Group Presentations 11/11 and 11/18

The Simpsons-  Overall I thought this group did a very good job on the unique topic, however there were some flaws in the presentation.  I felt like the group spent more time describing the show and the characters than they did analyzing the family dynamic in the show.  I liked that they explained to us each character in the episode, for some I do not really think about when I think of The Simpsons (their dog for example) yet every character is important.  I also liked how they explained the ability of the show to spread to appeal to all ages.  It is one of the most unique aspects of the show, and they did a good job with that.  I guess the only critique I really have with the presentation is that more weight was put onto the things we know already about the show, such as the characters, and less on analyzing their impact and affect on families and television in general.

 

Jersey Shore- One thing that I really enjoyed about this group was the topic, only because Jersey Shore has somehow become this huge phenomenon even though everything the show portrays is negative.  I personally only find the show amusing, to see how idiotic  people actual are, and I laugh at their ignorance, but I do not in any way see them as idols.  I thought the group did a good job in discussing how the show has become such a big sensation and that now even people who do not watch the show know about it.  However, they did not really focus too much on what about the show makes it popular.  Rather than including their opinions and analysis in their presentation, they asked the class what we thought.  I think if they had looked more in depth into the topic and answered the question of what makes this show popular it would have made their presentation much better.

 

Star Wars-  For this group, I was not as impressed with the presentation as I was with some of the others.  I did like the topic and I thought the direction and what they were trying to achieve was great, however the execution was not that well done.  It seemed like some of the group members did not really know the topic as well, and it seemed only one person had put much effort into the project.  I applaud the one person who seemed to know what they were talking about.  As for the content, I felt like the group tried to cover all the grounds of media convergence in such a short amount of time.  I liked that they touched on the many forms of convergence media that star wars has brought about, such as the costumes and all the professional/fan made films, however I wish that they focused only one form of media convergence.  Star Wars has such a wide breadth of media about it and if they had focused solely on one aspect their project would have been more in depth and overall better in quality, since it would have a clear focus.

Group Presentations Nov. 4th

5 Second Films-  This groups presentation I thought was very interesting.  I thought that their idea of presenting us with these 5 second clips that present the same themes and ideas that an hour clip would portray was an interesting idea.  However, I agree that not all of the social aspects of the films were fully developed.  With the exception of the clip portraying a realistic mortal combat, the rest had many gender issues, which we talked about in class.  Overall I thought the idea of the presentation was good, just not fully developed.

 

Narration in Sports’ Films-  I though this presentation was very thorough and insightful.  The group clearly linked the formal and the social aspects of the film and they were able to provide multiple examples to make their point.  I also liked that many social aspects were presented, not just one.  I never realized the commonalities between sports’ films, but after the presentation I could not think of one sports film that did not fit into the mold they created.  It was a good presentation with a good analysis of the movies and elements presented.

 

Media at SMC

For our video, at first we thought what could we possibly capture at Saint Mary’s that applies to technology, but as we went out and walked around the angle was obvious. In our current culture, media is consumed through different many different mediums, but the medium that is slowly and surely dissolving are paper forms of media.  Books, magazines, and posters are being replaced with interenet, kindles, and LCD screens used solely for the purpose of advertisements.  In our video we tried to capture the changing of media life at Saint Mary’s, which turnred out to be much simpler to see than we imagined. 

In our video, the first scene is of the paper advertisements for the school.  The board is spare and there is plently of room for more.  In the scenes with the library, we emphasized the abundance of people on computers and in the computer lab, and contrasted that with the empty corridors of the tangible books.  In order to emphasize the dissolve of paper items, we showed the empty part of the library that was once filled on the first floor, the dustyand worn out Harpers Magazine, and the empty book cart.  We wanted to show the transformation of media by contrasting these shots of people in the computer lab, a shot of a LCD screen in the cafe used for announcements, and people working who were working outside the computer lab, but still with their faces glued to a screen.  With media being such a big factor in the life of people today, it was easy to find examples of it all over Saint Mary’s.  Almost everyone in the library was consumed with a computer, rather than books, and announcements werethrough digital means, rather than posters.  To emphasize this last point, our final image was that of a poster showing that SMC has connected with google.  Saint Mary’s students are engrossed in media and now even the school has followed suit and transformed itself to keep up with the media of today.

Rocky Horror Time Warp

Although I mostly chose this clip because the show is amazing, I also chose it because it relates to media convergence.  Glee is a show that has expanded beyond the television.  Not only do they take media from the past and present it to the audience through different means, they also engage their audience with their music.  Glee is not just a show–for some it is a whole new type of musical sing-a-long.  There is even an app for the iPhone that allows you to see if you can sing-a-long with the Glee songs, and it fixes your pitch and records your voice.  This sneak peak clip of Tuesday nights episode of Glee, The Rocky Horror Glee Show, shows one of the many current examples of media convergence.

Memory

In the film La Jeteé, Chris Marker creatively combines still images with voice over commentary and music in order to tell a story about a man who travels to his memory.  After world war three, the city is destroyed, and scientists begin experimenting with time travel.  Specifically they chose one man because he had such a vivid image of his past that he could not shake.  The power of the image allows the audience to travel into time with the man and visit his memories.  The voice over commentary in this film not only provides the audience with an explanation of many of the images, but it adds to the meaning of memory in the film with its unique narration and silence.

In this film the voice over commentary acts as a framework for the movie, but it also serves as a guide.  In Bill Nichols’ Engaging Cinema voice over commentary is also called the voice of God or the voice of authority and it “represents the viewpoint of the filmmaker…it takes the viewer through the material” (115).  In Marker’s film, the voice over commentary guides the audience about what to focus on and where on the screen to focus.  Also in some instances the commentary ceases to exist.  The narration is almost continuous, but whenever the man is traveling back into the past, there is no narration.  This lack of speech draws the viewers in to scene, like an added layer of suspense, waiting for their guide to return.  This allows the audience, as Nichols has stated, to see the viewpoint of the filmmaker, for it creates an emphasis of what is on the screen.

Almost every aspect of Marker’s film involves or refers to the act of remembering or memory itself.  According to Annette Kuhn “in psychical terms, remembering (and, equally importantly, forgetting) is part of the properly human quest for origins which finds its most elemental expression in primal scene fantasies” (159).  In La Jeteé the man’s quest is to find the woman in his mind and he truly gets to live out the fantasy, even though it may seem as a dream.  He does not give up and let his memory take over, and throughout the film he seems to prefer the past than the present.  In addition, the film is seen as memory work, for it reconstructs the memory of the man.  Kuhn defines memory work as “an active practice of remembering which takes and inquiring attitude towards the past and the activity of its (re)construction through memory” (157).  The man is certainly active as he travels to his memory and recreates the memory, which in turn makes new memories for him.  Everything about the film invites new memories to form, old memories to be revisited, and allows the audience to explore the power memory holds over people.

The memory in this film, however, could not be as influential and powerful without the formal technique of the voice over commentary.  This voice of God emphasizes the importance of memory, by guiding the reader to focus wherever it wants.  Also, the voice over commentary is the factor that allows the work to be considered a memory work, for “memory work stages memory through words, spoken and written, [and] in images of many kinds” (Kuhn 157).  Without the spoken and written words in the film, no one would understand the film the same way.  They allow the reader to see memory the way Marker sees memory.  In addition, the voice over commentary is narrated in such a way that also allows the audience to remember the film better.  In multiple instances in the film, rather than explaining the current picture in the frame, the commentary begins talking about another image that is presented afterwards.  This technique makes the image clearer in the audiences mind because they are anticipating it and waiting for it.  Without the voice over commentary, the audience would be lost to the significance of memory in the film, so it is essential to understand this set of images that Marker has put together into a creative, and memorable, film.

Works Cited

Nichols, Bill. Engaging Cinema: An Introduction to Film Studies. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,   2010. Print.

Kuhn, Annette. Family Secrets: Acts of Memory and Imagination. New York, NY: Verso, 2002. Print.

The Role of Gender

The Ties That Bind (1985) by Su Friedrich, is a film uniquely composed of a collection of archival footage that tell the tale of a girl who grew up in Nazi Germany during World War II.  The film is shown through the eyes of Su Friedrich’s mother and commentary is given throughout the film to elaborate specific events during her life and the images on-screen.  Sue Friedrich combines the footage to reconstruct the life her mother tells her about, and also add her own touch through scratching words across the screen.  The main issue that Friedrich brings up, however, is not Nazi Germany itself, but rather the role of gender in life.  This film explores feminism through its composition in multiple facets that include the way women are viewed in the frames and the images that are chosen for each frame.

Friedrich’s film is composed of many different pieces of footage that seem to be carefully selected, along with more current images of her mother telling her tale.  Throughout the narration images are depicted to help the audience visualize the story being told, but there are also images that recur and stand out that do not directly portray what is being said.  The main reoccurring images are of woman and of a tiny plastic house being built and then burned.  In this recurring image of the tiny house being built the audience only sees a close up of hands working on the house.  The house and the hands are illuminated, but beyond the hands and the house there is nothing else to occupy the frame.  In addition to the house, woman—especially Friedrich’s mother—are shown continually.  When the women are shown in the scene, they are at all different parts of the frame with many different body parts being shown, and through many different types of shots and angles.  There are close-ups of a woman’s feet and faces, medium shots of a portion of Friedrich’s mother, and long shots of Friedrich’s mother.  All these different elements that make up the composition to the film inevitably add to the feminist impression of the film.

In The Ties That Bind feminism is the main concern, and it is overtly apparent through many different features.  One of the main features of the film that link it to feminism is the fact that it is told from the view of a woman.  Many films throughout time have “the gaze of the camera aligned with male characters who beheld alluring women” (Nichols 398).  This, however, is not the case for Friedrich’s film. It is argued that “the formal systems that linked the camera’s gaze with male characters and identified the object of these gazes as women required transformation” (Nichols 399).  In this film, Friedrich completes that task, for the story is completely through the eyes of a woman and Nazi Germany is commented on by that woman.  We see only what she saw and what she felt, rather than the traditional Nazi Germany that is depicted through the perspective of men.  The story also adds to the feminist viewpoint of the film, for Friedrich’s mother does not necessarily see the men, being the Nazi’s, as good and she feels sympathetic towards the Jewish woman.  However, this notion of gender identity is not complete without the conventions that the film was made with.

The composition of the film, being the recurring images, not only adds to the film visually, but they help strengthen the idea of gender identity that the film promotes.  By seeing women from a woman’s point of view, the women are not looked on as subordinates.  The audience gets views of all parts of a woman, which breaks down a woman’s body but there is no sense of ownership or superiority over the woman.  Men, unlike women, objectify women by “[gazing]” at them (Nichols 398).  In Friedrich’s film, she does not show the images of the women long enough for someone to gaze. This allows the audience to see real woman in real situations—not as inferior beings or objects of desire. The house as well adds to gender identity.  The hands, most likely a woman’s, build the intricate plastic house, just like a woman would make a home.  Towards the end of the film, however, the house is set on fire.  Although some may argue differently, the house being set on fire could be seen as a climatic event, for it suggests a severance between the homemaker and woman. By using this form of composition, Friedrich was able to enhance a story of her mother into a meaningful evaluation of gender, life and history.

Works Cited:

Nichols, Bill. Engaging Cinema: An Introduction to Film Studies. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,   2010. Print.

Her First Trip

It was a hot day in Anaheim, California. The weather app said that it would be in the high 90’s and to prepare sun screen was a must. We woke her up early for the most magical vacation in her life, so far. She has never been to Disneyland before, and therefore she has never experienced the exciting joy and magic that comes with it. At the same time she is only four years old. The capacities of her mind are limited, so she is not able to fully comprehend the cheery atmosphere around her. In order to preserve those moments we all took turns taking a candid picture here, and a still image there. We wanted to preserve the moment, to keep it alive.

As the day went on, we kept taking pictures. The parade started around 3:30pm and the sun was at its peak, directly above our heads. We felt bad for the dancers performing their second round of choreographed moves for the day, but the kidswere excited as they danced around in the streets with them. Being as enthusiastic as possible, she danced as well but her modesty got in the way of her fully letting loose.

She was excited, as excited as any four year old could be, but not knowing what to expect her excitement was limited to our moods. She would put on a cheery face for the camera, and then relax afterwards with a more bewildered look. She went on all rides, and didn’t even cry when something scared her. She was a trooper, and as the day continued she grew more exhausted with each step and with each minute. Nonetheless, she pushed and struggled to keep herself at the pace of the environment around her.

Finally, the day wound down to its closure, as did her strength. We tried to keep her awake for the fireworks, but her little mind dozed off into her subconscious and sleep overwhelmed her. As she slept, a few more shots of her sleeping were taken, but the camera was put away. The whole point was to document these events for her to see, not necessarily for us. There was no point at taking pictures while she slept—we would just be creating memories that were never actually real for her. We made sure that she would have the memories through the stream of pictures, and she would always be able to look back at her first visitto the most magical place on earth and see what she did and saw that day.

Just like with realism, we constructed a coherent set of pictures in hopes that one day all of this will seem real to her. Being a four year old means that in a few years or so her memory of the event will no longer be vivid—there may be no recollection at all. In order to prevent that we documented every detail, and tried to make the events as continuous as possible. The pictures stream in a coherent way without much of a break or a lapse in continuity, which is a main feature of realism. In order to do that with pictures, however, meant that we needed to have a camera at hand at all times of the day—have the camera out and ready to document the next adventure.

In addition, like with any form of media, we used the pictures to preserve his moment that would have been forgotten without the beauty of photography and video. Media, including films, photography, and sound are unlike anything else, for they withstand the test of time. Our bodies and minds are weaker and eventually fade, away with it our memories. Through pictures, however, we can all see what she felt that day, no matter who looks at them, and we can all relive the most exciting parts. Although our memories may go, you can travel back to the past through any media that you decide to make, allowing everyone to relive those moments they cherish the most.

THE Blogroll Scoop

For my blog roll, I have included not only my favorite and most used websites, but also websites that reflect my interests.  One of the most interesting, and most recent, is the World of Color video.  Although I added this video because I just recently visited California Adventure and wanted to share the amazing creative show with everyone, this video in particular also illustrates the different filming techniques we covered in the first week of class.  Also, it uses media, technology, and water in a unique way that leaves people in awe.  Another website, that happens to be a favorite, is the Bollywood movies.  Bollywood movies, unlike Hollywood movies, are filmed with many different techniques and they reflect the Indian and Hollywood culture combined with a flair.  YouTube is up there for many reasons, but mostly due to the fact that anyone can access almost any movie through YouTube.  It has opened the gateways for amateurs and novice filmmakers, singers, songwriters, and actors to get their artwork seen/heard.  It has changed the way media has spread and how people see media. If anyone is ever looking for information about movies, IMDB is the best place to go.  Although the Movie Blog is good for reviews, IMDB is good for everything else.  I think the movie database is a good tool for exploring different films and genres.  It also recognizes everyone who helped with the film, which allows people (such as media students) get an idea of how much it takes to make a film.  And like I already mentioned, if you want a subjective movie review, the Movie Blog is a good place for that.  In today’s culture, everyone wants to know what to expect, and movie reviewers definitely bank on that fact.  I try to avoid that site, but sometimes I even succumb and let my curiosity (and impatience) get the better of me.

Escape

The fighting and the yelling was too much for her to take.  Every night it went on, and it was always the same fight.  He did this, or said that wrong, she rolled her eyes or walked away without caring. Life was a personal drama for her.  Except this one never ended. She played the quiet girl who tried to ignore everything and protect her younger brothers and sisters, but secretly listened to every word in case something went too far. In this show, the lights didn’t go off, there wasn’t buttery popcorn to fill her stomach until it hurt, and their wasn’t any sense of satisfaction or regret once the show was done. And worst of all, she was one of the main characters.  If the show was over, in her case, it meant they finally fell asleep.  Dysfunctional families tend to be like that.  The only escape was on Friday nights, after the school football game, she would change out of her uniform and go with her friends to the movies.

At the movies, there was drama and action and horror, but none of it was her own.  If she could leave her brothers and sisters at home alone, she would stay at the movies for hours, watching the fictional scenes flash by, but she was too protective for that.  She did allow her one movie a week though, and she looked forward to it every other day.  Friday, for her, could not come soon enough.  Although movies could be disappointing, with the story was bad or the characters could not convey the proper emotion for the scene, it was a good disappointment for her, if such a thing existed.  Movies could never disappoint the way life could, for they were not a part of her life.  She could immerse herself another world for about two hours, and leave completely unharmed and unscathed from the outcome.  She could live in a fantasy world once a week, and never deal with the repercussions of such a life.  She could be anything, do anything, and feel anything she wanted.  She could escape–escape the insanity and the pressures of home life to find that happy place within herself.

Without movies in life, she would not have known what to do.  Sure she could have read a book, but that would mean being at home.  If she let her curiosity get the better of her, a book would do no good.  She could watch a movie at home, but once again that may come to no good.  Theaters, cinemas, and shows were always the one escape for her.  And it didn’t matter what was showing, it could be any style, any genre, any story–it would never cease to amaze her, no matter how bad it was.  Movies were an escape from reality and an adventure into the unknown.  Just one of her favorite animations said (Disney’s Up) “adventure is out there” and for her that adventure was the theater.

Lights, camera, and more Lights

After watching, and re-watching, the multiple clips presented in class and scrutinizing every detail possible, there was an apparent connection between many of the films, especially between The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine 1919) and The Mummy (Terence Fisher 1959).  Although these films are 40 years apart, both reveal similarities in plot, theme, and lighting.  The lighting, in particular, is very interesting, for each film, although different, both have similar ways of using the light to portray the intensity and the insanity of the moment.

In The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Weine uses dramatic shadows and lighting to enhance the experience of the scene.  In some instances the lighting even changes out of no where.  The scene jumps to a close up where the lighting is much darker than the long shot before it, as if making the events more intense and gloomy.  Weine intentionally creates shadows on and about Cesar, the insane patient, in order to make him more mysterious, while it remains bright on the woman lying in bed, which is what Cesar is after.  These lighting efforts add to the insanity of the scene itself and make the audience fear what will happen.

Although The Mummy was created 40 years after Weine’s film, you see the same concepts of lighting used.  There seems to be only one light in the frame itself, coming from inside the padded cell, however there is a bright light illuminating the window.  The light coming from the window is just as foreshadowing as the light illuminating the woman in Weine’s scene, only here for a different purpose. Rather than illumination the destination of the attacker, it is now eluding to his entrance. The audience is drawn to the light, and sure enough when the mummy enters the scene, there is a back light behind him, illuminating him.

In both films the light is used to cast a dark shadow and a weary gloom over the scenes.  In Weine’s film, there are many more shadows, which add to the extreme nature of the film itself.  Although Fisher’s film is dark, it is more realistic, for the scene is set at night, so shadows are expected.  However, both have unnatural lights either hiding or illuminating the monster in question.  It seems that no matter how much technology has advanced, the lighting of a scene can still change the whole context, mood, and tone the scene is meant to portray.  Without shadows and the dark in many horror films, like these two clips, there would not be that mysterious edge to keep anyone on the edge of their seats.