11 - Extra Credit Blog

I have never used a blog before attending RTF 305; however, I’m glad we used blogs for our weekly assignments instead of the same old, boring essay style questions. The blogs kept us up to date with current technology. Most of our blogs dealt with finding examples from YouTube. This made the assignment fun and challenging. It gave us something to do that we actually liked to do: searching through video’s on You Tube. Also, it gave us a chance to search out other blogs. Before taking this class, I had never used a blog or read a blog before. Now, I find myself searching out new blogs to read. Although I enjoyed certain aspects of the blog assignments, I did run into some difficulties every once in a while. One difficulty I ran into was trying to post YouTube videos on my blog. I could post the link; however, I had a hard time figuring out how to actually make the video show up. Eventually, I did manage to figure out how to post the video’s straight on the blog, but it would have been nice to know from the start. Also, sometimes it was difficult to come up with an example because we had to show something visual. For instance, I would have an idea, but it would take forever to try and find an image or YouTube video that went along with the example. Although, eventually I would find something that worked; it would just take a really long time. I thought the blog prompts about camera shots, TV sitcoms, the three act structure, and advertising were a little more interesting because they dealt with movies and TV shows that we are interested in and therefore it was easier to talk about them. Also, the globalization blog was interesting just because it is so true and it is an issue that we are dealing with today. Conversely, I thought the first few prompts were less interesting because they dealt more with factual terms from the text and did not relate to today’s youth’s interest. Even so, I would recommend continuing using blogs in future courses because it allows the students to stay up to date in today’s society. Technology is always changing and to make students interested in what they are studying, I believe that professors should try and stay on top of today’s technology. I believe that using blogs is a perfect way to use technology to peak their student’s interest. There is only one thing that I would change about the blogging experience and that is making sure the blog prompts get out on time. The prompts are supposed to be emailed out on Wednesday and then they are due on Sunday by 10pm; however, there were many occasions when the blog prompt was not sent out until Friday or sometimes even Saturday. This made completing the assignment harder because of my schedule and assignments for other classes. All in all, I believe that the blog is a great way to get student’s involved in their studies.

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

10 - Globalization

Globalization is a process of interconnectedness among nations, cultures, and people. With the help of technology, countries are able to interact with each other faster and more efficiently. Because of this shorter time-space interaction, companies are able to expand around the world and trade with one another. However, a negative effect of globalization is cultural imperialism.


Cultural imperialism is the domination of a country's culture by another. In other words, a powerful country's culture will overpower a weaker country's culture. Then, the weaker country will begin to acknowledge the powerful country's culture as their own and their culture will fade away. The problem with cultural imperialism is that if one culture becomes dominant all around the world then multiculturalism, diversity, and identity will be lost and everyone will become the same, undistinguishable.

An example of cultural imperialism is portrayed by the film industry. Today, 80% of movies shown outside of the United States are produced in the United States. All other cultures are becoming westernized or “Americanized” with the help of the film industry because people copy what they see in films. So, if people all over the world are watching American films, they will start to act like Americans and become interested in similar things.

American culture is spreading rapidly around the world with the help of the film industry. Globalization may be brought upon by an interconnectedness of nations; however, through cultural imperialism, the world is slowly but surely becoming “Americanized.”

9 - Advertising

This Pedigree commercial is powerful and persuasive because it relies on aesthetic sensation. In this commercial, a dog named Echo gets adopted because of the help of Pedigree. You might remember Echo from a previous Pedigree commercial that states, “For every dog that get’s adopted, there’s one that doesn’t.” In that commercial, Echo is the one that doesn’t get adopted; however, in this one, he finally does. This message is even more powerful and persuasive than the one before because when I see Echo finally getting adopted, it makes me feel happy and makes me want to buy Pedigree so that I can help other dogs too.

Aesthetic sensation simply means visual feelings. It makes the viewers connect whatever emotion the commercial portrays to the product itself. This is a strong persuasive technique because most people are controlled by their emotions. There are many different emotions that commercials use to promote their products; however, one of the most powerful uses of emotion is turning a sad situation into a happy one. When commercials show a something sad and state that it can become happy if the viewers buy their product, they are more likely to do so.

In this Pedigree commercial, viewers see that Echo goes from being sad and depressed to happy and care-free. This draws off of people’s feelings towards dogs, man’s best friend, and not wanting to see them sad. By showing Echo getting adopted, the viewers feel a sensation of happiness and feel more inclined to buy the product because they are shown that their efforts really do make a difference.

8 - Three Act Structure (Ever After)

The movie Ever After is a perfect example of the three act structure by using an introduction, complication, and resolution structure.

The first act introduces the characters, presents the first conflict that drives the characters on to the second act, and is usually about 30 minutes long. Ever After begins with the Queen of France meeting with the Brothers Grimm to tell them the true story of Cinderella. Danielle, or Cinderella, is left to live as a servant with her step-mother and step-sisters after her father dies. One day, she receives 20 gold coins from Prince Henry after he attempts to steal their horse. Danielle takes the coins to buy back a servant that her step-mother sold. There, she runs into Henry again and to hide her true identity, she leaves him with her mother’s name. This marks the end of the first act. The first conflict being, will Henry and Danielle ever meet again?

The second act consists of the rising action brought by the first conflict and ends with a second conflict. It usually lasts about 30-60 minutes, the majority of the movie. It begins with Henry’s father telling him that he must choose a bride by the ball or agree to an arranged marriage. Henry finds out where Danielle lives and takes her out. They end up staying out all night and begin to fall in love. The next day, Danielle’s step-mother finds out that Danielle has been secretly seeing Henry and becomes enraged. Meanwhile, Danielle meets with Henry to tell him the truth, but he doesn’t listen and she runs off upset. This marks the end of the second act. The second conflict being, will Henry ever know the truth and what will happen to Danielle now?

The third act is usually about 30 minutes long, consists of the climax that answers the questions brought on by the second act, and resolves them with a happy ending. Danielle gets thrown into the cellar and locked away; however she manages to get out and goes to the ball. The climax of the movie is when she is at the ball and her true identity is revealed, leaving Henry upset by her betrayal. Then the falling action begins. Danielle is sold to a rich benefactor; meanwhile Henry decides that he cannot go through with his arranged marriage and goes after Danielle. He finds her as she is escaping and apologizes. They get married and live happily ever after.

Three act structure movies include an introduction, a complication, and a resolution. They are also known as the happy ending structure. Ever After is a good example because it follows the rules perfectly.

7 - TV sitcoms

TV sitcoms have certain characteristics by which they are defined. Usually, sitcoms are defined as episodic, but some become serial after a while. Episodic means that the ideas are not carried on from episode to episode; someone can watch an episode in the middle of the series and they will be able to understand and enjoy it, no questions asked. An episodic sitcom is predictable and follows a familiar plot development cycle. It also ends about where it begins. This means that there isn’t much character development and that the plot idea does not follow over to the next episode. However, some TV sitcoms do have bits of serial concepts mixed in. Serial means that there is character development shown over time. Also, the ideas begin to carry over from episode to episode.

For example, The Big Bang Theory can be described as episodic because there isn’t much character growth from episode to episode and every episode starts with a new idea. This show focuses around the main character Leonard who is constantly looking for a relationship. Penny, his neighbor, and Leonard provide the sexual tension from episode to episode. Sheldon, Leonard’s roommate, supplies the comic relief. Their friend’s Howard, the “lady’s man,” and Rajesh, who cannot talk to women, also provide comic relief. Each episode revolves around some issue that is usually always resolved at the end. However, it can also be characterized as serial because over time, there is character development shown. Slowly throughout the series, Penny matures and Leonard becomes less “geeky.” Also, there are ideas that begin to carry throughout the series. For example, Sheldon gets a “girl friend.” Moreover, Leonard’s and Penny’s on-again, off-again relationship begins to become a reoccurring idea.

Even though episodic and serial are complete opposites, a sitcom can contain components of both concepts. The Big Bang Theory is a perfect example because each episode can stand on its own, making it episodic, but if you look at the episodes together, ideas start to carry over and it becomes serial.

6 - Camera Shots and Their Meanings

In the movie, A Knight’s Tale, there are many different types of shots that are used to give meaning to a scene. In one particular scene, the director uses a variation of low angle and high angles shots, mixed in with close up and medium shots to reveal the relationships between the characters.

The scene goes back and forth between high angles (A) of William, Heath Ledger, and low angles (B) of Jocelyn, Shannyn Sossamon, and Count Adhemar, Rufus Sewell. A high angle is used to take away power and a low angle is used to give power. In this scene, the high angles of William and low angles of Jocelyn and Count Adhemar help to show the characters status in the movie. William is a born peasant, and even though the characters are not aware of this, Adhemar still views William as a “poor country [knight]” which are a “little better than peasants.” Because of this, William is shot with a high angle to show this inferiority.  In contrast, Jocelyn and Adhemar are shown with low angles because they are of noble birth and have a higher status that William does.

A        B

The scene also uses a variety of close up shots to better show the relationship between the characters. Close ups are used to show the feelings and emotions of the characters. When William (C) and Jocelyn (D) are conversing, their close ups show happy expressions of flirtation; however, when Adhemar starts to talk to William, his expression changes from flirtation to frustration and hatred. While William’s (E) close up shows that he is upset, Adhemar’s (F) shows arrogance and superiority. At the same time, Joceyln’s (G) close up shows pity and sorrow; she feels bad for William.

C D

E F

G

Finally, the scene shows a medium shot of Adhemar and Jocelyn at the end of the scene. Medium shots are used to show the relationship between the characters in the shot. In this medium shot (H), you can tell by their expressions and direction of vision that Adhemar wants to win over Jocelyn, but Jocelyn is not interested at all; she is giving him the cold shoulder.

H

Overall, the different types of shots in a particular scene are there to give meaning. In this scene, the director uses high and low angle shots along with close up and medium shots to show the relationships between the characters in the movie, A Knight’s Tale.

5 - Production and the Star System

I think that the most interesting aspect of the vertical studio system was the production side, particularly the star system. To become a star, you first had to be discovered by one of the top 5 major movie studios, which included MGM, Paramount, 20^th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, and RKO. Then, you were contracted to that studio for a certain amount of time. This meant that you could only work for that one movie studio. Once you became a star, you became the face of the movie studio. People were so obsessed with stars that they would go to the movies just because their favorite star appeared in it.

The star system also affected the studio system by giving each studio a genre for which they would be known for. For example, Judy Garland had a consistent set of character traits, mainly her singing, which the audience fell in love with. MGM saw this and, to make more profits, began to write more movies where Judy Garland sang, even if it was just one song. 

Another MGM star was Gene Kelly.  Because of his singing and dancing ability, MGM utilized his talent and featured him in musicals, such as Singing in the Rain. Soon, because of the star system, MGM became known for its musical genre.

Conclusively, I believe that production, more specifically the star system, is the most important and interesting aspect of the studio system because it made the studios identifiable and gave them their own genres to profit on by focusing on the actors star talent (instead of trying to come up with many different genres through one actor).

4 - "All in the Family" VS "Life Unexpected"

“All in the Family,” was a show very typical of the 70s, just as “Life Unexpected” is in today’s society. The show, “All in the Family” shows a typical family of the time: a husband and wife, and their daughter and her husband. It dealt with issues such as sexual orientation and stereotyping people, which were strong issues in their day and age. “Life Unexpected” shows a ‘typical’ family in today’s society. This family, however, is different from the typical family of the 70s; it consists of a mom and her boyfriend, a single dad, and a daughter (Watch this preview to get caught up). “Life Unexpected” deals with issues such as relationships, family, parenting, and maturing.

Both “All in the Family” and “Life Unexpected” deal with issues relevant of their time; however, it’s these issues that make the two shows so different. In the 70s, sexual orientation was a controversial issue. The older generation was still against homosexuality and was prejudice towards them. In the episode, “Judging Books by Covers,” Archie judges Michael’s friend based off of his appearance and his interests. He also misjudges his own friend just because he appears macho and acts ‘manly.’ “All in the Family” is a perfect example of how people judged others in the 70s. Today, family and relationships are the issues that we tend to emphasize. Nowadays, there is no such thing as a typical family structure. So many people have children out of wedlock or get divorced (etc). Because of this, many television shows, such as “Life Unexpected,” are based off of ‘dysfunctional families’ and their relationships with each other. The whole concept of the show deals with an orphan girl who is put back into the custody of her birth parents who had her in high school and have the maturity level of teenagers (that’s pretty dysfunctional if you ask me). All in all, these two shows are alike in the way that they both deal with issues from their time, yet, at the same time, it’s the issues that set them apart.

3 - Technological Changes and the Radio

New technology has changed the image of the radio since the 1920s till today. The radio started off as a simple “wireless telegraph” that was used to send out Morse code to and from ships. Then, when Lee de Forest invented the vacuum tube, sound, voice, and music entered the world of the radio. The radio began to drift from a military and government use to a public use. Now radio stations played anything from the news to music to shows, such as soap operas. When television was invented, radio stations were hurt greatly because no one listened to the radio anymore; instead, they tuned into their favorite shows on the TV. Finally, when FM radio and DJ’s appeared, the radio became more widely used again, for news, talk, and music.

Satellite radio is affecting the evolution of the radio in the U.S. today. Now, anyone in the county can listen to one source of radio anywhere they. With satellite radio increasing in popularity, soon, local radio stations and DJ’s will become obsolete. Most people prefer their local stations because they follow a local DJ and listen to their set playlist of music; however the downfall of local stations is that their range only extends so far and the quality is not always the best. If satellite radio’s popularity continues to grow, FM radio will become a lot smaller and many people in the radio business will lose their jobs. In conclusion, technological changes have impacted the evolution of the radio more than any other factor because they have changed the radio from military use to a form public entertainment, given people a chance to stay connected with their community, and now, with satellite radio, allows people to listen to their favorite music where ever they are.

2 - The Social Learning Theory

The concept of social learning helps me understand why people decide to see certain movies and not see others. The social learning theory explains the media’s effects on society as a behavioral effect, rather than a gratification of needs. The theory suggests that people see or don’t see movies based on their past experiences or the experiences of others. For example, websites such as rottentomatoes or imdb often influence people’s decisions to see a movie, just like the word of mouth influences them. Take the movie Avatar: The Last Airbender. Many people who watch the TV show were psyched when they heard about this movie; however, after hearing bad reviews about the movie and visiting the above websites, many people’s minds changed and they no longer had interest in seeing it. Because of the experiences of others, the movie did not do as well as was predicted. Whether it is a bad review that makes you not see a movie or good acting that makes you want to see other movies that the actor is in, the social learning theory states that it’s these experiences that shape people’s opinions about what types of movies they see and which they avoid.

1 - Framing

I think that understanding the concept of framing helps me better understand just how much impact the media holds over my freedom of choice. Framing, basically put, tells us, the viewer, how to perceive an idea or topic. By using the technique of framing, the media—whether it be TV, film, newspapers, magazines, etc.—can shape our opinions about an issue, event, or person however they see fit. This helps the media maintain hegemony because most people in today's society will take the media's view on an issue or person as the only possible view. This being because in a nation as large as the United States, there is close to no other way to hear about events, issues, and people other than the media. Therefore, by framing something, the media literally shapes the future of our country.



An example is the 2008 presidential election. The media is the main source where people get information about the candidates. Most people take whatever they see on TV, in the newspaper, and online, and form their opinions on the candidates based solely on that. The only problem with this is that the media is biased and therefore will obviously show the candidate they favor in a positive way, while bashing the other. In the 2008 election, SNL and other media devices bashed McCain by bringing down his VP, Sarah Palin. To make it worse, the media emphasized McCain’s age, saying that McCain could die very soon, leaving Palin in charge. Whereas McCain was bashed, Obama was praised by the media. His idea of change was promoted all over the media, thus influencing the younger generation of voters to vote his way. Below is a clip of Tina Fey impersonating Sara Palin, just one of the ways the media brought down McCain in the 2008 election.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/palin-hillary-open/656281/

0 - Why I took RTF 305 and my expectations for the class

Hey! My name is Jessica Smith and I am from Naperville, Illinois (which is about 45 minutes from Chicago). I am a freshman here at UT and I am an Undergraduate Studies major. I am taking RTF 305 because I want to transfer into the Communications School and become an RTF major. I love movies and TV and hope to one day become an editor or director. I took a TV 1 class in high school, where I learned a bit of history about radio, television, and film; I also had a chance to make different types of media (including a commercial, music video, newscast, radio show, short film, and silent film) which was a blast! I also took a broadcast journalism class, where we put together a weekly news show for our school. Basically, I love to do anything relating to TV or film. I expect that this class will teach me more about RTF than the little bit I already know (and have probably forgotten) and I am looking forward to watching old movies/TV shows that I have never seen before.


I don’t read blogs, but I was looking through the top 20 that were posted and I thought this one was great!
http://www.failblog.org/


This is my very first portfolio. I made it for my broadcast journalism class as our final exam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwY02wxE_vI