Authentic Self Visual

Here is the video I made for the visual portion of the authentic self project. Sorry for the low quality video, I don't know how that happened seeing as all my videos are shot in 1080p and my preset in Premiere Pro was the highest quality possible, but oh well. I hope it gets the point across none the less.


             

If for some reason the video above doesn't play, here is the link to the video on Youtube.

Negotiating the Meaning of Music in Film

I think that the song First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes thoroughly develops the feelings of happiness, nostalgia and romance. It has a happy upbeat tempo, and is written in a major key, so that alone creates a happy atmosphere around the song. The lyrics describe the writer's deeply romantic and loving feeling toward a third party, and they also mention past events, that are happy memories for the couple, which brings in the feeling of nostalgia. I think that this song would be perfect for a quirky love story film, like Juno for example.

American Society &The Military

The constant glorified depiction of war in American movies influences the American society greatly, socially and politically. First of all, socially; with the media's glorification of war and soldiers, depicting them as epic heroes, and also the idea of the American military as the ultimate "good guy" influences American society to be not only dangerously patriotic, but also pro-violence. It's obvious, especially with the recent controversy over gun rights in the United States, that Americans are very attached to guns and "self defence" and that many are more passionate about protecting their "rights" than they are about public safety. This, no doubt, is related to the media's depiction of the military, and more so, the idea of violence as a solution. These social implications will impact political decisions, as that is the nature of democracy. People are more likely to support a party or a candidate that is pro-war (even for pointless reasons- ex. the Bush administration) because of the ideology that this glorification in the media is imposing on them. In conclusions, because of the constant idealization of war in American media, American society and government has become far too pro-violence.

Titanic Film Rating

The film Titanic (1997) was rated PG by the Ontario Film Review Board, which I disagree with. I think that the film should have a higher rating, 14A. 

The reasons given on the OFRB website for the PG rating are that the film includes frightening scenes that are not recommended for children. Of course these exist in the film, but more disagreeable content is there too. 

To begin, the film follows the story of two individuals who both happen to be on the Titanic- Rose and Jack; the movie documents their love story. Language wise, this film should definitely fall under a 14A rating, it includes coarse language as well as obscene gestures (Rose gives her butler The Finger when her and Jack are escaping in the elevator.) There is not much in the way of violence and gore, but the physiological impacts far outweigh this. The story of the Titanic is clear, and we see a true historical portrayal of the event; including the mistreated third-class and the death of many people, men, women and children. This can have huge effects on everyone, young minds in particular. This is probably the biggest contributing factor to the 14A rating, though the sexual activity and nudity sections have an impact as well. 

In the film, we see female nudity, in the way of Rose posing for Jack to "draw her like one of his French girls." This of course is not suitable for children under the age of fourteen. Alongside this, there is an explicit sex scene between the two leads, complete with windows fogging up and all; it's very serious. 

In conclusion, because of the major discrepancies in the areas of language, nudity/sexual activity and psychological impact, I think that The Titanic should be rated 14A rather than the current rating of PG. 

Film Constrcuts Reality

The Stone of Destiny

This film, directed by Charles Martin Smith, documents the story of Ian Hamilton, a dedicated Scottish nationalist who is determined to return the stolen Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey to Scotland.
This film is a good construction of reality because it closely documents a real historical event (though the accuracy of the film's portrayal is debatable) that is very believable to the audience. Some viewers may even believe that the film is meant to be a true retelling of events, though it is only "based on" the actual story. Some technical elements that made the film more realistic are the well written script and well developed characters, which are both natural and believable to the audience. The seamless camera work and well edited scenes keep the viewer engaged, so much so that they forget they're watching a movie (though any good film should do this). Overall, I think that the fact that this film is "based on a true story" is what makes it so believable to viewers.

Mean Girls

Mean Girls, directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey, though hilarious, cleverly written and extraordinarily quotable, is not a very good construction of reality. The entire film is hyperbole and completely exaggerated, and consequently humorous, but still, unrealistic. Also, the actors are far too old for the teenage characters they supposed to be playing, and every single person is way more funny and clever than their realistic counterpart would be. That is the nature of comedy, though. The exaggeration and unreality of the film is what makes its funny,- it's a satire- and consequently is not a reality construction. 

The Breakfast Club

The film, The Breakfast Club is a story of five, supposedly very different teenagers, who all happen to be serving detention on the same Saturday. They are each defined by different stereotypes, which, through the process of the film, they deconstruct to prove that they really aren't that different from each other. That aside, five definite stereotypes exist within the film, at least at the beginning, and they each send explicit and implicit messages about how each subgroup of people is supposed to behave, which, in general (as most stereotypes are) are contradictory to reality. 

"The Princess"

The character Claire is labeled throughout the film as "the princess". She is seen as a spoiled rich girl who is uncaring and rude to others, particularly those who she deems to be lower than herself on the social ladder. This stereotype is placed on her because she is a white, middle class girl who is friends with "the popular girls", or rather is one herself. This, as most stereotypes are, is generally untrue. From my personal experience, there are many girls that fit the description of Claire that are genuinely kind people. So, I would say that in most cases, this depiction does not fit my perception of reality.

"The Brain"

The character of Brian is labelled as "the brain"- he is the stereotypical nerd who likes school, gets along with his parents, and doesn't have many friends. He is seen as "totally uncool" and picked on by his fellow students who are also serving in detention. He is hopelessly awkward, and tragically uncool. He is also a very unrealistic character. In my experience, the majority of teenagers get along well enough with their parents, and aren't ashamed of being intelligent. Also, people are not mocked and ridiculed for being "a nerd", at least the people I know. So, again, I would say that the depiction of Brian does not fit my perception of reality.

"The Jock"

Andrew is characterized as "the jock" and is the typical popular, sporty guy. He is respected by his fellow "popular kids" and is detested by those less popular. Although he is athletic and well liked, he is also kind and sensitive. I think that this is a far more realistic depiction of a teenage boy than the stereotypical athlete;  his character is more complex than some of the others in the film, as well. Although my judgement may be lacking, since I don't have much experience with the "athletic types" I still think that the depiction of Andrew in the film fits my perception of reality more thoroughly.

"The Criminal"  

The character of John Bender is the stereotypical bad guy, or "the criminal" of the movie. He has a troubled family life, misbehaves in school, gets bad grades and "has no future" according to his teachers. Again, as most characters in teen films are, this is a stereotype. Though, similar to the previous case, I can't say I have much experience with the "bad kid" types, but I would still say that this depiction is contradictory to my perception of reality.

"The Basket Case"

Finally, the character of Allison Reynolds, who is labelled "the basket case" is seen as a crazy girl with issues, to use the most casual terms. She is quiet and reserved, and her peers don't know much about her. She has strange mannerisms and terrible social skills. This character is difficult to analyze, because I have literally never encountered such a person in real life. But, because of my previous conclusions, I must assume that she is also an unrealistic stereotype, that likely would not conform to my perception of reality.

Despite the extreme stereotypes in the film, the story that plays out is meant to deconstruct those stereotypes and show that each person is individual and that people cannot be categorized by interests, abilities or socio-economic class. The conclusion to the film- that stereotypes are constructions and generally untrue, more than anything else, fits with my perception of reality.

Hollywood Film Making in 8 Easy Steps

1. Acquire the rights to the story (which may be an existing novel). This may involve paying a large sum of money to an author or script writer to ensure they won't sell their rights to another production company.
2. Commission a screen writer to adapt the novel into a script. This may require a few tries-or a few different screen writers- until the "right" script is written
3. Hire the essential crew (director, casting director, cinematographer, assistant producers, editor and musical director), who will in turn, hire their own assistants and crew.
4. Determine shooting locations; on location (in this case, contact must be made with land or business owners to book time to use locations) or in studio (in this case, a contractor must be hired to build the sets), prepare housing for actors and sometimes crew, and if needed, hire stunt actors and work out insurance issues.
5. Shoot. This is the shortest step in the film making process.
6. Post-production. This will include the director working with editors and Foley artists, etc, to achieve the final product of the film.
7. The film is now turned over to the producer to be promoted and advertised and sold to cinemas where they will be played for the public. But, before the final cinema step, the films will premiere for influential reviewers and media outlets, where the actors must attend- and these events can occur all over the world.
8. Profit!

"Music just isn't as good anymore"

Often people will reminisce about "the good old days" and through the rose tinted lenses of nostalgia, convince themselves that things just aren't quite as good as they used to be. Of course this is untrue. Things have actually not changed all that much. This is especially true in the music industry.

Many people will swear on their lives that "nothing can beat the classics" or that "the oldies are superior to anything produced today." The main issue with this way of thinking is that "the oldies" that we listen to are still being listened to for a reason; they were the best songs from that time period. There are old songs, from the era of The Beatles and Micheal Jackson, even from the era of Mozart, that were genuinely bad songs. We just don't know about them- or listen to them- because, they were bad songs. It is this simple logic that some people cannot seem to grasp that leads to this thinking that the quality of music has some how degraded over the years. 

To make a fair comparison, one must choose two songs of equal caliber in their own time period. Far too often, to show the degradation of music over time, people will put the lyrics from a Rolling Stones song next to those of a Ke$ha song. Obviously, this is not at all an accurate comparison. People do this, of course, to prove their own biased opinion, but, if one would compare the lyrics of say, Rick Astley to the modern Cold Play, they would likely find different results. This is why comparing the quality of music over time by sampling two songs of different time periods is often faulty- because you can so easily manipulate the outcome- because, the quality of music hasn't changed over time. 

Another problem with discussing the supposed degradation of the quality of music over time is that the criteria for "good music" is incredibly subjective. One person's "good" is Nikki Minaj while another person's "good" is The Beatles. Also, the ideas of "good" will change over time, so this adds to the unfairness of the comparison as well. 

So, my conclusion is, music is not better, or worse than it used to be. The quality of music has not changed significantly over time, at all. 

To prove this point with examples (because this assignment requires it- not because I think that comparing two songs for their quality is at all accurate) I've chosen two songs- equally bad, in my opinion, to illustrate that music has not, in fact changed over time. 

"True Colours" -Cyndi Lauper

"Tear Drops on My Guitar" - Taylor Swift

As you can see by the above examples, whiny, mainstream pop music has always been bad! The quality has not improved or degraded over time. Music is just as good (or bad) as it's always been. 

Media Ownership in Canada

The Top Parent Companies
Newcap Radio
Rogers Media
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Astral Media
CTVglobemedia

The ownership connection between these companies is that often, they are co-owners of smaller companies

Product Placement

Apple would want to advertise in this medium because it is subtle, and it gets straight to their target audience. The audience that Apple is reaching through product placement is the the teenage fan girls who are tweeting about Glee, on their iPhones while the show is happening, and are too busy squealing during the commercials to focus. So, it's most effective for them to casually show Finn with a MacBook in his bedroom, or Kurt answering Blaine's text via his iPhone, or Mr Shuester typing away in his office on a shiny iMac.

Tough Guise

Finn Hudson is an emotionally complex character, who is concerned with the feelings of others and of his own well being. His meaning is defined by his dedication to other people, and the Glee club, and also his loyalty to his girlfriend and his family. For example, when he was dating Quinn, and she told him that she was pregnant, and he was completely committed to being a father figure to her child, and also staying with her and protecting her. Another example is Finn's commitment to his step-brother, Kurt, he is very dedicated to making sure that Kurt is treated fairly and equally, and that he gets all the opportunities he deserves, he is also very supportive of Kurt's aspirations and decisions. Finn is also emotionally vulnerable, in various scenes Finn is shown turning to either his mother or Mr Shuester for advice, both with whom he is very open and honest. Finn is also portrayed as being somewhat vulnerable, after being bullied for his weight by Santana, he is visibly distraught, and unwilling to take part in traditionally masculine events later on, such as taking off his shirt in front of girls, and later on Finn admits to dieting, because of this insecurity. In summary, Finn Hudson is the opposite of the traditional "tough guy"- despite his interest in athletics and mechanics etc, he is still a very emotionally complex character, who is invested in his relationships and looks out for the well being of others ahead of himself, he is also not at all violent and can be vulnerable at times. I believe that Finn is a good, balanced representation of masculinity that is far more positive than the "tough guise" that some male characters portray. 

10 Minutes

Media Constructs Reality 

I think the theme and purpose of this short film is to shock people and reveal a new perspective. I think that the two settings shown, those being the tourist in Rome, and the young boy in Bosnia, represent people, like us, in western society, who have few dangers and threats in their lives, and then, people in crisis.

The sharp contrast between the tourist and the young boy give a very clear image of the discrepancy that exists in the world today. The use of the time constraint, ten minutes, I think was meant to further this contrast, to show how much can happen in only ten minutes. One person impatiently awaits his family vacation photos to be developed while another narrowly escapes death trying to collect rations. The purpose of revealing this contrast is to make people appreciate their own situations, and to evaluate their own lives and realize how well off they are. This theme can be applied in anyone's life by them learning to appreciate the time they have, and to not be impatient or upset about "wasted time" but to rather feel fortunate to have the time that they do. Maybe (probably) this is cheesy and cliché but this is the main meaning I could draw from this film.

Media is a Construction

Darren Criss



The above photos are both of Darren Criss, though one is obviously constructed and retouched and the other is not. The major differences apparent in these two photos are that, for one, in the candid picture, Darren is unshaven and has a lot of stubble, which he does not in the picture from a photo shoot. That is something that would have definitely been decided by the director of the photo shoot. Another major difference is that in the constructed photo, his skin is very clear, and has an even tone. Also, his face has a more masculine, less rounded sculpt than in the candid photo. In the constructed photo, Darren also has more clear, sparkling eyes and his eye lashes are longer and more defined. The biggest difference though is that in the picture from the photo shoot, Darren has a much more flattering look on his face, seeing as he wasn't mid-sentence when the photo was snapped.
As for my emotional reactions to these pictures, my first one- and my only real reaction to it as a whole is that, wow, even when Darren isn't photoshopped he's still gorgeous.

Lady Gaga 



In this series of photographs we see Stefani Germanotta and her celebrity alter ego, Lady Gaga. It's almost hard to believe that the same person is in both of these photos. The changes made to Lady Gaga's appearance that are immediately notable are of course her hair, in the constructed photo, she is wearing a blonde wig. Also, she has a lot of make up, mainly accentuating her eyes and lips. Another major difference is her skin tone- it's lightened in the constructed photo (which is interestingly in contrast to the changes most white females will undergo in post production.) Her skin, of course is touched up, we see an even complexion in her constructed photo, where as in the candid picture her skin has a natural flush and uneven colouring. Overall, my reaction to this set of photos is the power of makeup and photoshop, just how much altering can be done to an image. I suppose I'm not quite awestruck, closer to indifferent than that, but the emotion is something like that.

Media Literacy

Media Literacy (n.): the understanding, and ability to communicate with different forms of media (see also: books, magazine, films, the Internet)

Media literacy is the product of the introduction of all new kinds of media to western- and global- culture. It's ancient precursor, literacy, was a term applied to the understanding and writing of only print media, which was limiting, when media such as film, music and the internet became a more prominent way of communicating.

In my view, someone who is "media literate" is one who 1) can efficiently operate technology such as computers and televisions and 2) can easily browse the internet and find the information they need and 3) be able to make intelligent decisions about the validity of the content being presented (i.e. this person would know that the free iPad being offered to them in the ad on the side of a website is, in fact, a scam).