Extra Credit Blog

Our last blog! Before being in RTF 305 I have never used a blog for either class or personal use. I think the positive aspects of the blog were: One, it allows you to voice your opinion without being held back. Two, it keeps you current with all the concepts learned throughout the semester making it easier to succeed on the tests. Third and lastly, it really helps you with your rhetoric and writing skills. At the beginning it was tough to figure out how to embed things and make them look clean and neat when they are displayed for the reader.

 In the beginning I was having trouble grasping the concepts but as we went through TA sessions, Keara would tell us what were doing wrong and how to improve on those mistakes in order to receive full credit each time for our blogs. I feel that I was able to over come the difficulties I encountered with the blog. I am partial to whether or not I would recommend the use of blogs, I think some things are helpful and others are hurtful to the learning process. To improve the blogging system they should be highly opinion based and not graded so strictly, this discourages kids from stating their opinions.

“Yes, You may use my blog in a report or a paper.”

Globalization

Cultures and societies have grown together a great deal over the last few decades. Through technological advancements and developments in education and language, this has become made possible. One of the main reasons for this unification is globalization. A good definition for this is the development of stronger ties between people across further areas, cultures, and societies. These bonds come from technological advancements which allow people to reach one another more easily. This induces the spread of cultures and ways of life that ordinarily would be kept isolated from society.

One concept which has been enhanced by globalization is cultural imperialism. This is the name for a specific culture having a sweeping effect and influence on the rest of the world. Before technology made globalization possible, cultures had to be spread by mouth or personal contact. The only way a European could show an American how he lived was to sail across the Atlantic and meet face to face. Now, one can just turn on the TV to see what is going all the way across the world. With this easy access to information, people in different cultures can see how others do certain things. This makes it possible for one influential society to "rule the world" in a sense. If this society provides a more appealing and attractive way of life, others will adopt the lifestyle. This means that the culture will spread and will have a stronger effect and hold on the rest of the world. As people have seen the way Americans lived over the past few years, the United States has developed a very strong identity as an "imperialist culture" which citizens across the world admire, enjoy, and aspire to.

One of the aspects of U.S. culture that has spread through ll societies is Disney. By its entertainment value and attractiveness to kids, it has become an icon of American life which everyone takes part in. It generates billions of dollars in revenue and has a hold on consumers that will not soon disappear. In this way it enhances the American cultural imperialism.

Because human nature causes people to seek entertainment, things like Disney are necessary to society. People can sit down with their family and watch a Disney movie and be sufficiently entertained for hours. Then, as if that were not enough, families from all over the world take vacations to Disney World or Disney Land all the time. Disney became famous and well-known because of TV. People could watch Mickey Mouse at home on the screen and we have all fallen in love with him, for lack of a better term. On Halloween you will see plenty of "mice" running around and on Christmas morning, boxes of Disney presents will be opened everywhere. When people think of icons of U.S. culture many things come to mind. At the top, however, are things like McDonald's, freedom, and this: . As Disney becomes more popular and more people take part in the craze, more money is spent. In this way, an aspect of American culture has gripped the world so tightly that it can effect even the global economy. This could be good or it could be bad. It all depends on individuals themselves and how they want to live their own lives.

Advertisement Strategies

The ad I chose to use was an alcohol ad, because in college and on college campuses I think that alcohol is very prevalent. This is an old ad from Cabo Wabo tequila, and to describe the ad best it is inferring that you would take the bottle from the very attractive female's undergarments and then chase the the shot of tequila with the lime between her breasts. Although it infers that, the ad leaves you very curious as to what actually happens in real life. I think this is ad is both powerful and persuasive. I think it is some what powerful with slogan it gives off "Take your best shot." This is telling men that you can drink this tequila and you will be a man's man. I think it is very persuasive, the reason I think this is because someone who normally wouldn't drink might drink seeing this ad. This ad gives off the interpretation that if you drink this tequila you will be surrounded with these kinda of women doing these kinda of debaucheries. And for men who have low confidences and have not used alcohol much in the  past this kinda of ad sends the message that women will be a sure thing if you drink this alcohol.

This ad pertains to the concept of product placement. Product placement is the process of embedded marketing of products as part of content of film or television shows. Examples of that could be the placement of name brand products in films, t.v. shows, or commercials. In the Slides one example is the promotion of the mini cooper in the film the Italian Job. It is a name brand car, in a huge studio movie. It goes fast does tricks and is driven by stars. Making the audience believe if they drive that car the can be like a star. Another one which is very similar to the one I choose is the absolut vodka ad with the very muscular and stud looking male who is completely naked with only a bottle of vodka covering his groin section. This ad would put curiosity in a female's mind and the ad I chose would  place curiosity in a male's mind. They use the beauty of these people to intrigue the customer about their product.

The ad I chose satisfies the product placement appeal, because it markets its product very well by where the product is placed in the ad. It embeds the tequila into women's body making the audience much more attentive then they normally would be. The ad by Cabo Wabo contains each of the following advertisement characteristics: sex, aggression, dominance, attention, aesthetic sensations, and makes the audience curious. It shows sex obviously by the amount of clothes the female is wearing. It displays dominance by saying if you as a man drink this you will be an alpha male and a dominant man. It brings attention to people by just how revealing it is, it grasps people and says this is how much fun you could have if you used this tequila. It gives off sensations by people who are aroused at the sight of this attractive female. And the way the ad is displayed  it makes the audience curious to what the ad would look like if it were fully shown.

Three Act Structure

In Hollywood the 3 act structure is pretty prevalent amongst films in the drama genre, as it was derived from the classical dramatic (tragic) structure. The drama I chose was the movie Varsity Blues. The reason I chose Varsity blues is because the 3 act structure is great for quest stories, triumph stories, and happy ending stories as well. Varsity Blues contains all three of these elements, making it pretty easy to lay out the components of the film in the 3 act structure. The 3 act structure is as follows: there is plot point number one, plot point number two, and the climax. Varsity Blues begins in a small west Texas town based around a high school football team with high expectations for the upcoming season. The star quarterback, Lance has a state championship to win and a full-ride scholarship to college football powerhouse Florida State in his sights. In the beginning of the movie everything is going as planned for the West Canaan Coyotes, until Lance gets hurt in the beginning of the season  it ends the first act. It escalates the stakes, because now the team is going to still have to produce with much less talent then before. It adds complication as well because no one knows how the team is going to fair for the season, or if they are going to live up to expectations. The second plot point is when back up quarterback and best friend of starting quarterback, Johnny Moxon takes the field. Moxon is a studious high schooler waiting to hear back from his college of choice, Brown University. As Moxon goes through the season he does well winning all but one game putting them in contention of their preseason goals. Everything seems to be going well and on track at the point in the movie. The second plot point ends with Moxon receiving his letter of acceptance from Brown University and a full academic scholarship to go along with his acceptance. This plot point ends with audience wondering whether Moxon is going play his best, as he already received what he wanted, a one way ticket out of his small hometown. Leaving complication lingering of whether the protagonist will be a true sports hero, or a quitter.

The last plot point and the climax of the movie is when, Coach Bud Kilmer threatens Moxon by saying that he will mess up his college transcripts and get his scholarship revoked if he doesn't play the last game of the season with absolute intensity. He also threatens him, by saying if he changes the plays called by the coach he will mess up his shot at the educational experience he has wanted for so long. Moxon has a big dilemma as he hates the coach and doesn't want to play for him, but would do anything to keep his scholarship. This is where the protagonist has to chose the outcome of his situation and the ending of the story as well. The Climax point ends with kinda of a shocker, The coach ends up quitting before the quarterback. Moxon chooses to play his best and the Coyotes win the game and he keeps his scholarship, displaying the happy ending kind of movie Varsity Blues was. The movie fit the needs of the protagonist, the team, the fans, and most importantly the audience. Varsity Blues also has many standard hollywood narratives attatched to it.  It has a single protagonist, Johnny Moxon. It is goal oriented as the goal is to win the championship, which they succeed in. Follows the 3 act structure very well. Has a clear chronological order, but most importantly a clear resolution and a happy ending.

Here is a video showing all the action this dramatic sports thriller contains:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSSCkTiRwxo&feature=related

Aspects of a Sitcom

The aspects I choose from the sitcom were character growth and cycles and repeated patterns because even though they are meant to be different they tend to intertwine on many occasions in sitcoms. Character growth is the overview from where the person in the sitcom starts to the person they become through their situations. Thus defining the word sitcom (situational comedy).  It's ups and downs, the optimal situations, the worst situations, the awkward situations, and everything in between that help show how the character grows through the story line. The reason I believe that cycle and repeated patterns play in with character growth are because people tend to repeat actions. For example if a character is always starting trouble he is repeating his actions and patterns. If a character gets in trouble and then realizes that what they did was wrong, they are showing growth by trying to change their normal tendencies. Many sitcoms use characters repeated actions to show how hard it is to drop bad habits, but when they show the character is working to make the situation better growth is easily visible in that same person.

The sitcom I choose to use was "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" because I can easily relate to it. As a child growing up in the 90's the fresh prince of Bel-Air was one of my favorite T.V. shows. The character who shows the most growth I think is Will. Will taken from his real life name Will Smith, is the protagonist. The story-line begins as Will is a troubled but street smart teen from Philadelphia who moves to Bel-Air because he got in a fight and his mother was scared for his future. When he gets to Bel-Air he moves in with his extremely affluent aunt and uncle who have hopes of making Will a model citizen. Through out the T.V. series Will goes through many situations where he tries to pull a fast one, or gets caught in the act of doing something wrong. Comedic relief surely helps the audience love Will. He repeats his actions and patterns over and over as a youth. His mentor and uncle is usually the one catching will in his shenanigans. His uncle is the character who helps Will grow the most, as he helps Will get the most out of the mistakes he has made and by teaching him life lessons. The Family gets as much out of Will and he gets out of them. Will becomes a beaming ray of sunlight as he keeps the mood around the house fun and festive. He has something that few people do and that is a positive outlook on the situations he is put in. Throughout the series you see little by little Will tries to do the right thing, as he has learned from his past. His growth is almost heroic, as he becomes a true gentlemen late in the series. It seems the people who used to say "you should be like this..." want to be more like him. Will's story-line is fun to follow, because it is like a plant. With the proper watering and sunlight it will grow into something prosperous.

This is video of Carlton another character from the T.V. show, and more reasons why people love this show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a02B204OrLU

Ryan Campbell Anderson

Movie Scenes

The scenes and images of films can have a place in someone's heart long after the movie reel stops. If a scene is correctly portrayed it can be very powerful and meaningful in the eye's of the audience. I catch myself all the time when talking to friends about real life situations saying things like "yea it's like that scene from the such and such movie". I do this because I feel it is this closet way for me to inform people correctly of how the situation should be viewed. I chose the movie Friday Night Lights  because I have an attachment to it growing up in west Texas and loving the sport of football. The scene I chose was the half time speech Billy Bob Thorton gives to his players to lift there spirits and inspire them to win the biggest game of their football careers. Ex. 1: The scene begins with a  long shot focused on the coach as he walks into the locker room full of players grieving over the reality of potentially losing this football game. There is a panoramic view of the players and coaches waiting for the words of wisdom about to spoken by their leader. There's an obvious sense of sadness looming over the players, but the viewer can almost foreshadow redemption coming soon. Ex. 2: As the scene progresses there are some medium shots of the team looking at their teammates who they each rely on to do their part so the team as a whole can win. It is confirming the players of the Odessa Permian team and how each one of them mean more to each other then just teammates. Their bond has become so strong through this time of trials and tribulations. The low angle shot in this part of the scene shows the players vulnerability it seems to be that even though they put in the man hours they are having trouble controlling their destinies. Ex. 3: The last parts of the scene do a close up on the star wide receiver Boobie Miles who is injured and unable to play this meaningful game. The close up easily has the most emotion of all the shots, in this particular close up it "isolates" away from the rest of the active players. It shows his feeling of incompletion. The camera angle is eye level and I almost feel like it was metaphorically correct because it shows the Boobie's is only has powerful as the player standing next to him, he's not the high flying celebrity he used to think he was prior to his injury.  This scene follows the shot projection order from general to specific.

Here is the scene in Friday Night Lights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYN4jnA8fKs&feature=related

The Studio

The studio system had many aspects that made it a very unique industry. It was the key to Hollywoods success in the earlier years and still is the most prevelent force in the industry today. The specific aspect I want to to focus on is the star system, I feel that star system gave hollywood a face. The stars in studios were tangible products. They best represented what studios did and what messages they were trying to display to their audiences. The studio would discover stars then contract them and pay them to sell their goods and services.

Many stars were associated with specific genres of acting. For example MGM would produce musical dramas for a star named Judy Garland, such as the Wizard of Oz to best suit the actors talents. Different studios would hire actors such as Judy Garland and have them promote other stars from MGM the same studio she worked for. MGM was one of the major five studios. MGM and other studios would discover actors like Judy Garland (found as a child on Andy Hardy series) and develop them into household names for their company. Judy Garland had consistent set of character traits that helped her associate herself with specific genres. The star system would fall under the category of production in the studio system.

Here is one of Judy Garland's earlier films "A Star is Born" by watching the trailer you can see the aspects the star system in work. It is a musical drama that really shows the career work of Judy Garland.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbHKjk1XJK8

All in the family vs. It's always sunny in Philadelphia

It's always sunny in Philadelphia and All In the Family are surprisingly similar even with a huge gap between the shows airing as a series on T.V. All in the Family and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia  cover the same aspects of what it's like to be in a family: the struggles, frustrations, and tension but most importantly the love that not only fuels families but helps them overcome triumphs and tribulations along the way. All in the family is a more family based show with focus on family members being apart of a family. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a more contemporary show with family ties but mainly focused on comedic relief. "It's Always" has humor that "All in the family" would be to innocent for, the humor in  the 2000's is much often out of line and much too different for earlier humor. All in the family is at a much slower pace...which most would call a true family sitcom but for someone of my humor, the sarcastic relief "It's Always Sunny" brings is a tad bit funnier then a family sitcom. All in the family would be a great show for someone's kids to watch because it brings on a sense of family as opposed to a sense of entitlement which most kids have and act today.

Regulation and Government Intervention

The main force that influenced the shaping and formation of the radio industry in the 1920s was regulation and government intervention because it heavily restricted the freedoms and how much could be done or said on the radio. Regulation and Government intervention is relatively simple it is the rules and regulations that broadcasters have to follow in order to stay legally cooperative with the law. In 1923 the Commerce department issued licenses to legally operate a radio transmitter. From there on laws and regulations have only grown stricter. In the late 1920's the Radio Act of 1927 was established and a Federal Radio Commission was formed. It limited the number of stations operating at night. Since 1920 many laws and regulations have been installed including: The communication act of 1934, the 1996 telecommunications act, the ban of obscene speech, indecent speech, and copyright laws. Regulation and Government Intervention are like the law of the radio, they are trying to "intervene" to keep the radio clean and useful for the public's ears. Regulation and Government Intervention affected the evolution of the radio in the U.S. because it made it extremely difficult for just anyone to operate a radio. This statement is best defined by the Radio Act of 1927. The number of stations operating at night was limited not only making it difficult for new people to operate radios but restricting the people with licenses of air time. By restricting a new technology like this you not only stop its growth but you hurt the public from discovering how useful something like a radio can be. It seems now more then ever are regulations terribly strict. 

Cultivation

The concept of Cultivation helps me to understand the impact and meaning from the this media clip (2004 Film: Man on Fire) because it shows the shear terror of kidnapping, and as a kid you are more likely to feel endangered and less safe if you watch media that displays the kinds of actions that embrace danger. The definition of Cultivation Theory is mass media exposure cultivates a view of the world that is consistent with the mediated "reality" (Straubhaar 417). I believe this theory to be true because I remember being a child and not having a sense of fear but the fear of god when I was alone after watching this movie. I stated above the definition of cultivation but in my words it means if you are one who is heavily dependent on mass media you are most likely to live in a deceptive state of mind and almost have a feeling you live in the movies. You believe your world and the media world are one. The worst part of the process is when your fears of the media ( kidnapping, robbery, murder) are real life experiences because it intensifies the process of cultivation, ten fold. For example: if you are a young child and are scared of kid napping and you hear a horror story of a kid being abducted you will become a believer of kidnapping being common in society, when it in essences it is just a coincidence. Here is the clip of the film it is pretty easily to see the underlying definition of Cultivation of in the clip. Enjoy!

Man on Fire

Hegemony, Agenda Setting, and Framing

In our first blog, we were supposed to say or tell what we thought we might gain from this class. In this blog prompt we showing what we discovered through the weeks lectures and screenings. Hegemony has aided me to understand Winston's advertisement of the "Man's man". Hegemony means power or dominance that one social group holds over another. Winston is the industries social group and men who smoke cigarettes are the group they hold power over. In the ad there is a rugged, strong, mid-aged man that is looking at blue prints of a cabin, that he is building in the wilderness. The phrases "nobody does it better, this is your world, and this your winston." Portrays the idea that men are alpha males and that no one can do a job like a man, also if you smoke winston lights you can be that alpha male and dominant man. It is obvious the social group targeted are men. To some women this advertisement may be sexist but it really has a good risk to reward ratio because women are not trying to be targeted by the advertisement so their opinion has little meaning on this subject. I think seeing that this ad is older and of a different era it probably did have a hold on the male sex seeing as most men strive to be as dominant and masculine as possible. Like the man depicted in the ad.

Here is the ad by Winston:

My First RTF 305 Class Post

Hello All,

My name is Ryan Campbell Anderson I am a sophomore, and a government major. At first I took this course because I heard through a buddy Radio Television and Film was really interesting and if I got the chance to take a course in "RTF" that I should. As I was looking through my degree plan I realized I need to fulfill a fine arts and what a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Cliche I know but necessary. As I went to the first day of class I was interested in the monopolies in the industry and I am looking forward to gaining a perspective of how powerful some companies are. I want to peruse a career as a patent attorney and I feel this course will help give me some insight on what is going on in the real world.

here is my favorite blog: www.burntorangenation.com
Best,
Ryan Campbell Anderson