Blog Extra Credit

Prior to me attending RTF 305, I had never, nor had I ever considered using a blog for scholastic or personal reasons. However, after using the blog for my RTF class, I now have a serious desire to continue pursuing blogs. One of the positive aspects of using the blogs in the course was the constant interactivity between the students and the teachers that blogging weekly provided. Additionally, the blogs gave students, especially myself, a reason to keep up with the weekly readings, screenings and slide shows from class-- I would very seldom fall behind on any particular reading or lecture. A difficulty I had on the blog postings was that I felt as though there should have been options to choose from. Every week, the teaching assistant assigned the blog posting, and we were all required to do that one posting. I feel as though in the future, students should get a choice from at least three potential blog topics, all covering the material from class. Personally, I felt that I was often more comfortable with some topics than with others. By giving students the option to choose from several topics, this would not only make the postings easier for the students, but also the students would be more interested in a topic which they have chosen personally. For me the most interesting blog prompt was selecting a film and analyzing it according to the traditional three ac structure. I enjoyed this prompt because I have a love for film, and I was able to analyze one of my favorite flicks in ways that I had never before. I would undoubtedly recommend using a blog in future courses, whether they be RTF or a separate major. I feel as though I have already listed the numerous ways in which I feel as though the blog postings were beneficial to me and my classmates.

Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report.

Globalization and Burger King

Globalization is generally defined as a process of increasing interconnectedness among nations, cultures, and people, and is further supported and accelerated by technological developments. Within the digital world, globalization is essentially a digital convergence which includes the ability for greater production possible in poorer places. Additionally, the mobile phone infrastructure is expanding; however, the internet infrastructure still only occupies two-thirds of the world population, with many nations being marginalized.

Globalization is directly related to cultural imperialism. Cultural imperialism is when cultural flow reflects imbalance in global power structure. This is demonstrated when global media flow is unequal in terms of direction and volume. Today, a small number of US or transnational conglomerates dominate global media flow. Within the last hundred years, the Western culture has been designed to help people become consumers. With this overbearing influence, all cultures become similarly Westernized and Americanized. As the remainder of the world becomes increasingly more modernized, many people lose their local, indigenous, or national culture, and additionally the people gradually lose their cultural autonomy and national sovereignty. In this increasingly globalized world, more and more cultures and people are becoming more modernized and connected. Although this may be viewed as a positive, many ancient and preserved cultures are finding it more difficult to maintain their integrity and avoid the corrupting influence of this modern world.

A media source that I feel is a paradigm of cultural imperialism is the "Whopper Virgins" campaign. The campaign included Burger King executives traveling abroad to segregated countries. They then had the locals try the Whopper sandwich. Overall, the crew traveled to Thailand, Romania and Greenland. All of the participants had never tried a whopper ever, and each person enjoyed the burger. Clearly, this is a blatant example of globalization and cultural imperialism because it involves people from the Western World, the US, throwing their culture among the isolated denizens of these foreign lands. However, the film crew's intentions were not to impose their culture among the citizens; rather, they merely wanted to introduce them to a food that they most likely have never sampled. After the people sampled the Whopper, the Burger King crew was shown trying the local's food, and expressed an appreciation and love for the indigenous food. Overall, the Burger King campaign demonstrates globalization and cultural imperialism of American culture among foreign nations.

http://www.whoppervirgins.com/

Dodge Charger Freedom Ad

A recent advertisement that I considered powerful was the Dodge Challenger Freedom commercial. The ad was originally aired on June 12 during the US-England World Cup soccer game. In the commercial, a British solider emerges from the woods to inform his men of oncoming US troops. The British soldiers quickly set up for battle, and await the arrival of the American troops. Suddenly, three black Dodge Chargers appear from the woods, and lead a charge toward the stunned British troops. As the enemy men run from the US, George Washington is seen driving one of the Dodge Challengers with an American flag.  The British continue to scamper in fear, as the voice over says, "Here's a couple of things America got right: cars and freedom."
I found this commercial to be very powerful because of the sense of American patriotism and pride it instilled in myself. Also, Dodge timed the advertisement flawlessly, by having the premiere coincide with the US vs. England soccer game. The ad's message was clear and simple: be American and purchase a Dodge Challenger. Additionally, I found the ad to be extremely persuasive because in a sense, it reminded American consumers to support American companies like GM, instead of foreign automobile companies.
As mentioned in the November 1 lecture on advertising, one of the appeals of advertising that is pertinent to this commercial is dominance. Often, the appeal of dominance is used in commercials when the product being advertised is placed against the alternative leading brand. Always, the product being advertised wins out in every category. Often, car companies use this technique to show how their cars are superior to the multiple competing brands. For example, in a Ford commercial, the company may elect to compare their car's features with Honda, Toyota, and Kia.
However, in this commercial, dominance is used to portray America's defeat of England in the Revolutionary War, and correlating that victory with the hopeful victory of the US soccer team. Additionally, the ad is implying that American brand cars, such as GM are superior to foreign brands. Clearly, the American troops are dominating the retreating Red Coats in this particular battle as George Washington in his black Dodge Charger leads the heroic charge. Overall, I feel as though this advertisement succeeded in its attempt to promote Dodge Chargers to American consumers as a whole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezk0e1VL80o

Silence of the Lambs and the 3 Act Structure

The film, "The Silence of the Lambs" (Demme, 1991), is in my opinion a paradigm for the Hollywood three-act structure. The first act in a film serves as the exposition by introducing the characters, their surroundings and their relationships. "Silence of the Lambs" begins with the explanation of the main characters, including Clarice, the FBI agent in training; Jack Crawford, the detective assigned to the case; Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal psychiatrist; and Buffalo Bill, the serial killer whom Clarice and Crawford are attempting to catch. The audience is first introduced to Clarice inside the police headquarters, and she is quickly briefed by Crawford on her assignment: to interview Dr. Lecter and to find any information that can relate to the recent murders. After this encounter, Clarice begins the arduous process of interviewing Hannibal in the prison. In these first 30 minutes, the audience gains insight on the characters, and the events that will presumably follow.
Immediately at 30 minutes in, a complication arises that will become the main plot-point for the remainder of the film: Catherine Martin is kidnapped in front of her apartment by Buffalo Bill. The stakes are heightened because Catherine Martin is 25 year old the daughter of Senator Ruth Martin. This event propels the action the next act, as the focus is shifted to finding Catherine at all costs. Additionally, this event asks a question that the next act will eventually answer: will Catherine Martin be found in time.
Later in the film, around the 87th minute, Clarice comes to the realization of what Bill's motive is, and she immediately dials Crawford. However, Crawford is on a plane heading to capture Bill. It is believed that Crawford has knowledge of Bill's location, and that they are hours away from making an arrest. This action spurs the film's resolution. The audience believes that everything is going to end well with an arrest by Crawford and the FBI. This ends the second act of chasing Bill and gaining new insight into his actions and whereabouts. Despite this assurance, there still lies the complication of successfully arresting him, and bringing Catherine to safety.
In the film's resolution, Crawford rushes to the supposed hiding place of Bill while Clarice believes she is going to Mrs. Lipman's house to inquire about the death of a girl. Soon, the FBI has Bill's supposed house surrounded, ready for an ambush. Throughout the resolution, numerous complications arise: the FBI has the wrong house, and infact Clarice is face to face with Buffalo Bill; Catherine takes Bill's dog hostage; and Catherine is soon forced to fend for herself in Bill's darkened and convoluted basement. The audience is left wondering: will Clarice escape unscathed and kill Buffalo Bill.
Finally in the 103rd minute, Clarice finally resolves the problem, and shoots Bill in his basement. Soon after, the FBI and police arrive and safely rescue Catherine from captivity. Clarice is then seen receiving her FBI badge, and graduating from training. Crawford then congratulates her on a job well done.The film soon ends with Dr. Lecter walking away from the law, in an unknown location. The final act, or the resolution has ended, and the audience can go home satisfied. The ending also depicts each of the main characters' probable futures.

Sitcoms and Scrubs

As discussed in Wednesday's guest lecture, a sitcom commonly contains several important aspects. These include: a modified three act structure; the series either as a cumulative or seasonal text; and mini-resolutions. The first aspect, a modified three act structure, means simply that each individual episode is divided into three acts: the beginning, middle, and end. The second aspect, cumulative or seasonal text, refers to the storyline, and whether it is continuous from the first season through the last season, or whether this story line alters from season to season. Lastly, the mini resolutions refers to a certain solution being reached after every episode, similar to a moral lesson.
These mini-resloutions are often prevalent in countless sitcoms made throughout the history of television. They function within the sitcom genre by teaching the audience a lesson. With these resolutions, the episodes take on a greater meaning, and can be related to everyday society. The half hour to hour of television becomes more than some mindless comedic garbage, and instead becomes an applicable lesson of life. However, I am not saying that I learned about life by watching sitcoms on TV. I am merely saying that the episodes take on a greater meaning with these mini-resolutions, by connecting the storyline together neatly. Most of the time these mini-resolutions are cheery, and the characters gain a greater understanding of a topic broached in the episode. However, even in some sitcoms the resolutions are not always joyous. For example, in the sitcom "Scrubs" numerous episodes have ended on a somber note with a patient dying, or one of the protagonists coming to grips with the harsh consequences of life. "Scrubs" attempts to alter the audiences' pre-conceived notions of the sitcom genre, and mold it into a dramedy hybrid. In the resolution of the episode "My Fallen Idol" JD confronts Dr. Cox, and apologizes in a serious manner for acting rudely to him. JD admits to being frightened to confront the sick patients, and gives credit to Dr. Cox for being so brave. In this scene, the two share a serious moment, and the audience feels as though the story has more depth than just some silly slapstick comedy. The story becomes real and relatable.

Good, Bad, Ugly

The film, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (Leone, 1966) opens with an extreme long shot with immense depth of field of the barren desert in which the film takes place. The director, Leone, chooses to open his film with this shot in order to set up the location, and to allude to the utter scope of the entire film. Additionally, the shot suggests a sense of loneliness and alienation, as the film takes place in a vast desert with villains and no escape. Without cutting the camera, Leone transitions from this extreme long shot to a close up/ extreme close up as the character steps into frame. In this close up, Leone shoots his character at eye-level, to suggest a neutrality and relatability with the audience and the character. This shot is followed by another extreme long shot, as two figures begin to emerge from the horizon. Immediately, the scene becomes foreboding, as the two men emerge on horses and begin to confront the lone man. The tension continues to build, and Leone continues to use the close ups and long shots. As the two men continue closer to the other man, Leone elects to use a medium shot. Here, the shot alludes to the two characters' relationship, possibly as friends. This scene is also filmed at a low angle to suggest a sense of power for the two men. Clearly they are armed and prepared for a good old western showdown.

Golden Age of Hollywood

The Hollywood Studio System lasted from 1927 through the 1950s and is generally regarded as the golden age of American cinema. During this period, Hollywood was predominantly run by five major studios: RKO, Warner Brothers, Fox, Paramount and MGM. 

Vertical integration quickly became an important aspect of the Hollywood system. I chose this aspect because I am amazed at how only eight production companies controlled the entire American cinema. Currently in 2010, there is no oligopoly among Hollywood studios, and often independent production companies produce films that are critically acclaimed and have gone on to win Academy Awards. 

With the method of vertical integration, the studios maximized their profits by controlling each individual aspect of production, such as production, distribution and exhibition. The studios owned large plots of land for the construction of intricate sets, controlled the terms for the films release date, and operated the largest cinemas in the country. 

Vertical integration constantly affected the kinds of films the studios made because the studios held all control over the crew of the films. Essentially, stars were under contract for the studios and they were always working on projects. Directors would often make up to five films per year, whereas current directors on average will make one every three years. For example, during the year 1942, in addition to directing "Casablanca", Michael Curtiz directed "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Captains of the Clouds". This amazed me because the film "Casablanca" is regarded by AFI as the second best film in history. Essentially, it is a masterpiece. One would think that such a film would require countless years of work from the director; however, Curtiz made Casablanca in the same year as two other films. Throughout Curtiz's entire career he directed over 170 films, a truly unprecedented number. 

http://www.fathom.com/course/10701053/session1.html