore, strong-arm any deviation from the set guidelines into the realm of the perverse.
Seung Hyun Park informs us of the film censorship that was obliged upon South Koreans in his article, “Film Censorship and Political Legitimation in South Korea, 1987-1992.” The prevention of allowing filmmakers to spread ideas that may oppose the government’s political agenda truly legitimized the right wing regime. So control over the medium of film became literal control over the people; the fabricated world of cinema symbolized real world power. Utilizing the movie experience in such a way transforms film into an instrument of rebellion. If the government deprives the people access to the weaponry with which to fire their reels of ammunition, then they are unable to fight. In this sense, we can easily understand the parallel of film and reality. Censoring the actions and thoughts of the characters on the big screen transcribes into the repression of the actual citizens.
Another way film manipulates social ideology is by perpetuating racial stereotypes and, as Jack G. Shaheen calls it, vilifying a people. In Shaheen’s book, “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People,” he discusses how Arabs and Muslims are constantly depicting as brutal murderers, heartless rapists, and religious fanatics. As Shaheen noticed in his research of over 900 films, a common quote that is found in films ranging from the 1930’s to the late 1980’s is “All Arabs look alike to me.” He also makes a very troubling correlation between the way we interpret the hook-nosed Arab/Muslim (the terms are practically interchangeable in much of mainstream cinema) and the way in which Nazi Propaganda characterized the Jew. Despite Shaheen’s riveting content, I believe he could have taken his topic a step further by intertwining this blatant degradation with the aggressive patriotism that many Americans feel is merely a sense of national pride. However, he still brings up a great injustice that is necessary to expose: “cinema’s systematic, pervasive, and unapologetic degradation and dehumanization of a people” (Shaheen 172).
In important film type to dissect when considering projections of reality is, of course, the documentary. In an interview with documentary filmmaker Jill Godmilow, Ann-Louise Shapiro attempts to explore potential of non-fiction film as a representation of history. Godmilow explains how it is impossible to give a completely objective presentation of social problems or historical figures because the medium of film is inherently hinged on an artistic perspective. Everything, from the way the narrator speaks to the editing sequence of shots, portrays a subjective view of the past, not the historical truths of an event. I totally agree with this outlook on documentary film, but I think it’s also important to mention that even first hand experience of reality is biased. Everyone has been shaped by different experiences and receive information through their senses in varying ways. Hence despite the fact that film is a re-creation, our brains compute reality in an indirect, subjective reproduction as well. So accusing a filmmaker of creating something that is “dishonest” is like badgering a person for stating their opinion.
Film is an art of expression; like paintings, music, and literature, it is understood through the lens of current social ideologies. Film is not a mirror or reflection, but an artifact. It is a creation, an interpretation of the world. The correlation between the world on the screen and the world outside comes into play when we consider how this art form can either reinforce certain ways of thinking or present alternate possibilities. Although film is not reality, it has the potential to sway cultural dogma and fuel social movements that can change the condition of the state, the nation, possibly the world.
Works Cited
Bizri, Hisham M. “City of Brass: The Art of Masking.” Leonardo 36.1 (2003): 7-11.
Cross, Alice. "Electronic Media: Two Exercises on Film Manipulation." The English Journal 74.1 (1985): 96-98.
Godmilow, Jill and Ann-Louise Shapiro. “How Real is the Reality in Documentary Film?” History and Theory 36.4 (1997): 80-101.
Imig, David R. “The Use of Film in the Measurement of Student Learning.” Family Relations 30.2 (1981): 259-263.
Levine, Alison M. “Projections of Rural Life: The Agricultural Film Initiative in France, 1919-39.” Cinema Journal 43.4 (2004): 76-95.
Linde-Laursen, Anders. “Taking the National Family to the Movies: Changing Frameworks for the Formation of Danish Identity, 1930-1990.” Anthropological Quarterly 72.1 (1999): 18-33.
Linden, George W. “Film, Fantasy, and the Extension of Reality.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 18.3 (1984): 37-54.
Machura, Stefan, Stefan Ulbrich, Francis M. Nevins, and Nils Behling. "Law in Film: Globalizing the Hollywood Courtroom Drama." Journal of Law and Society 28.1 (2001): 117-32.
Muhl-Benninghaus, Wolfgang. “German Film Censorship during World War I.” Film History 9.1 (1997): 71-94.
Park, Seung Hyun. “Film Censorship and Political Legitimation in South Korea, 1987-1992.” Cinema Journal 42.1 (2002): 120-138.
Roemer, Michael. “The Surfaces of Reality.” Film Quarterly 18.1 (1964): 15-22.
Shaheen, Jack G. “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 588.1 (2003): 171-193.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Media to survive, media to thrive
Media to survive, Media to thrive
Every business owner and organization is aware –or at least ought to be– that their relation to, and usage of, the media can have a great impact on their potential for success. It is this point that is argued by Robert McCall in the article “Family Services and The Mass Media.” In it, McCall discusses how to take advantage of all the facets of mass communication for the sake of advertising, specifically with regard to small service agencies who are trying to publicize their research and/or preventative advice. His good intentions focus on training uninformed business owners to exploit the branches of the all powerful mass media tree for the sake of community well-being. Rather than a ferocious beast to be feared, he explains how media might be tamed, turning a potential threat into not just a benefit, but an indispensible tool for success.
This can prove especially so in the not-for-profit sector, where traditional means of advertising are less of an option. An example presented by McCall is adolescent abuse awareness, which, he explains, is far more prevalent than most people know. Such causes ought to take advantage of media exposure at every opportunity, such as hosting media-attracting events, encouraging public service announcements, etc. In the case of such causes, McCall explains that “some agencies are forever on the precipice of financial disaster, and community awareness of their services and accomplishments can be an important method of creating an image that the agency is contributing to the community and worthy of support” (McCall 1983).
A perfect illustration of this concept has just recently unfolded in the national media. The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker, began a series of programs to improve Newark’s standard of living through such means as city-sponsored health-care vouchers. Late night television host Conan O’Brien made light of the program, saying the vouchers amounted to bus tickets out of Newark. The crowd laughs, the show goes on.
A less savvy politician may have let the matter drop, or, perhaps much worse, taken offense and fired back less than diplomatically. Instead, Mayor Booker posted two youtube.com video outlining his plan in further detail while mock-lambasting the Late Night host. Using the initial jab as a springboard for publicity, Mayor Booker’s use of humor and viral media allowed him to inform his community –and the nation– of his plan. Robert McCall’s first observation, that “services are not terribly useful unless individuals in the community who need them know that they exist,” was therefore solved by the mayor’s positive response to television media (McCall, 1983). To date the videos have received over 300,000 views, tens of thousands more than the total population of Newark, New Jersey itself.
So effective were the viral media videos that the “feud” culminated with an appearance of by the mayor on O’Brien’s California-based program, an unprecedented accomplishment for a mayor (the last politician to appear on the program was G.O.P. presidential candidate and senator John McCain). Again, Booker was given the opportunity to outline his agenda to a national audience, this time through more traditional media of major network television rather than viral internet media. The mayor came off brilliantly in the interview and millions of people were made aware of his plans for the city of Newark. In addition to this exposure, Conan O’Brien presented the mayor with a check for $100,000 towards Mayor Booker’s city civic programs.
Even without the aforementioned donation, one must conclude that the publicity garnered from this exposure will only bolster support for Booker’s plans. McCall explains that “[c]reating awareness is probably the thing mass communications does best. It has been said that the mass media tell people less what to think than what to think about. Moreover, it has been shown that the media suggest to people how much importance they should attach to one issue or another” (McCombs & Shaw 1977).
In the case of Mayor Booker’s reforms, it is logical to assume that the citizens of Newark were impressed that their city was receiving national attention, encouraging a belief that his plans were important and beneficial. “While the media are not likely to change the minds of people who already have strong opinions about a subject,” this openness to exposure and skill in shaping it informed a great many people about services being offered by the city of Newark (McQuail 1969). The benefits from this exposure could be an increased usage and support of said services, investment in the city, as well as the increased profile of Mayor Cory Booker’s image.
With this same concept extended towards other organizations or small businesses, one can see the opportunity that can be taken advantage of –or lost– depending on how well one chooses to interact with both traditional and cutting-edge forms of media. Like the person who fears social exclusion as a result of not adhering to the rules of the dominant world of meaning, organizations and businesses will experience alienation and stagnation if they cannot remain on the cutting edge of communication.
Works Cited
McCall, Robert B. “Family Services and the Mass Media.” Family Relations Vol. 32 No. 3 (1983): 315-322
Shaw, Donald L. & McCombs, Maxwell E. “The Agenda-Setting Function of the Press.” The Emergence of American Political Issues (1977): 211
McQuail, Denis. “Sociology of Mass Communication.” Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 11 (1969): 94.
Every business owner and organization is aware –or at least ought to be– that their relation to, and usage of, the media can have a great impact on their potential for success. It is this point that is argued by Robert McCall in the article “Family Services and The Mass Media.” In it, McCall discusses how to take advantage of all the facets of mass communication for the sake of advertising, specifically with regard to small service agencies who are trying to publicize their research and/or preventative advice. His good intentions focus on training uninformed business owners to exploit the branches of the all powerful mass media tree for the sake of community well-being. Rather than a ferocious beast to be feared, he explains how media might be tamed, turning a potential threat into not just a benefit, but an indispensible tool for success.
This can prove especially so in the not-for-profit sector, where traditional means of advertising are less of an option. An example presented by McCall is adolescent abuse awareness, which, he explains, is far more prevalent than most people know. Such causes ought to take advantage of media exposure at every opportunity, such as hosting media-attracting events, encouraging public service announcements, etc. In the case of such causes, McCall explains that “some agencies are forever on the precipice of financial disaster, and community awareness of their services and accomplishments can be an important method of creating an image that the agency is contributing to the community and worthy of support” (McCall 1983).
A perfect illustration of this concept has just recently unfolded in the national media. The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker, began a series of programs to improve Newark’s standard of living through such means as city-sponsored health-care vouchers. Late night television host Conan O’Brien made light of the program, saying the vouchers amounted to bus tickets out of Newark. The crowd laughs, the show goes on.
A less savvy politician may have let the matter drop, or, perhaps much worse, taken offense and fired back less than diplomatically. Instead, Mayor Booker posted two youtube.com video outlining his plan in further detail while mock-lambasting the Late Night host. Using the initial jab as a springboard for publicity, Mayor Booker’s use of humor and viral media allowed him to inform his community –and the nation– of his plan. Robert McCall’s first observation, that “services are not terribly useful unless individuals in the community who need them know that they exist,” was therefore solved by the mayor’s positive response to television media (McCall, 1983). To date the videos have received over 300,000 views, tens of thousands more than the total population of Newark, New Jersey itself.
So effective were the viral media videos that the “feud” culminated with an appearance of by the mayor on O’Brien’s California-based program, an unprecedented accomplishment for a mayor (the last politician to appear on the program was G.O.P. presidential candidate and senator John McCain). Again, Booker was given the opportunity to outline his agenda to a national audience, this time through more traditional media of major network television rather than viral internet media. The mayor came off brilliantly in the interview and millions of people were made aware of his plans for the city of Newark. In addition to this exposure, Conan O’Brien presented the mayor with a check for $100,000 towards Mayor Booker’s city civic programs.
Even without the aforementioned donation, one must conclude that the publicity garnered from this exposure will only bolster support for Booker’s plans. McCall explains that “[c]reating awareness is probably the thing mass communications does best. It has been said that the mass media tell people less what to think than what to think about. Moreover, it has been shown that the media suggest to people how much importance they should attach to one issue or another” (McCombs & Shaw 1977).
In the case of Mayor Booker’s reforms, it is logical to assume that the citizens of Newark were impressed that their city was receiving national attention, encouraging a belief that his plans were important and beneficial. “While the media are not likely to change the minds of people who already have strong opinions about a subject,” this openness to exposure and skill in shaping it informed a great many people about services being offered by the city of Newark (McQuail 1969). The benefits from this exposure could be an increased usage and support of said services, investment in the city, as well as the increased profile of Mayor Cory Booker’s image.
With this same concept extended towards other organizations or small businesses, one can see the opportunity that can be taken advantage of –or lost– depending on how well one chooses to interact with both traditional and cutting-edge forms of media. Like the person who fears social exclusion as a result of not adhering to the rules of the dominant world of meaning, organizations and businesses will experience alienation and stagnation if they cannot remain on the cutting edge of communication.
Works Cited
McCall, Robert B. “Family Services and the Mass Media.” Family Relations Vol. 32 No. 3 (1983): 315-322
Shaw, Donald L. & McCombs, Maxwell E. “The Agenda-Setting Function of the Press.” The Emergence of American Political Issues (1977): 211
McQuail, Denis. “Sociology of Mass Communication.” Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 11 (1969): 94.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
3 Abstracts
McCall, Robert B. “Family Services and the Mass Media.” Family Relations 32.3 (1983): 315-22.
In this article, McCall expresses how service agencies can use mass media for the betterment of the community and their own preservation. Despite the overwhelming fear of being misrepresented to the public, service professionals can use these guidelines provided by McCall to ensure their message and purpose is accurately translated to the people. Since the main concern of these particular service agencies is the welfare of children and families within the community, it is necessary that a primary objective is to give them as much information as possible, instead of trying to tell them what to do. McCall delves into the three types of information (events, feature material, and public service) which are all about keeping the public informed while still advertising the agency. This information can be shared with the community via brochures and pamphlets, which is targeted communication, or they can utilize local newspapers and television programs. Press conferences and interviews send your particular research through a translation process which is at risk for being distorted by the reporters and the editors. In order to avoid these misinterpretations, McCall explains methods on how to be brief and concise; he also admonishes any professional in an interview situation to stay within their own realm of knowledge and don't get pulled into topics in which you have little experience. Through the medium of talk shows, one doesn't have to worry about the distortion of his/her ideas but more the expression of complex thoughts in layman's terms; in order to ease this translation, McCall recommends having a number of examples on hand. In all of these situations in which your research is being passed through mediums, as well as people, to get to the source (the public), practicing with non-scholarly friends and preparing some powerful quotations are among the many suggestions McCall prescribes to the service professional who fears the manipulation that is inherent in mass communication.
Bhowmik, Someswar. “Politics of Film Censorship.” Economic and Political Weekly 37.35 (2002): 3574-577.
This article discusses the history of censorship of film in India and how the constant alterations to the Indian Constitution have changed the restraints very little. The three major areas of censorship (sex, violence, and politics) have put a leash on free speech since the British imposed film regulation in 1920. The perennial dispute emerges through additions to Indian law: How can we preserve free speech while assuring the protection of morality within society. The government claims that the welfare of the people is its motivation, but Bhowmik shows us the signs that reveal an underlining political agenda which limits film exhibition to numerous strictures. The press and the theater have found their way around censorship, while film is made subject to vague confines, making it simple for government to protest whenever they please. While articles created by the government actually forbid film censorship through the guarantee of Fundamental Rights, the government itself refuses to acknowledge the incompatibility of free speech laid down in the Constitution and the regulation of film. Bhowmik casts light on avoidance maneuvers of the Indian government; he unveils their methods of ambiguous terminology and exposes the continuity of the same old mind set by acknowledging the replacement of one censorship system with another system of a different name (but with no significant change in its function).
Razel, Micha. “The Complex Model of Television Viewing and Educational Achievement.” The Journal of Educational Research 94.6 (2001): 371-79.
The article by Micha Razel discusses the relationship between television viewing and educational achievement. Razel notices that no conclusive results have been published, and he takes it upon himself to gather information from six different studies that analyze the effect of television on the academic success of students ranging from 5 to 17 years old. The results showed that kids have an optimal viewing time in which viewing television is beneficial to their scholastic endeavors; however, this optimal viewing time decreases with age. For example, the optimal viewing time for a 9 year old is 2 hours a day while for a 17 year old only 0.5 hours a day would be beneficial. Razel believes that viewing time is the cause of achievement and it has an overall negative effect since the positive viewing range is so much smaller than the negative range. 55% of the students view 3 hours a day more than their optimal viewing time which lowers their grades by 0.26 standard deviation. These studies did not take into account the quality of the programming, which would explain why viewing is so beneficial for young children considering the shows they watch often promote educational development. Razel contends that the next step in this research would be to take into account the quality of the viewing.
In this article, McCall expresses how service agencies can use mass media for the betterment of the community and their own preservation. Despite the overwhelming fear of being misrepresented to the public, service professionals can use these guidelines provided by McCall to ensure their message and purpose is accurately translated to the people. Since the main concern of these particular service agencies is the welfare of children and families within the community, it is necessary that a primary objective is to give them as much information as possible, instead of trying to tell them what to do. McCall delves into the three types of information (events, feature material, and public service) which are all about keeping the public informed while still advertising the agency. This information can be shared with the community via brochures and pamphlets, which is targeted communication, or they can utilize local newspapers and television programs. Press conferences and interviews send your particular research through a translation process which is at risk for being distorted by the reporters and the editors. In order to avoid these misinterpretations, McCall explains methods on how to be brief and concise; he also admonishes any professional in an interview situation to stay within their own realm of knowledge and don't get pulled into topics in which you have little experience. Through the medium of talk shows, one doesn't have to worry about the distortion of his/her ideas but more the expression of complex thoughts in layman's terms; in order to ease this translation, McCall recommends having a number of examples on hand. In all of these situations in which your research is being passed through mediums, as well as people, to get to the source (the public), practicing with non-scholarly friends and preparing some powerful quotations are among the many suggestions McCall prescribes to the service professional who fears the manipulation that is inherent in mass communication.
Bhowmik, Someswar. “Politics of Film Censorship.” Economic and Political Weekly 37.35 (2002): 3574-577.
This article discusses the history of censorship of film in India and how the constant alterations to the Indian Constitution have changed the restraints very little. The three major areas of censorship (sex, violence, and politics) have put a leash on free speech since the British imposed film regulation in 1920. The perennial dispute emerges through additions to Indian law: How can we preserve free speech while assuring the protection of morality within society. The government claims that the welfare of the people is its motivation, but Bhowmik shows us the signs that reveal an underlining political agenda which limits film exhibition to numerous strictures. The press and the theater have found their way around censorship, while film is made subject to vague confines, making it simple for government to protest whenever they please. While articles created by the government actually forbid film censorship through the guarantee of Fundamental Rights, the government itself refuses to acknowledge the incompatibility of free speech laid down in the Constitution and the regulation of film. Bhowmik casts light on avoidance maneuvers of the Indian government; he unveils their methods of ambiguous terminology and exposes the continuity of the same old mind set by acknowledging the replacement of one censorship system with another system of a different name (but with no significant change in its function).
Razel, Micha. “The Complex Model of Television Viewing and Educational Achievement.” The Journal of Educational Research 94.6 (2001): 371-79.
The article by Micha Razel discusses the relationship between television viewing and educational achievement. Razel notices that no conclusive results have been published, and he takes it upon himself to gather information from six different studies that analyze the effect of television on the academic success of students ranging from 5 to 17 years old. The results showed that kids have an optimal viewing time in which viewing television is beneficial to their scholastic endeavors; however, this optimal viewing time decreases with age. For example, the optimal viewing time for a 9 year old is 2 hours a day while for a 17 year old only 0.5 hours a day would be beneficial. Razel believes that viewing time is the cause of achievement and it has an overall negative effect since the positive viewing range is so much smaller than the negative range. 55% of the students view 3 hours a day more than their optimal viewing time which lowers their grades by 0.26 standard deviation. These studies did not take into account the quality of the programming, which would explain why viewing is so beneficial for young children considering the shows they watch often promote educational development. Razel contends that the next step in this research would be to take into account the quality of the viewing.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Intellectual Bio
My interest in media studies can be expressed as a binary of social mechanisms. One mechanism being simply human interaction; as long as I can remember, I have gaged my life success on the depth and variety of my communication with others. The other aspect that ropes me in is the advances in technology that not only allow us to bring far off values and ideas into our homes, but also have begun to morph into a living thing that repeatedly defines us through the permeation of mainstream standards. Using our technology, I hope to explore and document differing cultures throughout the world, or at least a alternate option that makes me feel connected or like I’m making an eye-opening contribution. I feel like in America people can get so entangled in their own lives and forget about the rest of the world. We need to step outside the Order that rules our lives every once and a while, and see things from another perspective.
This earliest memory I have was an instance of me just wanting to be around people and experience the world with them. Unfortunately, those people happened to be my older brother, Nick, and his friends when I was 6. I just wanted to join in while they were riding bikes, but at the time, I was bikeless. So it basically turned into a game of chase until my brother, Nick, ran over my leg with his bicycle breaking my tibia in two places. I cried until my mom came out and picked me up off the ground. While balling my eyes out, I just kept saying the same thing over and over again: “I just wanted to play.” I suppose all kids just want to play, but I had some sort of obsession with always being around people and listening to any stories anyone would be willing to tell me. I don’t remember seeing Nick while I was at the hospital, but apparently he felt really bad about the whole thing. After this incident, my brother and I were no longer close. My mom thought it was dangerous for me to hang out with the big kids, and I guess Nick was tired of having his little brother tag along.
My family moved around a lot while I was growing up. From Louisiana to Michigan to South Carolina to Maryland back to South Carolina to England back to Michigan and finally to Delaware where I started 9th grade. Molly and Nick found it very hard to leave each place; truly, countless tears were shed in the back of my dad’s Subaru van while we drove several hours to our new home. For some reason, I never really minded our family expositions. Excited at the prospect of meeting new people in a new environment, I was usually eager to meet the next bunch of kids that would inevitably judge me by my clothes or the first couple sentences that came out of my mouth. It was also a chance to start over; every place I’ve lived, I’ve been someone different. I’ve been the 4th grade social butterfly who all the little girls fawned over, and I’ve been the quiet 5th grader who hung out with the smelly kid that loved professional wrestling. Taking numerous different perspectives really helps your social analysis skills in the long run. I’m the perennial new kid.
The first place I really felt a strong connection with was Lichfield, England. I only lived there for 2 years (from age 11 to 13), but the friends I made there will last me a lifetime. Now even though we speak the same language as the English, I must say that their lifestyle is so different to ours, especially when you’re 12 years old. First of all, as soon as I arrived at The Friary School I was some sort of celebrity just because I’m American (Lichfield, being the smallest city in England, doesn’t frequently encounter outsiders). And it seemed like everyone wanted to beat me up. Apparently that happens to all the new kids, but it felt like some serious Revolutionary War backlash was going on all around me (mainly because of all the “yank” insults). My second day I was confronted by a kid named Chris Hewkin who threw down the gauntlet to fight in front on a large group of students in the courtyard. This guy was about a foot shorter than me, but I had never been in a fight so I respectfully declined and began to walk away. The courtyard became so silent all of the sudden, as if no one had ever seen a spat end so peacefully; but the silence soon turned to the pitter patter of little feet running fast, and a jump kick to my lower back pumped the crowd up to a roar. Although it doesn’t seem like I won this particular battle, that was the year I signed up for the school’s peer mediation program; I helped settle disputes between students by rationalizing the situation. It was a great skill to learn for future encounters.
Luckily, despite the fact I was under constant attack by kevs (street hooligans) and still awkward with girls, I made some really close friends in my home room class. Matt Hale was the athletic, hilarious, good looking guy that sits right behind me; to this day, he is still my best friend. In the seat next to Matt sits James Lang, a skinny blond kid with a chipped tooth that is often called a “scutter” (meaning his family is somewhat poor) by the other kids. Sitting next to me is quite an eccentric little kid and his overbite is almost uncomfortable to look at; his name is Andrew Bird, but we all called him Birdy. The four of us were practically inseparable for the duration of my stay in the UK.
Most other 12/13 year olds in Lichfield were out vandalizing, scouting for girls, or trying to find alcohol, but we still played like children. I remember we had different bases all around the city; some were hidden and some were in plain site, but all of them had at least one tree we could climb. At our bases we didn’t really conduct any sort of secret business. We basically just climbed trees, watched other people, and talked. Amongst the many topics (favorite candies, what super power would you have, where would you go if you had to leave home, etc.), we often discussed possible future occupations. We were never able to convince James that he couldn’t be a fire truck no matter how badly he wanted to be. Andrew was very into computers and wanted to create video games (which he in fact ended up doing). My choice would change from base to base. I wanted to be a singer, an actor, a lawyer, a doctor, a professional thief, a priest, a psychologist, and the list goes on. Matt always joined in with our fantasy futures and weighed out the pros and cons of each possibility, but he never gave any specific profession that he would like. Occasionally, he would say he wanted to play professional soccer (which he actually could have), but he mainly just said he wanted to work with people. He wanted to help them, learn from them, and understand them. And as vague as that sounds, it really impacted me and changed my perspective from then on.
A lot has happened since then. I moved back to America, lived in Michigan for a year, went to high school and graduated in Delaware, and received my undergraduate degree in four years after attending three universities (Virginia Tech, University of Delaware, and Notre Dame). My media experience up to this point has consisted of recording music on a program called Acid, and in practically any instance in which a teacher would assign a project (in high school or college) I would make a video of some sort. My high school English teacher, Mrs. Kohl, always got a kick out of our videos and encouraged me to keep making them. Another major impact the helped form my ideas about my future was my first Communications class taught by Professor Giglio. When I realized that all the observations I had been making about human interactions over the years were actually an intellectual study, I knew it would be a passion of mine forever. Throughout the course of my college career, my major changed from Communications to English to Film to English/Film. I’m starting to see a pattern with my interests and I believe the media studies program will provide me with the technical tools needed to advance into the realm of intellectual creativity.
After college I didn’t have much of a direction, just an English degree and a few thousand dollars saved up. So I bought a plane ticket to England, stuffed some clothes in a big duffle bag, grabbed my guitar, and headed out with no real agenda whatsoever; with the help of my friends, I was able to book shows at music venues in England, Scotland, France, Spain, and Sweden. I had some great experiences that I’m sure I will tell in another essay, but for my purposes here, I will move on to the real reason I left Europe to come the New York and start my master’s program at The New School.
One Saturday night, I received a video message from my brother; he was drunk and asking me all about my foreign adventures across the pond. Then he talked about his situation; he’s working for Apple and he loves it. He graduated from Notre Dame with a film degree, but he works for 10 dollars an hour at the Mac store and he loves it. He spoke so passionately about wanting to be on the cutting edge of technology and how this is his way of connecting with the world. I remember he drunkenly looked into the camera and said, “I want to be IN the computer!” I laughed for quite a while as I watched it a second time, but then I realized that I wanted to be just as driven as he is. I’m having these great interactions on far off soil and meeting such interesting people, but I saw that I needed some more structure. The next day I booked a flight back to Delaware and as soon as I was home, I applied to a graduate program in New York City at The New School.
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:30 am I found myself in Christiana Hospital standing next to my brother who was bedridden from stage 4 melanoma; I hadn’t been in a hospital with him since he broke my leg. I considered quitting my media studies program before it even started just to spend every moment I could with him. But after only 25 minutes of wiping sweat from his forehead, I watched him leave this place. But he left me with his drive, with his energy. I chose media studies because I like the theoretical break down of how with interact with each other using these different emerging and always changing forms of communication. I also love the opportunity to create, specifically documentary film on foreign cultures. I simply want to experience people, how the live and how it varies from town to city to village to country. And using mass communication, we can open up these other worlds and share these cultural values that are so precious to each community. Nick gave me a kind of ambition that I never thought I could have, and he’s the reason I’m here.
This earliest memory I have was an instance of me just wanting to be around people and experience the world with them. Unfortunately, those people happened to be my older brother, Nick, and his friends when I was 6. I just wanted to join in while they were riding bikes, but at the time, I was bikeless. So it basically turned into a game of chase until my brother, Nick, ran over my leg with his bicycle breaking my tibia in two places. I cried until my mom came out and picked me up off the ground. While balling my eyes out, I just kept saying the same thing over and over again: “I just wanted to play.” I suppose all kids just want to play, but I had some sort of obsession with always being around people and listening to any stories anyone would be willing to tell me. I don’t remember seeing Nick while I was at the hospital, but apparently he felt really bad about the whole thing. After this incident, my brother and I were no longer close. My mom thought it was dangerous for me to hang out with the big kids, and I guess Nick was tired of having his little brother tag along.
My family moved around a lot while I was growing up. From Louisiana to Michigan to South Carolina to Maryland back to South Carolina to England back to Michigan and finally to Delaware where I started 9th grade. Molly and Nick found it very hard to leave each place; truly, countless tears were shed in the back of my dad’s Subaru van while we drove several hours to our new home. For some reason, I never really minded our family expositions. Excited at the prospect of meeting new people in a new environment, I was usually eager to meet the next bunch of kids that would inevitably judge me by my clothes or the first couple sentences that came out of my mouth. It was also a chance to start over; every place I’ve lived, I’ve been someone different. I’ve been the 4th grade social butterfly who all the little girls fawned over, and I’ve been the quiet 5th grader who hung out with the smelly kid that loved professional wrestling. Taking numerous different perspectives really helps your social analysis skills in the long run. I’m the perennial new kid.
The first place I really felt a strong connection with was Lichfield, England. I only lived there for 2 years (from age 11 to 13), but the friends I made there will last me a lifetime. Now even though we speak the same language as the English, I must say that their lifestyle is so different to ours, especially when you’re 12 years old. First of all, as soon as I arrived at The Friary School I was some sort of celebrity just because I’m American (Lichfield, being the smallest city in England, doesn’t frequently encounter outsiders). And it seemed like everyone wanted to beat me up. Apparently that happens to all the new kids, but it felt like some serious Revolutionary War backlash was going on all around me (mainly because of all the “yank” insults). My second day I was confronted by a kid named Chris Hewkin who threw down the gauntlet to fight in front on a large group of students in the courtyard. This guy was about a foot shorter than me, but I had never been in a fight so I respectfully declined and began to walk away. The courtyard became so silent all of the sudden, as if no one had ever seen a spat end so peacefully; but the silence soon turned to the pitter patter of little feet running fast, and a jump kick to my lower back pumped the crowd up to a roar. Although it doesn’t seem like I won this particular battle, that was the year I signed up for the school’s peer mediation program; I helped settle disputes between students by rationalizing the situation. It was a great skill to learn for future encounters.
Luckily, despite the fact I was under constant attack by kevs (street hooligans) and still awkward with girls, I made some really close friends in my home room class. Matt Hale was the athletic, hilarious, good looking guy that sits right behind me; to this day, he is still my best friend. In the seat next to Matt sits James Lang, a skinny blond kid with a chipped tooth that is often called a “scutter” (meaning his family is somewhat poor) by the other kids. Sitting next to me is quite an eccentric little kid and his overbite is almost uncomfortable to look at; his name is Andrew Bird, but we all called him Birdy. The four of us were practically inseparable for the duration of my stay in the UK.
Most other 12/13 year olds in Lichfield were out vandalizing, scouting for girls, or trying to find alcohol, but we still played like children. I remember we had different bases all around the city; some were hidden and some were in plain site, but all of them had at least one tree we could climb. At our bases we didn’t really conduct any sort of secret business. We basically just climbed trees, watched other people, and talked. Amongst the many topics (favorite candies, what super power would you have, where would you go if you had to leave home, etc.), we often discussed possible future occupations. We were never able to convince James that he couldn’t be a fire truck no matter how badly he wanted to be. Andrew was very into computers and wanted to create video games (which he in fact ended up doing). My choice would change from base to base. I wanted to be a singer, an actor, a lawyer, a doctor, a professional thief, a priest, a psychologist, and the list goes on. Matt always joined in with our fantasy futures and weighed out the pros and cons of each possibility, but he never gave any specific profession that he would like. Occasionally, he would say he wanted to play professional soccer (which he actually could have), but he mainly just said he wanted to work with people. He wanted to help them, learn from them, and understand them. And as vague as that sounds, it really impacted me and changed my perspective from then on.
A lot has happened since then. I moved back to America, lived in Michigan for a year, went to high school and graduated in Delaware, and received my undergraduate degree in four years after attending three universities (Virginia Tech, University of Delaware, and Notre Dame). My media experience up to this point has consisted of recording music on a program called Acid, and in practically any instance in which a teacher would assign a project (in high school or college) I would make a video of some sort. My high school English teacher, Mrs. Kohl, always got a kick out of our videos and encouraged me to keep making them. Another major impact the helped form my ideas about my future was my first Communications class taught by Professor Giglio. When I realized that all the observations I had been making about human interactions over the years were actually an intellectual study, I knew it would be a passion of mine forever. Throughout the course of my college career, my major changed from Communications to English to Film to English/Film. I’m starting to see a pattern with my interests and I believe the media studies program will provide me with the technical tools needed to advance into the realm of intellectual creativity.
After college I didn’t have much of a direction, just an English degree and a few thousand dollars saved up. So I bought a plane ticket to England, stuffed some clothes in a big duffle bag, grabbed my guitar, and headed out with no real agenda whatsoever; with the help of my friends, I was able to book shows at music venues in England, Scotland, France, Spain, and Sweden. I had some great experiences that I’m sure I will tell in another essay, but for my purposes here, I will move on to the real reason I left Europe to come the New York and start my master’s program at The New School.
One Saturday night, I received a video message from my brother; he was drunk and asking me all about my foreign adventures across the pond. Then he talked about his situation; he’s working for Apple and he loves it. He graduated from Notre Dame with a film degree, but he works for 10 dollars an hour at the Mac store and he loves it. He spoke so passionately about wanting to be on the cutting edge of technology and how this is his way of connecting with the world. I remember he drunkenly looked into the camera and said, “I want to be IN the computer!” I laughed for quite a while as I watched it a second time, but then I realized that I wanted to be just as driven as he is. I’m having these great interactions on far off soil and meeting such interesting people, but I saw that I needed some more structure. The next day I booked a flight back to Delaware and as soon as I was home, I applied to a graduate program in New York City at The New School.
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:30 am I found myself in Christiana Hospital standing next to my brother who was bedridden from stage 4 melanoma; I hadn’t been in a hospital with him since he broke my leg. I considered quitting my media studies program before it even started just to spend every moment I could with him. But after only 25 minutes of wiping sweat from his forehead, I watched him leave this place. But he left me with his drive, with his energy. I chose media studies because I like the theoretical break down of how with interact with each other using these different emerging and always changing forms of communication. I also love the opportunity to create, specifically documentary film on foreign cultures. I simply want to experience people, how the live and how it varies from town to city to village to country. And using mass communication, we can open up these other worlds and share these cultural values that are so precious to each community. Nick gave me a kind of ambition that I never thought I could have, and he’s the reason I’m here.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Library Assignment
Patrick Bruno
Sanja Trpkovic
Understanding Media Studies
16 Sept. 2009
Library Assignment
1. Book: Children, Gender, Video Games
Author: Valerie Walkerdine
The title of this book roped me in from the beginning since they are three of my favorite topics. Walkerdine discusses the ongoing debate of whether video games are detrimental to children, but more importantly, she analyses game playing as a social phenomenon. She looks at this complex virtual gaming world in which kids are the experts and wonders how this alternative realm affects psychological development. She also considers how gender figures into gameplay.
2. Article: Keeping Pace with Teen Media Use
Author: Heidi A. Fuller; Amy M. Dmico
This article was actually based on a study that was conducted to understand how teenagers experience media and the potential health risks involved with media use. 21 students (11 boys, 10 girls) were chosen randomly from a New England high school; each student was given a one-on-one interview pertaining to their media involvement. Open-ended questions allowed each student to speak specifically about their concerns with media (mainly television and advertisements). Interestingly enough, the one-on-one interview method seems tainted from the start as this type of atmosphere would most definitely affect the responses of a group of adolescent kids. I even remember reading that the gender of the interviewer affects how the interviewee will reply.
But what these researchers found to be most significant about the analysis is that the adolescents didn’t feel at risk for falling victim to alcohol or tobacco advertisements. This feeling of being above the influence, one of the media elite, is quite common amongst media users. Most people contend that they are not fooled by advertisements; however, the products still get bought. I think that just assuming you’re one of the elite is a good way to put yourself at risk. Just because they believe they’re above it doesn’t mean they aren’t affected and shaped by it every day.
3. Video: Dreamworlds 3: Desire, Sex, & Power in Music Video
Writer, Editor, Narrator: Sut Jhally
Dreamworlds 3 discussed gender roles and how they are played out in music videos. It seems that the objectification of women has permeated all genres of the music video (country, hip hop, rock, etc). Women are constantly portrayed as fragmented images, scattered shots of body parts. Femininity is always connected to sexuality, and the women are repeatedly dependent on men and the male gaze. Masculinity is often associated with aggression which the women passionately welcome. These concepts of what it means to be a man or woman rule the dreamworld, but it can become extremely dangerous when this spills over into the real world.
Sanja Trpkovic
Understanding Media Studies
16 Sept. 2009
Library Assignment
1. Book: Children, Gender, Video Games
Author: Valerie Walkerdine
The title of this book roped me in from the beginning since they are three of my favorite topics. Walkerdine discusses the ongoing debate of whether video games are detrimental to children, but more importantly, she analyses game playing as a social phenomenon. She looks at this complex virtual gaming world in which kids are the experts and wonders how this alternative realm affects psychological development. She also considers how gender figures into gameplay.
2. Article: Keeping Pace with Teen Media Use
Author: Heidi A. Fuller; Amy M. Dmico
This article was actually based on a study that was conducted to understand how teenagers experience media and the potential health risks involved with media use. 21 students (11 boys, 10 girls) were chosen randomly from a New England high school; each student was given a one-on-one interview pertaining to their media involvement. Open-ended questions allowed each student to speak specifically about their concerns with media (mainly television and advertisements). Interestingly enough, the one-on-one interview method seems tainted from the start as this type of atmosphere would most definitely affect the responses of a group of adolescent kids. I even remember reading that the gender of the interviewer affects how the interviewee will reply.
But what these researchers found to be most significant about the analysis is that the adolescents didn’t feel at risk for falling victim to alcohol or tobacco advertisements. This feeling of being above the influence, one of the media elite, is quite common amongst media users. Most people contend that they are not fooled by advertisements; however, the products still get bought. I think that just assuming you’re one of the elite is a good way to put yourself at risk. Just because they believe they’re above it doesn’t mean they aren’t affected and shaped by it every day.
3. Video: Dreamworlds 3: Desire, Sex, & Power in Music Video
Writer, Editor, Narrator: Sut Jhally
Dreamworlds 3 discussed gender roles and how they are played out in music videos. It seems that the objectification of women has permeated all genres of the music video (country, hip hop, rock, etc). Women are constantly portrayed as fragmented images, scattered shots of body parts. Femininity is always connected to sexuality, and the women are repeatedly dependent on men and the male gaze. Masculinity is often associated with aggression which the women passionately welcome. These concepts of what it means to be a man or woman rule the dreamworld, but it can become extremely dangerous when this spills over into the real world.
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