Globalization.

Globalization is the process through which nations and cultures diffuse and integrate through shared ideas, people, and technology.  The evolution of an idea from local to global is the main concept behind globalization.  A main branch of globalization is hybridization, the means by which two cultures mix and create a sort of fusion.  An example of this is the fast food chain McDonalds.  As the restaurant spread out and went over seas, the menu changed.  The cultures that the chain reached influenced what Mcdonalds served, fusing American ideals with foreign tastes.  For instance, the Indian Mcdonalds menu sports no beef, only chicken and lamb because of the Hindu culture.

The Age Of Adz.

This commercial advertisement from Monster begins with a stork and baby.  The protective stork watches over the baby, safeguarding the child from the elements and other dangers.  After the stork travels the long distance it had to cover to drop off the baby to the parents, the scene transitions into the baby's adulthood.  The man yawns and aimlessly shuffles his papers with a look of disengagement.  As the stork appears in the window, the two make eye contact and the stork pierces the man with a disappointing stare.  The ad ends with a chillingly and perfectly relevant question everyone should ask themselves, "Are you reaching your potential?"  As a college student, this powerful ad appeals to me because the college life is all about reaching your potential socially and academically.

Advertisements use different types of appeals to attract an audience.  This ad uses the achievement style.  The achievement style makes the viewer analyze themselves.  These types of ads have to convince the audience that the product will make a difference in their lives.  In this commercial, Monster is calling out all the lazy and purposeless dead end job employees, advertising that their service can help one get back on track.  The ad forces whoever is watching to take a look at their lives and decide whether their job is where they want to be.  Another example of using the achievement style could be found in a product for losing weight or gaining muscle.

This is my blog post for today's assignment.

The first rule of making a film with a 3-act structure is you must have an introduction.
The second rule of making a film with a 3-act structure is you must have a complication.
The third rule of making a film with a 3-act structure is you must have a resolution.

Fight Club does this.

Act I: The movie's introduction serves to establish the main characters and storyline.  We learn who Tyler Durden is (sort of) and what he is doing with his life.  The first act also typically lasts 30 minutes, consuming the film's first quarter.  In Fight Club, the first act comes to a conclusion right at the 30 minute mark, during the first fight outside the bar.  This scene also serves as the first plot point that propels the audience into the second act.

Act II: Known as the complication, the second act throws obstacles at the main character.  Fight Club accomplishes this with all the fights, Marla drama, and Project Mayhem.  While the first act only takes up one quarter of the film, the second generally comprises the next two, or 60 minutes.  Fight Club's runs up until Tyler Durden's disappearance, right on the 1:38:00 mark.  This disappearance acts as the second plot point, slingshotting the viewer into the third and final act.

Act III: The final act, or resolution, is where shit really hits the fan.  This act includes the climax, or maximum tension point, and takes up the film's last quarter.  In Fight Club, this point begins when the main character restlessly searches for Tyler, speaks to Marla on the phone, and eventually realizes his true identity.  From this point on, after the audience has already shat brix, the film concludes with the denouement.

Sitcoms.

The conventional sitcom has a 3-act structure.  The first act introduces a problem that the characters must solve.  The second shows the characters trying to fix whatever issue, normally in a humorous fashion.  Finally, the third act resolves the problem and is generally referred to as "the lesson."  By introducing a new problem with each episode, screenwriters attract viewers to see what will happen next.  An example of a sitcom that incorporates the 3-act structure is "The Office".

The most recent episode of "The Office" begins the first act with Jim, Dwight, and Michael losing a sale to Tim Olyphant's character.  In order to fix this problem, the show moves into the second act as the characters set up a sting operation in order to investigate Olyphant's successful sales techniques.  Finally, the show ends and the problem is resolved when Michael Scott abruptly hires the competition: "If you can't beat them, join them."  This episode, like all the other episodes of "The Office" and many other sitcoms, presents a problem, goes through the process of solving that problem, and ends with a resolution. 

Shots Seen Round The World.

The camera shots used in film can be put into 3 main categories.  The first, the long shot, gives an overview of the scenery.  The second, the medium shot, is known as the information shot.  Finally, the close up shot reveals the important details needed to tell the story.  In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson uses these shot types to convey the setting and emotions of the characters.

In the above pictures, Jackson takes the normal shot progression from long to medium and flips it.  By showing the characters at a medium distance in this scene, the audience can make out the outlines of the Fellowship of the Ring, including the more pronounced figures of Legolas in the back and Gandalf in the front.  This allows the viewer to know who is trekking along the snow covered mountain.  Then, the camera starts to zoom out, allowing more of the scene into the picture.  By backing the camera up, Jackson reveals just how small the characters are compared to the vast danger of the mountain.  This long shot isolates the characters against the menacing blizzard surrounding them.  Finally, Jackson finishes off the sequence showing close ups of the characters to reveal their distressed emotions.

The above images use the close up shot technique to portray just how treacherous the situation is.  By zooming in on the faces of characters such as Aragorn and Legolas, the spectator can better focus on the emotions of the characters instead of being distracted by anything else in the picture.

The full clip can be seen below:

10^3

The classical Hollywood system had many parts to it, one of them being the star system.  The star system was a sort of actor exploitation: using the actors as an image for new and upcoming movies.  In this system, the film hardly ever mattered, as long as so and so was in it, the movie would become popular.  These stars would also be used to promote up and coming stars, creating a continual process.  The studios would poach actors from an early age, glamorizing them and making them into likable characters.  By molding who they would play from an early age, the actors were exclusively linked to both their specific studio and specific genre.  Because these star system actors were tied down to specific genres, this often affected what movies the studios put out, based on the popularity of a particular actor.

The studios would act in response to who the public liked the most, churning out movies that reflected that character and appropriate genre.  Thus, the industry went through a monotonous cycle of actors, contractually forced to play the same role over and over again.  Studios would also rent actors from other studios in hopes of producing similar successes. 

A classic example of a star within the star system is Judy Garland.  Garland was signed to MGM back in 1935.  She had a specific list of character traits shared among most young female stars, representing a youthful and innocent image.  She is most known for her star role in The Wizard of Oz in 1938.  At age 16, MGM had already established her as a spirited musical talent.  The following is a clip from The Wizard of Oz, showcasing Garland's role in classic Hollywood.

10/3/2010

Television shows have a way of capturing and showcasing issues that may have been shrugged off otherwise.  The 1970's show "All in the Family" and present day series "Modern Family" are no different.  These productions deal with a wide range of "problems" revolving around the household.  However, though they have their similarities, "All in the Family" and "Modern Family" are also very different.  A testament to the evolution of cultural norms, these two shows illustrate society's irregularities relative to their own time period.

When "All in the Family" aired back in 1971, the series pushed the envelope on what was shown on network television.  Depicting such issues as homosexuality, "All in the Family" successfully criticized and dealt with the concerns of the typical prejudiced American.  The show's creators did this through the main character, Archie Bunker.  Archie represented the stereotypical and close minded blue-collar worker of the 1970's, criticizing everything and everyone outside of the social standard.  This was perfectly exemplified in the episode at the screening, when Archie cynically disapproved of his son's gay friend.  Though "Modern Family" also deals with homosexuality, the series does it very differently.  Instead of taking a critical approach to homosexuality, creators Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan perfectly incorporate the idea into the family, allowing the audience to overlook its peculiarity.  By establishing an environment in which a gay couple is commonplace, "Modern Family" shows just how far American culture has come.  Though both shows discuss homosexuality, this is not the only topic they care to highlight.

In "Modern Family," the show incorporates an interracial couple in the form of Jay and Gloria.  Gloria, a young woman of Colombian descent, is married to white middle aged Jay who also acts as the step father to Manny, Gloria's son.  This mashed up couple covers divorce, mixed and matched age, and cultural diversity, affairs that "All in the Family" did not include.  An issue that "All in the Family" discussed that "Modern Family" did not was the inclusion of a married couple still living with their parents.  Creators of the 1970's show also included the belittlement of women, exemplified most effectively in Archie's poor treatment of his wife.

Although "Modern Family" and "All in the Family" have their differences, both shows effectively shine a much needed light on America's prejudices.  By adding a comedic element to the mix, the shows camouflage their message in an easily digestible form.  The shows are also similar because they both keep intact that warm family feeling, though at times it can be a bit breezy.

All Your Radio Are Belong To Us.

Technological advancements in the 1920's paved the way for radio's massive expansion by introducing improved and more sophisticated methods of broadcasting.

Changes in technology make our lives easier and more pleasurable.  Ever since the wheel's inception, humanity has been on a roll, whipping up all sorts of gizmos and gadgets ranging from the simplistic household toaster all the way to the bionic eye.  These advancements cause repercussions that shape societies in countless ways politically, socially, and economically.  An example of this besides the radio would be the automobile.  Revolutionizing travel, the car went from a toy for the rich to a necessity for most American homes.  The automobile decreased the time it took to get from point A to point B and brought everyone a little closer to each other, much like the radio did in the 1920's.

There were many players that helped skyrocket the radio's success in America.  Arguably the most important was Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the "wireless telegraph" that encoded messages using radio waves.  Marconi's invention not only helped bring radio to the American public, but it was also key in saving many lives from the Titanic after the ship sent radio distress calls over the Marconi wireless system.  Marconi was also successful in inspiring the Police, who's song "Message In A Bottle" owes all of its success to the inventor.  This technological advancement brought entertainment to American society in the 1920's through the form of talk shows, news, music, and more.  Without geniuses like Marconi and his wireless telegraph, radio would not be what it is today.    

Can't Cultivate Me.

     The cultivation theory explains the infection spreading itself throughout humanity, much like an STD from a sorority house.  This theory also assists me in my perpetual confusion as to America's obsession with tanning.  It has helped me realize that the media could be to blame for all the walking leather chairs and recent rise in Lexol's stock prices.  Or maybe that's just Pauly D doing Pauly D.

     The cultivation theory attempts to analyze media's long term effects on its audience.  Because the media is so prevalent in today's society, its hard not to become consumed in it all.  From violent television shows to scandalous Victoria's Secrets ads, the media is subliminally implanting lasting ideas into the minds of children and adults alike, as if they thought they were Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception.  Films such as "Tough Guise" and "Killing Us Softly" capture this phenomenon perfectly, showcasing how the media is successfully instilling stereotypes, like strong guys must be strong and pretty girls must be pretty.  Another example of cultivation is the frequent cast of ridiculously tan television stars.

     Popular television shows such as The Jersey Shore seemed to be filled to the brim with tan people.  Hell, even their main slogan "GTL' has tan right in the middle.  So its no wonder that teens, young adults, and desperate old timers are hopping on the band wagon and straight into the tanning bed.  When a person's life is mostly absorbed in media, and that media stock's itself with people who look like wanna be brownies, the media is sending the message that to be cool, you must be tan.  The cultivation theory explains this frequent occurrence with perfection.  Basically, society is advertising's bitch. Don't be that bitch.

  

Apple, Rotten to the Core?

Most are familiar with Apple Inc., the corporation giant responsible for the iPhone, iPod, and Mac Computer line.  However, not all people know of Apple's perpetual use of hegomonistic advertising they so delicately force down their customer's throats.  While surfing Apple's website today I noticed their section "Hot News."  This division of apple.com covers all the hot news topics....that include people dropping down to their knees and worshipping the ground Steve Jobs stands on.  With titles like, "iPad Opens Up New Worlds for Autistic Children" and "There’s Magic on Your Desktop," its no wonder how Apple has become so popular.  The company uses the process "gatekeeping" in order to pick and choose what the public reads, allowing Apple to remain in good light.

Gatekeeping refers to the process by which stories are either published or thrown to the curb.  These gatekeepers can use stories that help their overall goal succeed and erase those that don't.  In Apple's case, they choose to publish stories that help their company grow.  By utilizing this controversial method, companies establish a hegemony over their opponents and gain the advantage.

Although the news stories included in the "Hot News" section of Apple's website may be true, the exclusion of negative news articles about Apple's products make me think.  Yet, you really can't blame them for not posting stories that could harm their company.  Much like when I met that cute girl last night.  I conveniently forgot to mention my hobby of mouse taxidermy. 

"Hot News":

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/

This blog is blogging me down.

As Randy Jackson once said, "Dawg pound, we got a hot one tonight!" This intellectually inspiring quotation exclaimed by one of the greatest icons of the 21st century kickstarted my career plans years ago. Ever since Randy captivated me with his awe inspiring words, I knew I had to work for the Idol crew. Whether it be as a screenwriter, script supervisor, or an episodic television writer/producer I wanted to join Randy's family. Then I thought, what better way to reach this goal than to take a course that covers all aspects of radio, television, and film? So here I am, trying to get through this course and prove to Simon that I'm not rubbish like these guys:

More words of wisdom from The Randy Jackson: http://www.westwoodone.com/blog?categoryID=4&memberID=333&dest=/pg/jsp/randyjackson/blogarchive.jsp