My top TeN MediA WOW"S!!!!

1. I have come to the realization that what we do, what we decide and what we trust are all affected by the media. The world of advertising and marketing has come to influence what Americans settle on and how they live their daily lives. This is revealed and explained in the movie, "The Persuaders". From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, I am exposed to millions of advertisments. Although it's very sickening, I cannot escape it! I have learned to accept the world of advertising because advertisments builds trust with the customer while making itself successful.

2. On Page 390, Hillard states that ideally, a writer/advertiser should write out of personal experience or knowledge to give the television show or whatever it may be a valid foundation. I totally agree with this idea because writing from personal experience definitely makes the story easier to develop. Once the writer develops the story, he or she can certainly include a life lesson since it is something they haven already gone through. I know that I have always wanted to write a show about my life. If it turned out to be a hit show, I could possibly even make it into a movie!

 

3. On Page 329, Hilliard explains the idea that media must motivate people and usually, it does. To develop an idea for a program, the writer must know the program's purpose as well as determining the purposes of the audience. If a training program is aimed at company employees, the intended audience has to be motivated to watch and pay attention to the program. This is why demographics are important too. This is why the writer must determine the kind of program material that will appeal to the viewers or the listeners.

4. On Page 334 Hilliard talks about corporate scripts and how they use the drama format. This creates suspense that holds the audience and a conflict whose solutions achieves the presentation's objective. In order for a film to have a dramatic impact, there must be a dramatic format. I found this interesting because it's probably easy for the writer to do this since he or she can relate back to a dramatic time in their personal life. Many commercials these days are very drama filled to either make the viewer laugh or understand the concept in it.

5. My first obervation came on Page 327, when first starting the chapter. Hilliard states that according to Writer's Market, corporate and educational films have been abigger business than Hollywood. Honestly, I would have never guessed this. I thought that just because Hollywood is more poular and glam, that it was the biggest of them all...I was wrong. I actually like how educational and informational films and tapes do better than the same old love story. I think it's important for teachers especially to show students educational films rather than pointless ones. This fact shows that media can actually be informational.

6. I noticed that on Page 389, Hilliard talks about censorship and how it often hampers the media. However, the writer can find basic concepts such as loyalty and independence as motivating factors upon which to develop a drama. This makes me wonder, what concepts are restricted from television? I feel that it is hard for the writer to tell what is acceptable and what is not. If I were to be a writer for a television show or a magazine, I would feel like my job would be on the line every time I incorporated something opinionated or violent. 

7. Hilliard states on Page 447 that every one must be ready to face frustration and even unfairness. In the world of media, different companies and agencies are always going to be persuading someone better by their creativeness. As with anyone else entering any phase of the visual or audio fields, one must be willing to break in with a crappy first job that has a low salary. It is through this experience where you learn even more about what it takes to be not good but great at your job and grow from there. 

8. I have learned that writing for the web is probably one of the hardest mediums to write for. Hilliard says that on Page 167, writing for the web is all about the writing. On many websites, there are no visuals to enhance the story. The words have to tell the complete story. This goes along with ad's too. In the world of media, advertisements are short pictures and words, not stories. 

9. On Page 101, Hilliard says that sometimes creativity seems to not be artistic on purpose. Sometimes, a simple format is all you need to get people's attention. At times, people get sick and tired of the same old commercials that are going above and beyond. I remember this one commercial I saw of dove, it was simple yet it got the point across. It focuses on this one girl the entire time but shows how different her face becomes with make-up and photoshop. The media world is all about enhancing what you don't have!! 

10. In "The Persuaders", I remember that in the world of marketing and advertising, there is a lot of group work. I never understood why Champlain was all about group work until now. Once your in the field, you must know how to work well together with your group in order to come up with a good idea. Working efficiently with a partner and a group is key in attaining success. For example, Song used a group to come up with a new logo, design, etc. It proved that working in groups is sometimes better than working by yourself. 

Media Meditation # 6: The Losers?

Recently, I've been seeing many commericals for this new movie comming out called The Losers. At first I thought it looked really stupid but now that I've seen the commericals repeatidly, I'm persuaded to go and see it! When first watching the trailer, I immediately noticed the epistemological shift because of the words C.I.A., N.S.A. and Special Forces. This is where my neo-cortex plays a role too. My limbic brian is also in use because of the music in the background. The fact that I can access this trailer on my phone shows the aesthetic shift as well. One specific principle that stood out was production techniques. There were many close-up shots, different sound effects and font styles, etc. Another principle that I noticed was emotional transfer. I feel that this movie is directed towards "geeks" or "nerds" to make them realize that they can be just as cool as anyone else! When the narrator says the "C.I.A, N.S.A. and Special Forces....we're not them, we're the losers" definitely shows some humor involved in the movie as well as group dynamics. It also shows the technique symbols. Another technique I saw was beautiful people. Once again, there are many good looking actors and actresses in this film. Throughout the preview, there are words such as "Max" and "Kill them" so my neo-cortex is in use again. By the end of the preview, my reptilian is racing because I am anxious to see this film. I love action movies so I am excited to see this when it comes out! I'm a little confused as to what this movie is about though so I found a synopsis of it online.

"A tale of double cross and revenge, centered upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team-Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar -find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they're joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max, a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war".

Hopefully this let's you understand a little more what the movie is about!

Media Meditation #5: Brothers

Last weekend, my friend Mike was raving about the new movie Brothers and how he's never seen it but has heard many good things. We decided to kick back and watch it. In the beginning, my neo-cortex went to work because of all of the character's names that were being introduced. Then my limbic brain tied in because music was playing not just in the beginning, but throughout the entire movie. A shift that I noticed was the epistemological shift. At first, Tobey Maguire says how he's going off to Afgahanistan to fight in the war. During a couple of scenes in the movie, you actually see the war taking place which I'm not going to lie, was pretty disturbing. Another shift that I immediately noticed was the technological shift. The special effects they used when they were in Afghanistan, for example, when one of the planes crashed were excellent. I almost felt like I was there...everything looked so real. This movie was really moving. Everyone who was watching it got a taste of what life is like fighting for your country in Afghanistan, a completely different part of the world. This relates to the basic principle individual meaning because someone who watches this might know a person who is actually over in war right now fighting for their country. My friend Vikki has a sister named Nicole and her boyfriend is over in Iraq. I'm sure that if she watched this movie, it would have a lot of meaning to her. Another basic principle that stood out was production techniques. There were many different camera angles, lighting, sound effects like when they plane blew up, and colors. There was some humor in the movie but not a lot since it is a drama. There was also a lot of repitition. Tobey Maguire's wife, Natalie Portman repeated numerous times how she didn't want her husband to go back to war which shows what type of movie it is, a drama with real life situations. Brothers also reveals how people who come back from war will never be the same because of what they've seen...it basically changes them as a person. The producers definitely used beautiful people to get the movie a better reputation...Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhal are all pretty good looking to say the least. When my friend mentioned the movie to me, he definitely used card stacking because he told me how critics were raving that it was "one of the best movies of the year". I liked this movie because it showed me how there are people in our country right now who hard really facing hardships...when I'm in a bad mood because I don't have enough money to go out to eat or I'm having a bad hair day, I'll remember this movie to make me realize that I don't have it that hard. There are plenty of worse things going on in the world these days. There were certainly warm fuzzies inside when Tobey came home from war! I would classify this movie as a chick flick so if you love chick flicks like me, then definitely go and see it ;)

Here's the trailer!

Media Meditation #4: Miami for the 2nd time within 3 months??!!

Yes, my friends and I set out on the road AGAIN for a music festival in the heart of Miami. My parents couldn't believe it and neither could I! I was just there on New Year's for Phish. It's a two day event called Ultra Music Festival and was held at Bicentenial Park. More than 30,000 people were there from all over the states! The way it happened is actually kind of funny. I found out about this festival weeks before and thought about going...I didn't actually plan on it though. I mentioned it to my sister and my 3 friends who also knew about it. We all agreed that the line-up was amazing(my neo-cortex went to work) and that we wanted to go...we just didn't know how we were going to get there. At this point, my reptilian was racing more than ever! Plane tickets were way too expensive and the thought of driving 30 hours made us cringe! However, we knew that there was no other way of getting there. We didn't have a boat, we didn't have a plane and we weren't going to take a train because that would take even longer than driving. That's when we decided to make the drive. There were 5 of us in the car (very uncomfortable) and if we each drove 6 hours it wouldn't be that bad. We set out from VT on thursday morning March 25. Our plan was to catch the festy the 26 and the 27 and leave by Sunday the 28 to get back by Monday night. The ride down was probably the craziest part of the trip. The amount of times I thought we weren't going to make it was ridiculous. We took my friend Geoff's car so he drove most of the way. He's one of those drivers who looks at everything BUT the road. I noticed the technological shift because of the GPS in the car which was directing us towards miami. There were also 4 i-pods...all different models and 3 blackberrys which all had a GPS as well. Now tell me the age we are living in isn't crazy.! I also noticed a personal shift because my friends couldn't last the whole ride without going on facebook 100 times on their blackberrys. To me, this trip was a value message. I basically looked at is as something I cannot do when I'm older. I'm not going to be able to just leave my job and drive to Miami. I am only young once so this trip was really a big deal to me. It meant a lot to my friends and I. We almost crashed along the way so I thought my life was at stake. However, my friend's use of humor got me to forget about it and persuaded me to stick it out. Every state we passed through we saw symbols. For example, I saw many different bumper stickers such as The Grateful Dead and other popular bands. This also persuaded me to stick out the ride! Looking at these stickers got me pumped for the music I was about to see! When we hit Georgia, we all remembered that we didn't have a place to stay. I told my friends that I didn't have enough money so they said give a little more for gas and they got me covered...I think they bribed me? It worked though! When passing through Jacksonville and Orlando we saw many many palm trees which gave me warm fuzzies inside...I knew I was about to be on the beach! We finally got there...alive. We saw 2 days of unbelievable music and had the time of our lives. The light show and the sound was outstanding which also reveals the technological shift. The trip back was the worst because we didn't have anything good to look forward to except a long week of school. This trip is definitely an experience I am never going to forget. I also set up Google alerts for Ultra Music Festival 2011 so I can stay updated on the line-up, the location and other exciting news!

Here's a video I found on youtube that shows you the true experience!

Spring 2010/Midterm Examination

1. After studying media for eight weeks in this class, what have you learned?

I learned that a medium is a very powerful tool these days. Between commercials to films to new technology devices, we are all distracted and persuaded by them! What we do and what we decide and what we think are all affected by the media!

2. What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as a 1. A critical reader; 2. a writer, and 3. a critical thinker in this class so far?

As a reader, I have definitely grown! I have learned how to read scripts which I never thought I would. I have also improved as a writer because I am now capable of writing scripts as well as reading. This class has definitely made me think more about this crazy technological universe we are surviving in today.

3. What's one thing YOU would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

One thing I would do differently is to not always do the homework at the last minute! Even though I get it done, I feel that my work would be worth more if I actually took more time to do it and not procrastinate constantly.

4. What's one thing you would like ME to do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

This is a tough one because I really don't have a problem with anything in this class. I guess I would like to see more films...such as documentaries so I can get a better feel for the chapters that I'm reading about.

5. Please comment on the usefulness of the course blog, your personal blog, our films, and our book(s) as learning tools.

I never thought I would blog this much but I honestly like it. It helps me review what I learned, helps collect my thoughts and keeps me updated. I like reading this book because it's not just word after word, it actually shows you what a script is like. I've definitely learned a lot this semester so far.

Avatars Strike Back- Media Meditation #3

Just recently, my dad had taken me, my sister and my friend to see the some what new hit movie Avatar. To be honest, this movie blew my mind. With my reptilian brain racing the entire time, I couldn't look away from the screen for a second! My heart felt this rush throughout the entire movie. Not only were the special effects insane, but there was also a really good story behind it. One can tell that the technological shift played a part because of the Pandora World and the Avatar people...I mean, how does one create such a thing?! I would love to know. The fact that I can access the movie already through my computer and even my phone shows the Aesthetic Shift as well. Anyways, I remember the commercials for this movie were very convincing. I kept hearing about how it was "A movie the whole family will enjoy" so repetition was a persuasive technique that was used. One basic principle that I noticed was Production Techniques. There were many different camera angles, for example, the camera zoomed in on the Avatars a bunch of times. This is called a close-up shot. Another production technique that I noticed was Emotional Transfer. What emotions does this media tap? Some one who watches this might feel a sense of hope for these poor Avatar's who are having their whole planet taken over by these cruel American People. Another persuasive technique that I observed was group dynamics. The main avatar, Jake, adressess his fellow avatars by saying, "We can beat them!!" Another persuasive technique would be strength. The avatars prove themselves to be strong when they take down the American people with their love for their planet. The last technique that I noticed was warm fuzzies. The fact that Jake, the main Avatar falls in love with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri is a very cute story as well as a happy ending. I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone...moms, dads, children and even grandparents! Go see it now!

Wear Sunscreen-Media Meditation #2

A few days ago when I was hanging out, one of my friends showed me this song. He asked me if I had ever heard of "The Sunscreen Song" and I said no. Once he showed this to me, I thought, "Wow! I am always going to wear sunscreen from now on". The words in it are turly powerful and stick in your head like glue. When first listening to it, my limbic brain was taking in all of the words and then the music. "The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists". Scientific evidence is just one of the persuasive techniques used in this song. He then talks about how the rest of his advice comes from personal experience. "You are not as fat as you imagine". When considering the seven principles of media education, this can relate to value messages and individual meaning. Many people think about their weight too much and would consider this meaningful to them. "The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind". This can be warm fuzzies just because it comforts me that the real troubles in my life won't ever cross my mind. There is also a lot of humor in this song...like when he says we will look back in 20 years at ourselves and we won't believe how good we looked! "Do one thing everyday that scares you...sing!" This is basically a simple solution to how to overcome our everyday fears. "Remember compliments you receive" Flattery is always good for the soul! "Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't..." This makes me feel that it's ok if I or anyone else never wanted to get married! These are just some of the persuasive techniques he uses to make people want to wear sunscreen. When watching this on youtube, there was an Epistemological shift because of the words that change to an image. Overall, the words and images of this song made me want to wear sunscreen because I want to live to be old and enjoy my life regardless of if I ever get married or have children or never find out what I want to do. I want to be able to enjoy my long life happily and healthy. So....everyone should wear sunscreen!